《Garden Of The Abyss》


 Chapter 1 - Prologue

    I''m weak, frail, and wed from head to toe. Honestly, I have trouble thinking of anything worthwhile about myself. I''d like to say that I''m selfless, but we all are until the moment actually arrives to prove it.

    The smell hit his nostrils instantly, scrunching his nose as his face contorted from the ungodly stench that filled the air. Before he could cover his smell-discerning organ to block the invasive scent, his body responded by gagging--losing control over his bodily functions as all he could do was continue to cough and gag at the horrid stench. Tears fled from his eyes as the rotten aroma continued to infiltrate his nose, finding himself only able to throw up spats of vile liquid from his nearly empty stomach.

    "What the hell...is that?" He asked himself, wiping the bile from his lips as he began to walk through the empty courtyard.

    The opulent walls were now painted with blood, silver des protruding from both the walls and floors as chunks of flesh were attached to the tools of violence. The sight immediately caused him to hurl once more, matching the smell to the source. A ce he had just epted as his home, a ce of nobility and history, was overturned into a nightmarish mindscape.

    Halls that were once the embodiment of grandeur now were presented as a battlefield,yered with blood, guts, and steel. Soon, his mind ignored the stench as his senses were overwritten with horror, slowly making his way through the hellish halls.

    "M...Meinhard, you''re alive, aren''t you''|?"

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 2 - Slashed Hope

    If there is one thing I''ve always feared in life, it wasn''t death. It was that my life would be lived without being acknowledged.

    -Decisions, decisions.

    With only a set amount of money-- a small amount at that, he found himself stumped at the decision ced before him. His eyes darted between the two games, on one hand, he could get "Star Beach Saga II" (A dating sim, which he wanted more, but at the cost of looking like an absolute lump on society''s back) or "Battle Heroes: The New Star" (No cute girls, but filled with action, the "less degenerate" route in his decision). It was truly an arduous battle fought between the two halves of his brain.

    "Maybe so, but I can''t lie to myself..." He muttered to himself, drawing the gaze of the other shoppers within the store.

    The young man reached forward, grabbing the stic casebeled "Star Beach Saga II", tucking it under his arm to prevent prying gazes. Even if he would never see these people again--people that he shared no history but a few nces with, he couldn''t get over their potential judgments of him. He knew these were irrational thoughts, the result of his brain deciding to not function properly, yet it was never somehow he could triumph.

    As an eighteen-year-old NEET, someone without any prospects in life, he was actually doing well for himself in terms of looks. Due to his father''s genes, he had a healthy head of messy, ck wool that almost looked blue under the right lighting.

    He only managed to inherit some of his father''s height, standing just a bit over the average for his age group. What really did him favors were the traits he got from his mother''s side--the sharp look in his hazel eyes he inherited gave him a sophisticated look.

    "--by fire, blood, and light, the link between two worlds is formed."

    The young man perked up at the words that met his eardrums, turning side to side to face whoever was talking to him--nothing. There was nobody even facing him, and none of them matched the feminine voice he had heard.

    "The hell was that?"

    He hesitantly brushed it off, taking the game he set his sights on and approaching the counter.

    "--Ren Nakamura, face the true expression of your destiny and head its calling: Ars Neb."

    This time, hearing his name, he froze in ce as the words became clear to him.

    "Who''s there--?"

    Turning to confront whoever was messing with him, everything shifted intoplete darkness. It was impossible to tell if it was his own sight that had been robbed, or if he was really consumed by an enigmatic void of nothingness.

    "H...help''|"

    The words left his lips, slipping away into the void. Only a slight hum filled his eardrums as he stood in thisplete darkness, before soon--his senses returned. Instead of the tile flooring of the convenience store, he now felt the presence of something slippery under his shoes. The heavy, hard to breathe air that came with the convenience was gone, now his lungs filled with air so natural that it felt as if he had never experienced breathing until this moment. Finally, the darkness dissipated, or rather--the natural scenery faded in, revealing bountiful fields of emerald grass.

    "...Am I dreaming?"

    It was nowhere even close to being recognizablepared to the scenery he knew of his hometown. The mountains obscured by the tint of the azure skies above, the plethora of illustrious trees, unpaved roads of dirt, wherever he was--he wasn''t home. Confusion and fear had taken ce in his mind at equal measure, leaving him stunned as all he could do was process the sight in front of him.

    "This isn''t a dream."

    A voice answered the question he aimed at nobody. It was feminine, sounding around his age, although there was nothing particrly frightening about her voice, it was the perplexing situation that caused him to hesitate.

    "Is something the matter? Did the summoning mess up and cause you tond on your head?"

    It sounded like a joke, but the tone she spoke in rang opposite of that theory. Mustering up his courage with a deep inhale, he slowly turned around to meet the pragmatic speaker.

    Seeing her was almost like confirmation he was dreaming. Ren had never seen a girl with hair that so closely resembled gold, glowing faintly under the light of the sun. It was mesmerizing, draped over her shoulders as the wind tugged on it subtly.

    Even more so than her locks, her pale, smooth skin and glistening emerald irises gave her an air of elegance like he had never seen. However, beauty aside, his mind lingered to what she had said.

    "--Wait, did you say "summoning", you said that right?"

    "I did."

    She answered his question the second it left his mouth, her gaze not leaving him for a moment. Two and two began to add up in his head: the mysterious setting that resembled something out of a fantasy, the entire shift in scenery, and the white robes she wore that looked like someone an RPG cosyer would wear.

    "Was I...summoned into another world by chance?"

    In any other situation, he would be a mad man to ask this question, even still, it felt odd to ask something like that. A moment of silence stood between the two as her gaze continued to linger on him while the winds pelted against the evergreen.

    Amidst this field, isted in a tranquil, cut-off section of nature that was sealed by both the looming mountains and thick forest, he finally felt alive for the first time in years.

    "You''re perceptive--that''s good."

    Her quick, nonchnt answer made her response take a moment to process in his brain as the gears began to shift inside his head.

    "Wait, is that a yes?"

    "Yes."

    Excitement bubbled up within Ren as his suspicions had been confirmed--it really was the "summoned into a fantasy world" cliche, and he was all for it.

    "Let me guess: there is a great, evil "Demon King" who is threatening humanity, so I was summoned into this world, as the all-powerful, charming hero to save the world?"

    Ren asked with a confident smile, giving the girl a wink as he ced one hand on his jutted-out hips, attempting his best at holding a heroic pose, but more so looking like he was attempting to dance like he was straight out of the disco era.

    "...yeah--that''s right, there is a demon king threatening the safety of this world, that''s why I summoned you."

    "I see, I see, as I predicted. So where are the demons at? I want to test out my main character abilities as soon as possible!"

    "Urr...there are none."

    "What?"

    "I mean--the demon king, it''s a prophecy! You were summoned into this world early so that you could prepare for his attack! So right now, there are no demons to fight."

    It was the first time he had seen the otherwise stoic woman get a bit flustered as she scrambled her words in a fit. Though her reaction to his question seemed fishy, he was just too engrossed in the very concept of the world he found himself in.

    "Ah, makes sense. So what''s your name?"

    He asked, giving her a smile he copied from the men in shojo manga.

    "Adide."

    "Well I''m Ren--Ren Nakamura, it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

    Introducing himself, he somehow managed to manifest a smile from the girl--a rare feat for the recluse who hadn''t spoken to a girl in years. At the very least, with the exchange of names, it seemed her prickly, deadpan attitude had lightened up.

 Chapter 3 - Franseid

    "So why are we out here in the middle of nowhere, anyway?"

    "I''m sure you can understand that summoning somebody in from a different world with potential witnesses could make for a messy situation."

    "Yeah...I can see that."

    Without saying anything, Adide turned around before marching. Ren wasn''t exactly bright when it came to social cues or reading the intentions of others, so he just stood there like a statue.

    "Are youing or not?"

    "--Right!"

    He quickly caught up to her, matching her pace as he followed whatever path waited ahead. They soon entered a trail set between a path of overbearing trees, blocking out the pale skies above as a soothing shadow draped over the dirt road.

    "So...where exactly are we headed?"

    "Not too far ahead is a small vige--"Franseid", there is a guild there, they''ll register you as an adventurer so that you can officially begin your journey."

    It was like music to his ears--guild, adventurer, journey--all terms that sang of "other world fantasy", only cementing the dream that was now reality.

    "By the way, what is that object you''re holding onto?"

    Adide had asked after a few minutes into their travel down the evergreen trail. He didn''t have an instant answer, as if he didn''t realize he was holding onto something before checking.

    "Ah."

    It was the game he intended to buy before being transported, "Star Beach Saga II", which was now in his possession.

    "I''m a thief! Ah, it''s bad enough that I''m a recluse, but I''m also a criminal now!"

    "What''re you so worried about? You''re in an entirely different world, you know."

    "...that''s true."

    Even so, the product was nowpletely useless in a world set in an era resembling medieval times.

    --Since I''m in a new world, that means I can have a fresh start, right? I don''t have to be the hermit with no prospects, someone who is always looked down upon...I can be a hero.

    With this new motivation, he tossed the stic case into the nearby foliage, throwing with it his life as a N.E.E.T.

    "You''re an odd one."

    "I know--wait, what the hell is that?!"

    Blocking their path was a cat-like creature with spiky, jet ck fur and beady eyes devoid of color or mercy. Its size was closer to that of a german shepherd than of a normal house cat, hissing as it bore its thick fangs.

    "It''s a katzen, don''t worry."

    "Don''t worry--? Do you see those ws? Or the fact that it looks like it wants to eat my face?"

    "Quiet, I need to concentrate."

    "For what--?"

    His fears were subsided as he became focused on Adide, a gentle, melodic wind beginning to encircle the elegant young woman. Whispers traveled from her glistening, pink lips, words that he was unable to decipher as they seemingly caused the wind to rise in intensity.

    "Is this--magic?"

    Ren raised his arm as a shield against the ferocious winds, a hail of fallen leaves pelting against his body as he did his best to keep his gaze on the spectacle before him.

    "Listen to the beating of my heart, the rhythm of my breathing, as it is the same as the world''s winds--grant me the ability to cut away my enemies: Luft, Atem--Departure!"

    Adide chanted those words with absolute authority, her voice seemed to blend with the lively winds as she pressed her palm forward towards the now approaching katzen. A violent gust of wind tore through the air like a de, colliding against the cat-like creature before all that was left was a mist of red.

    "That was...awesome! Seriously, that blows digital magic out of the water!"

    Ren shouted in excitement after witnessing such mysticism. Looking over at Adide, her breathing became ragged as she held her head as if experiencing a migraine.

    "Are you alright? What''s wrong?"

    "...I''m fine, I overestimated how much mana I had left in me, that''s all. Let''s continue."

    "If you say so''|"

    Passing the stain of blood that was the deceased katzen, Ren and Adide continued on their journey to Franseid vige, now he was gued with paranoia, hearing the bushes around him rustle. After how much that attack seemed to drain her, he didn''t want to gamble on them being able to handle another one of those beastly cats without losing a few limbs.

    "That was pretty cool, that was wind magic or something, right? Left, Adam, something!"

    Ren yfully extended his palm forward as if casting the spell, half expecting something to actually happen.

    "Mhm--"Luft" and "Atem", those are both principle casting terms of that particr element."

    "Are you gonna...you know''|"

    "I''m not going to teach you magic right now, just focus on getting settled into Franseid first then you can worry about magic."

    Adide let out a sigh carrying her slight annoyance at Ren''s childlike excitement over magic.

    "Right, right''|"

    He dropped his head in disappointment, following close behind Adide before a beam of natural light prodded against his eye. After staying under the natural shading of the trees, they had finally exited the treeling, stepping into a new stretch ofnd.

    It was mostly the same fields of green from earlier, except now the sight of cottages came into view, some built of stone, and some of wood, as well as the distant prospect of people going about their day.

    "Wee to Franseid."

    Adide gestured as if introducing him to the new sight, holding onto her pointy hat as a gust of air attempted to blow it off the top of her head. He expected a few houses here and there, and maybe a couple of families upying the vige, but it seemed he had the wrong idea.

    "It''s a bit bigger than I expected...by a bit, I mean it''s way bigger than I thought!"

 Chapter 4 - First Encounter

    It resembled a small town rather than a "vige". From as far as he could see, Franseid covered the naturalnd.

    "I don''t remember saying anything about it being small."

    "Yeah, it''s just how I imagined it, I guess''|"

    There wasn''t any sort of "front gate" to keep out any unwee guests, only a pair of guards who looked no older than freshmen. It seemed as if their presence woke one of them up, who somehow managed to doze off while standing upright.

    "Ah, Lady Adide! W...we didn''t expect you back so soon!"

    The guard on the left with short, brown hair slurred his words as he snapped into focus. After racing to greet Adide, both of the guards had their gaze shift over to Ren, looking him up and down.

    --My clothes...I totally stand out!

    "And your friend here...he''s--"

    "None of your concern."

    Adide seemed to have some sort of authority over the guards, who listened to her as if she was their employer.

    "Did you remember to collect coin from travelers today?"

    She asked a question aimed at both the clearly inexperienced watchers of the vige. A clear shiver rushed over the two guards as they exchanged nervous nces.

    "About that''|"

    "Damien, that was your job today!"

    The guard on the right, with poorly-groomed, blonde locks , interrupted the other, supposedly named Damien.

    "What do you mean, Merth? I did it yesterday!"

    The two bickering young guards stopped as they noticed the frosted re from Adide, piercing them directly with contempt.

    "We''re sorry, Lady Adide''|"

    They both dropped their heads, apologizing in unison as they gave in. Ren could only stand there and watch in confusion at the peculiar situation.

    --"Lady", I mean, she looks elegant, but nothing she said ever hinted at that. Why is she asking about them collecting coin anyways?

    "Don''t let it happen again, I''ll be deducting it from your wages--next time, you won''t be left off the hook so easily."

    Her words came out abrasively, no hint of mercy orpassion as the unbing words left her noble lips. Merth and Damien only nodded their heads inpliance before Ren followed the young woman into the vige, looking back to see the two guards still sulking.

    "What was that about?"

    "Nothing, don''t worry about it."

    Bluntly denied, he experienced that same razor-sharp edge tone she held against the guards. It started to feel like was being pulled along rather than apanying this girl, who he was starting to feel he knew truly nothing about.

    --No surname given, nothing about whatever her deal is with those guards...she''s really keeping me in the dark here.

    As soon as he entered the heart of the vige, he could feel eyes scanning him from every direction. It was one thing to feel as though you were being watched, but he could tantly see the vigers looking at him as if he were some sort of alien.

    "--what the hell is with them? Don''t they know it''s rude to stare''|"

    "What do you expect? Look at the clothes you''re wearing, you stick out like a sore thumb."

    She didn''t stop nor did she even spare him the effort of looking at him while talking. What she said was right, he remembered that same suspicious look he got from the young guards.

    "True''|"

    In the crowd of vigers, squeezing through the narrow dirt roads, he couldn''t so much as keep track of where she was taking him. As a recluse, this definitely wasn''t his forte--pushing past people, having to brush against them as constant chattering filled his eardrums, it was a ustrophobic environment.

    A flood of aromas invaded his nostrils--the weing, stomach-rumbling smell of freshly baked bread lingered in the air above, followed by the smell of burnt, heated metal as he came into earshot of metal being molded by a cksmith.

    Somehow--they ended up in a narrow alleyway, by himself, although it was better than the bustling streets the pair walked. At the very least, it was devoid of people and had some shade cast over it.

    "Still--how the hell did we end up here?"

    Before he could get his answer, he noticed two figures that he didn''t notice at first, obscured by the darkness that presided over the alley. One wasnky, while the other obviously had a fondness for food, made obvious by the round gut he disyed.

    "You''ve got some odd clothes on there."

    The tall, slender man''s voice came out in a rasp, wearing a wicked smile that hid none of his less than good intentions. The scars etched onto his face were telling of the bad choices that led him to this moment. In addition, their tattered, filth-covered clothes made it all the more clear what kind of people they were. Being with someone dressedvishly like Adide, they stood out as prime prey for thugs like this.

    "Look, we don''t want any trouble, we just got lost--"

    "Strip."

    "Eh?"

    "You heard him, give us your damn clothes before we knock your teeth out!"

    The round, yet still muscr one piped in, clearly not much is going on up there as he was quick to resort to violence.

    "Urr, Ally, you wouldn''t happen to have any more mana left in the tank, would you?"

    "Unfortunately, mana doesn''t replenish that fast--and after calling me that, I don''t think I''d help you even if I could."

    Adide didn''t seem worried in the least, standing behind Ren as if using him as a meatshield.

    "Well...I didn''t want it toe to this, but I guess it''s time to test my main character powers privileges out!"

    Ren wore a nervous smile, raising his fists as he squared off with the two alleyway thugs. Besides praying for natural blessings, he was relying on the thugs underestimating him--getting confident in their numbers and at his less than intimidating build.

    --Which means, they won''t expect me to take the initiative! "He who attacks first always wins!"--somebody said that, right?

    Closing the gap between him and the slender thug with greasy, long ck hair, he reared his fist back before sending it against the man''s nose with all of his strength. In his mind, he expected the man to be sent flying against the furthest wall, potentially crashing through it after breaking through the sound barrier. What did happen, was thenky man stepped backward a couple of feet as crimson fluid leaked from his reddened nose.

    "Where the hell are my improved stats at--?"

    "You''ll pay for that, shitstain!"

    This time, it was the boulder-shaped man rushing towards him with his head lowered, taking up the entirety of the narrow hallway--which left no room for swift maneuvering. If he tried to get out of the way of therge thug''s bull-rush, it would put the girl in danger.

    --I guess I''ve got to man up, or hero up! Whatever, just find a way to counter his rush!

    If he tried to take it head-on, the size disparity would result in him being run over. There was only one option--go for the legs. There was no way moving at that speed, carrying thatrge of an upper body, that the man would be able to fight against a takedown.

    He dropped his stance, charging forward as he lunged at the man''s lower half.

    "Heave-ho---!"

    Ren gritted his teeth as he pushed with all of his strength, managing to knock the goliath over as the top of his head smacked against therge man''s surprisingly solid stomach. He was unable to take advantage of the fallen over thug, getting up just in time to avoid a haymaker from thenky one.

    "Was I always this awesome? I only feel a bit lighter, but otherwise--I don''t think anything has really changed with my body."

    "Bastard--! So you''ve got some spunk, do ya''?"

    The round thug stood up with the help of the other, a feral rage inhabiting his grey irises. Ren noticed the man must''ve hit the back of his head when he took him down, watching as the thug shook off the pain as his maroon locks iled behind him.

    "Don''t take your anger out on me! You picked this fight and now I''m pretty pissed!"

    Ren snapped back, thriving with a new sense of confidence after sessfully standing up for himself, in front of a pretty girl, no less.

    Going for another telegraphed straight-right, the weaselly thug evaded the punch and countered with a left his own, feeling his boney knuckles drive against his nose.

    "Payback--!"

    The thugughed as his tongue hung out from his mouth, holding his fist up as if it was a holy sword.

    "I don''t want to hear about "payback"--are you just going to keep ignoring the fact that you started this?!"

    Ren rubbed his sleeve against his throbbing nose before raising his guard again.

    --"Everyone thinks they''re a hero until they get slugged in the face!" That''s what my old man used to tell me. I''ll have to thank him if I ever get the chance!

    It wasn''t much, but being prepared to be hit was as good an asset as a solid defense or offense. If he wasn''t ready for that, he likely would''ve broken down into tears or froze out of fear.

    That fresh confidence soon diminished as he watched as the thugs reached into the pockets of their trousers, the heavy one revealing a pair of brass knuckles as he slid them over his fingers. On the other hand, the slim thug pulled out a rusted, yet still terrifying and lethal dagger.

    "Ah, I think there''s been a misunderstanding here. My clothes? You can have them. I think maybe I just had a bit much to drink at the tav--"

    As he was busy making excuses in fear of his life, Ren had no chance to react to the brass knuckle-covered fist as it mmed against his fragile chin. He swore he felt his brain bounce against every side of his skull as he fell backward onto the ground, feeling as light as a feather.

    Seeing stars dance above him, he soon saw nothing as his vision flickered, leaving him in total darkness before his consciousness slipped away from him.

    --Ah, is this how my other world fantasy adventure begins?

 Chapter 5 - Hero And Heroine

    You''d think after eighteen years of my own dreams being squashed, I would learn at some point that reality really does have it out for me.

    A sudden ssh of liquidnding on his face interrupted his pleasant nap given to him by the alleyway thugs. It was like being ripped straight out of a peaceful dream by his own body mistaking the small instance of water on his face as him drowning.

    "--guh!"

    Ren''s eyes shot open, meeting with the existence of a grey, stone-lined ceiling sitting above him. Turning his aching head to the side to check for whoever was the source of the rude wake-up--of course, it was Adide.

    "Did you use water magic on me or something?"

    "No, just a bucket of water."

    The golden-haired young woman lifted up the wooden bucket as if backing up her own words. There wasn''t an ounce of remorse or empathy on her face, not that he expected any by this point. As he sat up on the bed, he noticed the clothes he was previously wearing were reced with a dirty, baggy, olive-colored tunic. For his pants, he was now wearing grey trousers covered in stitches containing different shades of gray like some sort of Frankenstein of pants.

    "What are these? What happened to the clothes I came here wearing?"

    "Well...after those thugs knocked you out, they took what were the spoils of battle. Not after knocking you around some more first. By the end of it, they left you naked in the alleyway."

    As she exined what happened, it seemed to get worse with each word. Just the image of those events that appeared in his mind made him want to crawl into a hole and die.

    "And you came out...totally unscathed?"

    "Mhm. They know better than toy their hands on me."

    "--I would''ve appreciated some backup, ya'' know?"

    "I assumed you were trying to impress me with a show of bravery."

    That rotten personality of hers counteracted all of her cute charm. It was obvious she could have probably prevented the entire encounter, but probably got some sort of entertainment from it.

    "Agh...whatever, where are we anyway?"

    Ren asked, wincing as he touched his bruised chin. They definitely did a number one him--his chin, ribs, cheekbones, all tender to the touch.

    "This is my home."

    "--I see."

    It wasn''t shoddy or anything, but the home was devoid of decoration or wealth, in contrast to the girl herself. All that sat in the room he was in was the bed heid on and the chair Adide had sat in.

    "Adide, can I ask you something?"

    "What is it?"

    "Why did you summon me?"

    "Tobat the demon--"

    "--No, I mean, why did you summon me? It''s one thing if I was brought here by priests protecting a kingdom or something, but you''re just a girl, living in a humble vige like this. I just don''t see why it would be your responsibility..."

    The widening of Adide''s eyes told him she wasn''t prepared for such a question. Her lips moved slightly as if she was about to answer but stopped herself, gripping onto her silken robes.

    "If I''m being honest--you just don''t seem like someone interested in the well-being of the world."

    Through his short time with her, that was the conclusion he came to. She was dismissive and uncaring, especially to someone she dragged into this world without consent, someone who she imed is supposed to be a "hero".

    Ren looked at the pale-skinned girl, who was now staring down at herp as she searched her head for a response.

    "I understand your confusion, and your suspicions...up until now, I know I''ve been cold to you. If I''m beingpletely honest with you, the reason I summoned you...I thought, if you were to be a famous hero who saved the world, then it''d bring fame and prosperity to Franseid."

    "--I think I understand it, is that what that thing was with the guards earlier?"

    Ren asked, watching as Adide nodded her head in affirmation, fiddling with a strand of her gilded braids.

    "As part of the adventurer''s guild of this vige, I''m responsible for looking over it and making sure all is well. That''s why I have to check up on certain things--like making sure we''re taxing merchants whoe and go."

    "I see...well, Franseid already seems well off to me, I don''t think you have much to worry about."

    "It''s not enough...Franseid must be muchrger than this. That''s why I need you."

    For once, Adide seemed genuine when speaking about Franseid.

    "Am I really up for that though? Bing a hero and all--against those thugs, I felt...normal, nothing had really changed with me."

    "That much is expected, it can take days, weeks, months, even a year for your body to be fully limated to this world."

    Adide raised her head, brushing her silky, well-kempt hair behind her ear as her gaze met with his. It was the first time he noticed that look in her eyes, that ever-present determination she held in her verdant gaze.

    "I wish you would''ve told me that before I went in so hot-headed against those thugs''|"

    Ren chuckled quietly, ruffling his own hair before he decided to get up from the bed atst. The serene orange sky, devoid of clouds meant the sun would soon set, marking his first day in this world sooning to its rest.

    "I''m not your caretaker...but I suppose you''re no more capable than a child in this world, so I''ll try my best to keep you out of trouble then."

    "That goes both ways then."

    He gave her a confident smile as she looked up at him with a confused look stered on her fair face. It was hard not to blush like a madman as Adide looked at him with those damp jewels of hers.

    "What do you mean by that?"

    Adide''s question left her light pink lips softly, watching him as he walked to the center of the in room, adjusting the sleeves on his tunic.

    "If you choose to support me then, I''ll be the hero you need me to be. I was already nning on saving the world or whatever, so I don''t mind being the "Ren Nakamura, Hero of Franseid". It has a nice ring to it, no?"

    It seemed the confident words he spoke, conjured by mimicking a charismatic main character from visual novels, had actually worked. He managed to earn a genuine smile from Adide, as her emerald eyes glistened with joy.

 Chapter 6 - A Stroll Through Franseid

    An unexpected roar from his stomach ruined any semnce of heroism he tried to put on disy, tinting his cheeks with an embarrassed hue of pink.

    "How about some dinner?"

    Adide offered, still holding a smile, this time at the price of his own humility. Just the thought of food was such an exciting idea to him--as this would be his first meal in this new world.

    "That sounds great right about now, I used a lot of energy saving you from those heinous thugs, ya'' know?"

    His attempt at a joke fell t, not even earning himself augh of pity from Adide. Not that he expected her to bust a gut at it--but she didn''t even look at him.

    --Just when I thought maybe my charisma stat had increased in this world...maybe she just has high resistance to that kind of stuff?

    As he took a step forward to follow her to what he assumed would be the kitchen, Ren froze in ce at a sudden realization. It was the first time in his entire life he had been alone with a girl, besides the woman who raised him. Just the concept of it made thoughts he''d rather not share race through his mind before he smacked his cheeks to rid himself of their scarlet tint.

    Stepping into the corridor, it was just as in as the barren room he woke up in, save for a few potted nts apanying the olive walls. He chalked it up to her just being a minimalist, but the care she must''ve put into her own appearance made that feel like a moot point.

    "Not to be rude or anything...but isn''t it kind of in here?"

    "That is a rude thing to ask, especially to ady."

    "I know, I know! Bah, forget I said anything."

    Ren pressed his palms together and bowed his head as if apologizing to the tight-lipped woman. A sight left her mouth, causing him to raise his head again as she turned away from him, rummaging through a basket formed of straws.

    "I''m usually busy with requests or helping around the town, so I''m not home very often. So excuse me if my humble cottage isn''t up to your standards."

    Even though she was obviously poking fun at him, her delivery was so dry that it felt more like actual contempt.

    "Requests? You''re an adventurer, right? So do you get to fight goblins--or even dragons?"

    A sparkly shed in his hazel irises as Ren prodded the girl for information. She pulled out a couple of potatoes before setting them onto a wooden cutting board, taking her time before answering.

    "There really isn''t much action around Franseid, it''s a peaceful area. That''s why it''s the perfect spot to attract fragile merchants who are scared of monster attacks. Though, there are the asional katzens or goblins that need taking care of."

    Adide smiled as the topic hovered to economics, flipping a potato in her hand before setting it back down.

    --This girl is a shrewd businesswoman!

    "What''re you making?"

    Ren snooped around like a beggar, covering his stomach with a slight blush as it growled at the sight of the unprepared food.

    "Steamed potatoes."

    "Ah, want me to grab the pot--"

    "--Not necessary."

    She stopped him in ce, cing her palm above the potatoes before closing her eyes.

    "Wasser, Feuer--Dampf."

    Magical particles of red and blue intersected above the helpless potatoes before settling down upon the food. A mixture of fire and water used in unison created a small burst of steam, instantly steaming the potatoes.

    "What the--did you just steam the potatoes with magic?"

    "Yes, is there a problem?"

    "...no."

    Ren epted the magically steamed potato, feeling the fresh heat lightly burn against his uncalloused skin. After taking arge chunk out of the potato--vorless was the only way he could describe it, but his hungry body didn''t care as he performed a magic trick of his own, making it disappear into his stomach within seconds.

    There was nothing to do, without the existence of technology, Ren didn''t know what to do with himself. It''s not like he was great at talking with girls unless he decided to conjure the thousands of lines of dialogue from visual novels he ingrained into himself.

    "--We should head to the guild before nightfall."

    Adide suddenly piped up after taking in a long breath.

    "Right, I totally forgot about that! Is it close?"

    "Just a dragon''s tail walk."

    "Is that really a unit of measurement or are you messing with me?"

    Ren asked, his question being ignored as he followed Adide outside. Theyout of the vige was already a mystery to him, but wherever Adide''s house was, it sat in apletely different corner of themunity. There wasn''t a rambunctious flood of people crowding the streets--in fact, there was hardly anyone around.

    "Not that I''mining, but where is everyone? It was like a flea market earlier."

    Ren asked Adide as he walked a hair behind her, ncing around as he kept his new phobia in check: alleyways.

    "There is a curfew set for the vigers."

    "And you aren''t following it?"

    "My guild is the one enforcing it."

    He was starting to feel like this guild was less like a high-spirited band of heroic adventurers, and something more along the lines of the mafia or yakuza.

    --Seriously, what kind of guild of adventurers taxes vigers and sets a curfew?

    It had been no more than half an hour since he witnessed the sun begin to settle before somehow, the skies became shrouded in the darkness of the night. A draft picked up, the chilly wind grazing over his body as he shuddered.

    "--Cold."

    Renmented, hugging himself as he massaged his own arms in an attempt to get his blood flowing.

    "It''s as cold as any other night, deal with it."

    "Easy for you to say--you''ve got that whole robe to keep yourself warm!"

    He whined, quickly shutting himself up as he caught a stink eye from one of the vigers, sitting on their porch. During hisining, Ren didn''t realize they had stumbled into a less than prosperous part of the vige. The cottages were smaller, built from a variety of different materials, resulting in Frankenstein houses. Besides that, the people had a gloomy look in their eyes--until they saw Adide. That vacant look in their eyes devoid of hope turned into fear as they cautiously watched them pass.

    "...what''s with them?"

    Ren whispered to Adide, keeping a lookout as he was taking no chances getting shanked in the slums during his first day in his otherworld journey.

    "Don''t worry about them. Obviously, they aren''t happy with the hand dealt to them, so they use me to me their own shorings on. I can''t me them--I am partially to me for the situation they''re in, but that''s life."

    "Isn''t that a bit...harsh? The vige pays your guild to take care of it, so the least you could do is show somepassion''|"

    "What good will pitying them do? It''s not like coins grow on trees, we can''t do anything to help them. There will always be those with money and those without it, that''s an unavoidable part of life, Ren."

    Adide didn''t bother to lower her voice as she spoke, showing no ounce of empathy--Ren now was on high alert of iing stabs.

 Chapter 7 - Betrayal Of A Frail Heart

    The entire atmosphere of the ghetto was dreadful, at some point, he stopped fearing for his safety and just felt pity for their situation. A single storm would wash away the barely standing "houses", some of which were just pieces of tattered cloth propped up on wooden nks.

    "Is your guild really located here?"

    "Yeah, we''re not very far now--patience isn''t a strong suit of yours, is it?"

    "If you are asking if the guy who just got transported into a different world and is being dragged through the ghetto in the dead of night is patient, then no."

    The somewhat clean,rge shack sat at the end of the dirt road was unmistakably the guild. At the very least, it was built with consistent materials. Standing in front of it, however--his brain began to negotiate for him to walk the other way. There was not a semnce of light peeking outside of the guild house, only the ominous whistling of the nightly wind weing him inside.

    "Huh--? Wait--"

    Ren watched as Adide pushed through the entrance, disappearing inside without saying a single word. It felt like a test of courage more than anything, in which--he couldn''t wimp out in front of Adide.

    "--Fine then, here Ie!"

    He mustered up whatever strands of courage were stored within him, clenching his eyes shut as he stomped up the stairs formed of rotting, splintered wood. Conjuring the abrasive confidence of a delinquent, Ren pushed through the doors as ayer of dust greeted him. After the tickle of dust reaching his throat caused him to cough, he opened his eyes. It was as dark as he expected, unable to even see a step in front of him.

    "Adide''|?"

    He asked quietly, nearly jumping out of his own skin as the doors closed behind him. The fact that his trousers weren''t soaked with warm, golden liquid was already amendable feat.

    A pair of hands suddenly grabbed him and held his arms behind his body as a cloth bag was thrown over his head, the disgusting unison of stenches,posed of what smells like feet and mildew, pelted against his helpless nostrils.

    "What the hell is going on--?"

    Ren yelled out, left in total darkness as he was left to the devices of whoever was holding on. He could make out the heavy breathing and grunts of grown men, further confirmed by the heaviness of their footsteps against the faltering wooden nks below.

    "Answer me--!"

    He tried to ask again, this time earning a hit to the cheekbone as a response. It stung, but the adrenaline flowing through his veins subsided the pain as he continued to squirm, trying to free himself from the grasps of his unknown captors.

    "--Adide! Adide!"

    "Put him out, Abe! He''s a fuckin'' loud one!"

    The rugged voice of the man holding him from behind called out, followed by another, stronger impact against his nose this time.

    "--Ngh!"

    Another hit followed, crashing against his already bruised chin, likely fracturing it as he felt something crack. Thatst hit caused his knees to no longer respond to him, giving out from underneath him as the lights in his head flickered.

    --Two times in one day...what kind of scam of an otherworld journey is this''|?

    "--You didn''t have to be so rough with him, you had him under control."

    "He was being fuckin'' loud, Ad."

    He listened to their voices as they became distant, sounding as if he was floating farther and farther away until finally, it all went ck.

    Coming back to the world of consciousness, Ren was still left in darkness as the cloth mask was draped over his head.

    "...ngh''|"

    It felt like a nail was being struck into his head by a hammer, although that was probably to be expected after being clobbered twice in one day. Attempting to move his hands, they were tightly roped behind the chair, squeezing the life out of his wrists.

    --Seriously, if I didn''t have CTE the first time, now I do.

    "--Are you awake?"

    A moment was needed for the groggy young man to realize it was Adide''s voice, just hearing her voice was enough to somewhat relieve him.

    "Adide? What''s going on? Are you okay?"

    "--"

    "Adide?"

    He could feel her presence in the room, but she wasn''t responding to him.

    "You''re slow on the uptake, Ren. I''m not in any danger, and I''m not your ally here. There is no "Demon King", and you aren''t some sort of chosen hero."

    "--What? Adide, just tell me what''s going on!"

    The cloth was lifted from his head, revealing the room he was being held in. There Adide stood, surrounded by a couple of thugs who looked even scummier than the ones from the alleyway.

    "Poor guy, look at his face! He must''ve thought ya'' were fond of him, Ad!"

    The goon on the left with a bald, scarred head, with a body like a gori, let out a heartyugh.

    "Be quiet, us."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    The gori-thug, supposedly named "us" quickly shut his mouth, listening to Adide like a loyal dog. As Ren was about to open his mouth again to demand answers, Adide kneeled down in front of him, gently pressing her delicate fingers against his forehead.

    "--Eh?"

    "Gaia--Heal."

    A verdant light emanated from her touch, particles of mana danced about the air, falling into his skin soothingly. All of the pain that radiated through his body disappeared as he found himself entranced by the girl, as she kept her eyes closed while holding the spell.

    "...I''m sorry, Ren."

    She whispered to him as she slowly opened her eyes, the healing light dissipating into a thousand minuscule particles of green.

    "Sorry for what? Just talk to me, Addy, please''|"

    Ren felt helpless as he saw that mncholic look in her emerald irises. Instead of an answer, she left him with a kiss on the cheek before she stood back up.

 Chapter 8 - An Exchange To Be Made

    The sound of hooves cking against the dirt and gravel outside of the front doors became apparent, followed by the neighing of a horse, echoing through the quiet night.

    "That must be our buyer."

    us smiled with an air of avarice, smacking his meaty hands together.

    "One of them, at least."

    Abe, thenky tall one with unnaturally elongated arms that hung below his knees responded. If us was built like a gori, then Abe was more of a chimpanzee.

    "Buyer? Is this what I think it is--?"

    Ren asked, looking at Adide who gestured for the two thugs to get the door. It didn''t take a genius to realize what was happening now. He was their merchandise. As this revtion came to him, he watched as the doors opened up, letting in a chilly breeze as a man became visible in the doorway.

    "Wee, Lord Althaus."

    Adide greeted the man, bowing her head as the two thugs hesitantly followed her gesture.

    "Now, now--such formalities are not needed! As buyer and seller, we''re both equal, Miss Adide."

    The man''s words came out with a tinge of elegance as he stepped into the abandoned shack, a bodyguard dressed in a suit of armor following close by him. Ren could only sit and watch while the nobleman stepped over to him, wearing a finely woven dress that exuded his wealth.

    "Nice to meet you, otherworlder--I am Stefan Althaus, head of the Althaus family."

    Althaus ced his hand over his chest before bowing his head, rising back up as he stroked his light-brown beard with one hand.

    "He''s not very talkative, is he?"

    The nobleman turned to Adide, smiling as if this situation waspletely of the norm.

    "He was pping his lips just before ya'' came in!"

    us answered, walking over and gripping Ren by the hair, pulling his head back as he used force to make him speak.

    "Now, such savagery is unnecessary."

    "Ya'' don''t tell me how to handle our merchandise until the money is on the table!"

    The boarish thug spit as he talked, letting go of Ren''s hair after a sharp re from Adide. Althaus brushed off the rude behavior, cing his arm in front of his bodyguard, who seemed as if he was about to put us in his ce.

    "Before we talk about money, I believe verification is in order."

    "The hell do ya'' mean?"

    "us, quiet down. Do whatever you need to do, Lord Althaus."

    Adide pulled us back, giving the nobleman free rein to "verify" whatever he had in mind. A small vial was pulled out from under his coat pocket, containing an unknown blue, powdery substance. As the cap of the vial was popped off, an aroma simr to gasoline drifted from the unknown substance.

    "This will be a rather...unpleasant experience, just bare with it--it''ll be over quickly," Althaus assured Ren, "Johannes, hold him for me, will you?"

    The armor-d guard grabbed hold of Ren''s head, forcing his mouth open as the vial was brought above his face.

    "--Hgh! --op it!"

    Ren stammered out, squirming as he tried to escape from his inevitable fate. The powder fell from the tube container, directly into his mouth as he instinctively swallowed it. It took no more than a few seconds before the effects of the substance made themselves present--he wailed out as all of his muscles seemed to cramp at once. Every fiber of his body seized, tightening and shortening is his muscles contracted. It was like sparks of electricity were coiling around each of his nerves, shocking them endlessly and without mercy.

    "--Ghh...Gah! Ngh''|!"

    He let out whimpers, yelling when his body allowed him to as his screams carried his agony through the room.

    "The hell did ya'' give the poor guy?"

    Abe asked, scratching the top of his head with his tube-like arms.

    "It''s nothing dangerous for those of this world, but for otherworlders--it invokes a reaction like you see before you. So, with that said--it seems the boy here is truly an otherworlder."

    Althaus exined, slipping the vial back under his coat as he had Johannes sit Ren back up.

    "So, where''s tha'' money at?"

    "Johannes, you can show them the payment now."

    The nobleman''s guard removed the pouch attached to his leather belt, bulging with the contents it held inside. Setting it down on the table--the thud that echoed under its weight was telling of how much coin was on the line here.

    "Holy...are those--"

    "One-hundred holy coins, no more, no less."

    While Ren was ignorant to how much money that turned out to be, the other''s eye-widened reactions to Althaus'' words told him it was not a small sum.

    "One-hundred...that''s--Ad, you can pay that bastard Gunther back in full, with change to spare!"

    us celebrated, while Adide was left in slight disbelief at the sight of such money.

    "If this is our starting bid, then our other buyer will have to offer up more!"

    "Yeah, that''s right!"

    Abe and us were like two children, getting giddy over the exuberant sum in front of them.

    "Now...there is just one condition."

    Althaus spoke up, stopping the celebratory air in the room.

    "The deal is only on if you ept it here and now."

    us'' excited face contorted into his usual angry mug as he stomped towards Althaus, his bare, hairy feet making it sound as if the wooden floorboards would snap under his feet.

    "Tha'' hell? That''s not how this works, you know that! We''d lose our reputation if we just epted the first offer we got without hearin'' out the other offer! Yer''just scared that the other buyer will outbid ya''!"

    "I wasn''t talking to you, I was talking to thedy."

    Althaus looked up at the gori-thug, holding his slight smile--which for some reason seemed to further the thug''s rage as he raised a fist to the nobleman.

    "us, stop--!"

    As Adide attempted to stop her partner, it was toote--the hand he raised towards Althaus was gone from its wrist. It all happened in the blink of an eye, even us didn''t seem to notice until he stopped and looked at the stub at the end of his arm.

    "Huh--?"

    Looking up, Johannes had unsheathed his broadsword from its scabbard--coated in crimson as the thug then realized his severed hand on the floor below.

    "--My fuckin'' hand! Ya'' cut my fuckin'' hand off!"

    The brutish thug fell to his knees, holding onto his wrist as arterial fluid spewed like a fountain out of the open wound.

    "Yer'' dead, bastard!"

    "Stop it, Abe!"

    Adide held Abe back from approaching Johannes, who stayed silent and ready to retaliate.

    "You know the art of healing magic, don''t you? If you act diligently, you can return the gentleman''s hand to his arm, Miss Adide."

    The nobleman spoke calmly, stroking his beard as he nced over at Johannes, having him return his de to his scabbard. Although the girl held a burning rage in her emerald irises, she hesitantly listened to the words of wisdom, kneeling by us, who was now growing pale from the rapid loss of blood.

    "--Abe, get his hand and hold it to his wrist!"

    "But, Ad--!"

    "Now, Abe!"

    Thenky thug froze for a moment before following hermand, rushing over and retrieving the still-intact hand, holding it against us'' open wound.

    --The hell is going on here?

    Ren felt as if he was experiencing a fever dream, watching all of this unfold after his body calmed from the experience with the blue substance. Besides that--he assumed these thugs were just some randoms, but Adide seemed to genuinely care about them.

    "--Licht, Gaia--Greater Healing!"

    Adide''s words coated in desperation and anxiety manifested in the form of a spell, a divine light emanating with a rejuvenating warmth illuminated the gloomy room.

    "--Amazing, it truly is."

    Althausmented quietly as he watched the spectacle, narrowing his eyes from the blinding light of healing. As expected from something called "Greater Healing", the thug''s hand was reattached to his wrist, only leaving a pale scar at the attachment zone.

    "...thank ya'', Add."

    "Just let me handle this, us. Abe, make sure he stays put."

    "Add--I just wanna'' make sure ya'' aren''t getting taken advantage of, these nobles can be real slimy''|"

    us muttered, still sweating from the previous mixture of pain and shock.

    "So, have you considered my deal?"

    Althaus asked Adide as she stood in front of him, still stroking his beard with an unmoving smile.

    "--You attack my family like that, then have the nerve to continue on like nothing happened?"

    "Now hold on, your "family"--he was going to attack me, but Johannes here acted swiftly. All is well anyways, look--he''s all healed."

    "Only because I had ess to healing magic powerful enough to repair such a wound--you had no way of knowing I even possessed such magic."

    "Sure I did--you''re a descendent of the Sages, one of thest "Ancients", no?"

    Adide''s eyes widened at the nobleman''s words, clenching her fists as an aura of mana emanated from her.

    "Calm yourself, Miss Adide--I did note here for you. All I want is the otherworlder, then I''ll be on my merry way. You just have to ept my offer, here and now--time is of the essence."

    The vibe of the small room, now full with two sides who had every reason to fight one another, was too intense for Ren to even attempt to speak. Even somebody like him, holding little to no experience with girls, knew that telling an obviously angered girl to calm down was not the best idea.

 Chapter 9 - Brittle Bones

    --It''s almost double what was initially offered''|"

    Adidemented, swallowing her anger as she nced over at the bag of ivory coins. The entire room fell silent as the young woman pondered the deal, all eyes watching her as the next time she spoke--it would decide everything.

    "Fine."

    "Are ya'' sure about this, Ad? The other buyer might--"

    "I doubt any offer will surpass Lord Althaus''...we have to think rationally here, Abe."

    "I''m blessed to have such a reasonable business partner!"

    Althaus celebrated with a heartyugh before extending his hand towards the girl to seal the deal. After a moment of hesitation, she shook his hand without meeting his gaze.

    "I''m not your business partner--just take your prize and go."

    "How cold. Johannes, get the boy, would you?"

    Althaus made his way out of the shack while his bodyguard retrieved the half-conscious Ren, battling the pain still thriving within his body. As he passed by Adide, the girl avoided looking at him, whether it was out of guilt or disgust, he didn''t know.

    "--Stop."

    Ren told Johannes,ing out in a weak gasp of air. To his surprise, the man actually listened, stopping and allowing Ren to turn to face Adide onest time before leaving.

    "...Just because I''m a no-good loser with zero experience with girls doesn''t mean you can buy me with a kiss on cheek. Goodbye, Adide...I hope that money was worth it because you made an enemy of the wrong person on this day."

    Contempt; it was all he could feel now after having his fragile heart twisted further than it could support. There wasn''t a single part of him that wanted to look back at the temptress of his swollen heart--the rage swelling within him wouldn''t be able to bear it.

    His words garnered no response from the girl, watching her for a moment before Johannes continued onwards, supporting Ren over his shoulder.

    Waiting outside, an exuberant carriage crafted off fine wood and decorated with velvet stood out like a sore thumb in the barren slums. The horses seemed evenrger than the ones he remembered from his world, but then again, he never actually had seen one up close. Sitting on the couch seat was another guard with armor identical to Johannes, sitting like a statue in the dark night.

    "--"Johannes", right? Thanks."

    Ren thanked the guard, only seeing the man''s faint blue irises past the open slit of his metal helmet. Not even so much as a nod as a response came from the silent guard as he brought him inside thevish carriage.

    The inside of the carriage was nicer than his room back home, and maybe even spacier. Waiting for him, already seated, was the nobleman, sipping from a ss containing golden liquid--alcohol.

    "Take a seat,d."

    Althaus gestured for Ren to sit, whoplied nervously, slowly lowering himself onto the cushiony, violet seat across from the entric. The guard stepped in after, closing the door to the carriage behind him before seating himself next to the nobleman.

    As soon as they were all seated, Johannes smacked the roof of the carriage, signaling for the coach driver to begin their departure.

    "So, I think we should properly introduce ourselves-- I am Stefan Althaus."

    "--I''m Ren...Ren Nakamura."

    He decided it would be best to at least give his name to the nobleman, to avert any potential retaliation.

    "A wonderful name--my, they really did a number on you back there, didn''t they? Johannes, give him a Heilen orb."

    Althaus ushered for the man next to him to give Ren whatever a "Heilen orb" was. Watching as the guard reached into the pouch attached to his belt, a small, green sphere was retrieved and ced onto Ren''s palm.

    "It''s a new streamlined way of potions, specifically made to give to soldiers amidst warfare. Just pop one in and any non-fatal wounds will be healed right up."

    Ren held it in his hand, looking at it for a moment before deciding to trust the nobleman, as the migraine he had was worth taking the risk to remove. He popped it into his mouth and swallowed it, it left a sweet, tarty taste before he could begin to feel the effects set in.

    The pain dwindled, leaving his body in a rxed, almost euphoric state.

    "--Amazing, isn''t it? The perks of having boundless coin, I''d say. You can''t find these in shops--but I have connections of my own."

    Althaus smiled, crossing one leg for another. The wheels on the carriage continued to spin as the horses pulled it across thend, eventually bringing the sight of enormous marble walls into view. The serene walls reached up to the clouds, casting down a shadow over the carriage as if overlooking an ant.

    "Wee to the capital of Mastorn, the kingdom that has abandoned the "Age of Gods", taking on the future of humanity for itself--thend of knighthood and magic!"

    Althaus proimed, leaning his arm outside of the carriage window as if presenting the city. The sight of those walls that separated the capital and the outside world--just the feat of building such enormous barriers was magical in and of itself. A feat of ingenuity that shouldn''t be possible by this stage of humanity--yet it was. Just by being in front of those walls, he could feel the mana resonating from it, an almost divine air came about those walls.

    "It''s amazing''|" Ren was left overawe with the sight before him, leaning his head outside of the window to get a better view.

    Althaus swiftly pulled him back into the carriage with an almost worried smile before patting his shoulder. The way the man caressed his shoulder, tracing his finger along his bicep made his skin crawl.

    "It seems you didn''t quite understand my earlier tales. Otherworlders are seen as enemies of the world by Mastorn. One look at those odd clothes of yours and you will be marked as most suspicious," Althaus advised him.

    "Urr...so what do I do about that? Should I hide or what?" Ren grabbed his own hoodie.

    "No, no--that won''t be necessary. Johannes, would you be so kind as to retrieve what is in that cab for our friend here?" Althaus pointed at the cab above their seats.

    The quiet guard nodded his head before standing up, nearly losing his bnce as the carriage hit some sort of bump in the road. Johannes grabbed onto the small wooden handle of the cab, pulling it open and retrieving the contents inside.

    "Ah, thank you''|" Ren nodded his head in gratitude, not knowing what the item was until the guard ced it in the boy''s hands.

    It was some sort of medieval clothing--a simple ck shirt, trousers, and loafers. He was confused for a moment as to why he was given these before it clicked.

    "You want me to change...here?" Ren asked quietly.

    One look at Johannes'' anguished expression, who was desperately averting his gaze--he realized exactly what was expected from him. Meanwhile, Althaus'' gaze never left Ren, watching him intently with a smile.

    "Now, you should make haste. We''ll soon reach the gates, I would hate for the guards to capture you," Althaus spoke out, still holding his wicked smile.

    "Can you look away''|?" Ren asked.

    The noblemanplied to his surprise, expecting him to be some sort of demented pervert, shifting his gaze to the window of the drawn carriage as he pulled the small curtain back.

    "Ah, looks like we''re close to the gate. I can hear the chattering of the people from within the gates," Althaus continued to pressure him.

    It wasn''t a bluff--even he could hear the now audible voices as the carriage drew near to the front gates of the capital. A single nce out of the window and he spotted a few guards d in silver armor and chainmail, looking bored enough that they would probably jump on the opportunity to seize a wanted figure such as himself.

    He hastily slid the tunic over his torso before pulling the trousers up. Sitting back down, he slid his feet into the loafers supplied to him.

    "Now, that wasn''t so hard, was it?" Althaus said with a closed-eye smile.

    Ren didn''t even want to look at the men, let alone respond to his shallow words.

    --No, that isn''t right. I wouldn''t call his words "shallow", it couldn''t be more opposite. Every word he speaks isn''t empty but holds wicked intention. I have to find an escape, some window of opportunity to get the hell away from this guy.

    "The outskirts of the capital are quite unforgiving. So many lives are lost from careless traveling, it is truly unfortunate. The creatures lurking about are true savages," Althausmented.

    Ren''s eyes widened at the words that left the man''s mouth. It was as if the man could read what Ren was nning just by the expression on his face. The carriage came to a stop, hearing what he presumed to be a guard speaking to the man driving the carriage. Before long--the carriage continued onward once more, entering the massive gates of the capital.

    "They didn''t even look inside the carriage. What was the point of me changing like that''|" Ren gritted his teeth, gripping his trousers as he looked down in shame.

    "Ah, they didn''t? I guess we just lucked out then," Althaus smiled.

    --Just one good hit, I could break those pearly whites. It took everything he had to hold back his anger.

    A constant chattering, a stream of exchanges between people filled the once peaceful quiet as they were now in the center of the noisy city. He didn''t feel the desire to look outside the window and take in the view of the bustling city.

 Chapter 10 - The Soothing Of A Friend

    The nobleman seemed to finally take notice of Ren''s flickering mood and kept silent instead of further prodding the ticking time bomb of his emotions. The sound of metal gates being opened became ear-ringingly audible as the carriage came to a halt before moving forward once again.

    "Ah, seems we''re home atst. Wee to your new home, Ren--this is the Althaus manor," Althaus waved his hand outside of the carriage window with a smile.

    He hesitated to look, but after the awkward silence that filled the carriage--he felt obligated to look just to end the awkwardness that fueled his anxiety. His eyes lit up at the sight of the manor--the house was enormous, stretching across thend as if it was an entire academy. Not only was the house itself extravagantlyrge, the front courtyard felt like a small town itself. Rows of professionally groomed bushes line the stone road that led to the manor, which was made of some form ofvishly designed wood. The design of it was something that didn''t exist on Earth, the way it was built could only be the result of magic.

    "Ha-ha, I can see by the look on your face that you''re quite impressed," Althausughed heartily before turning towards the guard next to him as the carriage came to a slow stop, "Johannes, could you show our friend around the manor? I have some urgent business to attend to regarding--you know."

    Ren watched as the guard nodded his head before gesturing for the boy to step out of the carriage. Stepping out from the carriage, he felt as if he had truly entered this new world for the first time. The sun ran across his skin, the warmth of it caressing his tired body. Something only natural to a world like this, without the curse of the industrial age--the fresh air that filled his nostrils was something he had never quite experienced before.

    "Come on now, we haven''t got all day," Johannes urged the boy as he began walking towards the front of the enormous house.

    Ren snapped back into focus and fervently nodded his head before catching up with the man in armor, walking beside him.

    "So where is that guy going?" Ren asked, looking back at the carriage to see it pulling away once again.

    "Refer to him as Althaus--you wouldn''t want anyone to hear you calling him otherwise," Johannes nearly snapped, quickly turning his gaze to Ren.

    The sudden change in the quiet man''s tone nearly made him jump as he could sense the fear in the man''s eyes. Johannes sighed quietly and shook his head, taking his helmet off to reveal a head of golden-brown hair. His features were mostly in--except those withered blue eyes of his that sent a chill down his spine as if he had seen countless atrocities.

    "Listen, it is in your best interest to make friends with those who work in this manor," Johannes approached therge burgundy doors before grabbing the silver handles, pulling the doors open.

    It was hard to call the front of the expansive house just that--it wasrge enough to be called a lobby. The furnished wooden floorboards made of some extravagant wood without a speck of dust or wear almost made him not want to even take a single step. The high-reaching walls were lined with paintings of all sorts--portraits, scenery painting, and even pictures that seemed to be taken with a camera. He chalked this up to the usage of magic.

    "Why''s that?" Ren looked at the man with a hint of concern in his eyes, finally responding to the man after being taken aback by the sight of the almost royal manor.

    "Life in the manor may be peaceful, but the world outside is full of hardship--I don''t know what your world is like but this one is quite monstrous," Johanne spoke in a whisper as he entered the manor alongside Ren.

    It was a bit much to take in--he already knew of Althaus'' peculiar antics from his time in the carriage, but what Johannes was warning him about seemed far more sinister. After all, the man telling him this was who seemed to be Althaus'' right-hand man, and even he seemed to speak his name in fear.

    "Come now, boy," Johannes ushered Ren with his hand as he stepped down the far-reaching halls.

    He nodded, looking around curiously--as if only to distract himself from the fear flooding his heart. The guard opened the second door attached to the hall. Before Ren could reach the doorway, the sound of a knife hitting a chopping board became clear now. Reaching the doorway, he found himself in a kitchen, filled with a plethora of utensils and ingredients--as well as a boy he seemed to be about his age, chopping away at green onions with arge knife.

    "This is Meinhard, he is the chef of this household--" Johannes began to introduce the boy before being cut off.

    The boy quickly turned, pointing the knife directly at Johannes--the tip of which was nearly pressed against the man''s neck. The boy''s intense gaze then softened as his nk expression shifted into a joyful smile.

    "Oh--you gave me a scare!" Meinhard giggled, pulling the knife away and stabbing it into the wooden cutting board.

    "And you almost gave me an early visit to the grave!" Johannes barked, rubbing his gloved hand against his neck as if embracing the fact that it was still intact.

    Now that the boy was facing towards him, he could get a clear look at him. He had medium-length fluffy blonde hair with irises that resembled emeralds. The clothes he wore seemed professional yet casual, wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a ck vest as well as ck shorts to match. He wore his socks over his shins, nearly reaching his knees.

    The boy''s eyes widened, a confused expression covering his face as he looked past Johannes, directly at Ren.

    "Urr, nice to meet you, I''m Ren," Ren nervously introduced himself.

    "I think you heard my name already, but it''s Meinhard! I''m the chief but also quite a few other things, but I guess my cooking takes all of the fame," Meinhard smiled softly, extending his hand.

    Ren stared at it for a moment before meeting his reach and shaking his hand with a smile of his own. It was a relief to meet someone his age in this unfamiliar mansion and somehow who didn''t seem abnormal. At least, not in a negative way.

    "Can you show him around? I''m beat," Johannes scratched his head with a tired sigh.

    "Didn''t Althaus ask you to show me around?" Ren asked, looking at the tired man.

    "Hey--I''m tired as hell and this kid has boundless energy, so I''m sure he doesn''t mind. Right, Meinhard?" Johannes held his helmet tucked between his arm and his torso.

    The boy looked at Ren for a moment with his hand on his chin as if deciding before nodding his head with a bright smile.

    "Sure, but on one condition: he has to help me finish cooking. I can''t just ck off on an important supper like this," Meinhard pped his hands together.

    "Is that right? I mean, tonight''s dinner is to wee Ren and you''re going to have him help make it? You know what--I don''t really care, I''m going to take a nap," Johannes waved his hand as he walked away.

    Ren watched the guard walk away, hearing the metal of his armor nk down the hall before bing distant. Turning back, he jumped back as a knife was pointed directly in front of his face.

    "Whoops, I guess I need to be a bit more considerate with these things," Meinhard stuck his tongue out yfully and flipped the knife over with the handle extended towards Ren.

    He grabbed the knife slowly and looked at Meinhard, taking a few deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart.

    "Yeah--you probably shouldn''t point knives like that, man," Ren sighed with a weary smile, standing next to Meinhard over the kitchen counter.

    A basket of ingredients sat on the counter, filled with an assortment of vegetables ranging from onions, cabbage, carrots, and garlic. A b of meat was rested on a wooden board, thered with a variety of spices.

    "So...what exactly am I supposed to do here? I''m warning you, I''ve lived off of microwavable instant ramen about half of my life," Ren rolled his sleeves up.

    "Micro-what now? Well, just start by dicing up the carrots and putting them into the pot afterward," Meinhard said with a smile.

    Ren nodded his head hesitantly and reached into the basket of vegetables, retrieving a handful of carrots and setting one on the cutting board. He slowly got the knife in position, bringing it down to create the first slice. ncing to the side, he could feel Meinhard watching him as he slowly cut the first carrot.

    "I don''t work well while being watched, you know," Ren said half-jokingly.

    "Hey, if you get all cut up, the lord is going to let me have it," Meinhard smiled, but Ren could tell that wasn''t a lie of any sort.

 Chapter 11 - Meinhard

    ncing down, he noticed bandages wrapped around the boy''s fingers, not only that--he could see a hint of bandages covering his arms from under his sleeves. Meinhard quickly pulled his sleeves down as he noticed his nce, looking away meekly.

    "What are those from?" Ren asked him, looking at his bandaged hands.

    The boy tried to distract himself by throwing some vegetables into the pot with a plob as they dropped against the boiling water.

    "You know--just some cuts while dicing up vegetables is all. I can''t say I''m a master with the knife, he-he," Meinhard stuck his tongue out jokingly.

    Ren didn''t believe it for a second, but he didn''t feel like prodding into the life of someone he just met.

    "Alright...you should be more careful," Ren furrowed his eyebrows before turning back to dice the rest of the carrot he had started on, "Say...what kind of guy is Althaus anyways?"

    --Ren already had his own impression of him that he already told himself wouldn''t change, but maybe hearing something good about the man might make his time here easier. However--more than that, he almost hoped to hear negative aspects of Althaus to justify his hatred for him further.

    He could feel Meinhard freeze in ce at his question. The energetic boy seemed to dim down at the topic of the nobleman. The boy ran his fingers over his other hand, touching the bandages that wrapped around his injured fingers. Although it was hard to see, Ren could faintly make out red stains of blood that had seeped into the white bandages.

    "The lord...gave me a reason to live when I was at the end of my road," Meinhard smiled, his eyes shrouded by reminiscing memories told a different story to Ren.

    Ren let out a short sigh from his parted lips, dicing apart another carrot with more speed--but not efficiency. He let his frustration manifest as he sliced apart the orange vegetable as if he was some sort of celebrity chef, eventually--

    "Gow--!" Ren yelped out.

    Ren held his hand close to his body, blowing on his finger as if to ease the pain he caused to himself in his own shoddy knifemanship. A trail of blood ran down the parted skin on his lightly mutted finger, staining his finger in crimson.

    "Ah...I thought I heard you picking up speed over there!" Meinhard teased him while still somehow holding a worried expression.

    Meinhard acted in haste, grabbing the boy''s hand and holding it.

    "Hey--this isn''t the time for whatever this is!" Renined with a flustered expression.

    "Oh, shut up!" Meinhard huffed, closing his eyes, "Heilen Manor."

    As those words imbued with mystical energy left the boy''s mouth, an odd sensation ran through Ren--causing his hand to pulsate with an unknown warmth. A faint green light radiated from the pair''s hands before the pain faded entirely.

    "What...is this?" Ren asked slowly, left in awe at the sight.

    "Just a simple healing spell. Your finger should be fine now--just wash the blood off!" Meinhard smiled, letting go of his hand.

    Raising his finger in front of his eyes, he confirmed for himself that his cut was healed, even the pain had been erasedpletely, however--a scar was left on his finger.

    "What kind of magic can''t even prevent scars from a simple cut?" Renined.

    "Hey, be thankful you even got treated! I''m not that proficient with healing magic, so that''s the best you''ve got," Meinhard snapped back.

    "Whatever, whatever--thank you," Ren muttered thatst part under his breath.

    "What was that?" Meinhard teased.

    "Don''t push it!" Ren huffed and doused his blood-stained finger in water, sticking his tongue out.

    He stopped for a moment and looked at Meinhard intently, focusing his gaze as if inspecting a crucial aspect about the boy.

    "Do I have something on my face? Why''re you looking at me like that?" Meinhard scratched his cheek bashfully with a chuckle.

    "If you have the talent to use healing magic, then why''re you still wearing those bandages?" Ren asked quietly, not trying to risk any outside ears prying into his conversation.

    The boy''s eyes widened for a moment before settling into a distant gloom as he ran his hand across his bandaged fingers once again.

    "It makes me happy that you think I''m talented, but I''m not, Ren," Meinhard wore a weak smile,"sometimes, you must sacrifice something in order to obtain usage of magic. I sacrificed the ability to heal myself in order to learn healing magic--when you think about it, not a bad deal, right? I mean, I wouldn''t be able to use it at all without that restriction. I suppose that''s why it''s weak, but I''m still d I have it so I can heal those I want to protect."

    "I''d say that''s a fair deal...although it must be sort of cruel. Having the ability to help others--but not yourself. I''d guess that is the true price of that deal," Renmented.

    Meinhard nodded his head before running his fingers through his fluffy hair and smiling brightly once more. Bringing such a topic to the surface definitely wasn''t Ren''s best idea, as he could tell the boy was quickly trying to sway the conversation somewhere else.

    "Come one--the lord is going to be furious if I don''t have supper done in time!" Meinhard pped his hands together and hastily began tossing ingredients into a pot.

    "You know--maybe having me help out wasn''t such a bad idea. Might earn me some points in this household if the meales out good," Ren said, instantly questioning himself as to why he would want any sort of approval from a man like Althaus.

    As the various ingredients consisting of spices, vegetables, and some sort of meat were added to the pot, an intoxicating aroma filled the kitchen. He stopped for a moment to take in the scent--causing his stomach to rumble in response to the tease of food.

    "Ah, that''s embarrassing," Ren covered his stomach as if that would somehow muffle the sound.

    A loaf of bread was tossed directly into his hands as he looked at it with a puzzled gaze before turning towards Meinhard, not hiding his action at all with a cheerful smile.

    "Dinner won''t be served until the lord is home, so try and hold off with that, alright?" Meinhard pinched his index finger and thumb together.

    "Thanks," Ren nodded his head in gratitude, nearly salivating at the idea of filling his stomach with the loaf of yummy, carb goodness.

    Waiting for Meinhard to turn back around, he quickly scarfed the bread down without taking a second breath. It was revitalizing, sure, but it only seemed to rece his hunger with drowsiness. After letting out a loud, extensive yawn against his own will, he felt what remaining energy he had left quickly dissipate as his body pleaded with him to rest.

    "He-he, you should go get some rest, you have enough time before the lord gets back, I imagine," Meinhard insisted.

    "You sure? I didn''t really help out much, if anything--I was like, negative help. I made you use up mana," Ren argued, even though he desperately wanted to experience the sweet embrace of sleep in that moment.

    "Don''t worry about it! It was helpful enough to have some entertainment around here for a bit, nowe on. Everything is set in the pot anyway, so I''ve got some time to show you to your room," Meinhard began to walk towards the door out of the kitchen.

    Ren wanted to retort again if only to save face, but his tired body evolved into a tired body and mind as he lost the will to argue further.

    "I appre~ciate it," Ren thanked the boy with a yawn.

    It was a terrible situation, being abducted and sold to a, in the nicest way to put it, perverted noble in a fantasy world--although that part wasn''t much of a negative for him, If there was one thing though that he foundforting in this situation, it was the beautiful mansion he was now set to live in.

 Chapter 12 - New Abode

    Being guided down the outstretched halls by Meinhard, his gaze couldn''t be averted from the tall ss panes that made up the outer walls, disying the gorgeous garden that outlined the manor itself. The topiary of the shrubs that all resemble perfect spheres made him question if it was perfect handiwork or the result of magic. Either way, the result itself was magical.

    "Norbert is responsible for maintaining the garden, it''s amazing, isn''t it?" Meinhard spoke up, noticing his gaze of awe.

    "Norbert?" Ren asked, increasing his pace as he had fallen behind Meinhard.

    Meinhard nodded his head while smiling, brushing strands of his golden blonde hair away from his crystalline gaze.

    "He is the head butler appointed by Althaus. Honestly, to say he is responsible for maintaining the garden would be misleading. I''d say he maintains just about everything here, without him, this manor would be left in shambles," Meinhardughed.

    "With a name like Norbert--he must be ancient," Renughed at his own terrible joke.

    The look Meinhard gave him was as if his joke was so bad that he couldn''t even spare him augh of pity.

    "That''s...just don''t make jokes like that around him," Meinhard chuckled nervously.

    The two continued down the halls as Ren continued to find himself enamored by the contents of the manor. He lost count of how many rooms they had passed before traversing up a spiral staircase, covered with velvet carpet.

    Some of the paintings that covered the walls spanned the size of a movie theater screen--he wasn''t much of an art connoisseur but even he could appreciate the work that went into making such art.

    "Ah--beautiful, aren''t they? Just don''t touch them. The lord paid quite a bit of coin for these paintings," Meinhard stopped and stared at the painting that Ren was focused on.

    "I could imagine, something like that in my world would be worth a fortune," Ren responded as gazed at it.

    The painting showcased a forest filled with trees that were covered with white leaves, overlooking a sleeping beast. Every detail seemed to be ounted for, every unique marking on the bark of the trees, even making out specks that were insects. The beast itself resembled a giant humanoid of some sort, covered with gray fur.

    "In case you are wondering--this painting does indeed represent something that exists in this world," Meinhard looked at him, "You know, I was excited when the Lord announced to us he had found an otherworlder, I know that in your world--magic and monsters alike don''t really exist. So, I was happy to be able to live vicariously through your own excitement in a world like this."

    "I can''t say I really understand all too well what you mean, but if you want to tell me about this world--I''m all ears," Ren smiled, "like for starters--whatever the hell this painting is supposed to be."

    The boy chuckled at Ren''s enthusiasm that disyed itself in an odd way despite his tired body. Ren watched as he continued walking down the second-floor hall.

    "I''ll tell you on our way to your room--honestly, you need to rest," Meinhard waved his hand for him to follow.

    Ren epted this proposal as he followed the boy down the hall--which was widerpared to the narrow halls of the first floor.

    In ce of the endless rooms that were prominent below, the second floor seemed to house paintings, statues, and various artifacts of the sort that Althaus seemed to have a liking to.

    "The beast you saw in the painting--he is known as the "Weltwanderer", it is said he wanders the entire world in search of a human he befriended a millennia ago. For the most part, he is docile--that is, if you meet him during the day. He is very much a real creature in this world, although I can''t say it is amon urrence to see him, not many people ever do. Most people only know about him since the Weltwanderer is popr in children''s stories," Meinhard told him.

    "Hmm, so who is the person he is looking for?" Ren asked, engrossed by the tale.

    Meinhard paused for a moment as they walked further into the far-stretching halls, passing by a collection of various suits of armor, some even embroidered with expensive-looking gems.

    "Well--as I said, it was millennia ago, so that human is long dead. It is sad, isn''t it? That ancient creature doesn''t understand the mortality of humans so he doesn''t know the friend he is searching for has been dead for quite some time''|" Meinhard kept his hands behind his back as he walked.

    "I don''t know if I''d call it sad," Ren pondered, putting his hand on his chin as he marched down the corridor.

    Meinhard tilted his head as if that response was something he didn''t expect, but before he could speak--he stopped in front of a door near the end of the second-floor hall. It was tall, nearly double Ren''s height as he looked up at it, amazed by the design etched into the fine wood of it.

    "This is your room--take a look, I think you''ll like it," Meinhard giggled.

    Ren grabbed onto the silver handle, turning it and slowly pulling the door open as he revealed the room he would be staying in for this new life.

    --Come on, let''s see--will it be the room of a king? A prince? Will there be a canopy bed? Ren closed his eyes as he stepped into the room, awaiting hisvish new room fit for royalty.

    As he opened his eyes--his hopes quickly dwindled down to reality. It wasrger than his room back on Earth by a hair. It had a king''s size bed with the most standard setup he had ever seen, and in ce of the nerdy collection he had at home--books. A lot of books. The wooden walls were lined with paintings, if not, then they were blocked by bookshelves. Near the bed was a desk for writing and reading--something he knew he would eventually be putting to use.

    He let out a quiet sigh before walking over to the bed and dropping onto it.

    "So this is it, huh?" Renmented as he stared up at the ceiling.

    "What? Were you expecting something extravagant?" Meinhard raised an eyebrow and he leaned against the doorway to the room.

    "That''s not what I mean, it''s just--this is it. This is my new life," Ren sat up on the bed with a neutral expression.

    "Yeah, well--I''ve got to finish up on dinner, get some rest," Meinhard gave him a quick smile before leaving down the hall, closing the door for Ren.

 Chapter 13 - Dining With Althaus

    As soon as the door closed, Ren let his body fall limp against the bed. He hated this entire situation, but even he had to admit--this bed felt heavenly. Resting his head against the cloud-like pillow, he didn''t bother to cover himself with a nket.

    "Seriously--did they cast aforting spell on this bed or something?" He joked to himself, rubbing his cheek against the fluffy cushion.

    As tired andfortable as he was, it was hard to let himself fall to the world of dreams as he dreaded the uing dinner with Althaus. The entire scenario of him having to change clothes in front of him had skewed his perception of the nobleman, but he tried his best to convince himself it was just a misunderstanding.

    Even if he didn''t fully believe his own exnation--it was enough to let his anxiety-driven mind fall into slumber. It felt like he had only shut his eyes for a moment before heating a knock on the door--causing him to sleepily open his eyes.

    "Mister Ren, dinner is ready. Lord Althaus is expecting you," A deep, elderly voice spoke from the other side of the door.

    "Yeah, yeah''|" Ren sat up slowly, wincing as all of his muscles seemed to ache.

    --Whatever that thing Althaus gave me in the carriage must''ve worn off. Ren rubbed his stiff shoulder.

    One look at the window and he could tell that he actually did manage to get some sleep as it was pitch ck outside--save for the lights that lit up the capital itself.

    Opening the door, he was face to face with the man who woke him up. He was tall--very tall. The man stood well over two heads taller than him, with shoulders broad enough that made his imposing stature almost suffocating to stand in front of. His elderly appearance was nothing more than a showing of his age--as the physique he held was nothing short of an olympian.

    "Sorry for disturbing your rest, the Lord told me you were needing rest--but I assure you that the sleep you get will be much more fulfilling with dinner in your stomach," The man spoke to him, bowing his head.

    Ren was still in awe at the man''s stature. He wore a butler uniform with a ck cape draped over his shoulders, with silken white gloves embroidered withrge green gems on top of each hand. He held an aura of formality--that apanied with the aged silver hair the man had helped him deduce who the man probably was.

    "Excuse my rudeness, I should introduce myself. I am Norbert, the head butler of the Althaus manor. If you need anything, I will always be avable," The tall man bowed once more.

    "Y-yeah, nice to meet you," Ren chuckled nervously, still intimidated by the man.

    Although the giant butler spoke with a kind, well-mannered tone, his face remained stoic--with eyes that seemed to read every part of Ren. In all of his eighteen years of life, there had never been somebody he feared this much. It wasn''t a direct fear, but he knew that if he tried something like escaping--this butler would be the one to retaliate.

    "Right this way, I''ll show you to the dining area," Norbert ced his arms behind his back and began to walk in front of him.

    He nodded his head and followed behind the butler, keeping a distance of a few meters that Ren called the "Dash Zone"--just out of the man''s reach and enough time to run if need be. He didn''t n on doing anything, but the fear in him wasn''t taking any chances.

    The butler''s imposing aura alone made Ren feel more like the butler''s servant than vice versa. All he could do was stare at the butler''srge back as he carefully followed him without paying any mind where he was even stepping.

    "Is your private quarters to your liking? I took special care to supply you with an abundance of books that will help you adjust to this world," Norbert suddenly spoke up, not slowing down in the slightest as he spoke.

    "Urr, yeah--noints here. Just a quick question, what kind of books did you shelve exactly?" Ren asked.

    "A variety, like I said--reading them will help you adjust to this world quite nicely. Tales, monster logs, adventurer handbooks, stories of all sorts," The butler responded, taking a swift step around the corner.

    "Monster logs''|?" Ren chuckled nervously as he followed him around the corner.

    The butler didn''t seem much for conversation as he silently marched through thevish halls of the manor without responding. He couldn''t decide whether the butler''s silence was positive or negative. Either way--it didn''t matter as they stopped in front of a pair of tall wooden doors.

    He watched as the brute of an elderly man pressed his hands against the heavy doors, pushing them open without little strain--still holding his stoic expression. The now open doorway revealed an elegant dining hall. Walls lined with paintings of all kinds, not a single spot was left unclean and most importantly--the table itself was something out of movies that he had seen, stretching far down the room vertically with a white cloth covering it.

    However--amidst the regal beauty of the dining room, all of that enamor fell to null as he saw Althaus seated at the very end. The nobleman was now dressed in a ck robe-suit mix, the fine cloth lined with golden decorations. Althaus'' golden irises seemed to radiate as he gazed at him from across the room with a slight smile.

    "Take a seat. You''re an honored member of the Althaus estate now, Ren--I want you to enjoy this supper," Althaus gave him a weing smile as he ushered for the boy to sit at the closest seat near him.

    --He really wants me to sit right next to him? Is he even trying to be subtle? There are like twenty seats! Ren paused for a moment, deciding whether or not to y along.

    "It seems the boy is still a bit tired. Help him to his seat, would you, Norbert?" Althaus moved his gaze to the butler.

    "Of course, my lord," Norbert nodded his head.

    Ren then felt the giant hand of the butler against his back. His gentle push was enough to force him to walk forward.

    "Hey! I''m fine, I can walk myself," Ren snapped, letting out a huff as he walked over to the seat to the left of Althaus, sitting down.

    The butler didn''t even react to him, simply nodding his head and leaving towards the kitchen. Now it was just him and Althaus.

    He watched as the man grabbed the dark green bottle of wine, tipping it over as a red liquid poured into his ss. The man swayed the liquid around in his ss, taking in the scent of the rich alcohol before ncing over at him.

    "Would you like some?" Althaus offered, presenting his ss to him.

    The aroma rising from the ss was almost intoxicating--he had never been one interested in alcohol, but the rich, fruity smelling from the wine was almost enough to tempt his parched throat.

    "I''m not old enough to drink," He quickly answered with a trembling smile.

    "Maybe in your world--but not here. Come on, you should celebrate this new life, live a little," The nobleman persisted with a smile, taking a sip of his ss before letting out a satisfied sigh.

    Thest thing he wanted to do was put himself in a vulnerable state around a man such as him. He had seen enough media to know that noblemen in fantasy worlds are almost always the scum of the world--and this man bought him no less. Even if he ims to have bought Ren just out of interest of his other world knowledge--it was a hard thing to believe.

    "Sorry, but I''ll pass--" Ren fervently rejected the offer, trying to sound as polite as possible despite wanting nothing more than to deck the man.

    "If you insist, my friend. I had never met someone who didn''t wish to partake in the wine made of the fermented grapes of the Dionysus Gardens," Althaus stated, taking another sip of the wine," honestly, most would pay quite a fortune for a single ss."

    "Dionysus? Like the "God of Wine"?" Ren asked, perplexed by the man''sst statement.

    Although his knowledge of Greek mythology wasn''t extensive--everyone at least knew of the gods. To hear that name dropped in an entirely separate world such as this was a surprise.

    "Oh? A "God of Wine", you say? Now that is quite interesting. The Dionysus Gardens have always been known as a ce in which grapes of almost mythical quality grow--but you say that namesakees from a god?" Althaus smiled, pleased at this new information, "Do tell."

    "Yeah, well, in my world there are a variety of religions and stories that tell of different pantheons of gods. Dionysus is a god that belongs to the Greek branch of mythology--he is the "God of Wine"," He exined it to the man, fiddling with the silverware as he patiently waited for the food.

    "The way you exin it sounds like these gods are nothing more than fairy tales in your world, no?" The man asked, finishing off his ss of wine as he gulped it down.

    Before he could respond--the twin doors opened up as Norbert walked in holding arge silver dish on top of each hand. The butler strolled over, carefully setting the dishes down in front of the two before lifting the lids. As the lids were removed, the savory aroma flowed out from the dish--flooding his nose with a now pestering hunger.

    The dish itself was chickenthered with a creamy, brown sauce sprinkled with a variety of spices, as well as a nice quantity of fresh vegetables that he helped prepare. That wasn''t all--the towering butler set down a basket filled with freshly baked sticks of bread.

    "Enjoy your supper, my lord, sir," Norbert bowed his head, "I will be just outside the dining hall if you need anything."

    Between the heavenly scent of the food and the culinary masterpiece it looked like--his hunger felt almost ravenous as his stomach growled. Luckily, it seemed the nobleman either didn''t notice the sound or chose not to point it out as he poured himself another ss of wine before grabbing his utensils.

    "I take it you met Meinhard, the chef of this manor?" Althaus asked as he used his fork and knife to dice up his chicken.

    "Yeah," Ren answered, not much for small talk as all he wanted to do was fill his stomach.

    He began to carve away at the chicken with his fork-knifebo before shoving a piece of meat doused in sauce into his mouth. As soon as it hit his tongue--he was sent to paradise. In haste, he began to devour the meal, forgetting the concept of manners as he ate like a ravenous animal.

    "I take that it is to your liking?" Althaus asked with a wry smile.

    He nodded his head without verbally responding, taking a sip of water before continuing his conquest against his te--finishing it within a minute.

    "Well, it seems your table etiquette iscking--but that is a minor issue. I''ve never been one to quite follow the code of conduct for nobles," The noblemanughed before washing his meal down with more wine.

    The room fell quiet before Althaus set down his ss--looking over at him before deciding to speak once more.

    "I''d like to clear something up--a misunderstanding. If I''m wrong then pay no attention to my words, but--I think in the carriage earlier today when you had to change clothes, you think I had some sort of perverted motives, no?" Althaus asked, his tone was now much more serious than usual, his golden irises maintaining contact with his.

    "No...well''|" Being put on the spot like this, he didn''t know exactly how to answer.

    "It''s fine, Ren--Ipletely understand your suspicions. This entire situation is quite dreadful, I wouldn''t me you forcking trust. However, I assure you that I had no ill intentions when making you change," Althaus wiped the sauce from his lip with a white napkin.

    The man was right about hisck of trust--but against his better judgment, he decided to put faith in his words. At least to him, the tone he spoke in was sincere and until now, Althaus had only shown himplete hospitality.

    "Yeah, I guess I did get the wrong idea before--I''m fine now," Ren smiled before taking arge gulp of water from his ss.

    "Well, now then since that is settled--I would like to inform you of the task I want to bepleted from you. It ispletely up to you whether or not you do it, if you reject it--you are still allowed to live here all the same, but if you ept it, I will pay you an allowance," Althaus sat his hands down against the table.

    "What is it?" Ren asked, his eyes lighting up at the mention of money.

    "I want you to write a book containing the history of your world as you know it, the various cultures, food, everything. Of course, you don''t know our writtennguage, so Meinhard has agreed to give you lessons each night,"

    Althaus pped his hands together as if he had been waiting to announce this offer to him. This definitely isn''t what he expected--if he was being honest, he expected something more on the side of vulgar from the nobleman, but this was definitely a nice change of pace. However--him? Writing a book? A book that would present Earth through his own experiences? Even he could tell you he wasn''t an optimal candidate for such a project.

    "You can think it over, there is no need to rush such things," Althaus looked at him before adjusting the cor of his outfit.

    "Well, I just have one question--is this book solely for you or what?" Ren asked, not knowing which option he liked better.

    "As much as I''d like to share the epics of your world with my own, you do remember the status you have in this world, right? If I were to spread such writing, the prying eyes of the Argonauts would surelye directly for me--and let me tell you, they aren''t ones to negotiate," Althaus gave a slight smile.

    "Argonauts"--that was the second time he heard that name, and he still didn''t know what it referred to. At least, in this world, he didn''t understand the meaning.

    "I''ve just got one more question--what is an "Argonaut"?" Ren asked, catching Althaus with his question before the man could get up from the table.

    The nobleman looked at the table for a minute as if pondering how to respond before turning to Ren--still with a look of hesitation in his regal gaze. It was obvious that the term referred to something sinister or malicious--but it was eating away at him on what it meant.

    "I suppose you should know, but for full context--I''ll exin it properly. In Mastorn, there are three routes that those with a talent forbat can choose in life. The mostmon is that of an "Adventurer"--one who journeys thend, epting quests and exploring the mysteries of this world. Quite a fulfilling life if you ask me. Then there are "Knights", which takes not only magical and physical talent but true integrity, serving the kingdom with your all. Lastly, there are the "Argonauts"--namely, themon rank of those in that line of work are called "Executioners", with Argonauts being the highest rank amongst that branch," Althaus rested his chin against the top of his hands.

    --Honestly, that is pretty much what I expected from this world except for this whole "Executioner" and "Argonaut" thing. Ren thought to himself, listening closely as the man exined it to him.

    "The old king of Mastorn long ago established the Argonauts in order tobat the unstoppable force of other world heroes summoned by other kingdoms, although they don''t only handle problems pertaining to otherworlders--they''re akin to the royalty''s dogs. They''re vastly powerful and that is why we must act in caution, we''re in the belly of the beast--staying in the capital means we''re right under the Argonaut''s noses," Althaus fiddled with his beard.

    "I see...just one more question," Ren felt he was pestering the man at this point--but his curiosity was killing him," when you say the "unstoppable force of other world heroes", do people like me have some sort of inherent talent in this world?"

    "I don''t want to get your hopes up, but in most cases, yes," Althaus stood up from the table, fixing the crinkles in his suit,"now if you''ll excuse me--I have quite a bit of papers to attend to. Get some rest, Ren, tomorrow is the start of a new life!"

    And with that--he once again found himself excited to be in this fantastical world. It seemed that his unfortunate introduction to this world had sidelined his perception of Althaus, who seemed to be almost a saint in regards to a nobleman.

 Chapter 14 - Nightly Charades

    He sat alone in the dining room for a few minutes, for no real reason other than to let his mind process everything he had just heard.

    "Argonauts, huh? So in this world, those are my enemies," He spoke quietly to himself, fiddling with the leftover vegetables on his te.

    Getting up from his seat, he moved over to therge window that looked out towards the city--although it was dark, he could still make out the sight of various buildings through the lights that kept the city bright. It was easy to mistakenly assume those lights were electronic like on Earth, but upon squinting his eyes he could see the visible mes from within thenterns.

    "This is real, isn''t it?" He asked himself, pressing the palm of his hand against the cold ss.

    "Indeed it is," A voice suddenly spoke up from beside him.

    He jumped to the side, feeling as if his soul had left his body for a moment before turning to see it was the familiar sight of Meinhard.

    "Sorry about that, I guess I have pretty quiet footsteps," Meinhardughed, ruffling his own hair.

    "Yeah, you almost made me piss my pants��" Ren let out a sigh of relief as he ced his hand against his chest, feeling his rapidly beating heart, "anyways, why''re you here?"

    "Just wanted to hear what you thought of my cooking," Meinhard put his hands on his side, awaiting the boy''s response with a confident smile.

    Ren ced his hand on his chin, contemting his review of the dish--

    "Average," Ren gave his answer.

    "What--? Liar!" Meinhard jabbed his index finger towards him, "You cleaned your te offpletely, I''m not buying your answer!"

    "What can I say? I was hungry," He shrugged, "I''m kidding--it was actually pretty great."

    Meinhard''s demeanor quickly shifted as a smug smile formed across his lips, patting his own chest boastfully. He didn''t take the guy for someone who took pride in culinary skill, but Meinhard was obviously quite engrossed in the world of culinary mastery--that much as true from just one sample of his cooking.

    "Well, it seems you have pretty good taste," Meinhard chuckled, cupping his hands around his eyes as he peered through the window beside Ren, "what were you looking at out there?"

    "Urr, nothing particr--anyways, can you help me find my room? I kind of doubt I can find my way through that maze of halls again," He asked shyly, scratching his cheek.

    It would be the third time someone had to guide him through this house. He couldn''t deny that it was somewhat humiliating. The immature chef raised an eyebrow before letting out a quick sigh, then following up with a giggle he attempted to hold back.

    "Yeah-yeah, you''ll have to learn your way around soon," Meinhard began to walk towards the pair of doors that led to the extensive halls, gesturing for him to follow.

    If there was one benefit to this gruelinglyrge mansion and the journey it took to and from his room--he felt confident he was getting his daily cardio done.

    By this point in his drowsy state, after being beaten earlier that day by the vile witch and her goons--each step felt like he was carrying a boulder on his shoulder but at the same time, he had the strength to carry it with the end goal of hisfortable bed in mind.

    "Hey, Ren?" Meinhard asked, walking alongside the boy as they passed by rows of paintings that probably cost more than he could fathom.

    "Yeah?" Ren found himself blinking constantly, or rather--opening his eyes in response to them trying to shut.

    "You''re okay, right? I mean, this whole situation is probably a lot to take in, isn''t it?" Meinhard asked with a worried tone, slowing down to match Ren''s drowsy pace, "I know it isn''t really my ce to ask, it''s just--I haven''t heard youin or anything really, it is kind of hard to believe you''re handling this so well. I mean--it''s great that you''re adjusting well but you know--"

    "No, I get it. I''m fine, really--I think maybe I just haven''t quite processed all of this yet, even though it''s right in front of me," Ren smiled, scratching his cheek with a slight blush, "but--thank you for asking."

    Meinhard''s eyes seemed to slightly widen at his response, his mouth falling agape before he shook his head, recing his shock with a small smile.

    "I have only known you for a day, but for some reason that response feels like something uncharacteristic of you," He teased.

    "You know, it kind of hurts that you''re able to figure me out that quickly!" Ren huffed jokingly.

    After a few minutes of banter, the pair arrived in front of Ren''s room, falling to silence as they prepared to part ways for the night.

    "Expect either me or Norbert to wake you up first thing in the morning, so rest while you can," Meinhard waved as he began to step away.

    "Alright," Ren smiled nervously at that statement that almost felt like a threat before pausing, "wait, hold on."

    The boy came to a halt before turning down the hall, turning back towards Ren with a questioning gaze.

    "I''m not really feeling tired now, so I don''t think I''ll be able to fall asleep--do you think we can just talk?" Ren asked bashfully.

    "Urr, you have books in there, don''t you? You can just read those," Meinhard responded.

    "Yeah, well, you guys didn''t consider the fact I can''t read yournguage--!" Ren retorted with a dramatic huff following his loud words.

    "Oh...right, that makes sense. How did Norbert overlook that?" Meinhard tapped his chin before his cheeks puffed up with concealedughter.

    It seems Ren won the boy over as Meinhard entered his room alongside him, igniting thentern with a snap of his fingers. Ren watched in awe--enamored by the simple act of magic as he sat down on the edge of his bed.

    "Don''t act so entranced. I didn''t use any magic. Thisntern has a continuous spell attached to it that activated at the snap of whoever''s fingers--even you could do it," Meinhard told him, instantly regretting giving him thatst piece of information.

    Ren quickly snapped his fingers--his eyes lighting up as the mes instantly extinguished, leaving the room in an almostplete pitch-ck darkness before he snapped his fingers again. The me inside thentern reignited, lighting the entire room once more.

    "Okay, enough of that," Meinhard sighed, sitting at the desk before scanning the shelf in front of him to look for a book.

    "How about you just teach me to read and write instead of reading a book to me? You know what they say--"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"," Ren thought he sounded wise with that, only getting a questioning gaze from the boy.

    "Hmm, are you willing to give it your all? If you''re willing, I''ll teach you to my utmost," Meinhard smiled, seeming ready as if approaching a challenge.

    ? "Of course--honestly, I can''t exin why, but I''m feeling motivated--!"

    That was a lie--money, it was money. The faster he could get started on that book, the faster Althaus would begin paying him.

    "Alright--we''ll start with the basics, repetition!"

    And with that, the unlikely pair of teacher and student, chef and NEET, friend and friend--began the process of learning.

 Chapter 15 - Is Knowledge Really Power?

    Friends have never been an abundance in my life, it''s not that I''m one of those people who keep few "lifelong" friends--I''ve just never been much of a social butterfly. Still, those few that do somehow put up with me...I cherish them, just as much as I do with real family.

    "No, no--that barely even looks like a symbol!" Meinhard jabbed his finger against the paper littered with dozens of the same symbol.

    "Haah--? Give me a break, my hand is cramping up!" Ren snapped back, caressing his thumb as he winced.

    "Don''t give me that--work through the pain! Be a man!" Meinhardmanded him.

    Gritting his teeth, Ren grabbed the cup of tea sitting on the desk and took arge gulp of it for a boost of energy--imagining it flow through his veins like some sort of stream of power. He gripped the quill between his aching fingers and began to rapidly print the symbols on the paper once again.

    A knock was heard on the door suddenly, causing the two boys to jolt.

    "Oh shoot--I think we might''ve been too loud," Meinhard looked at the door.

    "I''m totally putting the me on you," Ren teased.

    The door then slowly opened to reveal Norbert standing behind it--having to hunch over in order to fit through the door as he carried a tray with a pot of tea on it.

    "It seems you two are still hard at work--would you like a refill? I brewed a special blend that uses leaves blessed by the priests in Agnohall. This tea is quite special at boosting your energy," Norbert lifted the porcin pot of tea, designed with golden cordate leaves on the sides.

    "Yes, please," The two boys answered in near unison as they held their cups up in front of the tall butler.

    Once again--he found his judgments of people to be hazy at best. The tall brute of a butler he thought was a cold-blooded killer was nothing more than a warm-hearted man who wanted nothing more than to help.

    --I think maybe I have to remind myself: this is a different world. While there are a lot of simrities, I think maybe I''m going to have to look at things with a new lens. Ren thought as he watched the tea pour into his cup, the steam rising to signify the heat of the fresh, nourishing liquid.

    It was to be expected that his social abilities would becking--after all, he spent thest few years only socializing with his own parents, and while they gave him enough love and care--it still took a hit to his ability to socialize.

    "Ah-" He flinched as a drop of the scalding hot tea fell onto his skin.

    "My apologies," Norbert quickly reached for a handkerchief in his chest pocket.

    Ren smiled and waved his hand as if to stop the butler''s apologetic help. He could see a genuine expression of guilt on the elderly man''s wrinkled face--for some reason, that also made him feel somewhat guilty. It was definitely an odd, unexinable emotion.

    "It''s alright--I''m not such a baby to make a fuss over a drop of tea, don''t worry," Ren assured the man, raising the cup of tea to gesture his fine condition.

    "If you say so��" The butler seemed hesitant to put a halt to his assistance, "If you need anything else, don''t hesitate to call for me."

    "Will do," Ren smiled graciously before turning back to face the desk.

    It was a needed break, especially for his poor hand as the cramping had finally calmed down. Upon drinking the specially brewed tea, he found himselfpleting the next repetition of symbols at a much higher speed without the loss of quality.

    "Not bad, you are a fast learner," Meinhardplimented him, watching over his work as he sipped the tea.

    "A student is only as good as the teacher--is that a saying? Whatever, it is now," Ren chuckled, not looking up as he focused on his reps.

    It seemed that Norbert''s words about the unique leaves used for the tea weren''t a lie, or even a stretch for that matter. He found himselfpleting one page after another without so much as a break, his mind didn''t falter making the connection of quill to paper--his hand didn''t sumb to the natural curse of cramps as he flung the point of the quill across the paper smoothly.

    "I''ve got a question," Ren suddenly spoke up as he reced his filled paper with a nk one, continuing with his practice.

    "Spill it,"

    "If Norbert is the head butler, that means there are others, right? I haven''t seen any besides him," Ren asked.

    "Ah...well, the butlers that serve Althaus are a bit different than the usual kind. The lord is an entric man who let us just say had made some��"enemies", a lot of them. The butlers are more or less an elite group of highly trained mages and fighters," Meinhard answered, sitting on Ren''s bed.

    Ren raised an eyebrow at him as if not trusting a single word he had just heard. Even in this world full of magic and monsters--the thought of "battle butlers" wasn''t a concept he was ready to ept, let alone believe.

    "What? Why''re you looking at me like that--? You''ve seen Norbert, right? Well here is a fun fact: he used to be part of the "Ten Catastrophes of Mastorn" when he was younger," Meinhard raised a finger as if speaking critical information.

    "Why do you act like I understood a single word of what you just said?" Ren gave him a puzzled look.

    "Right, right��the "Ten Catastrophes" were at the time the ten strongest warriors between adventurers, knights, and argonauts. At the time, Norbert was an adventurer--a Noir rank at that. He was known by the nickname the "Devil of War" for just how overwhelmingly powerful he was in battle," Meinhard brushed his golden hair away from his eyes before finishing speaking.

    He tapped the quill against his desk as he thought to himself before turning his gaze back towards Meinhard.

    "Well, it''s pretty relieving to have somebody that powerful protecting us, then, huh?" Ren smiled before continuing to write down the symbols he was practicing.

    If only for a brief moment--Meinhard felt a unique calmness in his voice and a trusting look in his eyes that signified something important to him. It seemed that finally, Ren had begun to feel that he was at home and that everyone there wanted nothing more than to help him.

    "Yeah--you''re right," Meinhard nodded with a bright smile.

 Chapter 16 - Ren Vs Meinhard

    --Meinhard looked like a cker, but as a teacher--he was the opposite. Each day I studied with him as my overseer, it was both fulfilling and horrifying.

    "Wake up!"

    Meinhard smacked the thin wooden twig against the unconscious, drooling boy''s hand without any mercy dulling his strike.

    "Gah--! I''m up, I''m up!" Ren shot his head up in a confused daze.

    --Pain was a hell of a motivator--and the fear of pain was even better of one. Sometimes I caught him smirking like a viin after whacking me with that hellish stick, I questioned if he was enjoying this like a damn sadist. Even so, he didn''t give me any room for doubt. I was learning.

    --Before I knew it, a week of this grueling ss had already passed.

    "Did you finish reading the children''s book I assigned to you?" Meinhard asked him, wiping his hands with a white towelette.

    "Yeah...it was boring as hell," Ren let out an overexaggerated sigh, "I guess I learned some important things--but I feel like it was stuff I should''ve been told the moment I got here! Like this world being called, "Gaia", or thenguage! You didn''t even tell me what the writtennguage was called. Honestly, is my teacher a true degenerate?"

    Meinhard raised an eyebrow at him before averting his gaze, knowing what his friend was saying was the truth.

    "Hey...that stuff is all the mostmon, basic knowledge of all--don''t me me for forgetting to tell you it!"

    "I''m from another world! I''m practically an alien here--you can forget that?" Ren dropped his head against his book.

    "I think you need a break."

    "I think I need a break too," Ren groaned.

    Standing up from the desk he diligently sat himself in for hours on end, day after day this past week felt as if he was a caveman awakening from ice for the first time. Each fiber of muscle in his legs woke up before he let out an eye-opening yawn.

    "That''s right...I almost forgot!" Ren suddenly smacked his hand against his palm as if something popped into his mind.

    "...what?"

    "My daily regime--!" Ren answered in excitement.

    Meinhard watched as the suddenly entric boy rolled the sleeves of his tunic up, exposing his pale arms. Surprisingly, he wasn''t a total twig despite his continued shut-in lifestyle. He dropped to the ground, pushing his weight off of the ground at a rapid pace.

    The confused yet intrigued young cook watched as this continued for a few minutes, Ren''s body bing enveloped in a hot sweat from the continuous strain.

    "What a perplexing movement��" Meinhardmented under his breath.

    Ren stopped in a huff, panting as he wiped the shiny oil from his forehead. He raised an eyebrow at his friend''s confusion.

    "You...don''t know what a push-up is?" Ren asked slowly, trying not to sound rude.

    "A "push-up"? No, can''t say I''ve heard of it," Meinhard replied, putting his hand against his chin as if pondering it.

    "How the hell do people in this world stay in shape then?" Ren asked.

    "Well, people aren''t exactly sedentary--contrary to what it sounds like in your world. For one, learning to fight and use magic is enough to whip most people into top shape. There really isn''t any need for...activities like "push-ups", I guess," Meinhard answered, ruffling his own hair.

    Somehow, he didn''t actually expect such a reasonable answer. In a world with jobs solely focusing on physicalbor--there wasn''t a need to "exercise", it came as naturally as breathing for them.

    "I think you could use some push-ups yourself, though. I''m not one to talk, but you really don''t have any more definition than me, man," Ren chuckled.

    He teasingly jabbed his finger against the scrawny bicep of Meinhard, who quickly withdrew his arm in an embarrassed huff.

    "I actually have a job here--make that two jobs, babysitting you. So, forgive me if I don''t have time to indulge myself in "push-ups"," Meinhard yfully scoffed before smiling, "how about we settle this the old-fashioned way?"

    "What''s that?" Ren asked, narrowing his gaze on the blonde chef.

    In his limited time knowing Meinhard, he knew that when that mischievous smile would form across his lips, it never meant anything good. The young chef was always bound by work, either by cooking or helping Ren study--but at his core, he was a yful soul.

    "A contest of might! Strength, speed, you name it!" Meinhard held his fist out in front of him, clearly excited about his own idea.

    It definitely was in the realm of possibilities for Meinhard toe up with something like this, but even so, it came out of seemingly nowhere. Apparently, thements about the boy''s physique really got under his skin.

    "Are you sure? I mean, you''ve been hard at work all day, ving over the oven...I''d feel bad, ya'' know?" Ren gave him a wry smile.

    To say he truly felt worried about unfairly beating someone in a contest would be a lie. In reality, he just wanted to avoid this bout, out of fear for his own reputation. Not that he actually had some reputation as a "strong" person, but it was more about leaving it to the imagination of others. If he got absolutely destroyed in a physical contest--then everyone would see him as the noodle-for-arms otherworlder Ren.

    "Me? Tired? Ren, oh Ren, my day has barely started!" Meinhard responded with a bright smile, spinning as if disying his boundless energy.

    "W...well, it isn''t much of a contest if we don''t have a judge, right? It would be totally pointless," Ren continued his fruitless efforts.

    That sparkling look in Meinhard''s nature-bound irises, it was like a predator that had finally cornered their prey. He could smell the fear emanating from the self-conscious Ren.

    "No problem at all! I''ve already considered that, my dear friend!"

    "You have��?"

    After being dragged out of his room and brought to the western courtyard of the over-the-top mansion--an entirely extra "backyard" of sorts, he met the supposed judge that Meinhard had in mind.

    "Um...nice to meet you, I''m Ren," Ren scratched his head before bowing it slightly.

    The girl seemed almost as shy as him, returning his gesture with a bow of her own. One nce at her long, ck dress that hung below her knees, covered with a red white apron wrapped around her front, made her upation obvious. Above that, her flowing, dark brown hair suited her greenish-gray irises--abination that was a powerful attack on the poor NEET''s heart.

    --A maid? A real fantasy maid?

    Ren felt his cheeks fill with color just at the sight of such a formal, graceful outfit worn by the equally beautiful young maiden.

    "Are ya'' an idiot or something? Everybody in the Althaus estate knows your name, dummy!" Meinhard nudged his elbow against Ren''s arm.

    "If I assume everybody knows who I am, I''m no better than those pompous celebrities on T.V!" Ren retorted, pouting yfully.

    "You say some really weird stuff sometimes," Meinhard spoke in a jokingly worried tone.

    Lost in their yful banter, the sound of giggling reached the two boy''s ears. The young maid quickly covered her mouth, to no avail, however, as her relentless giggling was still heard.

    "I''m sorry...it''s just--" She wiped a stray tear ofughter away from the corner of her eye.

    Any room for anger would have vanished from the sight of her bright smile. All sensations except for the beating of his own heart were zoned out as a deep red tinted his cheeks once more at the tranquil sight of such an innocent expression.

    --She could end wars with that damn smile.

    "How rude of me!" The girl suddenly spoke out, "my name is M Thanderhousen, a maid of the Althaus manor."

    Despite her flustered actions previously, her introduction and bow only gave her a presence of wless elegance. The slight light of her dress as she bowed her head with her soothing smile, it would be a weing sight to any visiting the manor.

    "M, huh?" Renmented under his breath.

    An awkward silence filled the now mute air as the three stood in the courtyard like a trio of aimless birds, pecking at the seeds below. Meinhard pped his hands together before rolling his sleeves up with a confident smirk.

    "So, are you ready? I think we should start off with a race! From here to...thatrge rock by the tree!" Meinhard stretched side to side.

    "A race? Looks like you''ve signed yourself up for a loss right at the start," Ren confidently proimed.

    Running was the only thing he felt he excelled at physically. With one foot nted against the ground, he lowered his stance to that of an Olympic runner, gently pressing his fingertips against the firm soil below.

 Chapter 17 - Tranquility

    --"Cardio," for those born at the bottom of the totem pole in society, cardio is the most important concept of our lives. Some in my position don''t realize it--and because of that inability to adapt, they end up with their underwear ripped over their ass cracks. For one instance, and honestly, the most important advantage of cardio, escaping from the apex predators of teenage society. I was lucky enough to rarely have this problem as I''m so damn in that I was practically invisible, but for others, speed and stamina was a necessity to prevent your ass from once again, being brutalized by the savages of school.

    Beyond that, if you''re someone who has tomute via their own two feet to school every morning like I had to, you''ll soon learn that many people are inept at containing their feral mutts. Time and time again, I''d find myself in a standoff with an escapee dog, and time and time again, I''d be out of there and around the corner in the blink of an eye. You know why? Cardio.

    You''d be surprised at how much just a little bit of exercise will push you a long way inparison to the average person out there. All I did was go for a jog along the riverbank each day, never missing a day except for special asions. Just from that, people thought I was on the track team or something--I even got approached by the coach for the track team at my school. Honestly, I wonder if I would''ve still been a NEET if I joined...that''s besides the point.

    Maybe there was a path for him--an alternate route, you could call it. A different path in life for him where he for once decided to step outside of hisfort zone and join the track team. Using his main-character status, it would be feasible for him to carry his school through nations and be a famous track star. From there, he would obtain a schrship for an elite university, of course, he wouldn''t ept any overseas offers--there was no honor greater than representing his country. Oh, that brings him into the next part of this alternate life--after once again showing his cardio prowess in this high-ss university, he would then be scouted to represent Japan in the Olympics.

    --"Cardio Route", that''s what I call it. Instead of bing a world-famous track athlete on par with champions of greek heroes, I dedicated myself to my online guild in Phantasm Wars III. Was it a fair trade off? Well, I was the number-one pdin yer on the server, so you ask me.

    "What are you grinning about? It''s honestly pretty creepy," Meinhard''s voice suddenly met his zoned out eardrums, waving his hand in front of his face.

    "Honestly, you smile like a lecherous noble��" Mmented with a worried look on her face.

    "Huh--? Why am I being ganged up on all of a sudden?" Ren yelled out.

    After their bickering settled down, the two young men got into position for their contest of speed. There was nothing on the line, but at the same time--everything was on the line. Whoever won here would have bragging rights, never letting the loser live it down. That''s why M found herself almost frightened at the two boy''s sharpened facial expressions, honing in on the goal ahead.

    In total concentration, they had puckered their lips, looking like a pair of middle-aged men as they prepared to race for the title of fastest.

    "Thh��" Ren let out a sharp, thin breath between his teeth.

    "Um...ready? Set, go--!" M called out nervously, feeling out of ce as she looked at the extremely focused young men.

    Every ounce of power transferred to his legs as he sprang forward, sprinting alongside hispetitor. At this moment, they weren''t friends--only rivals, enemies, even. As rusty as he thought he was, his body felt light as he breezed through the tnd in front of him.

    --I''ve actually got this!

    That is what he thought. In reality, the blur that was Meinhard swiftly passed him, creating a dozen meters of distance between the two of them. Before his mind could even process the prospect of second ce, the race was already over. There Meinhard sat, on the pale gray rock with a boisterous smile that stabbed Ren directly in the heart.

    "How the��'''' Ren panted, hunching over as he fought for his breath.

    "I guess I''m just physically fit, no?" Meinhard smugly responded.

    "That speed--you would beat Olympic athletes!" Ren jabbed his finger towards the young man.

    "Do you want to know how I ran that fast then?" Meinhard hopped off of the rock.

    "Of course!"

    "It''s a secret~" Meinhard stuck his tongue out, "so, what''s next? Want to try having an arm-wrestling contest?"

    "Real funny. I''m not going against someone clearly using hacks," Ren scoffed.

    Clearly defeated, whether by unnatural means or not, Ren sat down on the breezy grass. Even as someone not particrly good at life, he had his own pride--and it had just been trampled all over within seconds.

    "I''m just messing with you, Ren. If I didn''t have my little trick, you would''ve left me in the dust!" Meinhard smiled, sitting himself beside the sore loser.

    "Yeah, yeah," Ren let out a puff of air, causing his bangs to rise slightly.

    All of his feelings of shame and embarrassment became sidelined however, noticing the young maid approach them as she carried a brown basket, decorated with a white and pink cloth. It was the universal design, or rather--multi-universal design for a pic basket. Before he could even confirm the existence of food, his stomach growled at the prospect of it--and he wasn''t alone on that one. Meinhard chuckled, bashfully covering his stomach with one hand.

    "Don''t look at me like that, we''re in the same boat," Meinhard spoke out in defense of his yearning stomach.

    "I''m not the one acting like a shy teenage girl over a stomach growl. I own that," Ren puffed out his chest with a smirk.

    "Do you two always bicker like this? It doesn''t exactly seem healthy��" M asked, brushing her hair behind her ear.

    The two hungering youths watched in anticipation as the maid set the basket down, revealing a sizable feast of a variety of sandwiches.

    "I think I''ve seen heaven��" Ren''s mouth fell agape at the sight.

    "Right there with you..." Meinhard fell into the same trance.

    If there was one thing the two young men from two entirely different worlds had inmon, it was a love for food.

    It was honestly the one thing that made him ever venture past his own home, let alone his bedroom. At the start of each week, the first thing on Monday mornings he would get his allowance from his mother, earned simply by virtue of existing. Using his fair share of spending cash, he would journey to the nearby convenience store--"Family Hill", and from there, pick from their selection of fresh food on disy. Yakisoba pan--of course, each and every time. The steamed, chewy noodles were always heavenly against his taste buds.

    "Don''t drool so close to the basket!" M swiped the basket back.

    Ren shook his head quickly as he snapped back into focus, wiping the hunger-formed saliva from the side of his mouth with a glint of embarrassment.

    "Now who''s acting like a shy girl?" Meinhard teased, grabbing a sandwich from the basket.

    "Oh, shut it."

    The bread had been slightly toasted to give the whiteness of it a slightly golden texture, crisp and firm, but not hard enough to be a hassle to eat. The lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, and red peppers were reminiscent of the sandwiches his mother packed for him every day when he went to school. It was probably thest string that kept him attached to school before hepletely dropped out.

    "You know, it looks like you were remembering some fond memories," Meinhardmented with a full mouth.

    "Mm...yeah, I guess you could say that," Ren smiled warmly, staring at the sandwich he held.

    M and Meinhard looked at each other for a moment, it wasn''tmon to see the loud, entric otherworlder to be so mncholic. One look at M''s face told him of the curiosity she had, likely about his world.

    "It''s kind of weird��" Ren suddenly said, scratching his cheek with a smile.

    "What''s weird?" Meinhard took arge bite from his sandwich.

    "Nobody really asks me about my world. Even Althaus, who I thought was a pervert for this sort of knowledge...he hasn''t asked me a single thing," Ren ran his fingers through the des of grass.

    It was obvious why somebody like M who he barely knew wouldn''t ask him about his world, but it struck him as odd for the others. His question seemed to bring about an awkward atmosphere, as Meinhard''s frivolous aura shifted, lowering his gaze to the ground.

    "Ah, forget I asked, I was just kind of curious," Ren gave them a reassuring chuckle, trying to salvage the situation.

    "No, it''s just, well--I think I can speak for everybody here when I say this: Being dragged into an entirely different world against your will, especially with the type of greeting you received...it isn''t right. So, digging up memories of the world you grew up in and loved--it just isn''t our ce. All I--we--want is for you to live afortable life now," Meinhard hid hispletely red face, scratching his head frantically as his blonde hair bounced.

    Seeing the carefree young chef now at the mercy of bashful emotions was a sight to behold for him. He almost felt like teasing him, but his heart had already been swayed by those heartfelt words. Although, making jokes was his main way of coping with awkward, mushy moments like this.

    "I don''t--I mean, thank you, Meinhard, M," Ren averted his gaze as his cheeks soon tinted with a slight crimson.

    There they were--practically three stooges, sitting there with red faces, flushed with irrational embarrassment stemming from uncharacteristic sentimentality. Not that it was a bad thing, this type of heart-to-heart interaction with people is something he seldom experienced.

    --It''s nice. For some reason, when I''m around them...I don''t feel like putting on some fake face. I guess it makes sense for people in this type of era to be more personable?

    "How about an equal exchange?" Ren spoke up as an idea popped into his mind.

    "Huh?" Meinhard and M asked in unison.

    "You know, an "equal exchange" since you''re all so ufortable asking me about my world--if I ask you about your lives, then it would be fair for you to ask me, no? Hence, an equal exchange," Ren raised his index finger as he exined it to them.

    "You, urr, you really want to know about me?" M asked shyly, fiddling with her silken brown hair.

    "Yeah, I don''t know, Ren��" Meinhard crossed his arms as he looked down as if concentrating on something.

    "Oh,e on--I bet you anything in this world that my life is a helluva lot more shameful than whatever you''ve got for me--"

    Ren stopped himself, noticing the gloomy expression stered on his friend''s face. The look on M''s face told him he shouldn''t press any further either. Once again, it seemed his social ineptitude was unable to properly read the room.

 Chapter 18 - Picnic Under The Sun

    "What the hell is in this sandwich anyways? I thought it was going to be spicy but it''s pretty sweet," Ren asked, both trying to change the subject and genuinely curious.

    The red sauce riddled with what he thought was pepper of some kind actually had a sweetness that reminded him of a more sweet barbeque sauce. Although he was expecting a sting from the mysterious sauce, it was a pleasant surprise.

    "I can tell you: that''s "Bonevard Sauce"! A delicacy in thisnd," Meinhard answered him with a smile, not noticing the smudge of sauce on his cheek.

    "Bonevard?"

    "It''s kind of a silly name, but the ingredients stem from a type ofnd dragon called "Ranvards" found in the mountain ranges of West Melianos. The saucees from grinding the special bones down of the ranvards," M exined, brushing specs of dirt away from her maid uniform.

    "Ranvards...Bonevard, wait--isn''t that name kind of childish? If I was a ranvard, I would at least find that kind of disrespectful," Ren asked with a straight face.

    "Honestly, I think they named the sauce like that out of total spite. Ranvards are extremely violent creatures, so the only real way to obtain their bone dust is frommissioning adventurers. They sometimes destroy farms just out of frustration," Meinhard wiped the sauce from his cheek.

    "You know, sometimes it feels like you''re making all of this crap up since I can''t confirm or deny it. I mean, a sauce made out of dragon bones sounds like such a badass thing, but you''re casually using it in sandwiches--?"

    It seemed his ignorance was a breaking point for the two as Meinhard began tough uncontrobly, nearly choking on the piece of bread lodged in his throat. Meanwhile, Mughed as subtly as she could, covering her mouth as if trying to retain her feminine charm. Although--her cuteughter was the only thing that kept Ren from slugging his friend.

    "Sorry--it''s just, you say the weirdest things sometimes," Meinhard quieted down, catching his breath after his fit of joyfulughter.

    "Me? You''re the one talking about condiments made out of dragon bones," Ren sighed.

    "My, what a lovely sight, the youth of this generation getting along so beautifully!" A familiar voice called out with a yful tune carrying it through the wind.

    "L...lord Althaus!" Meinhard and M called out in unison.

    Althaus raised his hand to stop them as the two mansion workers frantically attempted to stand. He didn''t even bother to greet the nobleman, continuing to chomp away at his serving of these lusciously-sauced sandwiches.

    "Oh, no need. You two deserve a break, no doubt. I didn''t mean to intrude, I just couldn''t help but partake in this lovely gathering of young souls!"

    --Do I even need toment on how wrong that might sound? Honestly, Althaus does himself no favors.

    "You can, uh, join...if you want," Ren faked a smile, gesturing for Althaus to sit.

    "Oh! I''d be delighted," Althaus sat himself directly next to Ren on the grass.

    He felt like the world was once again ying a cruel joke on him. He only offered for the man to join to try and sound nice, not that he actually wanted him to be there. It was justice for his own sour attitude, at least, that''s the conclusion he came to.

    "I...I can get a mat for you to sit on, lord...I doubt the grass isfortable, and it may stain your attire," M nervously spat out her words.

    "Nonsense, I am not such a prig of a noble that I can''t sit upon nature," Althausughed, stroking his cleanly cut beard.

    "If you insist, lord��" M nodded her head.

    Compared to Meinhard, who diligently obeyed the nobleman, even M seemed to cave under his presence by a magnitude higher. From his limited outlook, he guessed the reason for that was the fact Meinhard seemed to be the closest thing to being an adopted child without actually being considered family to Althaus, as weird as it may seem. While M was just an employee of the nobleman, so she probably wasn''t nearly as close with him--which was definitely needed as he was more than just "entric".

    The entire atmosphere had changed with the overwhelmingly powerful presence of Althaus now there. He couldn''t help but focus on how ufortable it was to watch the incredibly exuberant outfit Althaus was wearing sit upon the moist grass, slickened with morning dew.

    Honestly, the type of clothing the man wore was unorthodox in itself. The base outfit resembled a in, but luxurious ck suit, finely crafted with expert hands. Though, he wore something that resembled a "wizard''s robe" over the suit, designed intricately with a pattern of azure stars that resembled some sort of constetion that definitely wasn''t known on Earth, like he was trying to make some sort of fashion statement in this day and age.

    --Maybe he''s having a mid-life crisis? I think he''s around that age--I don''t know, without that beard, he''d honestly look like he''s in histe twenties.

    "Oh, did you make these lovely sandwiches, M?" Althaus asked with a hint of excitement fueled by his empty stomach.

    The man slid the silk glove off of his hand slowly before grabbing the delightful breaded entre. Somehow, Ren thought his palette was limited to caviar and beyond, but s, he seemed to be excited over the prospect of the most basic of all lunches. Even the trees that loomed over them seemed intrigued at this new development as the branches wiggled about against the cool breeze.

    "Yes, my lord," M nodded her head.

    She watched him in anticipation as he slowly brought the sandwiches to his agape mouth, clearly praying that he would find the meal to be satisfactory. Even he got engrossed in the oue of this minuscule endeavor--watching as the powerful nobleman brought the sandwich inside of his mouth, meeting his tongue before taking the monumental bite.

    "Mm!" Althaus let out a joyful hum.

    M''s relief was almost tangible as she smiled at the small victory.

    "The texture--not soft but not quite stiff, just enough crisp in the bread to be a delight to chew. The sauce--used just sparsely enough to not overpower the richness of the meat used! Ah, what a wonderful concoction of ingredients you''ve formed, M, bravo!" Althaus apuded her.

    "Really--? Thank you, my lord!" M fervently bowed her head at the suddenpliments.

    "Yes, my dear young maid, it is quite delicious! Honestly, Meinhard could learn a thing or two from your expert craftsmanship of breaded entrees!" Althausughed from his chest.

    One look at Meinhard''s forced smile was enough to tell that thestment had triggered him to his core, but there was no way he was going to let an outburst out in front of the delighted lord.

    "Yeah, I''ll make sure to take some notes," Meinhard forced a dry chuckle as if the very act ofughing hurt him.

 Chapter 19 - The Lord Of The Estate

    "A fine break on an even finer day, no?" Althaus stated after finishing off his third sandwich.

    It was true--the weather was the average definition of "perfect", at least from what he remembered in regards to Earth. The temperature was just warm enough to rx your body, while the fresh, cool breeze periodically freshened you. An array of fluffy clouds journeyed through the pale blue skies, each one carrying a unique shape as they passed onto their next destination.

    "Yeah, it is," Renmented quietly with a smile as he watched the clouds.

    Staying indoors for such a long period of his life, it felt as if the natural air was trying to rejuvenate his reclusive pores back to life.

    "Well, then--a break is a break for a reason, life must continue!" Althaus shot up from the grass, pping his hands together, "huzzah, my dear underlings, there is much to be done within the mansion."

    "Yes, lord," Meinhard and M answered in unison once again as they stood up.

    --I honestly can''t decide if it''s creepy or impressive how they manage to speak in unison like that sometimes, probably both.

    As M carried the basket back inside the mansion while Meinhard raced off into the kitchen, for no reason other than to expend his boundless energy, Althaus stood there silently.

    "Have they treated you well so far in your stay here?" The nobleman asked as he watched them disappear into the house.

    "Yeah, of course," Ren nodded his head, answering with a slight tone of confusion tinting his voice.

    "That''s good to hear. I''m d Meinhard has found a friend of simr age. Finally, I suppose this is what they call a "Win-Win", yes?" Althaus smiled softly, keeping his hand on his chin as he turned towards him.

    The tone the man spoke in seemed to shift from his usual almost mboyant entricity to a more refined, if not, solemn tone. A tiny glisten in his irises as he uttered the name of the young chef piqued Ren''s interest--there was definitely something more to their rtionship.

    "Can I ask you something? About Meinhard?" Ren built up the courage to intrude.

    "Ah, I suppose you want to know of how he came to be under my wing?" Althaus winked, holding a smirk as if already knowing he made the correct assumption.

    "Yes--wait, how did you know? Do you know some sort of telepathy magic or something--?" Ren stepped back yfully.

    "No, no--only the intuition of a businessman! Although, I am quite capable of peeking into your head if that''s what you want?"

    "I''ll pass."

    Despite the clear difference in ss, especially in a world that carried almighty emphasis on such stature, it seemed no matter what he said or did, it never offended Althaus. Just the negligence to refer to him as "Lord" should''ve been enough to get him punished, but not once did Althaus pay it any mind. If anything, it seemed Althaus put him on a pedestal of his own.

    "Well I suppose I can do for a bit more time with these fabulous gardens. A lot of dedication goes into maintaining the beauty of the many gardens of my estate, yet I seldom get to appreciate them fully! Ah, I digress--let''s find proper seating," Althaus gestured for him to follow.

    The west courtyard garden wasn''t exactly rge", at least with respect to the estate''s standards. If he had to take a guess--roughly half an acre. Although, in its scarcity of pure size, it made up for with an abundance of beautiful foliage that decorated the "walls" of the garden. Many unnatural colors of leaves made themselves known to him: blue, pink, and even some neon green leaves--it was befitting of this fantastical world.

    He was struck by a fit of confusion as the nobleman suddenly stopped in the middle of the humble garden, pping his hands together with a slight smile.

    "Wha-"

    As if following themand of the man''s p, roots protruded from the soil below, twisting and turning until two neatly woven chairs of natural wood and a small table were formed.

    "..."

    "That look on your face is quite priceless," Althausughed briefly before seating himself, "if you''re wondering if I used magic just now--I did not."

    "Then...how?" Ren stammered out.

    He rubbed his eyes, blinking a few times to make sure what he saw was real--it was. Althaus gestured once again for him to sit, which he obliged, carefully cing his rear down on the newly formed seat out of fear of the unknown.

    "Technically, I guess you could say I used "magic" to form this seating arrangement, but not my own. Let''s just say I''m friends with a little spirit who has taken abode in thisnd," Althaus slid his glove back over his hand.

    "Right��"

    "Ah, I''m getting off-topic--you want to know about Meinhard, don''t you? A fantastic young man, he is. Hardworking, charismatic, a heart of gold," Althaus spoke with suave.

    Somehow, it felt like the nobleman was listing traitspletely opposite of Ren--then again, that is probably just his fluctuating self-esteem running rampant. Althaus cleared his throat before setting his gloved hands down atop his knees.

    "Sadly, my dear Ren, I can''t tell you about the young man, nothing more than about the traits you''re already familiar with," Althaus suddenly told him.

    "Wait, what--? I thought--"

    "Ah, you must think somewhat lowly of me, dear Ren. I know the only reason you''re asking me is that either you''re too gued by your own cowardice to muster the courage to ask him yourself, or that he has already denied you ess to such knowledge," Althaus'' smile settled.

    The abrupt, sharp words stabbed into the young man as he could do nothing to reject those truthful words.

    "There is but one unspoken rule in this estate that we all must respect, Ren, and that is the ess to privacy," Althaus''s words slipped from his mouth like silver.

    "...I understand," Ren nodded his head, feeling as if he had just been scolded by a parental figure.

    "Good! I''m not mad or anything, just don''t do such an underhanded trick again," Althausughed before coughing into his hand, "ah, it seems we''ve lost the day."

    Looking up to confirm those words, the tranquil skies of blue have shifted into a warm orange hue, signaling the end of the day.

    "Perhaps it''s time to check-in for the day, I believe," Althaus stood up from his seat with a smile.

    "Yeah, I guess so--wait, what about dinner?"

    "Ah...just grab whatever you want from the kitchen!" Althausughed before making his way back inside the insted manor.

    Free reign over the kitchen was a mistake Althaus didn''t know he was making. Despite his slim build, he was able to throw down a respectable, almost fearful amount of food. With that--he went to bed with a full stomach, serving him enough energy to guide him through his studious days toe.

 Chapter 20 - Elias, The Founding Hero Of Mastorn

    I''ve always found the question of "Free Will V.S. Determinism" intriguing. Just about anytime the topic itself was brought to mind, I found myself on the other side. I think I used determinism as a means to cope with how I ended up where I am--if free will was truly the correct answer, then I willingly became a piece of shit.

    As the morning sun rose from the now past darkness, it shone through the opening of the curtains--spilling its radiant light on his pale skin, causing him to slowly open his drowsy eyes. Lifting his head from the cold wooden desk, a trail of saliva connected from the corner of his mouth to the desk before dissipating. He rubbed his reddened cheek he had beenying against the desk before looking over to see Meinhard--fast asleep on his bed.

    He was about to make a snarky remark but stopped himself--

    "I guess you do deserve it, you stayed with me all night to teach me, huh?" Ren smiled, looking at the boy who was fast asleep.

    The smell of the morning hour filled his nostrils--it was thebination of biscuits, eggs, and tea that he smelled and it was approaching his room. He got up and opened the door to his room, greeting Norbert, who was just a few feet away from his door, holding arge silver tray.

    "Good morning to you, sir," Norbert bowed his head, stepping into his room after Ren moved to the side to give the tall butler space.

    "Morning, Norbert--" Ren yawned as he finished his morning greeting.

    "It''s already been a month of such studious work and you''re both still as energetic, bless being young," --That''s right. It''s already been an entire month since I got here, hasn''t it? It doesn''t feel that long, but when I think about it--yeah. I''ve spent most of my time learning how to read and write, and I''ve made a lot of progress.

    Norbert lifted the lid off of the tray to reveal two tes and two cups along with a teapot. Each te had a hearty serving of rich, golden eggs with steam rising off of them to signify the freshness of the food with a pair of biscuits topliment. As for the cups--of course, it was for tea, but it seemed every time Norbert brought him tea, it was a different brew.

    "There really is no shortage of the variety of tea here, isn''t there?" Ren joked, sitting at the desk again as he watched Norbert assemble the tes.

    "Yes, that is right--tea is amonly loved beverage in Mastorn, and the lord is no exception to that love. I do say though, I enjoy brewing it--I take some level of pride in it," The butler smiled warmly as he lifted the teapot, pouring the scalding liquid into each cup.

    A loud yawn filled the room as the two looked over to see Meinhard stretching his limbs out before opening his eyes, sniffing the air as if woken up by the aroma of breakfast and tea. It was a sight to behold how quickly Meinhard managed to devour his breakfast after barely waking up--on Earth, he could clearly be a winner of eating contests. Ren watched as the boy washed down the food with an extended sip of tea.

    "I feel bad for Norbert, how are you going to even taste the food when you eat it like a ravenous animal?" Ren narrowed his eyes as if judging the boy.

    "As a chef, I can appreciate the quality of the food with only brief contact against my tastebuds, for your information," he retorted, patting his chest.

    Meinhard got up and walked over to the desk, ncing through the papers on Ren''s desk and nodding his head constantly.

    "You''ve really taken this seriously, haven''t you? Honestly, you''re already halfway decent in reading and writing now--it is really impressive," Meinhardplimented him before adjusting the sleeves of his shirt.

    "Of course I have--I would be driven crazy cooped in this ce if I didn''t have something to distract myself with," Ren joked--but at the same time knew it was true.

    He watched as Meinhard fixed his own shaggy blonde hair before also pulling his socks up to his knees as the boy prepared for his day of cooking. Meinhard was responsible for cooking all of Althaus'' meals personally. It seems Norbert handled cooking in the case of Ren.

    "Well--how about this, since you''ve improved so much: your goal for today is to read a special book...how about...this one!" Meinhard reached onto the bookshelf and retrieved a book designed with red leather.

    The young man handed the book to Ren before hurrying off into the mansion.

    "The Trials of Elias" He read the title imprinted on the cover of the book, running his fingers over each symbol.

    It was a feeling of aplishment and pride each time he managed to read something in this world''snguage on his own. He decided to finish his breakfast before attempting to read--as not to identally litter the book with crumbs while trying to multitask. Flipping the book to the first page, he slowly began to read it, having to study each word to fully understand what was being written.

    Going at this pace, it took him roughly five minutes to read through a page--but through this arduous way of reading, he managed to understand itpletely.

    "This was a real guy in this world?" Hemented to himself as his eyes scanned over the page.

    "Born without a name, without the love of a mother or father--he was a soul privy to corruption. Yet, in all of that darkness, he created light.

    "Elias", that was the name given to him by the knight who adopted the boy.

    He was an inexplicable being--living for no other reason than for the happiness of others.

    The hero who represented hope for humanity in the eyes of the gods, he was the first human to be born without any of the seven deadly sins of man.

    A man who knew nothing of greed, tempted not by money or fame, but for the good of the world.

    A man who never experienced wrath, judging all with the eyes of a saint.

    A man who never bathed in sloth, acting diligently to protect those in the kingdom.

    A man who never gave in to his own glutton, wanting nothing for himself and all for others.

    A man who envied none, appreciating the quality of those who stood around him.

    A man who never disyed pride, standing at the pinnacle of man but looking up at others.

    A man who never experienced lust, swayed not by the sweet temptations of women.

    And when the gods disyed their own wrath, he gave his essence to seal their hatred."

    That was the first passage in the book--Ren found himself entranced by the enigma of the story of this hero already. To him, the man the story focused on didn''t even sound human--not just by his selfless actions, but by the unexinable emotions he disyed. He continued reading, engrossing himself into the story of this hero before hours began to pass without him noticing. Back on Earth--hell would be frozen over before you would find him willingly reading a book for the fun of it, but due to theck of technological interference--books were the next best thing.

    Through his own fascination with the story of this selfless hero, his reading began to quicken as the words became natural to him.

    "If you want to meet again, I will promise you that much will happen. No matter what.

    If a miracle is required, then a miracle I shall create.

    After all, if a simple boy from the country like me can put an end even to the wrath of those who sleep in the heavens--then who is to say I can''t make the girl I love happy?"

    Those were the final words of Elias he spoke to his wife before sealing off the heavens from the mortal realm. Even in the face of immediate death--he showed the true attributes of a hero, through and through. Reading about such an incredible figure made him feel both inadequate as a human and man, but also made him want to strive to be better.

    He shut the book,ing back to reality as he realized just how long he had been sitting there reading as his stomach growled in want of lunch.

    "Knock, knock," A sudden knock on the door followed the verbal form of the sound.

    Meinhard stood in the doorway, wiping his hands with a white rag. He was visibly sweating with slightly ragged breathing.

    "You look like you just ran a marathon," Ren cracked a joke at his friend''s exasperated state.

    "Actually, I had the task of cooking a wyvern chicken--it was given to me alive," Meinhard corrected him, wiping the sweat off of his forehead with the rag.

    "A wyvern...chicken?" Ren slowly annunciated the words, giving him a questioning look.

    Meinhard ignored his curious nce and walked over to the desk, picking up the book Ren had been reading and flipping through the pages.

    "How far did you get?"

    "I finished it," Ren answered, rubbing his finger against the groove of his lip somewhat bashfully.

    The look the young chef gave him was that one that doubted his words but quickly shifted into a smile before setting the book down once more.

    "I guess I''m a pretty good teacher, huh? Maybe this is my true calling," Meinhard grinned.

    "Yeah, yeah," Ren sighed, "so Elias was really a real hero in this world? It''s kind of hard to believe with all the crazy things he aplished. Defeating mountain-sized monsters, finding "origin magic"--whatever that is, sounds crazy though. It even says he managed to seal the heavens."

    "If you think that''s absurd, then you should know that is just one book covering one aspect of his legend," Meinhard reached onto the shelf, retrieving a few books.

    "One book? This covered his entire life though--from birth to death," Ren raised an eyebrow, watching Meinhard ce the books down on his desk.

    "It''s hard to exin--Elias is kind of a concept in this world. As long as there is evil in this world and the concept of a hero is needed, Elias wille to humanity''s aid--at least, that''s what I''ve been taught. Although, his incarnation in this age hasn''t been seen yet," Meinhard exined, tapping the side of his head as he recalled this information.

    Meinhard''s exnation only furtherplicated it for Ren, answering one question and creating a dozen more.

    "Anyway--since we''re both done with our tasks for the day, I think we can use some fresh air," Meinhard stretched his book by shifting side to side.

    "For once, going outside sounds like a pretty good idea," Ren got up from his seat, feeling light-headed for a second as he had been sitting in the same position for hours on end.

 Chapter 21 - Soul Of Shadows

    Since he arrived--time outside was sparse in between his diligent effort in learning themonnguage of this world. As soon as he left the backdoor of the mansion, the warm light of the sun caressed his pale skin, breathing much needed life into it.

    The back of the manor held a vast garden, not used for the mization of fruits and vegetables but more so of a beautifulndscape that Althaus took pride in. The amount ofnd Althaus owned wasrge enough to nearly forget that they were in the middle of a bustling city--he could only imagine what the citizens thought of such an over-the-top estate.

    "Here," Meinhard tossed a handful of something over to Ren.

    He barely managed to catch the thrown objects, holding them in the palms in his hand to inspect what it was. They were small and round, plump fruits of some sort with a smooth texture of bright pink skin.

    "What are these?" Ren sniffed the fruit. The fragrance was a mixture of bubblegum and strawberries.

    "Elemo berries, they''re not really used in any dishes since the sweetness overpowers just about anything you try to pair it with--but people sometimes use it as a dessert by itself," Meinhard exined, popping one of the berries into his mouth.

    He shrugged his shoulders before sitting down on the wooden bench, sweeping the green leaves that had strayed from the tree looming above. Staring at the berries for another moment, he decided to try it out, taking a small nibble.

    His lips instantly puckered at the extreme taste of sour that flooded his mouth, feeling as if his cheeks and tongue were going to cramp.

    "Gah!" He spit out the skin of the berry, wiping any residue off of his tongue.

    "Hm? You don''t like it?" Meinhard seemed almost in disbelief that someone could dislike the berry, chewing away and swallowing his portion without so much as a flinch.

    "You call those sweet--? I''ve never had anything so sour in my life," Ren spit onto the grass with a grimace.

    His hopes of filling his empty stomach were squashed by the unbearable sweetness of the "Elemo berries" as he tossed them back at Meinhard, who graciously epted another share of the berries with a smile. Looking around--his eyes met with the pearlescent gates that outlined the estate, the ever-present gates continued to remind him that he was stuck in this estate whether he liked it or not.

    "Hey--when do you think Althaus will let me go into the city? It''s been a month since I got here and I still haven''t been able to do anything��" Renined, leaning his head back as he sat on the bench.

    "You know, the lord is only keeping you in the estate for your own good. Well, I''d say it''s for all of our good. If you got found out, I''m sure the Argonauts would have no problem wiping out everyone in this manor," Meinhard sat on the bench, crouching on it with his shoes ced up.

    "Argonauts this, Argonauts that--really, do they even exist? I bet you''re all just being overly cautious," Ren whined.

    He got up from the bench and began to explore the extensive garden, picking at trees and tasting the various fruits that grew naturally--all of which tasted simr to those on Earth. Somehow, going outside only made him feel more cooped up, feeling as if had used up all of the options avable to him--finding that his st resort"��the garden, was a boring disappointment.

    "Just be patient, the world isn''t going anywhere, you know," Meinhard tried to reason with him, following behind the bored young man.

    "How about we do something actually interesting then--teach me about magic," Ren turned to face Meinhard.

    "What- I''m not really qualified to be teaching anyone about magic. I told you before, I can only use the most basic forms of healing spells, and that''s really it. It''s not just about not being able to help you really learn anything--it could be disastrous," Meinhard answered, shaking his head as he swatted the low hanging branch away from his head.

    "Come on, I''m an otherworlder, right? So I should have some innate talent for this sort of thing," Ren smiled confidently, giving him a thumbs up.

    Meinhard stared at him for a moment before finally giving in to his friend''s unwavering confidence with a defeated sigh. He kicked some leaves up before he began to march towards the mansion once again--putting his hand up as for Ren to wait there.

    "I''m going to grab a book, just wait a minute--I don''t really trust myself to teach, let alone just off of memory," Meinhard disappeared into the mansion.

    While he waited for him to return, Ren continued to wander around the garden--now with the goal in mind of trying to find any critter he could.

    "Come on, there has to be like magical bugs in this world, right?" He muttered to himself, trying to excite himself in his waiting boredom.

    Nothing--all he could find were the same insects that existed in his world as well. Ants, worms,dybugs, overall--a failed search. Defeated by the cruel boring nature of the magnificent garden, he sat down on the bench to continue his waiting. He watched the tree above him sway in the spring wind as the droplets of green danced about in the air, slowly cascading down onto the ground below.

    "Greetings," A high-pitched yet calming voice suddenly spoke up.

    To match the voice, a young girl suddenly stood over him as he was looking up at the tree--blocking his view, causing him to instinctively jump. It was getting old for him how often people managed to sneak up on him in this world. He felt his heart was going to deteriorate through all of the stress.

    The girl looked to be no older than a middle schooler, wearing a white, fluffed dress and no shoes to speak of. Her skin was pale, paler than even his--and that was saying a lot. She had long, flowing silver hair and big, blue eyes to match her almost otherworldly appearance.

    "Did I frighten you?" She spoke in a quiet tone with a slight smile.

    "No��" He fruitlessly tried to hide his cowardice, "anyways, who are you? Althaus'' daughter?"

    "Heh, sorry--that is just quite an amusing guess," The girl sat herself down next to him on the bench.

    "Amusing? How?" He looked at her, not quite sure how to handle this situation or how the girl stood in regards to rank.

    "Is it not amusing to think somebody would be the child of a person they''re outranking in age vastly?" She answered him, still holding her slightly unnerving smile.

    He gave her a slight chuckle after hearing that joke--or what he assumed to be a joke. Hisughter was quickly silenced as he noticed her sharp gaze in response to hisughing.

    "Urr, you aren''t joking?

    "No, what makes you think that?" Her voice was much sharper now as she watched him carefully.

    "It''s just...you know," Ren failed to find the words, "...Althaus looks...older."

    That was the best way he found to make his point without directly referring to her. Somehow, it seemed his answer pleased her as her expression softened into a smile. He didn''t let his guard down--with her frivolous attitude and thevish-looking dress she wore, offending someone who may be high-ss such as her could spell his end.

    "Well, I''m Andromeda��pleased to meet you," Her words came out as cold as snow.

    "I''m Ren, I��,"

    "I know who you are. I''ve been watching."

    Before he could question those concerning words from the yful girl, his sudden nce in her direction was meant with nothing.

    ����Weird. Really weird. Where the hell are you, Meinhard?

    Patience was never his strong suit, especially when he was so out of his environment that he honestly didn''t know how to make entertainment out of the outside world. As he dazed away into boredom, he finally heard leaves crumble under approaching footsteps.

    "What took you so long?" Ren lifted his head to see Meinhard walking over, holding arge book in his arms.

    "Hey, you haven''t seen just howrge the library is--you would have quite a bit of trouble finding a specific book in that maze of literature," Meinhard sat down beside him, setting the book down on hisp.

    "Oh--by the way, I met a little girl out here, what was her name again...Andrea? Annie?" Ren rubbed his chin, trying to remember the name.

    "...Andromeda?" Meinhard said, finding the name for him.

    "Is that her name? Hmm, sounds fitting for someone so...creepy," Ren pped his hands.

    Meinhard looked at him as if he had just gravely offended something akin to his own religion or mother. The young chef ran his hands over his face before looking over at Ren with his green irises that seemed to shine under the sunshine.

    "You seriously need to be more careful--spirits are wildly powerful entities, and if you make an enemy of one, you might just meet an early grave. That or a spirit can just torment your soul after death. You''re lucky Miss Andromeda is a carefree spirit, from what I''ve heard--most powerful spirits like her tend to have a bone to pick with humans," Meinhard exined, ruffling his hair.

    "Aren''t spirits just like, ghosts or something?" Ren asked.

    "Urr..no, and please don''t ever say that to a spirit. Well, there are normal spirits that are the spirits of the dead, but what I''m referring to and what Andromeda is, is a "High Spirit". They''re beings from the Astral realm born of powerful magic and curses--most spirits never materialize in the living world, so to see one like Andromeda only signifies her status as a High Spirit," Meinhard exined as he opened the book that was on hisp.

    --"Astral realm", "High Spirits", I swear, most of the time he manages to create more questions every time he answers one. Ren watched him flip through the pages of the book.

    "I guess we should start out with the obvious--"Affinity Divination", we''ll find out what your magical affinity is," Meinhard exined, tracing his finger along the page as he spoke, "it''s pretty simple, even I can handle this."

    "My magical affinity? So, what options am I looking at here?" Ren nced at the page, unable to discern the text from his viewing angle.

    "Well--there are a lot of different magical types, but the main type of affinity you will have will be between the main six. Feuer, Wasser, Erde, Luft, Dunkel and Licht. Thest two are much rarer, so don''t expect either of those," Meinhard brushed his hair away from his eyes, "however--in other nations they call these elements--"Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Dark, and Light, respectably."

    "Yeah, I''m definitely going with thetter."

    Ren nodded his head fervently.

    "Urr, can you give me a quick exnation of what these magical types mean? I just want to know what to expect," Ren pressed his palms together as he pleaded.

    "You''re a headache, you know that? One thing at a time, let''s just figure out what your affinity is first," Meinhard closed his eyes for a moment before closing the book and standing up.

    Ren watched as the blonde male extended his hand forward and closed his eyes, feeling the air shift as the fallen leaves began to subtly spiral around Meinhard.

    "Stand up and give me your hand," Meinhard instructed.

    He nodded his head nervously and stood himself up, extending his hand until it met with Meinhard''s own. As soon as Meinhard grasped his hand--for the first time, he truly experienced what magic really felt like in this world.

    It felt as if his pores had opened up, taking in the natural mana that hung in the air, flowing through his body as if it was blood through his veins. Anything tiredness he was feeling had quickly vanished as his body truly awakened for the first time.

    "What...is this��" He spoke in a whisper, the boisterous wind carrying his voice off into the sky.

    He could make out the subtle movements of Meinhard''s lips as he seemed to be speaking some sort of magical incantation, but the wind made it impossible to make out what he was saying.

    Within the next moment--his vision fadedpletely into ck. He was still conscious--rmingly so. The sound of the wind was dulled and reced by a constant deep humming that rang through the empty darkness.

    "What the��" He couldn''t even hear his own words as they vanished into the formless void.

    Raising his hands in front of his eyes--he couldn''t even see his own hands. Before he could further freak out, with another blink of his eyes, he was standing in front of Meinhard once again as if nothing happened.

    "Um...what the hell was that?" Ren looked at him with wide eyes, adjusting to the sudden return of light.

    "What did you see? Whatever was shown to you will tell you what your affinity is," Meinhard asked. The wind settled as the mana in the air faded once more.

    "Urr...just darkness, I didn''t really see anything besides aplete void of darkness all around me," Ren recalled what he had just seen, rubbing his head.

    Meinhard tilted his head slightly as his blonde hair fell over his eyes somewhat, not stopping his emerald irises from locking onto Ren. He pulled his hand away quickly, realizing he was still holding on to it.

    "What''s that look for--?"

    "You have an affinity for dark magic--that is pretty incredible," Meinhard told him, brushing his hair away from his eyes.

    "A dark affinity, huh? That isn''t fitting of the heroic person I wanted to be, but I''ll take it. So what can I do with dark magic--? Curses, necromancy--what?" Ren pestered him, feeling a sense of confidence in his newfound special attribute.

    He watched as Meinhard sat back down on the bench, flipping the white-leathered book open as he searched for a specific entry pertaining to dark magic.

    "Hm...it''s honestly pretty vague, well, I mean--there are just a lot of variations on what type of magic you might be able to use when ites to dark. Curses seem to be an option for all users, but it isn''t exactly useful inbat, necromancy requires...outside resources. It seems what you''re likely going to be capable of is "Down Spells"--which is what dark magic generally specializes in. Down spells focus on weakening certain aspects of the target, kind of like the opposite of spells that you would use to increase your own strength," Meinhard ran his finger across the text while exining.

    "Urr...so I can use...debuffs? That''sme," Ren puffed his lip out in aint.

    "Well, there are a lot of ways to use down spells--you can put people to sleep, take away their sight temporarily, make them sick, drain their mana--the sky''s the limit honestly. However, down spells aren''t necessarily guaranteed to be your strong suit," Meinhard tried to assure him, feeling somewhat annoyed that he found something toin about in this blessing of an affinity.

    "So, how about helping me learn some spells?" Ren nudged his elbow against his friend''s arm.

    Meinhard gave him a raised eyebrow before shutting the book, the puff of air blowing his hair up slightly before he stood from the bench.

    "I was only allowed to borrow this book because it only presents knowledge on the most basic teachings of magic--it doesn''t even begin to tell how to perform magic," Meinhard told him, "If you really want to try and learn magic, then go to the library yourself and speak to the librarian. Just a warning--he is...different."

    Meinhard suddenly left to resume his culinary duties within the manor, leaving Ren to wallow in his boredom once again.

    --The library, huh? Might be worth checking out if it results in being able to use magic.

 Chapter 22 - Argonaut

    He shot up from his seat with a burst of energy, having a new goal in front of him for this fresh spring day. The only obstacle in front of him became clear upon entering the expansive mansion--there were approximately one hundred and eighty rooms in this ridiculouslyrge mansion--likely to ovepensate for something Althauscks. Finding one specific room would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack, especially since he was on his own since Norbert was busy tending to the shrubs.

    "Come on, it''s time to prove you can guide your way through this ce without any help--!" He assured himself, pping his palm against his chest.

    Boasting a new wave of confidence, he marched through the squeaky-clean halls, opening and closing every single door he came across--or at least, every unlocked door.

    Somehow or another--he ended up in the main hall in his misguided search. Before he could continue on his way, a knock on the front door rang through the lobby, stopping him in his tracks. He stopped and looked around, waiting to see if anyone was going to get the door. In most cases, he wouldn''t hesitate to get the door, but with this being somebody else''s house, it just didn''t sit right.

    "Really? None of the maids or even Norbert?" He looked side to side before shrugging.

    He made his way down the velvet-carpeted stairs, hearing another knock against the door.

    "Coming," He yelled out to whoever was behind the door.

    As he reached the doors, he grasped therge, golden handle and slowly pulled the heavy doors open.

    The person behind the door greeted him with a wide smile, disying his pearly white teeth. It was a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, wearing a long, ck trench coat and a top hat to match. He towered over Ren, but not quite as tall as Norbert--what really stood out were his deathly crimson irises that seemed to study his very essence.

    "Urr, w-wee to the Althaus estate--what business do you have here?" Ren tried his best to sound formal in front of the mysterious man.

    The man didn''t answer right away, staring at Ren with his frivolous grin before taking his top hat off and bowing his head. He had somewhat long, brown hair in the style of a bob cut.

    "Pleased to meet you, I am Rouge, Argonaut of the Sleuth Squadron."

    The man raised his head with his wide smile still persisting, cing his hat back on top of his head.

    Ren froze in ce at the man''s introduction--feeling his blood turn cold in his veins. He quickly crossed his arms to hide his trembling hands.

    --An Argonaut? Here? Now? Why did I have to be the one to greet him--?

    The man stepped closer to him, bringing his gaze down to meet Ren. His persistent smile only served to unnerve Ren as his joyful smile seemed to be anything but that.

    "My apologies, did I frighten you? I''ve been told I have quite a horrifying gaze," The man stood back up straight, adjusting his coat.

    "Not at all��" Ren lied, stepping to the side to allow the man into the home.

    Rouge slightly bowed his head and stepped in, each step he made with his leather boots echoed through the vast mansion. Ren watched as the man looked around, turning in aplete circle as he seemed to look at everyst detail in the lobby.

    "Quite a fantastic home, I''ve always heard Althaus had a fancy ce, but this is beyond my expectations," The Argonaut turned his gaze back to Ren as he fixed his ck leather gloves.

    He could make out a symbol on the top of each glove that seemed to resemble a crest. Everything about the man screamed to Ren that he was dangerous in a way that he had never encountered before. Now that he had experienced mana first hand--the aura emanating from Rouge was ungodly. The air around him was thick and damp, making it almost hard to breathe. Behind the ever-present smile the man held, all he could sense was sinister intentions--a lust for blood.

    "It is quite silent in here--is the lord not present?" Rouge asked Ren, snapping him out of his trance of fear.

    "I...I don''t know," Ren answered, unable to look the man in the eye.

    "You don''t know? Are you not a servant of this estate?" The man lowered his face close to the young man''s, inspecting his expression with a devilish smile, "What is your name,d?"

    Before the lustrous gaze of crimson, it felt as if speaking anything besides the truth was impossible, that very concept became erased as a possibility.

    "Ren...Ren Nakamura," He answered quietly, wanting to shrink away under the soulful gaze of Rouge.

    The Argonaut''s eyes seemed to glimmer at those words before his smile widened, smiling ear to ear as he continued to peer at the boy.

    "Re~n Naka~mura, what a fantastically beautiful name. I don''t believe I''ve ever heard it. Forgive me if I am wrong, but judging by your appearance--you don''t seem to be from Mastorn, correct?" Rouge sounded out his name in a harmonic tone, spinning around beforeing to a stop.

    "I''m from the east," He answered quickly to try and lower the man''s suspicion.

    If he was ying by the standard rules for these fantasy alternate worlds--then there should definitely be an eastern kingdom.

    "Is that so? Well, Ren, I''d like to ask you a few questions since the lord of this estate isn''t present apparently," Rouge smiled, cing his hands behind his back.

    Somehow or another, it seemed his answer was sufficient, for now. He could tell the Argonaut was waiting for him to show him somewhere within the mansion that they could speak, the only problem was--he didn''t know his way around.

    "Alright...right this way," Ren gave him a nervous smile as he began to make his way down the hall.

    --Help. Help. Help! He prayed to whatever god existed in this world that Norbert or Meinhard would run into him.

 Chapter 23 - Objective: Survive The Argonaut

    As he traversed the halls, he could feel the man''s breath reach the back of his neck as he followed close behind him. He felt like running but at the same time, his body felt stiffened with fear. Stopping in front of apletely random door, he decided he needed to take a bet.

    He grasped the door handle, cing every ounce of hope he had that it was unlocked--it opened.

    Inside the room, it seemed to be a private lounge for reading. What truly mattered is that there were two seats. He let out a sigh of relief before standing to the side to let the man in first.

    The walls were lined with bookshelves stocked full of books, it seemed to be a room older than the rest. There was little lightning besides a small fire that seemed to be supplied by a continuous magic spell just like thentern in his room. Thepactness of the lounge room would normally make for afortable setting, but now it forced him in a close environment with the entric Argonaut.

    --I''ll take what I can get. He closed his eyes for a moment before sitting down in the chair across from Rouge.

    The room fell silent as the man stared at him for what felt like an eternity without blinking once. He nearly jumped out of his seat as the door to the room closed on its own, all while Rouge continued to sit there with an unwavering gaze and smile.

    "Do you understand the reason for my visit here, Ren?" Rouge asked his first question, crossing one leg over the other as he gotfortable in his chair.

    "Not exactly," It wasn''t a full lie--but he didn''t feel like speaking of "otherworld" entities if he didn''t have to.

    "Well, you''re at least aware of what my job is as an Argonaut, correct?" Rouge smiled at him.

    "To find otherworlders."

    "To kill otherworlders," Rouge corrected him as his tone dropped.

    As soon as the word "kill" left the man''s lips, he could feel the constant aura of bloodlust spike up--flickering through Rouge''s irises of blood. It was the first time setting his eyes on someone he recognized as a true killer, not one made by the act of self-defense or out of war, but for the pure satisfaction of it. That bloodlust he carried so naturally came with what Ren could only guess was a heavy amount of experience, emanating a charismatic joy from his own smile yet singing of death from his eyes.

    --Does he already know it''s me? How--? Did I give it away just from my nervousness? He began to sweat.

    "So how long have you been with the Althaus estate, Ren?" Rouge rested his chin against the top of his hands. Each word rolled off of the man''s tongue in a maniacal elegance as he watched closely.

    "About a month��"

    "I see," Rouge''s smile lowered into a neutral expression, "then tell me, have you met any otherworlders in this estate?"

    Ren fell quiet as he attempted to gather his thoughts, although it was easier said than done with Rouge''s soulful gaze watching him intently. Finally, he slowly shook his head in response to the question, leaving the enigmatic man with a yful frown before shifting back into a wide smile.

    "I''m going to test you to see if you''re an otherworlder or not--don''t worry, it''s justmon practice when investigating. Since you''re a new figure to me--I have to keep my suspicions," Rouge assured him with a smile that screamed of falsity.

    "Sure��"

    "Here''s your first question then that I''d like you to answer: what is the name of the founding hero of Mastorn?" Rouge raised a finger as he asked his question.

    Awaiting the answer to his little game of trivia, the man held such a smile that would likely haunt him for days toe. In that bright grin, he was unapproachable, almost inhuman, clearly only driven by how own sense of fun.

    "Elias," He answered confidently.

    Rouge spread his arms and smiled wide, "Bingo! Correct! See, not so hard, is it?"

    Despite guessing right, his heart didn''t cease the relentless pounding against his chest. He got lucky with that topic--but he wasn''t counting on that luck to continue.

    "My next question--what is the name of the current ruling king of Mastorn?" Rouge spoke in a serious tone, "This is quite an easy one!"

    With just one simple question--his heart sank into the pit of despair that was his stomach. Of all the things, the most simple concept to learn, the one name of all he should know--he didn''t know. Before he opened his mouth to give his best guess, the door suddenly opened.

    Standing in the doorway were a pair of men that for once were a sight for sore eyes--Althaus and Norbert. For a second, he caught the nobleman ring daggers into Rouge before shifting into a weing smile.

    "Apologies, sir--I was preupied with some important business. I hope my gardener here gave you finepany," Althaus entered the room, standing between the Argonaut and Ren.

    --Me? The gardener? I don''t know how that is believable in the slightest, but alright. Ren was both confused and relieved.

    "Noints here, he is a funny fellow," Rouge chuckled before standing up, adjusting his dark coat.

    The two men shared a briefugh before the room fell silent again. Althaus walked over to Norbert, whispering something to his ear before the skyscraper of a butler escorted Ren out of the room without so much as a word.

    "What''s going on?" Ren waited to ask until they were out of ear-shot distance from the room.

    "The lord has made a noble decision," Norbert said sternly without looking at him, "We must see to it we follow through with his desire."

    "And that is��?"

    "For you to live," Norbert affirmed.

    He fell silent as he followed the butler through the manor in a quick step. The air became intense as words were seldom spoken by the stern butler. They entered an interior courtyard that was set within the mansion--something he hadn''t seen before. Arge disy of stained ss overlooked the pocket of nature, shining a warming ray of sunlight down on them.

    "What is this ce? Where are we going?" Ren asked, now confused as he stepped through the courtyard--finding the idea of walking through trees while inside a building to be almost mind-numbing.

    "The library," Norbert answered before stopping in the middle of the tucked-away courtyard.

    Before he could get time to process that answer, the butler circled his index finger through the air--forming some sort of circr seal formed of blue and white light. Soon, the space within the circle shifted before turning into a tall wooden door, engraved with an array of unknown symbols.

 Chapter 24 - The Palace Of Knowledge

    There it stood, in the middle of space as if leading to the very next step he would''ve taken--but even he could feel the enigmatic door''s magical presence and where it led.

    "Open up, Hodwin," Norbert ushered his words in a quiet yet stern tone directly to the door.

    After a few moments of silence, the door flung to reveal the sight of an entirely different room behind it.

    --Magic is pretty hard to get used to. Ren thought to himself as he stared nkly at the now open door, trying to make sense of how that room could be there while the courtyard was here.

    "Act in haste, Ren--Listen to Hodwin as if he were me. He even outranks me within the estate," Norbert ced his hand on Ren''s shoulder.

    "What about you?" Ren asked as he looked up at the butler.

    "I must be by the lord''s side, that is my eternal duty in this life," Norbert answered with a wrinkled smile, "Now go, boy."

    He gave the boy a slight push, causing him to stumble into the magical doorway. Ren nced back to see Norbert''s rare smile once more for just a brief second before the door mmed shut behind him. The door then dissolved into golden particles of mana, fading away into space.

    The courtyard he stood in waspletely gone, instead, an enormous library surrounded him. The ceiling reached a few stories high with the sight of books filling his sight at every turn. The walls themselves were made of some sort of white and gold marble material, with a nce it seemed to be magical in origin. The vastness of the library put him into further awe than even the mansion��the size of which made him feel like a speck in space.

    Besides shelves stocked full of books, there were antiques on disy through the middle of each aisle. It definitely matched the description of something that Althaus would own in its ridiculously over-the-top disy of wealth and status, but even this seemed out of the nobleman''s pay grade.

    --Just what kind of person is Althaus really?

    "I am to assume you are "Ren", yes?" A voice suddenly spoke up from behind him.

    He quickly turned around to meet eye to eye with a man of paleplexion��even paler than himself. His stern azure gaze behind his sses looked at him as if he had just been woken up. One thing definitely stood out to Ren though, the man''s long, pointy ears.

    "Are you...an elf?" Ren asked slowly, vaguely pointing towards the man''s ears.

    "Are you a "Ren"? Answer my question first, human," The man reinstated his question, his gaze not softening in the slightest.

    He could tell the mancked patience��or rather, he probably just didn''t like him.

    "Yeah, that''s me," Ren answered in a huff as he looked at the man.

    He wore a long-sleeve ck shirt with a ruffled blouse. His cream-colored trousers cut off just above his ankles, wearing ck bucklers on his feet.

    ��He looks like he''s dressed for some sort of formal gathering, but the dude is in a library. Ren thought to himself as he looked the mysterious librarian up and down.

    "I see. For your question��I am not an elf, but a high elf, don''t make such rude assumptions," The elven librarian confirmed.

    Oddly enough, he expected an elf��or "high elf", would have long, illustrious golden hair. This man had somewhat short pitch-ck hair that matched the tone of his shirt.

    "Right, right��" Ren gave him a smile, not wanting to provoke him.

    "Well, if you know, then that is fine with me. I am Hodwin, the librarian and keeper of this library," The elven man introduced himself.

    "Right, well��why was I even brought here in the first ce?" Ren asked, looking around as he adjusted to the change in environment.

    "Are you dim-witted, ignorant, or both? Clearly, there is an immediate risk to your life and that is why you were brought here to my library," Hodwin adjusted his silver-rimmed sses before sitting down on the chair behind him.

    "I understood that much, alright? You don''t have to be so rude, jeez. What I meant to ask is why this library exactly?"

    The elven librarian took his time to answer the question, remaining silent as he gotfortable in the luxurious seat. It seemed almost like more of a bed rather than a chair��lined withfortable-looking velvet cushions, supported by a fine wood structure.

    "Yes, yes, maybe my patience is a bit short for an otherworlder. I forgot that you''re ignorant to the ways of this world��how forgetful of me," Hodwin muttered a sarcastic apology, "this library exists in a subspace separate from the manor itself. The only way in is either through my allowance of it or by possessing a special bookmark."

    It sort of made sense to him now why it took Meinhard so long to go to and from this library--and why he warned him about this librarian being "different". Between his nasty attitude and his sharp re full of contempt, the best way to summarize his first impression of the librarian was "prickly".

    "So what do I do? Just wait here?" Ren asked, looking down at the tan marble floor, etched with long-stretching paintings that seemed to run across the entirety of the marvelous floor.

    "Do what you want, there are plenty of books here for you to read to pass the time, obviously. Just stay away from the restricted sections--I won''t hesitate to bind you with magic," Hodwin nced up at him from the book he held on hisp.

    "So...any books that can help aplete novice with me learn some simple magic?" Ren asked, hopeful but not expecting the elf to be of much help--or at least, choose not to be.

    Prying the librarian''s eyes away from the pages of the book he was reading was a daunting task, but the man seemed to oblige as he raised his hand, snapping his fingers. As his snap echoed through the vast chamber of literature, the sound of something flying through the air hissed.

    Suddenly--a blur appeared in front of him before a solid object collided directly into his chest, knocking him over as his breath escaped his lungs unwillingly. Gasping for air while he looked up to the high-reaching ceiling, he ced his hands on his chest to find a book resting on his aching sternum.

    "You could''ve just pointed me to the proper section, or you know--give it to me like a normal person," Renined in a quiet voice, still trying to properly breathe once more as he sat up.

    The book was designed in apletely ck, tattered leather, coated with a thinyer of grime. No words were etched onto the front cover, leaving the contents to be mysterious to him.

    "Any furtherints and I shall use a hush spell on you," Hodwin spoke, not lifting his eyes from the text he was reading.

    Ren took that threat to heart, nodding his head as he sat down on the cold, solid ground before flipping the book open to the first page. The pages were stiff and crisp, as if the book had not been opened in ages. A distinct smell of dried paper that was once wet met his nostrils as he scanned his fingers over the old text.

    "Scripts of The Void," he sounded out the words written at the top of the first page.

    By that text and the general appearance of the book--it had to be primarily about dark magic. At least, it was his best guess. He looked up towards Hodwin, stopping himself just before asking him how he knew to give him a dark affinity book.

    He seldom wanted to draw out the wrath of the high-elf while he was engrossed in whatever book he was reading. It was hard to maintain his focus on the already difficult-to-readnguage as his mind wandered off in worry--the feeling he got from the Argonaut earlier reeked off sinister intentions. If they truly believed it was necessary to hide him away in this library, then perhaps they knew what Rouge was capable of.

 Chapter 25 - Developments Of Magecraft

    "Hey, Hodwin?" Ren spoke up after half an hour of reading.

    "What is it, human?" Hodwin spoke up in his usual tone that invited conflict.

    "Do you know what is going on out there?"

    Hodwin slid a feather bookmark into the crease of the book, shutting it before turning his gaze to Ren. For once, it felt as if he wasn''t about to snap at him.

    "I can see all that happens in the manor, not that I am interested in checking most of the time--but yes. I am assuming you want to know the situation, I guess I can check if you''re so curious," Hodwin sighed and muttered a brief, incoherent incantation as he closed his eyes.

    It was faint but he could make out a subtle aura of mana resonating from the librarian now. Tiny particles of silver mana floated about in the air before shifting into a gradient, spiraling around the man in a calming manner. There was a subtle difference between the mana he felt from him as opposed to Meinhard--the calming, almost harmonic trance he felt as he watched the mana residue gyrate was something that probably was natural to high-elves.

    Even though the elf''s eyes were shut, Ren could see his eyes frantically moving around under his eyelids as he continued to mutter quiet and iprehensible words. It was definitely not a sight he would want to see in the dead of night.

    The elven librarian''s eyelids suddenly shot up as his hands tightly gripped the book he held.

    "I...this man, he actually countered my own irvoyance magic--he actually managed to reverse it," Hodwin stood up in a sweat.

    "...what does that mean? Is that bad? That "man"--do you mean Rouge?" Ren watched the onceposed man begin to pace back and forth.

    "Yes, yes--this is bad. I--I have dearly messed everything up. Ren, he reversed the spell. Do you understand what that means? He managed to look into the library--he saw you," Thosest few words struck Ren likes knives, "I was unaware of the situation, I should''ve asked Norbert. If I knew it was an Argonaut out there--one from the Sleuth Squadron at that, I would have never dared to do something so risky," Hodwin took his sses off and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

    "You said nobody can get in here without your permission or a bookmark, right? So what does it matter if he knows, he still can''t get in," Ren tried to calm the man down.

    Standing directly in front of him, it was clear that they were nearly the exact same height. Hodwin had a more slight build and despite his almost senior attitude, his elven blood gave him the appearance of a teenager.

    "You don''t understand, you don''t. The fact that he knows you''re in hiding is practically confirmation you''re an otherworlder. Argonauts do not make any exceptions when ites to helping otherworlders--he will kill everyone in this mansion, Ren. He will," Hodwin spoke in a tone that solidified his words directly to Ren.

    "No...they''ll be okay, right? Norbert is strong��" Ren slumped down against the bookcase.

    "I''m afraid even that brute of an old man may not be enough to stop an Argonaut. Which is why��"

    Hodwin cut himself off as he took a deep breath. A new resolve glimmered in his sharp, ocean-like eyes before he held his hand up in front of himself--pressing his palm against the air.

    "Open, door of the forbidden chambers!" Hodwinmanded, his voice booming through the library as it was carried by the strength of his magic.

    The same door that appeared when Ren first entered the library conjured in front of the librarian.

    "What''re you doing--?" Ren asked, looking up at the elf as he sat on the marble floor.

    "Isn''t it obvious? I am going to help them," Hodwin answered, "stay here, if I don''t return when that clock rings--then stay here until it rings once more."

    Ren turned his head to where the man was pointing, seeing a gargantuan golden clock hanging on the farthest wall. The hand on the clock ticked ever so slowly, dragging along in a time that felt much slower than in reality.

    "If I were you, human, I would find something in that book that could be of some use," Hodwin nced at the ck book that Ren held in his arms, "knowing just one simple spell could be the difference between seeing tomorrow and living yourst night in this world."

    He could only nod in response before catching a slight smile from the elf as he exited through the magically conjured door. As it shut behind him, it faded once more into particles of mana--leaving him all alone in the seemingly endless chamber of knowledge.

    "Great...just great," Ren sighed to himself as the previous anxiety he felt resurfaced.

    The thought urred to him to check out what was in the restricted section now that Hodwin was absent--but with the unknown mysticism of this world, he would undoubtedly be found out some way or another.

    As for the book he already had, the text was older than anything he had read in this world before, written in a dialect that made him reread what he had just read a few times over, every single line.

    "Visualize the shadow you cast with your body and internalize it, let the shade cast within yourself" Man, this is some weird stuff. Why did I get stuck with dark magic? It kind of makes me feel like a creep��" Renined as he read the passage from the book.

    It was a guide on the most basic function of magecraft: using mana. He decided to give it a try, closing his eyes as he imagined the presence of the shadow cast by his own body. As he followed the process step by step, he began to fill his entire body tingle with an unknown sensation before growing cold then warm, cold then warm. His body temperature fluctuated, causing him to break into a cold sweat before--

    "Ah--!" His eyes suddenly opened as a jolt of some sort traveled through his body.

    Raising his hands in front of his eyes, he could make out the existence of a faint aura of darkness hanging around his body.

    "I did it��? I did it!" He celebrated, squeezing his fists as he was left in awe at the sight of his own mana.

    It was quite literally a useless development on its own, as mana can''t properly function without spells, but nheless--it was a very important step. As he broke concentration, the aura of mana faded from him. With his first step towards the path of magecraftplete, he paid his focus to the book, desiring eagerly to gain the power to protect himself.

 Chapter 26 - Growth Fueled By Boredom

    As what he could only feel were hours that passed, he got up to stretch his legs that had long fallen asleep in his time of reading. He was on the cusp of figuring out how to use the first spell he had chosen to learn--but needed a small break before he wanted to test it out.

    "I''m parched--there has to be beverages in here or something right? Do elves need to drink?" Ren muttered to himself as he began to wander the library.

    It felt less like the libraries that he knew on Earth and more along the lines of a church, or something regal for that matter. The exuberant disy of wealth in the design of the building felt like something only a wealthy king would take interest in building. Each bookshelf was over three meters tall, making the highest portions of the shelf unreachable for him.

    After ten minutes of aimless wandering, he found himself in an empty section of the vast chamber, surrounded by halls of bookshelves with the center of the area containing an unassuming desk with a golden bell atop.

    "Urr, I don''t know what this will do, but I guess it''s worth a shot��" Ren hovered his hand over the bell.

    As he pressed his palm against the bell, the audible ding rang through the surrounding area.

    "Nothing, huh?" He sighed and raised his hand before catching a glimpse of something now on the table.

    A ss of water was now set on the table beside the bell. He paused for a moment, looking side to side before picking it up. It was chilled perfectly to what he had wanted--without any caution of what other possibilities the liquid could be, he gulped it down.

    "Ahhh��" His parched throat felt as if it had been revived.

    --Don''t tell me, does this bell bring me anything I desire? That sounds...dangerous. Ren looked at the bell with a hint of caution finally.

    A million possibilities drove through his head, some that he would never speak to another soul--he decided it was better to leave this bell alone, at least until he had more information. Now, with a properly hydrated body and confidence, he prepared himself to cast his first spell.

    --"Improvidence Bind", that''s the name of the spell. It was listed amongst the novice rank spells for dark magic users, so I should be fine.

    He nted his feet firmly against the ground before closing his eyes, letting in a long intake of air before slowly releasing it. Letting the darkness that came without the sense of sight ovee the entirety of what he saw, he began to focus the flow of mana through his body.

    "Improvidence Bind--!" He invoked the spell with amanding tone.

    As he opened his eyes, the darkness conjured itself into a singr sphere of energy above the palm of his hand. The power radiating from it vibrated against his skin, finding himself almost frozen in awe and fear of holding something so unnatural to him.

    "It worked--well, that was the hardest part. Now let''s see if the spell actually functions--!" He gritted his teeth before tossing the sphere of darkness.

    However--the effects of conjuring said magic was made apparent. A sharp jolt of pain shot from the tips of his fingers to his shoulder. His fingers, forearm, and bicep all began to seize into a deathly cramp, losing control of his arm in its entirety.

    "Ghh��!" He winced, watching as sparks crackled from the dark orb hovering in front of his palm.

    It felt as if every strand, every fiber of muscle was being torn apart inside his arm. His body temperature dropped to a chilling cold then soared to a feverish heat. He grabbed hispromised arm, attempting to regain control of it as he felt his mana pour out of his body like water through a broken faucet.

    "How...do I stop this--?" He asked himself in a gasp.

    The skin on the palm of his hand began to crack and peel away, leaving room for blood to begin leaving his body, spilling onto the once clean floor below.

    Just as it left his hand, the sphere lost its shape before exploding in front of him in a brilliant array of purple light, knocking him back as he slid across the smooth floor.

    "Ghh��!" He let out a pained grunt as his back mmed into the corner of a bookshelf.

    The function of "Improvidence Bind" definitely wasn''t to explode and definitely not directly in front of him. Although it didn''t seem to cause any injury, except for the less than gracious crash that resulted.

    "Well...let''s chalk that up to a st resort"," Ren slowly stood up, rubbing his aching back.

    The inevitable feeling of drowsiness crept upon him as he let out a subsequent yawn.

    --Crap. Using mana for the first time probably drained me dry. He felt the strength in his limbs fade as he lumbered forward.

    He let himself sumb to the natural tiredness of his mortal body, dragging his feet until he reached the bell once more. Even though he told himself to wait--his drowsy mind argued otherwise as he pressed the bell once more, conjuring a turquoise sleeping bag, lined with a fluffy nket. With thatst usage of the mysterious bell, he noticed a significant drain in his already low stamina.

    --If I had to guess...this thing uses my mana as a sort of payment for whatever I desire from it. Ren theorized, feeling his eyelids grow heavy.

    "Magic is pretty great, huh?" He whispered to himself as he got settled in the sleeping bag, zipping himself up.

    It would be impossible to wait out his time in the library without a good nap. The constant worry of what was happening paired with the boredom that apanied loneliness made it a dreadful wait. In the boundless chamber, surrounded by only books and his only lonely existence--he fell to slumber.

 Chapter 27 - Devil Of War

    "Nurture V.S. Nature"...I think in a way, this falls in line with "Free Will V.S Determinism". Did fate determine the nature of that sick bob cut-bastard, or did his own mother, by free will, nurture the most despicable being I''ve everid my eyes on?

    "Old man, I really don''t want to do this. I mean, I want to, but I''m kind of constricted by time here, you see? Just give me the otherworlder boy and I''ll be out of your hair," Rouge asked with his previously disyed frivolous tone.

    It was a ssic standoff--Norbert stood across the mostly empty ballroom on the second floor of the mansion while Rouge stood at the opposing end. The Argonaut''s coat was already stained with blood yet his demeanor has not changed in the slightest.

    If anything, he seemed ted by the whole ordeal, presenting a sheen in his crimson pupils to match his skin-crawling smile.

    "I can''t do that," Norbert answered him, "it is only my ce to enact the will of my lord."

    "You know what I think? I think you might just be miffed that I diced up that young maid," Rouge puffed his lip out in a fake pout, "was she your daughter? Oh, maybe you had a thing for her?"

    In response to the sinister teasing of the entric man, a violent aura arose from the old butler. The air whipped around him as a look of fury sparked within his gaze.

    "I''ve had enough out of you! In the name of Lord Althaus, I shall have your head, Argonaut!" Norbert yelled out as his voice boomed through the pristine ballroom.

    "Oh, scary~, I felt that yell in my bones," Rouge smiled wide as he stood his ground, "I prefer the screams of my victims to be a bit higher-pitched, but you''ll do."

    As Norbert charged towards the man, breaking the distance between them in a fraction of a second with speed iprehensible to a normal human, bloodlust drove his fist forward. In his practice of gentlemanly behavior, his calm andpliant attitude gave him the aura of a man who had lost his drive for battle.

    That, however, was far from the truth. A title such as the "Devil of War" could only be earned by a man who abandoned his humanity, leaving no such thing to be a hindrance on the battlefield. He wasn''t evil--but he certainly wasn''t a saint.

    Before his fist could reach the man he targeted, the ground in front of him erupted with the sudden presence of a jagged de, stopping him in his path.

    ? "That was quite close, Mr. Butler. I would suggest not to be so hasty as I am not so dexterous as to be merciful with my des," Rouge tipped his hat with a wicked smile.

    "Is this your "innate ability"?" Norbert asked, ring at the man.

    "Why, yes, I''m d you asked! It is called "Skewer", a perfect match for myself I''d say. It allows me to conjure des wherever I want, quite handy, isn''t it?" Rouge swayed to the side yfully.

    Norbet slid his silver gloves off of his hands, therge gems sewn onto them losing their glow as he did. The gloves he wore seemed to act as a seal as his mana spiked in intensity with their removal causing Rouge to jump in reaction as a chill ran down his spine.

    "Your ability can only destroy, it brings nothing besides blood and misery into this world that is dark enough as is. If such an ability fits you, I see no reason to lose sleep after tearing you limb for limb," Norbert spoke in a calm yet malicious tone, the look in his eyes spoke of his internal rage.

    "Those are some wordsing from the "Devil of War" himself, no? If I''m correct, you slew ten-thousand Baldrean civilians yourself--I''d say you yed more than a part in the extermination of that poor, poor kingdom," Rouge retorted, not breaking his evesting smile.

    Those words stopped the elder man in his tracks as he closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before parting his eyelids once more as he looked towards his opponent. It wasn''t rage or despair that filled the mirrors to his soul, his eyes that had seen countless horrors in his life only looked forward with a gentleness lost upon the madman in front of him.

    "There isn''t a day that goes by without hearing the screams of those I murdered savagely. Every time I close my eyes--I can still vividly see those nightmarish moments before my eyes, the innocent people I ughtered in the name of Mastorn. I was young and driven by the lust for glory and riches, I told myself that it was fine, since they were the enemies of my kingdom," Norbert spoke in a calm tone, furrowing his eyebrows as he recalled those days.

    Rouge stopped to listen to the man, treating this entire situation as if it were a game for him. His crimson eyes that matched his lust for blood watched the veteran before him with amusement.

    "However--I regret it. I don''t take pride in who I was back then. I was swallowed into a pit of despair, weaved by my own two hands as I was haunted by the gnawing spirits of the dead--Althaus saved me. He gave me a path of redemption, a path away from that thorny path of depravity," A sense of resolve bolstered the butler''s voice.

    The butler raised his bare hands, disying scars etched into the back of his hand in the form of a magical symbol of sorts. For the first time, Rouge''s smile faltered for a moment as he saw those scars, his mouth falling agape at the sight.

    "Those...you��" The words faintly left the Argonaut''s mouth.

    Those scars, carved into the butler''s hand, into the symbol of magic that represented something grave--a symbol considered taboo among all who practice magecraft.

    "Your eyes do not deceive you. I sacrificed my ability to use magic. It doesn''t bring back those I killed, but hopefully, it allows them to find some sce in the afterlife."

    "What a waste. The dead won''t care about your meaningless sacrifices and even if they did--why pay any mind to those you''ve already killed. Such pointless pittance is why you''ll fall here today, "Devil of War," Rouge''s mood sunk into anger towards the butler after seeing his state.

    des began to sprout from the amber-tinted floor, protruding from below in a variety of sizes as they all aimed directly for Norbert. He swiftly evaded the iing des with a sidestep that almost looked more like teleportation magic, barely paying any mind to the immediate danger of the jagged des.

    "Do you think just because I no longer have ess to magic I can''t win? I''ve lived through a life ofbat for over seventy years. Time and time again I uttered myst prayers as I prepared to meet my end, and time and time again, I stood victorious. If you think I need magic to defeat you here and now, then you''re gravely mistaken," Norbert''s voice remained low before he charged at the man once again.

    Even in his old age, the butler''s swiftness was a sight to behold as he danced across the ballroom in the flurry of des. The flexibility of his movements made him seem like his age was just a facade--but in his prime, he would swear he was ten times as fast.

 Chapter 28 - Strength In Numbers

    "Come on, Gramps, make this fun for me--!" Rouge yelled out in excitement, holding his arms out in a weing embrace as he watched the man evade his des.

    As fast as Norbert was, his speed was put to the test by the pace Rouge was able to produce his deathly steel. It felt like an impossible task to reach the man as the des continued to block Norbert''s path.

    "Ngh!" Norbert mmed his fist against the t surface of one of the des.

    With just his physical might, he managed to shatter the de into a hail of steel. It was a gamble, a test of his own strength withered by time, but it was the only way topete against the growing number of des that filled the ballroom. His strength proved to be more than sufficient as the pressure created by his punch blew a gust of wind towards Rouge, nearly knocking his top hat over.

    "Now, now! That is impressive! I knew the Devil of War wouldn''t be just some old man encumbered by age, but this is beyond my wildest expectations! Even without reinforcement magic, you''re this strong--?" Rouge couldn''t help but let out augh at the ridiculous disy of raw power.

    It only served to fuel his long ignited rage as he heard his opponentugh at his resistance, all the while he hid behind the overwhelmingly powerful ability of his. As he tunneled his way through the path of des, all he could hear was the maniacalughter of the Argonaut, who almost seemed to delve into ecstasy amidst the battle.

    "Slow, slow, slow! Your fists will never reach me with that pace, Gramps! Try a bit harder, won''t you?" Rouge let out a roar of high-pitchedughter that pierced the old man''s ears.

    The butler leaped into the air, nearly bumping his head against the high-reaching ceiling as he avoided the new set of des that drove out from the ground, desperately trying to spill his blood.

    "Where are you going tond now, Devil? Atop my des? If you insist on putting your own head on a spike and saving me the time to do so, I would dly appreciate it!" Rouge continued to taunt him, still standing in the same spot.

    In this situation, it indeed looked dire. Even with all of his physical might, he couldn''t fly, he couldn''t use magic. The concept of gravity was, all the same, applied to him as he began to fall towards the dozens of shining des that awaited his arrival.

    "Don''t mock me--! The head butler of the Althaus estate is prepared for a multitude of situations!" Norbert proimed as he reached inside his vest.

    Rouge watched closely as the man pulled a small blue gem out of his vest before tossing it down towards the sea of steel below.

    "A spell stone--?" Rouge uttered in confusion.

    His perplex was answered as the stone cracked before detonating into a fierce explosion of azure mes, disintegrating and blowing apart the mass of steel below. The resulting shock wave shattered the windows into particles of ss, rumbling the entire second floor as if a violent earthquake had awakened under their feet.

    The mannded safely on the ground below with a heavy thud, wiping the dust picked up by the magically conjured explosion off of his clean suit.

    "You''re full of surprises, aren''t you? I guess I''ve had enough time ying with you, Devil of War. I still have a mission to fulfill, so do me a favor and die," Rouge''s mood seemed to have fallenplete, annoyed by the old man''s resilient efforts.

    Even Norbert knew that during this entire encounter, the Argonaut wasn''t giving it his all--or anything close to that. However, he bought more than enough time than he expected with just his body. His old bones ached just from keeping himself standing upright now. As strong as he was, the shock wave from the explosion took a toll on his body--without the usage of reinforcement magic, even he was privy to the drawbacks of a human body.

    "Lord Althaus, forgive me...it seems my contract is about toe to an end," Norbert spoke quietly to himself.

    Just the act of forming a fist with his hand felt as if daggers were piercing his flesh, it seemed the shock wave shattered some of his bones as well in the process. Each breath was as if inhaling a thousand tiny little des that poked and jabbed into his lungs. His eardrums had been blown out, blood seeping out from his ears and traveling down his neck.

    "Even I feel some sadness in seeing the famous Devil of War in such a sorry state, but fear not, as I am low on time--I shall make this death quick," Rouge announced in his over-the-top tone.

    The man raised his hand as a stream of des came burrowing towards the withered butler, who stood in ce. All he could do was stand there, pleading for his body to move as he watched the endless sight of steel inch closer to him, bringing the horror of death that much closer.

    "Gaia Protection," A disembodied voice suddenly spoke out in amanding tone.

    Following the sudden words, a wall of stone protruded from the ground, rising high as it casted a shadow over the iing wave of des, managing to halt their bloodthirsty path.

    Both Rouge and Norbert looked around to see who the voice belonged to, confused by the sudden usage of nature magic.

    "It looks like you are in need of some assistance, old friend," Hodwin suddenly stepped beside Norbert.

    "Hodwin��?" Norbert spoke in a raspy voice, following up with a bloodied cough.

    "I know what you''re going to ask--worry not, the boy is safe. What we need to worry about is the enemy before us," Hodwin looked forward towards Rouge as he narrowed his gaze.

    At the mention of his own existence, the Argonaut lifted his hat and bowed with one foot tucked behind the other. Even now in this situation being outnumbered, his frivolous attitude didn''t change in the slightest--even seeming happier now with this new development.

    "I''ve always wanted to skewer an elf. Such an uptight race that sees themselves above all others, I will enjoy seeing what wonders are tucked away inside your bowels as I inspect them closely," Rouge''s toothy grin radiated with pure bloodlust.

    "High Elf, not an elf. Such a mistake will be the cause of yourck of a head, human," Hodwin''s beady gaze locked onto Rouge.

 Chapter 29 - For You, Requiem

    Before Hodwin could step towards the blood-crazed man, he was stopped by Norbert who grabbed his arm. He turned to see the old butler breathing heavily in his injured state before speaking to him.

    "Careful...his ability causes des to sprout everywhere. I think he was just toying with me the entire time, so there is probably even more to it," Norbert warned him, wincing as he grabbed his aching chest.

    "You needn''t tell me to be cautious, I know. Recover your stamina, I may be needing your assistance soon enough," Hodwin ushered the butler to rest against the wall, who obliged without resistance.

    Just as Hodwin turned back to face his enemy, he narrowly avoided an airborne de, aimed directly for his head. It lodged itself into the wall behind him like a javelin.

    "Excuse my rudeness, I just lose my patience watching you two lumber about," Rougeughed.

    "If you''re so eager to meet your grave, I''ll dly guide you to it," Hodwin held his hand out as his mana surged through his body.

    "Show me the magecraft your race gloats so much about, show me!" Rouge held his arms out as he waited for Hodwin.

    "Gaia Held: Ent--!" Hodwin waved his hand as he unleashed a spell effortlessly.

    Roots began to sprout from the marble floor, growing in number and size. The roots of nature formed into the shape of humanoidsposed entirely of thick branches. The magically formed golems stood over three meters tall, starting to slowly lumber towards Rouge with giant ws formed of sharpened branches.

    "Oh? Ent golems? Such a spell casted, weaved so naturally, you truly do live up to your blood as an elf," Rouge pped his hands together as he looked on with childlike excitement.

    ? "Save the ttery," Hodwin pushed his hands forward,manding the golems to attack.

    The tree-like entities given birth by magic charged towards the Argonaut, each step of their feet formed of roots caused the ground below to rumble under their weight. Rouge simply snapped his fingers, causing a plethora of des to pierce through the golems, stopping them in their tracks.

    However, to Rouge''s surprise, dozens of roots extended from the skewered golems of nature, proceeding to coil around the freshly conjured steel. As the rootspletely wrapped around the des, they soon seemed to break down, being absorbed into the golem''s roots.

    "Steel is originally a resource born of this world, which means my golems can use it as sustenance. Did you think I would just charge in blindly without a n?" Hodwin adjusted his sses.

    "It seems I am at a disadvantage here," Rouge smiled.

    Simultaneously--all of the des formed of the Argonaut''s ability crumbled into dust, scattering into the wind.

    "What--? Did you do that? Why?" Hodwin looked around in shock at the sudden disappearance of the des.

    "It''s as you said, it seems your golems will consume my des--why should I let them grow stronger? Besides...I''m out of time. No more ytime," Rouge''s gaze sharpened.

    At that moment, exchanging eye contact with his enemy--Hodwin felt a sense of dread consume his entire body, a dreadful cold embracing his body in totality.

    "I will show you the true nature of my ability, "skewer"," Rouge''s voice left all of its carefree attitude behind, leaving only a coldness behind.

    Hodwin froze in ce as he felt a deathly aura resonate from the man ahead of him. A red mist smelling of copper emanated from him as the elf desperately tried to figure out what his next move was.

    "Hod...win��" Norbert spoke in a pained cough.

    Turning around, the elf saw the condition the butler had sunken to as his injuries continued to worsen. Blood seemed to seep out of every pore of the man''s body as his eyes began to ze over as the price of life began to take its toll.

    "What is it, Nor? Don''t speak--retain your strength!" Hodwin knelt down, frequently ncing back to check on what Rouge was doing.

    "Run," Norbert hacked up blood as he gripped onto Hodwin''s arm, "everything...I''ve looked death in the face many times...and never have I dreaded it as much as standing before that monster."

    Before Hodwin could understand the meaning of his old friend''s words, he felt an immense spike in Rouge''s mana as the man began to speak once more--

    "This is my requiem--for you,"

    A de sprouted from within Hodwin''s hand, piercing through his flesh. In a moment''s passing, before he could register the pain, a dozen more weapons of steel extended from his body, tearing through his flesh. Before he could speak, scream or yell--a thousand tiny des skewered his tongue. As he looked to the ceiling, to the heavens for guidance--two des pierced his crimson eyes. His crimson essence streamed out, coating the des as he stood there, covered in countless des. It felt as if his bones themselves had formed into des, cutting away at every inch of his body.

    As he listened to the sound of his own blood leak onto the ground below, even that sense was snatched away as more des conjured, ripping apart his eardrums within an instant. All he could do was think in this eternal darkness he was left with--and all he thought was how much he wished for his own death, so desperately to escape this agony. Any control of his own limbs was long gone, his own lungs filling with his arterial fluid. The countless des,rge and small, mutted his nerves, he wanted nothing more than to scream his pain away.

    "This is my ability--my authority, I control the concept of "skewer"," Rouge spoke in mncholy.

    The elf that once stood before him was now unrecognizable, more so skin strewed about on a sea of des. It was a sight that nobody should see nor be, a fate that should be left for the deepest pits of hell. Sounds of the elven man gurgling on his own blood are all that filled the room riddled with rubble and blood.

    "You scoundrel...you''ll pay, you won''t get away with this--!" Norbert threatened, spitting up blood as he forced himself to yell.

    "That''s enough out of you," Rouge snapped his fingers.

    Just as he did to Hodwin, a plethora of des filled the butler''s body, cutting apart flesh and bone like a hot knife to butter. There wasn''t an inch of skin left intact, dyed by blood, and torn to shreds.

    "And so the victory stands," Rouge proimed his own win over the two.

    The man turned away to continue on his hunt for the otherworlder before feeling his skin crawl with sudden goosebumps, feeling the presence of someone directly behind him.

    "Don''t...get...cocky," Norbert stood behind him.

    He looked like a reanimated corpse, stuck full of des yet somehow standing before the man. With his suit left in tatters, his bare torso revealed a plethora of scars and tattoos from his time in the war. Even in his old age, he still held the physique of a monster, birthed in the mes of violence that was war.

    "How--" Rouge turned his head inplete shock.

    The old man''s fist came an inch away from the man''s face, a hit that would''ve likely resulted in theplete and utter destruction of his skull. Luckily for the sinister sleuth, he managed to pierce the butler''s head with arge spike at thest moment.

    "You truly were a man of conviction, Norbert, I will give you that��" Rouge still looked upon the corpse of the man in horror.

    Even in death, the man wasrger than life. That was the very essence of the man known as the "Devil of War", one who seemed unkible in warfare, never stopping until the other side was left demolished. It seemed even in his days of peace, that spirit never faded.

 Chapter 30 - That Day

    Times like these in this ursed world make me wonder if this is a purgatory, crafted to make me repent for the slothful route I had taken my life down on Earth. If it was God who took him away from me, then I would take all away from God.

    The chime of the grandiose clock reverberated through the library, pelting against the ears of the dreaming young man before causing him to wake up in a jump.

    "The clock...how long was I asleep?" Ren yawned quietly as he looked up towards the clock.

    It was no use, he didn''t even know what time it was when he went to sleep. He slowly got up drowsily, stretching his tired limbs. Making his way back to where he originally entered the library, he found that Hodwin still hasn''t returned.

    "I hope they''re alright��" He muttered to himself.

    His eyes met with something peculiar sticking out from the book the librarian was reading--a feathered bookmark. In an act of half-asleep curiosity, he slid the bookmark from the book without realizing the potential repercussions from the elven librarian.

    "A bookmark...he said a special bookmark could be used to enter the library, then...could it also do the reverse?" He asked himself as he gazed at the bookmark in his hand.

    It was agonizing to sit there in lonesome, able to do nothing except wait and wait. Even if it was a risk that he acknowledged--he had to do it.

    "Now how do I actually use this," Ren asked himself.

    He held up the bookmark in front of himself, holding it like a key.

    "Urr...summon, no...open door?" Hemanded with no confidence in his own words.

    To his own surprise, the bookmark vibrated in his hand, subtly glowing with a vibrant warmth as the door formed out of thin air in front of him. Dozens of tiny particles of light gathered into a shapeless mass before forming into the shape of the door.

    "That...worked," Ren uttered in disbelief.

    He looked at the mystic door as it hummed with a resonance of mana. Part of him wanted to stay in the safety of the library, but he felt his own sanity dwindling in the abyssal chambers of endless knowledge. His hand trembled as it came close to the door handle, feeling every possibility run through his mind, every scenario that could lead to pain and regret.

    "Come on, be a man for once, Ren Nakamura--!" He yelled at himself.

    In an act of bravado and reckless abandon, he gripped the door handle--opening it and stepping through the magical door.

    The smell hit his nostrils instantly, scrunching his nose as his face contorted from the ungodly stench that filled the air. Before he could cover his nose to block the smell, his body responded by gagging--losing control over his bodily function as all he could do was continue to cough and gag at the horrid stench. Tears left his eyes as the rotten aroma infiltrated his nose, only able to throw up vile liquid from his nearly empty stomach.

    "What the hell...is that?" He asked himself, wiping the bile from his lips as he began to walk through the empty courtyard.

    The opulent walls were now painted with blood, silver des protruding from both the walls and floors as chunks of flesh were attached to the tools of violence. The sight immediately caused him to hurl once more, matching the smell to the source. A ce he had just epted as his home, a ce of nobility and history, was overturned into a nightmarish mindscape.

    Halls that were once the embodiment of grandeur now were presented as a battlefield,yered with blood, guts, and steel. Soon, his mind ignored the stench as his senses were overwritten with horror, slowly making his way through the hellish halls.

    "M...Meinhard, you''re alive, aren''t you��?" He muttered to himself as he traversed the gruesome manor.

    Somehow the nauseating stench of contents which should not be spilled made it difficult for him to walk as if the horrible smell constricted his muscles.

    --There''s no way, I won''t believe it. Did that Argonaut really do this--? How long has it been?

    It seemed the deeper he traveled through the once bright,vish manor, it became grimmer and littered with the presence of death. The amount of blood didn''t even make sense to him, the only exnation would be if someone intentionally decorated the manor with it.

    Through his own two eyes, the scenery before him was if he had peeked into a kaleidoscope of scarlet, everything had been stered in blood and flesh.

    "Rouge��" Ren muttered to himself.

    Even his own footsteps tricked him, feeling the presence of something--someone''s bloodlust. Tracing his fingertips along the wall to his left, keeping himself bnced as he begrudgingly pushed himself forward--a thunderous boom echoed through the halls.

    "An elf, an old veteran, and now--a spirit as well? It''s my lucky day, isn''t it?"

    The voice originated from around the corner he was about to turn, the frivolous tone was unmistakable--it was Rouge.

    --"Spirit"? Does he mean Andromeda? Wait...Elf?Old Veteran? He can''t mean--Hodwin and Norbert?

    "Silence, human--your soul will find no rest once I''m through with you--!" A high-pitched, scowling voice of a young girl yelled out in response to Rouge''s taunts.

    --That''s definitely Andromeda.

    He pressed himself against the wall, feeling his heart m itself against his chest under the immense pressure exuding from the west hall. Before he could peek around the corner to get a visual confirmation of the situation--his body nearly leaped from his skin as he felt his sleeve get tugged on.

    "Wha-" Ren quickly turned to face whatever had touched him.

    "Shh!" Althaus was suddenly beside him, with a look of pure terror wrapped on his noble face.

    The nobleman had certainly seen better days. His meticulously woven suit looked as if he had walked through a hailstorm of des. Not only that--his body was in no matter condition, the way his arm dangled from below the elbow--it was clearly broken.

    "We must get out of here--now," Althaus whispered in haste to Ren.

    "But--"

    "Don''t worry about Andromeda. She is merely a spirit, death is but a parting from the physical realm, now we must go!" Althaus urged him, wincing from his injuries.

    As much as he wanted to try being a hero, he didn''t have it in him. It was a lot harder than it looked from the media to be an actual hero--to push past that paralyzing fear and put your life on the line. In that second, that moment of hesitation, faced with the choice of running or attempting to help Andromeda--he came to a realization.

    --I''m not a hero. All I can think about is how badly I want to run away, that''s all my mind can focus on.

    He hesitantly nodded his head, much to the relief of Althaus, who himself didn''t seem to be in his right mind. Turning his back on the side of his false heroism, he tucked tail and began to traverse the halls with the nobleman, who actually knew theyout of this extensive house.

    The world seemed displeased with this choice as if rubbing salt into the wound--the blood-curdling screams of the spirit rang through the halls, piercing his dismayed heart even further. Stopping for just a moment to look back, the man quickly dragged him forward away from the source of death. Althaus pushed the doors open that were blocking their paths, finding themselves to be in the tattered, bloodbath of a ballroom.

    "What happened...Althaus, what happened here?" Ren finally asked once they were out of ears-reach from the Argonaut.

    All he could see in front of his gaze was the overwhelming existence of death. The flooring was torn apart as if a tornado had swept through thend without a hint of mercy in its path of destruction. It was difficult to discern their identities, but just by intuition alone, he recognized the brutalized corpses of the head butler and the librarian, not a single spec of their bodies were left untouched by the multitude of des lodged within them.

    "I...I miscalcted. There was no way I could''ve known their perception was this great--we weren''t just under their noses, we were already within their grasp the moment you arrived here," Althaus mmed his fist against the once beautifully decorated wall.

    "What''re you talking about��?"

    "...it''s no use scorning the past, we must see to it we at least make it out with our heads on our shoulders. For the sake of their selfless sacrifices--Norbert, Hodwin��" Althaus seemed to be on the brink of tears, looking at the mangled corpses of his associates.

    "What about Meinhard? Althaus--where is Meinhard?" Ren asked him with a tremble in his voice.

    The reclusive look that overtook the nobleman''s eyes shook the young man''s heart. In a glimpse of anger, driven by denial, he swiped the man''s cor, squeezing the fabric until his fists fell red from the sudden rush of blood.

    "Tell me, Althaus! Tell me--!" Ren''s voice came out shakily as the tears fled from his body, "you know, don''t you? So just tell me!"

    "I don''t know anything, Ren, but look at the situation we''re in! Do you understand the powers that are at work here? Do you not smell the stench of death that has overtaken this manor? The only reason the both of us are even standing here is the bravery of those who have already fallen--such privilege is lost on anyone else," Althaus snapped back.

    His tight grip loosened, bringing his gaze down upon the floor turned rubble. More than scared, he was furious now--he knew that the possibility of his friend being alive was slim, but he held onto that small space of fate left for him.

    "You understand now, don''t you? That man--that monster, Rouge--he leaves only death in his wake. That is the world you were brought into, Ren Nakamura. One where just by virtue of your own birth, he is allowed to trample upon all of these lives before you, all in the same of the so-called "justice" this corrupt kingdom fervently believes," Althaus firmly grasped the young man''s shoulders as his voice dropped to a low.

 Chapter 31 - Embrace Your Cowardice

    It seemed the lord of the estate had undergone the same emotional shift as him, his fear converting into anger as he spoke of the crimes befit for the deepestyers of hell.

    "I get it--but, wait, what''re you doing?" Ren asked with a hint of confusion.

    The nobleman had a look of newly found conviction forced into his face, tightening his gloves as he forced his fear down his throat and away from his mind.

    "I feel partly at fault for your summoning into this world. I...have lost all that once belonged to me, both material and immaterial. Even if I managed to escape now, it would be a life disgraceful for one carrying the burden of gentlemanship I hold," Althaus'' voice carried with it an air of quiet confidence.

    "What''re you talking about? You said it yourself--we need to keep moving!" Ren pleaded with him, picking up the sound of distant footsteps approaching their direction.

    "This is my resolve as thest member of the Althaus lineage, I shall see to it that you survive so that one day maybe you can see the true, benevolent beauty of this world. Now go, run--!" Althausmanded him.

    He couldn''t find it in himself to persuade the man any further, as to not insult his stainless conviction. The guilt the nobleman must''ve felt in this situation, watching as all of his colleagues and long-time friends had been ughtered because of his own greedy motifs--this was his resolve.

    "Ren Nakamura, I ask of you--embrace your cowardice and run, don''t look back, and don''t you dare say goodbye! I shall not be jinxed in such a way, my foreign friend. Now leave, it seems our unwee guest has arrived," Althaus adjusted his crimson coat.

    It was hard to say if it was just an act of selflessness or resignation from life. The moment Althaus'' eyes met with the lifeless husks of his associates, it seems the ce in his heart for fear went vacant, and with it, guilt and anger arose. He didn''t want to take credit away from the man''s act of heroism, but he knew deep down, Althaus wasn''t the kind of man for heroics.

    Looking back onest time, he forced himself to move onward, leaving the nobleman alone to confront the devilish fiend. He threw himself against through the door, falling over and picking himself up in a single motion as adrenaline filled his veins. Even after what he was told, he still felt his naive mind scream at him to look for Meinhard.

    Any moment he spared checking the mutted bodies of maids and other staff, was time that could spell the end for him. No matter where he went within the manor, it seemed death had stered itself on the refined walls, coating the furnished wood with ayer of dripping crimson.

    Even Johannes had sumbed to the overwhelming avatar of death which was Rouge, crucified against the wall as his still warm blood dripped onto the floor below.

    --Johannes...you were a good guy.

    The paintings that decorated the ce with history and fanaticism were torn apart, flung through the corridors, nothing was left untouched in the manor.

    He tried to dull the cascade of noises ringing from the ballroom, not wanting to listen to what was likely the end of the proud nobleman. Every room, every body--he desperately sought out his one and only friend in that world. It was a gamble, a coin toss between life and death each time he turned a stained corpse over. Before long, his own palms had been dyed red, muddied with the lukewarm blood of the lifeless.

    Atst--his eyes caught something. The unmistakable golden sheen of hair, peeking out from the hedge of a door. His flow of thought had ceased in the moment, unable to move his eyes as they locked onto the point of interest.

    "Mei...Mein��" The words parted from his lips in a quiet tremble.

    Attempting to take a single stride, his legs ignored hismands before he fell to the ground. Every possibility raced through his frantic mind, trying to convince himself it wasn''t him--that it couldn''t be him. There wasn''t any thought to dissuade the obvious reality in front of him, he had to check for himself.

    "It''s not you...right? It can''t be. You''re stronger than me. You''re special--there''s no way you''d die in a ce like this, not now," His words were heard only upon his own two ears.

    Crawling over in a mess melded by a flow of tears and mucus, leaking out of his face, he gripped onto the lifeless shoulders of the body below him. He was unable to harness any of his strength as his hands trembled uncontrobly, desperately attempting to grip the crimson-stained white cloth. Even amidst the death-filled mansion, being so close to the necrotic husk hit him with an unbearable stench,posed of corroding copper and mildew, of which was marinated in a sewer. Pushing past the mind-eroding smell, he finally flipped the body facing upwards.

    "...!"

    He felt his stomach churn at the sight, all of his fears had jumped out at once, leaving through his pores in a sweat. Those crystalline emerald eyes that once emted the very essence of joy, now stared off into nothingness, devoid of sentience.

    "Meinhard...no, no...no," Ren whimpered as he shook his head slowly.

    The state of the young man''s body was incorrigible, every other inch of his body housedcerations, his pale skin dyed in his own arterial liquid. He gently tapped the now cold cheek of the lifeless body, attempting to wake him from his eternal slumber to no avail.

    "Come on, wake up, Meinhard��" Ren pleaded with him, forcing a trembling smile, "this isn''t any time to be dozing off, you know��"

    Even face to face with the presence of absolute death, he still rejected the very idea. The delusional young man stood himself up, carrying the husk of his best friend over his shoulder.

    "We''ll find you some help, Meinhard, just wait a little longer," He whispered, breathing heavily from the encumbered stroll he set himself on.

 Chapter 32 - Malediction

    Back in the battlefield of a ballroom, a ce for grace and rxation now turned into a bloodied graveyard for those who defy the sleuth, the nobleman stood his ground.

    "Ah, how wonderful, you''re already here! Honestly, I really do appreciate all of you, I''ve hardly had to go out of my way to hunt any of you down--you all seem so eager to meet your end," Rouge stepped into the ballroom, brushing off the sediment of battle from his coat.

    "Stop your mockery, fiend."

    "Come now, I am mocking no one. Is it so wrong to try and be polite to the person you''re about to stick full of des? I would hate for you to die with rage in your heart, Lord Althaus," Rouge gave him a concerned look.

    To endure the frivolous attitude of the Argonaut was a herculean feat in itself when faced with the outlet in which to take his inner rage out--the carefree man acted as if the ughtering was but a game for him. He came to the conclusion that there was no point in buying into his own rage, it would only fuel the Argonaut''s enjoyment further.

    "No response? Don''t try to shy away from me, Lord Althaus, I know high-strung noblemen like yourself are thest ones to seal their lips," Rouge cackled at his own words.

    Althaus didn''t fall for the bait once again, much to the dismay of the bloodthirsty fiend, whose joyful smile quickly dropped to a chilling frown.

    "I don''t like to be ignored, you know? I really, really don''t like it, Althaus," Rouge''s tone became foiled in a wave of monotone anger, "if I had to rank all the things in this world that angered me, being ignored would be in the top three. Do you want to know what the other two are, Althaus? You know what, I''ll tell you anyways, I''m sure you''d like to know."

    Rouge raised his hand, holding up two fingers to show to the nobleman, who watched him in stoic silence, awaiting his move.

    "Number two: I''d have to say I hate those who dress like they n to match the gloomy dirt they walk on. Seriously, it is a sore sight--express yourself! It is one thing if it is a peasant who can''t afford anything besides the potato sack they were born wearing, but if you have money to spend? It takes every ounce of willpower I have to not slice apart dreadfully, boring people like that on the spot," Rouge lowered one finger as he finished his needless rant.

    After he finished his spiel, he cupped his ear, leaning forward as if waiting for a response from the nobleman once again.

    "Nothing, again? I guess at the very least you''ve been a respectable listener! Here is my number one then: I hate skin. It is the bane of my existence--the one thing that keeps my eyes from experiencing the evesting ecstasy that is the beautiful shade of crimson within us all! Yes, I have been granted a power that allows me to ovee this heinous barrier of flesh, but the fact that skin already exists puts me in quite the moral dilemma, you see! I can''t just go around, cutting apart everyone I see, I''d be quite the monster, no? That is why--That is why! I have to hunt down these otherworlders to get my fix, and I am especially blessed when people like you are caught harboring such beings. Don''t get me wrong--I don''t hate these poor otherworlders, in fact--I love them, with all of my being! They''ve granted me this opportunity in a world that oppressed love such as mine, to enact it in the name of justice! How beautiful is that? I am on the verge of tears, and your silence is only partly to me."

    Just the very talk of blood seemed to rile the entric man, a twisted expression forming on his face as his hands twitched at the very thought of red.

    "Are you done now, Sir Rouge?" Althaus finally spoke again.

    "What a bore you are. I heard tales of your oddities, so I expected much more from you. So be it--I''ve decided to y with you some," Rouge smirked, tipping his hat.

    Despite the almost mindlessly abhorrent nature of the viin before him, the aura emanating from him was telling enough of his vast power. Just one sense of the burgundy air that loomed over the Argonaut confirmed that he indeed was more than capable of putting down even a legend like Norbert. Althaus wasn''t one prone to battle, but his inherited magical talent as a noble gave him the power needed to make up for hisck of experience.

    "Wasser de--!" Althaus yelled out,manding his mana into a spell.

    The nobleman snapped his fingers towards Rouge, dozens of azure particles meeting and condensing into a thin de of water before being sent flying towards the wicked man. As it carved through the rugged ground, the target before him stood still with a smile, as if weing the attack.

    "What is he nning--?" Althaus thought to himself, confused by theck of action from the man.

    In a disappointing fashion, the de met directly with Rouge''s chest, only to dissipate without any noticeable effect.

    "How disappointing. You got my suit wet, how dare you! Ah, I''m joking--I''m already covered in blood from your precious underlings," Rougeughed.

    "How--is your reinforcement magic just that powerful?"

    "Amongst my colleagues, I''d say my reinforcement is quite pitiful--but, s, it''s enough for you" Rouge retained his frivolous smile.

    "It''s...that''s not possible��!" Althaus'' words barely escaped his throat, feeling the full difference in their power.

    At the sight of his despair, Rouge savored the expression--his grin twisting until his cheeks formed deep dimples. He raised both arms in a dramatic fashion as if trying to appease an audience, pping both his hands together.

    "I suppose it is my turn to attack--since you''ve shown me some of your magic, I''ll return the favor," The Argonaut''s voice fell to a low--"Blutfehler Art: Crimson River."

 Chapter 33 - End Of A Bloodline

    As the maledictions left his smile-stered lips, an ominous wave of darkness echoed through the tattered room. Before the nobleman could even process what was happening, the intangible wave echoed throughout his body.

    "What did you do to me?" Althaus asked as desperation masked his voice, checking his hands.

    "It is a less...brutish way to experience the natural elegance of red," Rouge answered, slowly stepping towards the noble.

    Before the man could say another word, crimson liquid began to seep out from his hands, then his arms. It began to leave his body rapidly, feeling the warm, yet chilling sensation of blood leaking from his pores directly under his clothing, traveling down his legs before staining the floor below. His mouth was no exception, tasting the copper of his own thick, runny blood before his own sight began tinted with red. There was nothing he could do to fight the spell woven by Rouge, his skin fading to a deathly pale as all strength left his body. An attempt to scream out caused a fountain of his own arterial fluid to escape his throat.

    "Beautiful, isn''t it? It''s quite a lovely spell indeed--it forces your blood to leave your body as if it''s so desperate to meet me. Against novices like you, it works in full potency--Ah, thank you for giving me this opportunity to see such a vibrant shade of red," Rouge kneeled down in front of the gasping nobleman.

    Each utterance that left the crimson-soaked nobleman was blocked by the rapid flow of blood clogging his throat, allowing only gurgles to escape. The single, simple malediction shifted the proud noble into a puddle of crimson, powerless to the hexes of the Argonaut.

    "Still, I have to give you credit, Althaus. I didn''t expect you all of people to sacrifice yourself for someone else--let alone an otherworlder. Quite noble, quite noble indeed. I mean, it won''t amount to much, that clumsy fool is still within this manor," Rouge smiled.

    The crimson-obsessed man ran his gloved finger over the forehead of his victim, rubbing his fingers together as if testing the texture of the man''s blood.

    "Huh, I can''t say there is much of a difference between the blood of a peasant and that of a noble. That''s not an insult, mind you, it''s all beautiful, nheless," Rouge stood back up, "well then...I suppose I had my fun. Time to finish my job."

    A slight smile was left on the face of the noble, perturbing even the Argonaut as he averted his gaze. He bowed his head to the noble who nowid upon the threshold of death before stepping over his body, making his way onward.

    He set his hand on the door handle, opening the door to leave--or so he thought. A chill ran down his spine, then the next second, a violent eruption of mana emanated from behind him--from where the so-thought defeated nobleid.

    "You said my blood was no different from a peasant''s own? A mockery."

    The Argonaut spun himself around,pletely on guard as he faced the source of the sudden spike in mana. It was as if watching a dead man crawl from his own grave, Althaus slowly stood himself up, nearly sticking to the floor with his own rapids of blood puddling below.

    "How are you...How are you standing--? How?" Rouge yelled out in fright.

    "If you want to kill one who has inherited the secret magic of the Althaus line, you''d better remove my head from my shoulders," Althaus''s voice came out hoarsely.

    "I thought the magic of the Althaus'' family was wasser? This is--" Rouge''s eyes trembled at the sight.

    "It wouldn''t be much of a secret if it was that well known. That''s the thing about us magus, we''re awfully paranoid, and paranoia leads to cautiousness," Althaus stated, a vibrant blue aura emanating from him as he faced his enemy.

    Even in a world full of magic, seeing a man stand up, talking so casually after all of the blood had been expelled from his body--it was a sight of bewilderment. Not a minute after his rise from his fallen state, The butler smiled, setting the tray down on the desk.

    besides the sea of red that dyed his attire, the nobleman was back to one-hundred percent.

    "I see...it makes sense now. This is the magic of the Althaus family--you havepleted it, haven''t you? You have perfected immortality magic!" Rouge shouted out in joy, letting his mind wander from battle out of pure astonishment, "listen--if you bring this magic to the King, you will be pardoned--No, you will be a hero!"

    "The magic passed down to me--entrusted to me, is not something that will follow into the hands of any besides those who bear the name "Althaus", don''t mock me!" Althaus shouted, wiping a glob of blood from his hair.

    In the blink of an eye, Rouge''s entire demeanor dropped once again at the noble''s stubborn rejection. A low sigh let his lips before he straightened his thick coat.

    "Tell me, how many lives do you have?" Rouge asked, his calm voiceing out sharply, "you aren''t fooling anyone, Althaus. You may be able to negate aging with that secret magic, but you haven''t defeated death. I''m sure if I stick enough des in you, you won''t be able to get back up."

    A fatal mistake one mightmit, under the false pretense of so-called "immortality". Althaus knew the man before him had the right idea--his inherited magic granted him a vastly extensive lifespan, matching even the elven races. No doubt, however, such powerful magic didn''t have any room to make him truly unkible, each death through unnatural means meant spending an exuberant amount of his lifespan. Through his long life, he had acted in brazen due to thisck of the most innate fear of all humans, resulting in an expenditure of his own stock of lives, and now--he had met the de to his rope.

    "If you were as smart as you thought you were, you would have taken my offer. What difference does defying death but a few times make with our difference in power? What did you hope to aplish? You should''ve at leastid there and pretended to be dead while I tended to the otherworlder," Rouge sighed.

    "If I were a coward, then you''re right, that would''ve been the best choice. I disagree with you, though, my choice was the smartest one to make," Althaus stroked his blood-painted beard.

    "How do you suppose?" Rouge raised an eyebrow.

    "That otherworlder...I''m gambling on him, one day, he will crush you--he''ll crush this corrupt government soon enough," The nobleman beamed, disying his crimson-tinted teeth.

    The room fell silent for a moment before the Argonaut released a fit ofughter, rearing his head back as he held none of his cackling within himself.

    "I don''t suppose you find the irony in a nobleman spouting about a corrupt government, no? It was quite a funny thing to hear. I won''t deny you that I am a sick, twisted bastard, I can admit as much. However, you seem to have forgotten why otherworlders are persecuted in the first ce, and why we need devils such as myself to hunt other devils," Rouge''s perfectly shaped round-hair bounced as he spoke, "need I remind you of the brutalities of the "Five Heroes of Eldrum"?"

 Chapter 34 - Scarlet Fatale

    He had hardly put any distance between himself and the domain which Rouge was upied. Between the dastardly results of attempting to conjure magic earlier and his exhausted mind, he felt almost as lifeless as the young man he carried beside him.

    "Almost there...we''re almost there."

    He pushed forward, tightening his grip on the limp wrist around his shoulder. Soon enough, the horrid stench that oppressed his sense of smell faded, or more urately, he became used to the aroma. Smell no longer being a problem didn''t make his mission any easier--sight was now the sense he had issues with. It was dark, the scope of the luxurious domain was overcast with blood and shadows. The only method in which he had to urately traverse the mansion was his own gut.

    After enough dragging of his feet, his gut guided him correctly, reaching the front lobby of the deathly home.

    "Meinhard...we made it."

    He nced to the side to check on his friend, who was stillpletely unconscious, cold and unresponsive to his mindless words. The shattered windows let in the ferocious winds of the night, pushing the high-hanging chandelier side to side as it spun above his head.

    "Guess I better get a move on...I would prefer if we don''t get crushed by that."

    Ren nced up before settling his gaze, leaning his blood-soaked hand on the somehow still furbished pearly railings that overlooked the first floor.

    "Ah, there you are."

    A voice called out from his left-side, ringing of joy yet carrying hostility. Meeting the origin of the sudden presence, there stood the tall,nky fiend, wrapped in his dark coat as it iled in the wind.

    "Rouge��"

    "Ren."

    The crimson-eyed man bowed slightly as if epting a greeting, holding his seemingly unwavering smile. It took him a moment to even process how the man was even standing before him.

    "Ah, you seem a bit confused as to my being here. I pride myself on being able to read people, you see. Those wide, trembling sclera, your agape mouth...well, I think anyone could read you right now. The lord of the estate wasn''t much of a fighter, in the literal sense. I''ll admit he was brave in hisst moments, but bravery isn''t enough if you wish to evade my ws."

    The Argonaut spoke casually, striding slowly in a slight circle around the frightened young man as if he wasn''t a threat in the slightest. A small exasperation parted from the man''s lips as his gaze shifted to the person held close to the young man.

    "Now this is peculiar, why is it that you hold that corpse so close to you as if protecting it from me?"

    "Do you��"

    "Hmm?"

    "Do you even remember the people you killed? Is it so easy for you to take away life?"

    He looked down at the lifeless body he held in his arms, running his hand through the forest of golden locks.

    "I can''t say I have the luxury of memory such as that. That is to say, if you''re particrly strong and give me a good time, I suppose there is room for that up here."

    "As I thought...you''re a monster. Nothing about you is human. There isn''t a single person you care about out there, is there? If there was, doing things like this...it wouldn''t be possible."

    "--Not human? I stand at the forefront of what it means to be a human! I indulge myself on all desires thate to--I murder, I rip, I tear, I skewer! This is what humanity has done since the dawn of time, I am simply carrying that will out as a true human--a show of genuine love, of flesh and blood!"

    That look of ecstasy in the man''s eyes as his face contorted into that fiendish smile, there wasn''t any point in talking with such an entity. Ren carefully set his friend''s body down against the railings, getting a good look at him before standing back up to face the man.

    "Wait, you''re actually going to fight me? After all of this running around, letting others sacrifice themselves for you--you''re choosing to stand against me? I respect your resolve, but out of respect for your friend''s wishes, I would''ve continued running if I were you."

    Rougeughed as he spoke, adjusting the hat that sat atop his head. An air of silence stood between the two for a moment before the Argonaut took a step towards him and in that moment--something crashed against the ceiling above.

    "The wind--? No--what is this magical pressure?"

    The man swerved his gaze up to the ceiling as his eyes widened, waiting in anticipation as the room fell silent once more.

    "Was it just wi--"

    As if answering the man''s guess, the exuberantly built ceiling blew open from an outside force, sending a cascade of rubble hailing down below. The silhouette of arge man became visible, shrouded by the shadows cast by the moonlight, likely d in armor.

    In abination of glory and pure recklessness, the mannded fist first onto the ground--mming his fist directly into the ground below as he aimed for the Argonaut, who let go of Ren to evade the attack. It felt as if the entire mansion shook under the force of the enigmatic figure''s punch.

    Face to face with the man, he stood taller than even Rouge with broad shoulders and an overall bulkier build. Although, it was hard to say for sure what type of physique he had due to the ivory armor he wore, covering every part of his body except his head. The heavenly armor he wore was without any imperfections, crafted beautifully as even this device of war disyed itself like a piece of art. Forged in the mes of genesis, the iridescent armor itself looked as if it was something to be worn by angels to smite down devils of this world such as Rouge.

    "That armor...red and ck hair...you are��" Rouge spoke slowly of the details before his eyes.

    The man d in ivory armor stood between Ren and the bloodthirsty fiend of an Argonaut, wielding a greatswordrger than his own body. He couldn''t help but be enamored by the intricate detail on the de itself, the fine silver designed with ck roses.

    "Sora of the Ounders--!" Rouge called out.

    "And you''re Rouge, the "Imp of Mastorn", right? I''ve been waiting to run into you," Sora responded, lifting his boulder of a sword, pointing it towards the man.

    "Two otherworlders in one ce...and one of them being the infamous red-haired beast, this is truly a divine blessing!" Rouge shouted in joy.

    In his mind filled with blood and death, he barely had the will to understand what was going on, but he this much--"Sora" was on his side, or at least, not on Rouge''s side. As if trying to assure his dazed and confused understanding of the situation, the man d in ivory armor turned back to face Ren briefly.

    "It''s going to be alright, man. I''m sorry I couldn''t get here sooner but I promise I''m going to get you out of here. I''m from Earth, just like you. So is everyone at home," Sora ced his hand on the boy''s shoulder as he spoke reassuring words.

 Chapter 35 - Nightmare Reprieve

    --From Earth? Promise? Ren was almost in his own world, devoid of any emotion exceptmentation.

    Sora looked side to side, his expression shifting between grief and rage as he saw the bloodbath conjured by Rouge. Looking at Ren for a moment, he could tell the boy was overtaken by grief, sent into a broken mindscape of his own.

    "...I''m sorry I didn''te sooner, I am," Sora said it once more as he tightened his grip on the boy''s shoulder.

    "Are you done uniting with your kin? I am itching to rid your shoulders of that head of yours," Rouge shouted from across the hall.

    That picture-perfect smile that held only malice behind it, Rouge wore it almost all seconds of the day.

    "Honestly, what was your n here? I know your hair is red and all, but you really are a hot-head, Sora. Even if you did manage to kill me here and now--you''re in the belly of the beast," Rouge ran his hands across his own cheeks.

    "Who said anything about killing? Is that really the one thing you think about?" Sora snapped back.

    "Oh...you don''t think I''m going to let you escape do you?" Rouge''s smile grew, almost taking pleasure in this new development.

    "Again, who said anything about "let"?" Sora gave him a confident smile.

    The armor-d man hoisted Ren up with one arm, tucking him between his arm.

    "...Meinhard��" Ren''s voice came out in a whisper as he weakly extended his arm towards his fallen friend.

    Looking down at the boy tucked between his arm and side, it was a sight he seldom wanted to see. The boy was clearly experiencing a level of grief beyond what his own mind could handle. Sora knelt down, sliding his hunk of metal of a sword into the sheath on his back before picking the corpse of Meinhard up as well.

    "We''ll give him a proper burial when we get home, alright? Just rest easy, I''ll get ya'' out of here, buddy,'' ''Sora spoke to Ren in as calm a voice as he could, feeling an unending rage burn inside him as he wanted nothing more than to ughter the one responsible for this.

    "Such a heartwarming moment, I think I''ll cry--!" Rouge yelled out as he flicked his wrist towards Sora.

    A giant de in the shape of ance shot out from the wall to his left, missing the man as he dashed forward. In haste, he charged forward directly towards the fiend.

    "That doesn''t look like running away to me--"

    "Out of the way--!" Sora roared out.

    Following his announcement, he mmed the top of his head directly against the bridge of Rouge''s nose, sending him flying back against the wall.

    "Such savagery��!" Rouge held his nose which began to bleed profusely, "I think you broke it!"

    "Cry me a river," Sora jumped over the railing, clearing the second floor before kicking the front doors open.

    The speed at which the armor-d man ran far surpassed Olympic athletes on Earth, even encumbered by his heavy-ted armor. That being said, even in his half-conscious state, Ren felt himself bing nauseous from the incredible speed at which he was being carried.

    "Sorry, bud, I can''t risk being slow right now--that bastard was right about one thing, we''re in the belly of the beast right now. If I''m not careful, there''s going to be a horde of Argonauts on our asses,"Sora yelled out as his voice was carried by the wind.

    It was a blur to him--one second they were racing across the cobblestone road, then the next moment, Sora leaped onto the rooftops.

    "They''re gone, aren''t they��" Ren muttered to himself in an attempt to pull his state of mind back together.

    His words didn''t seem to reach the man''s ears as he continued sprinting and leaping rooftop to rooftop, feeling the cold air pelt against his skin. Soon, he relieved himself to his rescuing--shutting his eyes as he left his fate in the hands of this mysterious man.

    "Just a bit further now--we got lucky that the Althaus estate is so close to the exterior of the capital. Even still, there may be knights on our asses already," Sora said in a huff as he hopped roof from roof.

    In his rush, the man didn''t seem to care that he was clearly damaging the rooftops of civilian houses. He nced back as the sound of horse hooves mming against the ground became audible from far behind.

    "Those dumbasses--if they think they can catch up with just horsepower, then they''ve got another thinging!"Sora boasted.

    His legs resonated with an aura of mana before blue symbols formed over the armor that covered his legs. In his next step, he flew forward with speed not unlike a bolt of lightning--breaking the sound barrier as it cracked against the wind.

    "You''re going to need to hold your stomach for this one, bud!"Sora yelled at Ren through the harsh winds formed by his reckless speed.

    Opening his eyes once more, Ren nearly felt all of the liquid in his stomache up his throat--it was like being on a rollercoaster straight out of hell. Everything was now aplete blur, his head bobbing up and down uncontrobly, whish at every turn. With one powerful leap from Sora, they were now soaring up into the sky, scaling over the exuberant walls that overlooked the city.

    "See that? That''s our ride out of here," Sora yelled out.

    Ren did his best to turn his head to look at what the man was talking about. Waiting just outside of the capital walls was a giant winged creature, covered with pale blue skin and a mouth asrge that covered its torso. It was like an experiment somehow gone rightbining a dragon and a manta ray.

    "What...is that?" Ren asked as he finally found himself returning to reality.

    "Her name is Delh--she''s a Titan Ray. I know the name is kind of intimidating, but she''s a sweetheart!"Sora assured him with a smile.

    He curiously looked at the creature waiting below them before bracing himself for thending, tightly shutting his eyes and putting himself in the closest thing to a fetal position. His entire life shed before his eyes as Sora drew closer to the ground beforending like a meteor to the Earth.

    "Now this is the fun part," Sora said as he set Ren on top of the Titan Ray''s back.

    "What��?" Ray looked at him in both confusion and horror.

    "Obviously we''re going to ride her out of here!"Sora gave him a wide smile and a thumbs up.

    Now that he got a good look at him--the man was the embodiment of charm. He was well-built, like the stereotypical jock you''d see in the quarterback position. His short crimson hair with visible ck roots that somehow seemed to be gelled up despite them being in a medieval world proved to Ren that the man likely was telling the truth about him also being from Earth. Most of all--his crystalline blue eyes dazzled in the night, speaking only of warmth and kindness just from one exchange of a nce.

    "Huh--? Wait, what?" Ren yelled out.

    There wasn''t any handle, saddle, anything to hold onto. If his escape with Sora was a rollercoaster from hell, then this was the deepest gate of hell reserved for the likes of the Third Reich.

    "Don''t worry, just keep your body close to her back and you''ll be fine!"Sora got on the creature''s back as well, still holding the corpse of Meinhard.

    He had no choice but to put trust in the stranger''s words,ying down and keeping his body pressed against the creature. The skin of the creature was incredibly smooth and warm, somehow allowing him to rx as he prepared for the worst.

    "Let''s go, Delh!"Sora patted the creature''s back.

    The titan ray let out a roar that resembled the call of a whale before it slowly lifted off into the air, generating enough wind to rival a helicopter. As he stuck his body as close as possible to Delh''s back, he could feel the creature''s enormous heart beating as it began to set off into the skies above.

    As he lifted his head slightly, his eyes widened at the sight that filled his vision. The beautiful navy skies, filled with stars that spoke of the history of this world and clouds that carried that past into the future. More than magic, this scenery was more magical than magic itself.

    Soaring through a fluffy cloud, he ran his fingers through the intangible mass of ivory with wonder in his eyes. If only for this serene moment, he forgot the pain that ached his grieving heart.

    "Where are you taking me?" Ren finally asked.

    The man stood proud and tall atop the back of the titan ray, his crimson hair, glowing against the pearlescent moon, flowing in the calm winds.

    "A ce for people like us. We''re the "Ounders"��the only organized group of otherworlders in Mastorn. To the people of Mastorn though, we''re practically the scum of the earth," Sora answered his question.

    "That sounds...nice," He yawned as he spoke.

    Letting his eyes finally shut as he allowed his body to take the front wheel, he realized just how tired he was as he drained his body of its tears.

    "Get some rest, kid, ya'' deserve it," Sora smiled before turning back to face the path in the heavenly night ahead.

 Chapter 36 - Valley Of Grandeuve

    The titan ray continued to swing its enormous wings in a rhythm, swimming through the solemn sea of nightly wind filled with the vast space of clouds and a void offorting wind. Just below stood the array of mountains covering the outskirts of Mastorn.

    The armor that covered the crimson-haired man''s body suddenly dissolved into a sea of golden particles of mana, leaving him with a silver coat. Seeing him without the armor confirmed something for Ren in his sleepy daze��Sora was still built like a truck.

    He watched as the man slid his coat off of his body, gently wrapping the body of Meinhard in it with a look of mncholy. Not a word was spoken, but just his subtle actions and expressions showed the kind of man he was to Ren. Sora truly seemed to regret arrivingte to the scene and even more so, was forced to bottle his rage as he prioritized life over revenge.

    "What''s your name?"Sora suddenly asked, kneeling down on the beast''s back, extending his hand towards the boy.

    "Ren Nakamura," He spoke his name quietly.

    Ren looked at the man''s hand for a moment before epting the gesture, shaking his hand to form a new bond, forged in blood and tears.

    "I know you probably already heard it from bowl-cut back there, but I''m Sora. Used to y football overseas over in America, but I''m from Japan��just like you," Sora smiled brightly.

    He had an iron vice of a grip, fervently shaking the boy''s hand. Ren winced as the man''s grip suddenly tightened further, feeling as if the weight of two hammers suddenly mmed against his hand.

    "We''ve gotpany," Sora gave him a nervous smile, staring past him.

    "Up here��?"

    "Oh yeah, those bastards wouldn''t pass on a chance like this," Sora let go of his hand, standing up and standing on the end of the titan ray.

    Ren turned to see what the man was looking at��seeing a silhouette became vaguely visible from within the clouds behind them.

    "It''s a dragoon knight��they specialize in aerialbat, while I don''t,"Sora told him as he summoned his armor again, this time covering his head with an ivory helmet.

    "It doesn''t look like you n on just letting them chase��" Renmented with a look of concern.

    A halberd materialized in Sora''s hand as he raised his shining ivory gauntlet. It carried a simr design as the great sword he previously wielded, having roses of ck etched into the pole of the weapon.

    "If I just let them give chase, they''ll take Delh down. She''s a tough girl but these dragoon knights pack a punch with their magic," Sora spun the halberd between his fingers.

    Although he watched it with his own two eyes, it didn''t actually process in his mind because of how unbelievable the sight was, as if his own sight lied to him. Sora lowered his body, nting one foot against the back of the beast while keeping one foot far back--he was in a position that made it seem as if he was nning to sprint.

    "Sora��? Hold on--! That''s--!" Ren called out for him as he realized what the man was doing.

    His words carried off into the brisk air without meaning as he watched the man sprint across the back of the beast, leaping off of it as he soared through the air. It was hard to decide if he even wanted to look or not, but he decided to put his faith in Sora.

    Like a star shooting through the night, the knight of ivory fell through the heavens--piercing the clouds themselves as he approached the dragoon knight below.

    The night sky lit up as if the sun itself had awoken, a fiery red illuminating the faltering darkness. That light originated from Sora, wrapping his halberd in a zing inferno conjured by his own magical power.

    "So bright��!" Ren raised his arm in front of his eyes to try and block out the blinding crimson.

    Compared to any magical pressure he felt before, the one he felt from Sora was in a league of its own. His entire body trembled in reaction to the dense mana, having to manually force his lungs to take in air as he thanked the world that Sora was on his side.

    With a singleunch of his halberd, utilizing it more like a javelin than a halberd--as the weapon crashed against the airborne dragon and knightbination, it exploded into a brilliant sh of fire. The resulting shockwave felt as if it was going to push him off the back of the titan ray as he desperately held onto the smooth surface.

    The creature let out a high-pitched call before suddenly diving nose-first down.

    "Woah, Woah, Woah---!" Ren strained every muscle in his body as he desperately held on.

    He felt the integrity of his face lose to the sudden change in wind pressure as his cheeks blew in the wind. The harsh wind felt like tiny knives to his skin before the creature took a sudden turn, freeing him from the prison of wind. Delh pped its massive pale wings once more, gaining a boost in speed as it caught Sora from the grasps of gravity.

    "That''s my girl--!"Sora celebrated, rubbing the creature''s back in celebration.

    His helmet dematerialized into the air as he fixed his messy hair, letting out an exaggerated breath.

    "You''re crazy, you know that--?" Ren was panting, finding himself still somehow alive and in one piece.

    All the man gave him was a confident smirk and a thumbs up as if embracing the im. Ren stared at him as if judging the man''s value of his own life before realizing he was missing his halberd.

    "Urr, are you fine with just ditching your weapon like that?" Ren asked him.

    "Oh, that? My arsenal of weapons is part of my innate ability, just like my armor! I can summon them anytime I want," Sora flexed his bicep before pping his hand against it, only hitting metal.

    "Innate ability��?" Ren looked at him.

    "Well--let''s save that for if we live through this!"Sora pped the flying beast''s back, causing it to increase its speed.

    The titan ray''s heartbeat began to pump like an engine, a vibration running over his body as he could hear the creature''s heartbeat resonate through the air. A glimmer of violet light coiled around the beast''s body before its speed further increased.

    "This is what makes titan rays special--as long as she wants you there, you won''t fall. Delh''s mana is almost like a ma to our own while we''re on her like this," Sora assured him, seeing the worried expression on Ren''s face as they traveled through the air like a bullet.

    Journeying through the horizon that sat atop the clouds, it was impossible to tell just where they were--not that he would know thend of this world anyways. It could be a desert, woonds, he didn''t know what to expect.

    "Almost there," Sora stated, standing upright as he looked onwards.

    "How the hell can you even tell from this altitude--?" Ren yelled out, having to overpower the roars of the raging winds with his sore vocal cords.

    "See that?"Sora pointed his index finger forward, "that''s how I know."

    Ren scooted closer to where Sora was standing, squinting his eyes as he searched for whatever the man was trying to show him. He could barely make it out, but it was there--the summit of a mountain that reached above the clouds.

    The titan ray took a sudden dive, dropping below the pale floor of mist as once again, the world below became visible. There wasn''t a hint of civilization as far as the eye could see--thend below was covered with trees that reached into the sky, nearly reaching the clouds in some cases.

    "Since we''re basically the most wanted people in the world, ya'' know, we had to pick a ce nobody would ever want toe to," Sora looked back at Ren, "wee to the Valley of Grandueve."

    He was left in awe at the sight of the new setting, surrounded by colossal mountains that acted like walls around the valley. The titan ray slowed down, gliding through the air, fresh with the graces of the world unpolluted by the industrial age.

    "Amazing, isn''t it? Besides the abundance of monsters roaming thisnd, it is a helluva ce to live, huh?"Sora smiled, letting his armor dematerialize.

    "Monsters, huh?" Ren wasn''t even paying attention to the man''s words as he gawked at the fantasticalnd.

    Other titan rays could be seen journeying through the open airs of the valley, passing by the heaven reaching trees that seemed to homemunities of magical creatures. It was the antithesis of the life he lived full of technology, shut in away from the outside world--but, he forgot how much he missed that aspect of his life as he took in the scenery.

    As Delh lowered her altitude slightly, approaching a tree that would put the skyscrapers in New York to shame, as thick as a mountain--a house became visible. It looked to be ingrained into the tree itself, built out of fine wood, not quite the size of Althaus'' mansion butrger than any normal mansion he had seen on Earth.

    "We''re home," Sora ced his hand on Ren''s back as the two looked onward towards the house.

 Chapter 37 - Once Again, A New Home

    "It''s a treehouse?"

    "I guess you could say that, but this would be one helluva treehouse," Soraughed.

    The creature descended,nding on the gargantuan cordate leaves of the tree that surprisingly were as sturdy as any normal flooring. Finally free of his ride through the skies, he felt his stomach settle as his head spun in circles.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll get used to that," Sora gave him a reassuring smile before helping him off the back of therge titan ray.

    "I don''t think I will��" Ren kept his hand over his stomach as he remained hunched over.

    Even though the flooringposed entirely of green leaves proved to be sturdy, hearing the crunch of the leaf under him each step of the way was still horrifying. His legs wobbled as he carefully took each step, watching as Sora nonchntly strolled across the natural flooring.

    "Fine, if it''s like that��'''' Ren muttered to himself, feeling challenged by Sora''s confidence.

    Mustering up whatever shallow reserves of courage he had left within himself, he sprinted across the green--hopping onto the doorstep.

    "I don''t understand you sometimes, man," Sora let out a confused sigh as he watched Ren''s odd burst of speed.

    "You''ve known me for like an hour," Ren retorted, catching himself before he slipped off of the small step of stairs.

    The man yfully stuck his tongue out in response before stepping in front of the door. Watching Sora curiously, he finally noticed the odd crest engraved onto the door crafted out of some type of dark wood. Sora ced his hand in the center of the crest, causing it to illuminate with a sh of blue and red before the door then clicked as it became unlocked.

    "Our leader is a bit paranoid," Soramented as he noticed the confused look on Ren''s face.

    As the two entered the house, it was definitely a change of pace from the mansion of the nobleman.

    There was a distinctck of creeping paintings of old men and antiques that led to him watching every move he made. In ce of such material items were weapons of all kinds: swords, battle-axes, spears, bows--the main room seemed more like an arsenal than a lounge.

    Besides that, bookshelvesposed of the same dark, almost ck wood lined the walls, stocked full of books. A firece made of stone sat in the middle of the room next to the couches sat atop a fluffy snow carpet.

    "Seems...cozy?" It was the only word that came to Ren''s mind as he took in the new sight.

    "That''s what a home is meant to be," Soraughed.

    Ren felt stumped at that response as he looked around the lounge room, adjusting to the ce that was likely to be his new home before noticing a figure looking down at him from the second floor.

    "So you''ve actually returned," A masculine voice came from the figure.

    The person stepped into view as the light eradicated the shadow hanging over them. He seemed to be simr in age to Sora with a much more slender build, roughly the same height from Ren''s best guesstimate. Dark, navy hairbed to the sidebined with the formal outfitposed of a dress shirt covered with a ck cotton vest and tie and ck tuxedo pants gave him both a formal and stuck-up look. He adjusted his round-rimmed sses as his piercing hazel gaze switched to Ren, sending a shiver over his body.

    "And you''ve brought a friend, I see," The manmented in a cold tone.

    "You sound like you wanted me to die out there, Donatien," Sora stuck his lip out as if pouting.

    "I wouldn''t say "die", rather--" bruised and humbled by your own reckless behavior"," The man responded, leaning his hands on the amber railing.

    The tension in the air rose as the two men stared daggers into each other. He felt like a child watching his mother and father fight, but in a world full of magic--he feared bing coteral damage.

    "Cut it out already, are you two actually children? Can a guy get some rest around here?" Another voice suddenly spoke up in a yawn.

    Somehow Ren didn''t notice the man lying across the ck, leather couch. He had a head full of white hair devoid of any color with skin as pale as snow. The man opened his dreary eyes to reveal his irises that resembled beautiful amethyst, that had an almost ethereal quality about them.

    "I don''t think someone who sleeps three-quarters of the day should lecture anyone about acting like a child," Donatien responded to the freshly awoken man.

    "For once, I agree," Sora added in.

    A click resonated from the room, originating from the man on the couch. Looking over--Ren''s eyes widened as he saw the man now holding arge magnum,posed of ck metal. The look in the man''s refined amethyst gaze quickly sharpened.

    "Are youparing me to a child?" He asked, spinning the chamber of the gun.

    "That''s exactly what you did first--!"Sora pointed at the man.

    "Oh, you''re right," The man scratched his head, flicking the gun away as it dissolved into bits of mana.

    In only a few short minutes, he came to one conclusion about this new situation, about the home he was going to be staying in and the people that were there with him--

    --I''m going to die!

    Ren stood there motionless, not knowing in the slightest how to handle any of these entric men. As their childish banter settled down, Sora introduced everyone in the room.

    "That twig of a man up there with a sour attitude is Donatien, out of all the Ounders, he''s the most knowledgeable about this world. Mostly because he stays tucked away in his room half the time, reading books," Sora pointed his thumb towards the man standing over the railing.

    "It isn''t much whenpared to Sora, the man traded in his brain for brawn--how sad," Donatienmented with a fake frown, "anyways, it is a pleasure to meet you. We''ve all been looking forward to your arrival here--if you need anything, just ask."

    Ren nodded his head shyly, watching as Sora attempted to introduce the other man before being abruptly stopped.

    "Don''t. I can introduce myself," The man stood up and stood in front of Ren, "the name''s Tristan, I like silence, blondes, and long walks on the beach."

    He couldn''t tell if the man was joking--what he said definitely had to be a joke, but his tone sounded like the incarnation of paint drying on a wall. Either way, he epted the man''s handshake. Tristan''s silver trench coat reeked of cigarettes but at the same time, his white vest somehow gave off an aroma of cologne. The man was aplete enigma to Ren.

    "I''m joking, by the way, I hate beaches," Tristan added in as he let go of Ren''s hand.

    "Right��" Ren gave him a nervous smile and nodded his head.

    The room fell silent for a moment before Sora unleashed a p against his back, echoing through his bones as he believed lightning itself struck him.

    "Are you a caveman or something? Introduce yourself," Sora teased.

    "You know I''m still grieving over the deaths of everyone I knew in this world--! Whatever, I''m Ren Nakamura--I''ve been in this world for about a month now. As for my interests...urr, I like games and anime...not anymore, I guess," Ren rubbed his head nervously.

    He expectedughs or judgemental gazes but received none of that, only the weing smiles of the three around him.

    "Well, that''s that. Well, there are twelve of us in total so you''ve got some more people to meet but that can be saved forter. There is somebody else you really need to talk to, like right now--like, five minutes ago!"Sora began to sweat as if remembering something.

    The man dragged him up the stairs and down a grand hallway that led to a single door at the end of the lonely corridor.

    "Oh, you''re going to meet Beatrice? Tell her I''m sorry for shooting Buba, it was an ident--!" Tristan called out from downstairs.

    --Beatrice? Buba? Now isn''t the time to ask for favors! Ren thought to himself.

    "You can stop dragging me, you know," Ren crossed his arms as his shoes dragged across the squeaky wooden floors.

    "Oh, my bad--" Soraughed nervously, setting Ren up straight.

    In his short time knowing the boisterous red-haired linebacker, seeing him nervous like this definitely felt unnatural. His smooth skin was now drenched with sweat as he constantly swung his gaze around. Whoever it was that he was bringing him to meet, they definitely were a frightening entity.

    "It''s fine...who is it I''m meeting anyways? I''m guessing this is their room?" Ren asked, looking at the tall door.

    The red door disyed a small silver statue of a dragon in the form of a handle. It definitely felt like a room belonging to some type of boss.

    "Just...mind your manners in front of her, would you?"Sora gave him a smile before knocking on the door.

    A harrowing silence followed, listening to each drop of sweat fall from Sora''s anxiety-fueled skin before finally, a voice responded from beyond the door.

    "Come in," spoke a feminine voice.

    The door opened on its own, letting out a drawn-out creak before revealing the room it kept behind it. Only a sample of light made its way past the slightly parted ck curtains. However, just that small bit of light managed to keep the solemn room illuminated, it seemed almost everything was ck in that room. The bedsheets, drawers, even the wood used for the floorboards were of a charcoal color. Besides the gloomy appearance of the room, it wasrge enough to bepared to a room befit for royalty, probably evenrger than his entire house back on Earth.

    Sitting at a silver table, a woman sat with a teacup in hand. She wore an all-ck gown with silver lines running across the entirety of the dress. Almost inplete contrast to both her room and dress, she had angelic tinum locks that almost seemed to shift into a slight pink when looked at from a different angle. She caressed the porcin cup with her pale, slender fingers before looking up at him with irises that resembled the depths of space, glimmering with the stars that watched the birth of humanity.

    It was hard to call such an otherworldly beauty possible, but there she was, sitting just in front of him.

    "I know I''mte but--" Sora began to exin but quickly stopped himself upon exchanging a single nce with the woman.

    "It''s alright--now leave, child," The woman gestured her hand for him to exit through the door.

    A face as fair as theye, one would be easily forgiven for mistaking her for a princess or even a queen. Not a single blemish fell upon her smooth skin, the likes of which he knew girls would die to have. The maiden held a weing smile, lifting the teacup to her lips before taking a long sip.

    --"Child", she doesn''t look a day older than him. Ren thought to himself, studying the woman''s facial features, as well as the other more--"voluptuous"--features she had.

    Sora silently nodded his head inpliance, leaving and closing the door behind him. As just the two of them now upied the room, he felt his heartbeat begin to pick up in pace--not used to the prospect of being alone with a woman.

    "Do you prefer to stand? Or are you scared I''ll bite?" The woman looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

    He quickly shook his head in response before nervously seating himself in the chair across from her. Being in her presence was both passive breathtaking and unnerving--the way the woman held herself with an air of mystery and regality made her aplete enigma to him.

    "Good," She smiled as she watched him sit down.

    The mysterious maiden took another sip of her tea, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time, which was ufortable, to say the least. He felt himself almost shrink under her beautiful yet terrifying gaze before she let out a satisfied sigh, moving the rim of the cup away from her lips. Her tongue slid across her lips sensually before she let out a quiet giggle at his obvious meekness.

    "Ren Nakamura," She set the teacup down with a smile, "I''ve been waiting to meet you."

    "Me��?" Ren kept his hands on hisp as he tried to keep his eyes down.

    "Yes, because I summoned you into this world. Oh, you may call me Beatrice, by the way."

    Just like that, he felt both the air around him and his heart grow cold, looking up slowly as he met her gaze. He didn''t have the slightest clue about how what she said fit into what he knew, but it left him in an even further state of confusion than what he was in.

 Chapter 38 - Revelations From The Sage

    "You seem confused, I understand that--you probably think that witch was the one who summoned you. "Adide", I believe her name is, " Beatrice traced her finger along the rim of the cup.

    His silence confirmed her words as he sat there agape, still trying to understand what was being said to him.

    "To put it simply, she hijacked your summoning. I brought you into this world, but she brought you to her before you could arrive here. Quite a nasty one, that girl. Worry not--Sora was intended to take her out on his way to retrieve you, but she is more slippery than expected. That man has more brawn than brains" Her smile fell.

    "What��" He began to speak.

    "Hmm?"

    "What took you so long? What took you so long to find me? If you knew where I was this entire time, what took you so long--?" Ren gripped the tablecloth.

    Her gaze narrowed as the movement of her finger against the teacup halted. It was easy to tell she was not somebody who liked to be questioned, especially without manners.

    "There are many potentialities thate with going to the capital, most of which result in death. I''m sure you''ve realized the position that people summoned like you are in, no? The "Ounders"--are no exception, we''re the most wanted criminals in all of Mastorn," Beatrice spoke in a tone of authority.

    "I don''t care about any of that--if you arrived earlier, he''d still be alive!!" Ren mmed his fists against the table as tears sat on the edge of his eyes.

    She didn''t flinch or so much as react to his outburst of emotions--only carefully watching him with her nebulous gaze. Thatck of emotion from the woman only added fuel to the fire, more than anything he wanted to unleash all of that pent-up anger. The only thing stopping him was the innate fear that seemed instilled into the core of his body--fear of the woman who sat before him. His instincts alone told him that the woman wasn''t an entity to mess with, it was a miracle he somehow yelled in the first ce despite this fear.

    ? "Calm yourself, Ren Nakamura. I am not your enemy, nor am I someone you should use as an outlet in which to unleash your anger," The woman''s gaze locked onto his own.

    Her words carried power, an authority that he couldn''t resist as he felt himself return to rationality not by his own will, but by hermand.

    --Was that magic? Or am I just that scared of her? He looked at his trembling hands now that he had sat back down.

    "Saving you was a risk--the only reason we stepped in was because of the danger that Argonaut posed to you. If Sora didn''t show up when he did, you would''ve been dead or worse," Her voice left her lips in a cold chill.

    "I don''t get it...why even save me? What value do I have to you anyways?"

    He awaited her answer as he kept his eyes on the table, feeling a mixture of anger and grief ovee him once again as he remembered his one and only friend in this world.

    "Such information would only serve to confuse or frighten you, child. All I can assure you is that your being here is no ident," The way the words left her mouth was calming, yet at the same time he still felt ayer of feare across to him.

    "You''re still refusing to tell me...I didn''t want this. Who would you want this? Do you have any idea what I saw? What I experienced?"

    "Fate doesn''t ask for your permission, Ren. This was always your path--your destiny in life. I simply was the catalyst to set you on your chosen path. Experiences such as that you witnessed at the Althaus estate...cruel as they may be, such growth is necessary to survive in this world."

    After she finished speaking, he slowly brought his gaze to match hers--seeing a small smile formed across her lips as her primordial eyes watched him. No matter what words she spoke, it seemed her emotions never shifted. To put trust in such an enigmatic, yet hollow being--he found it impossible to put faith in such a smile.

    "I''m not your "child" and I''m not special. I don''t care what your reason is...you took my life away. I...I''ll never see my parents again. I never even got to say goodbye," His lip trembled as his own words opened his eyes to that spoken truth.

    "Can you call the life you were living one worth living? In spite of the opportunity given to you now? What I''m giving you is the chance to live a life more than just someone who was caught in the flow--living only to make ends meet, a life only lived seeking self-pleasure," Her words were like shards of ice, digging into his skin.

    An ambient hum filled his ears, he couldn''t tell nor did he bother to distinguish if it came from within his own mind or the room itself. He found himself more at a loss for words than filled with blinding anger at this point. The woman in front of him wasn''t human--not in the slightest. She didn''t operate on emotion and her reasoning waspletely inhuman.

    "A life not worth living��? How can you say that? Who are you to judge whether my life was fulfilling or not?" His words left his lips quietly and calmly as he tried his best topose himself.

    "What is the point of your frustration, Ren? What''s done is done, you''re here--not there. That much is unchangeable now," She spoke without a hint of empathy, "I am a ve to fate, just as you are. As we all are. Questioning such things is a task left for madmen."

    He almost couldn''t believe the wordsing from her mouth--yet he had to. "Fate"--the concept seemed to be something she held close to herself, using it as a reasoning for her actions. It almost sounded like something a cult would use as an excuse for their less-than-moral actions.

    "And what does this "fate" have in mind for me? Why did "fate" dictate that I should be brought into this world?" Ren asked her.

    "It isn''t any of my ce to speak of the intricacies of fate and the future weaved, nor do I have that kind of knowledge. Simply put, all I know is that this was the correct path for you and that you will have a very important role to y in the time toe," She lifted her teacup to her lips once more.

    Once again, he found himself unable to read Beatrice. It was hard enough to even understand her words coated in an enigma.

    "Just tell me...what my purpose for being here is. As an "Ounder", or whatever. Why did you want to speak to me anyways?" Ren asked, wanting to end this meeting with this final exchange.

    "Now that much, I can answer for you. First I should tell you what the "Ounders" are," Beatrice spoke.

    As she lifted the pot of tea over her cup, nothing poured from the nozzle. For the first time, he saw a hint of emotion from her as she wore a slight frown at theck of tea.

    "Each Ounder is brought to this world by me, for the same reason just as you were--they were marked by fate as someone who would y a role in my n. You see, I am a "Sage" of this world, my entire purpose is to protect both this world and the ones who inhabit it. I''ve lived since the dawn of time, and not once has my care for this world dwindled under my aging soul," Beatrice''s eyes seemed to confirm her words.

    Letting himself listen closely to her words enveloped in grace, he found himself captivated by her otherworldly eyes--watching the tiny stars sparkle and fade as the universe breathed within them.

    "The "dawn of time"...?"

    "Yes...I''ve seen it all. Many times I have failed at my job as the world plunged itself into war, ridding itself of life. I''ve watched the world be destroyed and rebuilt more times than I could count--and once more, that time draws near," Beatrice smiled as she ran her slender fingers over her pale cheek.

    "You mean this world is in danger of ending? How can you tell?"

    "When you live as long as me, Ren, you begin to pick up on patterns, but don''t worry yourself--such events won''t transpire for a while, if we can help it." She looked at him with a smile.

    The room fell silent, he nervously watched the scarce sunlight prance about past the dark curtains before Beatrice suddenly pped her hands together.

    "Well, I think you ought to settle into the house. Ask Sora to show you to your room--I believe a bit of rest will do you favors, Ren," She snapped her fingers, causing the door to fly open.

    "You know, I don''t think I''ll ever get used to magic," Ren muttered before standing up.

    Before he could exit the room, stepping just one foot out of the door--

    "Just onest thing--first thing tomorrow morning, you''ll be joining Tristan on his mission," Beatrice told him, resting her chin against her hands.

    "Mission? I can''t even properly use magic yet--"

    "Think of it like...an apprenticeship~" She smiled innocently.

    The door mmed shut, knocking him out of the room before he could get another word out. He considered kicking the door open out of frustration, wanting to get thest word in but held back his childish behavior with a pout.

 Chapter 39 - Golden Mindscape

    "Damn old-young-hag, I''ll get you back," Ren winced as he rubbed his rear that was hit directly by the door on his way out.

    Waiting in the middle of the hallway was the one man he was looking for with his unmistakable fiery hair. However--something struck odd to him. Sora was wearing a ck tank top with silken gray sweatpants. Normally, that would be just about the most normal-looking attire you would see--on Earth, that is.

    "Oh, hey! How did the meeting go?"Sora called out to Ren.

    "Forget that--you''ve still got normal clothes? Did you really keep them this entire time? I lost mine the day I got here," Ren pouted, poking the man''s tank top.

    "Urr, no. Beatrice made this for me. She''s made clothes like this for everyone here, I''m sure she''ll make you some as well as long as you don''t end up on her shitlist," Soraughed, patting Ren on the back, "Actually, speaking of that--you''re going to love your room! Come on, man, I''ll show ya'' there!"

    Ren nodded, driven by curiosity as he quickly followed behind the crimson-haired man. He was led up a spiral staircase that overlooked the entire lounge, each step somehow causing his stomach to constantly sink further down and tingle from the height. Atop the staircase was a hallway containing a plethora of rooms, each door uniquely designed.

    At the end of said hall, Sora stopped in front of a in wooden door.

    "Ready to see the room you''ll be living in from now on?"

    "I am," Ren nodded his head fervently.

    As Sora opened the bedroom door, presenting the room to him--his eyes widened as they took in the new sight before him. It was spacious, but notrge enough to overwhelm him, giving him enough room to perform his daily routine without bumping into the furniture. Despite the era of the world, the simplistic wooden grey floorboards and walling gave the room an almost modern sense to it. His bed sat against the wall, with an entrancing view through the glistening window beside it.

    "Beatrice prides herself on her architectural skills--she designs every Ounder''s room specifically catering to their individual tastes. It''s kind of creepy that she knows all of this, but I''m sure you''re notining," Sora smiled as he leaned against the door.

    "Ah...maybe that old hag isn''t so bad after all," Ren let out a satisfied sigh.

    "Don''t...let her hear you say that. Like, ever," Sora nervously smiled, scratching his own cheek, "well I''ll leave you to it then to get settled and uh...meet meter. We''ll give your friend a proper sendoff, okay?"

    Ren snapped out of his quiet celebration, his gaze softening into mncholy as he nodded his head. Somehow, he forgot the grief guing the back of his mind. Maybe it was his own way of trying to cope by ignoring the problem altogether.

    --That''s like me I guess. Running away from anything that requires a semnce of effort.

    "Yeah. See you tonight," Ren responded quietly.

    Luckily, his mind didn''t remain on the topic of death for very long as he sank into the weingfort of his new bed, falling into the world of dreams.

    "What was it like? I mean, your world?"

    He turned his blurred gaze to see the boy sitting next to him. Even sitting inside this sepia room, clouds of gold hugged the walls, spiraling around the room as a natural force.

    "My world��?" Ren responded in confusion.

    As his eyesight focused, he found himself back in his room at the Althaus manor. He instantly turned to confirm it--the boy sitting next to him was his one anchor to this lonely world.

    "Meinhard��" He spoke quietly, feeling his eyes ache as he desperately tried to hold his tears back.

    "Huh? What is it? Did I ask something bad?" Meinhard looked at him.

    "No...no, you didn''t." Ren smiled.

    That''s right. We spoke like this every night. I was such a gloomy, boring guy, yet--he stayed with as much as he could. It was rare for him to ask about Earth, I didn''t mind if he did but...it was nice to know he talked to me just because I was...well, me.

    "You don''t have to talk about it if you don''t want to," Meinhard smiled, running his hand through his golden locks, "the same goes for that book that Althaus wants you to write...you don''t have to do it. I get that maybe it''s not something you want to think about."

    That''s right. I never told him. He didn''t know a single thing about who I was on Earth. Part of me wanted to keep it that way--maybe I feared that he would think differently of me if he realized what a sorry life I led.

    Suddenly, he felt an overpowering sense of dread crawl over his skin. Everything in his body told him to look at the bedroom door--sure enough, he was standing there. That wicked smile and deathly pale skin, with a trench coat that shrouded the man in an air of mystery.

    "...Rouge��" Ren''s voice came out in a whisper.

    Ren tried to stand up, feeling his strength fade as he fell right back down against the bed. It felt like a million tiny needles were just under his skin, creating an almost static feeling throughout his body. All he could do was look at Meinhard as he desperately tried to warn his friend to run.

    "...un��" Only fits of air left his lips.

    --Run. Run. Run. Run. Run.

    He couldn''t close his eyes, forced to watch as the wicked entity inched closer and closer to the bed as blood began to seep through the walls. Soon, silver des pierced the walls, ceiling, and floor--twisting and bending unnaturally.

    "Ren��" Meinhard held his hand out to him.

    Meinhard��! Rouge, please. Please, please, please, not again. I can''t see this again.

    Tears poured out of his aching eyes as he tried summoning any strength left in his body to meet Meinhard''s extended hand.

    Just as the tips of their fingers met--the endless des conjured in every space left unfilled. All that filled his vision was crimson, feeling the warmth fade from his friend''s fingertips as they became a hopeless cold.

    That''s right.

    I''m powerless to stop anything. I''m powerless to protect those I care about. Nothing has changed since I came to this world, if anything--I''ve be weaker. Faced with these obstacles left and right...I''ve failed at every turn. Is it my "fate" to suffer in this world? Is my life meant to be entertainment for some bored gods hanging in the skies?

 Chapter 40 - Farewell, Friend

    His eyes shot open as he felt the entire world shake around him, looking up to see Sora shaking him by the shoulders.

    "Sorry for the rude awakening, it''s just--you weren''t waking up any other way I tried," Sora moved his hands away.

    "No...it''s fine, thanks for waking me up," Ren slowly sat up on the edge of the bed.

    He saw Sora staring intently at him, focusing on something that was clearly on his face. Raising his hand to feel whatever was there, he wiped the cold tears that had stained his cheek.

    "Did you have a bad dream or something?"

    "Something like that��"

    The room fell silent, leaving Ren to his own thoughts before the red-haired man finally spoke up--

    "It''s, uh, it''s time. For that. I didn''t think you''d want the others around for this, so I didn''t tell them," Sora scratched his head.

    "Yeah, I guess we should get it done��" Ren nodded his head slightly before standing up, keeping his gaze low to the ground, "thanks, Sora. I appreciate this."

    "Don''t sweat it, man. All of us here have lost more than we could handle, but we always get through it--together," Sora bumped his fist against the boy''s chest gently.

    The nightly air outside was serene, somehow remaining quiet in the depths of such a vibrant valley full of creatures. Sora carried the body to a spot at the back end of the tree, a small opening within the colossal tower of nature containing a bed of flowers. The flowers were an array of beautiful colors, each one seemed to dance against the gentle breeze.

    The man gently ced Meinhard''s body down in the bed of flowers. It was a gruesome sight still, but he kept his gaze on his friend--not wanting to say goodbye. He watched as the flowers began to faintly glow, illuminating with an emerald shine as the wounds on the boy''s lifeless body began to close.

    "What''s...going on?" Ren asked as his voice left in a tremble.

    "We call them "Goodbye Flowers"--they heal the dead, and only the dead," Sora told him, "it''s ironic, isn''t it? So powerful and full of natural mana that they can restore even the most heinous wounds in seconds...but you have to have already sumbed to them."

    "No...they''re amazing," Ren smiled as tears once again traveled down his cheeks.

    Once again, this onest time--he saw his friend without the scars of Rouge guing his sight, he could look at him without remembering the hellish fiend. The two remained silent as they listened to the sounds of nightly nature fill the vacant air, watching as the flowers embraced Meinhard.

    "By sunrise, the tree will have brought him within itself. You know, there are stories about this tree. It is said to have stood for over a thousand years, watching over the valley with its old, wise eyes. They call it "Grandfather Gyma"," Sora spoke in a calm tone as he stood tall.

    Ren felt somewhat perplexed as to why the man was speaking about trees during a time like this. All he wanted to do was grieve, but here he was--listening to a story about a tree. Looking over at Sora, he quickly realized the nature of the man''s talking. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he looked up to the highest branches, trying to hide his emotion.

    --He''s a big softy, isn''t he? Ren couldn''t help but smile slightly as a flood of tears streamed from his eyes.

    "I guess I should say something, huh��" Ren smiled slightly as he looked down.

    He tried his best to stay quiet to avoid his voice cracking from the tears.

    He flinched as Sora gave him a slight push on the back. Looking up--the man gave him a smile and a nod with eyes red from tears. In this moment of mncholy, he found a bit of humor in the fact that Sora was somehow crying harder than him for somebody the man didn''t even know.

    He slowly stepped over in front of Meinhard, who looked as if he was just peacefully sleeping--somehow, the sight wasn''t as sad as he thought. It was relieving to see him like that, with his messy golden locks wet from the light showers that pelted down against the overbearing leaves above.

    "...You taught me how to read and write, tools which are invaluable...I''ll...I''ll never be able to repay you for that. The chance slipped away. However...that isn''t the most valuable thing you gave me," Ren tried to maintain his trembling smile as he felt his throat close up.

    At this point, his eyes were red and puffy from the seemingly never-ending stream of sorrowful water--but there was no point in trying to hide his emotion.

    "I was alone and honestly, scared. I tried to act tough like I was prepared for this world...but I wasn''t. Every night I wanted to cry for my parents, and sometimes I did. However...you were always there for me. You worked so hard--you were myplete opposite. Diligent while I was slothful.

    Yet--you neverined, you always wanted to hear my stupid whining. I guess what I''m trying to say is--you were there for me when I had nobody else."

    Looking upon the boy''s pale voice devoid of life, he still prayed that by some miracle his eyes would open. Behind him, he could hear the muffled sniffling of Sora.

    --You know...I think I get what might be making him this way. I thought maybe he was just extremely emotional--which I still believe he is...but he probably feels somewhat responsible for this, doesn''t he?

    "Sora," Ren said, turning back towards him.

    "Yeah?'' The man replied, wiping the snot away from his nose.

    He was a sniveling mess, his face reddened from his prolonged tears, the bustling image of a hot-headed knight was brought down to this. Even so, Ren found it endearing.

    "I''m d you came to rescue me," Ren gave him a slight smile.

    The tears finally stopped flowing from Sora''s eyes--Ren assumed maybe he somehow dried out his tear ducts from his continuous sobbing. He stood there agape, just looking at Ren as if seeing a ghost.

    "You know...I was just angry before. If it wasn''t for you, I''d be...well, I''d be right where Meinhard is right now," Ren tried to lighten the mood, causing a stream of tears to escape his eyes as he smiled.

    Before he could react, Sora picked him up--giving him aplete bearhug. Being this close to the man, he noticed a scent that resembled pinewooding from him. His first instinct was to try and fervently reject the sudden embrace as it was in his NEET nature to deny skinship, but--it was just what he needed.

    "Call me--"Bro"--you got that, tiny bro?" Sora said as his voice choked, squeezing Ren tighter into the embrace.

    "Y-yeah, I got that So- I mean, bro," Ren shut one eye, still not used to the prospect of being this close to someone, "hey, can I have some time alone...with him?"

    Sora set him back down and nodded his head before leaving back inside of the house. It seemed he left Ren a gift in the form of staining his tunic with tears and drool.

    "That oaf," Ren smiled with a slight look of disgust as he inspected his tunic.

    Now it was truly lonely, just the wind carrying the past howls of the night to fill his ears. He lost track of time as he stayed beside Meinhard, watching the pearlescent stars that presided alongside the heavens.

    "In an odd way, it feels like I have to see you leave me all over again. It''s stupid, I know. Laugh at me all you like from heaven, dork. It''s just...after tonight, you''ll really be gone. I won''t ever be able to see you again--I''ll just have to rely on the ol'' memory, huh��" Ren let out a sigh through his pained smile.

    --It seems maybe, just maybe--this might work out, Meinhard. Just promise me you''ll always watch over me, okay? In return, I''ll promise to always keep you in my heart. Always.

    After expending his treasury of tears, enough to make his reddened eyes sensitive from the constant exposure to liquid, it was time to call it a night.

    "It seems your affinity is water."

    As soon as he walked through the front door, not expecting to meet anyone��he was greeted by the poorly timed, stoically delivered joke.

    "That was pretty harsh, Donatien."

    "Even for a four-eyed bastard like you, that was cold."

    Tristan, Sora, and of course, the unlikely joker��Donatien were waiting for him inside the house.

    "...I was merely attempting to lighten the mood, it seems I had apse in judgment."

    The slender man adjusted his sses as a soft pink filled in his pale cheeks. It was hard to stay in a state of sulking with this trio around.

    "I know I said I didn''t want to involve anyone else...but I just want you to know you aren''t alone!" Sora assured him.

    The man brought hisrge hand down on his shoulder, his palm easily fitting his shoulder in it.

    "There he goes again��" Donatien clicked his tongue at the sight, "he''s not wrong��for once. I want you to know you can count on us, Ren. We''ve all experienced the same feelings of confusion and distrust you have in this world��that pain is not yours to hold alone."

    "You guys��" Ren had to battle the urge to unleash waterworks again.

    The snowy-haired man stepped forward, looking directly at the young man as if preparing to part him with words of his own.

    "So are we popping open that bottle of booze, or what?"

    ��Of course.

    Being assured not being of age to drink meant nothing in this world--Ren indulged himself in the splendors of true alcohol, alongside the grown men who likely weren''t setting the best example. The boisterous four men, in their drunken celebrations, somehow managed to wake none of the others present in the quiet house.

    A stomach warm with booze, cheeks flushed over, Ren found himself clinging to his bed that night as if it was his long-lost lover. A night of that was supposed to be of mourning, turned into one devoid of worries--and one he wouldn''t remember past that first sip of the strong, spicy amber potion.

 Chapter 41 - Learn Through Adversity

    A baptism through fire, a trial by me...I think the world sees this as my only way to shed my skin, at this point, I will need to bathe in the core of the sun to be whatever fate desires from me.

    In abination of the ring sunlight pelting against his resting eyelids and his bedroom door being kicked open, he shot up awake.

    "Who-- what-- where?" Ren sat up quickly, wiping the drool from the side of his mouth.

    Standing in the doorway, the unreadable Tristan stood, carrying a sack over his shoulder before tossing it on the bedroom floor. From the metallic ng resonating from the pale sack, it definitely had something to do with weaponry.

    "Get suited up, meet me outside in ten," Tristan began to walk away before stopping, "oh, and take this."

    The man tossed a piece of bread directly onto Ren''sp, who was still half-asleep. He sat there for a good minute, staring nkly at the wall as his brain booted up.

    "What?" He said out loud in confusion long after the man had already walked away.

    Dumping the contents of the sack out onto the floor--it contained a full set of a leather-metal armorbination. As he slid the ck long-sleeve shirt and pants on to go under the armor, he found himself fiddling with the plethora of leather traps to attach the armor.

    "Come on...why is this so hard--?" Heined, tightening the straps.

    Once it was all said and done, the armor felt light, somehow giving him a feeling of swiftness greater than without the armor that should be encumbering him. Standing in front of the full-body mirror in his room, he made a variety of embarrassing poses, enamored in his new look. Running his leather-gloved hand through his jet ck hair, he gave his best impression of a yboy smile to the mirror.

    "I totally look like the main character of an RPG, setting out for my journey~" He smiled wickedly as he flexed his almost non-existent biceps in the mirror.

    For once, he actually looked somewhat professional--or at least had a coherent outfit. Catching his eye--he found a leather sheath still sitting in the sack. Grabbing the ck-wrapped handle and sliding the weapon out, he revealed a pristine short sword.

    "Looks...basic," Ren slid the de back into the sheath.

    Even if it seemed fairly useless to the untrained NEET, he attached the sheath to his belt. Clearly hitting the ten-minute mark given to him by Tristan, he nearly slid down the stairs beforeunching himself outside.

    The morning breeze caressed his skin as he stepped outside. It was a hard sight to not find yourself enamored in--the titan rays flying through the foggy air in tranquility as the sunlight peeked through the unorthodox clouds of gray.

    "Thought you might''ve fallen back asleep. I would''ve had to pistol-whip you," Tristan said without turning around, gazing up at the sun shrouded by the looming fog.

    "No, I''m fine, thank you for your conc- pistol whip me--? I was struggling to put on the armor that you didn''t even bother exining anything about!" Ren yelled out.

    "Hey, if you don''t want your armor, be my guest--let''s see how long youst without it," Tristan turned back to face him.

    He gulped, shrinking behind the amethyst gaze that seemed to judge him internally. It was impossible to get a read on the snow-haired man--whether he was upset or calm, it seemed to be the same emotion disyed for him.

    "No, sir, thanks for the armor," Ren nodded his head in totalpliance.

    "Don''t thank me, I didn''t make it. Beatrice did--which, by the way, thanks for not sending her my apologies," Tristan turned back around.

    "What are you, a middle-schooler--? I''m the wrong guy to go to as a proxy for talking to girls, man," Ren adjusted the itchy cor of the leather under his metallic armor, "so, what are we doing anyways?"

    Tristan scratched his head and let out a sigh as if exining was an exhaustive activity for him.

    "We''re going to track down and eliminate a problematic tribe of goblins. They''ve been stealing our crops and livestock--so we''re going to show them why that was a mistake," Tristan adjusted his silver coat.

    As the man extended his hand, his jet ck magnum conjured out of thin air. It was the same gun he saw the man with yesterday--the mana resonating from it gave apletely different vibe from the grandiose mes of ken. It was a solemn darkness, shrouded in an enigma that screamed of unknown depths of power.

    He wanted to ask about the gun but decided it was a question left for after he gathered an understanding of the mission ahead.

    "One question...make that two--one, where do we even have livestock and crops for them to steal? Two, how do we get down from here?" Ren was more focused on that second question.

    "That''s right, you can''t use magic yet, can you? What a pain in the ass," Tristan let out an exaggerated sigh.

    It was hard to look forward to any type of adventure that involved someone who seemed annoyed by your very existence. Especially someone who brandished a magical gun.

    --Yeah, thatst part is what scares me!

    "Can''t we just have Delh give us a lift?" Ren asked as he felt the high-altitude winds pelt against his wobbling legs.

    "Hah? Hell no. That demonic thing hates my guts,st time I tried to ride her, she ate up my coat," Tristan seemed genuinely saddened by the loss of that coat.

    Now that he was put in this situation, he realized something both wildly important and terrifying--he was practically a prisoner up here as there was no feasible way for him to get down.

    "There is only one way��" Tristan spoke quietly in a dire tone.

    "Yeah��?" Ren gulped.

    He watched as the man knelt down with his back shown to him. As he realized what the man had in mind, he slowly began to shake his head as he backed away slowly.

    "No--I may be weak, cowardly, and overall a terrible human being...but I still have my pride as a man!" Ren swung his arm against the air.

    "Listen, Beatrice will kick both our asses if we don''t hurry our asses up, you got that? You don''t understand the wrath of that woman," Tristan seemed genuinely scared of the woman, "she...knows a man''s weakness."

    Tristan shuddered as he reminisced on what seemed to be unfavorable memories. Seeing his fear pushed Ren closer into epting this undesirable arrangement. At eighteen years old, he never foresaw himself being given a piggy-back ride by another grown man.

    --I would''ve epted this from a tall, hot babe--but this?

    He pped his cheeks to steel his resolve, looking upon the man''s back. Looking side to side, up and down--if he was going to do this, he was making sure nobody was watching.

    "Hurry up already! Would you rather me carry you like a damn princess?" Tristan scoffed.

    "N-no--!" Ren shook his head.

    Hesitantly, with a mind full of shame--he held onto the man''s shoulders before propping himself onto his back. Before he could even getfortable or even a reliable grip for that matter--Tristan leaped from the colossal tree.

    "Ah---!" Ren''s yell carried out into the clouds above.

    Instinctually, his arms wrapped around the man''s neck for maximum security as he continued to yell out with his eyes tightly shut.

    "Quiet down, will you--? You''re giving me a damn headache!" Tristan barked with a pained look on his face.

    "Calm down? You calm down!" Ren retorted, encumbered by absolute fear.

    "I''m about one second away from tossing you," Tristan muttered, "Loosen your grip on my neck would you--? It''s getting hard to breathe!"

    Ren found it irrational to ask him to even consider calming down in this situation. The "tree-base" they lived on neighbored the fluffy clouds that hung just below the heavens, and here he was--falling from that terrible height. Even in a world full of wonderfully powerful magical beings, his instincts didn''t recognize that fact, neither did he, losing all logic in this unconventional act of skydiving.

    He wasn''t exactly savvy when it came to physics, but even he knew that at the speed he was falling or "traveling", he should be in pain, or at the very least--unable to control his body. That''s when he noticed the nearly transparent blue barrier surrounding him and Tristan.

    As he narrowed his eyes to inspect the barrier, it felt as if his stomach attempted to fly from his mouth as they crashed to the ground like a meteor. Trying to gather his motor functions once more, he was interrupted by the man grabbing his arm and tossing him down.

    "The hell was that for?" Ren stammered out, trying to persuade the air to stay in his lungs.

    "Just get up already,"

    "Maybe don''t throw me onto the ground then--!" Ren stood up, sweeping the dirt off of his clean armor.

    It was his first time at ground-level in the Valley, he felt almost trapped in by the countless trees that covered thend. The leaves acted like an emerald sky, limbs of the endless trees coiling around each other, blocking most sunlight from seeping in as the forest remained dim.

    "Stay close--or don''t. Doesn''t matter to me," Tristan fixed his coat before adjusting his ash gloves.

    "Make up your mind!" Ren shouted.

    He quickly regretted yelling as he heard the thick bushes that made up almost the entirety of his surroundings rattle, keeping himself close to Tristan.

    "I''m going to trust you to watch my back, alright?" Tristan began to inspect the ground, spreading the des of grass that nketed the dirt.

    "What do you expect me to do if something does actually show up--?" Ren watched the man carefully analyze the dirt.

    "You''ve got a sword, use it."

    "Easy to say when you''ve got a gun. What''s that about anyways? How the hell did you get a gun in a world of des and magic?" Ren found the opportunity to ask about the subject that had been guing his mind.

    Tristan raised his gaze from the patch of dirt as the magnum conjured in his hand once again, spinning it around his index finger.

    "You mean this bad boy here? It''s my innate ability--"Purgatory Arms" is what I''ve named it," He ran his fingers across the stainless steel, caressing the designs etched into the side of the barrel.

    "This is probably going to sound dumb, but what the hell is an "innate ability" anyways? I think Sora mentioned that when I asked about his armor," Ren knelt down beside the man, getting a closer look at the magical gun.

    "I''d say less dumb and more so ignorant, innate abilities are rare in this world so it''s probably not something you would''ve heard about. Well, otherworlders like us are all guaranteed to have an innate ability--so it''s prettymon for us," Tristan whisked the gun away as it faded into a mist of ck mana.

    Thatst statement hit Ren like an arrow of Cupid directly to the heart. This entire time he has loathed his apparentck of abilities in this world--watching those around him perform mystical feats that were only prospects of fiction on Earth. Now, he was being told he had an "innate ability" of his own?

    "So, I have an innate ability as well--? Wait, wait--so what are these abilities exactly? Are they all weapon-based, like how Sora has his giant sword and halberd, while you have a gun?" A glimmer of excitement illuminated his irises as he asked like a child driven by wonder.

    "Don''t get so giddy. An innate ability is somethingpletely unique to the user--it can be a weapon, armor, authority over concepts--point is, an innate ability can manifest in the form of just about anything. It''s impossible to tell what you''re going to get, really," Tristan answered.

    His words were meant to ground the boy''s expectations into reality, but the childlike wonder in his eyes didn''t stop shining in the slightest. The forest seemed to breathe around them as the trees swayed from the passing winds, the howls of those dwelling in thisnd rang through the valley devoid of humans.

    "I know what you''re going to ask--forget it. You''ve distracted me enough, we''ve got a mission to uphold. Keep your eyes on the trees--stay vignt," Tristan pointed up, gesturing for him to return to his duty.

    It felt as if he had just barely missed a home run--so close to figuring out what his innate ability might be, but he knew Tristan was a stubborn one, and definitely wasn''t going to let himself be persuaded.

    "What''re you looking for anyways?"

    "Goblin tracks," Tristan answered.

    "I see...so what am I supposed to be watching out for anyways?" Ren kept his eyes on the treeline.

    Outside of the small patch ofnd, they were upying, for the time being, they were surrounded by the thick, overbearing forest that seemed to be watching them from every angle.

    "Anything that shows itself,"

    "Thanks. Totally not vague at all," Ren let out a quiet sigh.

    A dozen minutes passed without anything directly showing itself, only the sound of enigmatic creatures scurrying through the dense forest bordering them. His patience was beginning to wear thin as he watched the man slowly and methodically inspect every inch of the acre. Tristan ran the palm of his hand against the bark of one of the trees, leaning close enough to take in the pine resonating from the tree.

 Chapter 42 - First Combat

    "No offense, but, if you''re going to spend this much time on this one piece ofnd--we''ll never get any meaningful progress," Ren finally spoke up, "really, if you haven''t found anything yet, I doubt you will."

    Tristan stayed silent as he continued scanning the tree closely, wiping a swab of some type of clear, gooey substance from the tree''s skin.

    "Have you taken a single look at the ground?" Tristan suddenly asked, squeezing the goo between his index finger and thumb.

    "What--?" Ren turned to him.

    Tristan gestured with his eyes for him to look down towards the ground. Both confused and curious, Ren looked down at the dirt--noticing the existence of dozens of footprints etched into the soil.

    "I...I don''t understand. Are those all goblin prints?" Ren knelt down to get a closer look, "If you already confirmed this--then what are we doing here?"

    "You don''t seem to quite understand the threat we''re dealing with here, Ren. Maybe you''re familiar with the goblins of fiction you read about back on our homeworld, but things are different here. Sure--they''re still green-skinned with those devilish yellow irises, but these creatures are anything but the bottom of the totem pole when ites to monsters," Tristan wiped the goo off of his glove, scraping it into the tree.

    "If you''re trying to scare me, let me tell you it''s not working because I''ve been scared the entire time in this creepy forest! Anyways--what does that have anything to do with what I said? If you see the tracks--we''ve got our information," Ren argued.

    "Beatrice really stuck me with someone like this, huh...Ren, I''m acting with every ounce of caution I can spare. Did you consider that these footprints might be bait to lure us into an ambush, or perhaps, did you notice how a lot of these footprints are facing different directions?" Tristan stepped closer to Ren as if making sure his words reached his core.

    As much as he wanted to argue--the man was right in his words. The footsteps were indeed scattered, giving no solid indicator on which direction they were really heading.

    "Look, I understand that this is all new to you, I''m guessing that''s why Beatrice wanted you to tag along with me for this--so that I can teach you a thing or two," Tristan pressed his index finger against Ren''s forehead, "make sure to use this. Question what you see--what you know. In this world, just about everything wants to see us dead, so we have to act with that in mind. You understand?

    He nodded his head slightly--nearly jumping as the bushes nearby rustled violently. A low growl reverberated from within the mass of green leaves.

    "It seems you''ve got your chance to shine, kid," Tristan pped Ren on the back, causing him to stumble forward closer to the bush.

    "What- No, I can''t fight!" Ren looked back at the man, his eyes pleading for him to help.

    Tristan seemed to ignore his pleas, putting his hands in the pockets of his coat as he stood in the same spot without a hint of empathy. His fear pried his eyes away from the man and back to the bush as the creature made itself visible.

    First, a paw covered in jet ck fur stepped forward before the beast slid out of the bush with beady ck eyes that were locked directly onto him. It resembled a wolf from his world, maybe a bitrger as it easily reached over two meters in length. What truly set it apart were those eyes--containing only a ck void devoid of life, staring into his very core.

    His body ran over with a chill, fingers trembling as he shakily reached for his sheathed de. As he slid the de from its leather sheath, it nearly fell out of his grasp from the sight of the beast''s exposed canines, disying them in a "deration of war".

    "That is a "Vanta Wolf", creepy, huh? They really aren''t too different from the wolves back home though. Well, I guess they arerger," Tristan leaned against a tree as he watched.

    "It doesn''t look that much bigger than--"

    "That is a teen, it isn''t an adult," Tristan affirmed.

    "This behemoth is a teen--? I don''t know whether that helps or not��" Ren nervouslyughed as he gripped the handle of his de.

    The wolf began to slowly circle around him, keeping its soulless eyes on him without blinking a single time. He matched its speed, doing his best not to provoke its attack, or rather, he was trying to dy the inevitable attack.

    "Don''t you have a shield or something I can use? Anything?" Ren nced back at Tristan, wiping sweat away from his forehead.

    "If I gave you a shield, you''d just coward behind it. You wouldn''t learn anything that way. Adapt--fight and adapt," Tristan ran his hand through his hair.

    "Do you see its ws--? I won''t have time to adapt if it rips my jugr out in one swipe!" Ren slowly backed away as the beast pressed forward.

    Fear of the beast d in ck fur overtook Ren, forcing him to focus on the beast and only the beast. He watched every strand of its dark coat move in the wind, waiting for the wolf to attack.

    --If I have to fight, then I need a n. Magic is out of the question-st time I nearly blew my own arm off. I''m just going to have to resort to good old physical ability. It''s been staring directly at my neck this whole time--there''s no doubt it''s aiming for my throat. I can use that against it. The second it goes for the attack, I''ll sh its throat instead.

    Ren tightened his grip on the handle as he steeled his own resolve. The bloodlust oozed from the creature as it jolted towards him with its bloody canines on disy. It leaped into the air, stretching its neck forward as its open mouth inched closer to his neck.

    --Now!

    He ducked down, swiping his de diagonally swiftly, listening to the air hiss as if he intended to cut it apart. It connected--he felt the de press against the heavy warmth of the wolf''s neck as itunched past him, rolling across the dirt.

    "I...I did it! Holy crap--I''m badass, aren''t I?" Ren smiled in disbelief.

    However, the unchanging look on the silver-haired man''s face sent a worry through him. He raised his de to check--only to see not a single drop of crimson on the clean metal. The growling started again, turning around to see the beast unfazed as it stood up from the fall.

    "How��? I felt it connect!" Ren backed away, looking over at Tristan in utter confusion.

    "It''s simple--"Panniculus Carnosus"," Tristan stated.

    "Pickle what--?" Ren asked, only hearing a jumble of sounds that vaguely sounded like words.

    "Panniculus Carnosus--it''s a muscle attached to the skin. Although it really isn''t anything of use for humans--in beasts like that one there, it allows for the skin to move independently of the muscle. That''s why you don''t see bears bleed out from their little brawls," Tristan exined, scratching his head before yawning.

    "Can you exin that in a way that I can understand--?" Ren asked with desperation carrying his voice past his lips.

    "Basically--half-assed cuts aren''t going to do shit to it."

    The problem is--he swung that de with every ounce of strength he had. It seemed the futile attack only riled the beast up, angering it as it revealed its white gums. He considered luring the wolf towards Tristan to force the man''s hand into killing it for him, but that choice would likely result in a catastrophic failure.

    Those beady ck eyes belonging to the beast only saw the prospect of prey in front of it as its tongue slithered between its sharp teeth.

    "Wait...that''s it," Ren muttered to himself.

    He flipped the sword so that the de was pointing towards the ground, lowering his stance to ready himself for another counterattack.

    --If I can''t cut through that tough skin, then there are other ways to hurt it. That''s how humans rose to the top of the food chain--we didn''t rely on brute strength, we evolved because of our way of thinking.

    A simple-minded beast lost in a stupor of violence--it was easy to predict. All it wanted was a meal, and that meal was right in front of it. Even after being read and countered, the beast still focused its sight on his jugr.

    "Come on, mut, I''m not scared of you," Ren taunted it quietly.

    Any sense of pity he felt for the beast that would otherwise be considered "Man''s best friend" was vacant as this was a battle to the death. The only thing on his mind was getting out of this situation alive, and hopefully with all of his limbs intact.

    Once again, the beast charged toward him, digging up the dirt under its paws as it stampeded towards him. As he prepared to sidestep away from the wolf''s reach, his foot slipped as the dirt gave away under his weight.

    He was face to face with the salivating beast, losing all of its nobility as it craved sustenance. The only action that came to mind for him was to shove his forearm into the beast''s mouth, stopping it in its tracks. Luckily, his arm was protected by ayer of metal armor--but even so, he could feel itsrge fangs prating the armor, slightly piercing his skin underneath.

    It swung its head side to side in an attempt to throw him to the ground, tightening the iron grip its jaw had on his arm.

    "I''ve got you...just where I want you!" Ren smiled through the sharp pain shooting through his arm.

    With his free hand, he brought his de over his head and brought it down with all of his might--directly into the beast''s left eye. The mushy feeling of the steel digging through the eye almost made him gag even in his burst of adrenaline, trying not to watch as pus oozed from the mutted eye of the wolf.

    The creature let go of his arm, letting out whimpers and yelps of pain as it writhed in agony.

    "Not bad," Tristan praised him with a slow p.

    "I''m...not...done yet," Ren huffed, wrapping his arms around the beast''s neck.

    The bite must''ve reached his bone, as summoning any strength from his attacked arm sent a bolt of pain through his entire body as if striking his bone directly with a pick. Still, he gritted his teeth and pushed past the pain, recing it with adrenaline as he squeezed the beast''s neck tightly as if hugging it from above.

    He felt it struggle under his grip, tightening it further as he crushed its throat as best he could. Its vicious snarling as it thrashed around calmed down into defeated whimpers, feeling the life fade from the beast''s body as he deprived it of oxygen.

    "That was unexpectedly brutal, I mean,ing from you," Tristanmented.

    Ren let go of the wolf, letting its limp body fall to the ground. He fell down onto his rear, panting as the adrenaline soothed to a lull. There were two distinct holes on the metal te protecting his forearm, dented by the biting strength of the beast. A stream of blood seeped from the two holes, running down his arm as he let it fall limp.

 Chapter 43 - Triumphant Loser

    "Are you happy? I did it��" Ren looked up at the man, out of breath.

    "Don''t get in over your head, you killed a youngling," Tristan knelt down beside the wolf''s corpse.

    The man ran his hand over the beast''s fur, feeling its neck as if checking the wound that finished it off. Standing back up, he extended his hand down to Ren.

    "Still...good job for a kid who looks like he hasn''t seen the light of day in a decade," Tristan gave him a slight smile.

    He looked at the man''s hand for a moment, feeling uncertain as to if he could trust the helping hand of someone who just plunged him into battle against a wolf--but, he was too worn out to deny it.

    "Hey, don''t try and down-sell my epic achievements! If this happened back on Earth, I''d be a legend," Ren chuckled wryly.

    "Exactly--on Earth. Maybe you haven''t realized it yet, but your body has been adjusting to this world, limating to its new mana. To put it in terms your nerd-ass will understand--you''re superhuman. So choking out a wolf isn''t exactly that impressive," Tristan helped him stand.

    "I thought I was feeling stronger, huh��" Ren squeezed his fist as if feeling his own strength out.

    "Yeah but your "superhuman" is just "human" in this world. Once you actually learn some magic and maybe put some beef on those scrawny arms of yours, you can be considered above average, maybe,"

    "You can''t give me one win, can you?" Ren sighed.

    Tristan turned to the right, gesturing for Ren to follow behind him. The two entered the heart of the forest, pushing past thickets as the scent of nature picked up in the wind. It was as if thend itself was alive, the branches creaking throughout the gathering of trees. The sun became absent as shadows fell over his skin in a cooling embrace.

    It seemed impossible to traverse the unconquerednd without trampling fallen leaves with each step, diligently avoiding the hanging cobwebs that housed mysterious arthropods. The sight of these webs made his skin run over with an itch, feeling the thousand tiny legs of insects crawl over his skin, only to find nothing there as he patted his body.

    "I''m guessing you figured out where these goblins are?" Ren asked, carefully stepping through the thick growth of green.

    "I did the minute we dropped down here,"

    "Then what the hell were you doing--was all of that about "lures" and "misdirections" just a lie then?" Ren huffed, cutting a prying bush away with his sword.

    "It wasn''t a lie at all, it''s something you should remember. I knew that wolf was watching us, so I saw the chance to give you a fight," Tristan gave him a smirk.

    "What''re you smiling about? I almost got eaten--hell, it got a good snack out of my arm!" Ren yelled.

    Tristan swiftly ced his hand over the boy''s mouth as his voice left his lips. It was if his high volume awakened the forest itself as the leaves rattled, bushes rustling with secretive beasts.

    "Keep it down. If the goblins be aware of our presence, they might just hightail it out of here," Tristan slowly moved his hand away.

    He nodded his head and kept quiet as he traversed the dense forest, avoiding the plethora of branches that attempted to block his path. The air soon became noticeably humid, causing his leather to itch against his sweating skin.

    The deeper they got into the boundless forest, the more apparent the screams of nature rang through the air. des of grass reached knee-high, making his mind wander about the possibilities of creatures slithering through the enigmatic green.

    "How much farther?" He asked in a whine, dragging his feet forward.

    A sharp nce from Tristan almost made him forget the egregious situation he was in as he felt a cold run over his skin.

    "How much farther?" He asked in a whisper this time.

    "Do you think I''m god or something?"

    "Well, you know magic--so to me, yes," Ren responded, feeling his footnd on something mushy as he continued walking in a grimace.

    "Just be patient, as long as we y our cards right--those little devils will give themselves away. Goblins aren''t particrly conservative creatures, they throw parties in their tribes almost every minute of the day that they aren''t spending piging and killing others," Tristan kept his eyes forward.

    It was hard to wrap his head around the level of caution the man was disying when tracking these suspected goblins. Just from a brief exposure to Tristan''s mana, he can tell he is at the very leastparable to Sora, who seems almost like the epitome of physical power. Meanwhile, goblins are basically the rodents of the monster world.

    As he raised his arm to move high-standing des of grass out of his way, he noticed the blood that had been seeping from his bite wound, staining the previously clean metal.

    "Am I going to get infected from this--?" Ren asked worryingly, holding his arm close to his body now.

    "If you were worried about that, you should''ve asked me the second it happened," Tristan looked back, slowing down his pace.

    He reached into the brown pouch attached to his belt, moving his silver coat to gain ess to it. Ren watched as he retrieved a small vial containing an amber liquid inside.

    "Give me your arm," Tristan stopped in front of him.

    Confused, he raised his arm inpliance, looking at the vial curiously. Now that they had stopped moving, it felt as if the forest was closing in on them as if the many predators that ruled thatnd had taken notice of their existence.

    "Without the armor, dumbass," Tristan sighed.

    "Oh...right," Ren''s face flushed over with embarrassment.

    He undid the leather straps holding the silver guard to his forearm, grabbing it and rolling up the tattered ck sleeve of his shirt. Seeing his own wound revealed to himself made his head be light at the sight of the blood, covering his pale skin in crimson. The two holes from the bite mark looked as if he had been shot in the forearm.

    "It got you good, didn''t it? Pretty gnarly," Tristan poked around his arm.

    Each touch made him wince, not that it hurt him--more so that he feared the potentiality of that pain. Tristan popped the cap off of the small vial before flipping it over, allowing the golden liquid to pour directly onto his wounds.

    "What the hell is this stuff anyways?" Ren asked, closing one eye as his wounds stung.

    "Fermented satyr blood," Tristan answered, pushing the cork back into the vial to close it off.

    "Blood--? Are you sure that''s safe to put directly into my wound like that?" Ren watched in disgust now as the liquid seeped into the holes on his forearm.

    Tristan pulled a roll of white material from the same pouch, wrapping Ren''s wound tightly.

    "You''ll be fine, this is high-quality stuff--so don''t waste any more of it, would you? Let''s go," Tristan began to walk again.

    Rolling his sleeve back down, he strapped the piece of armor back to his forearm before running to catch up with the impatient man. The trees constantly rained with fallen leaves as they pushed deeper into thend of nature, causing him to constantly mistake leaves for bugsnding on his head.

    "Stop," Tristan whispered sharply, raising his arm in front of Ren.

    "What--?" Ren came to an abrupt stop, nearly colliding against the man''s arm.

    The distinct smell of smokey air then reached his nostrils, "A fire?" Ren whispered.

    Tristan nodded, "It''s close. Stay behind me."

    The man ducked down low enough so that the high grass kept his existence obscured, Ren followed suit, moving closely behind Tristan as his heart rate began to rise. They approached the end of the treeline, growing closer as the smell of smoke was reced by the aroma of cooked meat.

    Ren nearly jumped as he watched Tristan suddenly stand up from their stealthy spots. Looking up--the coast was clear.

    "That''s our destination, it seems," Tristanmented.

 Chapter 44 - Make The Choice

    He didn''t know what he was talking about until he stood up as well, looking forward at the massive cave entrance sitting ahead of them. It was impossible to see what was even past the first meter within the cave, hearing a faint cackling of embers from within.

    "Uh, you''ve got this from here right?" Ren smiled nervously as he slowly backed away from the cave entrance, "Ah, my back hurts!"

    Going inside that foreboding cave was thest thing he wanted to do. It set off every g for him that screamed of imminent death. The darkness, the likelihood of devilish green monsters, the concerning silence--he wanted none of it.

    "Get your ass over here," Tristan sighed, grabbing Ren by the back of his armor.

    "Seriously...I don''t think I''m up for this��" Ren tried to find a way out of this.

    "Man, you''re a pain in the ass, but I guess half of that is my fault. What I told you about goblins is true, but it was mostly meant for you to not underestimate them--and now it seems I''ve done the opposite. Goblins are scavengers, not builders. They adapt off of what humans leave for them. This forest doesn''t even have any human settlements, only the asional rookie adventurers passing through--so these goblins are as basic as theye, Ren. Even someone like you could handle the little freaks," Tristan sighed, ruffling his own hair.

    A gust of wind howled from the stone cavity as if the cave was alive and breathing. All he could see was darkness waiting within the enigmatic cave, darkness which paralyzed him with fear.

    "Can we at least...have some light?" Ren felt his teeth chatter as he stood at the entrance.

    Tristan looked at him for a moment before letting out an annoyed huff, stepping a few feet into the cave before snapping his fingers.

    "Licht Minor," He spoke the incantation quietly.

    Following his words, a small orbposed of white energy hovered above his hand, illuminating just enough space so that they could see their immediate surroundings. It seemed to be light magic, contrasting the man''s gloomy appearance.

    --Meinhard...didn''t he say light was one of the rarest affinities? I sensed dark magic from Tristan before...does he have both? Just what kind of guy is he? Ren watched the ball of light like a moth to the me.

    "Hurry up, would you?" Tristan called back to Ren.

    "Right--!" Ren nodded his head and stuck close to the man.

    The air was damp and musty inside the light-absent cave, the scent of smoke was somehow diminished as the smell of wet stone entered his nose. Water dripping at a rhythm against the stone, the distant cackling of mes, and the pair''s cautious yet brazen footsteps were the only sounds to be heard.

    He no longer dared to speak, as he feared even the sounds of his short breaths would alert whatever was lurking within these caverns. All he could do was match Tristan''s pace, sticking close behind him like a frightened child to their parent, as he served as the boundary between light and dark.

    Another step taken--they both paused as they stepped into a puddle of warm liquid. Looking down, Ren nearly let out a yell before Tristan swiftly covered his mouth. They had stepped into a pool of crimson liquid, now noticing that the gray walls of the stone cave were now dyed red with the same essence.

    "If I move my hand, you''ll stay quiet, alright?" Tristan whispered into his ear.

    He nodded his head as his eyes trembled at the sight of the pools of blood that surrounded them now. The sight of such obscene scenery dyed in the liquid of life brought upon memories he seldom wanted to remember. It was the same as the manor on that day--a sight he tried his best to burn from his memory. Tristan slowly moved his hand away from Ren''s mouth, regaining his breath.

    It was hard to tell just how vast the space was within the cave, he was sure that they were traversing an almost narrow corridor previously but now it seemed to be an expansive cavern, filled with little nooks.

    --This is it. I''m going to die, aren''t I? Ren trembled, gripping onto the sleeve of Tristan''s coat.

    The man didn''t object to it, trying to act as if he didn''t notice the boy desperately keeping close to him out of primal fear. An acrid smell now hung in the air--the smell of death, like a ughterhouse. Tristan looked down as his foot nudged against something solid yet squishy, his eyes meeting with the sight of a human body so mutted it was barely unrecognizable as human, almost a blob of red chunks strewn across the damp ground.

    "Keep your eyes up--keep them on my back if you have to," Tristan whispered.

    It was a sight that would burn the memory of whoever looked upon it. Due to his high aptitude for dark magic, the man was well-ustomed to seeing in the absence of light as if it was normal. Beyond the light he provided for Ren, he could see what the cave bore.

    The cave was vast, littered with blood and guts from unknown origins. Soon--footsteps became audible from around them, echoing off of the cold stone. He quickly whisked away the light spell to keep their existence hidden.

    --Those footsteps held no sense of urgency. They weren''t heading this direction either--I don''t think they saw us. Tristan thought to himself.

    Ren was left in total darkness, unable to see even an inch in front of his own eyes as he clung onto Tristan''s coat as if his life depended on it. The man knew this situation was a ticking time bomb for Ren--deprived of sight and filled with fear, but as much as he wanted to try and reassure him, any noise would make itself heard far and wide in this echo chamber.

    The footsteps became more frequent and soon, closer. Ren felt his own sanity waning as he was forced to stand in total darkness, listening to the steps draw near helplessly.

    "Screw this--time to let loose," Tristan snapped his fingers.

    The light spell returned, bigger and brighter--illuminating the entire cavern that they stood in. They were surrounded by a group of goblins, who were wincing at the sudden burst of light. Each of the creatures was no taller than an elementary student, with skin as green as grass and yellow irises honed on their targets. They wielded poorly crafted weapons--short swords, daggers, wooden clubs, some of which didn''t seem to even fit their body.

    Tristan summoned his abyssal magnum into his hand, aiming it towards the center goblin, still stunned by the shing light.

    With a pull of the trigger, the gun roared out--releasing a powerful shot that reverberated through the cave, causing Ren''s ears to ring. As he looked up with his hands over his ears, the goblin that once stood was now nothing but red mist hanging in the air.

    "Sorry about that, didn''t have any time to warn you," Tristan apologized to Ren without turning.

    "Nevermind that--there are moreing!" Ren shouted, hardly hearing his own voice through the constant chime in his eardrums.

    The gunshot seemed almost like a rallying call--summoning in a plethora of the green creatures of malice. Now that the cavern was illuminated, he could see all of the small entrances that made the cave more like abyrinth. As powerful as he believed Tristan to be--the numbers are daunting.

    Tristan continued to pull the trigger without hesitation, blowing the creatures away individually--never missing the mark. However, as one fell, it seemed two more arrived.

    "We...we should just make a run for it!" Ren pleaded.

    All he could do was stand there and watch as the man fought the iing horde, struggling to even stand as his legs gave in to the encroaching fear.

    "If that''s what you want to do, then fine," Tristan stated, sliding the cylinder of the magnum out before reloading the gun with bullets formed out of thin air.

    "Really--"

    "That is--if you want to live your life as someone privy to the actions of others. If you want to live day to day with the fear that if something decides it wants you dead, you''re helpless to that choice--then run. I won''t stop you. However--if you want to stand against that current spiraling you in, then fight," Tristan continued to st the goblins away without flinching.

    "But...I can''t fight. I''m weak. It''s like you said...I''m helpless to that choice," Ren lifted his hands, watching as they trembled uncontrobly.

    "It''s your choice to be helpless. It''s by your own negligence for your own life, thinking that running away would somehow lead to a longer life, only to mold yourself into someone unable to stand up to adversity. It''s also your choice to stand up and fight. You''re the only one who can make that choice--not me or these goblins," Tristan nced back at him.

    "I��"

    "If you want to live another day, then run. If you want to live a long life, then fight. Make the choice, Ren. Use that de of yours and sever the thread that ties you to the flow--forge your own destiny, right here, right now."

    Those words pierced him, resonating within him as if words from the gospel. "The Flow", it was something he was quite familiar with throughout his life. It was a concept that entrapped those like him--those who led mundane lives, devoid of purpose. He constantly let his actions be dictated by the influence of others, doing everything he could to remain "normal" in a mundane world.

    He unsheathed his sword, gripping the handle tightly--his forearm doesn''t hurt anymore, he noticed. The goblins grew closer with each wave, battling with sheer numbers over Tristan''s limited chambers. There was little time to make a choice, if he was going to run, he had to do it now--if he was going to fight, he had to do it now.

    --These things are nothingpared to that wolf--I can do this. I can.

 Chapter 45 - Verdant Blood

    Overriding the fear in his legs with reckless brazen, he charged forward with his de in hand--screaming a war cry of fear and courage as he approached one of the green menaces. Each step forward was a war waged on the path behind him, he could almost physically feel the flow push against him--telling him to run away.

    "I''m not going to run--not anymore!" Ren yelled out as fearful tears left his eyes.

    Even the goblin in front of him was left perplexed at the sight of the teary-eyes, fearful man charging towards him. He held his de out in front of his body, running directly at the short creature before piercing the sword directly into it. It was an unfamiliar feeling as the de slid into the unweing flesh of the goblin, watching the creature convulse in agony as it desperately tried to fight back. The constant gunshots became background noise as he listened to the goblin''s snarling, feeling the creature try and resist its own death.

    "Just...die already!" Ren gritted his teeth.

    He nted his feet against the lonesome stone and shoved the silver de in deeper, pinning the goblin against the wall as he could only listen to its pained grunts while the goblin attempted to w at him as drool traveled down its chin. The creature''s rapid heartbeat resonated against the denced into its chest, slowly decreasing as the glow faded from its eyes.

    Even in its savage, almost primal actions--he still felt no pleasure in killing something that even resembled the shape of a human. It was different from the wolf in that regard, yet at the same time--he knew this creature was something born and incubated in malice, something representing true avarice.

    "Gh��" He grimaced as he slid the de out of the goblin''s chest.

    The creature slumped down onto the ground, lifeless as a pool of arterial fluid formed beneath it. He quickly covered his mouth before gagging, stopping just short of releasing bile.

    --Why is it so hard? Why should it be this hard to protect myself? I shouldn''t have any problems driving this de into a creature like this, so why?

    Crimson dripped from his de and onto the stone below, standing still as he watched the puddle underneath his victim growrger by the second.

    "Don''t stand still--if you have time toment over your kill, then you have time to keep killing," Tristan reloaded again before continuing to fire.

    "Right--!" Ren yelled back, gripping the firm handle tightly.

    In the time it took him to dispatch one goblin, Tristan seemed to have killed dozens--not moving an inch from the spot he stood as he continued to unleash a flurry of shots that shook the cavern.

    "How many bullets do you even have for that thing?" Ren asked, confused about how he was still shooting.

    "My mana is my ammunition," Tristan replied.

    He quickly covered his ears as the man pulled the trigger once more, unleashing a roar of power as the bullet blew through a goblin''s torso--leaving it a pile of red. Watching the man carry out his assault, he became distracted before narrowly avoiding a strike from behind, turning to see a goblin wielding a rusty dagger.

    In a fit of self-preservation, he didn''t hesitate this time--bringing his de overhead before swinging it down. The de carved down directly atop the goblin''s scalp, piercing both skull and brain. This time he battled against the urge to gag, cing his foot against the goblin''s body so that he could remove the de from the entrapments of its skull. At least this time, he seemed to instantly kill the creature without causing it any pain.

    "That''s two down," Ren huffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

    The air inside the cavern became humid from the heat of battle, the acrid scent of blood bing fresh in the already musty air. It seemed like the goblins were pouring in endlessly from all tunnels, flooding in only to meet their end swiftly by way of Tristan''s weapon.

    However--the man began to take steps back for the first time as the group of goblins gained inch by inch, their numbers increasing faster than he could reload. Even while reloading, he managed to swiftly evade the bloodthirsty swingsing towards him, kicking away the attacking goblin with enough force to send it flying against the distant wall.

    "Purgatory Arm: Second Form -- Gatling" Tristan suddenly spoke out as if chanting an incantation for a spell.

    Before his eyes, he watched as the magnum''s barrel shifted--splitting into four spiraling barrels. As the man pulled the trigger once more, the bullets began to release at a rapid speed. The new mass of bullets mowed away at the approaching horde of goblins, blowing them away into bits of red paste against the cavern walls.

    The entire cavern rumbled from the continuous firing, tearing apart the stone walls without any care. At the rate Tristan was going--Ren feared he might end up bringing the entire cave down on top of them. Before he could worry about that--a heavy footstep dropped behind him.

    Turning around to face it, the creature was definitely a goblin, yet it stood well over two meters in height with a bulky build, baring tworge fangs on the bottom row of its teeth. It was carrying arge wooden club, stained in crimson as it drooled above him.

    --A hobgoblin��!

    The hoblin chortled, seemingly pleased by the obvious fear stered on the boy''s pale face. Its heated breath, stinking of unrefined booze andck of hygiene pelted his nose. Just as he forced his body to move against the rising feer, the hoblin raised the club before swinging it with his massive arms empowering the strike. He managed to meet the strike, blocking it with his own sword--still experiencing the sheer force of the strike as it rang through his body like a bell from hell. He felt the power of the swing ache through his brittle bones, gritting his teeth as he pushed back against the club with all the strength he could muster.

    "You damn, ugly bastard--!" Ren stammered out, gripping the handle tightly with both hands.

    He was clearly losing in the battle of raw strength, feeling as if he was pushing against an indomitable wall of steel--except this wall was licking its lips as if ying around with him.

    In a fit of agility, he swung his hips--sending his leg directly against the knee of the hobgoblin. Although the massive goblin didn''t falter, the surprise gave him enough time to jump back--creating space between him and the emerald brute.

    ncing to the side, Tristan was far enough away that he wouldn''t be able to hear him behind the constant gunfire he was unleashing. That confirmed one thing--he couldn''t rely on him to save the day now. He considered trying to use magic again, but the fear of it bacshing again drove that possibility away.

    "Come on, you smelly slob--!" Ren taunted, still huffing as he felt his muscles ache.

    To his surprise, the hobgoblin epted his proposal--charging towards him, dragging its massive club behind it as it left a trail of drool in the air. Each stomp of the creature''s feet rumbled the ground near him as if an elephant was charging towards him.

    The brute telegraphed its next attack, rearing its tree trunk of an arm back before swinging it towards the side of the boy''s head. He leaned back, watching as the heavy club swung an inch above his face, feeling the air pressure against every pore of his skin.

    Somehow--he wasn''t scared. If anything, he began to engross himself in this dance of death. The absence of fear, or rather--he converted his fear into anger, then used that anger as a catalyst to drive himself forward. He had seldom been in fights throughout his life, even as the resident geek at school--his existence was so mundane, even the bullies paid him no mind. So why was he able to react so well to these attacks? He had the answer--

    "This is what a lifetime of hardcore gaming does for you--!" Ren proimed as he swiftly evaded another attack, countering with a missed swing.

    --It''s strong, but it''s slow. It''s big, but it''s dumb. These are my advantages. I''ll have to use them to the fullest.

    He watched the creature carefully, ducking under the next swing of its club--this time countering with a sh to the back of its knee. It was almost euphoric for him, watching as the hobgoblin fell to one knee--starting to sweat as the savage creature realized its own mortality.

    For the first time, he was in control. He held power over another--and it felt amazing.

    Blood seeped from the goblin''s wound, streaming down its leg as it desperately tried to stand up--continuing to fall back down before it started dragging its leg instead.

    "You''ve still got some fight left in you, right?" Ren taunted the goblin, ironically, as he was out of steam himself.

    It was frightening to watch the barbaric creature continue to pursue him even in its injured state, as if not caring for its own wellbeing as long as it took him down. He raised his sword once again, preparing for his next attack.

    The sharpness of the de, so easily rending the flesh of the creature, it was an unstoppable feeling of joy. Next, he swiftly brought his de down against the hobgoblin''s wrist in order to seize its ability to fight back. Due to hisck of strength, he managed to only cut through flesh and not bone--leaving the creature''s hand to dangle from its mutted flesh.

    "Ren!"

    Tristan''smanding voice resonated through the cavern, snapping him back into reality. He didn''t even realize the gunshots had ended--Tristan had finished off the attacking goblins. All that was left was the one before him, writhing in stupor and agony.

    "Finish the damn thing already," Tristan sighed.

    Ren looked at him for a moment before nodding, lifting his de before carving it through the air--dragging it along the hobgoblin''s neck. It bled out for a minute, squirting a fountain of blood from its open neck wound before falling down with an echoing thud against the cavern floor.

    "Did you see that? I beat that hobgoblin. I killed some other goblins as well. I did good, right?" Ren smiled, wiping the blood from his face as he caught his breath.

    "Yeah...sure. Good thing," Tristan gave him a worried look before turning to face the dimly lit tunnel, "let''s check out onest thing before we head home."

    Ren followed behind him, stepping through puddles of still warm blood, taking care not to step into the chunks of goblin mincemeat left in Tristan''s wake. As they turned through the lit tunnel, it seemed to be the goblin''s main base, storing all of their weapons and furniture.

    "This seems oddly...human," Renmented, looking around at the room.

    They had wooden tables and stools, tattered beds, and even seemed to have alcohol--it was as if they were trying to mimic humans.

    "Well, goblins may be simple-minded creatures--but they aren''t stupid. They know humans are on top of the food chain in Mastorn, so they think the best path is to mimic humans. Not a half-bad idea for a bunch of green little-shits," Tristan sniffed a bottle of alcohol, grimacing at the scent.

    "That''s honestly kind of horrifying. Do goblins know magic? That''s a scary idea," Ren fiddled with the random weapons.

    "Some do, and they tend to be leaders of goblin tribes. Luckily, while there were a lot of goblins here, they didn''t seem all that advanced," Tristan answered, looking around the cavern room.

    "I can''t see that I''m excited about the idea of meeting "advanced" goblins...this entire encounter nearly made me piss my pants three times over," Ren scratched his head, "honestly, I didn''t even know I had it in me to fight like that."

    "It''s a good thing. In situations like that, a lot of people would just freeze--a lot of people would die. Luckily, you decided to fight, and so, you lived," Tristan wiped the gun off of his magnum before letting it dissipate into particles of ck mana.

    Ren sat down on one of the less than polished wooden stools, running his hand through his hair before letting out a short breath.

    "No, that isn''t true. If it wasn''t for you giving me that talk, I would''ve stayed frozen in fear, I''d be nothing more than goblin food by now--or worse," Ren pulled on the cor of his armor, trying to cool off.

    As he sulked to himself, his head bobbed forward as Tristan knocked his fist against the back of the boy''s head. Ren massaged the back of his head, turning back to Tristan with a surprised look on his face.

    "What the hell was that for--?"

    "Dumbass, did you forget what I told you? Nobody can make you fight except for yourself. Making that choice in the face of danger like that--it takes some real balls, kid. Don''t sell yourself short or I''ll clobber you again," Tristan ruffled his hair.

    Aforting warmth filled him in this acrid cavern, earning the praise of a man he previously thought was cold and unforgiving.

    --I guess he is a pretty good guy, huh?

 Chapter 46 - Left, Right

    "Well, since we''ve finished our mission, let''s head on back before the beasts of the forest catch the scent of blood in here," Tristan ushered him to get up.

    As the two made their way out of the cave reeking of death, the fresh air of the divine forest blessed their skin. The smell of wild berries and pollen reced the coppery aroma of blood that previously upied their noses.

    "So, do you think I''ll be able to meet the other Ounders today? I didn''t see any of them this morning before heading out," Ren asked, following Tristan as he trusted the man to guide them through the thickets.

    "I guess there''s really no use in keeping it a secret--we''re having a weing dinner in celebration of your arrival as part of the Ounders. It was Sora''s idea--the oaf really hasn''t lost any of his party spirit sinceing to this world," Tristan looked back at him for a moment, his amethyst irises now resonated with warmth.

    "A party--? So will they all be there? There were twelve in total right?" Ren asked, now giddy at this new development.

    As an introvert, the idea of a party full of strangers was something he never thought he would find himself excited for. In an unknown world like this though, meeting those from Earth like him was almost like meeting a new family--it was definitely an odd feeling.

    "Ah, I wouldn''t get my hopes up about that. Gathering all of the Ounders is a herculean task as at least half of us are out on missions at any given time," Tristan seemed a lot more talkative now.

    He couldn''t tell if the man was now more open due to the mission beingplete or that he had truly warmed up to him, but it was a definite improvement on his previous cold demeanor.

    "I see...sounds busy around the house. Are there any cute girls--?" Ren asked with a shrewd smile.

    When he thought about it--the only Ounders he met were girls. Sora, Donatien, and Tristan--all dudes. It was aplete sausage fest in that house, save for Beatrice--who he doubted was even human.

    "I''m not going to answer that. I''ll just tell you, yes, there are girls in the Ounders. Happy?" Tristan shook his head.

    The sunlight of the graceful noon began to glimmer past the ceiling of leaves above, blessing their skin with the warm illumination. As he watched Tristan from behind, he found himself enamored once again in the man''s natural white hair despite him not being at that age.

    "I''ve got one more question," Ren began to ask, "how long have you been here? In this world?"

    He watched as Tristan scratched his head as if pondering that question for a moment, looking up to the sky of leaves hanging above.

    "Honestly...I stopped keeping track of time a long time ago. I was around your age when I arrived here, so probably at least a decade, I''d say. Damn, it''s really been that long, huh?" Tristan muttered as if just realizing that.

    "A decade--? As in ten years? That''s��" Ren looked at him.

    "Yeah. Ten years. I wonder how big she''s grown by now��" Tristan looked down with a slight smile.

    Ren could see the sadness lurking in the man''s eyes as he reminisced. A gentle breeze carried fallen leaves through the wind, brushing against the man''s coat as he stood there for a serene moment.

    "She?"

    "Nothing," Tristan shook his head slightly,"e on, let''s hurry back. Don''t want to keep them waiting."

    His stomach growled as he marched through the boundless stretch of nature, dragging his feet along the damp soil as his stomach roared out.

    It was easy to lose track of time as seconds became minutes, and minutes became hours--listening to the constant buzzing of nomadic bugs and calls of lustful animals in the wild.

    "How much longer--?" Ren whined, letting his arms hang as he walked.

    Tristan stopped for a moment to look back at Ren, who in his sluggish pace had fallen behind by nearly a dozen meters. He left his mouth agape like a dog trying to cool off from the persisting heat, hunched over as if using all of his strength to stand. Cardio may have been his one strong suit, but it wasn''t as if he was a superhuman.

    "Sheesh, you need to get in shape," Tristan gave him a look of pity.

    Ren felt vindictive--Tristan didn''t even have a drop of sweat to glisten his forehead, acting as if this had just been a nonchnt stroll outside to catch some fresh hair.

    "Listen--if I knew I would be dragged into another world, maybe I would''ve prepared better! That''s besides the point--anyone would be tired! You''re just not human!" Ren yelled out, venting his frustration which was multiplied by the headache-inducing heat.

    "If you''re throwing that big a fit, then you''re not going to like our way up," Tristanmented before pushing past the wild grass.

    "Way up--?" Ren hurried over to catch up.

    Just as he left the tree line, he was face to face with the behemoth of a tree--"Grandfather Gyma". He had only seen it while airborne or standing atop it near the house, so this view was something foreign. It put into perspective the unorthodox size of the pir of nature was, with its thick roots embedded into the ground as if holding the world together. It rose above even the clouds, stretching as wide as the eye could see.

    Then he noticed--a door-shaped entrance directly in the center of the tree.

    "Don''t tell me��"

    "Yup. There''s a staircase built by ancient druids, carved from the innards of the tree. Although I thought druids wouldn''t want to "harm" a tree, whatever, I''m sure they saw the value of a base like this," Tristan ran his hand over the ancient bark.

    "Staircase...how��" Ren stammered, still gawking at the size of the tree, albeit with a new perspective.

    "Remember what I said about getting into shape? Well, looks like we have the perfect catalyst for that," Tristan gave him a smug smile.

    Before he could respond, Tristan vanished into thin air, leaving a trail of abyssal mana vaguely in the shape of himself.

    "I''ll meet you up there, good luck," Tristan''s disembodied voice taunted him.

    The small lumps of ck mana fell onto the ground like snowkes, dissipating as they met the rich soil. It took him a minute to process what he saw, but it was undeniably "teleportation magic"--specifically a type pertaining to dark magic. He caught a nce of it when studying magic, but it was far beyond the level of beginner spells.

    "That bastard...I thought he was warming up to me then he pulled this��" Ren clenched his fist.

    Then, he got an idea. One he considered to almost be foolproof.

    "If I just stay down here, he''ll be forced toe get me. Besides, there is a party, right? What''s a party without the guest of honor?" Ren smugly smiled, shrugging his shoulders before sitting himself down on the firm ground.

    It was a childish resolve if it would even be called as such. Tantamount to a child refusing to get up from their seat after being scolded by their parents, this was the peak of Ren''s own resolve. Even if this n failed, his excuse was that at least it bought him the necessary time to rest up for the stairway to heaven awaiting him.

    The tall grass bordering him periodically rustled, as if something--or a lot of things, were circling him. Hested a good five minutes before running into the hollow entrance of the tree to escape the feeling of being watched by whatever predatorsid in wait.

    Looking up--the staircase made of natural wood, carved from the tree''s innards spiraled along the daunting walls. The summit of the herculean-level staircase reached lengths that made it impossible to truly grasp the true height, only seeing a glimmer of light peeking far above.

    "Get in shape, huh?" Ren let out a nervous chuckle as he gazed high.

    He grabbed the metal te covering his torso, nning to shed his armor to lighten his load--stopping himself before doing so.

    "If I want to live, then I have to fight. That''s what you told me, right?" Ren muttered to himself, remembering those recent words spoken to him, "I guess that doesn''t apply only to killing goblins, does it?"

    This was a test--not to prove himself to Tristan, Beatrice, or anyone else for that matter. Nobody was watching, this feat would go unseen and the only one who could enforce this discipline upon himself was--him.

    Taking a long breath, letting the natural air resonating from the great tree fill his lungs, he slowly let it out before he began to traverse the steps.

 Chapter 47 - The Great Climb

    Before no more than ten minutes had passed, he found himself high enough to experience a looming breeze brush against his body. Just once nce down made his legs tingle, his palms perspiring as he saw the depths already below him. There were no railings to protect him from a misstep or a powerful gust of wind--and that fact kept him wide awake as he carefully ced each step in front of thest.

    Left leg, right leg, left leg, right leg--this process was all that filled his mind. The armor felt as if he was carrying a boulder on his back, trying the best he could to maintain his bnce as his head became dizzy.

    With his next step, his foot slid, causing him to fall down against the timber steps. He didn''t even have the strength to move anymore, feelingfort resting on the prickly wooden stairs as his eyelids became encumbered with the thought of sleep.

    However, the world of dreams isn''t what awaited him as he suddenly opened his eyes--feeling as if a spark just set off inside of him. That''s when he noticed the sensation flowing through his body, traveling through his veins like a river of vitality.

    "The...tree?" He asked himself quietly.

    It bore the same vague sensation of mana, but it was different--something more gentle,cking the tainted touch of sin. He felt connected with the tree, feeling the air soothingly vibrate around him as if it was trying to revive his tired body.

    In this connection, he sensed something familiar--it was hard to put into words, but he knew--

    "...Meinhard��" He looked at the wooden step just below his eyes.

    Ren slid the ck glove off of his hand, pressing his palm against the wood. That same familiar sense resonated against his palm as he smiled warmly.

    "Even now...you''re still supporting me," Ren ran his hand across the step.

    Strength returned to his body, every pore filling with the vitality gifted to him by the tree''s essence. He got back up, picking his new resolved body up and leaving his defeated self behind.

    Now it felt as if every step he took was being guided, he no longer feared the heights he traversed--he had full trust in the evergreen colossus.

    "...Just another," Ren paused to look up,"a hundred stories to go."

    Each step taken echoed throughout the cylinder of grandeur nature, creaking beneath his step as he kept his eyes forward on the path ahead. His throat parched and his stomach yearning for fulfillment, he marched up each step, grazing his boots against the ancient crafted steps.

    Time returned to being but a concept for him during his journey up the tower of stairs.

    Left foot. Right foot. It was the first thing you learn to do as a bipedal creature, and he was truly embracing that fundamental concept.

    Like how the devout religious gave their thanks to God via "Ten-thousand punches" a day, he used this mandatory journey as his own gift to God, if he had to do it anyways, might as well earn some points up there above the clouds.

    "Speaking of clouds��" Ren muttered to himself, his voiceing out hoarse from his dehydration.

    As he raised his foot and lowered it once more, he was free from the bounds of the evergreen. The fresh air of the high-altitude greeted him with a brisk cold, soothing his heated body from the extensive cardio.

    He stopped for a moment upon reaching the top, standing on the tform of colossus leaves as he watched the night sky glimmer with the graceful beauty of stars. Extending his arms to the side, he inhaled as much air as his exasperated lungs could handle--

    "AHHHHH---!!!"

    Everything he had, he returned to the open airs--waking the sleeping valley of beasts with a roar of victory. His own ears rang from his roar, feeling his veins press against his skin. Holding the yell, his head soon went light as if his consciousness was caressed by a cloud, falling back against the stiff green.

    "I did it, Meinhard. I''m pretty awesome sometimes, aren''t I?" Ren chuckled to himself.

    He imagined Meinhard would reply with something along the lines of "Only because I helped," while looking at him with those smug emerald jewels that were his irises.

    "Are you alright?"

    A feminine voice suddenly asked. The voice was too gentle and full of concern to belong to Beatrice. As he looked up--the girl was standing over him with both a confused and concerned look on her face. Face to face with a girl like this on a starry night, hisplexion quickly shifted to something more akin to a tomato as his cheeks heated up.

    "Gah!" He quickly sat up.

    The girl once again looked at him with concern, this time she probably thought he was insane.

    "You''re Ren, aren''t you?" She asked, sitting down in front of him on her knees.

    Now that he could see her properly, he couldn''t believe the fact that he was even talking to a girl this cute. She had innocent azure eyes that radiated with kindness, and a nose as cute as a button. Even as otherworldly as her waist-length cerulean hair should be, it looked natural on her, illuminated every so subtly under the serene moonlight. It looked both fluffy and silky, bouncing with each movement of her head.

    "Hello?" She asked as the boy was left in a trance.

    She leaned closer to make sure he wasn''t spacing out, tapping his forehead. This only caused his pink blush to shift into a dark red as he felt his body run over with warmth from her minuscule touch.

    "Y...yeah, I''m Ren," He nodded his head, coughing into his hand topose himself.

    "Well, nice to meet you, I''m Iris--oh, I''m one of the Ounders," She smiled.

    The girl extended her hand towards him, which he didn''t hesitate to ept. Her skin was as soft and smooth as a baby''s own, which he deduced meant she somehow had ess to lotion in this world or there is the existence of vanity magic.

    "Yeah, nice to meet you too," His blush persisted.

    As she stood back up, she adjusted her silken blue skirt before crossing her arms, likely to retain her warmth against the cool night. The outfit she wore definitely didn''t seem viable for cold weather--pristine robes of silver with blue designs etched into the seemingly soft fabric that gave her an air of nobility. Her white boots seemed like a bad idea to wear in a forestposed almost entirely of mud as the catalyst for walking, yet they were without a single blemish.

    However, the clothes she wore yed no part in her natural beauty. Despite the luxurious fabric she wore, any unapproachable regality she held fell to null upon once looking at her kind eyes. It was hard to believe a girl like this existed in a cruel world. One look at her and he was helplessly bewitched.

    "Tristan made you climb the tree, didn''t he?" Iris asked, putting her hands on her hips.

    "Mhm��" Ren nodded his head.

    "He can be a real jerk sometimes. He''s done that to every new Ounder who came after him," Iris shook her head while letting out a sigh.

    She looked at him for a moment, he wasn''t exactly a sight for sore eyes--covered in dirt and sweat from his extensive journey up the tree.

    "Well, it''s not as if he does it just to mess with you. Although, I imagine that''s part of it," Iris ced her hands behind her back.

    "What do you mean?"

    "The climbing of the heavenly ascending staircase, there is a purpose for it," She told him.

    "Besides being wildly inefficient?" Ren joked.

    "Yes, besides that. For people not of this world--like us, the journey up the tree sort of...synergizes us with the world. It sounds weird, doesn''t it��" Irises frowned, noticing Ren''s questioning gaze.

    Her almostically cute frown erased any cynicism he had, attacking him directly in his weak-to-cuteness heart.

    "No, it''s not that! I totally get it. I felt something like that myself when I was climbing up the tree. It was sort of like...the tree wanted to help me, it guided each of my steps and retained my strength. Honestly, I think I would''ve died without its help," Ren exined, looking at the palm of his hand.

    He opened his mouth in an effort to tell her about how he felt Meinhard''s presence within the tree--but social ineptitude aside, he didn''t want to make himself seem any weirder than he already was. Looking back up at her, her nose was scrunched as if she had just smelt something terrible.

    "Not to be rude, but you should probably head in and take a bath..." She suddenly said, giving him a concerned look.

    She was trying to put it as nicely as possible, but it still stung. It''s not like she was wrong though, between spending the day in the humid forest, then in a cavern full of goblins and their "loot", finally followed by an egregiously long stair climb, all while wearing basic armor--he definitely was ready for a bath himself.

    "Urr, I don''t even know where the bath is," Ren stood up.

    "I''ll show you,e on," Iris smiled, gesturing for him to follow as she began to make her way towards the front door.

    As soon as she turned her back, he raised his arm to check the state of his body odor--

    --Deathly.

    Now that he was no longer experiencing the Grandfather tree''s support, his body felt as if it was made out of pure lead, lumbering behind the kind girl. As soon as he entered the front door, he was met face to face with Sora, who looked as if he just got out of the bath himself with his drenched red hair drooping down over his face.

 Chapter 48 - Im Here

    "He made you do the tree climb, huh? I told him you weren''t ready, but I guess I was wrong," Sora smiled, pping Ren on the back.

    The yful p nearly caused Ren to fall over and embrace the unconsciousness his body yearned for, but he persevered--the thought of looking any more pathetic than he did in front of a cute girl like Iris was the only thing stopping him from dropping.

    "Yeah...well, maybe you were right. I''m dying over here," Ren yawned, following behind Iris.

    Sora continued to massage the towel he was holding into his wet hair, getting droplets of water all over the wooden floor below.

    "Where are you two going?" Sora asked with a sly smile.

    "What''s that look for? It''s kind of creepy. I''m just showing him to the bath," Iris'' expression was as if she was on guard.

    "You don''t want to know what he''s thinking. As a guy, trust me on this one," Ren sighed.

    Iris shuffled before she began to climb the spiral staircase leading to the second story of the house, turning back only to see Ren still standing at the bottom with a nk expression on his face.

    "Are you okay��?" Iris asked.

    "Are war veterans okay after hearing fireworks?" Ren answered with no emotion to his voice, staring nkly at the stairs in front of him.

    After some coaxing, she managed to get the reluctant Ren up the staircase, watching as he dragged himself over each step like a pouting child. As he remembered, the second floor was rather bare in what it held, seemingly just containing all of the Ounder''s rooms and apparently a bath. She led him to a simple, yet pleasing-looking yellow door with silver flowers decorating the threshold of the door.

    "Um, well, you''ll be fine from here, I think," Iris nodded her head before hurrying off.

    "Wait--" He stopped her.

    "...yeah?" Iris stopped, fiddling with her soft hair.

    "Thanks," He scratched his head, looking down to hide his rosy cheeks.

    "Mhm," She nodded her head before leaving down the stairs.

    It was endearing and also extremely cute to him how shy she seemed to be--almost matching his own. He enters the bathroom, stepping into the pristine marble floor as it squeaked under his step. It almost felt like a sin to drag his dirt-covered boots over the shiny floor, but it had to be done. He undid the straps holding the metal tes of armor to his leather, letting it fall to the ground before peeling his clothes off, clinging to his skin from the solidified sweat.

    "That''s...gross," He scrunched his nose, pushing his clothes into a pile.

    Now he was ready for a bath, or so he thought--the problem is, this wasn''t the era he was used to being in.

    "That''s right...these are medieval times, so how the hell do baths work?" Ren muttered to himself, scoping around the tub.

    A silver nozzle embroidered with a circr array of blue gems sat in the position that a usual modern bath would have--so he tapped it. The gems lit up before a stream of water began to fill the tub.

    "Hold on--magic tubs? I can''t tell if that''s amazing or a waste of magical ingenuity," Ren watched the water flow into the porcin tub.

    The water filled to the perfect amount before stopping on its own, and upon slipping himself into the water--it was the exact temperature he desired.

    "I have my answer: amazing," Ren closed his eyes, rxing in the soothing water.

    As someone who never worked a day in his life, for the first time, he finally felt like he deserved this rxation. He stretched his legs out, resting them on the edge of the tub as he allowed the gentle water to massage his restless pores.

    Finally allowing himself to truly rx, his muscles burned and ached, yet it was a feeling of growth, telling him that he pushed himself past his limit and into a new horizon.

    "Meinhard, I met a pretty cute girl today," Ren kept his eyes closed with a smile.

    After waking up from an unintended nap, he finished his time in the bath. There was just one small problem. There was a distinctck of cloth sitting in the bathroom, besides his reeking leather armor.

    "I forgot to grab a fresh set of clothes--!" Ren yelled out.

    There was no way he was putting his dirty armor back on--especially with how blissful his skin felt, it would be like getting a new white tuxedo stained with mud. Peeking the bathroom door open to just a slit--he scanned the hallway--empty.

    He estimated the distance between the bathroom and his room to be roughly five meters, not a straight shot, but not too far.

    --Am I ashamed of my prized sword being seen? Yes, but that''s not the point! If I get seen with my dangly bits out on disy, they''ll never live it down. The dudes willugh at me and the girls will think I''m a total creep!

    Watching countless hours of spy movies wasn''t for naught. This was the exact situation it had all been for--to save his social life in this new world.

    No footsteps: check. Nobody in sight: check. The coast was clear and so was his resolve.

    --The day wille when a girl sees it, but that day is not today! It''s totally not an excuse for my own terrible social skills--but I''m saving myself for the right girl!

    Conjuring the concept of a bolt of lightning and the spirit animal of a cheetah, he dashed forward in all of his natural glory.

    ''Gah--!"

    An unforeseen oue. A miscalction. He forgot how dreadfully burnt out the muscles in his legs were, even the slightest strain seemed to cause his calves to cramp up as punishment for his own human limitations.

    Thud. Thud. Thud.

    The sound of sudden footsteps rang through his eardrums, causing his body not to be coiled in just bathwater, but sweat as well. He could feel each step echo through his body,ing from the staircase. By the weight of the steps, it definitely wasn''t a man, or at least not one he knew.

    "Move!" He gritted his teeth,manding his own body to push forward.

    He was no more than a meter from his door, yet his legs had already given up on this battle. Naked and temporarily crippled on the floor--to say it was an unsavory sight would be underselling it. As the steps drew closer, the enigmatic thuds were more menacing than anything he had faced that day--he threw his arm up in desperation. His fingertips brushed against the door handle, so close, yet so far.

    "Come on---!"

    With onest push, he turned the handle, falling into his room, and quickly mming the door with his foot. Victory--a clear, hard-fought win. After contemting his "near-death" experience, he got dressed, sliding a long-sleeved ck tunic over his body before pulling a pair of tan trousers up his legs.

    He was about to drop onto his bed and relieve himself to the night--

    Growl.

    His stomach was against that idea. All he had eaten that entire day was a piece of bread, and by the appearance of this mansion--it definitely wasn''t frugal around there. He massages his sore legs before setting out towards the kitchen, wherever it may be.

    "Seriously, why is every house so damn huge in this world?" Ren muttered to himself.

    Back to the lounge area, there were at least a dozen doors all around him, with no apparent signs that told of their use.

    "Looking for something to eat?"

    He turned to find the voice, seeing an obviously tired Sora yawning as the muscr man made his way down the stairs.

    "Yeah...that white-haired bastard only gave me a piece of bread. Seriously--after that much physical activity, how many calories do you think I burned? I''m going to die over here," Ren whined, shrugging his shoulders.

    "I see. Well, Tristan has his own way of doing things but he''s not a bad person," Sora stretched his arms, gesturing for Ren to follow him.

    "Are you sure? Sometimes I felt like that guy was really going to let me die out there," Ren shuddered, reminiscing the fight against the wolf.

    Pushing open the door adjacent to the firece and table holding an expensive-looking vase, the two entered the kitchen. Somehow, it surpassed even Althaus'' needlesslyrge kitchen, mostly due to how streamlined it was--containing the dinner table, pantry, and all of the materials that actually assisted with cooking.

    "Look, Tristan knows better than anyone how messed up this world can be. Being weak, or even average doesn''t really do you any favors here. He wants you to be strong, and he doesn''t like to waste any time reaching that goal, because to him, the longer you stay weak, the higher risk you''re at," Sora opened the pantry door slowly as it let out a drawn-out creak.

    "I guess that makes sense��" Ren sat on the stool next to the marble table.

    "Yeah, well, he did that crap to all of us, so don''t feel too bad about it, " Sora scavenged through the pantry before finding something, "Catch!"

    Ren barely reacted in time as he caught whatever the crimson-haired man tossed towards him. It felt squishy--a piece of meat of some kind clearly smoked to retain freshness.

    "What is this?" Ren asked, sniffing the piece of meat, getting a whiff of the spices that were seasoning it.

    "Wyvern thigh," Sora answered while chewing, taking anotherrge bite of his own piece.

    "You mean wyvern as like...the type of dragons?"

    "You bet. Hunted this one myself. It was pretty damn cool, I threw my trusty Murugan into the clouds, and down came the wyvern. I felt like some type of greek hero," Sora boasted with a smile.

    "Murugan?"

    Ren nibbled at the meat, testing the texture before taking arge bite. To his surprise, it was quite easy to chew and juicy. The quality was befitting for a mythical creature, as weird as it felt to use it as a source of good.

    "Yeah, my spear. You saw me take down that dragoon knight with it, remember?" Sora sat himself down on the stool across from Ren.

    He looked up to the ceiling as if conjuring those recent memories to the forefront of his mind. It was crazy to him that he didn''t immediately remember such a wild memory, but with all that''s happened, it wasn''t exactly special.

    "Oh right, yeah I remember that," Ren answered, "Hey, Sora?"

    "Yeah?" Sora responded, particles of food spraying out of his mouth as he talked with his mouth full.

    "Do you think I can actually be strong? Like you?" Ren asked, looking down at the table.

    "Hmm. I don''t know about bing strong like "me"," Soraughed.

    The man quickly realized how his joke sounded, pping his chest to force the food to travel down the tunnel to his stomach.

    "I mean--don''t limit yourself, you know? There are different ways to be "strong". I just swing my weapons around like a brute, a powerful and handsome brute--but still, I can tell you my own shorings," Sora told him with a reassuring smile.

    "Like what? You''re strong, muscr, handsome--wait, urr, I mean--you''re strong." Ren coughed into his hand.

    "Well, for starters, when ites to magic, all I can do is destroy. Even for a destructive affinity like fire, all I can do with it is hurt others, " Sora''s smile reeked of mncholy, "this world has a cruel way of dishing out your destiny, you know? It can give you all of the raw power you could hope for, but kiss your chances of protecting those you care about goodbye."

    Ren picked at his lukewarm piece of meat as he listened to Sora''s words. It seemed to him like the man was speaking out of experience, the look in his eyes was pained despite his constant smile.

    "Isn''t raw power enough to protect your loved ones?" Ren asked quietly.

    "You''d think, Ren, you would think. Sometimes someone with even more strength will show up, and in situations like that, you need something else. Heart? Luck? Maybe that''s enough to pull through sometimes, but I''ll tell you what I needed: "healing magic". Something so simple, yetpletely out of reach for me," Sora''s crystalline mirrors quivered as he reminisced.

    He was terrible at handling situations like this. Sora was a pir of hope for him, and to see him brought down by the same demons that gue everyone--it was saddening even for him.

    "Do you, um, want to talk about it?" Ren asked, not knowing if he wanted to push the topic even further.

    "...Nah, I''m here to help you out right now, not vice versa, bud!" Soraughed cheerfully, sheltering the brief glimpse of sadness away from the boy.

    "That''s the problem��" Ren clenched his fists.

    Sora grabbed an apple from the counter, biting into it as he raised an eyebrow at Ren, who seemed visibly upset by his words.

    "I want to be able to help you to. All of you. As I am right now...I''m just the one being protected. I''ve seen what happens when others try to shelter me, I don''t want that to happen ever again," Ren felt his eyelids flicker as tears sat at the precipice of release.

    "You''re that desperate to get strong?" Sora narrowed his gaze.

    "Desperate? It''s like you said--this world won''t wait for me to stop being weak. I think Tristan had the right idea."

    "Then how about this--Tristan and I will train you together, well, we''ll alternate sessions. I''m warning you though if you really want this, you better give it your all. I''m not going to be your "friend" while I''m training you--and neither is Tristan, as you might already have guessed," Sora took arge, intimidating bite out of his emerald apple.

    The mood had changed, stemming from Sora''s shift in demeanor. That boundless positivity was now reced by a stern, unforgiving stare. It was as if Ren''s own words sparked the embers within the man, a mutually beneficial deal.

    "Of course--I''ll give it everything I have!" Ren responded in vibrant affirmation.

    "Good. Training starts tomorrow morning then. Go get some sleep, you''re going to need it," Sora smirked.

    That type of smile only sent fear into the deepest depths of his being--it was a scary sight to see that your teacher was "excited" to help you learn. He didn''t take the boisterous man for a sadist, but then again, it seemed everything he knew was always being flipped on its head.

    His determination outweighed his fearful prospects of what would follow the next morning, carrying him to his room as he got some much-needed shut-eye, now with a full stomach.

    When the curtains withholding the light of day drew once more, it marked a change in my life. I took charge for once, I met hardship head-on. I stopped being "Ren Nakamura, the drain on society, the loser, the degenerate" and became "Ren Nakamura". I owned who I was for a change.

    I didn''t hide behind my own shame, sheltering my own existence in fear of ridicule, in fear of those judgmental gazes that scorned every choice I had made in my life. It was hard, but I molded myself into somebody the old me would look up to.

    It wasn''t just tangible strength-- adversity had empowered me. Guilt had pushed me forward without letting me look back. Despair reminded me of my own weakness constantly. So now I can finally proim to the world, shout it to the heavens above--

    "I am Ren Nakamura, and this is the real beginning of my new life in another world."

 Chapter 49 - Epilogue: A Talk Under The Grace Of The Moon

    The night that followed his victory against the goblins and the climb of the colossal tree, Beatrice sat in her quarters as she always did, holding a faux smile that failed to hide the somber look in her nebulous eyes.

    Looking down upon the spherical object sat on the table, she caressed it as if it were someone she held dear. The unaging sage fit right into her gloomy chambers, which held nothing of light or joy, only illuminated by the moonlight that had peeked through the curtains, split by the many branches of the ancient tree.

    "Tell me, Mer, what do you think of our newpanion? He is frail of heart as of now, but that will change with the tides of his inevitable destiny. I can see it behind the mirrors to his soul...More than even Sora or Sirius, that boy holds deep within him a boundless arrogance, one such thates without a facade."

    Her voice carried with it a feminine eloquence, running her supple, pale digits across the smooth surface of the foggy orb.

    In response to her softly spoken question, the orb blinked a few times with a gentle illumination, manifesting a slightly wider smile from the woman.

    "In all of my years in this world, amassing such wisdom that even the grandest libraries can''t hold a candle to...Even I can''t predict what innate ability will sprout from one. Though, I saw a glimpse of it in his eyes as he so brashly yelled at me," Beatrice smiled a bit, twiddling strands of her tinum locks around her slender finger as she spoke to the orb.

    "Oh, wake up already, would you?"

    Beatrice let out a small breath before flicking the solid orb, causing the blinking light to take on a constant radiance.

    "--Sheesh, can''t a guy get some rest?"

    A masculine voice echoed from the depths of the mysterious orb, his words carried by a drowsy yawn, garnering a smile from the woman.

    "You and I both know you don''t need to sleep."

    Beatrice rested her cheek against the palm of her hand as she spoke, keeping her somber, opalescent gaze on the sentient sphere.

    "Well, when you have an infinite amount of time to do absolutely nothing, sleep is pretty much your only ticket away from madness. I suppose we both share that feeling, no?"

    "If you truly believe I''ve been sitting here doing nothing then I think I''d have every right to begin holding a grudge against you, Mer."

    "Right, right."

    Listening to the yful voice that resonated from the glowing orb, Beatrice chuckled to herself quietly, looking up briefly to gaze at the painting that spanned across the leftmost wall.

    A room of kings, holding a scarlet carpet that met with a gilded throne befit for that of royal blood. Prominently shown in this painting of a throne room was a silver-haired woman, wearing the same obsidian dress with silver frills as the one who looked upon the art. If only for a moment, looking upon the mirror to a past moment conjured a nostalgic look in her eyes, glimmering slightly with a reminiscence.

    "About the new kid��"

    Mer suddenly spoke up, snatching the sage''s attention from the painting as she diligently hid the mellowed look from her eyes.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    "Yeah, him. From the sound of it, that kid experienced something truly awful, didn''t he? Being deceived and beaten like that right when being transported? Sheesh, I''d be surprised if the kid doesn''t have trust issues already."

    "Mhm."

    Her vacant answer left the room silent for a moment before Mer''s voice kicked up again.

    "Bea, tell me something��"

    "What is it?"

    "You didn''t n for this to all happen, did you?"

    "--"

    Beatrice''s eyshes flicked at the question, starting to fiddle with her hair once more. The glow from the talking orb intensified at her silence.

    "...I know you''re a schemer, but Bea...That''s too much. What that boy went through, that type of stuff really sticks to a person. You made an oath that these Ounders wouldn''t be used as pawns, they''re not toys, Bea."

    "I know that! You have a dozen millennia left to live before you can lecture me!"

    As her voice raised unnaturally, the wind hissed, tugging at the curtains, only settling once she took a deep, calming breath into her lungs.

    "--I did it."

    "You did what?"

    Mer quickly responded to her statement with a hesitant question, already knowing the answer but seeking to hear it from her own two lips.

    "If we''re truly to do away with that maddened king, we mustn''t waste any opportunities. Allowing the boy to undergo such trauma was a risk I had to be willing to take. If he caved to the experience, then that would be one thing, but it granted him resolve."

    "Listen to yourself, Bea! A risk you were willing to take? Are you that blind to the feelings of people?"

    "Mel, even you should understand why I did it. As fickle as innate abilities may be, there are ways to somewhat determine how they manifest. If that boy nurtures that lust for strength, a hatred for the argonauts, fueled by his own regret...What will awaken within him will be just what we need."

    Finishing her exnation, the woman of ethereal beauty snapped her fingers, conjuring into existence a porcin tea kettle along with a cup. Mel fell silent as he watched her fill her cup with elegant grace, lifting it to her soft, pink lips and taking in a long sip.

    "--I believe it is time to call it a night."

    "--"

    No response came from the voice within the sphere as Beatrice looked at it with a stoic expression. The light diminished within the orb as Beatrice gently ced it on a cushion beside her bed,ying herself down as she watched the curtains flutter above her head.

    The feeling of tiredness inevitable with humans was vacant in her, as all she could do was lie there still, only mimicking the actions of a person.

    No matter the cost, I will save Mastorn. If it costs me my life, I will pay that price without argument. If it costs the lives of mypanions, I will swallow my emotions.

    Mastorn is as my child, watching it as it came into conception, growing from but a single man''s aspirations into the titan of hope it is now for humanity.

    But my child has been led astray but the false influences of that man, and for that, he must be condemned. That day wille soon and when it does, I will once again watch over you.

    Laying in his bed, staring sleeplessly at the wooden ceiling as he visualized the many symbols the grooves formed, Ren''s tireless mind wandered off to corners he seldom wanted to visit.

    In all of the madness that transpired, his thoughts were dragged away from the homesickness he found himself in. It was all so different, every inch of this room, this world, it was nothing like the home he knew for his eighteen years of life.

    It became maddening in this moment of fragility how much he missed it all.

    --Mom, Dad...Even that stupid cat, Gira...I couldn''t even say goodbye. Just once more, to see you all again, to properly part ways, to apologize for such a bad son I was...I would pay anything.

    Burying his face against the pillow, even the scent of it became jarring inparison to the smell that attached itself to his own pillowcases. The softness of the bedcovers, the warmth of the nket, he felt as if he had been exiled across the universe.

    As I slept that night, I could feel my fingers interlocking with another person''s own. I knew this wasn''t something happening outside of my dreams or within them, but it existed in some fashion. The slender fingers were unmistakably belonging to a woman, her hand granting no warmth to my skin but a warmth to my heart as I slept infort from this enigmatic disy offort.

    It''s hard to say how I knew this, but I am certain this unknown girl wasn''t Iris or anyone else I knew by name for that matter--yet her presence felt so familiar.

 Chapter 50 - Interlude : Man, Knight, And God

    The paramount of Mastorn, inhabiting the core of the capital itself, the abode of the king himself--the Almighty Keep.

    Stepping through the gilded hall, passing by guards decorated in illustrious armor of tinum and azure, the man of a slim build ran his fingers through hisbed-over, jet-ck hair before stopping in front of the massive, divine doors.

    "Halt."

    Protecting said door, two colossal knights standing head and shoulders above thenky man blocked his path with their hulking bodies d in heavy armor.

    "How many times have we been through this? You know who I am; let me pass."

    The man hardly fit the bill of someone who leisurely strolled through such a ce of high-power, fit in a ck suit with a scarlet cape hanging from his shoulders. He stood out like a sore thumb, his somber attire standing in contrast to the radiant holiness of the keep.

    "No chances will be taken; it is our duty to protect the king."

    The leftmost knight spoke through the obscuring visor of his helmet, stepping closer to the darkly-dressed, magenta-eyed man, standing over him.

    "If I recall, it''s the King''s des that protect him. It seems to me your duty is to stand in front of this door."

    "Silence, Argonaut."

    "Oh, did I hit a nerve? My apologies, I meant no offense."

    The man spoke with a sly smile that clearly enjoyed provoking the towering knight, patting his hand d in a silky, white glove against the iron breastte of the knight.

    "Remove your hand before I remove it from your body."

    "Oh? I''d like to see you try."

    Brought face-to-face, the two men of vastly different builds emitted a hostile aura before a hand met the slim man''s shoulder, breaking the tension within an instant.

    "That''s enough, Rnd."

    Hearing his name called by the voice familiar to him, the man dressed in ck eased himself, turning to face the figure standing behind him.

    It was aplete contrast to the man of magenta eyes; standing slightly taller than him with somewhat shaggy, golden locks with fringes that stopped just shy of his own livid, gentle eyes that halted any urge to fight. Unlike the more business-like attire Rnd wore, the man took on a more noble approach himself, wearing a pearlescent-white frock coat with breeches to match, keeping a sheathed sword with gilded-steel decorating its hilt.

    "--Sir Charlemagne!"

    Both of the towering knights were exasperated at the sight of the man who exuded an air of nobility around him.

    "None of that," Charlemagneughed gently, "Forgive mypanion here, he iscking in proper etiquette."

    "This Argonaut is with you?"

    "That''s right; a dearrade, in fact."

    Silence fell upon the guardians of the heavyset doors after clearly falling short of a good impression on the man of power.

    "Is there a problem?"

    Charlemagne asked the two of them with his calm smile still present, invoking an almost flustered reaction from the two guardians as they quickly stepped to the side, each pressing their gauntlets against the dense gates before parting them to reveal the room they guarded.

    "Apologies, Sir Charlemagne. Right this way."

    The golden-haired man gave the two guards a simple nod before strolling inside the room awaiting with Rnd following close behind him.

    Stepping into the exuberant, far-stretching throne room, held high by marble pirs carved into the form of lions, knights, and dragons--the air within the royal chamber was different from any other. It was a singr breath away from divinity, the history of the kingdom that represented the pinnacle of humanity flowed through the radiant winds, all of which found its core at the throne that sat at the paramount of this ever-present regality.

    It was formed of a steel that could be nothing sort of mystical; translucent and opalescent, the subtlest rays of light shining through it like a kaleidoscope. Filling this tall, imposing seat of kings was a figure engrossed in the documents he held.

    The quantity of stationed knights had lowered within this hall of grace, but it was a far cry to say it was any less protected--undoubtedly, the throne room was protected by the most capable hands in the entire kingdom. As Charlemagne strolled through thisvish chamber, his snow-white boots pelting against the pristine floor as his cape fluttered behind him, he felt the watchful eyes of the King''s des--the direct guardians of the ruler himself, watch him carefully.

    --Many within the kingdom consider the King''s des to merely be glorified watchmen; decorated in their opalescent armor, etched to represent the scales of the great dragon--but that is only ignorance. They are both the sword and shield of the King, the most talented and powerful knights throughout the kingdom.

    The King has no shortage of enemies; yet none have evere close to relieving him of his rule.

    Charlemagne stopped before the steps that led to the throne itself, kneeling himself down to one knee, looking back at Rnd--giving him a brief, scalding look to usher the man to kneel as well.

    "My liege."

    Asking for the attention of the silver-haired king, Charlemagne kept his head lowered as the ruler of Mastorn lowered the paper from his eyes, looking up with the pristine emeralds that upied his eye sockets.

    "Raise your head, Charlemagne, I will not have one of divine blood prostrate themselves before me."

    "...My divine ancestry gives me no right to ignore such formalities, my king. I left behind such blood when I aided Mastorn against those fiends."

    In response to the King''s quiet, calm words, Charlemagne politely protested them while keeping his hand pressed against the cold, marble floor.

    "Fiends or not; the gods are of your blood. I will not admonish you for such heritage when you''ve more than proved your loyalties to humanity, Charlemagne. Now stand."

    "Yes, my king."

    Heeding the King''s words, Charlemagne rose from his knelt position along with Rnd, looking upon the crown-wearing ruler.

    "Now, what do I owe the honor of this visit to?"

    With his elbow propped up against the arm of the exuberant throne, the King rested his chin against his knuckles as his eyes rested on the two visitors.

    "Is it so hard to believe I am merely checking on my King?"

    Charlemagne gave the taut ruler a light-hearted chuckle, the watchful king not reciprocating the same joyful emission.

    "...To tell you the truth, some strange, awful rumors have met my ears ofte."

    The frivolous tone in the blonde noble''s voice quickly dissipated, dropping to a serious low as his words caught the undivided attention of the gilded ruler.

    "And what are these "rumors" you''ve heard about, Charlemagne?"

    "I suppose I''ll start with the foremost significant piece I''ve heard. Rnd, give it to me."

    Charlemagne extended his hand without looking back towards hispanion, waiting as the ck-haired argonaut reached under his zer, retrieving an obsidian cube and carefully cing it atop the man''s gloved palm.

    Holding the enigmatic object, Charlemagne raised it into the air to give the curious king a better look at the dark cube.

    "And what is that?"

    "You''ll have to swear to me you won''t reprimand me if I tell you."

    "...Quite the headstrong move, demanding a king to swear to you...Interesting. I swear it, Charlemagne--the "Divine Hand" of Mastorn."

    A grin was brought upon the king''s previous stoic expression as his interest was clearly piqued by the existence of this cube.

    "After I heard of the assault on the Althaus estate, I had Rnd do a bit of a search himself. This was found within the passed lord''s quarters."

    "Nonsense. Rouge swept that manor clean."

    "Not quite; you see, Rnd found this object by mere luck. It was hidden away by means of some very crafty usage of light magic, refracting the light to obscure the existence of this cube. Now...I wonder why Althaus tried so hard to hide such a thing?"

    Holding the cube up between his index finger and thumb, Charlemagne held a triumphant, pleased smile as he held the object to the rays of light that dipped through the stained, multi-colored ss. The king''s eyes widened as he witnessed an odd, seemingly insignificant phenomena--before the light could reach the cube, it seemed to halt just shy of its form.

    "What is this object? You know, don''t you? Tell me."

    "...I have an idea."

    Responding slyly to the king, Charlemagne grasped the cube within his fist, meeting eye to eye with the verdant gaze of the hasty ruler.

    "Tell me."

    "I believe it is one of the keys to that, Held. The sensation from it; unmistakeable, isn''t it? There is no doubt in my mind, this is something straight out of Belmon."

    At the mention of that final name, King Held gripped the arms of his throne with an expression that flushed over with a mix of emotions, "Why would Stefan Althaus possess such an object?"

    "Simple. He was a curious man, an entric, no doubt. A collector of artifacts--but this? He wants to keep it from falling into the wrong hands."

    "...Turn it over at once. That is an order--an order from your king, Charlemagne."

    Something about the cube drew forth an overwhelming avarice from the king, who extended his hand in want of the obsidian object.

    "I will have no problem doing so, as long as it is a fair exchange."

    Charlemagne held a sly smile as he ran his fingers through his golden locks, flipping the cube over his hand before catching it swiftly as if teasing the king with it.

    "...What do you want?"

    "It''s simple really; I''d like to be officially appointed a knight."

    "That''s all��?"

    "That''s it."

    The request perplexed the king for a moment as he stroked his silver beard between his ring-bearing fingers for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

    "We will arrange for this next--"

    "I''d like it now."

    Charlemagne insisted, interrupting the king without any hesitance to halt his tone. Even Rnd felt a cold breeze run up his spine from the brazzen of hispanion.

    "I don''t understand why you''d want such a thing but...It''s done," King Held turned to face the exuberantly armored knight standing guard beside him, "Leeroy, give me your de."

    Nodding inpliance, the King''s de unsheathed his intricately-designed longsword, kneeling down to present it to the king who slowly stood himself from his precious throne.

    Looking around, even though Rnd couldn''t see their eyes behind their decorated helmets, he could feel their gazes leave a still air in the room--likely out of spite of such an uncustomary knighting ceremony.

    King Held wore a set of silver and azure robes that reached down to his ankles, trailing behind him as he began to slowly take his steps down the t stairs. Whether it was for further protection or decoration, the ruler wore a half-set of cobalt armor, engraved with gold over his breastte.

    Each step echoed throughout the silent, vast marble room,manding all attention on the hastily-formed ceremony.

    "Kneel."

    The kingmanded softly; Charlemagne didn''t hesitate to drop himself onto one knee before lowering his head.

    "Of strife, loyalty, and strength; the stars watch over three with their watchful gazes, the world shares your breath, and the people, your dreams. Do you, Charlemagne, take on these aspirations, etching them both into your de, body, and soul?"

    Beseeching the ceremonial words onto the divinely-dressed, knelt man, King Held pointed the de towards the sky, facing the stained ss that upied the ceiling; staring back down upon them with its nebulous disy.

    "I do; from now until the day I draw myst breath, my de, body, and soul will belong to Mastorn."

    Following the soft, resolved words from the man of divine blood, the king slowly brought the de down, cing it against thevish fabric of Charlemagne''s coat.

    "The next time you stand, your past sins will be forgotten, failures of old will be lost to this honor, you will rise to your own two feet as a new man; blood of iron, eyes of stars, and the will of mountains--that is a knight of Mastorn. Rise, Sir Charlemagne."

    Watching this, Rnd knew well just how Charlemagne felt within--it was an aspiration of his since the day they met, the boy who swung a wooden sword until his arms went numb, his fingers calloused and blistered--yet he never stopped.

    "That''s the difference between him and humans or gods alike. Some see him as a conceited god, some see him as a man who clings to his bloodline as his only im to fame--however, Charlemagne falls separate to those two concepts. He has no ego; I''ve watched him prostrate himself to a ragged-cutthroat just to learn a few tricks of the de from him. The sheer will he possesses is infallible; living all of these years without once his dreams being dulled. In that regard, I don''t hold a candle to him. This was his true calling, I believe he doesn''t see himself as a man or god, but a knight of Mastorn itself--the pinnacle of good within this unjust country. I will follow him until his dreams are seen topletion."

    "How do you feel, Sir Knight?"

    Leaving the premises of the heavily-guarded keep, meeting once again with the brisk, weing sunlight that pierced the azure sea above, Rnd asked teasingly to his newly knightedpanion with a nudge of his elbow.

    "I feel like I''ve finally been born."

    Charlemagne couldn''t hide his wide, trembling smile as he looked down at his own two hands, clenching them shut before taking in a whiff of the fresh air that tugged at his cape.

    "Aren''t we kind of rivals now?"

    "What do you mean?"

    Looking towards his darkly-dressedrade who stuck out like a sore thumb in the daylight, the new knight responded to his question with his own."

    "You know, argonauts and knights are pretty much cats and dogs."

    "Ah, well...I''m not trying to earn Held''s favor like the others."

    "Same here, but the others don''t know that. If anything, I think our special positions will earn a bit of hostility from both knights and argonauts alike."

    Rndmented as he and hispanion began to traverse the mountainous steps that separated the keep from the capital.

    Neighboring each side of the lengthy staircase were perfectly trimmed hedges, some of which took the shape of knights, some of beasts. It was clear as day that Charlemagne carried himself as if he were as light as a feather; bubbling with excitement of his new position.

    "Are you sure about this though?"

    It was a question spoken randomly from Rnd, who tucked his hands into the pockets of his wrinkle-free, jet-ck pants as he ced one foot after another on each step.

    "Giving the cube to the king?"

    "Mm."

    Rnd nodded his head, ncing over at his tedpanion who almost seemed to be tap-dancing as he traversed the stairs.

    "Ah...It is a bit worrisome, isn''t it? I knew it was something he wanted, but the avarice in his eyes was truly unexpected. Though, I am now a knight of Mastorn! My heart and de are for the king!"

    Almost jokingly, Charlemagne ced his fist over his chest, proiming this to the city as his voice dissipated from the sheer distance between himself and the ground floor.

    "So what if he uses it to harm those within the kingdom?"

    The question that came from Rnd left no room for smiles orughs, clearly fishing for an actual answer from his friend.

    "Mm...As a knight, my loyalties are to the king, no doubt. However...An argonaut possesses no such oaths."

    "...Leaving the dirty work to me if the timees, eh?"

    "That''s always how it''s been, hasn''t it?"

    Charlemagne gave Rnd a gleeful chuckle before pping the somber man on the shoulder, hastening his step as the argonaut matched his pace.

    "It''s a vast, impatient world out there; it won''t wait for us to hoddle about."

    "You think the world cares about us? We''re the ones forgotten by the world, Charles."

 Chapter 51 - Prologue - Departure

    The raging mes of ck that emitted from the vtile spears he nted into the creature''s mouth held no mercy towards their own caster, roaring with a heat that began to pull away at his own flesh, turning his pale skin to a bright red, then a charcoal ck. At this point, pain was hardly something he had focused on--only experiencing ecstasy after feeling the raw power of the spell toe, confirming to him that it was capable of ending this monster''s reign of terror.

    His own lips were scorched and torn by the sharp winds generated by the spell''s ferocity, exhibiting a smile to match the monster''s natural ghast. Everyst ounce of mana he could find within his body was forced into the bursting spears, sizzling as they could barely maintain their form with the overflow of magical energy being thrust into them.

    The blood that ran through his veins boiled under the unyielding mes, feeling his own lively essence cook him from the inside, his tongue bubbling up as it boiled all the same.

    As stiff as his arm became, as weak as his body turned at the loss of mana, he continued to hold his hand forward as the relentless mes of his own making ate away at his flesh, giving everything he could to those spears that would rid Iris of her fears. The fact that time seemed to slow itself down to a near halt told him that he had indeed set himself on the path to the afterlife.

    --Is my life going to start shing before my eyes? If so, I''d like to see her smile then. I wish I had the strength or time to turn around and see her--even if I have to see those puffy, tear-filled eyes. Shed some of those tears for me, okay?<novelnext></novelnext>

    The ck spears began to lose their form, releasing an air of dark mana as they heated up in front of his eyes even further, scorching the creature''s tongue before finally, the vtility he wished for manifested itself. An explosion of abyssal mes erupted all within a moment as time resumed for him, engulfing him in his own spell of destruction.

    As he met with the utter destruction he caused, his own vision fell to the same darkness his magic invoked into reality.

    --Ah. I''m dead, aren''t I?

    asionally missing content, please report errors in time.

 Chapter 52 - Fruits Of Training

    --It''s been two months since I managed to convince Sora and Tristan to train me, although it feels like it''s been a year. Myzy, undetermined old self was quite literally beaten away by their ruthless regime. I''m practically out here from dawn till dusk, making up for all of the outside activity I shut myself out from.

    He scorned the gnawing heat that further tortured his exhausted body. All of his wishes yearned for a cool gust of wind to graze his sweat-coated skin. There wasn''t much time to waste wishing for graces by the world as something was headed straight for him.

    "Gh��!"

    He winced at the sudden force brought down atop his head. In hispse of focus, Sora had brought down a wooden sword directly against his skull--it wasn''t the first time, mind you. What especially made this whack painful was the fact Sora managed to hit the same spot over and over again, resulting in him smacking the newly formed welt on his scalp.

    "Get your head in the game!"

    Sora roared out with his booming voice, reaching a decibel count that made his throat rival even high-end amps.

    It was one thing to hear that yell a single time, but over the course of his training, his ears had been abused many times over.

    "Maybe if you stopped beating my damn skull in, I''d be able to focus!"

    Ren retorted, picking up his training sword again. Holding the prickly handle of the timber-made weapon had ill-effects on his hand, giving him splinters and friction burns that ultimately resulted in him developing calluses.

    --As much as I''ve wanted to learn magic, because let''s be honest here--who doesn''t? They''ve insisted on building my "base" first, a.k.a, my body. I have to say, I can''tin with the results though.

    Ack of inte, games, and most importantly--junk-food, all have yed a part in Ren''s recent transformation. He wasn''t exactly "unhealthy" before, but he certainly wasn''t in the shape he desired. Now, being cooped up inside all day yielded no benefits, and even if he wanted to--Sora and Tristan wouldn''t allow it. From morning until noon, they tore him down with brutal physical training. Every day, with only one rest day per week. As a result of this grueling training in preparation for his magical education, he managed to develop the one goal each man has in their lives, no matter how far it may be--"abs".

    The true benefit of this training that wasn''t possible on Earth came in the form of healing magic. Days of rest were required to allow your damaged muscles to repair themselves; growing stronger and more durable. However, with the existence of magic that can repair said muscles, the process of training had been elerated.

    --It isn''t exactly a soothing experience, though. Forcing my body to recuperate unnaturally has its own...painful drawbacks.

    ? An attempt at a vertical swing missed his target, following up with a horizontal sh aimed at Sora''s torso--once again only meeting his weapon.

    -- I''ve even developed a slight tan!. Can''t say I''ve ever had one before. If only I was like this back on Earth...oh man, don''t get me started. Actually, it might just be an averageplexion--but it is an improvement from the deathly pale I was before

    He almost let his focus slip away once more, honing his senses as he countered an iing swing from the bouldering crimson-haired man. Deflecting even a half-assed swing from Sora took every ounce of effort he could give, feeling the impact ring through his body still.

    Keeping his fingers tightly wrapped around the rough handle of the sword as it was battered by his mentor''s strikes was a feat of its own, feeling the harsh wood grate against his sensitive skin.

    "Ha--!"

    Honing his lessons from an endless amount of video games and T.V shows, he aimed for the man''s wide, open chest. The attacknded--not so much as budging the boulder of a man however, as the wooden training sword bounced off Sora''s chest. It would''ve been better for his brittle heart if Sora had just dodged the attack, instead watching his hopes bepletely squashed as the man treated his attack like nothing more than a mosquito bite.

    --This totally breaks the rules of RPGs! How can you have a high DEF stat, high STR, high AGL--even charisma! It just isn''t fair!

    Finding himself scorning the many inequalities of this world, half-jokingly while also feeling it as a reality, Ren nearly found himself hit across the head again before responding with another strike that did absolutely nothing to his mentor.

    "That''s your problem, right there, little bro! It''s more of a "Hyooroah!" than a "Ha!"!"

    Sora drilled into him, waving his de of timber about in the air as he gave less than specific instructions to the exhausted trainee. After giving his exnation that fell t on Ren''s ears, he wore a smug expression as if he had just given sage advice to the young man.

    "I don''t understand your gibberish, that''s the problem!"

    This is how it always went. He was starting to understand why Donatien mocked Sora so often for hisck of brains--the man was a terrible teacher.

    "Hey! These are valuable lessons you should be grateful for!"

    Sora responded as if Ren''s words were a personal attack, squeezing his own fist shut as if fighting against the words that berated his beloved guidance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --He did teach me one thing pertaining to magic, though.

    Ren smirked, swatting some of the sweat off of his bare chest as it pelted against the grass below. He closed his eyes momentarily, calming himself and bringing his concentration to its peak. The flow of mana travelled through his body like freshly pumped blood through his veins.

    "Reinforcement--!"

    Ren announced, opening his sight-enablers again with a heightened resolve.

    --"Reinforcement", the most fundamental aspect of magic. In a sense, it is the most simple, pure usage of magic. Using your own inner mana in its raw form without any elemental affinity, Reinforcement magic adds an intangibleyer of armor across your body while also boosting your physical capabilities.

    "Oh? Looks like you''re finally getting the hang of it, huh?"

    Sora lowered his stance with a confident smirk, awaiting for the reinvigorated recruit mage to make his move.

    "I guess I have some pretty awesome teachers to thank for that--!"

    Ren returned the man''s confident smirk with his own, it was hard not to get giddy when using magic, a concept he found himself entranced by since a young age.

    --There is just one caveat with reinforcement magic: you can''t train it, at least not directly. It is a form of magic thatpletely relies on both the quantity and quality of your mana. So for somebody like me--this reinforcement magic is at the bare minimum.

    In fact, in his boundless curiosity, Ren actually analyzed the difference between his normal capabilities and when he is being amplified by reinforcement magic. Using speed as his initial grounds for testing��his normal speed in a one-hundred meter dash was roughly twenty-five seconds. However, when amplified, he cleared the one-hundred meters in just under ten seconds.

    ��Even if my level of magic is beginner at best, it''s a helluva difference! Also, Meinhard--whenever I die, I''m slugging you for using reinforcement magic against me in our race, dammit!

    "Bring it on...!"

    Ren gritted his teeth, his voice slipping through his lips in a sharp breath. It was an arduous process, learning how to properly swing a sword. After these past couple months though, he felt like a knight in shining armor already.

    Shifting his weight and timing his swing properly, he dragged the wooden weapon down through the air--and a miss.

    "Close but no cigar."

    Sora taunted him. Besides the smug smile wrapped across the linebacker''s lips, the fact that he wasn''t even using any magic only served to infuriate Ren further. Just his natural physicality alone was enough to toy with him, swiftly avoiding the rampant shes, somehow moving hisrge, bulky body as if he was a dancer. After a countless number of fruitless swings, Sora finally countered with a side kick, jabbing his heel into Ren''s side before sending him tumbling.

    "Gah!"

    Ren let out a gasp, followed by a trail of saliva. It was clear as day to him that Sora was a highly-trained fighter as he instinctively seemed to target his weak points without a second thought.

    "You''ve definitely improved, but you''ve got ways to go, my friend, ways to go."

    Sora let out a sigh, running his fingers through his shining crimson locks. There wasn''t a drop of sweat to be seen on the man''s blemish-free skin.

    "Yeah, well, you''re a damn monster--what do you expect from me?"

    Ren retorted, caressing his throbbing side as he winced.

    "Speaking of monsters, your new mentor for phase two of your training just returned today!" Sora smiled wide, his spotless teeth glimmering in the sunlight.

    Ren slowly stood up, still holding his side as he looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. "New mentor"--he didn''t know if he liked the sound of that at all.

 Chapter 53 - Next Level

    "Don''t look too excited. She''s been out on a special quest for a few months, but she''s finally back, I got her in on thisst night! Actually, I think I hear hering now."

    Sora turned to face the sudden rustling of the foliage behind him.

    --"She"?

    The weight of each footstep rumbled the ground, shaking the limbs of the surrounding trees as birds fled through the sky. Just from the sheer weight of each step, he feared what this new mentor might be like--a total giant was all he could expect. He waited in anticipation, feeling his skin cave into his own fear as sweat left his pores.

    "Yo~!"

    A slightly rough but unmistakable female voice called out as the figure became visible, pushing past the maze of green. She was fairly tall, definitely a head taller than him, but still shorter than Sora by a bit. The first thing he noticed was her physique--it would''ve left even the greek gods ashamed of themselves, he clearly counted six, well-defined abs chiselled onto her stomach. She was a booming presence in her own right, especially with her bright, white smile--but there was no way her footsteps should''ve been that loud.

    "Ren, meet Brahmi! Believe it or not, she was a professional MMA fighter in the U.S--that kind of makes the two of us kindred spirits, huh?"

    "I believe it, one-hundred-percent."

    Ren said with a deadpan expression, there wasn''t a doubt in his mind about her being a fighter.

    "So this is our guy?"

    Brahmi walked over to Ren with her hands against her sturdy sides. She circled him, inspecting every inch of his body, which luckily for him, was clothed. The female brawler made him hold his arms up as she squeezed each bicep, causing him to blush like a shy schoolgirl--trying his best not to let out any weird noises.

    "Not bad, not bad, looks like you''ve already given him a good base, Sora."

    Brahmi smiled, patting the boy''s shoulder. Each time she lowered her hand against his shoulder, he felt the force reverberate through his body as if being struck gently by a hammer. Now that she was so close though--he got a good look at her. For being a professional fighter, there was barely a blemish to be seen on her. She had slightly curly brte hair that cascaded her back like curls of a royal carpet, her bangs veiled her forehead, emitting the natural aroma of flowers��it seemed so meticulous, yet it was obviously her natural style. Her watchful, pale green irises, reminiscent of the morning dew that carried the beginning of days, were somehow both gentle and fierce, watching him as if studying his nature.

    "Looks like you''ve got an eye for true beauty, kid," Brahmi said jokingly, noticing his watchful gaze, "being a skilled fighter like me, I managed to avoid getting any permanent damage to my holy mantle here."

    As natural as her beauty may be, she was an intimidating presence to be near. He had trouble enough speaking to girls as awkward as himself--so a woman who exudes this much pure confidence was a different beast entirely.

    Watching as she marched side to side with her minimal outfit in the form of ckbat shorts that made movemente easy, he could only wonder what she had in store.

    "Well, I''ll leave him to you. I''ve got something I''ve got to attend to, so I''ll be backter--try not to break him."

    He watched in horror as Sora walked away, waving his hand before disappearing into the treeline. Alone, face to face with the newly acquainted Ounder, he stood in silence.

    "Come on, kid, I''m not going to bite."

    "I...okay."

    Ren let out a small breath, frankly he was too nervous to put up any sort of objection,plying with the whims of his new mentor.

    "Let''s get this thing started then! Show me a jab," Brahmi smiled brightly, oozing with enthusiasm.

    He had never been in an actual fight throughout his entire life, but he had at least thrown some punches after watching them be performed through media. At the very least, he didn''t have exactly zero experience. He brought both of his fists up, just in front of his jaw before sending his right fist through the brisk air.

    "Ya'' got the rough idea down, kid, but that wouldn''t hurt a fly!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Eh?"

    "Here, watch me--I''ll show ya''!" She adjusted herself, getting into her stance swiftly as if it was as natural as breathing for her. As soon as she raised her fists, the look in her eyes shiftedpletely, losing all frivolity as if she was honing in on prey.

    "Hya!"

    As her fist extended forward, the air hissed as if her jab had sliced it apart--moving fast enough that it looked as if her fist had never moved forward in the first ce.

    "So fast��"

    "Did ya'' get that? Try following what I did," Brahmi ced her hands on her hips.

    Amazing as it was, as a total newbie, he wasn''t able to notice the subtleties in her own stance--only taking notice of her remarkable speed and power.

    "...Alright," He nodded his head.

    The moment he got into his stance, she intervened--swiping his foot out from underneath him, causing him to nearly fall over.

    "What was that for--?"

    "Your footing is totally off!"

    He looked down at his two feet, nted down firmly against the soil below. Nothing seemed wrong with the way he was standing to him, both of his feet were facing forward naturally.

    "That type of stance will only make it harder to avoid an aggressive opponent, it really only works if you''re confident in your own aggressive power--which you aren''t. Keep your left slightly turned and your right facing shifted outwards."

    "Right...okay, I think I''ve got it."

    He muttered as he shifted his footing, finding the right cement as if fitting a piece into a jigsaw puzzle.

    "One more thing--you''re far too rigid. You''re standing there like a statue, bend your knees a little."

    "Alright...like this?"

    "Exactly! Now show me that jab!"

    Once more, heunched his bawled fist through the air. It was easy even for him to feel the difference in power and speed this new stance granted him, feeling as if every muscle in his body worked in tandem to throw that singr jab.

    "That was much better! Now give me one-hundred more of those!"

    "Yes, teacher!"

    When you struggle to grasp a concept, being forced to learn it, to study and ingrain it into your body, can be an excruciating process. However--the opposite also held true. It felt as if every jab he threw, he grew that much more.

 Chapter 54 - Mana Expenditure

    "Ny-eight! Ny-nine!" He huffed out, "One-hundred--!"

    Each time he extended his fist, a wave of sweat cascading onto the ground below.

    "Good job, kid--you''re a quick learner! I like that."

    Brahmi gave him a thumbs-up, giving him a spiritual boost while he was much in need of a physical one. He sat himself down, catching his lost breath as his body coated itself in ayer of sweat. The beaming sunlight did him no favors as he pushed himself physically.

    "After you''re done with your little break there--it''s time for phase two of your training!"

    "Phase two��?"

    Ren asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Somehow, he assumed he was already done with his training for the day pertaining to Brahmi. The boisterous woman mmed her two fists together, knuckle shing against knuckle--making him wince.

    "One-hundred more jabs, but this time, you''ll be maintaining your reinforcement magic the entire time! If you let it go a single time, you have to start over!"

    Her words hit him like a flying brick. At this point, he could only maintain reinforcement magic continuously for at most a few seconds.

    --Hold it for one-hundred jabs��? Is she crazy? Just maintaining proper form was hard enough!

    "I like that look on your face. You''re scared, uncertain that you can do it. That''s just going to make it that much better when you actually aplish it--!"

    "I can''t...there''s no way. It''s impossible. I can barely keep up reinforcement for a moment...it took ten minutes to do all of those jabs."

    He pleaded with her, however, it seemed trying to exin an "impossibility" to her only made the idea sound better in her head. She was just that kind of person.

    "What was that? "Impossible", you said? Nothing is impossible, only "improbable"--and tiny chances like that can be overridden by sheer will! I know you''re incapable of doing it--as you are right now, that is. An inability to do something is what sparks growth, and growth leads to an ability to do something."

    "An inability��"

    "Tell me, Ren, why do you want to be stronger? "

    "I...I��"

    He tried to find the words. That question jumbled his mind, resurfacing the horrors he saw that day in the estate. All he could do was remember the rage-inducing smile of the Argonaut, and the reassuring smile his friend once held.

    "I failed to protect him...that''s why--that''s why I want to be stronger, so I can protect those I care about! So I can stop being the one who gets protected by others!"

    "So you were unable to protect yourself, unable to protect them. That''s your inability that drives you forward, Ren. So you know what you have to do to be stronger? You have to face those so-called impossibilities and surpass them," She helped him stand up, "that being said--words alone can''t make you fight. That part is entirely up to you."

    --It''s just like what Tristan told me in that goblin cave. "I''m the only one who can make myself fight", right? That''s right.

    He filled his lungs with a fresh batch of air before releasing it back out slowly, wearing a confident smile across his lips.

    "Looks like you''re ready to fight this challenge, aren''t you?"

    She returned his smile with her own, bouncing off his confidence with hers.

    "Yeah!"

    "Reinforcement"--even though magic in general was something they''ve told him needs to wait, even reinforcement magic was a necessity. The difference between those who could use reinforcement and those who couldn''t was the same as man beingpared to a beast, and even that is underselling it. Initially activating wasn''t exactly difficult, but maintaining it was an entirely different story.

    "Easy does it��!"

    He steadied his breathing as theyer of mana enveloped his body, shifting before settling into an unseeable force over his skin.

    "Good, now throw some jabs!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    All he could do was give her a slight nod, devoting the entirety of his concentration to upholding the reinforcement. As he extended his fist, he felt his amplified strength carve through the freely flowing air��at the same time, his reinforcement disappeared.

    "One��I guess it''s better to fail at the start then to start over midway through!"

    He stopped himself before he sunk into negativity again. Aplishing this obstacle in front of him would be a war of attrition with his own mind.

    "That''s the spirit!"

    Even though reinforcement magic had a low cost of mana, constantly reapplying it chipped away at his already subpar reservoir of mana.

    ��In a sense, mana is just like another part of our body, at least that''s what Tristan told me. Just like our physical stamina, mana works sort of like calories. We need proper rest, a diet, all of that helps improve how much mana we can produce. That being said, a certain amount of talent is involved in someone''s mana level.

    "Three��!"

    Pushing his fist forward, feeling his bicep and tricep scream out in unison��he reached his new record after thirty minutes of continuous attempts.

    "Stop."

    "Huh?"

    He turned to face the woman, drenched with sweat that had seeped from his pores, attempting to breath in the cool air.

    "You''re just brute forcing the reinforcement spell with mana to keep it going. That''s why you''re struggling so bad��you''re also plummeting your own stamina this way."

    Although she spoke clearly, the words didn''t form any connection in his head. She let out a sigh, noticing his confusion by the dumbfound look stered on his face.

    "If ya'' want to maintain reinforcement, you need to find a "flow" that you can maintain without even thinking about it."

    "A "flow"? Seriously, that doesn''t help much-"

    Before he could finish, she knocked her fist against the top of his dome. In a decisive battle between knuckle and skull--knuckle had won.

    "Just feel it out! That''s the only thing I can tell ya''!"

    "Can you avoid hitting my head? I don''t want to be any dumber than I already am!"

    Although the information given to him was vague, he attempted his best to put it into use. At the very least, her statement about him forcing his reinforcement to stay active was true.

    "Find a flow to follow��"

    Ren muttered to himself with his eyes closed. He zoned out the noises around him, the rustling of branches against the passing winds even bing null, before all that was left was the sound of his own heartbeat.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    --Reinforcement.

    Once more, he conjured the intangible barrier of amplification before opening his eyes. He kept his focus only on the frequency of his own heart, setting into his stance.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    --The beating of my heart, that''s the flow I''ll use.

    The first jab came easy, the second followed swiftly, then the third. He no longer felt any strain in his body at this point.

 Chapter 55 - Limit

    "Fifteen��!"

    Following his fifteenth extension, the reinforcement dissipated before he let out an exhausted breath of air from his lungs.

    "I��"

    "Good job! You held it for over a minute that time!"

    "I still messed it up��!" He huffed, wiping the sweat from his forehead, "that time it was perfect. I was in total control, and even then��"

    "Come on, kid, let''s take a break."

    He looked down for a minute before nodding his head, lifting his shirt to wipe his face, drenched with sweat. A smooth rock sat under the shade of trees, a perfect spot for a quick rest as he sat his rear down against it. He watched as Brahmi reached up, snatching a pair of purple-skinned fruits from the tree branches.

    "Catch."

    He reacted just in time as the fruitnded in the palm of his hand. The hard texture and shape resembled that of an apple, but the smell it gave off was more tartish.

    "What''s this, Miss Brahmi?"

    He asked, bringing his nose close to the fruit, scrunching his smelling organ as the scent came off too strong.

    "Drop the "Miss". It''s food. Eat it."

    As wanting as his stomach was to be filled, eating random fruit from a forest in a magical world wasn''t exactly on the top of his list for things to do.

    "Here goes nothing��!"

    Tearing the flesh of the inanimate fruit off with his front teeth, he found himself pleasantly surprised by the delicate sweetness of the fruit. No longer holding a fear of the unknown, he tore away at the fruit as did Brahmi with her own.

    "Have you chilled out?"

    "Yeah...sorry for that earlier. I''m fine now."

    He bowed his head slightly, ruffling his own tufts of dark hair with a slight chuckle of shame.

    "Save your apologies, just thank me once I turn you into a badass!"

    "Right!"

    The push from one benchmark to another, one after another in session--the feeling that came with it was almost euphoric, yet at the same time, wavering subtly behind the total concentration he felt.

    "This guy", Brahmi thought to herself as she watched him.

    Before another hour, he had reached the apex of his goal. Whether something in him had sparked, or this was the workings of talent--it was an inspiring sight nheless.

    "twenty-four! twenty-five!!"

    Not only did he manage to maintain his reinforcement, his form was impable. As his twenty-ninth repetitionunched, the reinforcement once more, dispersed into nothingness.

    "Gh��!"

    A sharp jolt caused him to wince, watching as his fingers twitched before leading into a short-lived cramp.

    "Ren!"

    "I''m sorry--I guess I lost concentration for a second--"

    "No, ya'' idiot! That was amazing!"

    Her overjoyed smile instantly fixed his perception. For a moment, the sudden praise felt almost as if he was being mocked, but the genuine smile she presented was anything but false.

    "It...was?"

    Between desperate breaths, attempting to refill his lungs, he looked up at her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ya'' went from one to twenty-nine on your first day! Seriously, this phase was supposed tost a week, but ya'' might even be able to ace this thing before the end of the night! You''ve got real guts, kid!" She pped his back with a wide smile.

    He would be lying if he said he even kept track of how many repetitions he did. At some point, he just stopped counting, while his mouth just seemed to instinctually speak the count for him.

    "I did...wow, am I actually the main character here?"

    "Just like that, I regretplimenting ya''."

    In-between short breaks, he continued his relentless training until the starry night reced the pale blue skies. Every muscle in his body began to ache, his strength fading from his body as his vision swayed side to side.

    "Uu��"

    "Ya'' okay-- oh, crap!"

    With her cat-like reflexes, she managed to catch him by the back of his tunic''s cor before he fell over, helping him stand up straight.

    "Sorry...guess I''m just spent."

    "That''s on me, kid. When you''re in this world long enough, ya'' kind of forget what normal people are like...I pushed ya'' too hard."

    Choosing, or rather, having Brahmi choose for him to retire for the night, she brought him back to the Ounder base swiftly. Everytime he watched one of the Ounders scale the Grandfather tree as if it was but a simple hop, he felt true envy.

    "Ren...Brahmi?"

    Iris was there to greet the two of them at the front door, sitting on the steps as she had been watching the skies.

    "You two...out at this time of night--showing up together?"

    Iris looked at them with wide eyes, holding her hand in front of her mouth as if utterly shocked at the sight.

    "I appreciate the fact you think I can just score girls like this, but you''ve got the wrong idea here!" Ren responded.

    Brahmi didn''t seem to pay her any mind, walking past the girl and into the house with full intention of sleeping.

    "So��"

    Ren scratched his head, manifesting a personal storm of snowballs that rained from his hair. During his two months there, he saw her and spoke to her everyday--yet being alone with her, on a night clouded with stars, was still an awkward position to be in.

    "You worked hard again today, didn''t you?"

    Iris looked him up and down with herely peepers, holding both of her hands behind her back.

    "Mm��"

    He nodded his head slightly before sitting down on the natural floor of green. The refreshing air soothed his skin, cooling down his exhausted body.

    "Don''t you want toe inside the house?"

    "And waste a nice night like this?"

    Ren responded with a slight smile. The truth was, he didn''t want to embarrass himself in front of her. If he stood up any longer, or dared to take another step--he would''ve fallen over like a helpless toddler.

    "You''re a dork, you know that?"

    "I do, but thanks for reminding me, it totally doesn''t hurt."

    Ren responded jokingly, feigning a pain to the heart as he grasped his chest. For a good ten seconds, silence filled the gentle air between them as they met each other''s gaze.

    "Well, just make sure toe in soon--you''ll catch a cold out here."

    Iris shut the door behind her as she went into the house. Somehow, that did not go ording to n. He expected her to join him on his nightly gander, but--as he thought, he wasn''t as suave as he believed. Feeling his lingering drowsinesspromise his eyelids, he blinked.

 Chapter 56 - Whispering Winds

    He opened his eyes to meet not the dark skies of the night, but the bright azure of the morning, or so he thought.

    "Kreh!"

    A high-pitched noise greeted him as he blinked a few times. The shadow of the creature stood over him, it wasn''t the sky that sat above him��but the pale blue stomach of the creature.

    "Gah��?"

    The creature turned to face him, meeting him face to face with its beady ck eyes, letting out another high-pitched greeting.

    "Delh��?"

    He chuckled and ran the palm of his hand over the creature''s smooth head, feeling a resonance against his hand as if it was purring like a feline. The creature''s existence was still confusing to him��a giant manta ray like creature, yet it wasn''t aquatic based. It stood on two hind legs like a bipedal animal, most confusing was the unconditional affection it disyed, almost like a dog.

    "Whatever god made you was pretty indecisive, huh?"

    At first, the titan ray was a fear-inducing sight, not only by its sheer size but just the unnatural makeup of its body. Though, that fear was quickly subsided after realizing how caring the creature is, and just how intelligent it seems to be.

    "Finally up?"

    The deep, stoic voice only belonged to one person--the silver-haired man made himself visible, standing behind Delh the entire time.

    "Gah-- how long were you there?"

    "Nevermind that. Dumbass, you really fell asleep out here? You''re lucky Delh here watched over you."

    Tristan said, standing a few feet away from the creature unnaturally, speaking to the recently awoken young man as if he was right in front of him.

    --Right, she doesn''t like him very much, does she? Can''t say I don''t see where she''sing from.

    "Excuse me for being overtrained, my body stopped listening to me."

    Ren huffed, shrugging his shoulders and raising his hands in a sassy disy. If he snapped his fingers, he would''vepleted the entire package of "gossiping highschool girl".

    "Comining?"

    "No."

    "Good, because I''ve got a proposal for you."

    An unlikely smile formed on Tristan''s face, diforting to say the least. It''s almost like the man didn''t know how to smile properly--looking like a cheesy psycho from a sher flick. He followed the man back inside the house, standing in the hallway just before Beatrice''s room.

    The paintings that lined the walls never failed to make him ufortable--the old, stoic men seemed to watch him from behind the gilded frames.

    "What is it? You couldn''t just tell me out there--?"

    "Shut it, I needed to make sure nobody was listening in. Between me and you, Sora and Brahmi werepletely against this idea. I think you''re ready for it, though."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Tristan ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, briefly revealing a patch of scarred skin that was hidden beneath his fringes.

    "You having trust in me honestly makes me more uncertain."

    "I''m going to pistol-whip you if you don''t shut your trap."

    Tristan flicked the boy''s forehead. That was enough to make him silently obedient, knowing well that Tristan wasn''t the type to make idle threats.

    "Be honest with me--you aren''t happy with your progress, are you?"

    The question caught him off guard. Under the piercing amethyst gaze of the man, lying wasn''t an option.

    "I''m not...I know it''s not an overnight process--but the feeling, the paranoia that an Argonaut might show up any day...I want to be ready for that."

    "I understand that feeling, it''s not a bad thing. The dangers that lurk in this world, I know full well how ever-present they are. That''s why I''m giving you this option--I''m not forcing you to take it, don''t get me wrong. If I''m beingpletely honest here, I wouldn''t rmend doing it. Knowing how stubborn you are though, I know I''ve already sealed your fate by presenting the idea."

    "Stop roping me along--just tell me what it is already."

    Ren urged him like a greedy toddler, the only difference separating him from a child of avarice was a lollipop in his hand.

    "Impatient. Well, that''s the entire reason we''re having this conversation, I guess," Tristan scratched his head, "it''s called the "Purgatory Trial". I honestly don''t feel like exining it, I''m sure Beatrice won''t mind talking your ear off about it anyways. I''ll just tell you this again--I don''t rmend it. It''s high-risk high-reward, but the risk is a fate worse than death."

    It was impossible to tell if the apathetic man was just trying to give him a scare, or if he was genuinely giving him a warning. Even when describing such a dire concept, the uncaring expression stered on his face remained.

    "Did you take this "Purgatory Trial" thing?"

    "No, but I saw others take it."

    "How did that go? I bet Sora cleared it easily, right?"

    Ren nudged his elbow against the man a few times, who remained unmoving to his yful gesture.

    "Nobody here "cleared" it. Any we saw enter the shithole trial never made it back out."

    Before he could open his mouth to try and reject that statement--the glimmer in the man''s amethyst eyes showed just for a moment, a brief mncholy.

    "That''s��"

    "Like I said, I wouldn''t get too excited about this whole idea. Though, I doubt Beatrice will try and talk you out of it. Just keep in mind that Beatrice doesn''t exactly value our safety, we''re just pawns to that inhuman witch."

    Tristan parted those words to him before leaving him alone in front of the Sage''s bedroom door, leaving him with a choice that could define his entire life.

    Just with those few words, he no longer knew what to put his choice to put himself into. It was obvious there was some sensitive past between Tristan and the Sage, but he wasn''t one to lie.

    Standing no more than a foot away from the intimidating door, it slowly creaked open as if weing him inside.

 Chapter 57 - Tales Of Hope, Of Despair

    "So, Tristan told you the gist of it, did he?"

    Beatrice was as unnerving as ever to be around, her cosmic gaze made it impossible to make eye contact.

    "All he told me was that it was referred to as the "Purgatory Trial", that''s it. I know that it supposedly will help me be stronger faster."

    Ren sat across from her, keeping his hands on his legs.

    "I had thought your training with those three was going well, was it not? What brings about this sudden impatience?"

    "There''s nothing sudden about it...this is what I''ve wanted from the start. You know better than anyone--I need to be better, and fast. I appreciate the training they''ve given me...but each minute they''re training me, they''re probably giving up on their own responsibilities."

    "How admirable, Ren," Her words came out with a hint of sarcasm,"I have no problem granting you ess to the trial, Ren. It''s by my own desire that I allow any who desire to take it, entrance. However--I must make sure you understand the gravity of the trial."

    Before she could continue on, the door had swung open with a wooden wail ringing through the room

    From where he sat, he couldn''t see the doorway clearly, but the Sage obviously could as she muttered the sudden visitor''s name.

    "Iris--what brings you here?"

    "I''m sorry, Mother...I couldn''t help but listen in."

    --"Mother"?

    Ren watched as the heart-captivating girl stepped into the girl, bringing with her an aura of light to the bleak domain of Beatrice.

    "That curiosity of yours...I suppose it''s a gift. Take your leave then, child--this is an important dis--"

    "Ren is taking the Purgatory Trial, isn''t he?"

    It was the first time he heard Iris speak so adamantly, usually a shroud of meekness coiled her words as they left her shy lips.

    "...I am."

    He answered before Beatrice could speak in his stead.

    "You can''t--Mother, you can''t let him go there!"

    "Stop acting as if I''m some helpless child, I''m a grown man!"

    The outburst came out before he could even think, he was just as surprised as them at the sudden bout of anger he disyed.

    "...Iris, I''m sure you haven''t forgotten that I will not deny any which desire to enter the trial. I must respect their resolve, and do my best to help them grow."

    "Then I''m going with him."

    "--!"

    Just as he had never seen Iris speak with such conviction, he had never witnessed the Sage express raw emotion like that. She had nearly toppled her teacup over as she swung her gaze to the girl, her mouth left slightly agape as speechless words left her trembling lips.

    "Iris, I can''t allow you--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You said it yourself, Mother, you won''t deny entry to any who want to take the trial, right? So I''m going."

    The Sage was at a loss for words, a first for the woman who possessed almost boundless wisdom.

    "Iris, you aren''t trying to protect me are you��?"

    "Who said anything about that? I just happen to want to get stronger as well, that''s all."

    Even if she said that, it was clear what her true intentions were. However, that forced brashness she wore in contrast to her usual self was adorable, so he decided to let her have her way this time.

    "If this is how it must be...then so be it," Beatrice let out a sigh, "but, only on one condition: you both must take a year to prepare, then I will decide for myself if you two are ready."

    --So she was going to just let me walk in there without preparing if it was just me--? I''m hurt!

    "Wait--a year?"

    Rentched onto the already heard words. In his current state of mind, patience was a forgotten virtue, possessing a sense of time equal to a child as he was impatient to strengthen himself.

    "Indeed."

    Beatrice nodded her head, allowing her supple hair to drape over her slender shoulders.

    "That''s too long--the entire point of this was so that I could grow faster!"

    The mystical woman watched him for a moment with her enchanting gaze, waiting before she spoke again.

    "Ren, I don''t think you understand the powers at y here. You''re ignorant to the functions of this world--the Purgatory Trial is something even the greatest of warriors may meet their end in."

    "...She''s right," Iris backed her up.

    "This doesn''t make any sense--you told me that you wouldn''t deny me ess to the trial!"

    Ren stood up from his seat, pointing his words towards the Sage.

    "Calm down, Ren. She only wants what''s best for us."

    Iris'' words made him remember what Tristan had told him--"she only thinks of us as pawns".

    "You mean she only wants what''s best for you? It seems like she was fine about letting me go all by myself before you came into the picture."

    "In case you had forgotten, Ren, our conversation was halted by Iris'' intrusion. Now, quiet yourself and allow me to finish speaking. You''re correct--I won''t deny you entry to the trial, that is, until you are at a satisfactory level of power," Beatrice''s tone dropped, "as you are now, you''re weak. You would be swallowed by the trial without little resistance."

    "I��"

    Ren tried to reject her words, but they struck true. He was weak, that much was obvious to him. That''s the entire reason he was even talking to her in the first ce.

    "It seems we''vee to an understanding. One year, Ren, that should be ample time to improve. Every day shall prove valuable, make them count. Don''t forget that the only reason I''ve even humored the idea of you entering the trial is I haveplete faith in your potential, Ren."

    Beatrice ended the conversation with those final words, clearly annoyed with Ren''s aggressive attitude as she kept her eyes closed.

 Chapter 58 - Mage In Training

    --Eleven Months until Purgatory--

    --That''s how I found myself in the position I''m in now. Afterst month''s agreement with Beatrice, I''ve been working twice as hard to improve myself.

    "So you want to learn the inner workings of magic, do you? You''vee to the right ce. If Sora tried teaching you magic, you might find yourself six feet under through his idiocy."

    The man standing in front of the chalkboard adjusted his sses, his sharp gaze fixating on Ren. He was the Ounder he was least acquainted with out of the ones he had met so far--"Donatien". Through Beatrice''s rmendation, or rather, her orders for him to be prepared for the Purgatory Trial--Donatien epted the role as his mentor when it came to the concept of magic.

    The ssroom itself, built by Beatrice''s scarily urate magic, resembled a modern day ssroom, onlycking modern day technology.

    "So, you said your affinity was dark, correct?"

    "That''s right."

    "A fine affinity, one thates with a wide arsenal, a beautiful scope of versatility, however," Donatien paused, "do you know if that is your only affinity?"

    That question struck something within Ren, opening his eyes to a possibility he never considered. Donatien grabbed a piece of chalk before he began to swiftly draw up a batch of words on the board--"The Theory of Magic".

    "My only affinity��? I never really thought about that."

    "I wouldn''t get your hopes up. Upon entering this world, we''re blessed with talent surpassing even noble lineages, but having multiple affinities is rare even amongst us."

    Donatien removed his round-rimmed sses for a moment, wiping the lenses with the handkerchief from his breast pocket. As he set his sses back on his fair face, the color in his hazel irises returned. Ren was confused by the random action before he saw the man focusing his gaze, holding his hand out.

    The still air began to move, shifting from a subtle warmth into a chilling frost as a clear crystal formed in front of Donatien''s extended hand.

    "Eis--this is my magical affinity, the power to conjure and manipte ice."

    Just a clench of his hand caused the shard of ice to shatter into small particles, allowing the air to settle back into the previous warmth.

    "Woah��that''s amazing! Wait, I thought the only affinities were the four natural elements and dark-light?"

    "--An affinity such as my ice is categorized as a "sub-affinity", which just means it derives from another of the main elements."

    Donatien averted his gaze, shakily adjusting his beloved ocr lenses. It was clear as day that the grown man was blushing, it seemedpliments went to his head pretty easily.

    "Even if you did possess another affinity, it may not make itself known for quite some time. That, and the fact that dark was the aspect that came to you first means it will be your primary element."

    The slender teacher exined, tapping the chalk against the board.

    --He didn''t even write anything else down, I think he just likes acting like a teacher.

    "What about "innate abilities"?"

    Ren asked, catching Donatien off-guard with the sudden question. It left the professor of magecraft to a moment of pondering, staring intently at the wall before shifting his sight back to his student.

    "That is a topic for another day...but I suppose I can part my curious student with some information."

    Donatien turned his back to the young man as he wrote down the term on the board, effortlessly gliding the chalk across the canvas as if it was a work of art.

    "Innate abilities are a very rare form of magic in Gaia. To say it is rare would be underselling it--it is seldom seen even among prestigious noble bloodlines. These abilities work on a different theory than normal magic, usually bypassing the cost of magical energy entirely and working by their own, unique rules. Each of these abilities are unique to the user, and that makes battles that much more dangerous--the level of unpredictability thates into y can spell death if you aren''t cautious."

    As much as he loved magic and the idea of flinging it around like the all-powerful main character he knew he was destined to be, Donatien''s lessons were excruciating to sit through. As a jobless, high-school dropout--his mind wasn''t ready to be overloaded with such dull teachings, so what came was inevitable.

    "Wake up--!"

    "Gah!"

    Ren yelled out, feeling the impact of a solid, heavy object crash against his skull. The scornful, razor-sharp look in his magic mentor''s eyes was enough to limate him to the situation.

    "Sorry��"

    Ren chuckled nervously, running his palm over his aching head. If he didn''t know any better, he would''ve guessed a hit like that wouldn''t dented his head in a bit.

    "Such a shame. You''ve been in this world for what, three months? And you''ve already grown bored of its mysticism."

    "That''s not it��"

    "Then what is it?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Donatien asked, an awkward silence filled the scarcely-popted ssroom as the man awaited his answer. The reason was something like, "Your teaching is more boring than watching paint dry!", but knowing Donatien''s snappy attitude--

    "Nevermind...I just didn''t get much sleep."

    He chose to lie. The threat of that thick book being mmed against his head again was enough to deter any inkling of truthfulness he held.

    --Sometimes lying is good! Some philosopher said that right? If it benefits the people, then lying is fine--and this is saving me from getting another book to my head.

    "As I was saying...to put it simply, in terms you will understand--most practitioners of magic in this world fall under the category of being "spelldes", focusing on both physical and magical skill sets. In essence, the general consensus is putting all of your stock in just flinging spellses with diminishing returns."

    "So you''re saying the stereotypical mage with a long, white beard and pointy hat doesn''t exist in this world?"

    "I''m only saying it isn''tmon. Those who devote their entire being to just the theory of magic tend to be those with an extremely high-aptitude for magic. Which brings me to the next section--the different forms of spellcasting."

    Donatien announced, jabbing his chalk against the board.

    --Did he realize he was being dreadfully slow before? He''s flying through this lesson.

    "Tell me, Ren, during your time at the Althaus estate, did you attempt to use magic?"

    "Yeah, I did...how did you know?"

    "Your mana flow is scrambled."

    "Huh?"

    "It is amon issue with mentorless people, attempting to learn and use magic without the guidance of a mage. If you don''t know what you''re doing, you could end up disrupting your mana flow. To put it simply, imagine your mana as a flowing river, then when you attempted to cast a spell, you ced a blockade in that river. In essence, you''ve halted your flow of mana."

    He looked down at his palms, clenching them shut before looking back up at Donatien.

    "I don''t get it--I''m able to use reinforcement though."

    "Reinforcement is simply changing the properties of your magical energy, casting a spell is an entirely different beast. Give me your arm."

    "Eh? Alright��"

    Ren raised his arm as Donatien approached him, watching as the man rolled his sleeve up. The sses-wearing man ran his finger-tips over his forearm, inspecting the young man''s arm closely before a sharp jolt travelled through his arm.

    "Ah--! What the hell?"

    "I''ve adjusted your mana flow, I corrected it by sending a portion of mine through your flow."

    Clenching his fist a few times, he did notice a difference. It was that same feeling after you got after a day of eating healthy, as if his body had shed the skin of his previous weaker self.

    "Now, enough distractions--back to the topic at hand, "spell casting". The mostmon, easy to learn method is via "Incantations". I''m sure you''re well aware of the concept."

    "Yeah, I''m pretty sure anyone from Earth would be."

    "Anyways, there are different stages of incantations. As you may have noticed, it ismon for mages to parodize spells with short, simple calls such as "Eis ce". Short incantations like that are simple and efficient, but they yield less potent magecraft."

    He raised an eyebrow as he watched the teacher fling words around, noticing theck of effect when the man called forward an example of spell incantations.

    "Why didn''t a spell form when you said that "Eis" stuff just now?"

    "I didn''t have any intention of casting a spell, that is the most fundamental concept, Ren. Maybe if you didn''t sleep half of our lesson away, you would remember that. Moving on, there are longer chants that will conjure forth powerful magic--even without intending to use a spell, speaking such words will weave such magic into reality regardless."

    "Sounds awesome, can I learn one of those chants then?"

    Ren sat up in his seat, his lust for magic bubbling up inside him.

    "Normally, I''d deny such a request to a beginner, but time is of the essence. It is sink or swim in this world, so with that being said--let''s go outside."

    "Awesome!"

    He misjudged Donatien, by his initial impression he gave, he showed himself to be a snotty, intellectual who probably flooded forums, getting into inte arguments constantly during his time on Earth. In reality, he just had trouble showing his emotions--it was easy to tell he cared about the Ounders deeply through his actions.

    --I''m totally not changing my initial impressions just because he agreed to teach me some awesome magic. Definitely not. I''m not that shallow. Am I?

 Chapter 59 - Breath Of Hope

    "I must warn you, I''m not familiar with dark magic--this would be better suited for someone like Tristan to teach you...but I fear that man would do something abhorrent."

    --Can''t say I disagree with you there.

    They stood atop the unwavering leaves of the colossal Grandfather Tree, standing alongside the sea of clouds that inhabited the mana-rich skies. With them, Donatien had brought an ashen gray grimoire, thick enough to be impossible to cut through with the sharpest of des, at least by normal human standards.

    Flipping the mysterious book containing knowledge of the arcane, thenky man made Ren face the opposite way from the house, having him aim the spell towards the endless acres of nature that stretched across the valley.

    "Listen well and repeat after me."

    Donatienmanded with a tone that left no room for questioning, only aplete and silent understanding.

    "Hear me, those who seek the absence of light,"

    As Ren ushered the beginning of the incantation, the wind picked up, spiraling around his extended hand.

    "Grant me the essence of the truth, the original darkness that cast over the primordial soil,"

    A shadow enveloped Ren and the spot which he stood, allowing his mana to surge while ck tendrils formed of his magical energy began to coil around his arm.

    "Let us return the world to that former era, the endless night: Araphel Pandemonium!"

    With his final utterance, arge sphere of pure dark energy gathered in front of him, whisking forth a violent torrent of wind. For that moment, he was left captivated by the sight, the shapeless grace of darkness-unching the sphere through the clouded sky.

    "Go--!"

    He yelled out as he sent it flying forward, watching it as it tore through the tranquil fluff of the azure. Leaving a trail of ck residue through the path of clouds, the sphere fizzled out before releasing into a vtile eruption of mana, sending a shockwave through the sky.

    "Holy crap! Did you see that? I really did that? Wait, am I amazing or some--"

    A wave travelled through his body, leaving a path of exhaustion in its wake as his head became as light as a father.

    "Eh?"

    Ren fell face first onto the sap-moistened leaf floor, every ounce of strength in his body vanished before he had even realized what had happened. The sensation of a billion tiny, prickly needles poking at every pore of his body drove over him, as if his entire body had fallen asleep while he was still very much conscious.

    "Eh--?"

    "Lesson one of great magic, it has a very high toll on your mana. So for a beginner like yourself, this is the result."

    Donatienmented, standing above him as Ren was unable to even raise his head. At that moment, he corrected himself on an earlier wrongful assumption.

    "Oh, and by the way, that spell you just used��"

    "...Yeah?"

    Ren muttered, listening in on whatever the sses-wearing Ounder had to say.

    "It is the most basic usage of great magic."

    --I get it, that''s why he was an ice affinity--he''s a cold bastard!

    What proceeded should''ve been the most humiliating moment of his time in this world so far, but after everything that had transpired--it was par for the course. He was carried by the tall and surprisingly toned sses-bearing man, given a piggyback ride as if he was a prepubescent child.

    "Seriously, I would''ve preferred if you left me on the ground��"

    Ren muttered, keeping his gaze down as he attempted to hold onto whatever sliver of pride he had left.

    Luckily it seemed that Donatien wasn''t the sort of person to tease about these kinds of things, or maybe Ren was alone in the thought that riding piggyback at the age of eighteen was an abhorrent act breaching his pride as a man.

    "As your mentor, I''m responsible for your wellbeing. Besides, if I left you here, Iris would never let me hear the end of it."

    "Why''s that?"

    "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."

    "Come on, just like old times?"

    "Have ya'' been drinking or something?"

    "Just one or two mugs, but I can assure you I''m immune to whiskey dick."

    The familiar voices belonging to Sora and Brahmi became audible before the pair entered the front door. It seemed he didn''t hear theming as when they stepped through the door, there Sora was, with his hand caressing the tan thigh of Brahmi.

    "You think with your dick, don''t you?"

    "Only when I''m with you."

    Sora responded to her with a sly smile. It was like finding out your childhood hero punched puppies, Ren felt his perception of peoplepletely betrayed.

    The floor creaked under Donatien''s step, causing the four of them to all freeze in ce--staring at one another if they had all just seen ghosts. In Sora''s case, it was more like he had been caught with his pants down, while Brahmi held a never before seen innocent blush that contrasted her otherwise masculine behavior. It was a bad look for all of them--Sora was showing a rather unsavory but expected side of himself while Ren was riding upon the man''s back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''ll say nothing if you don''t."

    The words left Ren''s mouth inplete monotone.

    "Deal."

    Forgetting the fact that this was the very man who saved his life, this pact went beyond that. It was a vow of silence, an oath between two men--it transcends the concept of life and death, as such humility would persist through time. Meanwhile, Donatien and Brahmi felt more like bystanders to this charade of humility, keeping quiet as they wanted nothing more than to move past this gnawing moment.

    With that, that moment in time was locked away into the deepest depths of their memories. As Donatien carried the limp young man up the staircase in an awkward silence, Ren finally noticed someone peculiar about the house. Not once had he ever seen somebody clean up, yet it was spotless and well organized despite housing someone like Sora.

    "How is the house kept so tidy? I''m guessing magic?"

    "Surely you''re joking? Have you truly never met the maid of this household?"

    "Maid��?"

    On the contrary, he now believed Donatien was the one pulling his leg. He has been there for three months already, not once had he seen or heard of a maid working there.

    Although, it could be possible. Most of the time he was either out training or cooped up in his room as he naturally did. Still, it seemed unlikely--he moved his mind past the subject, watching as he was carried past the corridor.

    Being brought into his room, still unable to move an inch of his body, Donatien had set him down on his cushiony mattress gently.

    "Thanks."

    Ren showed his gratitude, watching as the man then took the chair from the boy''s desk, bringing it next to his bed before seating himself.

    "Uh, what''re you doing?"

    "Making sure you don''t die. You drained every drop of mana from your body--and since mana is akin to your lifely essence, it''s as if you''ve lost a heavy amount of blood. Although, your mana replenishes much easier than blood, so don''t worry."

    Even though that''s what he said, it was obvious to him what Donatien had really meant.

    --He probably feels responsible for this. Which, he is, but he doesn''t need to look after me.

    Sleep was an option he was heavily considering before Donatien decided to turn himself into Ren''s own personal guardian for the time being. It was hard to rx with the man''s sharp gaze resting on him relentlessly.

    "Ren, I have a question for you. You don''t have to answer it."

    Donatien had suddenly asked, losing the edge in his voice. A pragmatic man like him had every right to want this sort of information. For all he knew, Ren could''ve been a prolific serial killer in his past life, as uncoordinated as he may seem.

    "Go ahead, ask away."

    After riding on the back of the man, there wasn''t much more shame he could experience--so answering a simple question wouldn''t be a bother.

    "What kind of life did you lead before arriving in this world? I know it''s random--I''m just curious."

    Now that was a tough question. Ren watched the ceiling, counting the small grooves in the wood as he pondered that question. It''s not like he didn''t know the answer, but it wasn''t exactly a life to be proud of. Mustering up every truthful bone in his body, he decided for once to put it all on the table.

    "Well...I was a dropout. I lived at home with my parents, locked away in my room just about every second of every day. After you begin to live life like that...it''s hard to bring things back to the way they were. It all started with me skipping school one day just because of some stupid game that had juste out. When the next day rolled around...I just had this anxiety gnawing at the back of my mind, you know? Like everyone''s eyes would be on me, judging me, talking about me behind my back--then from there, it just spiraled out of control."

    Unable to turn his head to face Donatien, all he could do was sit there in silence after answering him. He could feel his heart begin to speed up, imagining the judgmental thoughts, the look of disgust the man was probably giving him right now.

    "I see, I guessed as much...I understand that sort of situation all too well myself."

    --What do you mean you "guessed as much"? Is there a way you can tell?!

    "You were a dropout?"

    "No, I was a high-school teacher. I suppose it is obvious now in hind-sight, right?"

    Ren''s throat had closed up at that sudden, obvious revtion from the man. Seeing the surprised looke over the messy-haired boy''s face, Donatien let out a quiet chuckle.

    "As a teacher, there was nothing more painful than watching one of my students give up on their academic path. I never scorned them for it, or looked down on them...in fact, I med myself for it each and every time. "Am I this ipetent as a teacher? As a guide in life?", thoughts like that were unavoidable."

    "That''s not something you could control...Some kids are just not meant for school. I honestly think it''s a waste of energy to try and save every kid, since not all of them want to be saved."

    --I remember how spiteful I was to my teachers when they attempted to coax me into returning. All I saw behind their motivations was that it was their job to have me return, or that they simply were asked to be the higher-ups. Pretty naive of me, huh? I guess some teachers really do just give a damn.

    Ren tried to assure the man, who only brushed it off with a slight chuckle. Donatien removed his sses, looking down at the floorboards below with his hazel irises, a gentle smile brushed across his lips. It was bing obvious to him what the real meaning of this conversation was. That man he assumed to be a cold-bastard had demons of his own, eating away at him like everyone else. He needed closure of his own.

    "I don''t know who is to me for such situations, Ren. Maybe bad parenting? Terrible mentors? Maybe you''re right--the kids themselves may just not be suited for school. I think it''s a whole lot of things. One thing it''s not, however, is something you should beat yourself up over."

    "Huh?"

    "School isn''t the entire world. A lot of people make that mistake. I guess I''ve said a lot without actually saying anything...what I''m trying to tell you is, whatever choices you made in the past--don''t let them drag you down. I''m not telling you to throw those decisions you made away, because our memories are the only thing we''ve retained from our past lives. Don''t abandon the "Ren Nakamura" you''ve been up untiling to this world, embrace who you are, but as a better man than yesterday. Just move forward and be the person you strive to be, without discarding what makes you, "you"--I''ll help you be that person. Don''t try and be a different person to impress us, give us "Ren Nakamura"."

    Hearing those words of encouragement from a teacher was something Ren didn''t realize until now that he wanted to hear. Ren began to feel contempt towards his paralyzed body, as he was unable to fight back the burning desire to release the flow of tears from his eyes.

    --How in this alternate world of all ces, after all of this time...how did I find these people who won''t give up on me? If I had people like this in my life before, maybe I could''ve been a respectable member of society.

 Chapter 60 - Days Of Reprieve

    --Ten months until Purgatory--

    The valley seemed to experience a never ending spring, constantly flourishing with rich, vibrant green all-year round. Not a single patch ofnd experienced a drought of luscious emerald grass, even to a recluse like Ren, thisnd was truly majestic. It took awhile before the awe-inspiring beauty of the valley was realized by Ren, once he had truly limated to his new situation. The clouds shared the same sky with the colossal trees which reached for the heavens above, making him feel miniscule inparison.

    It seemed the normal-sized trees were unkible though, regrowing within hours if cut down due to the high density of natural mana in the area--this made them perfect for target practice.

    "Dunkel: Piercer!"

    Ren shouted out, keeping his right arm steady with his left, his magical energy condensed into a thin, spear formed of darkness. Aiming carefully, it took all of his concentration to maintain the astral weapon as his bicep cramped up from the stress on his body. Every second spent holding the form of the spear, correcting the flow of mana through his arm, neared excruciation.

    He had been told of this feeling, more so warned--the beginning days of mage traininge with pain such as this, as the opening and usage of his mana pathways are as if a new set of veins had been opened in his body.

    --Now!

    He released his hold on the spell as he fixated on the center of his target.Colliding against the helpless tree in front of him, the spell-conjured spear left a hollow hole in the center of the tree trunk. In its wake, the spell had sprinkled through the bored tree residue of dark mana, corroding the bark, quickly leading to decay.

    "Excellent. You managed to sessfully control your output this time. Now try the other spell."

    Donatien nodded his head a few times after watching the spell Ren had cast, standing next to the hollowed tree.

    "Alright��"

    Taking a few deep breaths to concentrate on his inner magical energy, it became harder to take hold of it as he was running on fumes by this point. Using a spell always felt as if every muscle in his body had tensed up as if experiencing the shock of a million volts, leaving his flesh exhausted the moment after releasing it.

    "Dunkel: Veil��!"

    Holding his palm out in front of him, a barrier formed of dark energy formed in front of his extended hand. Every second he kept the protective spell up, a dull pain rang through his bones, causing his legs to begin trembling beneath his tired body. All he could do was keep his eyes on the umbre of darkness, hoping to coax his thoughts away from the ever-present pain shooting through his veins.

    Testing the durability of the ck shield, a simple flick from Donatien shattered it into nothingness.

    "I think that marks the end of today''s lesson. Take a break, Ren, you need it."

    After hearing Donatien''s words, all he could do was nod his head as he desperately tried to recoup his stamina.

    Constantly unleashing even just beginner level spells for the past hour, Ren was beyond exhausted. If casting a single, simple spell was equivalent to a one-hundred meter dash, then he just ran an entire marathon.

    Half of the day had already sailed past him, with his lesson with Donatien only being the first of the long day ahead of him. He now had thirty-minutes to himself to rest before his reinforcement and sword training with the lecherous Sora.

    "Ren! Hey, Ren!"

    A feminine voice called out from behind him as he took his break on the surprisinglyfortable bed of grass. His eardrums instantly recognized the angelic voice, causing him to sit up quickly. A refreshing breeze travelled up his sweat-stained tunic as he sat up, bringing a wave of rejuvenation to his sore muscles.

    "Yo, Iris.What''s on the menu today?"

    She was a sight for sore eyes, carrying with her a basket which was a sight of growling stomachs. Ever since a few weeks ago, Iris had begun bringing him lunch during his breaks from training. Even a degenerate like himself felt bad for making the girl travel up and down the Grandfather tree, although her magic made it a walk in the park. It seemed their mutual goal with the uing trial brought about a new friendship, which led to him beginning to fantasize about the potential of what lies beyond friendship.

    "Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches!"

    Iris answered with a smile, adjusting her snowy skirt before sitting down on her knees, cing the basket down between the two. While he didn''t exactly have some sort of gourmet taste, she on the other hand, had the palette and culinary skills of an elementary schooler.

    "...great."

    He forced a thankful smile onto his face--it was the third time this week she brought him "PB&J sandwiches''''. Being picky wasn''t on the menu for him, spending all day training and expending his mana reserves, he needed some nourishment.

    --Hunger aside, how could I reject this precious time spent with such a cute girl?!

    Of course, his true motivator was as shallow as a puddle. It was a bad habit of his, instantly bing lovestruck by any girl that gave him the light of day. At this point, he was only thankful he didn''t develop any longsting trust issues--not that he knew of, anyway.

    --This time it''s different. I''ve known her for four months! That''s the longest friendship I''ve held with a girl my age since I was in grade school!

    "Known" for four months was being liberal. Before this preparation for the trial had begun, he had honestly only spoken to Iris every other day, usually just exchanging greetings as they passed one another.

    Biting into the sandwich, the fluffiness of the bread filled his mouth as he began to chew it.

    "Can I ask you something?''

    Ren asked with his mouth full, bits and pieces of bread flying out from his open mouth. The sight of the sweat-d young man almost plucked a chuckle from her lips, distracted by the crumbs of bread that clung to the corner of his mouth.

    "...sure--swallow your food first, please."

    Her cheerful gaze shifted into a disturbed look as a particle of breadnded on her pristine, silver skirt, causing him to nearly choke as he swallowed the chunk of food in his mouth.

    "Why do you call Beatrice your "Mother"? I haven''t seen anyone else call her that."

    "Well��"

    The question seemed to take her by surprise as she retracted the iing sandwich from her lips. He watched her as she took her time preparing her answer, nibbling away at the sweet meal. The dryness of the bread would likely make him regret eating it when training resumed, but for now, his stomach gratefully epted it into his bowels.

    "I guess there''s no reason not to tell you...I was summoned into this world by Beatrice when I was a child."

    Hearing that answer, a chunk of the moistless yeast lodged itself in his throat, having to p his chest to force it down. A simple but relieving "phew��" had left his lips, continuing on from the girl''s answer as she held a worried look at his momentary asphyxiation.

    "When you were eight, nine? How old are you now anyways?"

    Ren asked, emphasizing the second question as that was a very important piece of information to him. Even in another world with likely differentws--he still very much retained his beliefs to that of his world.

    --If she''s under eighteen, I''m going to have a firm discussion with myself!

    "I''m neen...when I came here, well--I don''t exactly remember, but I was no older than five."

    As soon as her current age left her glossy lips, he felt his heart let out a sight--having to stop himself from proiming victory outside of his own mind.

    "Huh--? That young...wait, so you don''t even remember Earth, do you?"

    He spoke without thinking, noticing toote that his question struck a sensitive cord in the girl. Seeing the vibrancy in her azure jewels dim sparked a sinking feel in his stomach, the same feeling of guilt one feels when they step on the paw of their dog by ident.

    "...I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have asked that."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No, it''s alright. I don''t mind, really."

    Iris smiled, brushing her aquatic hair behind her ear. That mncholic look in herpis eyes made him want to squeeze her tightly and chase away whatever sadness she had, but the best he could do was move past that question.

    "I think I get it. Beatrice is pretty much the only parent you really had, isn''t she?"

    --It''s a miracle she turned out to be the nice girl she is, with Beatrice as her parent, that is. I can''t picture that cold hag having even an ounce of maternal instincts within her.

    He nodded to himself as if agreeing with his own thoughts, earning a raised eyebrow from Iris, who seemed to begin to limate to his entricities.

    "Uh-huh," Iris nodded her head, "what about you?"

    "Me?"

    "It''s only fair--you asked about me, so I want to know something about you!"

    It caught him off guard, somehow he expected her to not take much interest in that sort of thing when it came to him. If there was one thing he could call a strength in terms of his limited arsenal in the realm of romance, it was that he could listen.

    For years, nobody really asked him about his own life, not only due to his own negligence to enter the world beyond his cave of electronics and otaku gear, but anyone that knew him already knew how dull of a life he led.

    "I don''t know...I''m not that interesting."

    Ren tried to evade her, but the cute pouting face she disyed with her puffed out, round, pink cheeks was too adorable to disappoint. In his eyes, only a viin could leave such heart-throbbing cuteness dissipate into gloom.

    "Fine, fine, what do you want to know?"

    "Good boy. Hmm��"

    She tapped her index finger against her small chin as she thought of what she wanted to know.

    "Ah, Iris, the way you said that awakened something in me, can you say it again?"

    "You have a lewd look on your face, so I''ll pass on that."

    Ever since that heart-to-heart he had with Donatien, he decided to embrace who he was. Trying to wrap up all of the traits that made him "Ren Nakamura" just so that he could try and be some saint of a hero, he realized there was no point in that. Although, being more "Ren Nakamura" came with a bit more of a lecherous side.

    Iris ignored his earlier question and continued to ponder before her face lit up with a smile.

    "Tell me about the country you''re from!"

    "Well, I''m from Japan--more specifically the Kansai region, and even more specifically, the Kyoto prefecture."

    Ren exined to her, noticing a glimmer in her eyes as she listened intently. It was an underrated aspect of a person, knowing that someone was so enamored in what you had to say--it was enlightening.

    "Japan? That''s where Sora is from too!"

    The almost childlike wonder in her voice was contagious, giving him a smile of his own as he continued.

    "Yeah but that giant oaf was from Osaka, he was too big for Japan so he went to America. Seriously, I''ve never seen another person in my country as big as Sora."

    He paused his ramblings as the girl began to giggle, breaking into a genuineughter as she attempted in vain to cover her mouth. A low self-esteem brought about the worst assumptions to the front of his mind, but one look at the authentic happiness on her divine face was enough to settle his own worries.

    "Sorry...it''s just, you seemed so excited to talk about your country. I wish I could see it for myself. "Japan", "Kyoto"--I''d like to hear more about it, please."

    "How about we make this a fair deal? I''ll tell you about Earth, and you tell me about Gaia."

    "Hm...deal!"

    --When I first came here, I waspletely numb. After witnessing those horrors back at the estate, I didn''t know if I would ever feel anything past the dark depths my mind had sunk into. I didn''t realize a simple smile from a cute girl could help so much.

    The two young adults came to an agreement, exchanging gleeful smiles as a new friendship came to fruition.

    "Although, most of what I know is only from books��"

    "Ah, Beatrice is pretty protective over you, huh?"

    Her silence was easy enough confirmation for that idea. It was hard to imagine Beatrice of all people acting like a parent, if Iris thought so highly of her, Ren wasn''t going to question it.

    "First thing I''d like to know...oh! Are there any other human kingdoms, besides Mastorn and Lucrauv?"

    "There are--Mastorn is the most powerful human kingdom, but also the least diverse. Demi-humans have close rtions with humans, so they''re fine, but other races��" Iris told him with a gloomy expression, "elves, demons, ancients, you name it...although not as prejudiced as otherworlders, Mastorn forbids them from entering itsnd."

    "Why? Isn''t it profitable to have healthy rtions with other races? Going by the standard, elven kingdoms should be rich."

    "Yeah...well, that''s not how the King thinks. Reason, empathy, courage...all things the depraved King has lost. That''s why...we have to be the ones to save Mastorn from his rule. Anyways, moving on--to the south, a kingdom called "Veradin" stands."

    "Do they have the same, you know...views as Mastorn when ites to otherworlders?"

    "All human kingdoms hold the samews when ites to otherworlders, but only out of fear of Mastorn. However, all I can is...we aren''t alone in this fight, Ren. Mastorn is mutually hatred, or more specifically--there are those who wish for the current ruler to be overthrown."

    Engrossed in this new information, Ren didn''t realize the presence of the towering man standing behind him.

    "R-E-N--!"

    In a high-pitched call, Sora slowly enunciated each letter of the unassuming young man''s name--making his skin crawl over.

    "Gah!"

    Ren jumped up onto his feet with cat-like reflexes, spinning to face Sora, who was standing there with his trademark boisterous smile.

    "It''s training time, brother!"

    "Bring it on, Bro! Today''s the day this sword meets your nose!"

    With the audience of a cute girl watching him, there was no way he could lose now. More precisely, there was no way he could afford to lose. Catching the training sword tossed to him by his mentor, Ren got into his stance--treating this as if it was a real battle.

 Chapter 61 - I.M.T

    "Listen, I get it, you want to impress Iris there. I''ll let you use magic just this once, but don''t think I''m going to make it any easier on you. You''ve still got to earn yourself a win!"

    Sora flipped his training sword between his fingers, giving Ren full clearance to use magic. He may not look it, but he did have his pride as a man, which is why he found it vexing that Sora was giving him another handicap. Not once did the man get pushed to even use reinforcement yet, he seemed like an immovable mountain, impossible to surpass.

    "Like hell I''ll use magic--this is a duel between men, strength to strength, man to man!"

    "Bro��" Sora was stunned for a moment, "I knew you''de through! That''s my little bro!"

    As always, Sora''s emotions were vtile, there was no way that man would be able to handle a romance flick. One minute he was fueled by a fiery passion for battle, then the next he would be moved to tears by the most mundane actions.

    "Reinforcement--ON!"

    To his own surprise, he had the energy to activate his reinforcement magic, all thanks to one, simple thing: Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches from Iris. To Ren, it was a sign of his inevitable victory--being empowered by a meal made with love, it didn''t get any better than that.

    --Thank you, PB&J! I can fight!

    At his level now, he was able to match Sora as long as the brute didn''t use his own reinforcement magic. Getting used to the ever-changing physical boosts he got from his improving reinforcement magic was a challenge all on its own. Sometimes, his speed overtook his own reaction time, causing him to crash into trees or fall into pits.

    --Not anymore! I can see it!

    Time felt as if it slowed down, watching his opponent''s strike barely miss as he shifted to the side. Returning the favor with an attack of his own, he swung the wooden sword against Sora''s abdomen, knocking the man back a few meters.

    "--That actually had some power behind it!"

    Sora eximed with an overjoyed smile, pping his hand against his struck abdomen with a rowdyugh. It was frightening to watch the person he just struck with his full might brush it off andugh, but it was definite progress.

    --Those abs...are they made of steel?!

    Ren felt the bones in his sword-wielding hand ache after hitting the man with all of his strength, it was the same sensation as smacking a wall of iron with a de.

    "Go, Ren! I believe in you!"

    Iris cheered him on, still sitting in the same spot on the grass as she stuffed her mouth with another gratifying mash of bread and jelly. As those words of encouragement resonated against his eardrums, it felt as if the world itself had just blessed him.

    "Ah...so this is the one power that stands above the "Power of Friendship", this is...the "Power of Love"!"

    Ren raised his wooden sword to the air in promation, earning a confused, almost pitying look from Sora. Luckily for Ren, Iris was too busy chewing to hear his cringe-worthy words fueled by his own imagination.

    Unfortunately for him though, reality didn''t adhere to the "Power of Love", as he soon learned the one attack hended must''ve been a fluke. From there on, Sora evaded his attacks as if he was attacking him in slow-motion, while the crimson-haired man''s own attacks felt as if a semi-truck was crashing into him at full-speed.

    That''s when he began to notice--it wasn''t a sudden increase in power from Sora, it was his ownck of strength. He realized that his reinforcement magic had already faded, unable to call upon the fumes of mana left within him. First, his legs felt as if a switch had just been flipped off within his body--unable to bnce himself anymore.

    "--Ren?"

    His vision became nothing more than a blur, but the cute concern in Iris'' voice was as clear as day as she spoke his name.

    --Ah, crap. At least I got to hear that adorable voice.

    At some point during their intense sparring matches, without realizing it, he had fallen unconscious from hisck of mana reserves within his body. He couldn''t recall what kind of dream he was having, but it was certainly a nice one, before something woke him up.

    A poke to his forehead had pulled him from his drowsy world of imagination, before feeling something graze through his hair gently.

    --Can a guy get some sleep around here?

    Ren slowly parted his eyelids, meeting with the sight of the endless blue skies above him. It took a minute to realize it, but he wasying on the ground--or he should be, judging by this view.

    Instead, he felt a cushion underneath his head, but it wasn''t a pillow, that much was obvious from the subtle warmth emanating from the cushion.

    "Correct me if I''m wrong...but this heavenly cushion under me, rejuvenating my very soul as a man...wait, no, I must confirm what it is for certain before I make assumptions!"

    He kept his eyes closed, turning to his side as he pressed his cheek against the squishy presence beneath. The quiet, yet distinctly audible gasp in reaction to his movements he heard had truly confirmed it.

    "I''ve truly been blessed, this is, without a doubt--ap pillow!"

    "Jeez! Do you have to turn something harmless into sounding lewd��"

    Turning onto his back again, he looked up to meet eye to eye with the flushed over face of Iris, her entireplexion had shifted from a pale white to that of a tomato.

    "No looking--!"

    Noticing his lecherous smirk from witnessing her flustered appearance, she gently moved him onto his side again.

    "What happened to the quiet, well-mannered boy I first met?"

    "I guess you could say that "boy" decided to stop hiding behind a false bravado and finally be a man."

    She gave him a slight pout at his response, puffing her cheeks out a bit as she began to stroke his hair again.

    "Ah...what did I even do to earn this type of reward?"

    Ren asked, releasing a satisfied breath from his lips as he shut his eyes.

    "You fought your hardest, isn''t that reason enough to be rewarded?"

    "Ya'' know, that''s exactly something I''d tell myself as an excuse. That giving it my all is enough to earn praise, even if I didn''t do anything of worth in the end."

    "Are you trying to say this was a fruitless effort? Ren, during your time here with us...you''ve grown, so much. Through perseverance, you''ve molded yourself into who you are right now."

    "A man resting his head against the pale, squishy thigh pillows of heaven? I think I see your point now--it seems all of my efforts did pay off."

    Ren chuckled yfully, earning a pinch on his cheek from the embarrassed girl.

    "Stop teasing me or you can say goodbye to this happening again."

    "Right, right, I''ll stop, Ma''am."<novelnext></novelnext>

    With his eyes closed, all he took in was the sound of the gentle winds grazing the verdant fields they sat in. The winds were so gentle in fact, that they tickled his ears as heid there--having to stop himself from giggling while resting against the cushiony, warm pillow.

    "When you''re like this...you''re kind of cute."

    The suddenpliment from the girl struck him as she fiddled with locks of his messy hair. Near the center of his chest, a sharp sting had struck--it was his heart.

    "--Huh?!"

    Ren shot up, holding a scarlet blush over his cheeks as the tip of his ears followed suit with a slight red to them.

    A quiet giggle left her lips, covering her mouth slightly with her slender, pale fingers as she closed her eyes. Ren assumed the joyfulughter to mean she was ying around with him as he let out a slight huff from his mouth.

    "You''re so silly."

    "And ugly as a goat, right?"

    "Not at all. You''re just...more handsome than cute."

    Once again, the shocked blush returned to Ren as his hazel eyes glimmered at thepliment. Seeing his reaction to her statement, Iris hid her face behind her hands without warning.

    "Do you have something on your face or something?"

    "Mm."

    Iris only gave a slight mumble as a response. Even for a young man, he was expertly dull when it came to reading the room. After looking at the girl hiding behind her hands for another few seconds, he finally realized the reasoning for this reaction from her.

    --Is she...blushing? I want to see!

    Eventually, she lowered her hands to reveal a faint pink that tinted her usual pale cheeks. More than usual, her damp jewels she had for eyes glistened as she looked at him, wearing a smile. Between the flustered blush she held, those big, vibrant azure eyes of hers, cheeks that looked as soft as dough, her small, adorable nose--it all clicked at once for him.

    --I want to hug her. I want to marry her. I want to hug her. I want to marry her. I want to hug her. I want to marry her. I want to hug her. I want to marry her. I want to hug her. I want to marry her. I want to hug her. I want to marry her. I want to hug her. I want to marry her.

    "Iris��"

    "Y-yes?"

    "You''re so damn cute��! Adorable, cute, huggable, you name it! You transcend all of that! If I were to write my own dictionary, a picture of you would be listed with the word, "Cute", and all of its synonyms. I feel bad for every other girl in this world, none can ever live up to the standard of cuteness you''ve set!"

    Hearing his genuine, fervent words, the faint pink darkened into a crimson as her soft, subtly glistening lips parted for a moment in shock , blinking rapidly as her eyshes fluttered before covering her face once more. It wasn''t his intention--but he managed to see her true blush.

    "--Don''t say things like that! It''s embarrassing��"

    "I can''t help but speak the truth, Iris."

    "Jeez, it''s not lying if you just keep it to yourself, dummy��"

    Setting her hands down, she let out a tiny breath, averting her gaze as she twiddled with her ocean-like blue hair. In times like this, he questioned what the him from before all of this time on Gaia would''ve thought of this situation.

    It was one thing to even make eye contact with another girl of his age, but to talk to her--toe as far as to experience the primal urge that sits beyond the horizon of sexual desire, the privilege of resting one''s head on squishy, marshmallowy thighs was a dream within a dream.

    --If I ever returned home, I think I would be emunicated from the brotherhood of NEETs for this! I''ve tasted the spectrum of other-gender contact, reaching to the farthest ends to introduce my head to herp.

    Hearing the young man''s less thanforting giggle that resembled a goblin, Iris let out a concerned breath, "Really, you''re an odd one."

    "Is that a bad thing?"

    "Hmm...No. It''s just, there aren''t really any people around my age I can talk to here. So...I''m d."

    Looking up at her vibrant eyes, washed over with a quiet happiness, Ren felt his heart pause for a moment seeing such pure beauty. It was the first time he felt he was able topletely read another person, although she did most of the work for him��hiding nothing from him with her honest azure mirrors.

    Gratitude, happiness,fort��there was nothing of malice behind her eyes.

    "An angel."

    Ren had muttered it without thinking as he looked up at her.

    "Eh��?"

    Frozen by the randomment, a blush returned to her pale cheeks slowly. A smug smirk had perched itself on his face as he once again managed to see the phenomena he dubbed--"Flustered Blue Angel." As he let out a cheeky chuckle, he once again earned a pinch on his cheek.

    "You''re such a kid��"

    "Did I just get kid-zoned?"

    Instead of the usual pinch, he received a gentle flick on his cheek. Even if it was an action meant to be scolding, any contact with her kept a beaming, giddy smile on his face. They both met each other with these smiles that held nothing but tranquility behind them, without inhibition, eliciting a sensation of a thousands volts to their hearts.

    ��Not even magic can sometimes remind me of the fantastical world I''m in...But that "Thunderbolt Smile" of here, that''s something that I could only have imagined in my most far-fetched dreams.

    "...I still don''t understand you sometimes, Ren."

    "Where''s thating from?"

    Ren held a ceholder smile as he looked up at the girl in wonderance of what she had meant by her words; captivated once again by her looks.

    "Sometimes I can''t tell if you''re the most hopeless boy I''ve everid my eyes on or the most amazing...It feels like everytime I see you, you fall to one of those two extremes; or sometimes both."

    For a moment, hearing those genuine words, he didn''t know whether to blush or feel outright offended before he slowly shook his head, closing his eyes with a smile.

    "You just don''t get me at all, do you, Iri? That''s what makes me Nakamura Ren; I struggle and push forward like a frantic, short-sighted dog all so that one day, I can be the awesome Nakamura Ren you hope to see."

    There was no response; only a gentle stroke of his head came as once again, he listened to the dance of the grass.

 Chapter 62 - New Faces, New Comrades

    ��Seven months until Purgatory��

    It was an exciting, yet terrifying day. The talk of the house that week was news of the Ounders who were sent out on an expedition before Ren''s arrival were finally returning.

    From what he had heard, that group was sent out to the neighboring kingdom of Vesta, a demi-human ruled nation, to handle a highly-important quest.

    "Wait, I''m confused��if we''re all basically the most wanted criminals in thend, how the hell do we even get quests?"

    "Where did thate from? That doesn''t matter right now, focus on what''s today!"

    "Right, right--this "Monster Hunt" thing. Do I really have to participate?"

    Ren let out a sigh, just enjoying the fact Iris was sitting behind him on his bed as she fixed his messy bed head. He didn''t really care about being presentable, but she insisted on him looking his best to leave a good first impression on the others.

    "Mo- Beatrice, said that it would be a bonding experience for all of us. The entire event is meant to help you out more than anything."

    "Mmm...if you say so. I still think it''s a bad idea--I mean, how is hunting and ying monsters going to help us "bond"? I don''t know about you, but having monster guts all over me isn''t going to make me very sociable."

    --Although, maybe I could impress them with my new skills. Wait, this might actually be awesome, what the hell?

    "Can you not wear that perverted smile when I''m touching you?"

    Iris suddenly said with a concerned look, adjusting strands of his hair still.

    "It''s just a smile, not a perverted smile! You''re only saying that because it''s me."

    "Where there''s smoke, there''s fire."

    "I don''t think that one works here, Iris."

    He had been teaching her a lot about Earth since their agreement a couple months back. What Ren had realized is Iris really liked to hear about were the idioms from their original world.

    "There--you''re all set!"

    Iris announced confidently as she handed him a portable mirror to check his own appearance. There was hardly a noticeable difference, only the absence of the bangs that had draped over his eyebrows. Though, the proud look on Iris'' face stopped anyints from him, not wanting to squander her moment.

    "--Ren, just one more thing��"

    Iris grabbed the sleeve of his tunic as he set the mirror down and stood up.

    "Hm? What is it?"

    "The Ounders who are returning today...they can be a difficult bunch."

    Iris bit onto her thumb nail, focusing as if trying to find the proper way to exin this to him.

    "A difficult bunch? Unlike Sora, the rowdy pervert? Tristan, the gun-toting deadpan sociopath, or maybe Brahmi who only thinks about fighting sixteen hours a day? I''ll be fine, Iris, don''t worry!"

    Ren assured her, stretching his arms behind his back as he gave her a wide smile.

    An echoing call belonging to a titan ray traveled through the skies, audible from the bedroom window. Reaching both of their ears, Ren and Iris pressed themselves against the pane of the window, watching as a titan ray-rger than Delh came into view, making its way towards the base.

    "The hell is that? That isn''t an Argonaut, is it?"

    Ren asked quietly, watching closely with curiosity.

    "--No, that''s Gunther!"

    "Gunther?"

    "Delh''s brother--which means that''s them! They''re back!"

    Before he could even ask another question, Iris had bolted out of his room, hearing her sprint down the stairs in haste. Now that the time hade, he felt his anxiety swell up inside, taking a few deep breaths before he forced himself to go out front to meet the returning Ounders.

    The wind pressure generated from the elder brother of Delh felt as if he were standing under a helicopter, watching as Gunthernded upon the sturdy leaf floor. Up close, Gunther was definitelyrger than the already behemoth-sized Delh, his beady eyes alone were the size of Ren''s head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wee home--!"

    Iris weed them back with a bright smile.

    --Ah! I wish I was on that titan ray now so I could be on the receiving end of that adorable wee!

    A shadow loomed over Ren, looking up to see the silhouette of a person, standing upon Gunther''s head as the rays of light from the sun obscured their appearance.

    "That voice...Iris! Oh, and who is this with you?"

    The person standing atop Gunther''s head asked, the target of his words shifting to Ren. Jumping from the titan ray, the unknown Oundernded in front of Ren. As the Ounder stood up straight, once again, the streak of Ren being the shortest male among the Ounders continued.

    "--I''m Ren Nakamura, I guess I''m the thirteenth Ounder."

    "Ren Nakamura, hm? Aren''t you kind of on the shorter side? Or are you still growing?"

    The man looked down at him, tapping his hand against the top of Ren''s head as if patting a child.

    "The hell--? I''m taller than average, for your information! Just who the hell are you anyways?"

    If it came to an exchange of insults regarding appearances, Ren would run out of ammunition quickly.

    Tufts of ck hair--slightly shorter than Ren''s own, drooped over his pale cheeks. His azure irises were entrancing as if staring into a kaleidoscope of azure waves. The man looked to be no farther in age than his early twenties--simply put, he was in a different league altogether.

    "Sirius Federov--burn the name into your memory, because that''s the name of the strongest--"

    The hot-headed attitude of his was unbefitting of the neat, wrinkle-free attire he wore. It looked like it came straight out of the neenth-century military era; dressed like a decorated veteran.

    "Ah, are you being a jerk again, Sirius?"

    An androgynous, bored sounding voice spoke out,ing from atop the titan ray again. Sirius held a smile and looked back towards the source of the voice.

    "Come down, Lucas--you two as well-- Fai, Natalia!"

    Sirius called back to the other Ounders who had yet toe down from therge creature''s back. Following his call-out, three more figures hopped down from Gunther, standing by Sirius.

    "Wait, aren''t these characters being introduced all a bit too fast?!"

    Ren felt himself shrink under the sudden presence of new people now in front of him. Swallowing his introversion, he faced the three new faces. It was easy enough to match the name "Fai" to the tan guy with the brown ponytail.

    However, the name "Lucas" didn''t seem to match either one of the other two mysterious Ounders.

    "Let me guess--you''re Natalia!"

    Ren guessed, pointing his index finger towards the young girl with short, golden brown hair. Silence followed before Sirius and the man he suspected to be named Fai fell into a fit ofughter. A scornful re dug into Ren from the girl he guessed to be Natalia.

    "--For your information, I am Natalia."

    The other woman with curtains of illustrious silver hair, flowing in waves over her shoulders, corrected Ren, holding an amused smile as she twirled her strand of her hair around her slender fingers.

    "...so that means--"

    "I am Lucas. Remember that well."

    Before Ren''s flustered brain could put two and two together, the person he thought to be a girl fixed his false guess. Looking at "Lucas", the androgynous figure possessed pale, fair skin that would make most girls cry out of envy. Between the gentle pink that inhibited his lips and those dazzling verdant eyes, as well as a figure that most girls hoped to reach by summer--there was nothing "manly" about Lucas besides his slightly boyish voice, and maybe his attire.

    The short, ck trousers that he wore cut off slightly above his knees, wearing shin-high socks and a zer to match the dark shorts he wore seemed to function as a way to retain some level of masculinity, but only ended up increasing the cuteness factor he possessed.

    --Seriously, if you don''t like being mistaken as a girl--maybe don''t paint your nails ck too!

    "You''re a dude--?!"

 Chapter 63 - Wine N Dine

    The half-question, half-exasperation left Ren''s mouth in a yell as his eyes and eyes went into overdrive with this new revtion.

    "Ren��"

    Iris shook her head quietly out of second-hand embarrassment.

    "It gets me every time! You can''t catch a break, can ya'', Lucas?"

    The ponytailed man cackled, yfully pping his hand against Lucas'' shoulder, who seemed in a constant state of annoyance in his short time knowing him.

    "...I wasn''t going to call her out, but she''s sure taking her time...Charlotte!"

    "...yes?"

    A timid, adorable high-pitched voice responded to Sirius'' call.

    --There''s still another person on Gunther?! And they sound cute as hell--?

    "Get down here already! You want to meet our newestrade, right?"

    "...okay."

    Following the response from the shy girl, the sound of shifting filled the otherwise silent air before she hopped off of Gunther''s back, making a small noise whennding. She looked no older than a middle-school student, with curly, scarlet locks draped over her slender shoulders.

    "Urr...nice to meet you, I''m Ren."

    He scratched his head with a slight chuckle.

    "Charlotte."

    The small girl introduced herself with just a single word, keeping her gaze down as she fiddled with her fingers. As adorable and much of a sight for sore eyes the girl was, Ren couldn''t help but feel sadness at the fact such a girl had to live in Gaia.

    "You''ll have to forgive her, she''s always been timid like this around new people. Don''t worry, she''lle around to ya'' in no time. Oh right, I almost forgot to introduce myself! I''m Fai Meng!"

    "I kind of already guessed that."

    Ren shook Fai''s extended hand, who held an iron-grip that juxtaposed his frivolous smile he held. Somehow, that carefree nature of Fai''s made his strength even more frightening--as this was probably him not even attempting to strongarm him.

    "Are you all going toe inside already? Sora and Donatien have been preparing a weing feast for you. If you don''t eat soon, we won''t be able to hold the Monster Hunt today!"

    Iris grabbed Natalia and Lucas by their arms, leading them inside the house as Fai followed close behind, tapping his shirtless stomach.

    "Beatrice sure is ruthless, making us do a Monster Hunt the same day we return from our tiresome journey."

    Sirius let out a sigh,ining to Ren, who had a less than fond first impression of the man. Compared to the other Ounders, the outfit Sirius wore seemed much more "official". A dark gray, intricately woven uniform with stripes of blue running over the expensive fabric. Watching him as he brushed his hand through his hair, Ren noticed Sirius wore white gloves, etched with some sort of ck symbol on the back of each hand. It would be impossible to tell just by looking that the guy was from Earth, and not some noble prince of this world. In essence, what Ren hade to the conclusion to:

    --This guy totally has eighth-grader syndrome, in order words, he''s a "chuuni"! How does a guy with his looks never grow out of his eight-grader phase--? I guess I can''t talk, as a NEET, we aren''t that different...

    "Oh? Are you not going in, Charlotte? Could it be you''re waiting for me? How adorable."

    Just from watching Sirius, it was easy to tell the man was fond of himself, seemingly loving the sound of his own voice as he bbered on without anyone even responding to him.

    "...I want to talk to Ren."

    "I-I see...I''ll just go on ahead then!"

    Sirius waved at Ren and Charlotte with two fingers before entering the house, clearly hurt by Charlotte''s blunt rejection. That''s when Ren''s prayers had been answered by the unseeable divinity that upied the heavens--the handsome, confident Sirius had his weakness discovered.

    --He''s a lolicon! And his ikeman powers don''t work on her! Even more, she wants to talk to me instead!

    Watching Sirius disappear into the Ounder home, Ren didn''t notice that Charlotte was now standing directly in front of him, the top of her head reaching only to his abdomen.

    "--Ah! So, what did you want to talk about?"

    "...I''m not good when lots of people are around...so��"

    "Ah, I understand. You wanted to wait until it was just us to properly meet, right?"

    Ren patted the girl''s head as she nodded in response. Luckily, he could say he was one of the rare breed of NEETs that wasn''t into lolis, otherwise the incarnation of sugar that was Charlotte might have been troublesome for him.

    "How long have you been here? In Gaia, I mean."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He asked Charlotte, he moved his hand away from her head.

    "Three years."

    "Wah...that''s a long time, especially for your age--how old are you anyways?"

    "Fourteen."

    Charlotte answered, adjusting the white robe she wore over her brown leather armor.

    --Ah, I guessed as much.

    "--Ren? Charlotte?"

    Ren quickly turned around after hearing his name, meeting gazes with Iris, who had a partially worried expression.

    "Don''t get the wrong idea! I''m not a lolicon!"

    Assuming the worst, Ren instantly went into defensive mode, wearing a sharp blush as he slurred his words.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about...juste on, would you? We''re all waiting in the dining hall��"

    Iris raised an eyebrow at his sudden outburst, holding onto the frame of the door before disappearing back inside.

    "Right...let''s go, Charlotte."

    He then realized why she was even staying out there to talk to him--it was tantly obvious.

    --With such arge group of people inside, she''s probably frightened at the idea.

    Letting out a yful sigh, Ren smiled before grabbing Charlotte''s hand, who returned the gesture with a confused gaze at the young man.

    "Come on, just stay close--honestly, I should be the one scared of this party...you know everyone there."

    Although he teased her about it, he knew the troubles of anxiety all too well. It seemed she epted thepromise, sticking close to him as they made their way to the dining hall.

    --This is seriously starting to look bad, though! Seriously--seeing a NEET with a young girl like this, I can''t really me anyone for getting the wrong idea!

    Luckily, it seemed that everyone was too distracted to notice Ren walk into the dining hall with the girl basically clinging to his side. Well, everyone except for Sirius--who nearly spit out his drink as he saw Charlotte so close to him.

    He hadn''t been in the dining hall to actually eat yet, since there wasn''t any need to host so many people. It was just asvish as he imagined any house that had a dining hall to be, finding the giant chandelier to be slightly horrifying to sit under, though.

    "��Are you going to stare daggers into me all day?"

    Ren asked Sirius, his words only falling upon the ears of the man he was talking to, drowned out by the constant chattering of the others.

    "Just you wait��once your fifteen centimeters of fame are over, Charlotte won''t talk to you anymore."

    "Was that a short joke��? Like I said, I''m above average!

    Their bickering was cut short as a p echoed through the packed dining hall, all of the present Ounders turning to see Beatrice standing at the end of the decorated table.

    "Settle down now, my children. Today is a special day amongst a special year. First, I''d like to congratte Sirius, Charlotte, Fai, Natalia, and Lucas for their sessfulpletion of the Phantasm rank quest they took on."

    Beatrice spoke elegantly, raising her pale hands into the air as an apuse followed her appraisal.

    "I don''t really know what all that means...but good job, I guess."

    Ren muttered as he followed the lead of the others, pping his hands together. He felt a sudden jab to the side of his arm, turning to see Iris nudging his arm with her elbow.

    "--A Phantasm rank quest is the third highest you can take on."

    Iris whispered to him, turning back to face Beatrice as the apuse settled. Looking at the man seated across the table from him, Ren regretted pping after noticing the smug smile wrapped on Sirius'' face, clearly still salty over the whole Charlotte situation.

    "That guy is actually that strong��?"

    Ren couldn''t imagine someone as immature and overall annoying as that man being someone capable of handling such tasks.

 Chapter 64 - Monster Hunt

    "Ren...you''re being rude, wait until Beatrice is done."

    "Right, right��"

    Disappointing Iris was probably thest thing on his list to do, Renplied to her sharp whispers and kept himself quiet. During his time at the Althaus estate, formal asions like this didn''t ur--at least, he wasn''t allowed to be present for them, since they usually were meant for guests.

    "What this day is really meant for--is to officially celebrate the thirteenth Ounder, Ren Nakamura. With his arrival, this marks a day engraved in history, etched into the world, a covenant between those willing to erase the depravity of this world. To Ren Nakamura!"

    "To Ren!"

    Everyone raised their sses in celebration, even Charlotte, who timidly raised her ss of grape juice as if it was wine. Being the center of attention like this drove a spike of anxiety through Ren as his face turned to a bright crimson out of embarrassment.

    "--You okay, you aren''t sick, are you?"

    Charlotte asked, sitting to his left side as she looked up at him.

    "I''m alright, it''s just kind of hot in here, don''t worry--"

    Ren chuckled, trying to dismiss her worries as he could feel Sirius'' gaze pierce him as soon as Charlotte spoke to him.

    After the cause of celebration was announced, everyone began to dig into the feast presented. He focused on intaking as much meat as he could, with the amount of training he was being put through--prioritizing protein to supplement his overworked muscles was what Sora drove into him.

    --If that guy knows anything, it''s muscles! And cooking apparently!

    During his ravenous state of shoveling a variety of meats into his mouth, exotic and not, he forgot that this feast was something prepared by Sora and Donatien. It was a frightening thought to imagine working in a kitchen with those two, who mix like oil and water.

    Even with a lot of new faces around, Ren began to notice he didn''t feel scared to be around all of these people. It was lively for something that seemed to be a formal feast, as Sora and Donatien bantered with each other, resulting in a chicken bone being tossed back and forth.

    "Enjoying the feast, new guy?"

    Fai showed up from behind Ren, throwing his arm around the young man''s shoulder who nearly choked on the piece of meat he was eating from the random encounter. The flush over Fai''s face and the dorky smile made it easy enough to tell the man was absolutely wasted.

    "--Yeah...you seem to be enjoying yourself too��"

    Ren chuckled nervously, turning his face away from the man as the vapor of alcohol emanated from his mouth. He looked at Iris, begging with his eyes for assistance--but she was too busy catching up with Natalia to notice Ren''s predicament.

    Beatrice once again rose from her seat as the time of supper came to an end. The constant exchange of words between the Ounders settled into an observant silence as all eyes met on the Sage.

    "As per tradition of the Ounders--to mark theing of a new member, we will soon begin the "Monster Hunt". The game is simple, each team will be given a list of creatures within Grandeuve they must hunt. You will have three days to the most points possible, there are no rules--do what you must to win, except the killing of fellow Ounders. As you may remember,st time, we did three-man teams--now, we will be doing two-man duos. I have already pre-selected everyone''s partners."

    Beatrice exined the concept of the game, which the other Ounders were clearly familiar with.

    --Three days? "Anything goes except killing"? This is a lot more serious than I expected, Iris.

    Ren let out a quiet sigh. The only choice he had left was to pray for a good partner--preferably Iris, if he was going to be camping out in the wilderness.

    "Duos, huh? I guess there are ten of us here right now."

    Sora counted each head, muttering to himself.

    "If there are no further questions, then I will announce each pairing."

    Beatrice smiled, running her hands across thevish table cloth as she waited a moment to give room for any questions before continuing.

    "Sora and Donatien."

    Both of the men''s eyes widened at Beatrice''s decision, letting out simultaneous gasps before exchanging sharp nces.

    "Iris and Brahmi."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The muscr woman didn''t seem to even be paying attention, meanwhile Iris seemed scared about the idea of pairing up with the abrasive fighter. From his time training with her, he knew Brahmi was a caring person--but she showed it in her own ruffian way.

    After seeing the first two pairings, Ren was starting to notice a pattern:

    --These are total opposites!

    Continuing on, Beatrice smiled before announcing the next pairing, her eyes falling on Ren as his heart skipped a beat as he realized what was about to be said, "Ren and Sirius."

    As soon as the announcement met his eardrum, Ren looked at Sirius, who returned his shocked expression in silence as the white of his eyes widened almostically. He knew there was no convincing the inhuman Sage to change the pairings--she probably got a kick out of this.

    "Charlotte and Lucas."

    --So zero confidence V.S absolute confidence?

    "Fai and Tristan."

    --Loud and obnoxious V.S stoic and cold?

    As Beatrice finished announcing the pairings for the special event, the excitement seemed to have dwindled as everyone felt contempt for their chosen partners.

    "--You forgot me."

    Natalia spoke up, drawing attention to herself. In his nervous state he was in earlier when they met, he didn''t notice her "features" that seemed to bounce on her chest with the smallest movements. She oozed with promiscuity, running her finger against her luscious lips as her silver locks cascaded down her shoulders.

    "That''s because you''ll be helping me with something in regards to the domain, Natalia."

    Beatrice gave her a gentle smile, her answer seeming to satisfy Natalia who raised her wine ss to her lips once more.

    "You have one hour to discuss your ns with your new partner--I''d rmend you make the best use of this time as you can, as once your lists are given to you, the game begins."

    "One hour--?!"

    A few Ounders asked in unison, standing up from their seats. In just a second of time, the dining hall had returned to an echochamber of noise, holding a cafeteria of rambunctious, entric otherworlders who all seemed displeased. The only people who didn''t seem bothered were Fai, who was too far into liquond to care and Tristan, who had fallen asleep somehow.

    "Yeah, that''s not enough time--we just pigged out! Was that feast a trap--?"

    Beatrice listened to their worries, allowing them to exude their questions before she answered calmly, "Trust me that this is an exercise of bonding, and see to it that you abandon thoseints unbefitting of the heroes you all are and will be."

    Her answer was somewhat terrifying--that type of outlook sounded like something a tyrant would believe in.

    "--I think I get it."

    "Huh?"

    Iris looked over as Ren muttered to himself.

    "This is all a trial for us--she matched us with people who don''t mesh with one another, whether it be by personal disputes or just conflicting personalities. By doing that, we''ll be forced to not only toss away those differences, but grow above them. This time limit is part of that, I think."

    Ren told her, noticing the nervous look stered on her face.

    "--I see. Yeah, that makes sense. Totally...I totally get it, Mother��"

    She was always calm and headstrong, but at the prospect of having to be alone with Brahmi for three days--she seemed to crack under the pressure. Her innocent nature seemed to be the thing being put to the test against the hot-headed she-warrior.

    --I''m sorry, Iris--but this is for your own good, as well as mine. I have my own problems to face right now, so let''s both do our best!

    He gave the nervous girl a bright smile and a thumbs-up, managing to earn a half-baked smile in return.

 Chapter 65 - Brother

    Meeting his unlikely partner at the edge of the Grandfather tree, it was a tall task to even approach the lolicon nemesis. Ren swallowed his fears and stood beside Sirius, watching over the valley as a passing wind graced their skin.

    While the other pairs had begun their nning, Sirius remained silent until clearing his throat atst. That sparkle in the man''s pale blue eyes foretold of whatever chaotic words he hading for Ren.

    "Listen and listen well, Ren! We may have our differences, but at the end of the day--we''re both men recognized by the eyes of Charlotte! I think I finally understand it now--me and you, we''re both her older brothers! Which means, we''re brothers----!"

    Sirius wore a determined expression, contrasting his sour demeanor Ren recognized. If Ren didn''t know any better, Sirius would actually have looked pretty cool right then, standing proud as the high-winds tugged on his charcoal hair. This sudden,plete and utter shift from Sirius caught Ren off-guard, unable to predict what went through the man''s head.

    "--I...what?"

    "That''s right, Ren--this is the day our brotherhood was forged, tested by the obstacles set by Lady Fate herself. From this day onwards, you''ll refer to me as "Big Bro"! "Big Bro Sirius" is also eptable, Little Bro!"

    "You''re not a lolicon! You''re a siscon, and a brocon!"

    The man was even more of a degenerate than he initially realized, and that''sing from someone who spent every waking moment holed away in their room.

    It was exhausting trying to handle Sirius, who spoke in passion and in the heat of the moment--deciding things on his own without giving the chance for Ren to so much as get a word in. Although, Ren decided to give in to this whole brother concept, as it was better than being mortal enemies.

    --His mind works so rapidly, he seriously went from hating me ten minutes ago to now forming an unbreakable bond with me?!

    "So how about it, Little Bro? Let''s start from zero."

    "--Fine."

    Ren couldn''t help but smile at Sirius'' over the top behavior, epting his extended hand as he embraced the texture of the silken glove.

    "To seal this pact of brotherhood, forged from our burning passion to protect the angel, Charlotte, you must say my name!"

    "Sirius."

    Ren gave him his name, realizing that wasn''t what the azure-eyed man wanted to hear as he gestured for him to utter the proper title.

    "--Big Bro Sirius."

    The words left his mouth like sandpaper, having to force the full title out against his own will. As grated as it came out, Sirius seemed awfully pleased hearing those words as a bashful, smug smile formed across his lips as he closed his eyes.

    "Can we figure out what the hell we''re supposed to do now? You''ve done this "Monster Hunt" thing before, right?"

    Ren asked the entric man, who coughed into his hand to rid himself of his satisfied blush.

    "Yeah, we''ve done it a few times--but it''s different every time. That Beatrice is a cold woman, sometimes I think she likes to watch us deal with hardship."

    "Can you get on topic please?"

    "My little brother sure is impatient."

    Ren felt his skin crawl as Sirius called him his little brother again, wanting badly to take a bath to wash away this surface-level kinship.

    "If we''re going to be entrusting ourselves to one another, then we need to know each other''s skillset. That''s what we should start with."

    "Makes sense."

    "I''ll start then: my magical affinity is lightning."

    Sirius told him, disying it by conjuring a small spark of electricity between his index finger and thumb. It was his first time even hearing about lightning magic existing in Gaia, which left him wondering how it was even possible to possess.

    "--I thought the only magical affinities were fire, water, wind, nature, dark, and light?"

    "Those are the main elements, but there are special ones that exist as special subsets of those. Like, for example--my lightning affinity is derivative of fire and wind. They really didn''t teach you this stuff yet?"

    "Oh, right--I think Donatien did tell me something about that. So cool!"

    "Isn''t it? So what''s yours?"

    Ren wished he had shown his first, after seeing the affinity that bestowed the power of the raging heavens--he felt inadequate.

    "Uhh...I can use dark magic. I know it''s--"

    "Awesome! Show me! Show me!"

    He stepped back as Sirius stepped close to him, pumping his fists in the air as he urged Ren to disy his magic like a curious child.

    There was no choice but toply, manifesting a small sphere of dark mana to show to the entric Sirius.

    "--Amazing! Ah, I love my lightning, but dark is a close second for me! Seriously, we must''ve been destined to be paired up, brother!"

    "You know, maybe."

    All it took was a singlepliment to win Ren over, scratching his head as he epted the praise. He should''ve known this would be the reaction from someone who clearly had eight-grader syndrome.

    A ring sounded through the Grandfather tree, stopping everyone''s nning as a piece of neat paper formed in Ren''s hand. Looking around--it seemed everyone received a note of their own.

    "What''s this?"

    Ren asked as he began scanning his eyes over the note.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s our list--which means the game has just started."

    A resolved smile was disyed on Sirius'', who stretched side to side and cracked his knuckles in preparation.

    Watching Sirius bend his knees as he prepared to leap from the colossal tree, Ren realized it was do-or-die to test one of the applications of reinforcement he had been taught by Tristan.

    --"The reason we''re able to fall from such heights is a special subset of reinforcement magic, focusing on shrouding your legs and feet instead of thinning it out across your body. Although, once your reinforcement is strong enough--just the basic usage will work." Tristan told me that, but now it''s time to put it to the test!

    "Are you ready?"

    "Yeah!"

    Ren buried any fears he had, leaping off of the towering stalk alongside his partner. Redirecting the flow of mana to his lower half, the reinforcement activated, bolstering his legs as he plummeted past the clusters of plump clouds.

    It was impossible not to hide the smile that overtook him, the pure rush and sense of aplishment that surged through his very being--he felt truly alive at this moment.

    "Woo--!"

    Ren yelled out in joy as he dropped, holding his arms out like wings, embracing the weing winds that bulleted past him. Never again would he need to traverse the arduous steps within the tree, or be carried like a child.

    --I''m an Ounder! Ren Nakamura, the thirteenth Ounder!

    The ground below came into view at a rapid rate, Ren braced himself for impact as he sucked all the air he could into his lungs. As his feet met with the ground, he could feel the force generated by the impact glide through the ground like a wave. Siriusnded gracefully, finishing his fall with a slip as he met the ground without a hitch.

    "That felt...weird."

    He expected the soil to cave in under his high-velocity impact, but nothing happened.

    "Was that your first time jumping from there? You''ll get used to it."

    "...yeah, I don''t know about getting used to it."

    Ren took a step forward, walking like a newborn calf as his knees wobbled. After massaging his own thighs to help the blow flow kick back in, Ren looked up to Sirius, "So, what now?"

    "For starters, we need to get moving. The grace period ends after the first night, then that''s when things get real fun."

    "Grace period?"

    "After the first night, we''re allowed to fight one another. Let''s just say...we''ll be caught up in all of that. So we should get ourselves set up first."

    Sirius exined to him with a half-smile, waving his hand for Ren to follow him as they entered the forest of leaves, devoid of civilization. Surprisingly, past his entric traits, Sirius seemed to be a reliable guy at the end of the day.

    "--Seriously, I don''t know what half the things on this list are. "Gambon Snatchers"? That sounds like something I''d find in a candy store."

    "Give me that."

    Sirius swiped the list from Ren''s hands, bringing it in front of his eyes.

    "Hmm...we''ve got some big critters to hunt."

    "So how do we "win" exactly?"

    After asking his question, Ren watched as Sirius stuffed the arcane note into the coat of his ashen jacket, stepping through a mass of foliage.

    "--Well, Monster Hunt has different win-conditions each time, to keep things "spicy". Last year, the one we did worked like a scavenger hunt, making teams collect every monster on their list. You can tell which variation of the game this is by looking at the list. Do you remember what you saw?"

    "Yeah, I saw the names of creatures."

    "Besides that--there was something listed next to the names."

    Sirius yfully knocked his fist against Ren''s head, as if trying to get the gears in his head moving.

    "Oh--you mean the numbers listed by the name? I think the Gambon Snatcher had "five" attached to it."

    "Bingo. This year''s Monster Hunt is a point-based system--so we don''t have to go after everything we see on that list."

    A light switched in Ren''s head at this new piece of information, letting out an "Oh!" as he stepped over a puddle of murky water.

    "So we could just go after the highest-point monster over and over again and totally sweep thepetition, right?"

    Ren asked with confidence carrying his words, rubbing his palms together as he imagined the type of respect he''d get from winning this whole thing.

    "...I like that attitude, but that''s not really feasible."

    "Why not?"

    "Well, for example--a "Gergerun", which yields seven-points, would only be on the lower end of monster quality for our list, but I think you''ll find them difficult to handle already. So if we were to focus on say, the "Dimghasts", a monster that brings fifty-points, it would be extremely tedious and time consuming to try and hunt multiple of."

    "--I get it, I get it. So we need to optimize hunting both low-point creatures and leave high-point ones to chance?"

    "Sort of, yeah," Sirius nodded his head before freezing in ce, "Stop--"

    Ren came to a halt as his partner raised his arm in front of him, falling silent as the sound of footsteps and heavy breathing upied the still forest.

 Chapter 66 - A Tasty Foe

    He felt blind, deaf, and stupid for not noticing the presence of such arge creature passing so close by them. Obscured by the low-hanging branches of the endless trees, all that Ren could make out was therge, mustard-yellow body of whatever was passing by.

    "What is that thing? It''s huge!"

    Ren asked in a sharp whisper, gripping the handle of his sheathed sword.

    "--A Gambon Snatcher, that''s a walking five-points right there!"

    "That''s a Gambon?! Something that big is only worth five--?"

    The vibration through the soil each time the gambon took a step made him feel the weight first-hand, just from the brief glimpse he could make out through the foliage, the creature had to be around the size of a small bus.

    "Come on, little bro, show me some fire! Give that thing hell, I''ll back you up!"

    Sirius pushed Ren forward with a p to his back, causing him to slip through the trees that acted as camouge for them--meeting face to face with the behemoth.

    Uponing into contact with the bloated creature, coated in ayer of some sort of mucus, Ren let out a surprised yell as he realized what the monster was, "It''s a giant frog--!"

    Opening its cavern of a mouth, its deathly breath nearly caused Ren to hurl as the smell of swamp garbage filled his nose. It''s saliva trickled down from its open mouth, dropping onto the soil below in sshes of gunky fluid.

    ��I guess this is actually a pretty good opportunity to put what I''ve learned into practice. After all of those trees I''ve battered, having a living target is a nice change of pace.

    The thousand-yard stare from the Gambon made it impossible to tell just how hostile it was nning to be, as its long, slimy tongue darted out of its mouth towards Ren. Pivoted on his left foot, the amateur spellde drew his de--slicing the iing whip of flesh in two.

    A disgusting "st" was heard as the severed tongue hit the ground next to Ren''s foot, sending a repulsive shiver through his body.

    "--This thing is disgusting."

    "Get back if you value your life!"

    Sirius suddenly yelled out from behind Ren, the words stunned him for a moment as he processed their meaning.

    --Value my life?

    His confusion was answered as a stream of scarlet liquid escaped from the open wound of the Gambon''s iling tongue, the liquid melted away the bark itnded on as if it were acid.

    "Dunkel: Veil!"

    Ren pushed his hand forward just in time, conjuring the shadow shield as the acidic blood pelted against it like rain against an umbre. Getting rid of the shield, it seemed the oversized amphibian was caught off guard by the usage of magic, looking at him with its zed over eyeballs.

    "--Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Swiping his hand, Ren conjured and unleashed a horizontal de of dark mana towards the creature. Like a hot knife to butter, the offensive spell sliced through the creature''s stout belly.

    "I got it!"

    Ren proimed victory with a smile--shortly lived as another yell from Sirius reached his ears, who was watching this the entire time, "No you didn''t! Pay attention!"

    "Huh?"

    Hearing Sirius'' advice, Ren turned to see that both the Gambon''s severed tongue and open belly were now closing, as if reversing the wounds entirely.

    "--It can regenerate?"

    "It uses its own natural mana to heal itself--I''d rmend taking it out in one blow."

    Sirius told him, keeping his distance as he watched how Ren handled the situation.

    "Then it''s time to try that, huh��"

    --I only began my training for this a month ago, but I think I can handle it now--the next stage of dark magic, "Araphel".

    If "Dunkel" was level one, then "Araphel" would be a jump all the way to level five. Feeling the heat of the Gambon''s musty breath brush against his skin, his concentration didn''t falter.

    While using the Dunkel form of dark magic, the spells were basic in function��not requiring a high mana cast,ing with little to no risk. Araphel, however, was a different beast to handle entirely. A singlepse in focus could result in releasing an overflow of mana, or blowing himself up with his own magic.

    "��Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    An enormous drill, spanning the size of a small tree formed from the shadowy mana generated by Ren.

    ��Phase one, sess! Now for phase two��!<novelnext></novelnext>

    Clenching his fist and turning his arm as if turning a valve, he released another spike of mana as the void drill began to spin rapidly, generating a gust from the generated force. The snapped twigs and fallen leaves fluttered from the drill''s wind before Ren pushed it forward against the oversized amphibian like a propellednce.

    "--"This is the drill that will shoot through the heavens!" I''ve always wanted to say that!"

    Ren yelled out with a smile, holding onto his extended arm as he kept the drill''s trajectory stable. Against a swift opponent, the spell would leave the caster wide open to counterattacks, but against the almost inanimate gambon--it was perfect. Colliding against the giant frog''s recently healed belly, the mana-formed drill pierced it without a hitch, ripping apart the creature''s flesh as its entire body spun around the overpowering rotation.

    However--there was just one problem with this.

    "Uh-oh."

    As the drill pierced the gambon like a shish kabob, its acidic blood began to fling in every direction. His first thought was to cast Dunkel Veil again, but using two spells at once, especially an Araphel-level spell would be incredibly risky.

    "Ba''al: Ten-Thousand Purging Fangs."

    From behind him, Sirius invoked a spell--manifesting countless, tiny bolts of lightning that targeted each and every drop of caustic blood.

    Conjured into thin air, the minuscule bolts emitted a purple light through the area, sparkling through the trees as if a festival had spawned from nothing.

    The small sparks bounced around the surrounding trees like pinballs, colliding and vaporizing each instance of the gambon''s blood within seconds. Trying to understand what was happening in front of him would''ve sent his brain into overdrive, only understanding that there were countless shes of violet flying across his vision.

    "--Woah."

    It was his first time witnessing lightning magic, and it was just as amazing as he suspected.

    "That was pretty awesome."

    "I know, that lightning magic of yours really--"

    "--I meant you, Small Bro."

    Sirius corrected him, pping him on the back with a smile. The drill had finally dissipated, fizzling out until all that was left was a mist of darkness in its ce, leaving the gambon behind as nothing more than a pile of shredded skin.

    "Huh? Really? But I messed it up--if you didn''t step in, I would''ve been a pile of bones by now."

    "A gambon snatcher like that is a helluva'' thing to put down, most adventurers in this world wouldn''t be able to handle that. You did it with only a few months under your belt--be a bit more confident."

    "--"

    "Believe in the me that believes in you."

    More so than the previous words, the ones that had just left Sirius'' lips hit Ren like a bolt of lightning. Paired with the man''s charming smile and unwavering confidence, both in himself and now in Ren, those words were so impactful that it made all others he had ever heard sound fake.

    "--You understand my reference earlier?! I misjudged you...Brother!"

    "I''m d you''ve finallye around, Bro!"

    All it took for someone like Ren to put his full loyalties into someone was a mutual love for anime, manga, and games. The other Ounders were all amazing people that he already considered to be like family--but none of them until now shared in his interests--until Sirius.

    The two newly-formed brothers exchanged a fistbump, before Sirius walked over to what was left of the gambon, nudging his ck, leather boot against the steaming pile of skin.

    "That''s five-points for us."

    "--Wait, how is it even kept track of?"

    Ren asked as the idea suddenly struck his mind, there was no way it was based off of an honor system--not with leches like Sora around.

    "Don''t worry--these lists are enchanted by Beatrice, they update each time one of us sessfully puts down one of our targeted monsters."

    "That''s pretty convenient."

    "Isn''t it?"

    Moving onward, Ren felt lighter--after sessfully using an Araphel-level spell and beingplimented by someone like Sirius, he felt like he was on top of the world. Marching forward with a wide, all-confident smirk, he was prepared for anything that decided to cross his path.

    "That expression is kind of creepy, bro."

    "--I don''t want to be called creepy by someone like you."

    Ren muttered, stopping alongside his partner as they stumbled upon a small cave, somewhat hidden among the perched trees.

 Chapter 67 - Hunter, Gatherer, NEET

    "Looks like we found our home for the night."

    Sirius tapped his hand against the smooth stone that made up the cave, turning back to Ren as if seeing what he thought of it.

    "I still don''t get why Beatrice left out so many details about this game��"

    Ren followed hisint with a sigh, dropping a pile of firewood in the middle of cold cavern.

    "If you haven''t figured that part out, then you really aren''t using your head."

    "Calling me stupid?"

    "Maybe think about why Beatrice would want to set up a game designed to force us to bond together, and overall push us. The Monster Hunt is designed for neers��you."

    "So omitting the details is part of forcing me to grow, huh? Sheesh, she''s not pulling any punches."

    Ren sat down on the ground, watching as the orange glow of the setting sun dipped into the mouth of the cavern.

    "It''s going to rain tonight."

    Sirius stated as he began fiddling with the pile of firewood.

    "How can you tell?"

    "It kind ofes with being a lightning mage."

    "Where''s my perk for being a dark mage?!"

    Siriusughed at Ren''s genuine frustration before moving closer to the firewood. With a snap of his fingers, a small bolt of lightning flung from between his fingers to the wood, lightning the mmable material on fire within an instant.

    "--At this point, I feel like you''re showing off. Why is lightning magic so damn cool?!"

    Ren put his hands in front of the newly sparked mes, rxing as the warmth caressed his previously cold body.

    "I''ve been practicing for years now, you''ll get there. Between me and you, I''ve run into a few opponents using dark magic--and lemme tell ya'', they were pretty damn strong. Of all the elements, darkness has the biggest variety of spells at its disposal--debuffing, buffing, attacking, defending, even healing."

    "Really? All of that?"

    Ren asked, manifesting a miniscule orb of darkness above his index finger before flicking it away. He definitely wasn''t unhappy with the affinity stuck with him, but watching Sirius'' usage of lightning just made it feel like there was so much more he could''ve been.

    "Of course, you''re already well on your way to being a damn strong mage, Bro."

    "--Speaking of getting strong...that''s not going to happen unless I get something in my stomach soon."

    "...good point."

    They had neglected to consider their options in terms of actually eating--the most vital part of survival when camping out in the wilderness. One look at Sirius'' pampered features and extravagant clothing told Ren that the Ounder probably had just as little experience with this sort of thing as him.

    "So...what''re we going to eat?"

    Ren asked, putting the question on the table.

    "--Well, I''m d you asked. Ren Nakamura, this is your second test! Find us a suitable meal to eat before we resign for the night!"

    "What kind ofme excuse is that?! Just say you don''t know how to hunt!"

    "I know how to hunt, but I can''t simply carry us through this game, Bro. What would you learn then? You''ve got to trust your big brother on this one, Ren."

    Sirius assured him, putting his hand on the young man''s shoulder as he gave him his trademark smile.

    He didn''t have much of a choice--whether he liked it or not, Sirius was his senior here, and was definitely capable of pulling the two of them to victory. This was likely his best shot at pulling his own weight here--it would be a good chance to earn some more points with Sirius.

    "Good luck, Bro!"

    Sirius called out to Ren as he left the cave, with nothing more than his sword at his hip.

    --I''ve got to make this fast, the sun is going to set fully soon...I don''t really like the idea of being alone at night in this damn ce.

    He shivered at that idea, imagining the concept of spiders the size of the oversized frog he had dealt with earlier that day.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "There''s got to be like...bunnies, or something, right?"

    It would be a herculean feat to even spot a small animal through the thick foliage that inhabited the forest, barely able to even see the soil beneath his boots half the time. He kept his hand on the handle of his sword, ready for any creature that decided to cross his path and give him a heart-attack, stepping over the evergreen.

    A sharp, drawn-out "hiss" had suddenly met his eardrums, causing him to freeze in ce and draw his sword from its scabbard, darting his eyes side to side to find the source of the hissing.

    --Was that hiss aimed at me? It had to be. Whatever it is--it''s going to be dinner.

    In case the creature found him first, he activated reinforcement--guarding himself as he slowly turned to the side in an attempt to locate the unknown critter. Roughly four meters away from him, his eyes met with the source of hostility.

    "A katzen, huh? A pretty big one at that��"

    The feline creature was without a doubtrger and more round than the one he encountered at the start of his journey, watching him with violent, beady eyes.

    --I can''t use magic against it, I''m pretty sure my magic would spoil the meat��

    Left with only one option, he held his sword in front of him, gripping the handle with both hands as he abandoned the idea of casting for this instance.

    Just as he lifted his boot to engage with the katzen--he found the source of its hostility. It wasn''t attempting to hunt him as if he were prey, it was on guard due to the tiny katzen kittens that it was protecting behind itself.

    "Ah...so you''re just a protective mom kitty."

    Ren let out a sigh, sheathing his sword as he couldn''t bring himself to perform such a ruthless act. It would either be him taking away their mother and leaving the poor kittens to fend for themselves in the heartless forest, or taking them out as well. Both options would leave a sour taste in his mouth.

    "Get on. Shoo. Get."

    He waved his hands to usher the mother katzen away with her kittens, which after a few moments of watching him closely, itplied, backing away slowly before disappearing into the foliage with her children.

    As a reward for his deed, his stomach let out a growl, yearning for sweet sustenance.

    "So this is the reward you get for having a good conscience, huh?"

    ? Trekking onward once again, Ren swore to y the next creature that crossed his path, there was no room for mercy in his stomach, only a filling of warm food. Soon, the light in the sky had abandoned him, leaving him in the darkness of the starry night, guided only by the subtle moonlight.

    Without realizing it, he had nearly stumbled off the side of a cliff, standing at the precipice that overlooked a smallke.

    "--That was close��"

    Ren put his hand over his chest, feeling his heart throw itself against his chest rapidly, settling it as he took a few, drawn-out long breaths. Even amidst the darkness, theke seemed to glow against the moonlight--unnatural as it was, it did ease his fears somewhat.

    He took one more soothing breath before leaping from the five-meter high cliff,nding on the ground below without the assistance of reinforcement magic.

    "This water should be drinkable, right?"

    Asking himself as he slid the canteen out from the pouch on his belt, he dipped the water-container into theke. It was clearer than any water he had seen on Earth, and that to him was enough to vouch for its drinkability.

    Taking arge gulp of the refreshing water, it reinvigorated his tired body and temporarily subsided his hunger.

    "--Alright, now I really need to find something for me and Sirius. I''m starting to really scorn this weak heart of mine...katzen sounds good right about now."

    Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a patch of berries hanging from foliage. Getting a closer look at the potential solution to his hungry predicament, the small pieces of fruit were a variety of colors--ranging from blue, green, red, and yellow.

    As his bedroom was the only habitat he was familiar with, the rules of nature and survival were scarcely known to him--but he did know that eating random fruit you find could be less than optimal.

    --Even so...I''ll grab them anyways, Sirius can probably figure out if they''re edible or not.

    Plucking one of the berries with a blue exterior, the ground below began to vibrate in response to his action.

    "--Eh?"

    The subtle vibration then turned into full-blown rumbling, causing him to jump back and wrap his fingers around the hilt of his sword. Cracks in the soil became visible where the berry bush had sat, breaking apart before arge, crimson bulbous head rose from the ground in front of him.

    Watching closely, the head resembled the same berries he was nning to pick--before opening up to reveal rows of tiny, razor-sharp teeth.

    "What the hell is that--?!"

 Chapter 68 - New Day, New Goals

    Checking the berry he had picked, it revealed the same form as the giant, monstrous one in front of him--disying its carnivorous teeth before he tossed it towards the big one.

    --I think that "berry" must''ve been its baby or something--so picking it probably pissed the mom-berry off!

    "There--you can have it back!"

    Ren shouted at the towering, carnivorous nt as its vine-like limbs whipped about in the air. His pleas for peace were in vain, as the violent nt swiped its vines towards him, causing him to draw his sword in response as he avoided their striking range.

    "--Seriously, what''s with this forest and angry mothers right now?"

    Compared to the katzern, it was hard to feel any real sympathy for the raging nt, as he wasn''t even certain as to what he was seeing. Besides that, his own body devoid of nutrients no longer had any room to hold back.

    Bursting forward with reinforced speed, Rennded in front of the agitated creature made of vines, swiftly bringing his de through its bulbous head. It seemed he guessed right on where its "core" lied, as the creature withered into crumbled, lifeless specs of what was once living.

    "--I still have nothing to show for now. Great."

    His stomach growled once more as he looked up at the moonlit sky, hoping for some sort of miracle of food to just drop in front of him.

    Rustle. Rustle.

    Hearing the rustling of bushes in front of him, he quickly brought his gaze back down to see a plump rabbit creature with silver fur, nibbling at the grass.

    --Ah, thank you, moon god!

    Returning to the temporary home which was the cavern, it took him longer than expected as he lost his way in the darkness. Entering the stone-house, Ren presented his spoils--the stocky rabbit he had managed to procure.

    Sirius was still sitting in the same spot in front of the orange mes, looking up at the returned young man with a raised-eyebrow.

    "--You took like two hours."

    "Hey, this was your idea!"

    Ren let out a huff before dropping his rear onto the solid ground below, handing his caught prey to Sirius, who promptly slid a knife out from his belt, skinning the rabbit with surprising handiwork.

    "I seriously did not expect you to be so good at that."

    "Well, it''s something I learned back home. The nights back at my mothend were always so cold that your fingers and toes would go numb--and your nose would be as red as Rudolph''s."

    "Yourst name is "Federov", right? If I had to guess...that''s russian?"

    "Yup! Thinking about it...there isn''t much to miss about that ce. I lived in a pretty remote vige, where it constantly rained with bitter snow--I was taking care of my sickly siblings half the time. I suppose that''s what I miss about home...I wonder how my siblings are doing. Little Dimitri and Lada are probably all grown up by now��"

    Seeing that mncholic smile perched across his lips as he reminisced about life back home, it reminded Ren that these were people, just like him. Sometimes it was hard to remember that when they were all already waiting for him in this world, flinging magic about--but in reality, they yearned for home just as he did.

    "Well--enough about that! Maybe one day I''ll teach you my expert skinning technique, passed down for generations through my family!"

    The man bragged, flipping the knife between his fingers before he set the skinned rabbit over the stoked fire. Using the time before the meal would be finished, Ren decided to clean his de--wiping it over with a handkerchief.

    "--Huh, looks like you got something from our list while you were out there."

    Siriusmented after pulling out the paper from his pocket, taking a bite from the cooked leg of the creature.

    "Must''ve been that angry nt-vine-berry monster��"

    "It''s called a "Trailsnapper"--they lure in prey who attempt to steal their berry-like appendages."

    "Appendages? Uh��"

    Surprisingly, the rabbit didn''t taste half-bad, at least to his starving body it didn''t. With full-stomachs and a few points to their names, Sirius and Ren decided to check in for the night.

    Predicted by the lightning mage, clouds carried with them rain, soon showering the valley as the dirt turned to mud.

    As ufortable as the smooth, rocky floor was, he was tired enough to pass out as soon as he closed his eyes.

    He slept like a log, not waking up a single time despite the wilderness ambiance, only waking once the rise of the morning made itself known--pelting rays of sunlight against his closed eyelids.

    "Ah��"

    Ren yawned, slowly parting his eyelids as he met the new day. One thing felt weird however--he didn''t have any sort of nket, yet his body was kept to a soothing warm. In fact, it felt like there was an entirely separate source of warmth radiating against him. As he attempted to get up, he realized he was being held--there were arms wrapped around him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sirius--?!"

    His shocked yell caused the man huddled up behind him to slowly wake up, opening his crystalline eyes before greeting him with a casual, "Good morning."

    "Get off me already!"

    Ren stood up, shivering as his body tried to rid itself of Sirius'' presence.

    "What''s the big idea? It was cold, so naturally��"

    "Naturally you cuddled up with me? If you were a cute girl, it''d be one thing--you may be a good-looking guy, but that doesn''t give you a pass! Seriously, is one of the requirements for being summoned into this world to be abnormal?"

    "Don''t you know siblings do this sort of stuff? When did my little brother be so cold?"

    "For one, I don''t know any siblings who cuddle! And also, we just met yesterday!"

    Ren shook his head, finding it too early in the morning to deal with such an entric entity.

    --I''m stuck with this guy for another two nights--I''m going to need to start sleeping with me back to the wall.

    "Today is the big day."

    Sirius suddenly said as he adjusted his gloves, stretching side to side he made his way to the front of the small cave.

    "What do you mean?"

    "I guess you could call it an "Ounder-Royale". The grace period is over--which means its all-out war between the other teams."

    "I don''t get it--there isn''t any benefit to defeating anyone, right?"

    He was left clueless to what Sirius kept hinting at to be the main attraction of this whole game, standing next to his partner as they prepared to set out.

    Without turning to him, Sirius gave him the exnation he wanted, which was certainly not what he wanted to hear, "Besides maybe calling dibs on a monster, there isn''t any reward for beating another team. It''s all because we want to do it. This is the only time which Beatrice allows something like this--so we use it to measure our strength against one another."

    --As I thought--it seems the only requirement to be summoned is to be a total lunatic! I want nothing to do with an all-out battle just for the fun of it!

    With the idea that somebody like Sora was now his temporary enemy, Ren was onguard as he left the cave alongside his partner.

    The weing scent of the morning dew greeted him, glistening with droplets of the previous night''s showers. If it wasn''t full of hostile creatures, the forest would be a utopia of its own.

    "So what''s the n today? We only acquired...eight points in total yesterday. I doubt we''re in the lead at all."

    Ren asked, scratching his head before ducking under a low hanging branch.

    "Don''t worry--I''ve got it all figured out. I know where we can score some major points."

    "And where''s that?"

    In response to Ren''s doubtful question, Sirius pointed past far to the north, towards the distant, gloomy mountain.

    "Grandshire Peak, that''s where a thirty-pointer lies--or should."

    "Should? You don''t even know for sure?"

    "Rx, I''d give it an eighty-percent chance of being there."

    "Eighty-percent...staked on a hike that will take the entire day. Yeah, I don''t know if I like the sound of that."

    Ren contested the idea, knowing that they could probably make up those points by hunting gambons all day.

    "Don''t worry, we can gather points while making our way there--two birds with one stone, Bro! I''ll chip in this time, so it should be a walk in the park."

    "--Fine."

    He reluctantly agreed to join him on this arduous journey up the mountain, putting his faith in the man who at least had more experience with the Monster Hunt than him.

 Chapter 69 - Guardian Of The Peak

    Not long into the new day''s journey, a pair of gambons intercepted their path, each holding a size greater than the one encountered previously.

    "Did theye here seeking revenge for their friend--?!"

    "These things have brains the size of a walnut, I doubt they would even remember their own children."

    Sirius gestured for Ren to stay back, calling dibs on the two creatures looking for a fight. A few sparks of electricity rattled around the man''s body as his mana signature increased.

    "Ba''al: Almighty Hammer."

    With a single incantation, Sirius did away with two gambons without so much as taking a step from the spot he stood. The mystic arts he used conjured a circr lightning strike resembling a hammer, smacking directly into the two giant frogs, turning them into a charcoal crisp as the roar of thunder rang through the forest.

    "That''s ten-points right there, eighteen total."

    "You handled it that easily...I''m feeling some serious envy right now," Ren muttered to himself, "anyways--that was really loud. Are you trying to attract the other team''s attention?"

    "I''m not going out of my way to look for a fight, but I''m also not hiding myself. If someone chooses to fight us, then I''ll dly ept."

    Sirius smirked as he answered, fixing his ck locks on his head as he moved past the burnt corpses of gambons.

    "Seriously, aren''t we supposed to beying low? This entire game is kind of...over the top. I wouldn''t be surprised if an Argonaut showed up at our doorstep after all of this."

    Kicking up fallen leaves, Ren looked up as he began to trek the start of the incline up the mountain they set their sights on.

    "Man, you''re really clueless sometimes, aren''t you? I thought it was pretty obvious that Grandeuve is ways off from Mastorn--technically we''re still in "Mastorn'''', but thisnd isn''t inhabited by humans. Except us, obviously."

    "I know we''re far from civilization, but still...this entire thing just feels kind of reckless."

    Ren used his sword as a third arm, stabbing it into the ground as he climbed the steep slope, meanwhile Sirius effortlessly traversed it like a mountain goat.

    "I get what you mean, trust me--but we need this. Most Ounders have experienced first hand the atrocities and cruelness of Gaia. And a lot of that time...we''re no better than the ones we scorn as the "worst". This game is a nice chance to take our minds off the shitty part of this world, if only just for a moment."

    Again, Sirius disyed an ounce of wisdom that counteracted his entricities, catching Ren off-guard as he expected nonsensical words from the man.

    It made sense, at least the core idea of it--he had been in this world for a short time, yet he already had troubling memories ingrained into him--moments in time that would haunt him for the rest of his being.

    "...I get it."

    "Good to hear, now pick up the pace!"

    Sirius called out to him, somehow putting over ten meters of distance between the two of them. It wasn''t any Mt.Everest, but it was a challenging climb nheless. After all of the training he had put his body through, he had well surpassed the limits of a normal human, yet, his muscles weren''t built with mountain climbing in mind.

    The high-altitude winds tugged on him, attempting to free his grip from the small crevasses he held onto dearly.

    "--Is this even worth the points?!"

    Ren called out, hugging his body against the side of the rigid mountain. Not a single cell in his body wanted to look down, in fear of realizing the horrendous heights he had perched himself onto.

    "Stop yourining, we''re almost there!"

    Sirius spoke without a hint of exhaustion or troubles in his voice, looking down at hispanion as he held his body up with a single hand. The chilly, roaring winds muffled Sirius'' voice however, leaving Ren in the dark as to what his partner yelled at him.

    --If this is how I die in my otherworld journey, I''m going to have a serious discussion with God. Maybe this time I''ll be reincarnated into an actual fantasy, without all of this dark bullshit!

    Reaching the summit of the mountain invoked less of a feeling of aplishment, and more so thankfulness for his body still being intact and not red paste on the ground below.

    "See? Not so bad."

    Sirius smiled as he grabbed Ren''s wrist, helping him up to the top of the t top of the towering mass ofnd.

    "--I would deck you if you weren''t so overpowered."

    It was different from the cone-shaped peak he expected, instead housing arge, t piece ofnd atop that was more akin to its own miniature valley.

    "So what even is the monster we''re looking for?"

    Ren brushed the dirt off of his gray trousers, fixing his wind-perturbed locks of hair as he stood beside the lightning Ounder.

    "An Elder Giant--specifically, a Shaman."

    "--A giant? A giant shaman? How big are we talking here? Depending on your answer, I may or may not jump off that ledge."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Going silent for a moment to ponder his answer to Ren''s question, Sirius ced his hand on his chin before his eyes lit up--pointing his hand in front of him as Ren watched him intently.

    "Ah! How about you check for yourself? It seems our guy heard using."

    "--Eh?"

    Taking a moment to realize what hispanion was saying, he turned to face where Sirius was pointing--seeing a towering figure in the distance, lumbering towards them slowly but surely. Each step the giant took sent a vibration through the gravel below their boots, further insinuating the being''s oundish size.

    It was hard to tell exactly from the distance they were at, but the elder giant dwarfed the gambons by a mile, standing at least six-meters tall.

    "Uh...we''re fighting that thing?"

    Ren asked with a trembling smile, fighting with his own shaking fingers as he attempted to grip the navy handle of his de.

    "Obviously! I''ll give you support from the back--give it hell!"

    pping his hands together, a flow of electricity surged between Sirius'' hands as he wore an overjoyed smile.

    --What''s wrong with everyone summoned into this world? How can you be so happy to see that monster?!

    For a mere thirty-points, the idea of fighting the lumbering giant was not appetizing to Ren. As it grew closer, letting out periodic grunts and growls, its appearance became clearer. It was shrouded with a tattered ck cloth, littered with dirt and blood. From what he could see of its skin, it seemed almost to be covered with gray scales,yered with a multitude of scars to tell of its experience with battle.

    --In summary, my pants are one second from being soiled.

    "--If we win this thing, I''m going to demand a kiss on the cheek from the angel of a girl!"

    Pumping himself up in an attempt to blur out his fear with ayer of blind courage, he unsheathed his sword and activated his reinforcement, coiling his body in ayer of amplification magic.

    "Raa--!"

    As the giant roared out in response to his shaky yelling, it seemed the boarish monster had epted the duel. Racing across the t field of gravel, the winds of the peak pushed Ren forward as he approached the colossal creature, watching as it raised its arm above its head.

    --Its slow! I can cut it first!

    Swinging his arms back to prepare for a heavy sh, using his entire body weight behind the swing--he realized in that moment of encumbered time--the giant wasn''t going for a hammerfist as he thought.

    In that split second before hemitted to the sh, a magical pressure unleashed from the giant''s raised hand as it focused its mana.

    Pivoting on his left foot, he leapt back just in time as a wave of violet mes unleashed from his opponent''s hand, colliding against the gravel below in a roar of inferno.

    From a sizable distance, Sirius assisted Ren with a simple incarnation, "Blitz: Bolt!"

    A bolt of purple lightning traveled across the space between the caster and the giant, colliding with the towering warrior. It seemed to only serve in causing the aggressive barbarian to stumble backwards before shaking off the hit.

    "��Hey, can you use something a little stronger?!"

    "Like I said��I''m just here for support."

    Sirius responded with a smirk, staying back as he watched the battle unfold.

    Engaging in battle with an entity of the giant''s size was a harrowing endeavor��forcing himself to step towards the giant as it towered over him. The shadow it cast over him, each step echoing the size of itself, he had to fight every bone in his body which yelled at him to run.

    Training his swordy against Sora all this time, he was not prepared to handle a humanoid of this size. The only option avable to him consistently was to sh at the giant''s exposed ankles in an attempt to bring it down to his level. However--the viscous being was vignt, hardly giving him any windows of opportunity to strike.

    --So it uses some sort of variation of fire magic. I don''t know what those purple mes will do to me if they hit but...I''m not going to find out. Everytime I get within reach with my sword, he just uses his mes before I can connect--I''ll need to turn this into a battle of magic.

    If there was one advantage he had here, it was the elder giant''s absence of speed, moving like a tavern drunkard.

    "Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    Using his opponent''s encumbered body to his advantage, Ren called upon the magical drill--revving it up as it began to spin rapidly.

    --This will do--...

    "--Eh?"

    Before the drill couldunch, the giant disyed a sudden burst of agility, sidestepping from his spell''s range as he rushed to Ren directly from his left now. Hearing the rapid, thundering footsteps as the scale-covered colossus ran towards him sent a primal fear through his body as he froze, releasing his spell.

    --It was pretending to be slow to make me lower my guard?! Crap, crap, crap--this is how I die, isn''t it?

 Chapter 70 - That Day, I Was Triumphant

    As the shaman d in ck closed the distance between them, stomping out the gravel below of the windy peak--time seemed to slow as he watched a flicker of light graze his vision. Even with his senses heightened to such a degree, he couldn''t tell what happened as the towering figure was sent flying back as if attached to a rocket.

    Soaring through the air, the gray-scaled giantnded in the side of the massive boulder sitting atop the peak, letting out a bellowing grunt of pain in response. It was a bewitching sight, watching that sh of light shift into the dark-haired man with skin as pale as snow--it was Sirius.

    "--That was a close one. Try again."

    As if he didn''t just swoop in like a bolt of lightning, Sirius turned to him with a reassuring smile, fixing his messy bangs,bing them up above his forehead.

    "Try again? I nearly died just now!"

    "Died? I''ve had your back this entire time, just be more careful next time."

    "--Why do I have to fight it? You clearly are strong enough to take care of it on your own...I''m not risking my life just for some points in a game that doesn''t even have a reward. I don''t have that same "lust for battle" like the rest of you."

    A troubled look came over Sirius'' face after hearing Ren''s disapproval, watching as the elder giant slowly stood itself back up.

    "Looks like I''ve finally seen your true colors."

    "--?"

    "Since I''ve met you--you''ve carried this hot-headed "can-do" attitude with you everywhere, even when youined, you still followed through with what was asked of you. But...I could tell from your eyes that the "Ren" I was seeing was just a boy trying to act tough."

    "...I don''t get it. What''re you talking about? We''re in the middle of a fight right now!"

    "Oh, are we? It seems like you''ve given up."

    Sirius lost his usual frivolity, looking back at Ren with his cial irises, emitting an unapproachable coldness.

    "--I��"

    "Ren, you have to be prepared to put your life on the line with every battle. All you''ve done until now is fight out of fear, iling your sword around like a maiden in distress--hoping in the back of your mind for me or anyone else to save you from your battles. Fight to win--meet your opponent on equal footing, no, surpass their thirst for victory. If you can look forward and smile at the prospect at a battle, then your grip on your sword will never loosen, your heart will never cave into the fear--you will win."

    Hearing these words that spoke the unveiled truth, Ren realized this was the result of Sirius'' time spent with him--watching as he battled, hunted--Sirius was using this time to understand him and help him to improve.

    "Just say the word and I''ll save you from this giant. However, if you want to fight--then stand up straight and hold your sword up, now!"

    There was no other choice for him but to lift his sword, looking past hispanion as his sights set onto the approaching giant.

    Stepping into the arena with the elder giant made him realize the one thing he had missed in his training--experience. It didn''t matter how many times he practiced the same spell, flinging it against trees, at the end of the day--the only way to truly grow was through real battle.

    --Right now...even that monster is fighting for his life. What right do I have to challenge him if I''m scared of pain, let alone death? Treat every opponent as if they''re my equal--no, that''s not good enough. Every fight should be as if I''m fighting for my life.

    "Hey, scaly! Yeah, I''m talking to you! Let''s start round two already! Don''t worry, my friend there won''t be interrupting us this time."

    As if understanding his words, the elder giant lowered its stance--summoning forth a well of mana as violet mes coiled around its body.

    "Fight like my life is on the line, huh? Let''s put that to the test, shall we?"

    Entering a gambit of his own, Ren deactivated his reinforcement and raised his hand to the air as mana began to condense in the air. The nearby clouds that hung above the mountain peak circled around the arena of rock and dirt, spectating the battle between the green Ounder and the withered colossus.

    "Why would he deactivate his reinforcement?" Sirius thought to himself as he watched the uing battle closely, "--I see! Brother, you''re a crazy bastard. Don''t make me regret lifting you up with those words!"

    Using none of his mana reserved to maintain his reinforcement, Ren now had full control of his magical power--he nned to end the fight with one attack.

    "Dunkel: Piercer!"

    A spear devoid of a physical form, made of dark energy formed above his hand. He watched the giant who stood his ground, focusing a spell of his own as the gravel floor began to rumble from the sh of magical energy.

    "Times three--!"

    The singr spear was now apanied by two more of the same. Holding triple the usual amount of thin piercers generated by the spell held more of a challenge, causing his arm to shake as he stabilized the trajectory of the spears.

    If not for the sensation of solid ground beneath the soles of his feet, he surely would have sumbed to the overwhelming pressure of the triple-cast spell.

    --It''s raw magical energy surpasses mine...by a lot, but it doesn''t matter!

    A roar unleashed from the old colossus as its arms raised into the air, unleashing a tunnel of violent, destructive mes of violet towards Ren. The raging inferno cried out, carving through the grit below, cascading towards him as it yearned for his destruction.

    "Go--!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    With a swing of his arm, Renunched the shadow-formed spears directly through the purple mes--pushing apart the form of the spiral inferno.

    --Even if his raw magic is more powerful, that''s all it is! He''s just throwing his magic around without thinking, without proper spells! Its constitution is weak!

    Watching those mes inch closer to Ren was a nerve wracking sight for Sirius, not knowing what his partner had in mind.

    "Araphel: Detonation!"

    Closing his fist, the spears buried within the mass of mes broke into explosions of dark energy, the force of which sted apart the iing mes before they could reach Ren. As the mes cleared, the giant was left stunned for a moment as the shockwave from the chain explosion pelted against his scales.

    "--Got you!"

    One of the spears wasn''t detonated, flying forward once more with a clear path before stabbing through the giant''s torso. The thick, protective scales acted like armor for the giant, causing the dark spear to stop before in its path before bing fatal.

    However, looking at Ren''s thrilled smile, Sirius knew this was all something that had crossed his mind. The colossal mage grabbed onto the cknce, gripping onto it as it rejected his touch--burning and shocking his scales as he desperately attempted to pull it out from his body.

    --Once more!

    "Aprahel: Detonation!"

    The spear lodged in the giant''s natural armor lost its form, bubbling up before releasing an explosion of dark mana. With a direct line inside the giant, the explosion erupted from within the colossal being as well, instantly proving fatal as it likely vaporized its internal organs.

    Or so he had thought. Even as the smell of its own ash-turned flesh coated the winds, the giant led itself forward with its thundering footfalls.

    "Even that wasn''t enough?!"

    "Now isn''t the time to be surprised. Finish what you started."

    "--Right."

    He stopped himself from asking anymore questions, all that mattered was achieving victory and avoiding failure. The two rivals that met on the gravel field ofbat ran on fumes, noticing this by his own brittle reserves of stamina and the even more sluggish than usual movements of the shaman.

    Activating his reinforcement once more to engage the giant, the dissipation of fear and manifestation of confidence guided his step with utmost dexterity. Attempting to reduce him to a pile of ash, the elder giant raised its massive palm forward, releasing a roar of fire that guided itself towards Ren with deadly intent.

    --Predictable.

    A simple spin of his body allowed him to not only avoid the iing barrage of heat but gain an advantageous position, as he reared his de back, aiming his sights on the colossal being''s scaly forearm. The collision of the edge of his sword against the giant''s appendage nted itself in his mind as an absolute, allowing himself to see no other future but his attacknding.

    This trust in his own self led his de to strike down without any hesitation to dull its sharpness, dismembering the titan with the swift sh. Separated from the limb that allowed it to conjure mes, the giant''s mes came to a halt as it could do nothing but watch as his speedy opponent followed up with the next attack.

    "--Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Given an opening, the sh extended and amplified by magical energy swept itself across the giant''s body.

    Slowly, the lifeless, steaming shaman fell backwards against the gravel, picking up a wave of dust as itnded with a resounding thud.

    "--I...I did it!"

    Ren threw his fist into the air with a smile that told of his victorious moment, huffing heavily after releasing the continuous spells.

    "--That you did. You took down a sixty-pointer."

    "Sixty? Don''t you mean thirty?"

    The bashful look on Sirius'' face as Ren attempted to correct him quickly told of the man''s untold truth. Sirius scratched his cheek, avoiding Ren''s gaze as he coughed to cover his reluctance to answer.

    "It was a sixty-pointer?! You had me fight something double as dangerous as I thought?"

    "--And you won. I don''t see the problem here. If I told you it was sixty from the get-go, then you probably would''ve crapped yourself the moment you saw it."

    It was like being lied to about going to the park when instead you were being sent to the dentist''s office for an appointment--for a moment, he felt betrayed, but he was too overjoyed about his victory to be angry.

    "So now do you understand that "lust for battle" you berated us all for having?

    It was a question that didn''t require a verbal answer--as the wide smile stretched across the young man''s face was yelling enough of the excitement he felt.

    "Yeah."

 Chapter 71 - Utter Opposites

    Walking with fear guiding her step, Iris followed closely behind Brahmi through the extensive carven, devoid of light.

    "--Do we really need to hunt this specific monster? I mean...who knows if it''s even in here. Besides it''s...dark, how will we even know if it''s dwelling here?"

    The damp, musky cave was an environment not suited for everyone, especially a girl like Iris who seldom ventured beyond her own home.

    "Ah, quit yer'' yammering already! Yer'' were the one who refused to finish off the damn Mardem yesterday and made us lose those points! So we gotta'' make those points up now and find this damn Caveragon."

    Without any care for the still, dark cave she was in, Brahmi didn''t even attempt to control the volume of her voice, causing Iris to shudder in fear of what herpanion''s abrasive yelling may lure in. As a result of her own passive attitude--Iris could do nothing except be led by the fearless brawler, who thought with her fists rather than her head most of the time.

    While Iris was wrapped in snow white robes that retained heat, Brahmi, on the other hand, wore nothing except a ck sports bra,pression shorts to match and light, studded-leather armor. In the cave which harbored chilled winds, it was hard to imagine that outfit being satisfactory--but Brahmi didn''t seem bothered in the slightest.

    Iris had already attempted to console her partner about her choice of clothing, but Brahmi simply replied, "I''m already wearing what''s best! This makes it easier to move around in!"

    --It''s no use trying to talk sense into her...she''s stubborn...once her mind is set on something, there''s no changing it.

    "--I''m at least going to cast a light spell, we should at least know where we''re going��"

    "Do whatever ya'' want, I don''t care."

    Brushing off Brahmi''s abrasive affirmation, Iris stopped for a moment, extending her hand forward with her palm facing the ceiling as she focused.

    "Licht: Illuminate."

    The darkness that swallowed the cavern diminished at the newly manifested ball of light''s presence, hovering above the gentle girl''s palm.

    As she predicted--the source of light revealed they had no idea where they were going, as there were a plethora of alternate tunnels within the cavern that they most likely turned through without noticing.

    "...Brahmi, do you have any idea where we came from?"

    Concern coated her meek voice as she felt a drop of cold water pelt against the top of her head, listening to the everpresent whistle that traveled through the lonely cave.

    "Hah? Course'' I know! Obviously...we just gotta go through here next!"

    Pulling an answer out of thin air, the rowdy woman pointed towards the tunnel to their right before making her way through it. Iris didn''t buy her response for a second, but there was nothing she could do to control her partner''s tendencies.

    Continuing down the silent, narrow passage of the cavern, the sense of hearing only apanied by the trickling pellets of water falling onto the rocky floor below, Iris stopped as she noticed something on the wall.

    "--Brahmi, stop for a second."

    The light had revealed text, carved onto the charcoal-tinted walls of the cave.

    "Huh? What is it?"

    "--This text��"

    "What''s so special about it? I can''t even read it--this isn''t the Mastornian writtennguage, is it?"

    Stepping closer to inspect the enigmatic letters etched into the stone, Brahmi squinted her eyes as she fruitlessly attempted to decipher the words.

    "It''s not...this is thenguage of Belmon. What''s it doing here��?"

    Iris ran her fingertips over the letters as she moved her lips without emitting sound, as if unpacking the words in her head carefully.

    "Belmon? Never heard of it."

    "I only know a little bit about it from books and from Mother, but...it''s a human kingdom on the other side of the world. Nothing is known about it."

    "--Then what''s theirnguage doing here? Can you read it?"

    "...I can."

    As she deciphered the text, her fingers stopped moving as she responded to Brahmi''s constant questioning.

    "What''s it say?"

    "--"Diligently, we spread the love of our empress, our goddess, and our savior. We bestow this love onto all who wee it until the soles of our feet bleed, the skin off our fingertips is scraped. Diligently, we further the gospel of depravity, weing all those who can understand her beauty and grace, those who will give their blood and souls to her tomorrow. Diligently, we are the envoys of the truth in this world, opening the eyes of those who are blind to this singr truth."

    As she slowly read the foreign text, running her finger across each letter, a mix of disgust and worry came over their faces.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After reading such shady, foreboding words, Iris felt the cold air of the cave instill a newyer of fear into herself.

    "--I don''t like this...we should just get out of here already."

    "Hah? You''re too paranoid! Even if there were some cult freaks here--we could just pummel them real good! And get answers at the same time!"

    Even if she said that, it was easy to tell the enigmatic text struck something within the confident brawler as her smile reeked of caution, holding her usual brazen attitude as a front to her fears. As the two fell silent for a moment, the whistles and howling of the cavern winds cultivated the already growing anxiety.

    "..I don''t know, Brahmi--I just��"

    "Come on, I mean, how do ya'' even know this text wasn''t written a century ago, ya'' know? We''vee this far already--no point in backing out now."

    Fear held a ce in Brahmi''s heart, but it''s still not enough to counteract her stubbornness. Iris knew well she was the type to confront her fears rather than run away, which was the opposite as to how she would prefer to handle this, but she epted this fact.

    --Anything is better than staying in this same spot...near this creepy text.

    A new atmosphere inhabited the cavern after encountering that scripture, even Brahmi seemed to be on her guard as an air of caution followed her.

    The resounding sound of a single footstep echoed through the dark corridors of stone, jumpstarting their anxious hearts.

    "Gah--!"

    In unison they both let out gasps at the sudden presence of noise, Iris'' light spell revealing their new visitor. Standing upright, drooling at the sight of the two cave explorers--arge, fur-covered beast watched them with eyes full of hunger.

    "--A bear?!"

    Brahmi yelled out in surprise, raising her guard.

    "No, it''s a "Kumano"! It''s on the list! It''s a fifty-pointer!"

    "Fifty-points? It''s our lucky day!"

    Seeing points instead of a towering, bear-like creature in front of her--there was no fear in Brahmi''s fiery gaze.

    "I''ll support you from the back, as usual--"

    "Nah, don''t bother! I want to test myself against this thing! It''s not everyday ya'' see one of these "Kumano" or whatever."

    --I should''ve guessed as much...when she encounters a new foe like this, she wants to test her own strength. So be it.

    The kumano let out a bellowing roar, disying its sword-like canines as its saliva pelted against the floor. Unlike a bear on Earth, the kumano''s silver fur stood up when threatened--spiking up like a porcupine as it prepared for battle.

    "Be careful--I read that their fangs and ws can tear apart steel!"

    "Yeah, yeah. Reinforcement: Stone Flesh!"

    Conjuring a unique form of reinforcement magic, the brawler''s skin shifted into a grayplexion resembling stone.

    --That''s one of her special quirks of being a gaia-magic user who has put all of her training into hand-to-handbat. "Stone Flesh" is a special variation of reinforcement that grants an incredible defense, adding more weight to her attacks as well.

    The poor cave-dwelling beast didn''t stand a chance against the martial artist, getting pummelled without the chance to fight back. Each impact of her fist against the thick hide of the beast only proved that its natural defenses meant nothing to the resounding power she packed in her punches.

    "Come on, make this fun for me!"

    Brahmi shouted as she dashed behind the kumano, wrapping her arms around its waist before hoisting it up into the air, the heavyweight of a beast''s eyes widening as it experienced a weightless sensation never felt before--falling back to send the beast into a suplex. The weight of the kumano''s body returning to the ground floor could be felt as a miniature tremor ran through the stone walls, letting out a defeated and confused growl.

    It was a sight you''d hear about second-hand, passed down as legend years after it urred--but with Brahmi, such feats of strength became natural to witness.

    --This is always how it goes with her��

    Iris averted her gaze, not wanting to watch the one-sided beatdown of the creature. After a few minutes of cave-shaking punches against the kumano, Brahmi returned with a bright smile after defeating the creature.

    "Fifty-points acquired!"

    "--Can we just move on now��? I think I''m going to be sick."

    Moving past the deceased bear-like creature, the brawler had left it in a state that resembled a bundle of skin and fur.

 Chapter 72 - Bowels Of The Uknown

    Beginning to realize something, Iris came to the conclusion she needed to put a stop to her own wandering mind. During this time with Brahmi--nothing has changed between them, they both know nothing about each other, nor do they get along.

    --I know the reason why Mother ced us together...but still, it''s so hard to approach her.

    "...Brahmi, can I ask you something?"

    "Huh? What is it?"

    That tone she always carried was the very thing that stopped Iris from attempting to get to know her, but this time--she took a deep breath, clenching her fists as she pressed onwards.

    "Why do you like fighting so much?"

    A perplexed look ran over the ab-bearing woman''s face as she clearly did not expect a personal question.

    "--Where''s thisin'' from?"

    "I just think...I don''t really know anything about you, and testing yourself inbat, putting your strength against another''s...it''s what you love most, right? So why is it so important to you?"

    Seeing that look in Iris'' eyes, determined to get an answer from her, Brahmi gave in to her, letting out a sigh as she scratched her head.

    "Well, if ya'' really want. As a youngling, I was born and raised in a remote vige within Sri Lanka. My mum was forced to work egregious hours, all for scrap. It was barely enough to support "living", if you could call it that."

    "And your dad?"

    "Never met em''. Mum told me he ran off to pursue some sort of career as an actor, so maybe he''s out there...making movies and living the life of a star."

    Dredging up the past of a previous world, a past life--Brahmi''s pale verdant irises calmed from their usual sparks of fiery passion.

    "I don''t hate the guy, ya'' know? I can''t me him for not wanting to be pinned down to a life like that...in fact, I kind of respect him for having the balls to do that! That''s not to say I didn''t hold a grudge towards him as a kid. Anyways...as a kid, I grew up bigger and stronger than the boys of my vige, and for that...they teased me, calling me all kinds of names ya'' could expect from wicked kids."

    Keeping silent and listening closely, Iris didn''t realize how closely she kept to herpanion now, walking by her side as she lent her ears to Brahmi.

    "After awhile, the harmless teasing turned physical...they started to throw sticks and stones at me, calling me''''ogre `` or ''''monster ``.''''

    "Oh...I''m sorry to hear that."

    "Well, it seemed someone up in the heavens felt bad for me! Cause'' one day, he showed up!"

    "He?"

    The fire returned to Brahmi''s eyes as she mentioned the unknown man, a bright smile returning to her mncholic expression.

    "Zack Miller! A middle-weight MMA fighter from America, by some stroke of luck, was visiting my remote vige during his vacation in India. I''ll never forget the day I first saw him--swooping in like some sorta'' hero with his golden locks and designer sunsses on...he scared away those bullies just with his presence alone."

    "Zack Miller��?"

    Iris nearly tripped over a small pebble as she repeated the name, not watching her step as she became engrossed in Brahmi''s story--if not only because of the woman''s contagious excitement.

    "He was the definition of entric. I was a meek girl before I met him...but just from spending a week with him, learning the basics of martial arts and just how he carried himself, it had changed my life forever."

    --So that exins the Brahmi I''m seeing right now...this is probably how "Zack Miller" was.

    "A tough bastard, he was...I was just skin and bones at the time, but he had no problem sluggin'' me! He lit a fire under my ass though, because I didn''t care about the pain, welts, or bruises. After he left back to America, I continued practicing the gifts ofbat he parted with me. None of those boys said so much as a single insult to me from then on."

    "Is that why you love it so much? It helped you be a more confident person, and ovee those bullies?"

    "Well, that''s half of it! When I finally saved up enough to go to America, I became an amateur boxer before getting a contract from arge MMA organization. After seeing that first paycheck...and seeing how happy my Mum was, I couldn''t get enough. I guess that''s why I love it so much...I finally got to pay my Mum back for all she did for me."

    A warm smile formed on her lips as she looked up at the cavern ceiling with her hands on her hips, that soft look in her eyes made it clear she missed her Mum. For a moment, hearing about that unconditional love between Brahmi and her own mother, it made her ponder about where her birth mother was. She shook her head fervently, erasing such pointless thoughts.

    --Mother Beatrice is my only real parent now. It doesn''t matter who gave birth to me--Mother Beatrice raised me to who I am today.

    "--That''s amazing, Brahmi. I think...I understand you a bit better now."

    Even the battle-lusted Brahmi wasn''t immune to the beaming smile from Iris that preyed on the hearts of all, a faint blush tinting the woman''s cheek as she quickly averted her gaze.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Whatever! I don''t care if ya'' understand anything."

    Amidst their conversation, it seemed once again--they had wandered aimlessly without paying much attention to their step.

    "--We''re really lost, aren''t we?"

    "Are ya'' gonna keep bringing that up? I can find our way outta'' here, easy! Did ya'' forget I can use gaia magic or what?"

    "...I didn''t forget."

    It was more that Iris didn''t know if Brahmi had even practiced utility magic, as she had only ever seen her use her magic forbat and nothing else--but it seemed once again, she had the wrong impression of her.

    "Then can''t you use gaia to find the caveragon?"

    Shaking her head at Iris'' question, Brahmi let out a small huff before responding, "Nah, I can only find exits that lead outside of the cave. What''s the fun in using magic to find our prey anyways? The entire thrill of this game is the hunt!"

    "--I suppose you''re right��"

    After their aimless traversing of the extensive cavern, only one tunnel was left as an option to enter. The entrance was wider than any other, spanning wide as only darkness previewed what it held in its path as an ominous hum reverberated through the corridor.

    "Looks like we found our destination."

    Brahmi held a nervous smile before entering the foreboding tunnel, with the blue-haired Ounder following close beside her as she held onto the small source of light as if her life depended on it. The already musky, cold air became stale, each breath taken bringing in a chilling air to their lungs.

    "--Iris, broaden the light."

    It was unlike Brahmi to make such a request, especially pertaining to something like the darkness around them--as she had no previous qualms with the shadows, but Irisplied.

    "Licht: Greater Illuminate."

    Allowing the orb of light to hover higher, its form seemed to dissolve into a mass of illumination as the new stroke of radiance revealed therge area they now stood in. Looking down, their feet were surrounded by brittle bones, some still covered with bits of flesh and skin.

    "--!"

    The sight of the deathly habitat nearly made Iris fall backwards as Brahmi caught her by her arm, helping her stand up straight.

    "It looks like we found our target...after something else already did."

    "Huh?"

    Iris covered her nose at the rotten smell that lingered within the cavern, aiming her sight to where Brahmi was looking as her eyes widened--a massive creature,yered with verdurous scalesid lifeless in the center of the cavern. Holes were pierced through the corpse''s body, its tail severed in half as its jaw was left hanging by a strand of flesh.

    "That''s...that''s a caveragon? What could possibly have done this? Could it be whoever inscribed that text back there��?"

    Worry inhabited Iris'' quiet voice as she kept herself on guard. Kneeling down on one knee, Brahmi ced her palm against the moist stone of the cavern floor.

    "Whatever did it...it''s close by, and it''s powerful. I don''t even need to use anything to sense that magical pressure��"

    "--I can feel that as well. It''s feral...savage, pure malevolence. This sensation, I don''t think I''ve ever felt something like it."

    Iris held her hands together as she sensed the looming mana that held onto the air, focusing her senses as she traced the source of it.

    "Behind the caveragon--there is another passageway."

    "Yeah, I sensed that too. I won''t me ya'' if you want to head back, but I''m itching to see whatever the hell did this, so I''m going."

    "--Of course I''ming with you."

    As much as her instinctsmanded her to turn the other way, leaving Brahmi alone to discover this enigmatic culprit wasn''t an option.

    --I have to get over this fear. In a way...I need to be more like her.

 Chapter 73 - Enigma Of The Cavern

    Moving past the stenchyered corpse of the wingless dragon-like creature, they discovered the final corridor sitting behind the caveragon, sitting at an angle that was a slope downwards rather than a direct walkway. The fresh memory of the mysterious text lingered in her mind, engraving in her a primal anxiety that tugged at her blinking courage.

    "Brahmi��"

    "What is it?"

    They spoke in a whisper to each other as they entered the pitch ck passageway, not even the sound of dripping water made itself audible.

    "Whatever this thing is...it probably isn''t on our list. So promise me...if things get bad, we need to prioritize escaping."

    "--"

    "Promise me."

    It was rare to experience Iris'' assertive side, but when it came out, out of both respect and reason, Brahmi felt no other choice but toply.

    The real trouble that rested on Iris'' mind was the fact she tried her best to hide from herpanion--she was utterly exhausted, her mana was running on fumes by this point.

    "Fine, fine��but only if things get hairy."

    There was an absence of all senses--their sight found nothing, noses picked up nothing but the washed stone, nothing was heard, and only the cold stone beneath the soles of their feet was felt.

    That was, until the ragged, heavy breathing, almost mistaken for growling slowly met their ears. Following the now audible breathing, the sound of something tumbling down rang echoed through the cave, bouncing off the walls and into their sense of hearing.

    The split-second fear that drove through Iris'' body instinctually caused her to recast the illumination spell--revealing the entity hidden within the secretive shadows.

    Sitting atop a hill of bones, the creature with verdant skin,thered in grime and blood gnawed on the bone of a withered leg. Noticing the two visitors, smelling the fear that rose from their pores, it simply continued to grind its teeth against the bone, biting into it as the ivory object cracked under its bite. Those ten seconds felt like an eternity, waiting for the creature which sat atop the throne of bones to attack, as it simply watched them silently with its beady ck eyes.

    Attempting to speak, Iris'' words came out in an inaudible gasp as her throat fought against the will to speak, held stiff out of absolute fear to the creature.

    ---It''s a goblin...yet, that mana...that deathly, rotten mana is emanating from it.

    Goblins, a race of monsters upying the lowest threat level alongside slimes, they were scavengers and looters--onlymanding some strength in groups, yet, the one before them now was different. Entering the domain upied by the abnormal goblin, it felt as if they were trespassing uponnd ruled by a king, earning its wrath.

    From what was able to be seen at their angle, it was not a normal goblin, which usually stood at around a meter in height. This creature possessed a height and physique closely resembling a tank of a man like Sora, possessing muscture unseen in most scrawny members of its race.

    However, having proportions nearly exact to that of a grown human male was an oddity in itself, even alpha goblins, which resembled adult humans usually possessed unusual proportions unbefitting of humans--yet this goblin was different.

    Brahmi wasn''t the type to freeze in the face of horror, coiling her body with her stone reinforcement as she clenched her fists. The goblin recognized the fight in her eyes, removing the bone from between its teeth as it flung it to the side.

    "Is this really a goblin��?"

    Finally finding her voice, Iris asked as she watched the silent creature slowly stand itself up atop the hill of withered ivory.

    "--Iris! I''m leaving the support to you!"

    Before Iris could get a hold of her own bodily functions again, Brahmi already began to charge forward towards the foe in front of them. Seeing herpanion take action snapped her out of her freeze-inducing fear, putting her mind into the battle.

    Leaping into the air to meet the goblin on an equal-footing as it stood on the pile of bones, awaiting her attack, Brahmi swung her body into a kick aiming for the side of the verdant creature''s head. Carving through the air like a whip, her leg appeared as a blur--only to hit nothing but more air as the goblin ducked under her iing kick.

    "Brahmi! Watch out!"

    It was toote to call out to herpanion as the monster countered by sending its fist directly against the woman''s abdomen, leaning into the punch before sending Brahmi flying back as shended against the cavern wall with a thud.

    --How��? It evaded her attack like it was nothing. It didn''t even flinch. I couldn''t even keep track of Brahmi''s movements, yet it...how?

    "--Brahmi, we have to go, now! This goblin...it might...it might be a phantasm-level monster."

    "Like hell I''m running now!"

    Clearly angered by the exchange with the creature, Brahmi stood herself back up, wiping the saliva from the side of her mouth as her irises shook with anger.

    "You promised!"

    "Ngh��! Running would be pointless right now! This thing probably knows the ins and outs of this cave better than us, and at least physically...it can keep up with me."

    It was hard to tell if what she was saying was out of her desire to continue battling or it was her true analysis of the situation--or both. Iris opened her mouth with the intent of arguing with Brahmi but stopped herself, taking a deep breath.

    "--Fine. We''ll take him down, right here and now."

    "That''s more like it, partner!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Once more, Brahmi and the goblin shed, exchanging blow after blow. Even with her special stoneskin reinforcement, blocking the monster''s hits her forearms still made her suffer the aftereffects of the force that echoed through her body.

    "Licht: Bind!"

    Assisting herpanion, Iris unleashed an incantation that conjured limbs of light energy that rose from the ground beneath the goblin''s feat, grabbing hold of its limbs. Using its inability to move to her advantage, Brahmi unleashed a barrage of hooks, alternating between both fists as she mmed them against the goblin''s head.

    "--This is for that punch to the gut earlier, you smelly brute!"

    Even after being on the receiving end of the punches that mimicked earthquakes, the goblin only spat out blood in the woman''s eye--stopping her barrage.

    "Gah--what the hell?"

    Stopping to wipe the blinding liquid from her eye, the creature snapped out of his bindings like a beast from chains.

    In that moment, it''s dark eyes, devoid of irises locked onto Iris before it closed the distance between itself and the blue-haired girl in the blink of an eye.

    "Eh--?"

    --It knew to target me? Does it possess intelligence as well as this overwhelming strength?

    "Hyperion: Protection--!"

    Allowing her instincts to carry her actions, Iris conjured a hexagonal barrier formed of light between her and the goblin before it struck her, mming its fist coiled with monstrous strength against the shield. Without hesitation, it continued to use its fists as hammers, striking down upon the barrier as if it were an anvil.

    --I can''t hold this much longer��!

    "Keep yer'' eyes on me!"

    Brahmi appeared behind the goblin, sliding her arms under its pits as she put it into a full-nelson hold. Not having to verballymunicate it to her partner, Iris understood what to do next as she released her hold of the barrier.

    --I need a spell that won''t hit her as well...think. Think!

    "Just do it already! I can take whatever ya'' can dish out, Iris!"

    Even with the sturdiness of Brahmi in mind, Iris'' gentle consciousness had trouble epting such a n--but with little time to choose her options, as the goblin didn''t take its holding lightly, she had to act.

    "Hear me, great son of the king of divinity, the sapling of that who brings the roars of the heavens down upon his foes, brother of the goddess who basks in the moonlight--"

    As she closed her eyes, uttering the mystical incantation as an aura of luscious light rose around her, circling her ankles, the barbaric goblin continued to struggle against Brahmi''s grip.

    "Most reasonable of all who inhabit the heavens, he who has gifted us our music and culture, grant me the power to strike down my enemy with your blessings."

    The blossom of light coiling around the girl shifted into a dazzling illumination, emitting a light within the cavern as if the sun itself was present. Out of desperation as the great magic nearedpletion, the creature knocked its head back against the brawler''s nose, who endured it with but a grunt in return.

    "Apollo: Malicious Benevolence!"

    Condensing into an orb of light that hung above their heads, the radiance of divinity epassed the hollow cavern. The goblin''s verdant skin singed under the spell''s illumination, wreathing in agony as Brahmi let it go, allowing it to drop to the ground as it scratched at its own skin as if trying to free itself from the intangible mes of divinity.

    "--That''s weird, howe it doesn''t hurt me? In fact...it feels kinda nice. Like I''m all wrapped in a fluffy nket."

    Checking her own body to make sure her flesh wasn''t being eaten by the light, Brahmi was left confused at herck of harm inflicted.

    "It''s a spell that scorns enemies but soothes allies. I''ve never used it before...I honestly didn''t even remember the incantation until I began to speak the first words. Lucky break, I guess��"

    "Well good going, Iri! You''re a total badass! Look at em'', that was a tough bastard and you made him look like a punk."

    Brahmi threw her arm around Iris'' shoulder with a wide smile, patting the top of the girl''s head as a bashful blush filled her pale cheeks.

    "--I-Iri, huh? I didn''t do anything special...you''re the one who managed to hold it back while I hesitated."

    "That''s what partners are for, ya'' goof! Honestly, we should get two-hundred damn points for that thing."

    The two watched as the sphere of light continued to bring its rays down against the helpless creature, who had wed off chunks of flesh from its body--arms, thighs, cheeks--it was left a mess as the stench of burning flesh filled the stone room, its blood evaporating as it left its body.

    --With those injuries, it should be fatal already.

    Feeling her mana drain be gulped by the second as she held the great magic, Iris released the spell as the soothing, yet viscous light faded, allowing the darkness to settle in once more.

    "Well that was all a big waste of time. No points again!"

 Chapter 74 - Phantasm-Level

    Brahmi let out a sigh, cing her hands behind her head as she began to make her way back down the corridor.

    "--We need to tell Mother Beatrice about this...it would be best to head back home right away."

    "Hah? What about the hunt? I get that we''re losin'' but that''s as good as giving up!"

    "Brahmi...that goblin was able to keep up with you--something like that existing in this forest...if it''s not the only one, then it can pose a threat to all of us."

    Before Brahmi could continue the conversation, the sound of sizzling skin had been reced by a hum, as the air began to vibrate subtly in the pitch-ck cavern.

    The source of mana that had disappeared after the usage of the great magic had reappeared--surging from where their backs faced.

    "Iris--use illuminate, now!"

    Left agape as her heart began thumping again, Iris nodded her head before conjuring the spell, "Licht: Greater Illuminate!"

    It was a surreal sight, one they believed was a falsity disyed through their eyes. The creature rose from the ground with only its legs as its armsid limp at its sides. Skin that had been burnt away stitched itself back together--or rather, new skin was rebuilt in ce of what was missing as its burnt away flesh followed suit.

    Within moments, it was impossible to tell that the goblin had ever sustained any damage. This time, fear didn''t take hold of Iris'' body as she extended her hand with malicious intent.

    "Hyperion: Scalding Sanction!"

    Unleashing a torrent of light that spiralled into a tunnel, crashing directly against the risen creature--it was a spell in the same grouping as the great magic she had used previously. A powerful spell used to burn away her enemies with malicious light.

    --I...I don''t feel any resistance. It didn''t attempt to dodge or even so much as block the attack. Why? Why?

    She poured nearly all of her reserves into the casted spell, holding it as she increased its firepower out of fear of what may happen if she released it.

    "Iris--calm down! Yer'' gonna drain yourself dry!"

    Brahmi grabbed hold of Iris'' extended wrist, snapping her back into focus as the young mage set the spell free. The two watched as the scorching light dissipated into particles of golden mana--feeling their stomachs sink as their eyes met with the result of the attack.

    "How��? I used everything...Brahmi, I used everything I had��"

    Dropping to her knees, the blue-haired mage felt her soul resign to the powerless feeling reverberating through herself as the creature stood in the same spot, without so much as a scratch on its pale green skin.

    "I think I might know what''s going on here."

    Keeping her guard up as her eyes didn''t dare wander from the stationary goblin, Brahmi stood in front of the defeated Iris, putting herself between the monstrous foe and her partner.

    "--This thing clearly has an innate ability. That''s the only way any of this makes sense."

    "...is that even possible?"

    "Ya'' tell me. I just watched a pile-a melted flesh rise as if nothing happened, perfectly new without a speck of damage to show for it. Whatever the hell this thing is...my gut is telling me this bastard is the work of that shady kingdom of Belmon."

    There wasn''t any time for chit chat as the goblin took initiative this time around--rushing forward towards the brte brawler with reckless abandon. Stopping in front of Brahmi, the goblin stomped its bare foot against the ground, cracking the stone beneath the soles of its feet as it reared its fist back.

    "Crap, it''s pissed," Brahmi thought to herself as she felt the goblin''s ravenous mana condense into its fist.

    Raising both arms in front of her face as a shield, it felt as if a boulder was sent flying against her forearms by a catapult--her body being lifted off the ground by the unrelenting force alone. Landing on her feet, she had no chance tounch her own offense as the goblin closed the distance once more with savage aggression. mming its fists against her raised arms over and over again, the defeat of her bones rang through the cavern as her forearms cracked under the creature''s primal strength.

    Gritting her teeth, Brahmi endured the excruciating pain, the repeating blows mming into the same brittle spots without mercy, the goblin baring its yellows rows of teeth, full of cavities and stained with blood.

    "Hyperion: Departure��!"

    From behind her, the incantation was like music to her ears as Brahmi watched a mist of golden aura send the verdant menace flying back against the back wall of its domain.

    Huffing, Iris was still sitting on the floor with her hand extended after unleashing the sudden spell.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --That was all I had left in me...Using my ability isn''t an option, not with Brahmi around. Sorry, this was the best I could manage under the circumstances...

    "Don''t push it, dumbass! Anymore and yer'' gonna put yourself out ofmission!"

    "...I''m leaving the rest to you...Mi��"

    As if she didn''t even hear herpanion''s worried pleas, Iris slumped over as her eyelids closed over her azure gaze, falling into slumber within moments.

    "Crap...that really was all she had left in the tank, huh. Rest well, Iri...I''ll handle this."

    Standing itself back up, the goblin shrugged off its roughnding against the stone wall, bearing no visible damage once again.

    --My bones are just about mended. That took a bit of mana, but my tank is still sittin'' pretty. I can unleash hell on this bastard proper now.

    "Tough bastard...c''mon then. I''m going to pay you back tenfold for the shit you''ve pulled."

    epting her challenge, her rush into battle again was met halfway, shing fist to fist with the creature of unknown origins of strength. As their knuckles met, the air around the two warriors cracked and hissed, shifting the sturdy floor below into sediment.

    An all out brawl would bring with it coteral damage, and without a conscious effort, Iris had no reinforcement to protect her frail body--Brahmi knew this. Intending to bring the fight elsewhere, she dug her toes into the stone below as if it were mud, locking her arms around the goblin''s waist and nting her head against its stomach as she charged forward.

    Like an unstoppable rhinoceros, the charging brawler crashed through the rock wall, using the creature''s body as a shield as she tunnelled through the mass of stone. After charging through a dozen meters of the natural walling of the world, digging a tunnel in her path, Brahmi and the goblin found their way into another channel of the cave.

    "Bingo!" Brahmi smiled as she briefly celebrated in her mind at the sight of the new arena.

    Stretching far and wide, the extensive cavern gave room for a proper battle without ustrophobia. She released her grip on her foe, jumping back as she left him with a swift kick to the chest to create distance.

    --This bastard...the weight behind his fists, that aggression...he''s definitely stronger than before Iri lit him up.

    "Kishar: Impaler!"

    Stomping her foot against the ground, almostpletely bare except for the single piece of ck fabric wrapped around the middle of her foot, Brahmi unleashed her spell towards her opponent. From the stone ground, spikes protruded around the goblin, jutting towards the creature with the intent of piercing its body.

    Its natural instincts and lightning reflexes put it one step ahead of the casted spell, leaping into the air as the rocky javelins failed to reach the elite goblin.

    --Just as I thought, yer'' a swift bastard, aren''t ya?"

    With a smile formed naturally out of the thrilling nature of battle, Brahmi surprised her opponent as she appeared in the air beside him with her fist preparing to greet it.

    "I may be a connoisseur of ass-whooping, but I''m a damn nature mage, and you''ve met me in a cave--where I''m surrounded by the natural elements! Yer'' ballsy, I''ll give ya'' that, but this ends here!"

    As a mage with a naturally high affinity for gaia, the equivalent of what would be considered "Earthen" magic in this world--her already immense physical abilities were further boosted in such a setting. Her fist came down like a divine smiting against the malevolent being, sending the goblin down to the ground like a meteor to the Earth.

    --I know that wasn''t enough to put that green bastard down, I''ve learned as much first-hand.

    "Kishar: Mountainshaper--!"

    Using the natural resources avable to her, the mystic incantation pulled the stone from the ground into the form of a colossal hammer, rearing it back before sending it crashing down atop the fallen goblin.

    It wasn''t going to take such an attackying down--the goblin jumped up from itsid position, catching the massive hammer built of gaia with its own two hands.

    The weight of the two forces could be felt through the valley of stone, a cold breeze that carried tales of their strength brushed through the cavern as a result of the collision.

    "Times two!"

    Brahmi swung her hand down as if swinging a hammer herself, conjuring forth another hammer formed of rock, a tool of which could only be handled by the titans of legend--crashing down against the first hammer.

 Chapter 75 - The One Beyond Phantasm

    "Ghhh--! Grahh!"

    Presenting herculean strength and tenacity, the goblin withstood the magnified impact, the water-eroded stone shattering beneath its calloused soles. For a moment, with thoughts only of the battle before her--the forgot that the being she fought was a beast, driven by primal instincts. Watching as it pushed its own limits in this fight, just as hard as she did--all she saw before her was a worthy rival.

    "That''s not all ya'' got, is it?!"

    Unintentionally, she shouted those words that sparked a fire within the goblin--as for the first time, it conjured its mana into the world, beyond the realm of intangibility--a well of scarlet air of mysticism erupted from its feet up to its head. The aura of crimson mana, sharpened by streaks of ck, coiled around the goblin body before it pulled one arm back--sending its fist up against the pressuring hammer of gaia.

    "Hah...I''ve lit a fire under his ass."

    With the punch that carried the burden of self-preservation, the goblin shattered the magic-conjured boulder that attempted to tten him. It held its fist to the air as the pebbles of the former spell rained down upon it, as if celebrating its triumph over her magic.

    "This guy--he wasn''t even using magic this whole time! Now I''m really starting to get pumped up!"

    As ifing as a result of awakening its inner magical energy, the goblin''s ck pupils devoid of sentience filled with golden irises that brought about a gaze of reverence in the center of its dark sclera.

    Preparing for the next round, it raised its arm, holding a stance simr to her own. Witnessing the development before her eyes, she couldn''t help but grin wider than before as she followed with her own stance.

    --He''s learning as he fights--just what is this guy?!

    Aggression took the forefront as she pressured the goblin with her swiftness, keeping him on the defense as she threw a flurry of straights that were barely dodged by the goblin''s impressive head movements.

    Each of these straights she threw pierced the winds, causing a sharp hiss to meet the creature''s eardrums, tickling the minuscule hairs that lined the innards of his hearing organ.

    Another impact came at a heightened speed, leaving the only choice for the goblin to raise his arms as a shield. As it met with his arms, the collision temporarily left him stunned��all in ordance to what Brahmi had hoped for.

    ��It was the greatest gift one could give. He taught me how to defend myself and others, how to stand above adversity. That''s why��I''m not going to lose to a snot-colored brat like this!

    "��Hyah!"

    Bringing her foot down against the sturdy ground below, it caved under her strength as she brought her elbow back. A sharp exhale left her puckered lips as she focused all of her strength, pumping through her veins a heightened level of power.

    It was then in the goblin''s adaptive brain that it realized something about the warrior before him: it wasn''t just raw strength or magical energy that made her into such a pir of power.

    Technique, tireless years of training had formed a foundation for strength that did away with previously formed limits.

    This realization was further set into concrete as the dense impact crashed against his sternum with breaking force. Every bit of air was exiled from the goblin''s lungs before being sent back against the farthest wall.

    With as much as she held confidence in her strength, somehow, she knew it would stand up once again.

    As they met each other with breakneck speed, shing knuckle to knuckle once more--it was different. It wasn''t a battle out of fear, hatred, or survival anymore--it was a sh of two warriors, two pioneers of strength testing and breaking the limits unable to be imposed onto them.

    Each time she struck the goblin, meeting his newly formed guard, fists meeting his firm forearms--without a doubt, Brahmi knew she wasn''t fighting a feral monster.

    "Come on! Push me farther! Make me use it! Make me use my ability!"

    Swallowed by her passion forbat, sheughed as she fought--dancing around the cavern with the sharply-edged grace of a warrior.

    When it came to those who bore the affinity of gaia, that which aligns itself with the very core of the world, there were two distinct ways the element represented itself in each gaia-user. Representing the evergreen of Gaia itself, the soothing nature that brings about springs of life--mages that focus on nature magic, utilizing these concepts in the form of nt-spells.

    However--the other side of gaia-magic couldn''t be any different from the gentle, melodic nature mages. Embracing the concept of that which bears the evergreen of creation, shaping the world itself with stone though to be unmoving, moving it as it were water with their authority--these mages are known as foundation-mages.

    "Kishar: Reverse Peak!"

    Using her fist like a hammer, she brought it down as it carved through the air beforending upon the goblin''s two arms used as a shield. The force of the impact shattered the surrounding ground, unleashing a shockwave which screamed of the power at y.

    "Reverse Peak"--embodying the concept of a mountain, her fist replicated that very weight and density, granting her a strength that sat beyond just raw power. This was the core difference between the two groupings of gaia mages--those who manipted the world''s tools of life, and those who became their own version of the world they stood upon.

    Even so--this foe withstood it all. That''s when she realized how he was able to guard her Reverse Peak without his arms shattering into bags of skin which held powdered bones.

    --He''s using reinforcement?!

    Left in awe at the sight of a creature considered incapable of utilizing magic, especially for warrior goblins such as itself--Brahmi was left momentarily distracted as a fist flew against the bridge of her nose.

    Not letting up on his opponent, the verdant creature unleashed a sphere of condensed crimson mana directly towards the woman, who was sent airborne by the sheer force of thest attack. Carving through the air, the ball of raw magical energy let out an all-epassing hum through the air as it reeked of power.

    --Crap, did it already learn of one of my advantages as a foundation-mage? Or was it just coincidence? Sending me into the air before unleashing an attack like this...it had to have realized I''m stronger while my feet are touching the ground.

    Taking a swift breath to fill her lungs with strength, she stopped the iing violent ball with her bare hands. It was like holding onto a heated ball of iron, flung by a cannon--scraping away as it spun at incredible speeds, while scalding her palms.

    "Come on---!"

    Yelling out as she summoned forth her inner strength, she finally deflected the dense sphere of mana, sending it flying up against the ceiling above. There wasn''t any time to think of any other solutions as her adrenaline pumped--so as a natural consequence of her actions, the energy ball erupted against the sheet of stone that hung above.

    It was a rain of pebbles, with a mist of dust to apany it before the pebbles became reced with falling boulders, crashing against the floor below.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The ceiling was not vacant, reced by the open view of the outside above as natural sunlight poured into the once somber cavern.

    "--Crap, Iris!"

    Rushing over towards the ce in which she left herpanion, she was stopped as a massive b of stoneunched into the air, the goblin which was buried in a storm of rocks rose once more.

    "Do ya'' ever go down��?"

    In response to her question that required no answer, the warrior leapt into the air as it spun around, whipping its leg through the air just as she did in their first exchange. Sending its kick against the boulder itunched into the air as it attempted to crash down to the world once more. At that speed, with a weight well over several tons--the flying rock would turn a normal human into a mist of red.

    Using reason was futile when it came to Brahmi, however, as she leaned her head back with a smile before violently thrusting it forward--shattering the iing projectile with her rock-solid head.

    --I''ve got to end this quickly. I had a sneakin'' suspicion this whole time, but it''s confirmed for me now: this guy is getting stronger by the minute. Each exchange, his hits sharpen, his technique improves...he''s a real danger.

    The ferocity of her opponent proved once again that stopping amidst the battle to think was a decision that would be punished as it swept up the distance between them with a single dash forward. It fainted with a fake jab before spinning into a roundhouse kick.

    "--Yer'' getting cocky!"

    Brahmi caught the goblin''s leg before it could connect, starting to spin in a circle as she built up enough momentum to pick up the surrounding winds. As she mmed her weight down against the ground with a stomp, halting her momentum, sheunched her enemy into the air as if it were a game of shot put.

    --Good. I got him away from this damn brittle cave. I can unleash it then!

    Leaping into the sky, following herunched opponent--she temporarily left the boundary of the deathly cavern. With an axe kick, Brahmi sent the airborne creature down to the surface ground, crashing through a volley of trees as the inhabitants of the forest fled from the sudden presence of a battle.

    As soon as the soles of her feet met the soil below uponnding, she knocked her knuckles together as her natural magical energy spiked.

    "Mother of gods, chaos, and primordial creation--hear me. Your almighty vessel, used as the source of the world itself, thend in which we walk and were born."

    Just from being invoked by the partial incantation, the presence of the great magic rumbled the surrounding acres ofnd, awakening the slumbering oak as it shook under the presence of the almighty spell. .

    "Bring about disaster on those befitting of your scorn, turn their blood to poison, their bones to dust--Tiamat: Primordial Coffin!"

    Bringing about the full summoning of the great magic, colossal spears of stone rose from the soil below, bending and forming a circle around the concussed goblin. The ground beneath the creature''s feet shifted into mud, grasping at the helpless goblin''s legs as it wed at the liquid to no avail.

    "This ain''t my style...but yer'' a tough bastard and I need to end this fast."

    Her fists still yearned to be satisfied by battle as she watched the primordial mud swallow the goblin, who struggled, iling about as it reverted to its primal instincts in the face of death. After the hungering slimy liquid of the spell enveloped the creature''s body, the towering spears of stone bent unnaturally, closing in over the puddle of mud. It didn''t take long before both the goblin and the spell''s presence were erased by the spears which formed with the ground naturally.

    "--I''m spent."

    Brahmi dropped backwards onto her back as she caught her breath after iming victory, feeling fumes of mana inhabit her body after casting great magic.

    Parting her heavy eyelids slowly, flickering as she grasped onto consciousness--Iris felt as if her body had turned to lead. Just the act of lifting a single finger off the chilled, wet stone her hand rested upon required her utmost will.

    "Ya'' finally awake?"

    "--Brahmi��?"

    Simr to when the human body is deprived of calories--energy for it to enact even the most simple actions, her stomach had that sickening feeling of emptiness from the startlingck of mana left within herself.

    --It''s no use trying to move...it''ll take me an entire day to recover from this state. I''m such an idiot, making such novice mistakes��

    "I took care of that green bastard, he put up one helluva'' fight though."

    The two-meter brte woman squatted down in front of the imobile mage, who could hardly move her head to look up at her.

    "That''s amazing...really. I couldn''t imagine defeating that kind of monster."

    "Huh? The hell ya'' talking about? Yer'' magic had that thing dead earlier! I just finished the job, is all. I guess that''s called teamwork, no?"

    "--You''re right."

    It was another aspect of Brahmi she had somehow forgotten, that unwavering beam of light she shined on any situation. Some may call it blissful ignorance, but to Iris, it was the strength to shine through darkness with her own radiance.

    "How about we get outta this musty cave? I''m thinking we might have to worry about diseases soon rather than overpowered goblins."

    "I agree."

    Any other time, riding piggyback would be something she would never ept from anyone besides her own mother--but right now, Iris felt happy for a reason she couldn''t exin.

    --Mother, it seems your ns came to light once again. I suppose this is the difference between being allies, and beingpanions...or rather, friends.

 Chapter 76 - The One Beyond Phantasm (.5)

    As the sun began to set on the second day of the Monster Hunt, an enigmatic entity not of the Ounders made his way to the sight of the great magic used to seal the monstrous goblin.

    "--Looks like I was right. Bestowing the authority onto a simple-minded creature such as a goblin was a bad call. You couldn''t even distinguish the difference of power between yourself and that Ounder woman--isn''t that the one instinct shared by animals?"

    Speaking to himself, or rather, the sealed entity which had no way of reciprocating a conversation, the man let out a small huff as he brushed his hand through his messy, jet-ck locks.

    "Whatever. It doesn''t matter now. All that matters is I need that authority back, Furcas."

    The enigmatic man held his index and middle fingers together, pointing them at the ground below approximately where the goblin was buried within the primordial bud.

    "Re: Hollow."

    Uttering an unknown incantation, mana generated in the air, the particles of which vibrated in the air aggressively until moving in such a way seemed as if they were retracing their own movements through time.

    The specks of radiant mana of celestial stripes spiralled around the area of the great magic that had been long cast, letting loose a vtile eruption of mana.

    In response to the man''s casted magic, the stone seal that had reced the ground crumbled, then the mud below dried up, shifting into nothing more than dust before the green monster held within woke up in a frenzy.

    "Morning, Furcas!"

    The ck-haired man greeted the goblin, who was clearly left in confusion as its senses had been held back in its temporary slumber. Its golden irises locked onto the man dressed in white and ck robes, flipping its switch from confusion to aggression as it bared its canines--charging towards the mysterious human.

    "--Oh, that won''t do."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The goblin moved in a sh, circling around the man as it was no more than a few centimeters from having its fist meet the back of the man''s head--before it was stopped in its tracks. Before it could process what had happened, a hand had already been gripped around its verdant neck, holding it into the air.

    Still, its animalistic instincts couldn''t pick up a drop of hostility from the frivolous man. A single squeeze of its neck disyed to it the absolute strength the human possessed, reverting to its goblin way of thinking--it wanted to run, it wanted to live.

    "...kaa. Kraa!"

    It cried out, struggling as it kicked its feet, wing at the man''s arm to no avail. The sight itself would cause a second look from any onlookers--the alpha goblin stood over two meters, with a build that would put bodybuilders to shame, while the man stood a good head shorter than the creature with a build only one degree higher than "skeletal".

    Ignoring the goblin''s plight to live, the man pointed the fingers on his free hand in the shape of a dagger, piercing the creature''s chest with no resistance met to his overwhelming power. Blood flowed out like a waterfall from its punctured chest, its verdant skin turning pale as it lost its source of life.

    "--I don''t like this anymore than you do. I won''t be able to get rid of this smell on my hand for a week��"

    With no remorse or care for the taking of a life, his eyes lit up before letting out a "Got it!", gripping onto something with the dying creature''s torn open cavity. A sickening tear echoed through the area as he ripped the object out of the goblin''s body with a hand soaked in crimson, shaking his hand to rid it of the chunks of flesh that came back from the creature''s body.

    Flipping it into the air and catching it in his hand, the bloodstained object revealed itself to be ck ore in the shape of a pulsating heart, illuminating slightly with a silver glow. A smile wrapped across the man''s lips once more as his violet irises locked onto the object, tossing the bleeding body onto the ground below as the goblin began convulsing in the grass.

    "Well, my job here is done. Kudos, Greenie!"

    Looking back at the half-dead goblin, shaking and salivating at the rapid loss of blood, the man gave it a frivolous wave before his form faded into a spiral of ck and white particles of mana, seemingly transporting himself with magic.

 Chapter 77 - Aftermath Of The Giant

    "Once again...I''m riding piggyback. I didn''t even...do this when I was a kid, so why am I doing it...so often now?"

    Yawning between every few words, Ren questioned this situation that he seldom wanted to ur, propped up against Sirius'' back with his arms slumped over the man''s shoulders.

    "Just sleep already, you need to recover all of that mana you spent."

    "--I would''ve slept if you didn''t make me so sick...sliding down the mountain like that with me as your passenger...I thought I was going to die...for sure."

    Another drawn out yawn left the exhausted young man''s mouth, pelting against the back of hispanion''s head.

    "I don''t mind giving you a lift like this, buddy...but can you try not to yawn against my head? Not to be rude...but clearly you haven''t been keeping up with your dental hygiene."

    "--Excuse me? We''ve been out in the wilderness the past two days! Sorry I''m not a sparkly, clean human!"

    Thement from Sirius ignited a fire under Ren as he quickly retorted out of wounded pride, his sudden movement nearly making the blue-eyed man trip over a branch sticking out from the dirt below.

    "Alright, alright! I was just joking--give it a rest already!"

    It seemed that thest outburst spent whatever fumes the young man was running on, as Sirius felt his backpackpanion slump over against his back, listening to the faint breathing that confirmed his unconscious state.

    "--Rest well, you deserve it after today, Brother."

    Taking his time strolling through the forest, partly to not disturb his sleepingpanion and the fact that he enjoyed hearing the subtle snores from him, Sirius paused for a moment as a nose-invading stench made itself known.

    His nostrils red a bit as he took in a deep whiff of the aroma to confirm its source before a smile formed.

    "It''s our lucky day. It seems points are just walking up to our doorstep."

    As its presence was discovered by the lightning Ounder, the unknown, stench-bearing creature stepped out from the camouging evergreen.

    If this was a dark alleyway without the concept of magic to empower him, the sight of the creature would''ve been something straight out of a horror movie and fever dreambination. It possessed a humanoid body, walking on four, twisted and crooked limbs that were as long as the rest of its body. A snow-white mane draped over its body and head, starting from its back, which presented a protruding spine that looked as if it would burst right through its gray skin at any moment.

    The horrific creature''s face was obscured by its hanging hair, except for the contorted smile wrapped across its elongated snout.

    "Good evening, one-hundred points~."

    A glimmer of avarice showed itself through Sirius'' eyes as he lifted one hand in preparation of striking down the creature with a quick and effective spell.

    "Blitz: Bolt."

    Although he muttered the spell''s release in an attempt to not wake his slumberingpanion, the lightning bolt that unleashed from his fingertips roared through the air.

    Igniting the particles that sat still in the wind, the violet stride of lightning crashed towards the creature��managing to miss the monstrous horror as it leapt to the side.

    "Crap. The loudness of the spell caught me off guard��now this thing is on its toes."

    Sirius watches the trees, listening as the entity circled through the foliage around him, sinking into the shadows.

    He could only feel d that Ren chose to be asleep for this encounter, due to the nature of the monster itself.

    ��A "Heliano Genin", the aroma they exude amplifies the fear in the brain of whoever inhales it. A beginner reinforcement wouldn''t be able to resist it��he would''ve lost it, screaming until his throat bled. I''ve even heard instances of people ripping their own eyes out to prevent themselves from seeing it. For anyone below a respectable mage, this thing is a demon in its own right. It''s not much of a threat without its fumes...but still, I''d rather not wake him up--that just leaves me with one option.

    Sirius took in a deep breath before exhaling through his nose, keeping one hand behind him to keep Ren steady on his back. Like a wild chimpanzee, the creature leapt from tree to tree, rustling through the flourishing green before finally making itself known--leaping down towards the man as its tongue stretched out from its mouth like a whip.

    "--Ba''al: Night Parade."

    A single, silent step forward was all that was visible, before the heliano genin spasmed--crashing on the ground as it twitched and convulsed before attempting to strike once more. Before its ws could reach its target, a line ran down from its forehead down to its sharp chin--its head splitting open before the rest of its body followed.

    It was a stench that could rival the most heinous of sewers, the grimy, rotten innards of the monster spilling out as its body seemed to burn from whatever had hit it.

    Witnessing his quiet victory, the blue-eyed man pulled his cor over his nose before continuing onward towards the familiar cavern. The spell he used wasn''t one he liked to use often--as it was incredibly taxing even for him. "Ba''al: Night Parade", a high-end lightning spell that temporarily shifts the air in one area into a territory of static--whatever steps into the territory is attacked by an indescribable amount of micro-lightning bolts. So miniscule that the bolts travel through the pores of their target, melting and tearing away at the infrastructure of the target.

    Once more they settled into the damp cavern that began to feel somewhat like a suitable home. Managing to scrounge up thick, somewhatfortable leaves to use as bedding and ruing edible fruit--there troubles with survival were solved.

    "Ah...how long was I out?"

    "Not long--are you feeling well? You used a lot of mana."

    Putting his own hand on his forehead as if to check the state of his body, he gave Sirius a thumbs-up and a smile. The tangerine-like berries he ate did their job, as Sirius assured him they restored mana.

    "Really, though...how did you get so strong? That lightning magic sure is amazing..."

    The question caught Sirius off guard, who swallowed the piece of spiky fruit down his throat before giving him a smile.

    "It takes time and dedication...I''ve honed my magic in this world since the day I was brought here. Everyday, I sted mana until I passed out, rested, then repeated it all over again."

    Ren assumed it was just pure talent that drove Sirius to the threshold of power he was at, but hearing the regime he put himself through made him feel as if he wasn''t working hard enough.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "By gaining strength, I can one day return to them.."

    It seemed the topic of magic and strength had brought about something in Sirius, as he blurted out those words to him.

    "Return to who?"

    "My family."

    "--I thought returning to Earth was impossible?"

    The topic dulled the mood that inhabited the cave as Sirius'' yful attitude had shifted into somber as his vibrant blue irises moved up to Ren.

    "Beatrice didn''t tell you much, did she? She''s always like that, isn''t she? You do know why she summoned us at least, right?"

    Nodding in response, Ren recalled what Beatrice told him on his first day meeting the Ounders, "Yeah, something about "averting the end of the world", or something, right?"

    "Then you know that our mission is to get rid of the current king of Mastorn, and abolish their imperialism ways. Once that is done...the crisis Beatrice foretold will be averted."

    "--What''s that have to do with going home?"

    He was beginning to get anxious as Sirius beat around the bush, taking his time answering the single question he was hung on.

    "Why do you think we all follow Beatrice? She made us a deal--this is an equivalent exchange, we aren''t just fighting for her cause because we want to save this world. Frankly, I don''t care what happens to Gaia...it''s done nothing for us."

    "I thought��"

    As he searched for his response, nothing came to him. This whole time, he fell under Beatrice''smand because there was no other choice--he didn''t consider why the others followed her.

    "There isn''t anywhere else to go, right? That''s why you followed her, well, when each of us first arrived...we stayed for the same reason. Now with what we''ve learned, how we''ve grown--nothing is stopping us from choosing to live our lives out in one of the different kingdoms, ones that don''t witchunt us."

    "--"

    "Ren, once the Ounders see Beatrice''s ns through, she''ll take us back home."

    "Home��?"

    "That''s what we''ve been fighting for all this time. Well, most of us."

    Home wasn''t something he thought of much anymore. The life he led on Earth wasn''t one he exactly missed much of--in Gaia, he had finally made friends of his own, even considering them family now.

    --I see. It was childish to think everybody else had the same mindset as me...they all had sessful lives back on Earth, families they missed dearly, friends to return to.

    "How about you? Don''t you want to return home?"

    "...I don''t know."

    It wasn''t an answer he could give unless he felt like lying.

    "Ah, I guess I shouldn''t have asked...it''s just, when I imagine how worried my family might be, how big my little siblings have gotten��"

    As he smiled, his expression was anything but happiness.

    "If you don''t mind me asking...how long have you been here?"

    "Seven years. I can remember it so vividly still--trudging through the sheer cold of the winter, carrying a dozen sticks of wood on my back before the next thing I knew--I was surrounded by the evergreen."

    "That long...it seems a lot of you have been here for years. I just don''t get it...the Ounders are all so powerful--how has the n not been seen through yet?"

    Lost for a moment reminiscing about his family, Sirius brushed his hair up before recing his solemn expression with a vibrant smile once more.

    "A few reasons. Beatrice is a very meticulous, conniving person...as you may imagine. Summoning a single person into this world requires an exuberant amount of mana and power, so losing an Ounder is like losing a chess piece for her."

    "Thatparison...kind of freaks me out, but she probably does see it that way."

    "She isn''t cautious without reason though. You''ve only seen a handful of proper mages in this world--so what you consider "powerful" is different from reality, Ren. Those who stay near the king...the power they hold is frightening."

    pping his hands together suddenly, Sirius wore a bright smile--earning a confused eyebrow raise from Ren.

    "It''s gettingte, the final day of the event is tomorrow, rest is of the utmost importance!"

    Even though he had taken an unnned nap earlier, his body still felt as if it had run through a marathon. Besides that, Sirius'' impulsive attitude did its fair share to diminish his energy.

    "Alright, alright, I hear you. No need to yell."

 Chapter 78 - Battle Of Egos

    Sleep that night came with a plethora of thoughts nagging away at him.

    "Home."

    The question he asked himself now, is what home was now to him.

    --The ce where I holed myself up in my room, wasting away as I became theughingstock of my hometown? Or the ce where despite hardship, I''ve actually grown--actually made something of myself?

    Rain poured again that night, pelted against the roof of the cave as the refreshing winds of precipitation soothed his skin, guiding him into a gentle sleep.

    However, a restful embrace only met one of them, as Sirius waited for hispanion to fall into slumber back adjusting his uniform, stepping out of the cavern into the light showers that shifted into a downpour.

    "--You really tracked us down. Not a good use of time if you ask me."

    Sirius called out to whoever was hiding within the drenched foliage, standing out in the open as water cascaded down his neat uniform.

    "You''re the only pair staying out of fights this year. You do know "Monster Hunt" is specifically made to train neers, right? What good is it to coddle Ren like this?"

    Obscured by the darkness of the night, the man stepped forward, his heavy boots parting the mud under his step as he carried a silvernce over his shoulder. It was easy enough just to tell by therge silhouette that it was the armor-d Ounder, Sora.

    "Coddle? The kid beat an elder giant. I just don''t see any use in pitting him against opponents that he can''t so much as scratch."

    "That''s not your decision. I''ve trained Ren for months now--he isn''t one to shy away from a fight if it means he''ll grow from it."

    "It is my decision. I''m his partner."

    "It seems more like you''re making this choice for him. Doesn''t sound much like partnership to me. Admit it, Sirius, you see your own brother in him, don''t you?"

    The air fell still from the crimson-haired man''sstment, droplets of water bing vaporized by the violet static from Sirius as they met with his coat. It was clear as day that Sora wanted a fight, and there was no talking out of it.

    "Where is his partner?" was the one thought that etched itself into Sirius'' mind as he maintained eye contact with his potential opponent. If he blindly engaged with the heavy-armored Ounder without knowing what lies waiting in his surroundings, it could result in a quick defeat.

    However--that was only a problem if he engaged first, dropping that baggage from his mind as Sora appeared in front of him,nce in hand.

    Aimed for his abdomen, the abrasive spear pierced the rain-filled air,pletely missing its target as Sirius vanished before Sora''s mind could even process the fact that he was gone.

    "--I''m taking this elsewhere."

    The monotone words met Sora''s ears before an impact pounded itself against his breastte, sending him crashing through the sea of trees.

    He questioned his own senses--no magic was heard being cast or felt in the air, yet the power disyed by the lightning-mage was nothing but mystical. The trees couldn''t handle the dense man who was sent flying back, breaking through the thick base of each tree he collided against before finallynding in any open field.

    "Argh...that smarts, that really smarts."

    Standing up, the mud which stained his ivory armor washed off in the heavy downpour. A bolt of purple lightning struck the ground in front of him, bringing forth Sirius, his drenched hair now sticking up from the static that coiled around him.

    "You wanted a fight, didn''t you? Well, I''m right here."

    "--Merciless, aren''t you?"

    Sora let out augh before summoning an iron shield in one hand, and a broadsword in the other.

    "You''re the one who showed up at night--!"

    Moving forward as he spoke out, Sirius met his opponent halfway in the battlefield, watching as the armored Ounder swung his silver de overhead. It was far too slow, watching as the drop of rain glided through the nightly air,nding atop the de as it guided itself towards him.

    Little got in his way as he evaded the attack as if it was in slow motion, cing his palm near the sturdy breastte that protected Sora, maroon static emitting between his hand and the white steel.

    Then he unleashed it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ba''al: Exile."

    There was no space in time for the sword-wielding, skyscraping man to react to the iing release of magical energy, as the shadow-engulfed field lit up with a luminescent violet--all of the rain that sought the ground below vanishing at the sight of the cast spell.

    Condensed to that one singr point between the hand which conjured the spell and the man''s armor, it felt as if a hundred-thousand bolts of lighting hammered against his chest at once, all in session, within a single moment. The air was pulled from his lungs as the ferocious impact sent him into the air once more.

    Lightning was supposed to be a catalyst for burning or shocking, yet what was used against him was more akin to an indescribable amount of des carving away at his armor, leaving his breastte ripped open, burnt by the spell.

    "Bastard."

    Sora did away with his armor, letting it sink away into nothing before summoning a new set of different, leaner armor over his body. In contrast to the bulky armor he usually wore, which turned him into a tank of a knight, this new set looked as if it were wrapped around his skin.

    Recing the usual pale sheen was now a dark silver, the grooves of the thin armor filled with streaks of obsidian.

    "The Empyrean Armory: Mode Silver," Sirius remembered as he saw the coat of protection which wrapped itself over his opponent, soon covering his head as well before being fully formed. The pr opposite to the standard protection that Sora d himself in, Mode Silver focusedpletely on agility rather than overwhelming brute strength.

    That much was proven as Sora flickered from his spot in the air to just in front of Sirius as if a portion in time had been removedpletely.

    "Helios: Sun Prison!"

    A spark from Sora''s palm shifted into a raging me, shooting out and forming a spherical prison around his opponent.

    "If you want to concede victory to me now, that might be a good idea. My Sun Prison can reach temperatures up to ten-million degrees Celsius. I''m sure not even you could withstand that kind of heat, Sirius."

    Surrounded by walls of translucent mes, caging him into the closet space, Sirius looked around before returning his gaze to his silver-d opponent.

    "You don''t really think it''ll be that easy, do you? I''m hurt you somehow think so lowly of me after all the times I''ve sent you to the ground."

    Any rain that decided to fall upon the prison of solidified mes vaporized instantly, creating a mist of steam around the sphere.

    "That was then, this is now. I can see your pride is no less than before though."

    Sirius only smiled at thatst remark, raising his hand up to the ceiling of the prison of fire, feeling the heat press itself against his reinforcement.

    "I''ll give an ultimatum of your own then. I''d advise you to step back unless you want to be reduced to ash."

    Following his warning, Sirius unleashed a flurry of magical energy from his body, wild sparks of electricity gliding across the interior of the prison.

    "Hear me, brother of the sun goddess, yer of the malevolent serpent."

    "Bastard, you''re really nning on using great magic, here?!"

    "--Mountains and rivers shake under your authority, just as the knees of the men who stand against you."

    Continuing with the almighty incantation, the dark clouds that carried the rainfall began to spiral above the battlefield, coiling as shes of violet thunder roared within the somber skies.

    "Don''t think I''ll just stand here and watch!"

    Clenching his fist, Sora amplified the heat which radiated inside the Sun Prison, the mes began to eat away at his opponent''s reinforcement--who paid no mind to it as he continued.

    "As I utter your revered name, bring your wild wrath down upon the world, ravage my enemies with might unseen."

    A loud hum left the rampant clouds, as if the skies were roaring down in response, conjuring powerful winds that tugged at the trees deeply rooted into the soil of the world. The look in Sirius'' resolute blue gems were the final warning he gave to his rival.

    "Susanoo-no-Mikoto: Rain Down Upon The World, Your Divine Cataclysm."

 Chapter 79 - Sirius V. Fai

    The words carried the will of power, bringing forth into reality the true nature of the great magic cast by Sirius as the clouds parted, revealing a heavenly, yet horrifying light. It bore no resemnce to the sensation felt by mana, rather--this was true divinity which was invoked.

    By the origin of this great magic, there is no evading it once the name of Susanoo is uttered. Once the name of the principal deity leaves the lips of the caster, the concept of divine wrath is ingrained into them--forcing only one option to the unfortunate soul on the receiving end of the spell.

    This was the result of causality, a concept mortals must face when confronting the truly divine. Sora could do nothing besides watch in horror before the divine light filled everything, even his vision.

    "--I warned you, buddy. I did my best to hold it back for you, but that''s the price of challenging the strongest."

    Sirius muttered, watching as the sphere of mes dissolved into nothing but sparks, the entire field was covered in clouds of dust as a result of the destructive magic unleashed.

    Nothing was left of the surrounding area, stone, oak--none of it was immune to the absolute decimation of the great magic unleashed.

    "That''s you holding back? That''s vexing��but I guess it''s time for me to tag-out."

    Releasing a weakugh, Sora sat on his knees, his armor tattered from the waist up, his skin covered incerations as blood coated his tan exterior.

    "Tag-out��?"

    Repeating the words he just heard, a chill ran up Sirius'' back as he realized the purpose behind them--turning around just in time as a frosted wind pelted against him. Vers ran over his fingertips, racing across his body as a sheet of ice enveloped him.

    "--Eis: Embrace."

    "Donatien��sneaky bastard."

    "Expecting a one-on-one battle in a duo event is a faulty endeavor, Sirius."

    Stepping into the deste field, the navy-haired man adjusted his sses as his ice continued to cling to the man''s skin.

    "Waiting until after your partner is defeated is cowardly."

    "I''d call it strategic."

    Everything began to go numb, losing feeling in his toes and fingertips as the cold disyed little mercy. Taking a gulp of air into his lungs, Sirius unleashed a coat of electricity over his body,bating the frost that clung to him.

    "Now...how about I give you the same treatment I gave your partner there?"

    "I hope you aren''t lumping me in with that brutish fool. I think you''ll find my ice to be just as hot as his mes."

    Their approaching battle was halted just as it started, both opponents jumping back just as a projectile zipped past them--shattering the sound barrier.

    "A gunshot?"

    "Tristan. It seemed your great magic lured in some lingering dogs."

    Facing the direction the projectile came from, Donatien''s suspicions were proven correct as they saw the unmistakable frosty bedhead.

    "Who''re you calling dogs?!"

    Beside the gun-toting Ounder was his rambunctious partner, hopping on his toes as if warming his body up. Wearing a sleeveless ck vest, his dark tattoos that resembled dragon scales, coiling around his arms stood out.

    "Fai Meng."

    Sirius couldn''t help butugh at the sudden appearance of the pairing. The one-off scuffle had now turned into a battle royale of its own.

    "Why''re you here? You can see there is already a battle going on, no?"

    Pushing his sses up as his hazel eyes questioned the two men, the frosty air around Donatien amplified.

    "I''m not passing up an opportunity to smack you around for the snacks you stole from mest month."

    "I already told you, I did no such thing."

    "Either way, I know Fai here has some unresolved business with Sirius. I know you aren''t just going to sit around and let your opponent be snatched, so I''ll take his ce."

    It had already been settled, Fai was stretching side to side, hopping back up as his ponytail bounced with him.

    "Of all the Ounders--he was the man who loved battle above all else, challenged only by Brahmi in that regard," Sirius thought, keeping his eyes on his newly chosen opponent.

    "Sirius...it seems our bout will have to wait until we take care of these boorish fools."

    "Already on it."

    As he expected, Fai wasted no time delving intobat. It was more akin to gliding across the ground rather than dashing forward, bringing himself within striking distance of Sirius with a joyful smile on his face.

    The fist he nned to throw was a facade, flipping over into an axe kick as Sirius reacted just in time to block the unexpected attack. Fai moved unnaturally, as if his bodycked any density to it--spinning on his hands before flipping back onto the soles of his feet with a smile.

    "You''re really that mad I finished off the Dgon?"

    "The entire reason I came with you for that quest was to fight it! I told you that, yet you still hogged all of the fun!"

    As he vented, the weight behind his punches increases, piercing the air they pushed through as Sirius diligently avoided them. Reinforcing his leg with lightning, Sirius countered the man''s relentless pursuit with a kick to his side. The force of the kick mimicked a lightning bolt, roaring through the air as Fai was sent flying to the side.

    "Give it a rest, will you?"

    If the Monster Hunt was a means for growth for neers, then for experienced Ounders��it was a festival of roughhousing.

    Fai jumped back up without any hesitation as he spun into a cyclone-like kick, mming his slipper-covered foot against Sirius'' shoulder.

    "Ba''al: Thunderskin."

    After wincing from the impact, Sirius disyed a confident smile before grabbing onto Fai''s leg. The spell covered Sirius in ayer of electricity, acting as a human taser as the high-voltage transferred against Fai.

    "��Come, Hydra!"

    The call left Fai''s mouth in desperation, his entire body tending up from the shock��Sirius letting go of his leg as the man evaded an iing attack from his left.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A tendril-like creature snapped its jaws at him, before coiling back to reveal its nine-headed body, covered in silver scales. The creature stood several meters high, with each head possessing reach greater than the length of its own body.

    "Hydra, huh? Already using your innate ability?"

    "Scared? Can''t say I me you!"

    Fai gloated with boundless energy fueling his frivolousugh, rubbing the top of one of the Hydra''s many heads as if it were a dog.

    "I''m curious, what happens when one of your folklores are destroyed? Can you resummon them? Are they gone forever? I think I''ll put that to the test right now."

    His azure irises flickered with traces of violet as tendrils of lightning coiled around his arms, legs, and torso.

    "I''d like to see you try! Come on! Come on! Bring it! Bring it!"

    The next round of their bout started, the hydra hissing with all nine of its heads before sliding its body against the ground while Fai''s magical energy skyrocketed--preparing to unleash a spell of his own.

    "Blitz: Razor Bolt!"

    Sirius unleashed a horizontal sh of lightning, cutting through the air as it hurled towards one of the magical creature''s many heads. Like a hot knife to butter, the offensive spell carved through two of the heads, falling to the ground as they convulsed, spewing acidic saliva from their fanged mouths.

    "How could I forget��"

    Letting out a sigh, he watched as the hydra''s flesh bubbled up as if it were boiling water, before its scaly skin parted, a protrusion of three strings of flesh rising before forming into a new triplet of heads.

    "Come on! Come on! That''s unlike you, Sirius��maybe fear is getting to you!"

    Momentarily distracted, he was toote to react to the spell unleashed by Fai as his monolid silver irises glimmered with fighting spirit.

    "Zhurong: Malevolent Arms--!"

    Manifesting into thin air, windows of me inhabited the air as massive, bulking arms covered in fur, formed of orange mes reached out--extending towards Sirius as they spiralled unnaturally. Simply evading the gigantic arms of mes wasn''t enough, as they followed their target diligently, bending and curving through the air as they grasped the air in hopes of catching Fai''s foe.

    --"Zhurong", a special subset of fire magic only capable of being used by one in every ten-thousand fire mages. I''ve fought alongside it many times now...but fighting against it is another story altogether. If I let my guard down for even a moment, Fai won''t hesitate to bring me down.

    Sirius kept his eyes on the monkey-like arms, flipping backwards repeatedly as the fiery fists hammered into the ground where he stood.

    He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he dodged backwards, nearly falling right into the hungering mouths of the many headed hydra, leaping into the air to avoid its venomous fangs.

    "Got you!"

    Overwhelming by the various attacks targeting him, Sirius failed to notice Fai had already met him in the air, sending him back down with a harsh swing of his leg,nding right into the unrelenting grip of the Malevolent Arm''s hands.

    "Gh--!"

    His entire body was restricted by the enormous, merciless grip of the arms. Even by releasing his overwhelming magical energy, the uncontrolled electricity did nothing to loosen the fiery grip that held him.

    "Somebody is a bit rusty, eh?"

    "Tired."

    Sirius corrected Fai, who held a gloating smile as he stood in front of his captured foe.

    The entire time their battle was raging on, Donatien and Tristan''s battle could be heard as their battle was dragged into the heart of the forest.

    "Come on, just concede. Admit I won, and that I''m better than you--that I''m the strongest Ounder."

    "You''re asking me to lie?"

    In response to his tough response, Fai squeezed his fist shut--causing the massive hands to restrict even tighter than before around Sirius'' body as if trying to force the air from his lungs.

    "Even you can''t escape the grip of my Malevolent Arms. Once they have a hold of you, your flow of mana is constricted--you won''t be able to cast any magic! Awesome, right?"

    "I don''t need to use any spells."

    "Huh? Come on, man, no need to act so proud. It''s just the way she goes, you win some, you lose some. Let''s just put an end to this already."

    "Are you that dumb or just trying to pretend you don''t know what I have up my sleeve? You think my lighting is what makes me the strongest?"

    Sirius let his words out in a huff, having to scrounge up whatever air he could into his lungs as the prison of monkey hands held onto him tight. It took a moment for Fai to realize what he meant before his sclera widened as he came to understand what Sirius nned.

    "--It''s just for fun, it''s not that serious. You wouldn''t use it here, right? Right?"

    "If you give up now, I won''t use it."

    As frightened as he seemed for a moment, Faimitted to his position, clenching both his fists tight enough to draw blood from his hands--squeezing a scream out of Sirius.

    A streak of crimson liquid leaked from Sirius'' nose, coughing out drops of blood as his bones yielded to the overwhelming brute strength he was held captive to.

    --"Just for fun", the bastard said, while he''s trying to crush my bones into dust. I''ll have to show him a taste of his own medicine then. I''ll use it. I sure wish my little brother was here to watch me be cool, though.

    A surge of magical unleashed soared from Sirius'' body, however, it wasn''t embracing the aspect of lighting he possessed. It couldn''t bepared to any element--not fire, water, gaia, wind, dark, or light--it was only a bleak cold that emanated from his body like a chilling frost.

    The mana itself felt as if it were its own entity, running itself across Sirius'' body--the Malevolent Arms desperately squeezed him now, out of primal fear. Spots of this despair-inducing mana stuck to the man''s body, releasing a small, blue me as the mana tinted his body with a shadow.

    "Scales of The Hollow Tyrant."

    The name of the ability left his blood-soaked lips as an augury of death. In less than a second, the formless mana manifested itself into a physical form as it wrapped around Sirius'' body--creating a living armor of somber gray scales from head to toe.

    --The only downside is��

    With a single flex of his body, the newly armored Sirius blew away the mighty hands into nothing but embers,nding back onto the ground below.

    --When I use the scales, "holding back", bes a hard concept for me to grasp anymore. I have to restrain it. Now. Before I get a taste for battle.

 Chapter 80 - Destructive Scuffle

    After freeing himself from the grasps of mes, Sirius tensed up--fighting against his own body as he retracted the malicious armor from his body, restricting it to only one arm.

    "This should be enough."

    With a frivolous smile, he let out a sigh of relief as he managed to keep the armor under his control. In the short time the full armor was brought out, for just a moment, it was enough time topletely heal the wounds he suffered. However, through his exhaustion--this did note without a price of stamina.

    "You really brought it out. Are you crazy or what?"

    "I don''t think you get to ask me that when you just tried to shatter my ribs in the name of a game."

    "It doesn''t matter--you''re still going to lose, here and now. Fenrir, Go!"

    Making a unique gesture with his hands, grasped together as he interlocked his fingers, a puddle of darkness formed in front of Fai before a colossal wolf covered with silver fur rose from the dark liquid. The oversized canine charged towards him, digging up the soil from beneath its massive paws alongside the bloodlusted hydra.

    --Great magic isn''t an option. No time nor do I have it in me to use another st of it. Whether I like to admit it or not, Fai''s familiars are strong as hell.

    Using his arm covered with the armored scales, bulked up as if he were wearing the limb of a giant--Sirius put his hand forward to halt the giant wolf''s rush, pushing its snout down into the dirt.

    He only had time to leap back before, once again, he heard the incantation.

    "Zhurong: Ten Divine Mirrors."

    Befitting the name of the spell, ten mes sparked around Sirius, spinning around him before forming into luminescent mirrors. Five of these mirrors hovered at his level, while the other five stayed just above the others, effectively acting as a prison for him.

    In all of his time knowing Fai and fighting alongside him, he had never seen the ponytailed man use this spell.

    Battles between mages brought about tense situations like this. When confronted with an enigmatic spell, brashly attempting to counter it can result in a quick defeat. In the reflection of these mysterious mirrors formed of me, his appearance was obscured into a bright, burning orange.

    --Fire magic usually lends itself to being the magical affinity with the highest inclination to destruction. With that, you''d assume a hot-headed brawler like Fai who eats nothing but hot peppers would fit right into this category, but it couldn''t be farther from the truth. "Zhurong'''' specializes in unorthodox fire spells--it''s a force to be reckoned with in its own right.

    Sirius watched carefully as the reflective mes spun circles around him slowly, keeping track of the temperature he experienced, making sure it wasn''t a spell akin to Sora''s Sun Prison.

    "I''m getting really tired of being kept in small spaces tonight."

    "Don''t worry, this''ll be thest time."

    In the presence of the growling mes, air became harder to find as he inhaled the heated winds that filled his lungs with an unwee warmth.

    "--Stage one, set."

    Fai raised his index and middle finger together, the mirrors suddenlying to an abrupt stop around Sirius.

    The obscured reflection of himself was no longer alone as he noticed the existence of arge, foreboding figure maneuvering within the realm of mirrors near his me-built reflection. A feeling of helplessness washed over him as he watched the giant gori d in raging mes lift its hammer of a hand into the air just behind his reflection--turning around to see nothing behind him.

    "It''s not there--?"

    Answering his confusion, a harsh impact drove against the bridge of his nose, remembering that sensation of mes pelting against his skin as he could vaguely make out the form of a fist from the intangible force.

    While his reinforcement cushioned the blow, it still felt as if a mallet had been sent down against his nose--not given anytime to wince over the pain as another powerful force was sent into his unguarded stomach.

    "Don''t get cocky-- Blitz: Discharge!"

    In response to the unseen hands attacking him, a surge of wild lightning hissed as it released from his body, putting a stop to the relentless offense as he regained his lost breath. While he did away with the resistance in front of him, the mirrors themselves were left unscathed by the discharge.

    Meanwhile, bullets coated in magical ardor pierced the air--colliding against a newly formed wall of thick ice.

    "--Let''s make this interesting. Want to ce some stakes on this?"

    Tristan asked as he spun the obsidian magnum around his fingers, refilling the missing ammo as he poured magical energy into it.

    "That depends on what''s on the line."

    "Let''s say if I win...you have to cook me a high-dragon stew. And don''t skip on the spices. Actually, make that a blue-winged high-dragon, I want a bit more crunch in my bite."

    "And if I win?"

    Flicking away his wall of ice, Donatien inquired on the details of their bet. As a result of their battle, it looked as if the scourge of winter waged war on the forest, frost baking the helpless trees as they lost their green splendor to the icy white.

    "Name your price."

    "Hmm. A tough decision. I''m quite sour that you forced this fight onto me, so I want something that is going to hurt you more than benefit me."

    "Petty bastard."

    Tristan let out a deepugh as he scratched the stubble on his chin, waiting for his opponent''s terms as his amethyst gaze watched over him carefully.

    "I want the next Phantasm quest offered to you."

    An unlikely wicked smile formed on Donatien''s lips as he found the perfect condition to set. In response to hearing the sses-bearing man''s terms, Tristan''s eyebrow twitched a few times before he begrudgingly epted, "Alright, alright. Not like you''re going to win anyways."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m assuming the win condition for either of us is to force our opponent to concede or render them unconscious?"

    "Bingo."

    The moment the bet was solidified, the twobatants resumed their battle as a volley of shots were released from Tristan''s Purgatory Arm.

    "Purgatory Arm makes Tristan a nightmarish opponent for mages," Donatien thought to himself as he maneuvered his way out of the range of the magical bullets, "as it is his own innate ability, no incantations are needed, with every shot matching or even surpassing the firepower of high-level magic."

    Even the assumed shoring of using a gun-based magical ability was non-existence, as he was able to reload without needing to halt his attacks--constantly converting his reserves of mana into ammunition.

    "Icy bastard. I don''t know what he''s ying at, but he''s not using his ability yet. Is he trying to conserve his strength? I don''t see the point when he''s wasting mana defending against my shots." Tristan pulled the trigger once more, the chamber of his mystical gun roaring as the bullet released, shattering the shield of ice conjured by his opponent.

    "Skadi: Opulent Pirs."

    Incantations served as words of powers meant to bring the image of a spell into reality, usually requiring the caster to shout the words, carrying them out with power backing their voice.

    In the case of Donatien, and other masters of the mystic arts, through a deep understanding of magic, one is able to release but a whisper of their incantation--making it much harder for their opponent to react to their next move.

    Rising from the territory of frost that surrounded Donatien''s immediate space, rectangr pirs of solid ice protruded from the ground, rocketing towards the gun-slinging mage with high speed backing their force.

    Releasing a powerful shot at the pull of a trigger, to his surprise, it only managed to leave a crack over the javelin of frost.

    "Increasing the toughness of your ice, huh? Not bad," Tristan flicked his magnum, letting the chamber slide out as residue of his mana emanating from the heated chambers.

    In ce of the standard ammunition he used, this time he filled the magnum with vtile crimson mana, which released an echoing bang as he slid the chamber back into the gun. One of the multiple pirs of ice mmed down from above him, narrowly missing as he dashed to the left--taking aim towards the triple set of ice blocks heading his way.

    This time when he pulled the trigger, a deafening st filled the surrounding area as a bright sh emanated.

    It was hard to tell what had just happened, only that the sturdy arms of ice had beenpletely shattered into nothing but miniscule shards, sprinkling over the frostbitten battlefield.

    "Explosive rounds. As overwhelming as they may seem, I should be happy--rounds those powerfule at no low cost," Donatien took his sses off from his face for a moment as he wiped the cold mist that had fogged them, sliding them back on as he prepared for his next move.

    With the existence of Tristan''s explosive rounds in y, there were very few options avable to him--as a single pull of his trigger was capable of mass destruction.

    "I''ll use something he can''t just destroy with a single bullet. Something broader," Holding his hands together, Donatien inhaled and exhaled a frosty breath before releasing the incantation.

    "Skadi: Ice Age."

    His body was the source of the absolute cold that manifested itself, releasing an unrelenting torrent of icy winds, coating the ground below into a sheet of frost, the trees bing statues of ice--before snow itself began to fall upon the area.

    "Trying to win by giving me hypothermia or something?"

    Tristan let out a cold huff, the tip of his pale ears and nose turning red from the biting cold as he pulled the cor of his coat over his mouth.

    "Using a spell like this to manifest true winter into a limited territory uses up more mana than I''d like--but it has its advantages. In an environment of frost, my magic is amplified and further ice spellse at a lower cost, as they have a catalyst for manifestation into reality. However--the true benefit I''m looking for is as he said, the cold will wear him down, if I can just slow down his movements and his reactions by a moment--I can win," As a natural ice mage, Donatien experienced no demerits sitting in the raging winter of his creation, feeling livelier than ever.

    In response to the environmental shift, Tristan knocked his firearm back as he reced the current ammunition with vibrant, fiery orange mana. Caught off guard by theck of an incantation from his opponent, just as he raised the gun to the air--he was struck by a de of hardened ice, shing against his side of his body before he retaliated with a shot of his own.

    A burst of mes released from the barrel of the magnum, shooting out a bullet coated with spiralling mes that roared through the cold winds--stopped short by a thick wall of ice, spanning at least an entire meter in width.

    "I see...you don''t have to use incantations within the territory of your "Ice Age", do you?"

    "Indeed. I suppose that evens the ying field, no?"

    With a simple movement of his arm, Donatien summoned a spiky sheet of ice that tunneled towards his opponent like a rising wave of water, rising higher and higher before casting a shadow over the battlefield.

    "What a pain."

    His attempt to sprint forward came with hindrances, as the soles of his boots slid across the smooth, slippery surface of ice that covered the ground below, releasing a flurry of fire-amplified shots towards the wave of ice.

    The collision of overwhelming heat and bitter frost exploded into a cascade of steam, sending hail flying through the frozen fields.

    "Is he nning on turning this into a battle of attrition? With all of the spells he''s been throwing around, I doubt he has much left in his reserve. I''d say he''s at thirty-percent, max," Tristan shut one eye as he focused his aim, waiting for the obscuring steam to dissipate.

    As he kept his sights honed, waiting for even the subtlest hint of his opponent''s location--the mist began to hiss before hardening into shards of razor sharp ice.

    "Crap-- Erebus: Devour!"

    The iing volley of hundreds of tiny des of first left him no time to shoot them out with his gun, unleashing a mass of darkness from his palm in the form of an ever shifting mouth, snapping its jaws of shadows as it swallowed the iing daggers.

    "I get it now. So he does want to y at a battle of attrition by forcing me to use high-cost magic in response to his surprise attacks. Sneaky, but I''ve got more up my sleeve," Tristan took a prolonged breath, inhaling the chilling air as the darkness he summoned dissolved into particles of ck.

    The magical firearm he wielded took on a glow as its shape began to alter, the barrel extending in length as the tint of its steel became a divine mix of white and gold.

    "I have to choose this shot carefully. One shot with the Rail form drains ten-fold the amount of mana as normal."

 Chapter 81 - All-Out

    It was a true test of his trigger discipline, standing in the lonely, cold mist��unable to see even a few steps in front of him as all he could hear was the distant battle between the other twobatants. Within the environmental spell of everfrost, the environment itself was his enemy. The fear and paranoia of at any moment ance of ice rising from the frozen soil below him, or the mist shifting into a rain of des, set into his mind as he held his finger firmly against the trigger.

    He couldn''t imagine a reason why his opponent was hesitating while holding such a distinct advantage. There was no doubt in his mind that Donatien knew exactly where he was within the cold fog, watching his every movement.

    As he released the captive breath within his lungs, it marked his foe''s next move as the rumble of rising ice filled his eardrums.

    Tristan watched as a massive pir of ice rose into the air before crashing down towards him.

    "That''s the downside of his "Ice Age", he may not need to use incantations within it��but in exchange, the spells he can cast are basic."

    Lifting his gun to match the trajectory of the barrel to the iing hostile frost, he finally pulled the heavy trigger as a deafening st screamed through the frosted valley.

    Even with his powerful reinforcement that protected his body, the recoil from the Rail form made it feel as if every bone in his arm had been struck with a war hammer.

    It took nothing more than the shockwave released by the shot to rid the area of the unnatural winter that cursed it, shoveling away ice and snow as even the bitter fog made its leave.

    "It seems I underestimated the raw firepower of the Rail form you possess."

    As a downpour of hail showered down upon him, mixing into his neat, navy hair��Donatien stood there, caressing his ear after experiencing the ear-piercing shockwave.

    "I guess those sses aren''t for show then. You can catch on."

    Tristan''s amethyst gaze looked as if he was watching paint dry, devoid of liveliness as his weapon shifted back into its natural form.

    "I thought at least you would be above low-blow insults like that��" Donatien paused for a moment before following up with a single word, "Chav."

    A visible eyebrow twitch came from Tristan as the unlikely insult came from the stoic ice Ounder.

    "So that''s how it is. Tell me, how''s Paris? That''s where you''re from right, Baguette?"

    Returning his opponent''s crudeness, a smile formed across Tristan''s paleplexion. A moment of tension came between the British man and the Frenchman before they both let out a slow, quietugh that rose into a crescendo of joy.

    As soon as their mutualughter quelled, without a moment''s hesitation��they shed once more.

    Sending a purplence of lightning from his fingertips to the vibrant mirror in front of him, Sirius clicked his tongue as he watched the impact bepletely absorbed into the reflective material.

    "Come on! Come on! It isn''t fun if you go down this easily."

    With his arms decorated in artistic ink crossed against his chest, the silver-eyed Fai continued with his relentless taunting.

    "��The second I get out of here, I''m ripping that dangling ponytail right out of your head."

    "I''d worry more about what''s in there with you. My Xiao doesn''t know how to y gently."

    It wasn''t a bluff, as the words that sounded more like a bloat came out as a warning as Sirius sensed the impending doom that was the invisible gori''s fist closing in on him.

    The subtle winds generated by the iing fist brushed the minuscule hairs on his neck, giving him ample to react as he countered.

    "Ba''al: Heavenly Pincer!"

    A pair of jagged bolts of energy discharge bit into the unseen primate of fire.

    "Got him!"

    "Not exactly."

    The second Fai corrected his incorrect celebration, the massive invisible fist mmed against his cheekbone directly, knocking him against one of the mirrors.

    "How do you like it? I just mastered this spell not too long ago."

    "Can''t say I''m too fond of it. Me and your gori pal seem to be getting along just fine though."

    Sirius responded with a dry chuckle as his eyes darted from mirror to mirror, watching the orange ape drag its knuckles around inside the mirror world.

    "The power of the Ten Divine Mirrors rivals great magic. As soon as you let yourself be surrounded by the mirrors, your loss was all but set in stone, Sirius."

    ��He''s not joking. This definitely is on par with great magic, even surpassing it in some areas. All that means however...is that there is a ring weakness within the spell��something that willpletely shut it down.

    Coming up with a solution to the puzzle that was this spell wasn''t an easy task, as the astral ape hardly gave him any time to think.

    Watching the mirrors closely this time, something had caught his eye. The fiery ape left the mirror realm before preparing to attack him, causing the clear ss to shift into a solid orange before turning to its normal state.

    ��That has to be something.

    He could feel the stinging, heated breath of the ape, even whencking a visual form, it''s immense presence could be felt as if gravity itself had doubled.

    "Bring it on, you smelly ape!"

    Filled with a new drive to test his theory out, Sirius smiled as he flipped into the air to avoid the intangible fur-d hammer.

    ��One to three hits max then it disappears into the mirrors again. I don''t sense it any more��that should be the green light.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The hall of looking ss spun around him in an attempt to disorientate his vision before he locked onto the single mirror that inhabited a pure stain of orange.

    "��Bingo!"

    Adopting the trait of the lightning he controlled, he crashed his electric-coiled fist into the selected mirror, shattering it into a gust of mes. In response, the rest of the mirrors followed, dissolving into nothing but defeated embers.

    "��"

    Fai watched as his mouth was left open, shocked as his opponent managed to escape the hold of the spell he held utmost confidence in.

    "Not so threatening once you figure out the trick."

    Stretching his arm by rolling his shoulder, cracking his stiff neck side to side, Sirius turned to his friend with a smile.

    As the two battle-loving friends collided, fist to fist, knuckle to knuckle, man to man��the winds caved under their power, releasing an overpowering shockwave that disrupted the slumbering forest. In a battle of martial arts, even Sirius knew challenging Fai was a risky move.

    Attempting to circumvent this difference in close-quarters prowess, Sirius used his lightning-like speed to drop down, sweeping his leg like a whip towards Fai''s calf. It managed to connect, letting out a sharp crackle from the stinging impact. Veins bulged across Fai''s skin as hisplexion briefly took on a reddish tint from the harsh attack, but he managed to hold in the pain through a swift exhale.

    Before Sirius'' own eyes or mind could obtain this information, his instincts urged him to "move". Still low to the ground, he barely managed to move himself by spinning on his wrist, pushing himself backwards just before something had collided against the brittle soil below.

    It was a sensation familiar to him, a vibrant, elegant energy that emanated from the fire-wielding martial artist. Different from the fiery magical aura he hosted, a subtle orange cloak of flowing energy stretched across Fai''s body, amplified on his fist that had struck the ground.

    --Ah, this bastard really isn''t ying around, is he? Fai''s own unique usage of mana--"Qi". Developing it first on Earth, once he was brought here, where actual magic presides--it manifested itself into something formidable.

    Using his qi, Fai''s tinum eyes took on an almost ethereal glow, the air around him contorting subtly as if heat was parting space. There wasn''t any telegraphing to his movements, moving several meters without having taken a single step--all within a singr moment. Sirius was well-equipped to handle such speed however, as he countered Fai''s flicker-like agility with a snap of his fingers, unleashing a bolt of lightning that required no utterances.

    In a contest of swiftness of the highest caliber, time itself seemed to be but a suggestion for the two rivals. The bolt of lightning took on a shade of purple, carving through the air with a sh as Fai''s pupils locked onto the approaching spell.

    To any who would''ve spectated this exchange that urred within the span of less than a second, it would be impossible to decipher what had happened. The snap that unleashed the bolt already urred with breakneck speed, yet it disappeared as quick as it came.

    However, Sirius witnessed what had happened with his own two eyes. If he had lost his focus for even the smallest fraction of time, he would''ve missed it. It was Fai''s index finger--the ponytailed man condensed his qi into that one, minuscule part of his body, able to focus into it a heightened level of both strength and speed. A brush of his qi-d finger against the line of lightning was enough to disperse the erratic energy with his own refined power.

    It wasn''t a battle that would be able to be won by ying around, Sirius knew that much, heightening his reinforcement to several degrees beyond what was previously wielded. The winds hissed at the newly born sparks that emitted from his mana, brushing against the watchful trees as they danced to the whims of the air.

    A single step was enough to blink into Fai''s blindspot, raising his leg into the air to prepare for a devastating axe kick. Even this level of speed wasn''t enough to eclipse his opponent, as Fai raised his arms as a shield, coating them with armored, fiery tes conjured by his mana. There wasn''t enough time to create a stronger defense, that much was realized by Fai as the impact of Sirius'' thunder-enhanced kick crashed down against his arms with enough force to cave the ground beneath the soles of the man''s feet.

    It was a concept exclusive to only those possessing strength of the highest level in this world-bat without the usage of incantations, manifesting their affinity as a natural extension of their own being. For Sirius, this style had a name of its own.

    "Self-Embodiment of the Sky."

    The raw strength behind the kick pounded against Fai''s forearms like a smiting from the heavens, finding it hard to bring out hisplete strength as the static emitting from Sirius'' body tampered with his muscles, causing them to twitch uncontrobly.

    As swift and full of strength as lightning, as ferocious as thunder, ever-present as the clouds above--this was Sirius Federov, the man imed to be the strongest of the Ounders.

    Fai found himself having to grit his teeth to handle the overwhelming strain from the continued pressure released from Sirius'' kick, only to find that the lightning-mage had vanished before his eyes, leaving only purple sparks in his ce.

    "Ba''al: Divine Divergence!."

    It was said so calmly that it didn''t register in Fai''s mind as words of malice, turning around a moment toote to witness Siriusunching his open palm directly towards his chest. As soon as he felt the chill skin of the man''s palm press against his exposed torso from his opened vest, a subtle pulse traveled through every inch of his body.

    That was only the sensation of the spell starting up, as the next wave of energy that radiated against him came with such power that he wasunched from the ground. For a moment, it felt as if his entire body had turned into a gtinous form, sumbing to the overpowering pulse that rippled through his body. Before he knew it, Fai was rocketed backwards through the air by the force of the shockwave, finding his bodily functions temporarily seized by the foreign electricity.

    Moving his arms was a battle against his own spazzing muscles, finally managing to palms together and force the desired words from his mouth, all while continuing his unwanted flight through the air.

    "--To me, Roc!"

    Fai called out with everything he had, summoning forth a giant puddle of abyssal liquid that formed on the ground below. Rising from the pool of darkness was a winged creature, pping its colossal, far-stretching wings that conjured a gust that could be mistaken for a storm. The amber-feathered aerial creature let out a screech that echoed through the valley, swiftly rising into the air before catching Fai upon its back.

    The enormous bird took a swift turn with its conjurer now on its spacious back, setting its sights on the lightning mage who awaited the return of his opponent, holding an excited smile across his lips as strands of lightning coiled around his raised fist.

    "You''ve got some balls using an inhabitant of the skies against me. I''ll give you a glimpse at something real special."

    Sirius spoke with a voice only he could fear, standing in the field desecrated by his previous usage of great magic as he watched the Roc approach with another echoing screech that met his ears sharply.

    Feeling the sudden climb of magical energy from Sirius, Fai stood himself up, nting his feet down against the bird''s back for stability--inhaling soothingly.

    --Even if it''s just a game, I can''t help it. This guy is just too much fun! I''ll use it, I''ll trust that he can handle it!

    Sirius wore a grin that hid none of his overwhelming joy from the battle, brushing the soles of his boots against the ashen soil, manifesting sparks that emitted from his body, protruding from his fingertips, causing his hair to stand itself up from the static.

    The air itself became reced by electricity, creating a zone in which life could not be sustained. Slowly raising his arm from his side, chains of erratic energy attempted to anchor his limb to the ground before pointing towards the clouds, allowing a waltz of lightning to dance around the battlefield itself.

    Witnessing just the preparation of the spell itself, more than enough to end lower levelbatants, Fai found himself flickering between fear and excitement.

    "Zeus: Cataclysm of The Paramount King!"

    A sh of maroon filled the surrounding area, even briefly catching the attention of the two other Oundersbating elsewhere--listening as a massive roar unleashed from the source of the bright, purple light.

 Chapter 82 - The Strongest Outlander

    It was utterly unavoidable, an expanding wall of pure lightning energy enclosed on Fai as he rode upon his Roc''s back. Lightning magic was known for its swiftness and hard-hitting nature in exchange for ack of control or utility--however, this spell fought against that very concept. Only aplete mastery over the rampant element could result in such a spell, bending and shifting the form of what refuses to be shaped, turning it into a dome of death--acting as both the ultimate offensive and defense.

    Dodging was no longer an option, leaving his only choice to be to counteract the attack with something of his own.

    mming each of his knuckles together, Fai wore an anxious smile as he was brought face-to-face with the sphere of violet lightning, feeling the stinging air that came with it pelt against his skin.

    "Monster. This isn''t even great magic...Yet look at it."

    Fai couldn''t help butugh at the absurdity of the magic cast against him, beginning to focus on his own counterattack as a sharp inhale filled his lungs. As soon as the breath was finished, mes erupted around the eastern martial-artist.

    The mixture of Fai''s rampant mes filling the air mixed with Sirius'' lightning had caused the air itself to behave oddly, unleashing heartbeats in the form of powerful shockwaves. A constant battle was fought on Fai''s behalf as he continued to ramp up his mana, summoning raw mes tobat the approaching wall of purple bolts as he worked on his spell.

    A stray bolt retaliated against his hold of the barrier, pelting against his chest and instantly turning his vest into nothing more than ash. His familiar let out screeches of agony as its wing grazed the shield of lightning, repulsing it with a sharp jolt.

    "Zhurong: Malevolent Arms!"

    Almost a dozen enormous arms of mes manifested from thin-air, pushing back against the constantly expanding barrier. The moment the palms of the pseudo-limbs met with the surface of the aggressive spell, they were instantly met with harsh feedback.

    Even though the limbs formed of magical energy were in no way connected to his body, somehow, he felt the electric recoil that surged through them.

    "I see...It resonates directly with my mana, so even if the lightning hits a spell of mine...By extension, I''m hit as well. I almost feel like that''s cheating--!"

    Fai chuckled as he fought against the static attempting to seize his flesh, counteracting it by amplifying his own mana flow. As he had thought, there really was no way to evade this, neither by running away or with a defense of his own.

    It all came down to a sh of raw power.

    "--Damn, no more time to waste. I''ve got to do it now-- Zhurong: Benevolent Spear of The South!"

    ? All of the mes generated by Fai had centralized in a sun-like orb above his hand raised towards the stars. It was the forge of the heavens--melding the mes into the shape of a scarlet weapon, taking the form of a spear, the size of which could only be wielded by a giant.

    The harshness of the heat set the bird of myth he rode on aze, forcing him to relinquish its form as he hovered in the air for a prolonged moment in time.

    Not a single step had been taken by Sirius all this time, who weed the sight of this fantastical spell crafted by his rival, holding a smile of confidence, not a trance of arrogance to be seen.

    --He''s serious now, isn''t he? If it was anyone else, I''m sure a move like that would wound up with a casualty. Come, Fai.

    The vicious mes emanating from the true spear alone were enough to repel the antics of the colossal barrier, forcing Sirius to prepare for a counter of his own.

    Fai''splexion shifted to a strained red, his veins pressing against his skin as he forced his arm forward to guide the massive weapon of refined mes. As it pressed downwards from the sky, the spear of the south collided directly with the barrier, bending its shape inwards as the shield of lightning attempted to thwart its path.

    Another press of his arm led Fai''s spear to victory against the majestic barrier, piercing it as the winds howled in response, unleashing a shock wave that traveled through the surrounding valley, freeing pollen from trees and birds from their abodes. It inched closer and closer to Sirius'' position, eating away at the air with its hungering mes.

    Brought face-to-face with the approaching sharp, solidified mes, Sirius rose only his index finger with a look of tranquility housing itself on his expression, speaking an incantation unheard by Fai, "Weltall: Singrity."<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the space left between the tip of the spear and Sirius'' stance, a spec of utter darkness bore itself into existence. It rapidly expanded in size, disying that something indeed sat within the void before it unleashed its true nature--inhaling its surroundings with an almighty pulling-force.

    "The hell?! Is that a ck hole?!"

    Fai yelled out, bewildered by the sight of a spell that was clear as day not lightning magic. Hended on his feet, watching as his spear was relinquished to the gaping void formed in the air, warped inside of it and reduced to nothingness.

    The moment the weapon formed of mes was consumed, Sirius snapped his fingers--releasing the enigmatic spell from existence.

    "...I get it now. You finally mastered it, didn''t you? Did you really hide something like that during our mission?"

    Wiping the sweat from his brow, Fai huffed as he approached his ck-haired rival, who held nothing but a slightly smug smile to himself. Adjusting the cape thatid itself over his shoulders, brushing the kicked-up dust off of its gracious form, Sirius slowly shook his head.

    "I didn''t master it, not at all."

    "Spatial magic...If that''s not master of it then I don''t want to know what is."

    "Did a little thing like that scare you?"

    Sirius teased, fixing the cor of his gray uniform with a smirk. Without a moment''s waste, Fai began to hop in ce on the tip of his toes, cracking his neck side-to-side as his knuckles followed suit, letting his hazel ponytail bounce with his body.

    As the lightning Ounder predicted, there was no way in hell that Fai was going to back down from that.

    "Lightning magic, spatial magic, h, h, h! I''ll take anything on! Come on--"

    "Now hold on just a minute!"

    It wasn''t Sirius who had interrupted Fai''s call for battle, temporarily throwing both of thebative men into a pool of confusion. Although the origin of the voice quickly became obvious to both as smiles returned to their once perplexed confusions--turning to see a familiar head of scarlet.

    "I didn''t think you were going to stay down from that."

    "Yeah, a little voltage just warmed up my muscles, is all."

    Sora stepped onto the ruined field, recing his broken armor with a newly formed set. The three Ounders squared off as the winds picked up storms of loose dirt.

    "Sheesh, man, you look like a walking corpse!"

    Teasing Sora for his blood and dirt covered skin, Fai let out his giggle that was unbefitting of a grown man.

    "A bit of a royale...Let''s get this thing started then, shall we?"

 Chapter 83 - Be A Hero

    Birds chirped, the winds whistled, and the soothing rays of the morning sun gently pulled Ren from his tranquil slumber.

    He slowly sat up, a line of saliva connecting his cheek to the bed of leaves under his body. As he let out a yawn to expel the haziness of sleep from his body, rubbing his half-open eyes��he noticed the familiar silhouette of his partner entering the cavern.

    "Sirius?"

    Ren asked with a yawn.

    "��Morning."

    Holding his gray coat under his arm, the man''s appearance became clear, his cheeks puffed out, swollen and purple.

    "What the hell happened to you?!"

    "You should see the other guy."

    It wasn''t a minute before Sirius was face down against his mattress of leaves, soundly asleep as Ren was left perplexed at what had happened.

    The situation brought an unexpected positive for the half-awake Ren, who saw the chance given to him.

    ��If I don''t wake him up, he''ll sleep through the entire day! Then this cruel game will be over! Ah...I really want to see Iris.

    He nodded a few times inpliance with his own motives.

    Although this n of his was something mainly fueled by his own desire to do nothing, sitting in the deste cave all day as he listened to Sirius'' rugged snoring was not in his schedule.

    "The beauty of nature. Can''t say I ever gave Mother Nature the time of day back on Earth, hopefully Mother Gaia doesn''t hold it against me."

    Ren found himself talking to the forest in his endless boredom, using his de to cut away at the protruding branches that hindered his path.

    Only one thing besides boredom fueled this short journey into the unforgiving forest.

    --Meat. Meat. Meat. Juicy, savory, meat. All I''ve had the past day are berries. Spoiled, coddles, call it what you will--I''ve maintained a healthy intake of meat my entire life, it''s how I''ve retained whatever little muscle mass I gained throughout my life. I think it may have to do with my low mana right now, but I feel like I could eat a dragon right about now.

    All he could find were the multi-colored insects which took sanctuary in the wet soil below, wiggling about as they tunneled through the ground.

    "Freaky."

    Moving on, his empty stomach guided each step he took forward, letting out a groan towards the heavens above in a whining fashion.

    "Ren?"

    The voice reached his ears, causing them to perk like a dog as he swiped his gaze down, meeting eye to eye with the familiar, bewitching ocean-like eyes of the maiden of his dreams.

    "Iris?"

    His mouth fell open as he paused, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn''t seeing anything.

    "Was I caught in an illusion that makes me see angels? Wait, is this heaven?"

    "Stop it."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As always, his yful, yet genuine words sparked a shy pink to fill her cheeks as she looked down in the side in a futile attempt at hiding her blush.

    "What''re you doing here? You aren''t going to jump me with Brahmi are you?"

    Ren checked side to side in jest.

    "Of course not! I convinced Brahmi not to get involved with the Ounder fights. You''re paired with Sirius, right? He''s a bit hot-headed...did he drag you into any fights?"

    "Me? No? Although he came back this morning covered in welts."

    He puffed his cheeks out to mimic hispanion''s condition, manifesting a quiet giggle from the girl as a tiny blush now took ce in his cheeks.

    "Well...I''m nning on sitting out this day since Sirius isn''t waking up anytime soon."

    "Same here��"

    They both fidgeted like a pair of shy grade-schoolers, left alone in the unjudging territory of nature.

    "Do you want to��"

    Before he could finish his sentence, a thunderous stomp echoed through the ground, vibrating under the soles of their feet as birds fled from the trees. A horn sounded through the valley, prating his ears as he winced.

    With each of these cataclysmic rumbles resembling footsteps, the trees groaned from the overbearing weight shifting between them.

    "The hell?"

    Turning back to face the direction the rumble came from, Iris'' voice seemed to be sucked right out of her lungs as only a quiet gasp left her lips. He would''ve guessed it was impossible to grow paler, but he was proven wrong as it looked as if her blood had run cold.

    "Iris? What is it?"

    His question was answered with his own two eyes as he matched the direction of her gaze, watching as something colossal made its way through the dense forest of trees, its feral bloodlust being sensed even from the distance itid.

    "I...it''s...it''s��"

    A sentence couldn''t be formed from the girl''s mouth as her lips trembled, holding her own hands together as they shook uncontrobly at whatever was approaching them.

    "Iris? Iris! We have to get out of here!"

    Whatever it was, the reaction it conjured from the girl told of the strength it likely held, and with the amount of mana he had in the tank--he didn''t like his odds in a battle right now.

    As he grabbed onto her shoulders, trying to convince her to flee with him--she dropped to her knees, staring past him as tears lined the edge of her eyelids.

    --I don''t get it, what''s spawning this reaction from her? Could it be something she''s run into before? Did it do something?

    Fear drilled itself into his bones as he forced his quivering hands onto the handle of his sheathed sword, holding it as he stood in front Iris, preparing to confront whatever fiend showed itself.

    "Mother...mother��"

 Chapter 84 - The Fiery Spirit Of A NEET

    Iris wrapped her arms around herself as she continued to shake, flinching as another thunderous footstep carved itself through the soil.

    When the enigmatic fiend made itself visible, passing through the line of trees and into the sunlight, Ren understood why it elicited such a despair-driven reaction.

    "--What the��"

    Nothing about its form made any sense. It stood on stout, veiny legs, each toe resembling the shape of a hand with all five fingers, caressing the soil it cursed with its presence. Four, muscr arms protruded from the sides of its humongous torso, which took up most of its unorthodox body. It had no head, unless the torso counted--holding its massive mouth, which opened with four, slimy prongs that revealed dozens of giant, sharp teeth, stained with blood and muck.

    Once more, the sound of a horn roared into the air-ing from the sphincter which sat atop its bulbous torso. Meeting the harrowing horn once more, Iris covered her head as the tears she held back flowed down her cheeks.

    Covering its pale, almost translucent skin, a coat of some kind of slimy substance secreted from its pores.

    "I wasn''t nning on fighting today...but since you made the girl of my dreams cry, I guess I don''t really have much of a choice, do I?"

    All he could do in the face of the horrific entity was force a trembling smile on his lips, as his sword shook in his weak grip. As he took a step forward to approach the stationary entity, which seemed to smile with a salivating grin--he stopped as something held onto the back of his shirt.

    "--Don''t go��"

    Iris told him with her shaky voice, keeping her gaze down.

    --It''s not fair when you ask me like that.

    There was not a single thing he wanted more than to drop down and embrace her, to hug away the fear that gued her--but that was the resolve of a child.

    --I''ll dly take that hug, after I get rid of whatever this oversized monster is. Just...How do I go about that?

    Under any other circumstances, just the sight of the creature would be enough to send Ren running the other direction with his tail tucked behind his legs, and his rear stuck out behind him. However--this was a special case, a phenomena that urred with all young men, especially those with a heroplex.

    In front of the girl that had captured his heart, it felt like he could face anything for her. Even so, as he stepped closer to the pale monster, standing taller than the elder giant he faced--only one thought flowed through his mind.

    --I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared. I''m scared.

    He slowly raised his de, pointing it towards the grotesque entity, forcing his grip to tighten as he tried to halt the constant shaking.

    "Ren��!"

    Still paralyzed by fear, Iris called out to him as she finally raised his gaze, looking upon the back of the young man who stood his ground.

    Swallowing the pathetic fear that made its home on his face, he looked back at her with the widest smile he could muster, pointing to himself with his thumb.

    "Just sit back and watch--I''ll show you the theatrics of Nakamura Ren, the rising star of the Ounders!"

    In response to his brazen, the horrific entity let out a noise that resembledughter in the form of a, "Zehehehe!"--Ren couldn''t help but feel as if he were being mocked by even thinking he could stand a chance against the creature.

    "Damn, even you can tell I''m pretending, huh? Bastard."

    Ren mustered only a slight chuckle under the present fear that rested against his skin, settling into his pores as he attempted to correct his ragged breathing.

    A putrid gas in ce of its breath left its mouthyered with ck flesh as itughed, causing Ren to gag as it invaded his nostrils.

    "Damn, this thing is getting on my nerves��"

    Itsughter obscured its malice as he nearly found himself on the receiving end of its oversized fist, narrowly dodging its reach. Thinking he escaped its grasp, its already lengthy arm stretched forward like rubber, flexing its fingers as its talon-like, obsidian fingernails grazed his tunic.

    "��Safe!"

    Ren proimed as he ducked under its aggression reach, retaliating with a swing of his sword directly against its thick forearm.

    The de bounced right off of its skin as if he had struck an unmoving boulder.

    "Huh��?"

    Another hecklingugh resounded from its rancid mouth as it watched his futile strike.

    Its mouth then shut tight, shaking as if holding something within it.

    "Crap! Dunkel: Veil!"

    He was a moment shy of perfect timing, conjuring the ck shield, but not before droplets of the acidic fluids that erupted from its mouth reached him.

    The ck muck ate away at the spots on his clothing itnded on, carving a dozen holes on his shirt before branding his skin. Burning and corroding, the substance pressured the barrier, eating away at it as holes began to form in the ck shield.

    --Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!

    Looking back to check the space he had--if he released the shield, there was a chance the corrosive liquid could reach Iris.

    There was little time afforded to him--his barrier was being melted away, yet dodging out of the way would put Iris in risk of being in the st zone.

    --I''ll have to put everything I have into my reinforcement!<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the moment he disabled the shield he conjured, he raised his arms in front of himself, focusing his entirety on his reinforcement before the corrosive substance crashed against his forearms. Quickly, he realized his gamble was a bad one.

    The liquid bypassed his reinforcement without so much as a fight being put up, wrapping itself against his bare forearms as he began to hear the sizzling of his own skin as the substance ate away at him.

    A gasp left his mouth as he felt the substance drill itself through his skin, freeing the blood inside of his arms out onto the soil below.

    Even the blood that evacuated his body fell to the ground like a droplet ofva, burning at the dirt ground.

    --This isn''t normal. It feels as if the liquid is trying to force its way into my body. Is it poisonous? Crap. Crap. I have to do something.

    Once again, it seemed the creature took fun in the sight of Ren''s weak resistance, letting out a wail of ear-ringingughter.

    He slid his hole-filled tunic off of his body, fervently rubbing the fabric across his corroded forearms--wincing as it felt as if he was rubbing a million shards of ss directly into his flesh. By the time he had wiped off the murderous saliva, his shirt was left as nothing more than strings of loose material.

    "Iris! Please, get up!"

    In the petrifyingly ghastly face of the monster, knowing there was little chance he stood--he tried to get the girl to stand, rushing over and grabbing her shoulders.

    "--"

    She stared nkly at her own knees, only muttering unintelligible words as tears dropped from empty gaze.

    --Should I just carry her out of here? Try to get Sirius? I wandered off too far. With how tattered my arms got, I don''t know if I could even carry her. Shit. I have to do it. I have to step up, here and now.

    Cursing his horrible luck, he engaged the monster before it could reach Iris, evading its outstretched limbs as it swiped at him with its long, rancid nails.

    Or he thought he evaded it.

    Suddenly he was hoisted into the air as a sharp pain rang through every atom of his body, looking down to see a pair of those dagger-like nails sticking into his stomach, using his flesh as a grip.

    --It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

    Opening its rancid mouth as the slimy, ck tongue it contained flopped out over its lips, the creature slowly began to move Ren down towards its mouth--nning to consume him whole.

    --I have to use it now. I''m too close though. At this range--there is no avoiding being caught up in my own attack. Still...it''s either that or die without aplishing anything.

    Taking a deep breath to plug his sense of smell from the sewage-like breath that reced the air around him, Ren held his palm in front of him.

    --Sometimes, everything just clicks in a way that tells you, "It''s that time". The breeze feels a certain way, fear bes a vacant feeling, and your body moves on its own.

    "Dunkel: Piercer! Times two!"

    Following hismand, two thin shadow spears plunged into the monster''s mouth, digging into its massive tongue.

    Recoiling from the pain, it swayed side to side as its tongue thrashed about, releasing banshee-like cries of pain before Ren followed through.

    "--Araphel: Detonation!"

    He was no more than a meter away from the spears he nted into the monster''s saliva coated appendage, watching as they began to glow with bubbling, violet energy in response to his incantation. In response to the searing pain that was inflicted to its sensitive tongue, the creature pushed its ws deeper into his body, pinching at his flesh from the inside.

    "This isn''t a game of chicken. Even if you let go of me right now...I''d stand here all the same until I make sure you''ve dropped dead, even if it costs me my life!"

    Being in the face of death, he didn''t feel fear. Maybe it was the fact that he was able to choose the way he went out, finally making a decision for himself, or maybe it was that he knew that with this, Iris would stop crying over the sight of the monster.

    Either way, he smiled.

    --Thank you, Sirius. If you didn''t drill that stuff into me with the giant, I''d have died without ever putting up a real fight. With this, I can do it. I can rid it from this world. I can take away that look of despair in her eyes.

    The raging mes of ck that emitted from the vtile spears he nted into the creature''s mouth held no mercy towards their own caster, roaring with a heat that began to pull away at his own flesh, turning his pale skin to a bright red, then a charcoal ck. At this point, pain was hardly something he had focused on--only experiencing ecstasy after feeling the raw power of the spell toe, confirming to him that it was capable of ending this monster''s reign of terror.

    His own lips were scorched and torn by the sharp winds generated by the spell''s ferocity, exhibiting a smile to match the monster''s natural ghast. Everyst ounce of mana he could find within his body was forced into the bursting spears, sizzling as they could barely maintain their form with the overflow of magical energy being thrust into them.

    The blood that ran through his veins boiled under the unyielding mes, feeling his own lively essence cook him from the inside, his tongue bubbling up as it boiled all the same.

    As stiff as his arm became, as weak as his body turned at the loss of mana, he continued to hold his hand forward as the relentless mes of his own making ate away at his flesh, giving everything he could to those spears that would rid Iris of her fears. The fact that time seemed to slow itself down to a near halt told him that he had indeed set himself on the path to the afterlife.

    --Is my life going to start shing before my eyes? If so, I''d like to see her smile then. I wish I had the strength or time to turn around and see her--even if I have to see those puffy, tear-filled eyes. Shed some of those tears for me, okay?

    The ck spears began to lose their form, releasing an air of dark mana as they heated up in front of his eyes even further, scorching the creature''s tongue before finally, the vtility he wished for manifested itself. An explosion of abyssal mes erupted all within a moment as time resumed for him, engulfing him in his own spell of destruction.

    As he met with the utter destruction he caused, his own vision fell to the same darkness his magic invoked into reality.

    --Ah. I''m dead, aren''t I? This is the reward that awaits heroic efforts, isn''t it? Not that I expected riches or fame toe from this journey...I just wish I could''ve at least got a single kiss on the cheek from her.

    He could see nothing, feel nothing, smell nothing, hear nothing, taste nothing--there was absolutely nothing for him in this mindscape of darkness.

    --I''m not scared, sad, nor do I regret anything, truly. I''m happy. I''m happy I had the strength to save her. Meinhard, I''m an idiot, aren''t I? I''m sure I''d earn a slug from you if I told you exchanging my own life to save another was a good deal. Then again, you aren''t one to talk, are you? If you do happen to get mad over my reckless decision, well...I''m heading where you''re at right now, so you''ll have your chance to reprimand me.

 Chapter 85 - Epilogue

    An indescribable time spent in the void of his own consciousness was spent before he suddenly parted his eyelids. His eyes met with the somber, dark-brown ceiling of wood above him, feeling the sensation of cushion under his body.

    "Is this Heaven? Hell?"

    "It''s my room."

    The familiar, soothing yet skin-crawling voice met his right ear, nearly causing him to have a heart attack at the sudden presence of another entity.

    "--Beatrice? What happened?"

    As he sat up on the bed that inhibited softnessparable to the fluffy clouds in the sky, he let out a sharp breath as his head throbbed, reverberating the aching pain that felt as if a nail had been mmed into his head with a hammer.

    "Wait, I was-- I was fighting that thing, where''s Iris? Is she okay?"

    "I''d worry more about yourself."

    Beatrice''s calm words in conjunction with her ster optics lowered to his body caused him to look down.

    His entire body was wrapped in bandages as if he were dressed up as a mummy, each finger diligently wrapped, he dared not to check--but even his lower region felt as if bandages reached even the forbidden fruit.

    "You were lucky. Lucas and Charlotte happened to notice the explosion you unleashed and quickly brought you back to the tree after you had fallen unconscious. By the time you were brought here, you were more blood than man, whatever was left of your skin was dyed in blood, or burnt to a crisp. Further, most of your bones had been shattered by the shockwave of the explosion. Honestly, it is a miracle you didn''t die that day."

    "--That day? How long have I been asleep?"

    "A week."

    His eyes widened for a moment at her response, before he let out a sigh, moving his arms as he realized they didn''t feel broken at all.

    "You can thank Charlotte for that. She spent entire nights tending to your wounds with her healing magic."

    "Wait--why am I even in your bed and not mine?"

    "I was also personally assisting in rebuilding your tattered body. My quarters flourish with natural mana, so naturally, it was the optimal ce for you to recover."

    Curiosity usually took the better of him, but what lied under the neatly wrapped white was something he was too scared to confront.

    --I''m alive...I''m alive. I''m alive. I''m alive. I''m really alive.

    It suddenly clicked with him the very fact he was still on this mortal coil. In the moment, he epted his mission and parted with life, epting the eternity of nothing that awaited beyond that. Sitting there, alive, albeit at a price of his own physical condition--he could feel nothing but joy. He took a deep breath to settle his heart before releasing a gentle smile.

    "She''s okay, right? Iris, I mean."

    "Yes. Charlotte told me that whatever you had been fighting was reduced to nothing but scrap in the explosion."

    "--I just don''t get it. Why did that monster bring that reaction out of her?"

    Beatrice closed the book she had open on herp, sitting on the chair beside her own bed that he rested on. He watched as she ran her graceful fingers through her tinum, silken threads which draped down her head.

    "Are you truly curious?"

    "I am."

    "Hmm. I suppose I can part with some knowledge."

    As always, she wore that vacant smile across her lips, her celestial irises always seeming as if they were detached from reality itself. Like an olddy trapped inside the body of a young maiden, Beatrice always seemed joyful when engaging in conversation.

    "--"Pale Stalker", that''s what the monster you encountered is called. It isn''t anything special in terms of strength in the grand scope of things, but they do take the lives of many inexperienced adventurers every year."

    Her fingertips traced the cover of the closed book as she spoke, using her other hand to wrap a piece of her silver locks around her index finger. Despite her entricity and overall unreadable air that surrounded her, the picture-perfect figure she held, with toned legs, pale and without blemish, the sable dress that clung to her hips--it was hard not to be bewitched by Beatrice''s beauty.

    "In summary, such a creature would be easily manageable by someone of Iris'' strength."

    "But she broke down at the sight of it?"

    "There is a reason for that, as I can see you''re impatient to find out."

    As he waited for her to continue, the urge to scratch the itch that inhabited his skin underneath theyer of bandages was tempting, but he managed to hold out somehow.

    "It had been fifteen years ago, when I decided to summon the first Ounder after I had formed my n. The information essible to me rting to those I summon is limited, in most cases--I don''t specifically choose someone. Rather, I have a general idea in my head for the type of person I need: personality, strengths, weaknesses, mindset."

    "So you summoned a three-year-old?"

    "I''m sure even you can guess I did not n on summoning a child. The person I nned to summon and did bring in, was a man who possessed the charisma I needed, someone I could appoint as the leader of this new group. However...as fate would have it, when I summoned him into this world...in his arms, he held a young girl."

    "Iris��was that��?"

    Before he could finish, Beatrice confirmed his question with a slight nod before continuing, a gentle breeze tugging on the velvet curtains that drape around the bed.

    "That man was Iris'' father. Gentle and caring...he wasn''t as I expected. Leon...the image of those olive eyes of his, smiling...forgive me, I''m...never mind. The presence of his daughter kept him from studying the theory of magic, from training, even thrust into this unknown world, he spent every moment he could with her. As a result ...he wasn''t ready that day."

    "What happened?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    By the fact that this man wasn''t someone he had ever met or even heard of, he had a faint idea in his head as to where this was going--something he wished fervently to be wrong.

    "--Out gathering fruit and visiting the lustrous forest of Grandeuve with his daughter, he was ill-equipped when a Pale Stalker had set its sights on him. By the time I had noticed something amiss, arriving at the scene--the cruel creature had twisted his body, taking joy in conjuring screams and tears from his daughter."

    "--"

    "The shock it sent her through, not speaking or eating for weeks...it seemed her mind suppressed those horrific memories in order to heal itself. I''m sure seeing such a creature again awakened those hidden memories."

    Remembering those eyes vacant of life as tears overflowed, unable to force a sentence out from her throat--he understood it now.

    A rare sign of emotion made itself known on Beatrice''s fanciable ovey, her opulent, tinum hair. It wasn''t joy or sorrow, but a look of regret. The remorse seemed as if it were something that had been with, taking its toll as her eyes had lost their luster.

    "Thank you, Ren."

    The unexpected words of gratitude left the Sage''s lips as he spun his gaze over to her with perplexion coating his expression.

    "For what?"

    "For saving her. As the one responsible for you in this world, I must reprimand you for your reckless behavior, still. As such, I forbid you from training until your injuries are fully healed."

    "--And how long will that be��?"

    Ren gulped as he looked down at the white lines of protective material that wrapped around his skin, knowing that the injuries he sustained weren''t ones that could be slept away.

    "Two months should do."

    "I see��"

    After a moment of still silence fell in the room, the bedroom door suddenly burst open.

    "I knew I heard him talking. Ren''s awake!"

    Sora''s muscle bound body blocked the doorway as he yelled out.

    "Out of the way! That''s my little brother!"

    Sirius pushed through under the crimson-haired man''s log of an arm, rushing over to the side of the bed.

    It wasn''t long before the room filled with the boisterous presence of the Ounders, making the grand quarters be small.

    "You really gave that thing hell, didn''t you?"

    Fai stopped himself just before pping Ren on the back, almost causing him insurmountable pain.

    "Looks more like I gave myself hell."

    Raising his arms to disy the state of his body, Ren let out a dry chuckle.

    There was one person who stayed quiet, the one voice he wanted to hear the most. Noticing his persistent eyes, the group nudged the silent girl forward as her cheeks flushed over with scarlet.

    "��I''m d you''re okay."

    "I don''t know if "okay" is the right word here��but thank you."

    His joke didn''t work this time as the already present glimmer of guilt in her damp blue eyes deepened.

    "I''m sorry. I''m sorry...if I hadn''t acted like that...you wouldn''t have��"

    "I''m just d you''re okay, Iris. Would''ve been pretty embarrassing if I wound up like this without getting my heroic moment in."

    Stopping her as she sunk herself in guilt, Ren gave her the biggest smile he could muster.

    "You''re such a dummy sometimes��"

    A smile finally manifested across her lips as she looked up at him.

    "Thank you."

    That''s all it took. A simple "thank you" paired with that rejuvenating smile was ten-fold better than a gloomy apology.

    Just seeing that smile made it all worth it. Content with just that, what came next was a bonus he didn''t expect.

    Gently, Iris wrapped her pale, slender arms around him as she brought him into an embrace. For a moment, he felt embarrassed with the others in the room��but the heartfelt smiles they disyed put him at ease as he epted her embrace.

    The subtle sensation of droplets falling down against his chest, originating from the girl he held, only made him want to hold her even tighter.

    ��I''d save her a thousand more times for another smile, and ten thousand more for this embrace. I guess that means I''ll have to work hard as soon as these injuries leave me.

 Chapter 86 - Interlude: Honor And Integrity Pt.1

    When he saw her, gazing upon the colossal statues, his mouth was left vacant of words or sound. Damien stood still for a minute, not wanting to disturb the tranquil air that hung about thedy. Even from a distanced view, her beauty was something belonging to the heavens above. Not a single blemish tainted her smooth, pale skin which radiated under the natural light. The prestigious steel armor she wore, intricately designed did nothing to falter her natural beauty. As he took a single step up the staircase, his silver boots rang against the ster floor--catching the attention of thedy as she shifted her attention from the statues to him.

    "Sorry, mydy."

    Damien gave her a warm smile and a nod as he adjusted his emerald cape.

    Atop thevish staircase awaited the "Domain of the Founders'''', which held the statues of the previous kings of Mastorn, gilded in the finest material. The way the sunlight draped over the incised flooring and grandiose statues, it was a ce of near divinity. It wasn''t a ce just anybody could enter, only the most esteemed knights, and most powerful nobles of Mastorn. '''' Sir Damien Leid'''' was one of those few, the second-inmand of Getrude''s knight squadron.

    "Sir Damien��"

    Her eyes met first with the man''s messy, verdant hair, tied into a ponytail before meeting his radiant silver irises. A sigh left thedy''s mouth, inaudible to the knight. On the other end, no matter how many times he saw her, her unmatched beauty never ceased to halt his heart for just a moment in time.

    Damien dropped to one knee as she approached him,, lowering his head as thedy approached him as he listened to her metallic footwear echo against the decorated ster

    "I am sorry for inter--"

    "How many times have I told you to stop calling me that! It''s "Captain Getrude"!"

    The impact of her gauntlet against the top of his head rang through his body as he winced. That was the one thing about her womanly charm--she embraced the path of a man in this world, abandoning her role as a morous princess. More than anyone else in this kingdom, she was the most befitting of the title as "warrior".

    "My apologies,dy--I mean, Captain Getrude."

    Damien rose from his knelt position as he caressed his battered head.

    "What did youe here for, Sir Damien? Surely you''vee here with intentions other than to annoy me."

    "Well, that is one reason, I suppose," Damien smiled.

    The side re she shot him caused him to cease his antics as he coughed into his silver gauntlet, clearing his throat.

    "There is something urgent I need to tell you, Captain, it''s about the Ounders."

    The knight''s tone became serious as his voice lowered. Getrude''s eyes widened for a moment before she looked side to side, making sure nobody was listening in.

    "Speaking of such matters in an open ce like this...Sir Damien, you realize the situation our squad is in right now, yes? My brothers are looking for any reason to tear me down."

    "I understand, but it is urgent," He stepped closer to whisper to her, "we''ve found their ce of hiding."

    The information caused her to step back, pacing back and forth as her illustrious cape fluttered behind her.

    "How did you get this information? Do any of the other squadrons know of this?"

    Getrude didn''t stop her constant pacing, pressing him for more information.

    "A knight has his own means, does he know?"

    He answered her, as he ran his gloved fingers through his glistening hair with a smile of confidence. A simple, cold re from the Captain drove the answer out of him.

    "John--one from our scout regiment, he gave me this information exclusively. I hired him--don''t worry, I know you don''t want to bring any from outside of the squadron into this, but I''ve known him since my training days."

    Damien assured her, sping his hands together. As Getrude opened her mouth to respond, their conversation was brought to a halt by the sudden intrusion of footsteps traveling up the sanctioned staircase.

    Hands slowly ced on the handles of their sheathed des, the two knights silently waited in anticipation of their sudden visitor.

    "Ah, it seems I''ve interrupted something, my apologies.."

    They recognized the gentle voice, carrying no malice in the words spoken. Confirming their suspicions, the silver, iridescent hair of the enigmatic man came into view before he soon reached the top of the lengthy flight of stairs.

    He was a knight, just as them, but he didn''t wear any sort of armor. Only a spotless white uniform, etched with azure designs to represent the colors of Mastorn''s g. The fair features he possessed, putting even the children of kings to shame made it look as if he had never seen battle, let alone any conflict in his life. Those with experience could tell from just one look at his sharp, yet gentle coral eyes spoke of his resolute strength.The only way ignorant eyes would deduce the man is a knight would be the greatsword rested at his hip, disying a gilded handle in the shape of wings, the sight of which held fame across thend of man. Despite his disarming smile andck of armor, he held an air of absolute confidence, enough to steal the will of fight from those without strength.

    "--Aelius��!"

    "Sir Damien, Lady Getrude,"

    He ced his hand, covered with a ck glove over his chest before slightly bowing. In the presence of the knight of knights, the two forgot their manners for a moment before returning the greeting. Damien and Getrude, knowing each other since they were children, came to an understanding with just an exchange of nces. The simple look from Getrude amounted to, "Let me do the talking."

    "Sir Aelius, what brings you here?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Getrude asked him, holding her usual stern expression in the presence of the prestigious knight.

    "Excuse my impoliteness, Lady Getrude, but are there more reason toe to the Hall of Founders besides paying respect to those who built this illustrious kingdom?"

    It was impossible to tell if the gentleman knight was doing it on purpose, each time she heard "Lady Getrude" leave his lips, she felt just an ounce more of blood travel to her head.

    "--You''re right, excuse my questioning, Sir Aelius."

    She gave him a slight smile as she walked beside him through the expansive room of rich history, Damien following close behind them silently.

    "Really, there''s no need for such formality when we''re off-duty, mydy. Right now, I''m just a man taking a stroll on his day off."

    "I mean no disrespect, Sir Aelius--but that would be gravely disrespectful to your prestigious rank. You''re the knight of knights--"

    "And you''re the eldest princess of the royal family, mydy."

    Aelius retorted, holding his kind smile as he kept his hands behind his back while strolling. A slight relief loosened her stiffened shoulders as it seemed the pinnacle of knights hadn''t heard their conversation.

    As confident she was in her own strength, none of that mattered when it came to Aelius. It would be an easier task to battle the entirety of the knights than to face him in battle.

    "Sir Aelius--!"

    A new voice rang out from behind them, a clearly exasperated woman was standing by the staircase.

    "Oh--if it isn''t Lady Anya,"

    Aelius greeted the frantic woman with a charming smile, his pearlescent teeth shining as he gave her a simple wave.

    "There you are, I''ve been looking everywhere for you! We''ve got a problem, a high-dragon justnded on the outskirts of the capital!"

    It was almost a vexing sight--that is just how prestigious Aelius was, a knight with his own managers to keep him in order. Knights already held the highest respect across the kingdom, but this man was "the" knight--more so of a living legend at his young age.

    "It seems even days off aren''t exempt from the workings of destiny," Aelius chuckled, "it was nice talking to you Lady Getrude, Sir Damien!"

    Treating the threat of a high-dragon like nothing more than a rodent problem, the esteemed knight made his exit with his manager, bringing with him his air of confidence.

    "I feel bad for that dragon, poor thing."

    Damien joked after Aelius was out of sight. As soon as it was surely just the two of them, the Captain let out a long, drawn-out breath as she kept her hand over her breastte.

    "That was too close...damn that Aelius. Every time, it feels like that bastard is just mocking me," Getrude clicked her tongue.

    "I think he''s just genuinely that kind, Captain. I mean, the guy is different from us. He''s inhuman.

    "Mind your tongue, Sir Damien. Even if he may turn out to be our enemy, Sir Aelius is still a knight I respect."

    "Yes,- Captain Getrude," Damien corrected himself.

    "Besides��"inhuman" isn''t what I''d describe him as. More so, he is a man born without greed, truly--he is a hero. But, that''s all he will ever be."

    "Captain Getrude?"

    "Nevermind, let''s continue where you left off--at your house."

    The irond maiden began to walk down the steps, while Damien was left frozen--processing her words for a moment before letting out a shocked "what?!".

    "M-my house? Isn''t that kind of��"

    "What? Don''t tter yourself, Sir Damien, you aren''t my type of man."

    "That''s not--wait, what is your type?"

    Damien scattered over, following behind Getrude, who ignored his question, traveling down the mountain of steps as the constant, beaming light dimmed to a cooling shade.

 Chapter 87 - Interlude: Honor And Integrity Pt.2

    The streets of the capital were bustling as always. Humans and Demi-humans alike traversed the cobblestone road, sharing it with the passing carriages.

    The talk of the citytely was the recent events that transpired at the Althaus Estate, what was once a hallmark of noble grace of Mastorn, now had been dragged through the dirt.

    A newsboard presenting such information was on disy on the promenade, gathering the eyes of the public.

    "I still can''t believe Lord Althaus."

    "That''s no lord, he''s a worm!

    "Yeah...that bastard was harboring an otherworld devil. He got what he deserved."

    "I heard the otherworlder escaped."

    "Really? I heard Sir Rouge turned him into mincemeat."

    The silver-eyed knight was clearly perturbed by theirments, lowering his gaze as all he could do was listen to the people''s unjustified hatred. To the knights, this was old news, but for the public--this information had been withheld for months, hiding the massacre at the Althaus estate from the eyes of the people.

    Beyond that, the public idolized the Argonauts as heroes of the kingdom. The cheers they gave for the death of otherworlders, it was as if they truly saw them as the incarnation of evil.

    Arriving at Damien''s abode, it wasn''t quite what Getrude had expected. Tunics, trousers, undergarments--all of it, strewn about the house.

    "This mess...you do realize the floor isn''t meant to store your wardrobe, right, Sir Damien?"

    Getrude carefully stepped past the sea of scattered attire.

    "Sorry...this is kind of why I didn''t want you toe here. I''m not home often, and when I am...well, I juste here to pass out," Damienughed.

    She wasn''t much to judge, home was something seldom seen in these busy days. Although, her ce was kept in order by diligent maids--Damien clearly didn''t have that same luxury.

    "Honestly, you could afford much better than this. I don''t know how you sleep, living between not one--but two taverns," Getrude let out a sigh, shaking her head.

    "On the contrary, I get to live close to two taverns!" Damien retorted with a yful smile, "it''s close to work, that''s why I chose this ce."

    The Captain seated herself while Damien scooped up the scattered clothing, tossing it all into the closet as if hiding a dead body. Besides the now past mess, the man''s house was rather in. No art was disyed, leaving only dreadful olive walls to look at.

    "I''m tempted to say it is unbing to see a knight living in such a ce, so ustrophobic��" Getrude shifted about in her seat.

    "Excuse my brashness, Captain, but I think you''re just used to grandiose pces. I''m pretty sure your bedroom is the size of my entire house."

    "False. I don''t live at the royal pce any more, in case you have forgotten. I''d rather not be around that idiotic king if I can help it��"

    "You mean your Father?"

    The maiden fell silent for a moment. Damien felt partly responsible for invoking such an expression from the Captain, so to make it up--he brought two sses over to the table, sitting across from her.

    "I can''t--"

    "Just one? To celebrate our terrible fathers?"

    "...I can drink to that. Just one."

    Proceeding with her blessing, Damien poured the dark liquid into each cup, filling both half way. It gave off a potent, nose-burning smell, enough to wake even the most tiresome man.

    "Is this what you use your coin on, Sir Damien?"

    Getrude asked, shifting the ss side to side as she watched the liquid bounce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Come on, I don''t look like that much of a drunkard, do I?"

    The nce she shot to him gave him a clear answer, definitely giving him a "yes".

    "That''s how it is, eh? I only drink on special asions, otherwise I wouldn''t have this chiseled body!"

    Damien yfully flexed before taking a sip from his ss. The liquid travelled down his body likeva, setting fire to his insides before he let out a sharp breath. Meanwhile, the Captain put down her liquor without breaking a sweat.

    "Okay, enough ytime, Sir Damien. Tell me about what we have on the Ounder''s position."

    "Right," Damien cleared his throat, "we managed to track them down to the Valley of Grandeuve after their encounter with the sleuth argonaut, Rouge."

    "It must''ve been a hell of a fighter if they managed to elude a man like Rouge, that sick man never lets his "prey'' escape."

    "Apparently, it was Sora, the ivory--"

    "I know who he is. "Valley of Grandeuve", huh? That actually makes sense. Nobody with half a brain goes to that wretched ce. There''s nothing there besides violent beasts at every turn."

    Getrude traced her index finger along the rim of the cup as she thought to herself. If he had to tell you what he liked most about her--it was that look of absolute focus she held in times like this. She was a woman of will, something not expected of a royal princess, which led to one of her most powerful assets--constantly being underestimated.

    "I guess we have our destination then, Sir Damien."

    She wore a confident smile for once before taking another swig of the singing liquid.

    "Actually, about that, Captain��"

    "What is it?"

    "You know that message we sent awhile ago? Well, apparently it reached the Ounders. There is one in the capital right now."

    The room fell silent as Gertrude looked at the knight for a moment, devoid of words before capturing herself.

    "Where are they��? Who is it?"

    "Well...that''s the problem. Our guy is a real trouble maker, so apparently hended himself in the mmer. Luckily for us, he''s not on the wanted list��he''s an unknown Ounder."

    "Veindall Keep, I''m presuming? That''s usually where they throw in drunkards around here."

    "That''s right."

    "This can work. First thing in the morning then, we''re getting our man."

    The ponytailed knight nodded his head in agreement, tapping his ss against the rickety table.

    "Here''s to bing treacherous knights."

    Damienughed softly as he smiled, raising his ss in the air.

    "If that''s what it takes to save this kingdom, then it''s a price I''ll pay."

    The two knocked their sses together before taking one final,rge drink.

    A beginning of hope rose that day, a beacon of light which would mark a shift in the world once more.

 Chapter 88 - Interlude: Honor And Integrity Pt.3

    Beaming ever so brightly, the graceful yet headache inducing light of the morning sun woke the slumbering knight up. Awaiting him was the watchful, judging gaze of the beautiful Captain who was still dressed in full armor. As well as she was able to maintain herself, even Getrude couldn''t escape the dark bags that filled under her eyes.

    "Did you even sleep?"

    Damien covered his mouth as a bellowing yawn escaped his mouth, earning a sigh from the maiden.

    "Sleepless nights aremon for knights of Mastorn, Sir Damien. Maybe the times of peace have softened you into nothing more than a glorified guard."

    "Ah, how lucky I am. I know a few guys who would love to be berated like this by a beautiful woman like yourself."

    Witty remarks like that were rewarded with a swift side-kick to the stomach. As painful as it was, Damien was always impressed at how flexible she was in that dense steel.

    "Yeah, I earned that one."

    Damien held his stomach as he slowly got out of bed.

    "Time is scarce, get suited--we have an important friend to go meet."

    "As youmand, Captain."

    He let out another yawn as he spoke, sliding himself into his decorated armor. Before he opened the door to wee the beginning of this new day, Damien paused for a moment.

    "What is it?"

    Getrude asked from behind him, watching as the man contemted something before turning to her.

    "I mean this is the most non-offensive way possible, Captain, but you...leaving my house in the morning, after staying the night here, the implications��"

    "Whoever believes my standards to be this low aren''t worth considering."

    She stepped past him, swinging the door open as if trying to rip it off its hinges. Damien watched her march into the densely popted streets of the morning for a moment before shutting the door behind him, shaking his head before catching up to her.

    "She always knows how to crush a man''s dreams��"

    Damien chuckled to himself, sliding past a burly demi-human. Through the lively capital streets, the pair set their sights on Veindal Keeps, preparing for a fateful meeting with the mysterious Ounders, that is--until a certain, unavoidable concept struck Getrude as they made their way through the city.

    Thedy knight''s stomach let out a sharp growl as she quickly ced her hands over her stomach in a futile attempt to hide the embarrassing noise.

    "Before business...how about some grub?"

    Damien''s offer was embarrassing in itself, but it wasn''t him that she was afraid of hearing it--rather the thousands of people which travelled down the same streets as them. Although, the very density of the streets worked to her advantage, as nobody seemed to notice through the constant chattering that filled the air.

    "--Sounds good."

    "Great. I know a great ce for breakfast just up ahead!"

    Damien marched forward, whistling up to the clouds as he secured himself on what he considered to be a date.

    "This is the ce--"Meldon''s Belly-filling Grub"? This...definitely sounds like somewhere you''d go."

    Reading the wooden sign hanging above the open door to the restaurant, Getrude let out a quiet sigh to herself. At the very least, she appreciated the array of flowers that inhabited the front of the tan, brick-built business.

    "Trust me, their breakfast menu is unmatched."

    Damien assured her, gesturing for her to enter first as if disying his gentlemanly manner as a knight for a rare asion.

    The moment upon entering the culinary establishment, the stomach-bewitching aroma of fresh out of the stone oven pastries, the overpowering yet wee smell of various meats��Gertrude felt as if she had entered utopia.

    Being seated by the waitress dressed in a uniform resembling a stereotypical maid outfit��it became clear to Gertrude on why Damien loved this ce so much as a lecherous look in his eyes glistened as he smiled at the waitress.

    "I''ll just have some tea."

    "Same here��"

    Damien was nning on ordering a mug of translucent, crisp beer��but his Captain''s choice quickly plucked that idea.

    Looking at the menu, she found it to bepletely new territory for her��used to the refined dishes befit for her noble status.

    "Anything catch your eye? Or your stomach?"

    Without checking his own menu, Damien asked as he cooled his searing tea down with a gentle blow of breath.

    "��Sir Damien...these items. "Spicy Ground Dragon with pancakes and butter"...I fear my palette isn''t prepared for this."

    As she scanned the menu over, a visible drop of sweat draped over her forehead as she found the concept of these dishes to be unorthodox��the waitress had returned.

    "Are you both ready to order?"

    "I-"

    "Yes, we are."

    With a yful smirk, Damien assured the worker before Gertrude could respond.

    The gaze from the hazel-eyes "maid-tress" awaiting the male knight''s order brought his response, "I''ll have the gambon legs with honey syrup!"

    Nodding her head, she then turned to Getrude, who was clearly flustered as she chose her order on the fly.

    "I-I''ll have the...spicy ground dragon with pancakes and butter."

    "Alright! Coming right up!"

    The waitress disappeared into the kitchen as Getrude let out a relieved breath.

    As unbing as the meal sounded, she couldn''t lie to herself��it did sound intriguing.

    "I can see it on your face, Cap. You aren''t scared of hot food, now are you?"

    "��Of course not! I can handle food of any degree of temperature, Sir Damien��"

    Responding in order to maintain her integrity, she was interrupted by the sensation of mana that had entered the establishment��as if her ears picked up a new noise.

    "Ah, as refreshing as ever is it to be in this fine ce."

    The two knights turned to check who the new customer was��a man with a bob cut and almost overtlyrge, circr rimmed sses, holding an unmistakable smile.

    "Sir Rouge��?"

    Getrude said as she saw the man standing at the entrance of the business.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Recognizing the mention of his own name, the brown-haired man turned towards Getrude with a surprised smile.

    "I thought I recognized that voice, but I chose not to believe it! Lady Getrude��in this humble establishment? What a fine day this truly is."

    Rouge walked over to the table, wearing aced, vani long-sleeved shirt, with silver breeches. While not outwardly extravagant, it was attire that spoke of wealth.

    "��May I?"

    The man asked, gesturing his hand towards the open seat at the two knight''s table. Getrude and Damien exchanged nces before the maiden hesitantly gave him the go-ahead, "��I see no reason why not��"

    "What brings two knights of your caliber doing in a ce like this? No offense, but I thought greasy,moner food like this was unbefitting of a knight''s gourmet taste."

    Rouge asked, his well-kempt hair bouncing slightly as he took his seat between the two knights.

    The waitress approached the table once again, holding the empty, wooden tray she held close to her chest. Before she could ask what the man would like for a drink, he gave the woman his order, "I''ll have some red wine, please. Ah and for my meal...hmm. Pancakes with extra strawberries sound delicious to me, so I''ll have that."

    Watching the nervous, blushing waitress nod her head and leave, Getrude finally responded to the Argonaut''s question.

    "--I could ask the same of you, Sir Rouge. A man possessing your wealth surely has better options. We were just in a bit of a hurry this morning--so we just happened to be in the area."

    "Ah, well, I was not born into wealth or any status for that matter. I''ve beening here since the day I started my training in this wonderful city. Actually...if I''m being honest here, I used to clean dishes for this restaurant when I was in training."

    "Really? You?"

    Damien asked with a smile, sipping from his porcin cup of tea. The Argonaut nodded his head in response as the waitress for their table returned with the man''s ss of wine.

    "It''s true. Not only did they make us pay a cold, hard fee to enter Argonaut training, they never gave us an allowance of sorts--even for those who passed the entrance exams. The meals they gave us were devoid of vor, dry and tasteless...so, I found this ce upon visiting with my closest friend at the time."

    "Was he in training as well? Your friend, I mean."

    After realizing the Argonaut well-known for his entricity and brutality on the battlefield wasn''t as much of an oddity as she thought, Getrude decided to indulge him, if only to get on his good side.

    --If Sir Rouge became suspicious of me, nothing would stop him from hindering our ns. He is already a living legend in Mastorn--tales speak of his natural intuition that rivals irvoyance.

    "Ah...yes, Liam was an extraordinary young man andpanion to me. When I first came to the Capital, I was alone and frankly, afraid. As a simple boy that was raised on a farm, seeing so many people, hearing so many voices...you could imagine, I was a ball of anxiety."

    A small chuckle left the Argonaut''s lips before he raised his ss of wine to his lips, letting it travel down his tongue and into his throat before letting out a satisfied sight.

    "Is he an Argonaut as well now? "Liam", it doesn''t really ring any bells��"

    As the question left the aloof Damien''s mouth, a sharp kick to his shin from under the table struck him, followed by a swift re from his Captain.

    "--I''m afraid not. Liam was a talented young man, but his heart wasn''t in the ce it should be for such a profession."

    "Do you mind if I ask what happened, Sir Rouge?"

    "I--"

    Before Rouge could answer Getrude, the waitress made herself present once more, carrying a set of trays harboring fresh breakfast, with an aroma easily capturing the stomachs of the waiting guests.

    "One order of pancakes with extra strawberries!"

    The bubbly waitress set down the te of fluffy, triple-stacked pancakes covered in heaps of bulbous scarlet fruit down in front of Rouge.

    "Spicy ground dragon with pancakes and butter!"

    The te holding freshly grilled dragon meat apanied by theplete opposite dish of sweet pancakes,thered in butter was ced in front of Getrude, who had to hold her stomach back from letting out a celebratory growl.

    "And gambon legs with honey syrup!"

    Damien rubbed his hands together, licking his lips as his meal was ced in front of him.

    It was obvious now that the freckled waitress was doing her best to impress the casual Argonaut, who gave her a smile before setting his scarlet gaze on the likewise pancakes covered in scarlet.

    While Getrude picked at her food, eating it in small bites as the fiery spices coating the meat attacked her tongue, Damien disyed no hesitance in tearing apart his meal as if he hadn''t eaten in a week.

    "Sir Damien��"

    A piece of food from the ravenous knight''s te flew onto thedy''s breastte.

    "Ah, Lady Getrude, that is the way of establishments such as this! It is an honor for the chefs to see their food scoured down. I''m sure as a knight, Sir Damien can use a moment of absence from the manners forced upon his position."

    "--Mm. He''s right, Captain. It''s tradition to eat like this in Meldon''s."

    Smacking his steel breastte to help the whole leg he swallowed to travel down his system, Damien washed down the meal with a gulp of tea that epassed the entire cup.

    --Watching him eat is making me lose my appetite��

    Even the refined Rouge wasn''t immune from Damien''s apparently contagious way of consuming food, as a spot of strawberry juice was apparently on the side of the Argonaut''s cheek.

    "--Sir Rouge��"

    Pointing at her own cheek to point the man towards the obvious mess on his face, he responded with a "Thank you" and a quick chuckle before wiping his cheek with a napkin.

    After a few minutes devoid of chatter, filled only with the grating sound of meal consumption, Rouge stood up from his seat after finishing his meal.

    "��This was a most unexpected but wee meeting on this fine day. A morning like this is telling of a great day toe."

    "Leaving already?"

    It was hard to imagine how Damien maintained his physique holding nearly no fat with the diet he held. The green-haired knight leaned back, cing his gauntlet against his full stomach.

    "Ah, I wish nothing more to be in the presence of such acimed knights! s, I also wish not to intrude on the two of yours ns for this day. So with that said, a good day to you both��we should have drinks sometime."

    Rouge waved them off as he left through the front door of the restaurant.

    A moment of silence followed before the waitress showed back up at the sight of empty tes, cing the tab on the wooden table.

    "��Ah."

    "Sir Damien?"

    "He didn''t leave his pay."

    "��"

 Chapter 89 - Interlude: Honor And Integrity Pt.4

    Getrude reached to the ash-coloured pouch on her belt, retrieving three tinum coins and setting them on the freckled waitress'' hand.

    --I didn''t expect Damien to pay, but he didn''t even offer.

    "--This...this is far more than the bill. Was there a mistake?"

    The waitress'' eyes widened as she looked at the coins set on her palm in astonishment.

    "You can keep whatever amount you find to be mistaken. Let''s go, Sir Damien."

    "Right, right."

    Being in a humble establishment such as that brought about unwanted attention to the knights, d in full decorative armor with flowing capes draped from their shoulders. Even a knight of tremendous integrity as herself felt slightly embarrassed, overdressedpared to the regr customers wearing nothing but stained tunics and trousers.

    In their short absence from the overflowing streets of the Capital, it seemed as if it had doubled in poption.

    "--Would I be reprimanded if I invoked my authority as a knight to part the street?"

    Damien asked half in jest as he saw the overcrowded cobblestone road, imagining the hassle that was awaiting them.

    "Sadly...yes. Remember, Sir Damien--subtly is our friend here. Just get to the keeps without making a scene."

    A slow journey across the prosperous city full of markets and people, humans and not, finally came to an end as the two knights reached the keep. It was a ce merely to keep drunkards until they sobered up, usually resulting in the less than morally perfect guards holding the temporary captives until a "fee" was paid.

    A single guard stood in front of the shoddy wooden door that led to the cells within the keep, almost hanging off of its hinges.

    "Halt--!"

    The guard jolted up before stomping one of his metallic boots against the ground, clearly woken up from a mid-shift nap. Wearing a simple iron helmet to protect his head, his pudgy cheeks and big eyes told of his inexperience from a young life.

    "--Oh, are you two knights?"

    "That we are,d."

    Damien responded, stepping up as he stood head and shoulders above the fluffy haired guard. It was easy to forget that she experienced only the submissive, goofy side of the green-haired knight, and that with strangers--he was an intimidating presence to be around.

    Under Damien''s subtle intimidation in an attempt to crack the young guard, the chubby-cheeked watcher of the keep''s eyes lit up as he looked back and forth between the two visiting knights.

    "Hold on--you''re Damien, "the Hawk of Sorrow", right? Right?! That must mean...Lady Getrude?! I-I--"

    Realizing the identities of the two, the young guard lost his ability to form a sentence--letting out a high-pitched squeal that sent a shiver of second-hand embarrassment through the knights.

    "--Hey, hey, calm down, kid."

    Damien gripped the boy''s shoulder, putting his index finger in front of his own lips to signal for the guard to lower his volume. Swallowing his endless excitement, the guard nodded his head as sweat leaked from his pores.

    Letting out a sigh of relief at the guard''spliance, Damien and Getrude looked back--luckily it seemed no attention was drawn to them.

    "So, what brings the two of you here--? I mean, this is just a temporary holding for drunkards--it''s not a ce for two legends."

    "Ah, well��"

    Turning to his Captain, Damien''s eyes pleaded for the maiden to take over the conversation.

    "--A man you have in there right now, he is a family friend. I doubt you would like to keep a friend of the royal family locked away in a decrepit, hole of gunk, no?"

    More so than the verdant-haired knight, Getrude''s presence forced the air right out of the guard''s lungs, both out of sheer admiration and fear.

    "N-no, go right ahead! Here--take these!"

    The guard fumbled with his belt, nearly dropping the set of rusted keys as they bounced between his hands before Damien caught them in the air.

    "Appreciate it, kid."

    Damien gave him a powerful wink before heading inside the keep alongside the Captain.

    Upon entering the musty building, it was obvious it was just a glorified daycare center for men who didn''t know their limit when it came to alcoholic temptation.

    "--That smell. Clearly the bathrooms aren''t very far."

    Walking by each cell, Damien resisted the urge to gag at the stench that was a clear mixture of urine, alcohol, and fecal matter.

    "Did ya''e to get me out, angel? Never seen hair like yer''s, but it smells like flowers."

    One of the clearly still drunken prisoners called out to Getrude, leaning against the water-eroded iron bars as he cackled, disying his ck set of teeth, eroded just as the iron he was held in.

    "Sir Damien, stay your hand."

    Getrude ignored the decrepit prisoner, calmlymanding herpanion as his hand was already ced on the handle of his sheathed sword.

    "What does our friend here look like?"

    "Well, not like that, Captain. At least I hope so. All I know is that...his hair was described like yours."

    "Mine��?"

    Getrude looked at Damien as she brought her golden locks in front of her gaze. Answering her question, Damien stopped in front of the next cell, knocking his iron gauntlet against the bars to wake up the slumbering man.

    "Hah? Can''t a guy get some rest around here? Sheesh��"

    Slowly standing up, the man was wearing nothing but a pair of tattered gray trousers as his well-defined body made itself known to the knight''s eyes. Possessing illustrious locks of gold that flowed past his shoulders, it was confirmed to the two--this was the mysterious Ounder.

    As he approached the bars to greet the unknown visitors, the towering height innate to him became abundantly clear. Damien himself stood above most men, nearly a head above the bustling crows--yet, his eye level only met the freshly awoken man''s chiseled pecs, covered with dark tattoos that ran across most of his body.

    "So, who the hell are the both of you? I was having such a nice dream��damn, I''ll miss that heart-shaped ass."

    A yawn carried his voice while he stretched his tree-like limbs, reminiscing his recent dream.

    "��I don''t even want to know what that entails��"

    Shaking her head, Getrude attempted to shake away the words referencing a "heart-shaped" rear from her head.

    "Who we are doesn''t matter. We''re here to get you out of this castle of waste."

    Damien looked up to the towering man, who looked down on him in turn with somber, ck irises.

    "Well, you''re obviously knights. I don''t want shit to do with your kind, got that?"

    "��That''s funny,ing from you."

    "Oh? Got some balls on you, Greenie?"

    Tension drove through the air between Damien and the prisoner, before Getrude pulled herpanion aside��taking his ce in front of the cell.

    "We know who you are. What you are. I am Getrude Aerosyndale, the first daughter of King Held the Third. My only wish is to establish a rtionship with your group, to have a fair meeting with your leader. Now, if you''re interested��shut up ande with us."

    At the maiden''s stern, straight to the point answer to the prisoner''s confusion, he fell silent at her stone-like presence. Damien let out a whistle at his Captain''s words before abruptly stopping after feeling her bulwark gaze.

    "Lead the way down, Miss."

    Raising his hands to im defeat, the tattooed man waited as Damien scrambled for the correct key. With each false guess, jamming incorrect keys against the keyhole, his hands grew shakier before finally��one went in.

    The ex-prisoner had to duck under the entrance to the cell as he stepped into the withered corridor of old stone.

    "Before we get to business, how about a drink? The name is Noah, by the way."

    "��You''ve met the Captain already. I''m Damien, nice to meet you. I can go for a drink. That is...if the Captain approves."

    The prospect of alcohol quickly did away with whatever previous contention rested between the two men as they shook hands, with grips that would make a normal man shrink. Noah''s hand looked almost twice the size of Damien''s, with fingernails painted to a stygian.

    Looking at the woman like two children pleading with their mother for a toy��Getrude released a short breath before walking past them towards the entrance of the keep.

    "I''ll make sure you don''t drink yourselves back into this keep. Now,e on."

    "As long as you''re paying."

    Noah slid his hands into the pockets of his trousers as he followed behind the royal knight.

    Another yawn left the Ounder''s mouth as he excited the keep, entering the light of day once more as he stretched as if epting the day''s embrace.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh��here you go. Thanks for letting us borrow them!"

    Passing by the pudgy guard who looked horrified at the sight of Noah, Damien tossed the set of keys onto the guard''s hands.

    "Let''s see...where''s the best beer around here?"

    Like a child at a candy shop, Noah turned side to side without any regard for the passing city folk as he scanned for a tavern.

    "��Before you sink yourself in alcohol, something needs to be done about your attire. And...your odor."

    It wasn''t just Getrude who found the man''s current state repulsive, who looked as if he just crawled out of the slums��those who passed within a two meter radius of Noah scrunched their noses in response to his odor.

    "Is it that bad?"

    Lifting his lengthy arm into the air, he brought his nose down to his armpit to confirm the level of danger he carried with him. As the stench of his own body odor reached his nostrils, he reared his head back as if the stench burnt his nose hairs.

    "It''s not that bad��"

    "You''re just impatient to get your alcohol. Sir Damien, lead the way. I''m sure you have an establishment in mind to help ourpanion here."

    "I don''t know if any tailors make clothes his size...but alright, I think I have one ce in mind. He might even give the guy a good scrubbing for a tip."

    Unbing of a man of his rather intimidating appearance, Noah pouted at the knight''s postponement of the tavern visit, puffing up his cheeks before releasing a puff of air through his puckered lips.

    Now guided by the verdant knight, they traversed the grandiose staircase that looked as if it was built for giants��even containing small gaps of t ground after a set amount of steps as a rests point.

    "I never get used to these stairs, marched with this armor and the ring sun��"

    "Sir Damien, I wonder when it became natural for you toin in front of your superiors?"

    Getrude walked up the clean, silver steps without a hint of exhaustion.

    Looking at Damien, Noah paid the man back with a whistle of his own this time.

    Sweating off a portion of his body weight, Damien soon reached the summit of the stairs that led to the secondyer of the expansive capital��looking up towards Getrude who had stopped in ce upon reaching the top.

    The sight of what had captivated Getrude''s attention nearly made him stumble down the stairs he had just traversed. A bodypletely formed of timber and steel, possessing no skin, flesh, or muscle--wrapped with a scarlet cape that draped over its back, the entity certainly resembled the concept of a knight. Each movement it made released creaks between its wooden joints, yet somehow moved as fluidly as a normal person.

    "Greetings, Sir Damien, Lady Getrude."

    "--Ah, good morning to you, Sir Regibelle."

    It wasn''t their first time meeting the inhuman knight, but it wasn''t a sight they had quite gotten used to. Sir Regibelle spoke without a mouth, its gentlemanly voice conjured by the existence of rune magic etched onto its throat. Just by speaking to the golem knight, it would be impossible to realize he wasn''t human--until you saw him.

    "May I ask who this...gentleman is with you? Have you made an arrest? If so, I will dly take him off your hands--I know it is both of your days off."

    Turning his wooden head, gilded with decorative metals, Sir Regibelle looked at Noah with the singr,rge, golden gem that sat in the middle of its head, acting as its catalyst of sight.

    "The fuck is this thing?"

    Noah yawned, not at all paying any attention to the conversation.

    "--Noah! Apologies, Sir Regibelle. Noah here was...born in the slums. He isn''t familiar with the hierarchy in this kingdom and the manners natural to it."

    "No need to apologize, Lady Getrude. I am used to such questions. Mr.Noah, was it?"

    "Just Noah."

    The colossal, blonde mancking in any department rting to manners scratched his head, paying no respect to the knight he had just met.

    "Well...urr, Noah, I am Sir Regibelle. I am aware my appearance can be quite perplexing to new eyes, worry not. I am a golem created to serve the kingdom of Mastorn dutifully, I can promise you that."

    cing his gilded wood hand over his chest that resembled a breastte, Sir Regibelle bowed as he formally introduced himself. The two knights couldn''t help but feelpletely embarrassed for their ill-manneredpanion''s behavior.

    "Lady Getrude, Sir Damien--may I ask again who this man is? I don''t mean to pry, but my functions are designed to make me quite wary. Upon checking my database--he is not a registered civilian of Mastorn."

    The cylinder that held Sir Regibelle''s crystalline eye seemed to hone in on Noah, the scarlet curtain on his back being pulled against the wind as droves of civilians passed by.

    "--"

    "--"

    Falling silent as they carefully considered their answer--such hesitation was necessary with the man-made knight, as the pragmatic entity would have no trouble debunking a t lie. Even as the eldest princess, if she was found to be harboring an otherworlder, the king wouldn''t hesitate a moment to have her head taken from her shoulders.

    "--I will ask again, Lady Getrude, Sir Damian--what rtion does this man have to you?"

    As the silence persisted within the air, the wooden hand of the on-duty knight ced on his side, near the extravagant, marble handle of his sword.

    "Sir Regibelle, you do understand who you''re demanding answers from, don''t you?"

    Stepping forward, Damien was the first one to respond to the golem''s relentless questioning of theirpanion.

    "Captain Getrude is the amongst the highest of authority with Mastorn. The eldest princess, the captain of an acimed squadron of knights--demanding answers from one such as her is stepping far over the line."

    "--You''re right...you''re right, Sir Damien. It seemed I had entered a defensive protocol, I wasn''t thinking rationally. Forgive my disrespect, Lady Getrude. Please, continue on with your day--I''m sure we all have a busy day ahead of us."

    It seemed hierarchy was the principle function in which the golem knight adhered to, unable to manifest a will of its own when faced with one of higher authority. Still, even if Sir Regibelle was a being absent of human emotion--it looked as if he were saddened as he walked down the steps with his head drooped down.

    "Seriously, you have robot knights now?"

    "Robot? Please refrain from using your world''s terminology, Noah. Not while we are under the gaze of many."

    Damien whispered to the man, having to stand on the tip of his toes to reach his ear. Reaching the promenade of the secondyer of the capital, while not as popted as the initial floor--was packed with other entities.

    Carriages being pulled by tigers that dwarfs the likes of which on Earth, while some of thesevish caravans were hoisted forward by reptilian creatures that resembled wingless dragons, stomping theirrge feet against the ground as they rushed down the street.

    "The hell are we? Doesn''t look like any taverns are nearby."

    "Gulgran''s Purse."

    "Goblin''s Purse?"

    Noah repeated the words spoken by Damien, who gave him a nce as if suffering too much of a headache to repeat himself again.

    "Gulgran is a famous merchant told of in stories now. He was said to have been the backbone of Mastorn in its fetal stages, ruing so much wealth that he made up two-quarters of the nation''s wealth. That''s why they named this area after him--it''s a wealthy promenade, holding affluent shops mainly visited by high-ss shoppers."

    Telling the origins of the area, the verdant haired knight was given a bellowing yawn from the freakishly tall Ounder in return, releasing his breath that stank of booze.

    "Don''t bother, Sir Damien. Our friend here doesn''t seem to be one for history, or any talk for that matter."

    "Huh? I''m talkative, just after I''ve had a few mugs to my name. Doesn''t help I''ve got this throbbing headache."

    Replying to Getrude''s casualment, Noah rubbed the side of his head before his eyes lit up at the sight of the grandiose fountain sitting in the middle of the promenade. His tongue pped out of his mouth, hanging on his bottom lip as he panted like a dog at the sight of the crystal clear water, flowing from the top of the delicately designed statue to the pool of the fountain.

    "--Captain!"

    Getrude had looked away for only a second before Damien called her name, turning to see the Ounder had leapt into the fountain, dipping his head under the waterfall. The sight of what they could only assume to be a crazed man frightened the people standing near the fountain.

    "I can''t let you out of my sights for a minute...Noah!"

    By the time she stormed over to the lean and muscr man, drenched in water--he was wearing a satisfied expression as he swept his wet hair out from his face.

    "What do you think you''re doing? I thought I told you we''re supposed to beying low."

    "I was thirsty, what do you want me to do?"

    "Not behave like a feral beast?"

    cing her hand over her face, Getrude slowly shook her head as she closed her emerald eyes for a moment.

    "--At least he''s clean now."

    Damien cracked a joke, looking at the Ounder as water rained from his body with each step he took.

    "Let''s just get him to the tailor already��"

 Chapter 90 - Interlude: Honor And Integrity Pt.5 (FINAL)

    It looked as if the man had just been dragged out of a sunken ship, lumbering around as he towered over the majority of the poption. There was no option for subtly when travelling with such a man, finding refuge when finally arriving in front of the small shop that sat in a quiet corner of Gulgran''s Purse.

    "This is where you get your clothes, Sir Damien?"

    "Urr...my grandfather used to bring me here."

    Quickly brushing off Getrude''s question, clearly holding some level of shyness to himself--they made their way inside the tailor shop. Inside the high-maintenance establishment, holding finely woven clothes, the shop owner was left in awe at the size of the new customer.

    "--Come this way...I need to take your measurements, Sir."

    The frail old man ushered for Noah to follow him into the room behind the store counter while the knights waited.

    "So, what''s the n, Cap? The road to Grandeuve is dangerous, especially around this time of year. I hate to admit it, but we''re not adventurers--journeys like this aren''t exactly our strong suit."

    Damien asked while they were left to wait while the tailor obtained Noah''s measurements.

    "I have something in mind."

    "Whatever it is, you know I have full trust in your decisions, Captain."

    "I know, Sir Damien. Thank you."

    Her fair smile and hooded eyelids which sat over her steely, emerald eyes nearly caused the knight to lose hisposure, fighting against the blush that wanted to inhabit his cheeks.

    Nearly hitting his head on the threshold of the door, Noah stepped out with the bbergasted tailor��who looked at the taken measurements as if they had insulted him.

    "I�� there will be an extra charge. I have nothing in this man''s size, I''ll have to make something on the spot."

    "Price isn''t a concern, isn''t that right, Sir Damien?"

    A rare, conniving smile disyed on her lips as she looked up at Damien, who reluctantly epted his fate. In truth, Getrude never carried money on herself.

    "How long will it take?"

    Damien hovered over the elderly man''s shoulder, who was rubbing his palms together over a wooden workbench. Only a couple balls of raw material such as yarn sat atop the table, much to the confusion of the onlooking knight.

    "Oh, worry not, I''ll only need a few moments."

    "A few moments?"

    "Hoho��it is the speciality of my family line. Mined: Weave!"

    Waving his hands in the air above the material, it unraveled itself under the mysticalmand he released.

    Each string of fabric stretched out, cooling around each other before forming into a tangible shape.

    "Fascinating. This is your family magic, Sir?"

    Getrude watched as the fabric weaved itself, hovering in the air.

    "That is correct. I guess you could say it was...tailor-made for this."

    "��"

    "��It is almost done now��"

    Coughing into his hand, the elder tailor moved past the silence that followed his attempt at humor.

    Twiddling his moustache, the man hummed and waved his wrinkled index finger in the air like a conductor. A obsidian zer, hazel trousers and a white dress shirt were formed��gently setting themselves down on the table.

    "Give them a try, Sir."

    Stepping aside, the tailor gave room for Noah to take the newly formed set of clothes.

    Without batting an eye, Noah dropped his worn trousers to his ankles, kicking them off��much to the shock of those near him.

    "Sir, I meant in the fitting room!"

    "��!"

    While the other two were left flustered, with Getrude seeming almost offended to have seen the dangly bits of Noah, Damien only let out aplimentary whistle.

    "So damn annoying. It''s just a p��"

    "Go!"

    "Alright, alright."

    Yawning into his calloused hand, Noah lumbered into the fitting room with the newly woven clothes in hand.

    "That man is going to be the death of me��"

    It sounded as if the fitting room held a rampant bull in it as constant thuds resounded, sounding as if the man had fallen over. After a few minutes of this rambunctious sounding dressing, the golden-haired otherworlder stepped out from the navy curtains that acted as a doorway to the room.

    Covered in clothes befit for a high-maintenance nobleman, Noah looked as if he were a kid forced into these clothes by his mother.

    "Pft-!"

    Damien had to shield his mouth, his cheeks puffing up as he fought the natural reflex tough at the stiff sight.

    "Sir Damien...control yourself."

    Although she said that, Getrude was shaking as if she was fighting the urge to heckle at their recently acquiredpanion.

    Itching at his neck from beneath the tight cor of the dress shirt, it was apparent the man was not made for this type of wear.

    "You finally look presentable, Sir Noah."

    "��Whatever. I need some booze already."

    Paying the handsome fee for the magically woven outfit, the three headed out into the town which sat under the fluffy clouds of the evening sun.

    It was a sight most who grew up in the capital grew used to, but on this particr day with the ultimate foreigner at his side, Damien felt entranced by the colossal walls that protected the city. They were a feat most imed had to be done by magic; yet it wasmonly known that it was the masterful work of King Taelion--the "Architect Ruler". Guarding the top of the pearlescent, divine walls were a plethora of guards that stood on watch beside the massive mana-reavers; canon-like devices that flung incarnated spells. Though, it was a role that men seldom wanted to partake in, as reaching the summit of the cloud-reaching walls required being hoisted up by the shoddy, rickety wooden elevator that was hoisted up. Seeing that sight; he couldn''t help but smile knowing the feeling of safety it likely provided for the citizens.

    It seemed Noah earned his payback for the ufortable outfit forced onto him, drinking away Damien''s coin once they found the nearest tavern.

    "Another for the man! Nay, the beast!"

    Cheered on by the onlookers, Noah mmed down yet another empty mug, containing only residue foam within the cup.

    A graveyard of mugs sat on the table, another victim of Noah''s endless alcoholic lust being set down in front of him, presenting the translucent, golden liquid.

    With a single lift of the mug over his mouth, the liquid disappeared down his throat as the tavern goers cheered him on.

    "Go! Go! Go!"

    mming the mug down to im victory over another ss, the colossal man let out a bellowing belch that shook the legs of the table.

    "Am I beingpensated for this��?"

    "Compensated with the satisfaction of being a hero to this kingdom, yes, Sir Damien."

    "��That''s cruel. I can''t even have a drink of my own now."

    Watching his money being drank away as he sat beside the man who''s only thought was beer, Damien felt his stomach sink with every mug ordered.

    Droplets of the amber liquid spilled onto the table as Noah dropped the alcohol into his mouth rather than sip it, wiping his mouth with his sleeve��much to the dismay of the knight who just paid for it.

    Getrude attempted to halt Noah''s glutton for beer out of fear of him bing abhorrently drunk��but he proved to be nearly immune to the effects of alcohol.

    "Remind me never to challenge this guy to a drink-off."

    After dozens of tall mugs had been drained into Noah''s stomach, he left with a satisfied smile perched on his face.

    "We lost more time than I had realized. We''re going to need a ride."

    Getrude looked up at the obsidian skies which inhibited the pearlescent stars that watched over the world.

    Looking at the row of stationary carriages waiting for customers, the maiden''s sights set on the scarlet and gold carriage, hoisted by a dragon-like creature covered with tangerine skin.

    "Are you avable?"

    "Depends. Where are you headed?"

    The coach driver who sat atop the cushioned, light brown seats asked thedy knight, stroking his vani moustache.

    "Not far, to the Ternsdel estate. Can you take us there?"

    "Hmm...a two hour ride south of the capital. I can do it. Please, enter."

    Gesturing his hand towards the door ced on the side of therge carriage, Getrude entered first, followed by the two men. The interior of the dragon-drawn transport resembled a nobleman''s room more than the innards of a carriage.

    There was more than enough legroom even for someone of Noah''s stature, with dark brown leather seats that washed away the tiredness of their bodies. Much to the knight''s horror��a shelf of drinks was ced next to the seats.

    "Off we go!"

    The crack of the harsh leather whips resounded against the resting dragon''s back, marking the start of their humble journey as the carriage began to move.

    "The Ternsdel estate, huh? I didn''t think you were friends with the young head."

    "Why is that? I have many acquaintances within Mastorn."

    "No, no, I didn''t mean you. It''s just...I''ve heard the head of the Tersend estate has isted herself from the matters of Mastorn. I heard she isn''t exactly fond of humans either."

    "That''s why she is our perfect ally."

    The bumps that rocked the carriage confirmed that they had left the smoothly built streets of the capital.

    Getrude closed her arms, keeping her arms tucked against her chest as she used the time given to them to rx. Each time the spinning wheels ran over a dip in the road, her shining locks bounced against her shoulders.

    At times like this, resting as she finally set her stern guard down��Damien couldn''t help but be bewitched by her glowing beauty.

    Finding himself staring at his Captain for enough time to make hime off as a creep, he shook his head before leaning his head back against the rumbling interior of the coach.

    Any attempt to get some sleep was thwarted as the alcohol had finally caught up to Noah, who was snoring like a sleeping boar on the scarlet carpeted floor.

    Each deep, crackling inhale and exhale vibrated the floorboards.

    "Captain, you awake?"

    "I wouldn''t be able to sleep if I wanted to."

    "I hear you. This guy is really something else��have you met any of his kind before?"

    Damien''s almond-shaped silver eyes looked over at the slumbering otherworlder as he spoke to Getrude, who slowly parted her closed eyelids.

    "I have."

    "Really? I can''t say I''ve ever met an otherworlder. Argonauts make sure of that."

    Adjusting her emerald cape, running her hand over the fluffy material that decorated her shoulder tes, she only nodded with a slight smile before responding, "They aren''t much different from us."

    "Is that so? Noah here is an exception to that, I guess."

    "Indeed. He is an extraordinary man."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Extraordinary? This colossal drunkard?"

    Getrude nodded her head once more at her subordinates''ment, standing up and taking one of the sses disyed, dropping a few ice dupes in before filling the cup with amber liquid.

    "Mastorn has treated his kind like devils, with absolute prejudice fueling the hunt of otherworlders. I''m sure he''s experienced his fair share of that, and has had losses of his own here. Yet...he doesn''t seem to bear any hatred to us."

    "��"

    Hearing those kind, somber words from the Captain as she took a sip from the ss, Damien looked over at the snoring man.

    "I guess. In my opinion, it''s just the booze keeping him happy."

    Damien brushed his gauntlet-covered fingers through his verdant tufts of hair as a slight chuckle left his lips.

    "There is a reason he was the chosen envoy of the Ounder, Sir Damien."

    "Even so, was a drunkard really their best option? Makes me wonder what they''re all like if this was their pick."

    Arge bump was hit in the road, abruptly waking up the snoring Ounder before the coach driver announced their arrival, "We''ve arrived at the Ternsdel estate!" He announced with such gusto and passion that they feared he may have waken the slumbering vige folk.

    The carriage could be felt turning around the courtyard of the estate before finallying to a halt.

    Upon exiting the couch, which seemed as if it were going to crumble over the weight of the formally dressed giant��the sight of the Ternsdel estate was overwhelming. The vibrant torches which fought the darkness, ced along the length of the mansion could hardly cover the entirety of its size.

    Paved with smooth stone, the gardens that lined the entrance of the manor inhabited exotic foliage the knights had never seen, with ancient, slumbering trees which stretched their limbs out in the air.

    "Shall I wait out here for the ride home?"

    The coach driver asked, rummaging his hand through a pouch of peanuts, shoving the salty snacks into his mouth.

    "That won''t be necessary."

    An answer came, but not from the three passengers.

    Vani, somewhat spiky hair hung down as far as her waist, her amber irises weing them with their gentle sheen. Rather than a maid uniform, the woman of unorthodox beauty wore an obsidian and hazel butler outfit, with a fluffy skirt than stayed just above her knees.

    "Greetings, revered knights. I am Myara Greitasveil, representing Lord Ternsdel. Thedy has informed me that you will be staying over tonight."

    "��Thank you, Myara."

    Getrude gave the maid a firm handshake, letting out a visible, icy breath as a result of the cold night.

    "We''re staying here?"

    Looking up at the massive home built to stand above modesty, Damien didn''t know how to feel about the idea.

    "��As long as the beds are warm and their booze is in stock, I''m happy."

    Noah cracked his neck side to side, stepping in front of Myara as he looked her up and down. The long-haired maid''s nose raised to the air, sniffing a few times before her warm gaze set on the towering man.

    "Your scent...you''re an otherworlder, aren''t you?"

    "Do I still smell or something?"

    "Oh, pardon me. You see, I''m a beast woman so I can''t help but catch onto certain smells like that."

    As if proving her im, Myara smiled with rows of sharp, spotless teeth.

    "A beast woman?"

    "Demi-human, to be precise. Pleasee in, Lady Tersdel is waiting inside."

    Without any convincing, Noah followed behind the Demi-human maid, looking as if at any moment his taut clothing would be ripped by hisrge body.

    "How did they know we wereing?"

    "The workings of demi-humans are efficient, indeed."

    "Eh?"

    Left with a vague answer, Damien paused for a moment before catching up with the woman in shining armor, entering the manor of the demi-human noble.

    The fragrance of sweetly scented candles was the first thing to meet the guests'' nose upon walking through the tall oak doors.

    Immediately upon entering the front lobby of the manor, they were quick to notice the differences it bore from the standard abodes of nobles. Inside of the home, an ancient, thick tree stood in the center of the initial room, surrounded by a pair of staircases.

    "Wee, Lady Getrude, Sir Damien...and esteemed Ounder. My name is Freida Ternsdel, I hope your journey here was a rxing one."

    Overlooking the ground floor from the staircase balcony, the youthful maiden introduced greeted them with a delicate voice. A blue rose sat atop her head of silky, umber hair, flowing down her thin shoulders. Only one of her opalescentvender irises watched them, the other covered by her lengthy locks. What quickly caught the eyes of the two men were the perked-up animal ears that resembled that of a wolf''s one, sitting atop her head.

    "Thank you, Freida, for acting on such short notice. I am in your debt."

    Getrude humbly bowed forward in gratitude of the demi-human noble, earning a gentle smile from the girl atop the staircase.

    "I- It''s an honor to meet you, Lady Ternsdel. I''m grateful for your hospitality."

    Following the lead of the golden-haired maiden, Damien bowed forward in the presence of the young lord.

    "Ur, I''m Noah. Thanks for letting me stay over."

    Not even attempting to show respect to the girl, Noah kept his hands tucked in his pockets as hezily gave his gratitude to her, only bowing his head once he felt the threatening, verdant gaze of Getrude sink into him.

    "Please...such words embarrass me. Save your thanks for after you find your stay here to your liking. I must say, it is an honor to wee such prestigious figures into my home. Come, supper should be almost ready to be brought out."

    Freida made her way down the spiralling staircase, lined with cerulean fabric. The stygian, red dress she wore with hints of cyanplimented her innocent beauty, still--Damien found it hard to believe such a young girl was the head of a powerful family such as this.

    Freida greeted them face to face, with Myara beside her. She barely came up to Noah''s waist, her fluffy ears twitching a few times before she gave them a smile, heading into therge white doors that stood to the right of the room.

    "Oh��forgive me, it slipped my mind."

    Freida stopped just before entering the dining room, looking back at the knights, checking their armor.

    "What is it?"

    Damien didn''t know how to feel about having the youngdy''s eyes scanning him, averting his gaze.

    "I''m sure the armor you''re wearing isn''tfortable. Myara, can you show them to their rooms and a change of clothes?"

    "��That''s not necessary."

    Getrude smiled at the gesture, waving her hands but quickly being dismissed.

    "I insist."

    "O...okay."

    Behind that innocent, warm smile from Freida, was the true strength of a noble. The next thing they knew, the two knights were following the demi-human maid while Noah headed into the dining room to wait with thedy.

    The walls of the rich corridor exhibited no paintings of past family heads, only disying natural sceneries��pastures of wless greenery, mountains which reached for the stars, and the abodes of great beasts.

    "Here we are."

    Myara stopped in ce and turned to face the two knights as her long set of snowy hair bounced with her movements.

    "Sir Damien, you will be staying here."

    She gestured towards the door on the left.

    "Lady Getrude."

    Her hand pointed to the room across from Damien''s.

    "Waiting on your beds is a change of clothes suited to both of your measurements. Please feel free to take a bath as well. I will be waiting downstairs if you need anything."

    The demi-human maiden showed her spiky smile before bowing, moving past the knights back down the corridor.

    "I need a raise for this."

    Letting out a yful sigh, Damien opened the door to his room.

    "Consider the experience your raise. I''ll see you at the dining hall, Sir Damien."

    Giving him a smile, Getrude went her own way into her room.

    Stepping into the guest room chosen for him, the size of his room garnered only a single, instinctual response from the knight.

    "What the hell?!"

    It wasrger than his entire house, with an oversized bed surrounded by a thin, crimson curtain. Finding the bathroom--his jaw fell agape at the sight of the bath that spanned the size of his bedroom at his own house.

    The colossal bathtub was already filled with heated water, wasting no time to throw his dense armor and sweat-stained undergarments off, allowing himself to sink into the weing water.

    "Damn, this almost makes this day worth it��"

    Damien let out a satisfied sigh, perching his arms on the edge of the porcin bath. It wasn''t just the naturally rejuvenating nature of water--a sweet, fruity aroma rose from the water, allowing the tired knight to sink into pits of absolutefort.

    "Sir Damien. Sir Damien...Sir Damien!"

    Constant knocking against the door followed alongside the voice that raised in volume, finally shooting Damien''s eyes open. iling about as he returned into consciousness, his limbs sent waves of water over the edge of the bathtub.

    "...Crap, I totally passed out on ident," Damien ruffled his own hair, which draped over his shoulders after being released from its ponytail state, "Yeah?"

    "Lady Getrude already finished her bath and is waiting in the dining room with everyone else."

    He took Myara''s words as a nice way of saying "Hurry up", which heplied with--lifting himself from theforting embrace of the bath as water d itself against his toned body.

    Wrapping his lower half with a fluffy white towel and returning his verdant hair into a ponytail, Damien casually opened the door--only to find the dutiful maid was still waiting behind the bathroom door.

    "Ah!...Why''re you still here?"

    Damien had nearly dropped his towel, holding a wide-reaching blush as Myara retained her warm smile at the sight of the half-naked knight.

    "I was told to escort you to the dining hall."

    "...I still need to get dressed. I can find my way to the hall, thank you."

    Walking past the maid and to the new change of clothes that rested on the bed, he expected the beast-woman to leave the room--only for her to still stand there in wait.

    "Fine...Just wait outside of the bedroom, would you?"

    Myara nodded her head in silentpliance, posting herself outside of the guest quarters as Damien finally let out a sigh of relief before getting himself dressed. Even as a symbol of justice and nobility being a knight, the garments prepared for him were exuberant beyond his own tastes. The breeches given to him choked his thighs to fit their shape, sliding the olive tunic over his body as the ruffled cor and sleeves itched against his skin.

    Each step he took, he feared that his body would tear through the skin-tight garments, taking each stride carefully as he held his chin up. As he made his way to the dining hall, Damien swore he caught Myara giggling at him as he walked like a newborn calf in the ufortable attire.

    Awaiting him in the quarters of supper was a sight that made it all worth it--stepping into the room to see the dress that Getrude had been given to change into. The moment she saw him enter the room, noticing his captured gaze--a faint blush filled her fair face as she attempted to hide it by shifting about.

    It was in all honesty a simple dress, fluffed at the bottom with narrow sleeves that ran down her slender, yet toned arms. The pale verdant fabric the dress disyed as its primary color formed a set with her emerald irises.

    The moment held still in time was interrupted by the sounds of Noah shoveling the food set in front of him down into his throat, eating as if it was his final meal.

    Freida was sat in a chair almosticallyrger than herself, resting her chin against her hands as she held a wide smile.

    "Now, let''s talk business."

 Chapter 91 - Recovery

    "You really don''t mind doing this everyday?"

    Laying on his stomach as he rested his chin against the plump pillow, Ren could feel her cold palms against his bare back.

    "Of course not. We...all have to look out for each other."

    Charlotte answered him, focusing as an azure glow emanated from her small, delicate hands.

    "Ah...I hope I don''t have any permanent scars. Healing magic really is wonderful, isn''t it?"

    A satisfied sigh left his lips as he kept his arms under the pillow, keeping it in a close embrace. The rejuvenating magic that was being run through his body put him in a euphoric state, easing any pain or difort he might''ve experienced.

    "You should just be happy you''re able to be healed fully. What you did was reckless��"

    "Right, right. I''ve been reprimanded by just about everyone in this house by now."

    --It''s already been a month since I put myself in this state. I honestly expected the damage to be somewhat permanent, but most of the burn marks have vanished and my bones are...mostly fine. I owe it all to Charlotte and Beatrice...although it''s been weird sharing a bed with her at night. Really, is the difference in the natural mana flow in her room different enough to warrant this? I guess she probably wants to keep a close eye on me to make sure I''m alright, but still! I''m pent up!

    "All done."

    The constant warmth that radiated against his bare back vanished as he felt Charlotte''s weight shift off of the bed before he turned to face her.

    "Do you think I can take these bandages off fully soon? Honestly, they feel weird."

    "Beatrice told you to wait the full two months. She enchanted those bandages with a natural healing spell, so you better not remove them!"

    Even when she tried to be assertive, Charlotte just wound up looking adorable as she puffed her cheeks out--tempting him to pinch them but he contained himself.

    "I got it, I got it."

    Without a single knock to announce his presence, Sirius suddenly dropped down onto the bed beside Ren. Beatrice''s regal bed wasrge enough to likely fit half a dozen adults, even so--Ren wasn''t exactly in the mood for skinship in his current state.

    "What do you want?"

    "Just checking up on my little brother and little sister, is any other reason necessary?"

    Sirius had half a sandwich in one hand, and the other half in his mouth, deduced by the round shape his cheeks took as if he was a squirrel storing nuts for the winter.

    "Beatrice will kill you if you get crumbs all over her bed. These sheets are seriously heaven, I think I''ll kill you if you ruin them."

    Embracing thefort of the silken, violet sheets, Ren moved his limbs as if making a snow angel on the bed.

    "Did you juste here to bug Ren? You know he needs his rest��"

    "Actually, I came here because Donatien wants Ren toe to the lecture room."

    Answering Charlotte''s question, Ren perked up as he heard the reason for the sudden visit into his room of hospice.

    "Lecture room? I''m not supposed to train though."

    "Beatrice didn''t say anything about just studying, right? Need help getting there?"

    "No...I''ll be fine. Thanks, Charlotte."

    Standing up from the bed, Ren gently patted his hand against the girl''s fluffy, scarlet hair with a smile before making his way out of the room at a snail''s pace.

    --Ironically enough, I''ve wound up back to my hermit ways--temporarily, that is. Besides walking around the house to stretch my legs and get the blood flowing, I''m stuck in Beatrice''s gloomy chambers just about every waking hour of the day. Honestly, I don''t know what I''d do without the frequent visits. Especially Sirius--almost every two hours he''s in there checking up on me. I''ll have to thank everyone properly someday.

    Each step had to be taken carefully, using magic to supersede the natural healing process for his bones came with risks. Until his body had returned to normal capacity, his bones were left brittle as if he were an old timer.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maintaining his bnce carefully with his hand gripping onto the railing, he made his way down the staircase one step at a time, reaching the bottom with both a feeling of victory and shame thriving inside of him.

    "Ren! Need some help? Can I get you something? Anything?"

    Covered in sweat from his spar with the air, Fai turned towards Ren at the sound of his foot reaching the wooden floorboards beneath his soles.

    "How many times do I have to tell everyone...I''m fine."

    As a professional freeloader in his past life, he would''ve thought the bombardment of care disyed by hisrades would be a wee concept, but it felt more patronizing--even if he knew the intentions they held were pure.

    "If you say so. Just know, I''m here if you need me!"

    Disying his one-track mind, Fai resumed his training in the leisure hall, spinning around as he kicked the air.

    After a short, yet arduous walk through the house, Ren entered the familiar room that closely resembled a standard ssroom, stocked full of grimoires that contained the many theories of magic. Waiting inside in front of the chalkboard, Donatien turned to face his bandage d student, adjusting his sses with his usual stoic expression.

    "How are you feeling today, Ren?"

    "Better."

    "I see. I''m sure you''ve been anxious to resume your study of magic. I have been quite anxious."

    Donatien nced at the desk that held a grimoire wrapped in neat, ck fabric, telling Ren to sit with his gaze alone.

    "As your mentor, I am partly responsible for the condition you''re in. "Detonation"...It was the only tool in your arsenal that gave you the opportunity to win against the seemingly unbeatable foe in front of you. I neglected to realize how dangerous relying on such a vtile spell could be for a novice."

    "Did Iris tell you that? Beatrice?"

    "--Just my mind, when I''m trying to sleep at night."

    Responding to his student''s doubtful questioning of his own empathy, Donatien rapidly struck and swiped at the board, mming the piece of chalk at the newly written text to obtain Ren''s attention.

    "Defense. This is what I believe youck critically."

    "I have my Veil."

    "What good did that do you against the stalker? Veil is but a solidified wall of mana, it sits at the precipice of simplicity. "Defense" doesn''t always have to be a shield. That is where the true strength of your dark affinity lies, Ren."

    Holding a copy of the same grimoire sitting on Ren''s desk, Donatien looked at the text inscribed on the weathered pages.

    "Deception. Weakening. Binding. Remember those three words as if they are your mantra. Those are the true strengths widely recognized in the element of darkness. When facing an opponent who wields power beyond your own, attempting to close the gap with reckless offensive magic won''t always work. You will need to take away from your opponent, rather than attempt to add superficial strength to yourself."

    "...I think I get it."

    Ren nodded his head a few times as he listened to the clear words leave his mentor''s lips, ingraining them into himself. After the near-death experience with the stalker, there was no choice but to explore every facet of power avable to him.

    "That brings us to the focus of today''s lesson and main objective, a spell I have determined to be a perfect fit for your needs."

    "What is it?"

    "Araphel: ckout."

    After learning the name and function of the new spell, a surge of impatient energy made its way through him.

    "That''s not fair. That spell seriously sounds cool--but I can''t use it for another month!"

    "One month will be enough time to assimte the entire theory of ckout into your mind, by the time you''re fully healed--you will wield magic beyond the scope of your ability previously."

 Chapter 92 - Dawn Of The Final Day

    "Can you believe that''s what he told me! How am I supposed to sit around for another month with that in mind?"

    Ren whined as he sat in the kitchen, watching as Iris diced a variety of vegetables while Sora tossed other ingredients into the pot of boiling water.

    "Donatien has been just as impatient as you to start teaching you magic again, Ren. I''ve seen him in and out of that room...writing up lectures and organizing grimoires. He wants to help you just as much as you want to learn, he''s just being mindful of your current state."

    "She''s right, Bro. Stop being a baby and just wait the month out, you already got through one month. You''re halfway there!"

    Sora followed up Iris'' response with his own,cking any eloquence as he finished hisst few words with a musical tone.

    "Why am I being ganged up on here? This is bullying. Harassment, even."

    "Being told the truth is bullying?"

    Stretching his muscr armscking in any body fat, Sora learned over the table, talking with a mouthful of bread he had shoveled into his mouth like a ravenous swine.

    Holding the wooden cutting board over the obsidian pot of bubbling, steaming water, Iris slid the cut up vegetables in the pot before wiping her hands on the maroon apron strapped to her front.

    "Ren, I understand how you''re feeling...I know how devoted you were to your training regime, but maybe this is a nice opportunity."

    "What do you mean?"

    Reaching under the enchanted bandages, Ren scratched at his irritated, healing skin as he prodded Iris to exin what she meant.

    "Taking a break is sometimes just as important as working hard."

    As if hearing his cue, Sora patted his hand against his bicep that bulged against the sleeve of his emerald tunic, "You need to let those muscles rx! Same goes for your mana. Pushing yourself too hard during times of recovery can just result in diminishing returns."

    "...I hear you, but it just feels like I could be doing so much right now."

    Lowering his gaze towards his hands wrapped in cloth, a piece of grilled meat fell into his palm.

    "A full stomach is an important step to growth! Especially if your stomach is filled with protein."

    Sora imed with his boisterous smile, pping his own bicep once more as he took credit for gifting the random piece of meat.

    He was so distracted by his own gued mindset that he didn''t realize just how empty his stomach felt. With his body working in constant overtime to rebuild itself, calories were burnt away at a rate he could hardly keep up with. Ren consumed the serving of carnivorous temptation in less than half a minute, nearly choking as he pped his own chest to guide it down.

    "Atta'' boy!"

    "--Please chew before you swallow!"

    Conflicting responses came from Sora and Iris, thetter holding a look of concern in her warming gaze.

    --I thought I was going to lose my mind living another month so restricted.

    Throughout the time of leisure rewarded to him for his heroic, yet reckless act, he itched for excitement--time and time again trying to convince Beatrice that he was ready to go--to no avail. Every day was the same: wake up, eat breakfast,y for an hour while Charlotte healed him, rest, eat, then sleep once more.

    --Five months until Purgatory.

    "Today is the day!"

    Jumping up from bed, realizing his sudden action probably woke Beatrice up--only to find she was already out of bed and sipping tea at her table.

    "Indeed it is."

    Turning to greet the young man who had just arisen from slumber, Beatrice confirmed it for him with a smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Meeting in the main room of the Ounder base, Ren wore a giddy smile on his face as he was surrounded by his friends, who all held warm expressions of their own.

    "Everyday...I''ve wanted to tear these damn things right off my body. Today is that day."

    Ren grabbed onto a loose end that started on his wrist, pulling as he began to unravel the intricately wrapped white bandages from his body. As soon as he pulled the clingy material up, the cool, fresh air he had missed greeted his skin.

    It seemed to unravel itself as he pulled, like a domino effect, the bandages cascaded down his body--unveiling what had been covered the past two months as they all looked in anticipation.

    At the sight of his unbandaged temple, he could tell from the widening smiles that his recovery was a sess.

    He raised his palms in front of his gaze, feeling his eyes wash over as he ran his fingers over his delicate skin, free of disfiguration. Any hair that inhabited his body had been erased in the explosions and subsequent mes, seemingly halting the process altogether.

    All that remained as a reminder of his brazen were the memories, he fervently thanked the existence of healing magic in his mind--and those who used such magecraft on him.

    "I''m back."

    Ren wore a smile wider than he ever had, unable to stop his cheeks from exhibiting the brightest smile as a few droplets made their way down his reddened cheeks.

    In reality, there was hardly a difference between the state of his body the day before and the present, but finally unveiling his body and putting aside any fears he had--he felt ted.

    Distracted by the sight of his own body, back to peak condition, Ren was suddenly bombarded by hispanions, swallowed in the warm embrace of the Ounders.

    "Ah,e on! You''re all gonna break my bones again!"

    Ren jokinglyined as he epted the embrace, feeling Sora''s enormous arms wrap around him, squeezing him in the tightest bear hug he had ever experienced.

    "Bit of a sausage party here��"

    Hemented, noticing the severeck of women involved in the group hug. Responding to his wishes, a sudden impactnded against his chest--looking down to see the familiar sight of blue hair like the antic.

    "Wee back, Ren."

    "Good to be back."

    Sliding his hand out from the pile of Ounders that held onto him, he ran his hand over Iris'' fluffy, cloud-like hair with a smile.

    After nearly being suffocated by the seeminglypetitor disy of affection between Sora and Sirius, who battled to see who cared for Ren more--he was finally freed.

    "Phew...remind me never to almost die again."

    "It was just a hug!"

    Sora pped his bear-paw of a hand against Ren''s bare back, causing a shiver of pain to jolt through the young man''s back as he winced.

    "That was a lot of hugs, for your information. And my own mother didn''t even show me that kind of love--so what do you expect?"

    "Aw, quite yer''ining already! We''re just happy yer'' back to one-hundred percent!"

    Brahmi put him into a headlock, grinding her knuckles against his head. Even if she was attempting to do it gently, her natural strength made it feel more like she was trying to tten his scalp.

    "Seriously--what''s with showing affection through pain around here?!"

    Following my recovery, I insisted on continuing my training, much to the dismay of Beatrice, who seemed to hope I would give up on Purgatory from this set back.

 Chapter 93 - Qi

    Four Months Until Purgatory--

    Standing in front of him was the joyful Ounder who exuded both frivolity and confidence, hopping in ce as he shook his limbs to warm his body up. Watching Fai warm up, Ren reluctantly followed, stretching side-to-side as he slid the bottom of his jet-ck boot across the grass.

    As the standard attire he wore for physical activity had been destroyed in the battle against the white stalker, Ren acquired a new set of clothes courtesy of Beatrice. Sirius insisted on him getting something resembling his military-like uniform, but he opted for something a little more subtle. With autumn now upying the world, bringing with it a looming cold, he wore a set of ck, somewhat fuzzy leather armor that sat over heat-retaining wool garments. Over this armor, he decided to wear a beige ranger-cloak.

    --I really don''t know how to feel about this. I was just getting used to Brahmi''s antics, now this? There''s no helping it since she had to go on another mission, but sheesh--I don''t know what to expect from Fai.

    From what Sirius had told him, Fai was the man he considered to be just behind him in terms of overall power--which didn''t exactly help boost his confidence going into this day of training. At the same time, having such a high-level mentor did somewhat excite him.

    Watching the ponytailed martial artist move with such flexibility, stretching his limbs to the utmost, was somewhat unnerving, if not downright unorthodox. Fai wasn''t a man of a hulking physique like Sora, but he wasn''t exactly thin either, muscle d itself to his body in every section that could be seen. It was a body not forged from purposeful bodybuilding but from countless years of training, that much was something even Ren could tell.

    "How about a quick spar? Just so I can see where you''re at."

    Fai adjusted the wraps that were coiled around his fist to his forearm before running his fingers through his well-kempt, hazel hair with a smile.

    "A spar, huh? I''m still kind of rusty, you know��"

    Attempting to sideline Fai''s proposal, Ren feigned weakness, caressing his shoulder as if it were sore, faking a wince. His reluctance was quickly dismissed as his substitute mentor gave him a yful, yet daunting smack all the same, p on the shoulder.

    "Hey, what the hell--"

    Renined out of instinct but quickly realized there was no pain from the p, in fact, his shoulder felt better than ever.

    "I gave you a bit of qi, don''t worry!"

    "Qi��? Do you mean mana?"

    Rolling his shoulder a few times and swinging his fist up and down to test his fully-recovered arm, Ren looked back at Fai with an eyebrow raised at the mention of "qi".

    Fai simplyughed at his student''s confusion, rubbing his index finger against the groove between his nose and lip, "That''s what everyone thinks when they first hear about it. Qi is a separate force from magical energy. It exists within everyone; actually unlocking it is another thing though."

    "borate."

    It was the first he had heard of it in this world, but he was familiar with qi as a concept on Earth. Usually, it would be chalked up to be in the same realm as magic itself, but hearing differently piqued his interest.

    "How about this--if you cannd a single hit on me, I''ll tell you all you want about qi. Not a bad deal, right?"

    Fai gave his conditions with a smile, holding his arms crossed over his toned chest as he awaited an answer from Ren.

    --I knew it. Was this all part of his n?

    A less than pleased look stered itself over Ren''s expression before he reluctantly agreed with a, "Fine," that followed a heavy, drawn-out sigh.

    "Yeah, that''s the spirit!"

    As he expected, the energy-fueled Ounder was ecstatic to have an opportunity to battle. Seeing this nature of his settled in a bit more anxiety about having a battle-loving man such as him be his mentor.

    "Is there a time limit?"

    "Nope, just until you give up! We can start whenever you''re ready."

    --He really doesn''t expect much from me, does he?

    Doing a fewst stretches for good measure, Ren finished with a smooth inhale and exhale, feeling his mana begin to pump through his body as reinforcement was activated.

    --Go!

    Pushing off of the tip of his toes, he propelled himself forward with a sharp, low dash towards the frivolous martial artist. With his cloak fluttering behind him, Ren pivoted on his right foot as he reached Fai''s position, swinging with his right fist--only meeting with air as Fai reared his head back with a subtle evasion.

    Not allowing this to dull his momentum, Ren continued with a volley of jabs, switching stances as Fai evaded each and every hit without a hint of being pressed.

    "Come on! Come on! Put your back into it! I want to feel the air against my skin!"

    Being taunted by his opponent who held a joyful smile in the face of his all-out attack was nothing short of frustrating, feeling blood rush to his head as he did his best to ignore Fai''sments. Attempting to go for a sweep of the leg, he witnessed an unorthodox dodge in the form of Fai flipping his entire body backwards, keeping his arms over his chest the entire time.

    "Are you even trying?"

    "I am! You''re just slippery as hell!"

    Ren jabbed his finger forward, finally venting his frustration, only earning a slight shrug from Fai who held a look in his eyes that asked him, "Ready to go again?"

    Each time he attempted to close the distance with amplified speed, Fai was always one step ahead of him, reading him like a book with those glistening silver eyes of his. It began to be what he aimed for--those eyes that belittled his efforts, swinging his fists towards them as over and over again, his attacks met only with the parted winds.

    Miss. Miss. Miss.

    This repeated for a good few minutes, exhausting himself as he began to learn the difference between him and the seasoned fighter.

    "If this is all you''ve got then forget Purgatory. You won''t evenst a day there at this level."

    Fai dropped his stance low to evade the next attack as he spoke, kicking Ren back before he continued.

    "That ce will eat you for breakfast."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What the hell do you even know about it?"

    "I know that I lost a precious friend andrade to that pit of death."

    Hearing Fai''s solemn words, Ren opened his mouth but could find nothing to say. It was a first for him, seeing the vibrant, somewhat mboyant martial artist take a somber look like that. Snapping his concentration back into ce, he narrowly avoided a swift high-kick from his temporary mentor, who had reced his bleak expression with his trademark, glowing smile.

    "Come on! Come on! You''re not giving up just from a few words, are you?"

    "Hell no!"

    Jumping back into the action, starting with a few wild hooks that were mostly fueled by his umted frustration, Ren found his punches dulled by what was mentioned.

    --It''s no use, this isn''t working. It doesn''t matter what array of punches or kicks I throw at him--it''s like he can see them alling from a mile away!

    Attempting to think of something that could work against the silver-eyed, tan Ounder, Ren spun around into a spinning high-kick--aiming directly for Fai''s nose, missing once again as the man leaned back just enough to dodge the blow.

    As this little game went on, Ren took notice of Fai''s arms twitching whenever he let loose a barrage of fast attacks or got too close--every time that would happen, the man would hold a vice grip on his own arms as if trying to hold them still.

    --Being on the receiving end of relentless attacks like this as a lifelong practitioner of martial arts--I bet his instincts are running rampant.

    Continuing his fruitless attacks, delving into the arsenal of moves taught to him by Brahmi--spinning his body and hips around for sharp kicks, even going for an airborne punch every now and then--Ren came to a realization.

    --He just wants me to hit him. That''s all he said. He didn''t specify whether it had to be by fist, foot, or even magic.

    This time, he decided to throw a feint, throwing his left fist through the air with the target being that bullseye of a nose he had been targeting all of this time.

    As he had hoped and predicted, Fai only dodged the necessary amount, leaving him still close to the extended fist.

    "Dunkel: Piercer!"

    "--?!"

    Catching Fai byplete surprise, a spear of dark magical energy emerged from Ren''s extended hand, leaving no time to dodge--even for one as swift as him. Not left with much room to form, the spear instantly collided with the man''s face, exploding into a ball of obsidian dust that filled the air briefly.

    Ren froze in cepletely, realizing the fault of his n.

    --Oh crap. I didn''t kill him, did I?

    Answering his worries, a cough was heard behind the smoke before it was then instantly dissipated by a powerful p against the wind that released a subtle shock wave. There was only a stain of darkness left on Fai''s nose as if he had spilled some ink on his face.

    Letting out a sigh of relief, Ren ced his hand over his rapidly beating organ of love, earning a pat on the head from the frivolous instructor.

    "Good job! I didn''t think you were going to catch on!"

    "...Yeah, well, I did."

    Taking a break to catch his breath, Ren was stered on the bed of grass while Fai looked as if he didn''t spare an ounce of energy for that entire session.

    "So, are you going to tell me about this qi stuff or not?"

    "That was the reward if you won, so of course! Now listen up."

    Fai sat himself down, criss-cross apple-sauce style, in front of Ren. Pressing both of his palms together and shutting the mirrors to his soul, a serene aura began to release from Fai''s pores--put onto disy for hispanion, who was left in awe.

    --He''s right...That''s not mana. It''s so tranquil, so warm...It feels like any knots in my mind are unwrapping themselves just by being in his presence.

    Peeking with one eye open, Fai smiled at the boy''s engrossed reaction.

    "Mana is something that originates within this world, in a way, we''re conduits for it. However, with qi, it is something that spawns from within ourselves, our life force itself given form and power."

    "I see...Mhm, mhm," Ren nodded his head a few times with his hand on his chin, "So, can you use it for spells?"

    Hearing Ren''s curious question, Fai chuckled and waved his hand back and forth before answering.

    "No, no. To be quite honest, I don''t really understand it all too well yet myself. Beatrice told me that this type of energy was something only ever used by ns of ancient times, it''s a lost art in this world. Right now, I think I''m kind of a guinea pig for Beatrice."

    Faiughed again at his own words, ruffling his own locks of hazel. From what Ren could tell, he was truly a genial man, holding a spark of innocence within him that seemed lost with most of the others.

    "So, what can you do with it then? You fixed my shoulder with it earlier��"

    "Ah, well...For the most part, it''s sort of a further reinforcement, with like you said, a few special touches of its own."

    --This wasn''t exactly the most insightful conversation...I did learn something new though.

    Fai had a way with words, not an eloquence but a smooth, joyful coating to his words supported by his frequent hand movements. It managed to keep Ren''s undivided attention on him.

    What he had hoped to learn was that qi would be something he could learn--but Fai was simply too inexperienced to attempt to teach it to anyone else, insisting that that it would be best to let it ur naturally.

    Assuming that was his sparring session was his first mistake as Fai continuously insisted on them practicing a round ofbat in the name of "testing his ability". As Ren had feared, a single round of sparring against Fai wound up exhausting him, ending their training early.

 Chapter 94 - Anxiety Rising

    "I''m empty."

    Arriving back at the house, Ren dropped himself on the weingfort of the couch in the lounge room.

    "You were only out there for an hour."

    Sitting on the couch across from him, Tristan was cleaning his gun with a handkerchief while Charlotte sat silently next to Ren, sinking her attention to the book on herp.

    "I''ve been out ofmission for two months, what do you expect from me? I''m not a damn alien warrior from another."

    Ren huffed, cing his hands behind his head to relieve himself to total rxation.

    Lifting his head slightly, just enough to get a peek over at Charlotte, who was sat next to his legs, he smiled at the sight of her so deeply engrossed in the book she held.

    "What''re you reading there?"

    "A book."

    "...I see that."

    Ren chuckled at her meek answer, sitting himself up to get a nce at the words inscribed on the pages. His reading was still in need of improvement, forcing him to silently sound out the words with his lips.

    "Luft...Crossing of the four divine winds��"

    Silently reading out the words turned into identally speaking them as he concentrated on the hard-to-read text.

    "Ah, it''s a grimoire?"

    Ren realized, looking back at Charlotte, who wore a slightly perplexed expression after the young man had basically pressed his face against the page. The young girl gave him a slight nod before shifting her maroon gaze back to the pages.

    "Is it in your best interest to interrupt someone''s time of reading? I know you''re a bit short on intellect yourself, but it doesn''t mean you can diminish the concentration of others."

    That pompous tone and cold, biting words could only belong to one, androgynous person within the household.

    "Lucas��"

    Ren was too tired at this point to get into a battle of insults with the feminine boy, watching as he clearly had just stepped out of the shower, drying his gilded-brown hair with a rag as water clung to his glistening, fair skin. Even though he was a boy, seeing his loose, unbuttoned tunic hanging from his slender shoulders forced Ren to retreat his gaze out of fear of awakening Excalibur itself.

    "Leave him alone, he''s tired."

    Speaking up, raising her voice to what would be a normal tone for anyone else, Charlotte meekly defended Ren from Lucas'' cutting words.

    --Ah, thank you, Angel!

    Lucas paused for a moment, shifting his emerald pupils between Charlotte, Ren, and Tristan as if confused at the sight of the shy girl speaking up--shrugging it off and sitting next to Tristan, who still was engrossed on the process of wiping every spec of unwanted dirt from his weapon.

    "We''ll be heading out on another mission soon."

    Keeping the drenched towel across his neck, Lucas ran his slender, polished fingers through his silky hair as his gaze settled on the young man across from him.

    "And you''re letting me know, why?"

    "Ah, I thought I''d just let you know how fun it is to be strong enough to take on quests. Quite the fantastical experience."

    --This bastard.

    For some reason, Lucas always had it out for him--it was likely due to him being on the bottom of the totem pole, but from the looks of things, he didn''t take Lucas to be someone much stronger than him. Then again, his slender form was likely deceiving him.

    "Once I get through Purgatory, you better keep that big mouth of yours shut."

    "You say that like it''s a given that you''ll clear it--"

    "Lucas."

    Charlotte interrupted him, giving him a gaze both of frustration and gloom as she kept her face mostly behind the over-sized book she held onto.

    "I''m just being realistic here. How many are known to have cleared that trial? A handful? Even less keep their sanity."

    "I know that. This is different though."

    "How so?"

    "I have Iris with me...And she has me with her. We''re not doing this alone, that''s the difference."

    For a moment, Lucas'' quick-witted mind found no retorts to throw back at the boy as he met eye to eye with that steely resolve that buried itself in his hazel mirrors.

    "I''ll admit, the fact that Beatrice is letting you enter such a trial in the first ce is telling enough that she likely believes you will be able to surpass its obstacles. However, Ren, you must remember--she is not an almighty, omniscient being...Beatrice can be and has been wrong before."

    "Do you think she''s wrong about this?"

    Ren pressed Lucas for his answer, who exchanged stares with him for a still moment before tapping his ck-coated fingernail against his cheek.

    "I don''t know. That''s something for you to figure out for yourself. It''s not on anyone but yourself if you die there. Remember that."

    Parting him with those words, Lucas left the lounge room to return to his own quarters. Finally, the silent, silver-haired man finally spoke up without raising his head.

    "For what it''s worth, I think you have a fair shot at this thing."

    "Thanks��"

    Silence filled the room as Tristan continued endlessly shining his pistol while Charlotte diligently flipped through pages of her book, leading to Ren finally retreating to the privacy of his own room. Daylight was lost not but a few moments after seating himself on his bed, watching as the moonlight seeped in through the panes in ce of the sun''s grace.

    As he spaced off thinking of the many things he had experienced in his time in Gaia, the familiar and weing sound of raindrops pelting against the exterior of the house had soothed him. Soon the subtle fall of rain became heavy, filling his eardrums with songs of precipitation.

    --Soon, I''ll be away from all of this, I don''t know for how long but it''ll be a time of little reprieve...At least she''ll be there with me.

    Shifting himself so that his head was resting against the set of pillows at the head of his bed, Ren let out a soft yawn from his lips.

    --Two Months Until Purgatory--

    Sitting on the edge of the rock-solid, colossal leaves that made up the floor of the unorthodox base, Ren watched the clouds make their journey through the azure void.

    The sound of the creaky front door became audible, briefly taking him out of his tranquil time as he turned to watch Iris take a seat next to him. For a minute, nothing was said as they simply listened to the high-altitude winds pass by them as their legs dangled from the edge of the Grandfather tree.

    "It''s weird. Feels like just yesterday that I was horrified at the height of this damn ce, now it''s nothing but the norm."

    Ren smiled, turning to look at the girl whose hair matched the sky they watched. As if proving his point, he kicked his legs yfully in the air that sat above thousands of feet of nothingness. Despite him trying to break the ice, Iris stayed silent beside him, looking down towards the evergreen that sat far below.

    "Is something wrong?"

    Asking with concern coating his voice, Iris simply shook her head before giving him a half-smile.

    "Having doubts about Purgatory?"

    He decided to press a bit further, seeing right past that faux smile of hers that didn''t hide any of the emotions inhabiting her eyes.

    "...Yeah."

    "You don''t have to go if you don''t want to, Iris--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s not that."

    "Then what is it?"

    Of course, he was thest person capable of reading another''s emotions or bodynguage but Iris was always one he could never have the faintest guess about.

    "It''s you."

    "Me?"

    Iris nodded her head as Ren pointed to himself, "I don''t want you to take the trial��"

    It wasn''t the first time he had been approached with this, not by Iris or Beatrice--for some reason, the two of them constantly had flipped between what they wanted from him. Looking at the glisten in her eyes, he knew her words came from a well-meaning ce.

    "Not happening. I''m doing this, Iris."

    Giving her a smile, he felt the wind tug at his messy hair as they met gazes for a moment.

    "I know...I know. I''m sorry."

    "Don''t be sorry. I''d be kind of sad if everybody just epted me walking into what could likely be a death trap. Blindly trusting myself has rarely worked out, I''m sure that''s why you''reing with me."

    "Ren��"

    Lowering her head again, her quiet utterance of his name called his gaze to her, responding with a quick, "Hm?"

    "Tell me��Why are you so desperate to be strong? You''ve never stricken me as the type that likes to fight, so I don''t get it."

    The question fell on his ears with a certain weight that caused his eye to twitch.

    It was something that was seldom talked about to the others: what happened before he joined the Ounders.

    "I just want to be strong enough to be able protect you all, just like you do to me. Mainly��I just don''t want to be protected��Deadweight, even."

    "That''s not what I mean."

    "Huh?"

    "I think that''s why most people want to gain strength, but there is always something that leads to that desire��That''s what I''m asking you."

    Her question stirred up vivid memories for him, causing his bottom lip to tremble as his pupils shook at what was reminisced.

    Seeing this reaction from him, Iris fervently shook her head and waved her hands to reject her own question.

    "You don''t have to answer!"

    "It''s fine."

    Taking a needed supply of air into his lungs, Ren gave her a reassuring smile.

    "Before Sora rescued me, I was living at the Althaus estate."

    "I remember that."

    "Mhm," Ren nodded his head, "I was honestly scared out of my mind when I first arrived there, I tried to hide it the best I could but��He saw through it, I think."

    Chuckling at his own words, Ren watched the clouds glide over their heads.

    "He?"

    "A friend. The best you could ask for."

    Before he could continue, the next word came out in a choke as the rims of his eyelids became puffy, holding back tears like immovable dams.

    "��I suppose you get the rest of the story."

    Turning his face away from her, he hid his reddened eyelids, fervently attempting to brush the straggling tears away.

    "��Ren."

    Iris soothingly ran her hand across his back, hearing him subtly sniffle.

    "Ah! Nevermind me! It''s your turn now?"

    Cleaning his face of any residual tears, he tried to y it off as if it never happened, facing the girl with puffy eyes and a reddened nose.

    "Me?"

    "You."

    With the tables turned on her, Iris looked down at her swinging legs, fiddling with the creases of her silver skirt before giving him her answer, clearing her throat with a cute, little cough that nearly made Ren go into aa from the pure sweetness of it.

    "...Everyone here is so talented and reliable, strong, both in mind and body...I can''t keep up with them. I''ve been here longer than any of them, yet I was passed up so quickly. Even you, Ren, you''ll likely surpass me soon��"

    "Are you a child?"

    "Eh?"

    Ren''s quick, deep-cutting response hit her like a brick as she turned her gaze to him with the whites of her eyes on full disy.

    "Seriously, you''re worried about something like that? You''re strong, Iris, he'' strong!"

    Fervently nailing his words down to her, he inadvertently had brought his face close enough to hers that they exchanged breaths with one another. Such proximity with one another caused both of the introverts to freeze for a moment as their paleplexions tinted with a flustered shade of red.

    "Sorry!"

    "--Sorry!"

    They meekly apologized in unison, pulling their expressions back from one another and shifting their gazes away as blood filled their rosy cheeks.

    "I mean what I said, you know��"

    Ren muttered, scratching his scarlet-tinted cheek, earning a further blush across the azure-haired girl''s cheeks, extending her scarlet fluster to the tip of her ears.

    "...Thanks."

    Fiddling with her well-kempt hair as a conduit for her own embarrassment, Iris managed to frizzle her straightened hair into curly locks once again.

    --I wonder if her hair changes color when she sneezes as well.

    It took a few minutes of the cooling breeze to settle her blush but it eventually settled, allowing the two of them to spectate the ever-moving clouds that drifted through the airborne sea.

    "We''ll beat the hell out of that trial, won''t we?"

    Iris turned towards Ren as he spoke with utmost confidence, holding a smile that charged the drained batteries of her heart like a lightning bolt.

    "We will."

 Chapter 95 - Primordia

    --Zero Months Until Purgatory. --

    Awaiting in the lounge room was aplete ensemble of Ounders, meeting both Ren and Iris as the day of reckoning had arrived for them.

    As he expected, both Sirius and Sora looked as if they were fighting the battle of their lives against their tears, Sora had clearly lost that battle, though. The moment Ren''s foot met with the ground beyond the final step of the stairs, he was plunged into the embrace of Sirius, followed by Sora encasing both of them with his massive wingspan.

    "Cut it out, would--"

    Stopping himself, Ren couldn''t help but smile at the warmth provided to both his body and heart, relieving himself to the caring embrace.

    "You bettere back, you hear me? I''ll go in there myself to get you out if I have to! Just make sure you get through it, no matter what, little bro."

    Sirius ran his gloved fingers through the young man''s fluffy locks, meeting him eye to eye with his damp azures.

    "I will."

    By this point, Sirius had already seized Ren''s attention, cupping his cheeks, squishing them together as he looked into his eyes as if confirming his resolve.

    "You heard him! Make it through this damn thing! You too, Iris!"

    As rambunctious as ever, Sora grabbed the two nning to head out, putting them in loose headlocks.

    Iris wasn''t immune to her hair being ruffled by the crimson-haired man, leaving his grasp with a head of frazzled hair.

    "I suppose this is where I part with you words of wisdom that''ll be of some benefit to youring trials."

    Pushing his sses up, Donatien stopped in front of Ren, wearing a half-smile that opposed his usual stoess.

    "That sounds about right."

    Ren chuckled, fixing his roughed up hair from Sora''s assault��ncing over to see that Iris was being bombarded by Charlotte and Fai with their own parting words.

    It took a moment for the lens-wearing man to find his words before delivering them with a reassuring eloquence, "Remember that there is no path to victory without pain, without losing something��but what you will gain will triumph past displeasures."

    "I don''t really understand but thank you!"

    Ren nodded at the man with a smile, who simply let out a soft sigh before patting his shoulder.

    "I expected as much��Just persevere, Ren. You''re strong."

    Going in for a handshake, he was unexpectedly, once again brought into a hug, feeling Donatien''s slender yet warm arms wrap around his body.

    ��That''s right. This is my family now. Not just people who happen to be in the same predicament.

    It wasn''t just him being showered with embrace, for better or worse, watching with a smile as Brahmi lifted Iris into the air for a hug that looked almost like an unfinished suplex.

    "I''m gonna miss ya'', Iri!"

    "��Put me down!"

    Seeing her flustered and kicking her legs in the air was a sight he didn''t know he needed to see so badly, earning a knock on the head from Donatien.

    "You both are absolutely certain that this is what you want to do? Above all, you must resolve yourself to clear the trial in its entirety by reaching the fifth and final floor, both of you. Once you achieve that, those who oversee the trial will bestow powerful rewards upon you. I''m only allowing you both to enter this trial because I hold absolute faith in your potential."

    Beatrice stood in front of them with an expression unusually baked with emotion. Through those nebulous eyes of hers, he could see the pain withheld in them, mustering every ounce of restraint she had to let them go.

    Through the months leading to this moment, Ren recalled time and time again, Beatrice changed her mind. Although she spoke of worries for him, he could tell--what she feared was the safety of Iris. So did he, a part of him wished for the girl to break her promise and back out.

    A part of him also knew he needed her with him, their cooperation was the one thing Beatrice held onto for this agreement to work out.

    A massive seal of magic had been inscribed on the floor which the two stood, glowing faintly with a subtle verdant.

    "Yes."

    "Mhm."

    With their resolve confirmed, Beatrice then raised her hand into the air and closed her eyes before speaking the incantation.

    "Here me, great mother of all, the pleas of your child. The ground which was built upon your back, the skies formed of your dreams--as such, this very world is your authority. I ask of you, as one who carries your blood and burden, bend the world to your will!"

    The seal began to vibrantly illuminate, releasing a vast quantity of magical energy as the floor shook under its activation. Preparing for their departure, the twopanions reached hand in hand--erasing any doubt or fear in their minds.

    "O''Gaia: Warp!"

    Unleashing the name of the great magic, Beatrice invoked its power as the light consumed Iris and Ren''s vision with a blinding white. The grip they had on each other''s hands tightened as the sensation of firm ground beneath the soles of their feet vanished, being pulled into a shapeless space.

    --It''s simr to when I was brought into this world. As I thought, I can''t get used to this feeling!<novelnext></novelnext>

    He couldn''t muster the strength to turn his head to look at the girl who he held, the gravitational pull emitting from the teleportation restraining every function of his body.

    Hand in hand with the girl he adored, there was no greater source of resolve he could imagine existing out there. The blinding light vanished as reality once again faded in, the harsh forces that pulled them through space settled.

    The unmistakable loose, cold feeling of snow was now present under his boots, sinking into the tall stack of powdery frost. Letting out his first exhale in this unknownnd, an icy mist left in ce of his breath.

    All that filled the deste space of white powder were harsh winds that carried the bitter droplets of the cold through the air, conjuring a biting frost that crawled itself over every inch of his body.

    "So, this is "Primordia", huh?"

    Ren looked on at the boundless stretch of snow thatid in front of his eyes, rows of mountains acting as colossal, unyielding walls lined thend. Parting his lips even slightly to exhale caused the moisture in his mouth to sumb to the cold, drying up within contact.

    "It is. We''re here. There''s no going back now. Not unless we use this."

    Turning to see what she was referring to, watching as her nose, cheeks and ears turned to a shade of red under the bitter cold--Iris retrieved a small, opalescent gem from the pocket of her thick, fur-lined silver coat. Ren found himself questioning why she decided to wear a skirt to this region of frostbite, even if she was wearing silver leggings.

    They were informed about it earlier by Beatrice, the gem was the activator for the return part of the transportation spell, which would return the both of them back home. However, there was one catch to it.

    --Once we enter the Purgatory Trial, we can''t use it. Apparently outside sources of magic, including spatial magic, is nullified by the walls that line the trial. There...isn''t really any going back once we''re in.

    "She said we would be transported right in front of the entrance, right? I don''t see anything."

    Ren used his hand as a visor, squinting his eyes as he tried to see further into the obscuring winds that flung snow into the air. It was impossible to see more than a few meters in front of his own two feet.

    As the temporary warmth granted to him by the residual mana of the transport spell faded, the true cold that inhabited Primordia was felt. A million needles poking at every pore of his body is the only way he could describe the absolute frost of the feralnd.

    "It''s right up ahead."

    "You can see it?"

    "Mhm."

    "Guide the way then."

    Ren embraced himself, caressing his arms as he did his best to handle the cold while following slightly behind Iris.

    "Here-- Feurer."

    It was a spell without a true incantation, simply conjuring a bright orb of orange that hovered above her palm, radiating a much appreciated source of heat.

    "Ah, you''re a lifesaver. You aren''t cold?"

    Asking her out of curiosity, noticing she only used the basic fire magic after seeing him--Iris shook her head in response.

    "Huh. Lucky."

    Renmented with a slight chuckle, staying close to the soothing orb of fire before Iris stopped in ce, "This is it��"

    He looked at the maiden beside him as her fluffy coat trailed close behind her step, averting his gaze as she felt his eyes on her.

    Looking up, the sphere of heat parted the icy winds that obscured the sight just in front of him. An entrance to a cavern coated in frostid ahead of their path, stretching far enough to evade the revealing light of the day as an enigmatic darkness hid the inside of the tunnel.

    "I thought it was like a temple or something...This looks more like somewhere a bear is cooping up in."

    "The entrance should be inside the cave. Let''s go."

    As unweing as the dark, foreboding cavern was, howling with a chilling wind��it was better than standing out in the frostbite inducing cold. In his time knowing her, this was always how she seemed to deal with stressful situations--putting up a stoic front, pushing herself forward without allowing doubt to set it.

    --Not too different from me, in that regard.

    The cavity in the side of the frosted mass of stone was smoothed over, without any rough edges--clearly built rather than formed naturally.

    Reaching the end of the hollow tunnel, they had found it.

    "--"

    Arge, mystical door formed of dark metal sat at the end of the rocky hall. In their presence, the grooves of the circr door lit up with a subtle hum filling their ears, emitting a soft, ck light from the many carvings engraved into the door.

    "So, this is it? How do we open this thing?"

    Ren approached the door, gently cing his palm on the center portion of the door, which was barrenpared to the rest of the intricately designed gate. In response to his touch, the faint glow amplified--releasing a blinding illumination that consumed his vision.

    "Ren--!"

    Hearing the girl with him call out his name in desperation--everything went ck before he had the opportunity to look back.

 Chapter 96 - Overwhelming, Intoxicating Fear

    --A transportation spell? Again? But what used it? The door?

    It was a slightly different feeling than the magic used by Beatrice to send them to Primordia, it wasn''t a gnawing, bright light that surrounded him, nor was there a gut-twisting amount of g-forces pulling onto him. He was surrounded by darkness, feeling as if the shapeless shadows were guiding him into an unknown destination.

    "--"

    Attempting to open his mouth to yell out, "Iris!", nothing came out. No air inhabited his lungs, but he didn''t feel the need to breathe in this current of darkness.

    "--Stranger. Foreigner. Otherworlder. Ren Nakamura."

    A disembodied voice spoke to him, the mysterious voice carried through the darkness as if existing from all directions around him.

    "You have entered the trial formed by the primordial gods, a temple of which will stand against you, carving you down both physically and mentally. You have willingly trespassed into the domain of the primordial gods--as such, you have forfeited your freedom and now will be subject to the Purgatory Trial."

    "--"

    He attempted to respond to the disembodied voice, sounding as if it belonged to a stoic woman, devoid of emotion.

    "In the trial awaiting you, you must descend to the fifth and final floor of the temple. As a subject of Purgatory, you will be bestowed upon a "Pact of Undying"--granting you resurrection upon death at the nearest fountain of Origin. However, if your mind falls to despair, if you lose the will to continue fighting--this pact will be broken, and you will be assimted into the temple to live out a fate worse than death."

    As the exnation was sent directly to his eardrums, flooding into his mind as if being spoken directly to his essence--he could feel the moving tide of formless shadows slow down as if he were reaching his destination.

    "Ren Nakamura, your trial begins now."

    With those final words instructed to him, the swallowing darkness faded out as he dropped onto the rough, solid floor beneath him.

    The odd sensation of the dark transportation took its toll on his body, coughing and gagging as spit fled from his lips. Looking up from the almost ck, stained and cracked stone floor below him--he saw now in a dimly lit room that resembled a dungeon, formed of weathered stone.

    "Iris? Iris! Iris!"

    Standing up, he called out for hispanion, turning to each direction--he waspletely alone in this mysterious room, left only with the doorless entrance that led outside of the musty room of damp, still air and cobwebs.

    Only one thing of real interest stood out upon first nce--a small body of crimson liquid that resembled a fountain was attached to the back of the room, giving off a stench of copper.

    "Crap. I''ve really messed up this time, haven''t I��? Still...How did it know my name? Creepy."

    Looking around the small room once more, all he found was grime that coated the walls. There was nothing of use, leaving him only with a pocket full of enchanted gems, some rations, and his sword at his hip.

    Slowly, time passed, gnawing away at him was a feeling of anxiousness washed over him as he waited for Iris to show up in the room as well. After giving it what felt like an hour--that never happened.

    --There''s no way she didn''t enter right after me. I''m guessing the trial itself has something to do with this.

    He finally forced himself to leave the room and venture forward into the unknown dungeon. It was hard to imagine the domain existing in the realm of Primordia, the quiet atmosphere held nothing inmon with the raging winds of snow from before.

    A single step outside of the room he first found himself in was as if he had entered a different world entirely. The smell flooded his nose--the unmistakable stench of rotting, fermenting flesh made itself present in the wide, dark dungeon. That smell brought a shiver over his skin as he remembered memories best kept buried.

    Underneath his boot, he could feel the sticky, lukewarm sensation--looking down to confirm what he had feared.

    Blood, puddles of it traveled through the creases of the ruined stone floors. Only a few torches attached to the stone pirs throughout the room gave a source of light. From the illumination granted to him, the only contents of the room he could make out were scattered bones and boxes coated with cobwebs.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Shit."

    He put his hand over his nose and mouth to mitigate the awful stench to prevent himself from gagging.

    Hesitance dulled his movements as he slowly traversed the dim dungeon, staying cautious as he narrowly avoided cobwebs upied by horrific spiders he could only imagine were pumped full of poison.

    It was a hard feeling for him to ce. Something about the atmosphere within the dungeon ced an intangible pressure over his rib cage, as if an abstract fear hindered his breathing--fearing that even his breath may attract a haunting evil.

    The silence only filled with the sound of liquid slowly dripping from the ceiling was erased as a solid, epassing thud rang through the vacant dungeon. Without a doubt, it was a footstep--that much was certain to him.

    His instinctspletely took over for that split second as he pressed himself against one of the pirs, feeling the cold, crimson-stained stone against his back as his breathing picked up.

    Another footstep fell upon the ground. Ren was unable to urately ce where the source of the heavy steps came from, but he knew it was at least beyond the tall entrance that led to the next room.

    --Please. Please. Please.

    The next thud confirmed that the enigmatic entity had indeed entered the same room as him. It was a difficult choice in his head, whether or not he wished for the mes of the torches to stay lit to soothe his aching heart, or to dissipate to mask his presence.

    He felt as if his own heartbeat would give him away as it mmed against his chest at the haunting presence in the room.

    --It''s arge room. It''s dark. My scent is masked by the rotten stench here. I''m fine. It won''t find me.

    Heavy breathing became audible from the unknown creature, clearly snorting hot air from its nostrils before it sniffed the air--sending a painful ache through Ren''s heart as that confirmed that it was indeed looking for him.

    Now that the steps were within the same room, he could hear the distinct sound of solid hooves meeting the stone with each haunting step.

    As scared as he was, trembling within the presence of the entity--the feeling of curiosity was almost as powerful within him. He had to know what the creature was, not to analyze it in an attempt tounch a counteract--it was pure curiosity, and an attempt to rid the fear of the unknown for himself.

    Only one concept kept him from leaning to the side to catch a glimpse of the lumbering creature--if he nced at the wrong moment and met eye to eye with the beast, it would spell the end of him.

    Even so, he did it anyway.

    Leaning to the side, running his hand over the jagged stone he kept himself glued to, he crept to the edge of the pir until just his iris peaked over the sharp edge--feeling his heart freeze for a moment as his eyes met with the form of the entity.

    Even hearing, feeling its dense footsteps echo against the ground, the size of the creature came as a despairful surprise. It stood three times his height from the looks of it, slightly hunched over as one hand carried with it a massive battle-axe, decorated with symbols in its fine-cobalt steel, dripping with crimson as it was dragged against the floor.

    Its body was d in a light coat of ck fur over its dark skin of the sameplexion, missing patches of fur reced by horrendous scars that stretched over its muscr body, wrapped in chains.

    It had the head of a bull, withrge, ivory horns protruding from each side of its head that were covered with muk and flesh. Its beady crimson eyes scoured the room as itsrge nostrils sniffed the air once more before snorting.

    --A minotaur��?

    He was horrifically enamoured with the sight of the half-man half-bull creature, swiftly hiding himself behind the pir once more as it was about to swing its gaze in his direction.

    In all the training he had put himself through during his year in preparation for the trial, he had gained strength that eclipsed who he once was. Even so, what he felt from the beast was different than anything before.

    --It''s suffocating. It''s mana, but it feels distinctly...off. This is a trial, right? I bet that this is a test or something--whether or not I cave into the fear. I doubt it really is as strong as it feels. I can do this.

 Chapter 97 - Pact Of Undying

    There wasn''t much of a choice but to fight. It clearly knew of his presence, and soon orter--it would find him. Mustering up every facet of courage stored within his body, doing away with his fear, he stepped out of his spot of hiding.

    As soon as he met eye to eye with the minotaur, feeling its merciless gaze of bloodlust lock onto him--he regretted stepping out of hiding, his resolve withered just in the presence of the beast. Drawing Belus from its sheath, he gripped the de between his shaky hands as he looked upon the towering creature, steam blowing from its nostrils as its chest puffed out with a heavy breath.

    "Araphel: Void Piercer!"

    A higher state of the spell he previously relied on, "Dunkel: Piercer", summoning forth arge, powerfulnce formed of darkness into the air. Swiping his sword forward to guide thence to its target, the spellunched towards the beast as if being propelled by a rocket.

    His heart sank into his stomach.

    Thence stocked full of magical energy collided with the minotaur''s chest, only to dissipate upon impact without so much as causing the beast to flinch.

    In terms of offensive magic, it was at the top of his arsenal--a spell he had never had trouble carving through the monsters in Gradeuve during his time in training. Ren hadpletely froze under the shock and despair he felt, standing in front of the insurmountable opponent before him.

    It seemed to understand his departure from his resolve, slowly stepping over as each hoof scorned the stone below before reaching out with its massive hand, picking him up by his shoulder as if lifting a toy into the air.

    The beast he thought was just a mindless creature driven by instinct proved to him that wasn''t the case.

    Itughed at him, releasing a jagged breath from its mouth as it squeezed onto his shoulder with a grip that felt as if two boulders had pinned his shoulder.

    "--Gh!"

    All it took was a pinch of its index finger and thumb to shatter his shoulder--vicle, scap, and humerus. The sword he held slipped from his hands as he sumbed to the pain, screaming out in agony as the minotaur ground its fingers against his shattered shoulder, allowing the fragments of bone tear into his flesh.

    He held his breath as sweat evacuated from his pores, focusing his reinforcement into his leg as he kicked the minotaur in its abdomen, pressing his foot as deep as he could against its belly before it finally released its grip.

    Dropping back onto the ground as he held onto his shoulder, his arm drooped down as nothing held it within its pocket of flesh anymore--he had no time to react as a strike in the form of a blur crossed against his stomach, sending him flying back against the back wall.

    Looking down to check the source of the sudden heat radiating from his abdomen, it turned out that the strike wasn''t a punch from the minotaur, but a strike from its axe. Red was all he could make out of his stomach, blood poured from the torn open wound and onto his body, as well as the ground below. It felt likeva pouring out of his gut, producing an endless heat that sent him into a fever.

    --It hurts. It hurts. It hurts.

    His head became light, breathing rapidly as he desperately tried to shove his interior organs that peeked outside back into his body, a futile effort as his entire stomach was left hanging open. It didn''t take long for his hands to be dyed in his own crimson, raising his palms in front of his face as his eyes shook at the sight.

    That festering heat shifted into a cold, his teeth shattering as he watched the beast slowly approach him, dragging its blood-soaked axe along the ground with it. As his own essence of life left his body, so did his will as his own vision became shaky--his head nodding as he attempted to watch the approaching minotaur.

    All he could make out was the faint outline of the creature''s body as it raised its axe into the air, swiping it down over his head before--it was over.

    It was an inexplicable feeling, each strand of himself, every atom that made up "Nakamura Ren" was ced together like a jigsaw puzzle, only being subject to this otherworldly experience through a consciousness that sat between the bulwark concepts of life and death. A radiating warmth manifested with the section he could only refer to as his "center", anchoring these reformed sections together and melding his stranded essence intopletion. All five natural senses were reced by one sense that acted as the simultaneous urrence of sensation, feeling this unnatural husk that limated itself to him be wrapped in ayer of pale, smooth armoryered with pores.

    Each nerve plopped itself within themunity of life within his body, stretching along the surface of his flesh before ingraining within it. The emptiness within his center was soon filled as he felt the surrounding liquid pour inside of him, shaping itself into organs that soon started the process of running his bodily functions once again.

    This was all forgotten as soon as he woke up from his slumber that sat between two immovable realms.

    Surrounded by a body of thick liquid, caressing his body and pushing him upwards as if a million hands were propelling him, his eyes open, immediately met with the sight of a mass of pure crimson.

    "--Pah!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    He spit out the crimson substance from his mouth as he held onto the side of the stone fountain, sitting in a bath of scarlet.

    It was the room he had first started in, sitting in the fountain of liquid that resembled arterial fluid.

    "What happened?"

    The memories were foggy as a result of his throbbing headache, feeling as if his brain was battering the interior of his skull. Thinking about it harder, the images of what had happened came back to him--remembering the sight of his own guts strewn out across hisp, the sight of crimson.

    Looking down at the pool of mysterious red liquid he sat in, those recent memories were amplified, causing his stomach to wrench before hurling bile onto the floor in front of him. An intense feeling of nausea echoed from his core, trickling down to his hands and feet that tingled with fading strength.

    As the memories of what had happened previously became clear to him, he reached down, running his hand over his abdomen.

    "It''s fine?"

    --So, this is what the "Pact of Undying" that voice was talking about is?

    He pulled himself out of the fountain of resurrection, wiping the fluid off of his body as his leather armor was now drenched. Rotating his shoulder which had been turned to a sack of skin holding dusted bones, it was back to normal.

    "It even healed my clothes? Convenient��"

    The leather pouches attached to his belt still held the food and gems he brought with him, which confirmed something very important to him.

    --Even if I die, every possession I have on me will carry with me when I''m resurrected. I definitely need to keep my sword in hand, even if I have to die doing it.

    Cautious of the merciless minotaur, he slowly made his way out of the room once more, finding his sword stillying at the spot he had dropped it.

    --Thank the heavens that minotaur isn''t a looter. I just hope it''s not anywhere close.

    It was still an odd sensation to get over for him. He didn''t feel any different from usual, but the concept of being resurrected still conjured an odd feeling in the pits of his stomach.

    "--Either way, I don''t n on dying anymore than I can help. Even if I''m resurrected, that pain is real, the fear, the cold��Iris where are you?"

    He looked into the reflective steel of his sword as he worried for his lostpanion, flipping his de in his hand, he slid it back into the blue scabbard at his hip.

    Turning back to look upon the spot he died--all that remained of was a silhouette of crimson, etched into the stone, slumped over just as he was.

    --I underestimated the warnings they gave about this ce. I''d say...they undersold it, in fact. There''s no point in looming over it now, I have to push forward.

    Besides the anxiety that filled the air as a result of losing so handily to the overwhelming beast-man, the dungeon just felt empty. It was devoid of life, fallingpletely silent except for his own footsteps as he walked down the barren corridor.

    As he pushed deeper into the unknown dungeon, more stains of blood in the shape of people became apparent. Chains draped down from the walls, forcing him to push past the hanging ropes of metal--causing an unavoidable ruckus to be made.

    The corridor was lined with rusted cells, beds formed of blood-stained wood without a hint of a mattress.

    --A prison? In the trial? Just what is this ce, really?

 Chapter 98 - Realization Of Hell

    Ren came to a stop as a distinct noise met his ear, focusing as the noise became clear as the sound of chewing became clear to him.

    --The minotaur? No, I don''t feel that same pressure--I forgot that that minotaur was probably the "boss" of this floor, so there are bound to be goons.

    Quietly, he slid Belus from its scabbard, moving forward slowly as he inched closer to the source of the chewing sounds, originating from one of the cells up ahead.

    He stopped once more, this time because had remembered something--a tool specific for this sort of situation.

    --Even if I have a good idea where it is, I shouldn''t cut any corners when I can check precisely.

    Kneeling down, Ren pressed the palm of his glove-d hand against the stone ground, closing his eyes for a moment as he garnered his focus.

    "Araphel: Particle Shade."

    He uttered the incantation under his breath to maintain his secrecy, conjuring an extremely thin shadowy mist that traveled through the corridor, stretching into the cells. The subtle darkness he emitted acted as an extension of his senses, feeling anything that the shade came into contact with, even down to the rhythm of a heartbeat.

    The vague chewing he had listened to before sounded now as if it was just against his ear, hearing the heavy breathing of the creature as his scouting shadows found the creature.

    --Two cells up, to the left.

    Standing up and releasing the spell, he took each stride with caution, keeping one hand on the handle of his de and the other hand prepared to fling a spell. Even if he knew where the creature sat, he had no inclination of what the nature of it was.

    Ren stopped just before reaching the cell, the iron bars had been ripped open, jutting out as if something had crashed through them from the interior. A single breath into his lungs is all he took with him before shifting in front of the cell to confront the lurking creature.

    --What the��

    It was a mass of a ck, slimy substance in the shape of a humanoid with extremely long,nky legs, hunched over as it shoveled something into its unseen mouth. The creature stopped as it heard Ren''s footsteps, keeping its back facing him before it slowly turned to meet him face to face.

    Attached to what should be its head, the creature bore the face of an infant, releasing a high-pitched cry of a baby as it saw Ren. Although it cried out with its face unmistakable from a human infant''s, the way it quickly stood up, twisting its body around, it oozed with hostility.

    "You''re fucking creepy!"

    Ren made a joke in an attempt to force the air of fear away, but it failed as the creature began to step towards him. Each step it took left a trail of dark goo that seemed to wriggle about if each part of it was a living organism.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It didn''t take much thought for him toe to the conclusion not to let any of that slimy substance touch his skin, backing away to put more distance between him and the lumbering baby-faced creature. Coating himself in magical energy, he engaged the nightmarish entity with his sword in hand before cutting away at it, slicing directly through the middle of its cylinder-like body.

    His de had no trouble cutting through the creature, but just as quick as he bisected it, it reattached itself without any hindrance shown to it.

    "--Shit!"

    Performing a heavy sh like that brought him close enough to smell the creature, the aroma that gave sewers a run for their money had saved him--as his body instinctually recoiled in disgust, dodging backwards as the creature swept its arm forward.

    It continued to cry out, its wailing shifting into an ear-piercing screech as it thrashed about after missing its target, colliding with the hanging chains.

    "It''s so loud...It''s going to bring that damn minotaur right to me!"

    The creature didn''t seem to be focusing on him now, throwing a tantrum as it bashed its body against the wall, iling its arms about before releasing a stream of ck bile from the crying mouth on its head.

    Coating the dangling links of steel with the mysterious substance, the dark slime began to rust the metal as if sucking the life out of it.

    --I''ve got to kill it, and quick! If my de went right through that ck goo like nothing, then maybe that baby head is the weakness? I don''t know how I feel about cutting a baby''s face...but I don''t have much of a choice here.

    Charging forward, he swung his sword back behind him to garner all of the momentum he could before swinging it directly at the source of the fervent crying. A thinyer of dark reinforcement coiled around the steel, a result of the extensive reinforcement training instilled into him by Sora.

    This time, he could distinctly feel a resistance against his de, cutting through flesh and bone before fullymitting to the strike--severing the head into two.

    It seemed his guess was right, as after the head had been destroyed, the ck goo that made up the rest of its body hardened into a solid rock-like substance before scattering into dust.

    "--Shit��"

    Ren dropped down onto the ground, catching his breath as he attempted to burn away the sensation of cutting through the skull that felt no different from a human.

    "Just what the hell did I get myself into, Meinhard��?"

    Leaning his head against the wall behind him, he looked up at the ceiling as he waited for his heartbeat to settle into a lull once more.

 Chapter 99 - Round Two

    Moved onward out of paranoia that the recent outburst of noise caught the attention of the roaming minotaur, Ren left the ustrophobic corridor of cells. The next room was barren, darker than any previous room as only a faint torch kept the small chamber lit, holding only a single wooden chest in the center.

    --This really is starting to resemble a RPG dungeon...minus the part with being disemboweled by a minotaur.

    "That totally doesn''t reek of being a trap."

    Every cell in his body told him not to open the chest, but the door that led to the next area was sealedpletely shut, to the conclusion that opening the chest likely would open the next path.

    It was less of a door and more of a b of smooth stone, unmoving even after a few kicks to test its strength.

    "Here goes nothing!"

    He confronted the ominous chest and reached down, flinging open the lid of the chest before jumping back, expecting something inside to reach out for him.

    Standing on guard for a solid few seconds��nothing happened. He slowly inched over the chest, peering into it as he checked the contents it held.

    Sitting inside the enigmatic chest was a lever, the bottom of the container was cut out, leading to the chest itself being connected to the flooring.

    "This chest is really ying with my emotions here."

    Forced into another daunting situation, he slowly wrapped his fingers around the stone lever, gulping down his worries before pulling it back.

    A "click" was heard in response to the pull, the boulder of a door began to rumble before slowly retreating up to reveal the exit of the room.

    "Really? Is that really it? Notining��"

    Moving forward past the newly unsealed exit, the next area he found himself in stretched wide, holding three different doors on each side of the tall standing walls.

    Spots of crimson were imprinted onto the floors and walls, sending a chill down his spine.

    ��Those spots can only mean death isn''t far from here.

    Looking up, the ceiling was hidden by shadows, leaking down murky droplets of water. At the very least, it seemed danger wasn''t imminent. His stomach rumbled, causing him to sit down on a b of fallen stone before retrieving the pouch tied to his belt, pulling out a piece of stiff bread.

    Finding his appetite was difficult with the overwhelming musk that filled the dungeon''s air, but without filling his body with nutrients��pushing onward would be suicide.

    Pressing his teeth into the bread, he had to use all of his jaw strength to carve through the stiff, crunchy exterior.

    After finishing the less than savory meal, he took a gulp of water down his throat from his canteen before getting back up with a stretch. A yawn left his mouth, outside of his control.

    "I didn''t even consider how I''m going to handle sleeping...I don''t expect this to be a short venture."

    ��Beatrice told me this could at least take a few months, but seeing how I performed against that bull-man��I don''t know.

    Faced with three paths to try, none looked weing. A choice didn''t need to be made, however, as a familiar thud resounded through the dungeon.

    All of that confidence he possessed through his small victories came crashing down as he shakily unsheathed his weapon.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "��Took your sweet time."

    From the doorway that sat directly across where he stood, beyond the darkness that veiled the beast''s presence��he could sense it. The ear-grating squeal of the minotaur''s axe being dragged across the ground filled his hearing as he waited, full of anxiety.

    The steam-like hot air that emitted from the beast''s nostrils became visible before its body, its heavy-hooves steps bringing it into the room.

    "Round two."

    This time, he met the monster on an equal ying field, this time in a chamber with vast space that wouldn''t inhibit the battle.

    A few bright, burning torches illuminated the space with an orange tinge, leaving nothing of the minotaur to the imagination. It was minuscule, but the slight changes fromst time settled the fear etched into his body.

    As if responding to him, the colossal beast formed of muscle and savagery let out a roar that shook the walls, as well as Ren''s grip on the handle of Belus.

    With the beastly roar, its malice rang through the chambermencing the second battle between the two.

    "Araphel: ckout."

    A sh of ck consumed the entirety of the stone battlefield for a moment, dissipating as it left the minotaur in a frozen state as its senses had been robbed from it.

    ��Sight. Touch. Hearing. Smell. Taste. ckout brings these senses into a temporary void.

    Taking advantage of his opponent''s hazed state, he rushed towards it with his de coated in magical energy.

    Even halted by the absence of senses, being near the beast brought him into a territory of fear��feeling the heat that emanated from its body before he swung his sword against its midsection.

    As he had feared, the de bounced right off of its herculean hide, questioning if he had actually struck an iron wall. A twitch of the beast''s hand marked the spell''s effect ending��much sooner than he had expected.

    "Dunkel: Shadowstep��!"

    There wasn''t a moment to spare as he released the incantation, his body dissolving into a shadow before reappearing behind the beast as it missed its heavy swing.

    The force generated by the swing felt as if the monster had cast wind magic, kicking up dust and sediment as Ren thanked his own reaction time for him still being in one piece.

    Instead of a sh, he opted for a stab this time, pushing his body forward as he used his sword as ance. It pushed past the surface of its skin but stopped against the solid muscles thatid underneath.

    The sturdy muscles pinched the tip of the de as he attempted to pull it.

    ��Are you kidding me? It''s literally flexing on me! I''m going to be crowned the king of Britain if I pull this sword out!

    Using an amplified reinforcement, he yanked the sword loose before dashing out of the minotaur''s range as it swung around for a quick swing of its massive, obsidian axe.

    Missing its swings, a visible rage overcame the already bloodlusted creature as steam blew from its nose. Veins bulged against its skin, dragging one hoof against the ground as it prepared to charge��lowering its head.

    "Oh crap."

 Chapter 100 - Agonizing Conclusion

    The two horns it disyed werences of their own, dyed with the blood of past warriors who had fallen to it.

    Releasing forward with its sturdy legs propelling it, the minotaur charged forward with monstrous speed, shattering the stone where it stood.

    "Dunkel: Shad��"

    Before he could utter the incantation, the man-bull collided with him as he used his sword as a makeshift shield. The collision drove his own de into his chest, cutting into his pec as he bit his own lip to hold the pain in during the struggle. Both horns were being held back only by the trembling grip he had on his sword, wrapping his leather-d fingers tightly around the handle.

    "...Araphel: Weaken!"

    Shouting out the spell''s call in desperation, a darkness coiled around the minotaur''s body, settling onto its skin.

    As the spell took hold of its target, the beast became noticeably weaker, making the battle between its horns and Ren''s sword much closer than before.

    ��It still feels like I''m holding back a train, but it''s manageable!

    Using the little breathing room he managed to form by pushing the monster back slightly, Ren ducked to the side��causing the minotaur to crash into the wall. Its dense, blood-seeking horns pierced the damp stone, the impact vibrating through the entirety of the partition.

    Preparing to follow up with a higher-density strike of his de, his leg didn''t move forward, causing him to nearly trip over.

    "Huh?!"

    Looking down, a ck substance was wrapped around his shin, dissolving his gray trousers at the touch. The familiar wriggling and wreathing of the goo quickly brought him to an answer��turning his head to confirm it.

    That same uncanny, pale face of an infant attached to a body of ck sludge, with its arm outstretched like a rope around his leg.

    ��Shit! I didn''t consider any others jumping in during this!

    The minotaur had its death-antlers lodged into the stone still, shaking its head aggressively as it tried to pull itself loose, rumbling the wall it was attached to.

    ��It''s not going to take long for that bull to get loose. I''ve got to handle this now.

    "Dunkel: Piercer!"

    A spear of darkness was shot towards the wailing creature of sludge, aimed directly for its face, only to be intercepted by a giant mouth opening up from its chest. The newly formed mouth swallowed up the ck spear, releasing a fit of high-pitchedughter.

    "Bad move��Araphel: Detonation!"

    A slight glow made itself visible through the sludge-like body of the creature before an explosion erupted from within it, blowing apart its body as its baby faceunched into the air.

    As its grip on his leg loosened, Ren burst towards it before leaping into the air, taking a deep breath before he swiftly sent his de cleanly through the unsettling core of the creature as it wailed out.

    Interrupting hisnding, the minotaur has already broken free��charging once again towards Ren with malicious intent.

    "��!"

    Through his shoulder, one of the horns pierced him. He became an ornament for the bull, being dragged through the air as it charged forward as he grabbed onto the dense bone in an attempt to set himself free.

    Hooked into the air, hanging by his shoulder��even with the adrenaline of battle pumping through his veins, pain took no mercy on him. He attempted to fling a spell directly against the bull''s scarred snout, only making it angrier before it mmed him against the grimy wall.

    The impact traveled through his body, sending a sharp pain through his entire skeleton. As the minotaur pulled away, its ivory spike sliding out of his shoulder as a stream of blood shot out from the gaping hole left above his arm.

    Flooding out, the crimson fluid that left his body began toe out in a dark, ck as it squirted out from the wound. It didn''t take long for his head felt as light as a feather, narrowly rolling to the side before the minotaur stomped his skull on with its massive, obsidian hoof.

    Witnessing the weight and lower behind the attempted stomp sent a cold through his body.

    ��My brains would''ve been stered on the wall if that kicknded.

    As the minotaur turned to him with its bulging, crimson eyes, its teeth disying past its ck gums, he cast the spell out of desperation.

    "Araphel: ckout��!"

    Releasing from his outstretched hand, the temporary darkness swallowed the room for a moment, devouring the senses of his opponent just in time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Quickly, he stood himself up, nearly tripping over the puddle of blood that formed from the hole above his arm. Strength was rapidly fleeing from his body, unable to move his right arm anymore as blood dripped from his limp fingertips.

    Raising Belus once more with only one hand, the room began to wobble, the floors shaking as if they were subtle waves flowing through water. It felt as if gravity itself was twirling around his body, giving him gentle pushes as if trying to knock him over.

    --Ah...it''s not the room. It''s...my vision.

    He didn''t realize it until just then when crashed against the wall, his head took the brunt of the impact. Ren could feel the liquid flow from his scalp and into his hair, leaking down into his sclera as his vision was dyed in crimson.

    --Am I going to fall again? Without so much as putting a scratch on this damned thing? Even if death is temporary, that pain--the pain of defeat sticks with me. I have to find her. I have to find her. I can''t waste time like this.

    Ren forced himself to stand up straight, sheathing his sword with one hand as the other stillid at his side, leaking blood onto the already dirty stone below.

    --I may resurrect, but the same can''t be said for this thing here, right? Any injuries it may sustain before my death... might just be permanent. Then even if it isn''t now, even if victory isn''t this time or the next, or a hundred tries from now--I can grasp it. I''ll use it, both my life and the magic taught to me.

    "Hear me...Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night...Destruction."

    His eyelids became encumbered, desperately holding them open as he felt his knees wobble under his body as strength abandoned him in the loss of his own lively essence.

    --Not yet...I can still...

    Before the next part of the incantation could leave his lips, a stream of blood shot out from his throat and onto the ground below him. It felt as if his throat was tearing itself apart from the inside, the crimson tinge of the liquid shifting into a ck as it spewed out from within himself.

    --Poison��? Its horns��?

    Brought down to his knees as his legs fell to null, his entire bodying over with shakes from the cold augury of death that overcame him. He became as pale as snow, his lips losing their color as they shifted to a pale blue, trembling as his own consciousness began to flicker.

    Once again, the sight of the lumbering beast stepping towards him filled his blurred gaze.

    "I''ll be back...even if it takes...one more time...or a hundred--"

    Before he could conjure the weak words from his body that were tearing itself apart from the inside, the minotaur raised its heavy hoof into the air before mming it directly against the top of his head. A gut-wrenching crunch was both heard and felt, watching as a chunk of his own skull fell from his bashed head.

    --Why...am I still conscious...or alive for that matter?

    Even though he was conscious, he began to convulse from the brutal impact driven into his head. In his hazy, hindered thought--he came to the conclusion that this was the working of the unknown poison thatthered the bull''s horns.

    --Why? Why does something like this exist? Simply...to be cruel?

    All he could do is watch from the corner of his eye as heid against the cold stone below, shaking uncontrobly before the unforgiving monster dropped its instrument of agony in the form of a hoof down once more, shattering his knee as if it were a piece of chalk.

    The pain wasn''t dulled, if anything--it was heightened, yet he could not scream through his lungs which did not listen, nor his lips that had no strength to move.

    --I want to scream. I want to yell out. I want to cry.

    Another stomp to the same knee left it hanging by nothing more than a strand of tattered flesh from the knee down.

    Every moment that passed, he questioned why he was still alive. He begged for his body to give out, or at the very least, for his consciousness to shut down. It had every opportunity to kill him in one blow--yet it didn''t. The cruel beast held a smile across its scarred lips as it rained down upon him a shower of agony.

    --Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Kill me. Please, kill me. End it already. Just, end it.

    He didn''t keep track of time, only feeling as if he was stuck in an eternity of torment under the foot of the beast. The pain and heat were spread out throughout his body to the point that he couldn''t even pinpoint what was left of himself.

    Blood hadpletely dyed his sclera into bloodshot, only seeing ck from the left side as he recalled the beast bringing its hoof down against that side of his head.

    --"Why am I still alive?" I''ve lost count of how many times I asked that to myself now. I think...I''m starting to understand the nature of this trial. It isn''t meant to nurture those seeking strength, elevating them into strong warriors.

    It''s a sick game. Whatever, or whoever created this trial wanted only to bring pain and despair to humans. No sane being could design something like this.

    He questioned how he could even feel pain at this point, his nerves had to have been erased and turned into mush by the constant tramping brought down upon them. Watching as the wretched bull raised its leg into the air above him once more, its hoof had beenpletely soaked in crimson, with bits of skin and flesh hanging from the sides.

    It was brought down directly atop his gaze--marking the end of that life as he swore to the gods that he would return the favor to the beast.

 Chapter 101 - The Mysterious Merchant

    Crawling out from the bath of blood again like a newborn being brought into the world, he couldn''t stop himself from shaking as he fell back to the ground; bile seeping from the edges of his mouth before spitting it out onto the grimy stone.

    The pain was still fresh in his mind, the unbearable agony he suffered was carved into his flesh as a reminder of the despair inflicted upon him. Running his hand over his cheeks and into his hair, gripping his locks--tears escaped his eyelids.

    His jaw sent his teeth into a constant tremble as they chattered together, rocking back and forth as the torturous moments stayed at the forefront of his mind. What amplified this instilled fear was the very fact that there was no escape from it; no choice was left to him but to fight that beast until the moment he prevailed, if that moment were to evere.

    --Is this the price of strength? If this is just the start, what will be of me by the end? Will I even be "Nakamura Ren" anymore, or just a husk that discarded his emotions in order to gain power?

    As the flow of tears finally stopped after a few minutes of silence, he hesitantly stood himself up, dragging himself out of the starting room before instantlying to a pause at the sight of the room before him.

    He knew for sure that the room had previously been somber, covered with tall standing pirs and weathered crates. The room that existed before him now was but a walkway, with two seemingly bottomless pits running parallel along the stone path.

    All that sat in the distance was the faint glow of the end of the mysterious room.

    --Am I going crazy, or did the room changepletely?

    A draft rose up from the dark chasms, causing his step toe down in a wobble before he started to slowly move forward.

    As soon as he began his journey forward through the long, narrow stretch, the draft seemed to pick up in intensity. The stone path that stood above the chasm was wide enough only for himself, with the wind brushing against him, a wide step would be made impossible, unless he nned on falling into the hollow darkness that awaited below.

    Howling and whistling, the enigmatic winds called for him as he kept his arms up to maintain his bnce, cing one foot in front of the other. His heart felt as if it were going to explode as he ced his foot down, the stone step beneath slipping out of ce as he narrowly managed to maintain his bnce. Ren watched with a throbbing heart as the loose b of stone fell off of the thin path, disappearing into the chasm below.

    If there was one singr thing keeping him moving forward, it was the constant thought of Iris roaming through his mind. Imagining the minotaur''s wickedness getting a hold of her, if it didn even a quarter of what was inflicted on Ren--it was an unimaginable thought that he wanted to prevent.

    Reaching the end of the somber pathway, he slowly approached the vibrantly lit room that sat waiting for him.

    "Oh? I felt the floor rearrange itself, but I didn''t expect it to bring you here this quickly."

    A hoarse, scratchy voice called out to him from within the next room, quickly drawing his attention to it. Ren was quick to ce his hand on his sheathed de out of instinct, finally setting his gaze on the source of the words.

    "Woah, there! Calm down, I''m a harmless merchant, just look at me!"

    The enigmatic man raised his arms to disy they were nothing but grime-covered bones, as was seemingly the rest of his body, which was wrapped in a light-brown robe.

    "A skeleton��?"

    "The name is Gggher, but Bones, or Skelly, is fine by me."

    The pile of living bones by the name of "Gggher" sat in the center of the room, surrounded by wares of all kinds: gems, trinkets, weapons, and even potions. Lining the walls were even more tools of malice hanging on disy.

    "I''m not an enemy, Mr��?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ren."

    "Ren! A unique name, never heard it before. As you can see, I am a merchant--and these are my beautiful wares."

    Gggher moved his arms through the air as he presented the selection of tools to the still cautious young man. Sensing the paranoia from Ren, the skeletal merchant gave him words of reassurement.

    "Don''t worry, that monster--Asterius--isn''t near. By the look in your eye, I can see he didn''t grant you any mercy? He never does."

    "Asterius? Do you mean that bull-man-thing?"

    Answering his confusion, Gggher nodded his head to confirm the identity of the monstrous foe that had inflicted death upon him twice now.

    "Tell me...What the hells is this ce? The rooms��"

    "Ah, I can answer that for you,d. I''m sure you at least know this is the very first floor of the Purgatory Temple. As the domain which Asterius wanders and protects, it has coined the name of the "ck Labyrinth" for its evershifting nature, each time one falls to death, the roomspletely change order."

    Flipping a ck gem above his bony fingers, Gggher exined the origins of the floor that currently resided in, stroking the silver beard that somehow existed on his chin consisting only of bone.

    "Now,e, rx for a moment! I''m sure there are more questions that need answering."

    There wasn''t a hint of malice he could sense from the mysterious being, so he decided to seat himself down in front of the merchant.

    "I''m guessing you''re curious about the identity of one such as myself?"

    "--Yeah, I am."

    Ren nodded his head, d that he didn''t have to ask that question himself.

    "It was a long, long time ago...so long, that I don''t even remember!"

    Releasing a fit of hoarseughter from his non-existent throat, Gggher pped the top of his own skull. As he quieted down, the shadowy sockets that harbored no eyeballs looked at Ren.

    "I suppose there are only so many memories that can be remembered. It''s a miracle I even know my own name still! Still, I can tell you how I wound up in this peculiar situation!"

    "How''s that��?"

    "It''s faint, but I do remember making it to the third floor."

 Chapter 102 - Indulge My Bones

    "The third?! You must''ve been incredibly powerful!"

    Ren''s mouth fell agape at that information, imagining the strength required to push past the first floor, let alone the second.

    "Wait--then that means you defeated Asterius, right? Then how--"

    "Of course, the guardians of this temple are under a simr pact as those who take the trial. Even if killed in battle, Asterius will rise again to protect the floor from the next challenger."

    "I see��"

    It was scary to think a powerful entity like that was almost a constant force in this world. Imagining the amount of blood on the beast''s hands sent a shiver up Ren''s spine.

    "As I was saying, I did indeed make it to the third floor...but after countless deaths, I gave in. I had already epted death, true death. However...a new pact was given to me. To serve as a new merchant within the temple. I don''t think the cruel gods that spectate thisnd of horrors thought of it as a mercy for humans, but simply a new means of entertainment for them."

    Gggher continued to stroke his long, silver beard between his skeletal fingers as he spoke softly with his deep, wise voice.

    "So...these items��"

    Ren''s gaze fell upon the disy of trinkets, glistening with their value as they rested on a violet carpet between him and the merchant.

    "Ah, yes, well, these can be bought with a special currency found within the temple,d," Gagher reached into therge brown bag sitting beside him, pulling out a scarlet shard, "A "Crimson Coin", they call it. You can find them stored in treasure scattered around the temple, mostly from theirs of guardians. Not an easy thing toe by, but I assure you--these wares without a doubt will be a necessity to you."

    After finishing his exnation, the pleading, puppy-dog look in Ren''s hazel eyes asked, "How about for free?", earning a sigh from Gggher as he ced the crimson coin back into the pouch.

    "Sorry,d, but I''m under a contract not to give away my items for free. All of these you see before you are what''s left behind of those who have failed the trial, I have to collect these myself, and let me tell you--even if I''m an official part of this temple, the monsters don''t seem to know that!"

    Gggher released another fit of roughughter that rang through the chamber. Noticing the defeated look in the young man''s eyes now, the merchant let out another sigh.

    "You''re wee to use this ce as a safe haven, though. I''ve also got a nice stock of food--neither of us have to eat, but it doesn''t mean the pains of hunger go away!"

    "Really? I can stay here?"

    "Only for three days time. Any longer, and the Pact of Undying will recognize your sloth as a resignation from the trial. You don''t want that."

    The skeletal merchant stood up, straightening his robes as his joints cracked before he walked over to the corner of the room that inhabited a quilted nket and pillow, "You can rest here. I''ll fetch you a meal,d."

    "--Thank you, really."

    As soon as Ren was in range of the bed, he dropped down onto it, letting out a breath that expelled the overflowing stress burdening his spirit.

    "So, what brings you to the trial? It''s not often one actually goes through with taking such an arduous challenge. I''d say I see one adventurer per year enter the temple."

    Gggher made his way to the other side of the tranquil chamber, grabbing a y bowl before dipping it into a bag of rice.

    "Strength. I want to be stronger."

    "Well, this is certainly a ce to garner strength, but I can''t say it is very arthodox. Besides forcing yourself to adapt to the troubling monstrosities waiting within the trial, I''m sure what you really seek is the "Primordial Blessing", isn''t it?"

    Thosest few words left Gggher''s hollow mouth with a certain suave, making his way over to the enormous cauldron sitting in the room. Ren sat up, watching the merchant conjure a source of water with magic, then lighting a fire beneath the pot with a tool.

    "Primordial Blessing?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Huh? I doubt you entered the trial without knowing of that. It is the reward forpleting the trial, a bestowment from the old gods."

    "Oh, I think I heard of something like that."

    The sizzling of boiling water meeting the dry grains of rice filled the still air, a cloud of steam rising from the ck cauldron as Gggher followed the rice with a random assortment of vegetables sitting near the cauldron.

    "It''s all rumor, really...I''ve only heard talk of the true nature of the blessing from those who have passed by, I can''t say if any have passed or not. However, it seems the general consensus is--the blessing bestowed upon those who clear the trial, are chosen by them."

    "So "Power" is within the realm of possibility then?"

    "Likely."

    Hearing some sort of confirmation, Ren felt a refreshing vigor flow through his veins as for the first time since entering this ursed temple--something good hade to him. Even so, it was hard to sit still with the looming issue still present in his head.

    "I''ve just got one question."

    "What is it,d?"

    Gggher stirred the pot with adle, conjuring a pleasant aroma into the room as he responded to Ren without turning back.

    "Have you seen a girl recently? Blue hair, same age as me, eyes that match her hair?"

    Pausing for a moment, Gggher raised a hand to his chin as if racking his brain--if he still had one, for an answer. After a few moments, he gently shook his head before resuming his work over the pot of stew.

    "Can''t say I have. After you''ve been here for as long as me, time melds together. All in the past runs through the present for me...so there''s a chance I''ve seen someone like that, but I''ll have to say no."

    Hearing that, he slumped back down on the mattress as his brain seemed to tie itself back into knots worrying about her.

    "If I might ask, who is this girl? Did youe here looking for her?"

    "No, we came here together...Well, I got sucked into the trial first, but I''m sure she entered right after."

    Ren detached the scabbard from his belt, setting his sword down next to him as he sat up against the wall.

    "--I see. That is definitely something seldom seen here. If I were to bet, this is the workings of those who oversee the trial."

    "What do you mean?"

    Hearing Ren''s further probing for answers, Gggher hesitated for a moment, looking side to side to make sure nobody was eavesdropping.

    "There are hard set rules of Purgatory, but there are also things that are...subject to whim by the old gods which spectate this trial. Likely, they didn''t take kindly to two challengers attempting to take the trial together, so they split you two up."

    "So Iris is somewhere on this floor then--?"

    "Not necessarily."

    Ren''s spontaneous excitement was nullified within a moment by Gggher''s interruption, who returned to the cauldron to tend to the supper.

    "There are three main floors that are required to be cleared to ovee this trial, however--that is not to say there aren''t other floors besides those required. It is hard to say where this "Iris" may have wound up, it isn''t impossible to assume they may have even brought her directly to the second floor. It is a feat of insanity to try and understand the way the old gods think."

 Chapter 103 - Knowledge Is Survival

    "Honestly, why was so much information left out before I came here? All of this would''ve been helpful to know!"

    Gggherughed at the disy of pouting from the tired young man, retrieving a serving of the freshly cooked stew into the bowl he held before bringing it to Ren, who epted it with a "Thanks."

    "So...the minotaur--"Asterius", right? He''s not going to just randomly show up here right?"

    Before he could lift the wooden spoon to his lips, Ren needed to have that question answered. It would be impossible to enjoy a meal and rx with the ever present fear of the minotaur lurking in his mind.

    "Worry not--as I said, this is a safe haven,d. The seals on the exits there, they prevent anything from entering--except from the door you came from, but it''s impossible for Asterius to enter that way."

    "Wait, so once I leave--that''s it? I can''te back?"

    "Unfortunately so, until you die that is. I don''t think you n on dying though, but keep that in mind!"

    Ignoring Gggher''s new fit ofughter, Ren brought the spoon to his lips, bringing the warm, fresh soup into his mouth. Swallowing the steamed meal into his throat, it glided through his body like a sample of paradise.

    "How''s it? I''ve had a long time to hone my culinary skills down here!"

    "Great!"

    The unrequited kindness disyed by the skeletal merchant was contrary to what Ren expected of a merchant--imagining the stereotypical, greasy money-grubber who wouldn''t even give up a warm dish without payment. It was easy toe to the conclusion that the man he saw before him, who was a husk of his original self--was lonely.

    --Should I tell him I''m an otherworlder? If he''s from Mastorn...then there is a good chance he''ll probably just hate me.

    In fact, the kindness and hospitality that exuded from Gggher made his unorthodox appearance seempletely normal, the sight of his bare bones became a natural, if soothing sight.

    "Gramps Gggher."

    "Pah! I may be centuries old at this point, but my soul is young,d!"

    Gggherughed at the new title bestowed onto him by his guest. The merchant sat himself next Ren, holding an olive tinted bottle in his hand as he popped the cork off.

    "You can drink? Won''t that��"

    "Go through my bones? You''d think so! But being a pile of ol'' bones isn''t that bad, I have runes to keep what I put inside me there."

    With that, Gggher didn''t hesitate to empty half the bottle into his body within moments, releasing a satisfied breath after setting the bottle back down. After chowing down multiple servings of the stew, the unavoidable concept of drowsiness fell upon Ren''s body as a yawn exited his lips.

    "I guess I''ll call it a night��"

    Renid back, pressing his head down against the cushion below as he adjusted into afortable position.

    "Actually...I have one more question."

    "Bah, you''ve got a lot of questions,d. I don''t me you though, ask away."

    "--"Asterius", do you have any tips on dealing with that thing? It seems like nothing I do can even hurt it in the slightest. Sword or magic, nothing works��"

    The question brought momentary silence from Gggher, who sat himself on a scarlet cushion, stroking his beard in one hand as he took a sip from his bottle of alcohol.

    "Asterius, huh? Due to the nature of that monster''s innate ability...I''m hard-pressed to find any clear weaknesses with it."

    "It''s innate ability? What is it?"

    In his two encounters with the beast, it disyed nothing rting to magical talent, so the thought of it possessing an innate ability--the height of magic--was something that didn''t cross his mind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "--"System of The Forgotten", that is the ability unique to Asterius. Like the other floor guardians of this temple, he is a being of forgotten myth, a husk of his former self, used as a tool. This ability of his--it is indeed a cruel one, a perfect ability for this trial."

    Gggher''s tone had dropped as he recalled the power possessed by the monstrous entity, his bony fingers visibly trembling against the ss bottle he held.

    "Through battle, Asterius adapts, growing stronger and crueler as time passes. Any injury inflicted upon him makes his skin tougher, every swing he makes will sharpen his blows."

    "You''re joking...that means��"

    "Indeed. The Asterius I defeated long ago is nothing but an infantpared to the one of present."

    Knowing this, Ren felt his blood run cold--realizing just how unfair this trial truly was. It was the very first obstacle set in front of him, and it was made to be impossible.

    --I''m an idiot. If I did manage to use my great magic on it back then...it would''ve adapted to it. I would''ve set myself on a path to suicide. If it''s really been as long as Gramps here thinks--hundreds of years, then it''s really spent all of that time in battle, growing past its limits time and time again.

    "This is the first floor, right? I don''t get it--why did whoever designed this thing make it impossible? What''s the point of it being a "trial" if it''s not even expected to be cleared?"

    "That''s the nature of these old gods, Ren. Forgotten by humanity, all of their devout followers fell to their mortality--ushering in a new age of gods that sealed the ones of old away here, in this dimension of nightmares."

    Finishing off the entire bottle without even a droplet left to sit at the bottom, Gggher let out a belch that ran through his bones.

    "--Due to this, many of these reced gods became spiteful, turning more into demons than gods--malevolent beings who want nothing more than to punish the mortals they once cherished and protected. That''s why this trial is as cruel as it is--a punishment for those who are forced to bare their ancestors'' sin before these cruel divinities. However, those who pass--this is just a hunch, any who im victory of the trial are seen as humans worthy of these spiteful deities'' blessings. Some want the unparalleled strength gifted by these gods, or knowledge of forgotten magical arts...or some,e in hopes of resurrecting those they''ve lost."

    "--What?"

    Thatst part caught Ren''s attention, who quickly hid his surprise by lowering his gaze. With just that one word--it felt as if his entire world had flipped.

    --Meinhard.

    The very first and only thing to fill his mind as the concept of resurrection met his ears. Shaking his head to rid himself of the thought temporarily, he looked up at the merchant.

    "How do you know all of this anyway?"

    "Hoho. A businessman can''t expose his trade secrets, now can he?"

    Somehow, Gggher''s own jokes always seemed to manifest unstoppable fits ofughter from within him, pping his own knee as if it were a drum and his bony arm was a stick.

    "Now, get some rest, will you? Those bags under your eyes aren''t healthy! Even if you''re immortal within the bounds of this ce, sleep deprivation is still a killer! Baha!"

    "--What about you? Aren''t you going to sleep?"

    "Lad, I''m a pile of bones."

    "Right."

    With that, Ren pulled the silken nket over his body and closed his eyes, relieving himself to the temporary safe haven. The cackling of mes stemming from the torches that guided light into the room was present.

    --Ah, this sound. It takes me back to the good old days before I was a shut-in--just a brat going camping with his family, listening to the mes as the sweet smell of toasted marshmallows flowed into my nose. Now look where I am. Weird, isn''t it? I wonder what you''re doing, Mom, Dad��

    After a tiring wee to the Purgatory Trial, falling into slumber came easy. It was different from any other sleep he had put himself through--there was a distinct difference between the normal state of slumber he had experienced all of his and that within the trial.

    He was conscious, or rather, he was aware--Ren could feel his own body recharge through slumber,ying in what felt like a sea of colorless liquid, devoid of stress. Soon this sea of liquid shifted into an ocean of golden clouds, carrying his body with thefort of divine embrace. Each particle of the fluffy, gilded clouds caressed his tired pores, kneading and reshaping his exhaustion into energy.

 Chapter 104 - Set Forth Into Darkness

    Time felt as if it didn''t exist in this realm of rest, only a still flow carrying the tides of divine skies across his body before--he opened his eyes.

    "Morning. Well, time of day doesn''t really exist here."

    Gggher sat in the same spot on the cushion near Ren, ying with the silver hair that extended from his sharp chin.

    "--Did you watch me sleep the entire time?"

    "Not much else to do."

    "Okay...How long was I out for?"

    Ren asked, feeling as if he only got a wink of rest in before his eyes had shot back open. Even so, his body feltpletely rested.

    "I am the wrong person to ask in regards to time,d. Minutes, hours, days--it mostly feels the same to me. If I were a guessing skeleton, I''d say you got...a good few hours?"

    "Thanks��"

    He could tell Gggher pulled the answer out of thin air, but it felt about right anyway. Standing himself up, he stretched each of his limbs, cracking his joints as he fully woke himself up.

    "I''d stay here the full three days, if I were you."

    "Gramps?"

    It left Gggher''s mouth from seemingly nowhere as he watched Ren get up from his temporary bed and stretch.

    "I understand that being separated from yourpanion has likely left your heart full of impatience, but if you act rashly--Asterius will thrive off of your shorings."

    "--," Ren fell silent for a moment before taking a deep breath, "...You''re right."

    Using the two and a half day''s worth of time given to him within the safe haven, Ren used it to properly hone his senses and visualize Asterius.

    "You really still remember how to use a sword and magic, Gramps?"

    "Of course I do! As an adventurer, those very skills were carved into my flesh--well, soul! I just can''t use magic anymore in the state that I am, but it''s still in the noggin,d!"

    Gggher tapped his finger against his skull, a hollow clunk emitting from the tapping. Standing there with his de drawn, the old skeleton offered to give him lessons of his own regardingbat.

    --Looking at him now, he doesn''t look like much, but I can''t deny...He was someone who managed to reach the third floor. In his prime, I bet he was someone on the level of an Argonaut. I better ept his guidance.

    "Show me how you strike with your sword."

    Under Gggher''smand, Ren nodded his head before extending his reinforcement over the steel of his de--raising his arms before bringing the sword back down through the air, unleashing a small gust from the force unleashed.

    "Not bad, not bad. It''s not enough though, even for the Asterius of my day--a cut like that would only break its skin."

    "Then what do I do? Heighten the output of mana into the de?"

    "You''re thinking too broadly,d. Consider what causes magic to thrive in this world--"restriction". With that in mind, what is the best option here?"

    --The best option? "Restriction"?

    Ren looked at his de, running his eyes over the symbols inscribed onto it as he studied every nook and cranny of the sword--evaluating the very concept of a sword.

    "Restriction.", he ran that word through his head over and over, thinking of what he could lose in order to sharpen the strength behind his weapon. Flipping the handle in his hand, he looked over the dull side of the de--a switch then flipped in his head.

    --That''s it!

    Coating his sword with magical energy once again, this time, he focused the extensive reinforcement primarily to the sharp edge of Belus. Rather than wasting power stretching out his mana across the surface of the de and the dull side--it was all condensed to one side.

    "You''re a quick learner! Give it a nice swing!"

    Gggher praised the unexpectedly fast development from Ren, who in response swung his de once more--the air parting as the sharpness of the de cut through the space in front of Ren, leaving a temporary tinge of darkness.

    "That felt...different. I could feel my sword parting the space in front of it. Thanks, Gramps!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    A smile formed across Ren''s lips as he looked at Belus, watching the vapors of dark mana leave the de.

    For the next few hours, with nothing else to do but prepare for the trials ahead--Ren honed this new sharpened reinforcement, with each strike, he engrained this technique into his body.

    "Dark magic though, eh? Can''t say it fits your personality,d."

    "You think so? What''s your affinity?"

    "Can''t recall."

    Stopping for a moment to catch his breath and wipe the sweat from his brow, it started to be natural to him--only concentrating his extended reinforcement to the edge of his de.

    "Tell me, do you possess an innate ability,d?"

    "Urr, I''ve been told I have the potential for it--but it hasn''t really shown itself yet."

    Ren answered him before starting his sword repetitions once more, getting into his stance before he began to strike at the air.

    "Hmm...Well, if you''re certain that you can unlock your innate ability--then that is your strongest asset. Although, telling you to focus on unlocking is easier said than done, it isn''t exactly something you can specifically train for. It just happens."

    "I gotcha."

    Innate abilities were something frequently discussing the theory of magic, with all of that time spent watching the Ounders with their abilities--he began to feel like a kid watching other children y with their brand new toys. In essence--he was envious.

    --Seriously, I''ve died twice now, what more of an activation requirement do I need?

    Another hour of sword swinging came before his empty stomach yearned for another meal in the form of a rumbling groan.

    "How am I even hungry? I thought that wasn''t a thing here��"

    "You can''t die of starvation, but you can still starve!"

    Gagherughed before tossing a potato towards Ren, who dly caught it and subsequently devoured it, nearly choking on it before it made its way to his stomach.

    "��Araphel: Inverse Hand."

    Practicing a spell which he had not yet mastered, an orb of darkness manifested between both of Ren''s hands. Sweat dripped from his forehead as he gave his undivided attention to the sphere before a mass of darkness in the shape of a hand stretched forward from the orb.

    The hand wiggled about, stretching its fingers out and clenching its fist before Ren released the spell, sending the conjured darkness into nothingness.

    "Interesting. Doesn''t seem very powerful, though."

    Ggghermented while watching the rookie train,ying on his side. Moving over to the storage of food ced in one corner of the room, Ren retrieved another light brown potato before biting into it.

    "Not yet. I still haven''t been able to grasp it very well."

    Spending all of his waking time refining his magic and swordsmanship, Ren approached the final hour within the safe haven--faced once again with the prospect of being alone in the unforgiving depths of this trial.

    "Any parting guidance? Advice?"

    Ren adjusted his attire--tightening his gloves over his hands as well as his boots, adjusting the light leather armor that protected most of his body.

    "As an old pile of bones without any inkling of his past, it''s hard to justify giving you any real advice. However--just keep moving forward. The trial wants you to sumb to utter despair, to think what stands before you is an insurmountable mountain--it is not."

    "--Right."

    Ren nodded his head and stepped just before the doorway that led outside of the haven. There was no seal or door that blocked his path, only a slight distortion simr to heat waves that acted as a one-way exit.

    --Once I step outside this door, there''s noing back.

    Taking onest look at Gggher, who gave him a thumbs up with his fleshless finger, Ren smiled and raised his foot--taking a step forward.

 Chapter 105 - Underneath Anxiety

    As soon as he left the safe territory, a veil of darkness covered the exit he walked through, forcing him to move forward towards whatid ahead. It was damp and dark, stretching far and wide, with even the ceiling sitting higher than any previous room. In his approximation, the area he stood in likely reached farther than a standard football field.

    Circr holes resembling sewer drains lined the walls, releasing a flow of murky water into the pools that ran along the domain. Shadows obscured what he could make out of the area, slowly stepping forward as his boots became drenched in theyer of water that ran over the floor.

    The restriction on his own sight as darkness lined the room let unease settle within him--unable to make out if the shadows he saw housed holes in the domain, or if the shadows that moved were hostile entities themselves. As an amateur user of dark magic, his affinity was one of the few that granted no source of light, or the ability to dispel the very darkness he thrived in.

    From what he could see, there wasn''t a door that sat at the end like the other rooms he had encountered--leaving the only pathways to be the tunnels built into the walls. An aggressively rancid smell met his nose as he approached the dank circr pathway nearest to him, nearly gagging as if the stench of spoiled milk and meat was trying to coax what was in his stomach out from his throat.

    Although nothing had urred, he couldn''t shake the uneasiness that sat under his skin--only listening to the sound of water flowing out from the hanging tunnels while surrounded by nothing but his own imagination.

    "Here goes nothing."

    Lifting himself in, Ren stepped into the tunnel-pletely absent of light as darkness waited ahead of him.

    The constant flow of water that travelled down the tunnel seemed to settle, eventuallying to aplete stop as only the residual liquids sat within the cylinder path. With the flow of watering to a still, the only sound in the air were his own steps, trudging through the lukewarm liquid.

    --Weird��

    Ignoring it, Ren slowly continued forward as he watched his step--it was impossible to avoid the grime and unknown, putrid yellow substance that coated the metallic walls, he didn''t want to fully believe it, but his best guess was that it was bile. Even so, the sheer quantity of it made the thought seem impossible, growingrger in quantity the deeper he traversed the tunnel--eventually finding that the entire surface was coated in this mysterious mile.

    Just a slight whiff of it made him lurch, having to urge his own body not to heave as he quickly covered his nose. A faint light sat the end of the tunnel, a dim orange that quickened his step at the sight of it--stomping through the rancid yellow substance as it grew thicker, pulsating as if it were breathing.

    --What the hell is this?!

    Every bone in his body told him to begin running, taking this advice from himself as he sprinted forward--hearing behind him unnatural noises, squelching and thuds against the metal as if something had begun to follow him down the tunnel.

    Ren didn''t dare to look back, feeling eyes burning a hungering gaze into the back of his neck as he threw himself forward, inching closer to the light. Without so much as wasting a second to see what he was leaping into, Renunched himself from the otherside of the tunnel upon reaching the edge, manifesting for himself a harshnding as he rolled against the solid ground below. Driven forward by primal fear, he didn''t bother to reinforce himself in regards to thending, resulting in scraping the skin of his fingertips as blood began to leak from the peeled back skin.

    "Shit...What the hell was that about?"

    Standing himself up and looking back at the tunnel which now was ced a dozen meters above where he stood, he could still faintly sense the presence of whatever began chasing him--but it had halted in its pursuit as soon as he had left.

    Finally setting into the environment he rashlyunched himself into, the sensation of the solid flooring he stood under held a peculiar presence within it--a subtle pulse echoing against the soles of his feet. It was covered with a scarlet material that ran over the stone like veins, faintly pulsating as a translucent liquid secreted from the odd scarlet.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The same veiny ran up the walls that curved around like a silo, along these same walls ran dozens of the same tunnels he came out from--now secreting a crimson sludge and dropping onto the floor he stood on. Such a sight was something not registered into his mind, falling into the likes of which he could only imagine in a dream.

    A howl had suddenly unleashed, causing the ground beneath his feet to vibrate as he looked onwards towards the gate that sat ahead, cast over with a shadow. It wasn''t "beastlike", but more akin to something truly malicious--a demonic entity of sorts. That much was known as the howl that unleashed from its body ran over his body like a wave of violence.

    From the gate that held back the unknown creature, more of the red sludge flowed from the ground, running through the grooves of the stone like a web of rivers.

    "So, this is the "boss" of this area?"

    Ren drew his de from its scabbard, slowly circling around the territory thatid near therge iron gate, hearing a heated, heavy breath blow from behind the somber bars.

    --Everywhere I go in this ce, it feels like everything wants a piece of me.

    The many tunnels that lined the high-reaching walls made him question what his best n of action was in this situation. To him, the obvious choice disyed to him was that beyond the gate that the creature was locked behind, there was likely a reward or pathway of some kind.

    --But, I could opt out of fighting this thing and just take one of the tunnels. Although...if they all inhabit the same type of creature that chased me before...I think I''ll take my chances with what sits behind that gate.

    The choice was made for him, as a thunderous impact against the enigmatic bars resounded through the blood-scented depths he stood in, caving in the bars as they nearly took out the stone that held them in ce as well.

    Whatever it was--malice was what it desired, huffing and puffing heavily as the unseen entity prepared for another charge. Each quake that came from under its step made Ren''s heart pump that much faster, until it came into contact with the gates that sealed it once more--bursting through the bars as they rocketed outwards.

    It stepped out of the shadowy depths it was caged in, walking with its massive, scale-covered fists in front of it like another set of feet. In contrast to its alreadyrge torso, the creature''s arms resembled the size of tree trunks, protected by a set of sharp, scarlet scales that extended to its torso. Its head maintained a sharp shape, cutting down the middle like a de of its own as it looked forward with its ck sclera.

    --I was right. This thing--it isn''t anything like a "beast", it doesn''t seem like an animal to me. This is truly a monster.

    Raising its massive arms, it beat its hammer-like hands against its chest like an enraged gori as it unleashed a mighty call. A long, thick tail wrapped in the same scales as its arms whipped against the ground, cracking the stone under its unrelenting brute strength.

    If he absolutely had to give it something to rte it to--it was like an unholy child born of a gori and a dragon. Thinking about it like that, Ren feareding into contact with those skull-crushing fists it wielded.

    Even so, fear was a conquerable concept, something Ren was bing adept at plunging into the depths of himself, and allowing brazen to step forth into the limelight.

    "--Come on, you amalgamation! I''m feeling like a winner today!"

 Chapter 106 - Today, Im A Winner

    Hearing the boisterous yells of the human who was small inparison, the scaled monster used its fist like crutches, pulling itself forward as it released deep grunts. The weight it brought with it in its rampaging sprint could be felt, lifting the still air from the ground below as it closed the distance between it and Ren.

    Close enough to smell its vile breath that poured out from its silver lips and ckened teeth, Ren coated the edge of his de in reinforcement, swiftly and smoothly dragging Belus across the space in front of him. The impact of the strike interrupted the iing attack from the scaled entity as the sh cut through the spiky armor that protected its chest--stopping just short of its flesh that sat below.

    --I did it! I cut through it!

    It was just as a surprise to him as it was to the savage creature, who rebounded quickly, mming its massive, rock-like fists against the ground as tremors shook the foundation that they stepped on.

    "--Are you throwing a fit?!"

    The stone cracked from beneath Ren''s feet as the quake traveled throughout the entirety of the cylinder domain.

    Not only its fists were used as hammers against the world below, but its weapon of a tail mmed down against the helpless stone, generating a wind from the power emitted.

    --I''ve got to stop it before it brings the walls crashing down on top of me! This thing is a damn baby! I''d like to conserve my mana if possible--this isn''t going toe easy.

    Sprinting towards the tantruming beast, his footing was thrownpletely off by the rumbling stone below--breaking apart and shifting as he took each step. Rolling his ankle by stepping on one of these faulty steps, the tantrum came to a halt at the same moment. The beast puffed out its chest as a glow of red emitted from its torso as if it were an oven. Adding more to Ren''s momentary suspicion as he attempted to catch his footing, smoke evacuated from the beast''s closed mouth as it reared its spiky head back.

    "--Shit."

    Realizing he had been baited, he was left with no opportunity to evade the iing attack. As its jaw opened, a roar of crimson mes unleashed from its mouth. The only choice given to him in the split-second of time he had to react was to put his all into his reinforcement--specifically, amplifying his defensive capabilities rather than raw strength.

    Even as it didn''t directly reach his skin, the heat itself was still felt in its entirety, if his pores could talk--they would be screaming out in agony against the merciless heat exuding from the creature''s natural mes. He could see nothing past the overwhelming, growing mes that attempted to consume him whole.

    Attempting to invoke a spell in this situation was a night-impossible task, as the suffocating mes prevented words from leaving his lips. Seconds felt like minutes as Ren continued to pour mana into his reinforcement tobat the raging inferno, wondering just how long this offense willst.

    It wasn''t just the scorching heat that the mes produced, but a powerful force that attempted to push him back as he dug his boots against the stone for leverage. Finally, after praying that his skin wasn''t reduced to a sheet of charcoal--the rampant attack of the raging fire was released, a mist of embers filling the air as Ren emitted a drawn-out breath.

    "--Did you get that all out of your system?"

    Still holding his arms in a cross-guard, Ren huffed out as a fountain of sweat left his stressed pores. Smoke rose from the sides of the creature''s mouth as it puffed out a cloud of the grey mist after finishing its scream of fire.

    --Was that magic? It didn''t feel like it. I''m guessing it has to do with the creature''s actual physical body.

    It seemed that unleashing the wave of mes ate away at its stamina as the creature stood there motionless, emitting smoke from its orifices. A step forward in hopes of returning the favor to his enemy with a sh was halted as a sharp pain shot throughout his entire body, traveling over his skeleton.

    "--!"

    Ren winced, feeling his eyelid flicker as the pain jolted through him.

    --The force of thatst attack did a number on me, didn''t it? That, or forcing such a strong reinforcement out might''ve done it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Moving past the momentary pain, he pivoted to the left, meeting the creature''s hulking leg with his de as it carved through its scales without much resistance. Now with the angle to do so, Ren used Belus to rend the tendon behind the beast''s knee, causing it to crash down as a chunk of its rough flesh was parted from its body.

    The sound that came with the rending of flesh wasn''t something he could imagine ever getting used to, coating his de in the crimson fluid that poured from the beast''s new wound.

    Watching his de effortlessly carve through the beast made Ren realize something--a feeling he seldom experienced sinceing to this world, a simple thought that came to him naturally.

    --I''m the superior one here.

    A tingle that drove over the entire left side of his body warned him as he narrowly lowered his body in time to avoid the iing tail that swiped through the air like a war-hammer. It seemed to possess its own sentience, somehow urately tracking Ren''s position while the creature had its back turned to him, mming the tail against each spot that the young man moved to.

    --One hit with that thing and it''ll shatter whatever bones ites into contact with, that tail has to go.

    Leaning back, the spiky whip swept through the air, mming down against the ground as Ren pivoted to the side and brought his weapon down upon it. As the reinforced de pierced the armored skin of the beast, the tail was pinned down to the ground--causing a roar of agony to unleash from the harsh creature.

    "--Sorry, this is going to hurt."

    cing both hands tightly around the handle of Belus, Ren gritted his teeth before dragging the de through the beast''spromised hindmost appendage, splitting it into two halves of mutted flesh. A rain of crimson liquid pelted down against the shattered stone below, coating Ren in the fluid of life as he watched the results of his action.

    The creature that held an appearance of primal savagery and brutal power was now wailing out, crawling against the floor as it attempted to flee from its predator.

    --If I would''ve seen this sight at a past time, I likely would''ve opted to spare it. At the very least, I don''t think whates next would be so easy for me.

    ? Stepping on the creature''s scale-covered head to halt its movement, he flipped Belus in his hand, pointing its downwards before he sank it into the beast''s skull, pushing past the hardened exterior before it reached a mushy, gtin substance, cutting away the life from the entity in that same moment of impact.

    Sliding the de out left room for a mixture of skull fragments, skin, and brain matter to slip through the newly open crevice on the creature''s head, swiping the de through the air to rid it of the impurities that stained it. As he suspected, the area that the beast was originally held in did indeed hold a door of its own--standing tall, ck, and foreboding.

    Along with the newly found pathway, a silver chest sat in the grimy cell of the deceased beast. He knew deep down in his gut, somehow, that this wasn''t a trap as he kneeled down and flipped over the switches keeping the chest sealed shut.

    Inside of the box was one of the crimson coins that Gggher had informed him of, as well as an azure ne, holding an amulet with a crimson stone engraved into it.

    "An artifact��?"

    Ren slid the ne over his head, tucking it in under his cor before he approached the ck-steel door. He ced his palm against the subtle cold of the door, pressing against it as it seemed to open by itself in response to his force.

    Although he couldn''t see the full scope of it, when his eyes met with the sight of the next room, he knew without second thought what the true nature of it was.

    "--Abyrinth?"

 Chapter 107 - Tera Constellation

    "...Ah��"

    Gently parting her eyelids, what stood above her was a sky of stone, looking down upon her with its unmoving gaze. Although what she saw above her was rough, naturally formed stone, what she felt beneath her body was the fluffy, soft sensation of grass.

    "My head��"

    She slowly sat herself up, caressing her head as it ached with a resonating, dull pain. As her eyesight adjusted, it was as Iris thought--the ce she was in was a cavern of sorts, holding with it a small patch of green.

    Still in the middle of waking up fully, she paused for a moment as if something had jumped to the forefront of her brain.

    "--That''s right! Ren!"

    Iris looked around in a hurry, standing herself up as she nearly slipped on the moisture-coated des of grass. There was no sign of the man she was looking for, in fact--there wasn''t any way he could be there. As she stood up and took in the scenery which she inhabited, the sight of a far-stretching ocean of darkness filled her gaze. All that stood in the endless chasm were pirs like the one she stood atop of, feeling her legs be queasy at the sight of this impossible environment.

    Waking up to meet such scenery had taken her thought process hostage for a moment, as she tried to bring together her fuzzy memories in order to make sense of what was before her.

    --...Thest thing I remember is following Ren into trial, but how long have I been asleep?

    Standing at the edge of the precipice, a nce at the bottomless darkness that sat below made the strength in her knees vanish for a moment as she stumbled backwards.

    Taking another look around, there wasn''t any sort of bridge to connect the rocky pirs that stood above the enigmatic void below.

    "Hyperion: Guidance."

    Calmly, she uttered the mystical words that invoked the spell, conjuring a glittering ball of white light that danced around in the air as if sentient.

    "Please, show me how to get out of this ce?"

    Iris held her hand out, allowing the small, fluttering orb to sit on her palm as she looked at it with her pleading, ocean-like gaze. After a moment of stillness from the magic sphere, it bounced up and circled around the girl a few times with excited speed.

    After rotating around her, the ball of light drifted along the pir as if searching every part of it before it began to bounce on the air that neighbored the rocky mass.

    "Huh? Did you find something?"

    She knelt down near the edge, watching carefully as the light sphere continued to bounce rapidly, trying to garner her attention. cing her index finger onto the air that the spell continued to jump on, she met with the presence of something solid, yet invisible.

    "--Eh?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Tapping it a few more times, it was as she thought. There was an invisible, solid stepping block sitting in the air.

    "Thank you. You did a good job."

    Iris cupped the tiny ball of light in her hands before allowing it to dematerialize. Standing herself up, preparing herself to take the step onto the unseen step was easier said than done.

    Looking down towards the bottomless darkness that awaited her if she fell, her stomach sank down. A single, deep breath into her lungs provided her with the courage to take the first step, meeting the solid air with her thick, beige boot.

    Next, she brought her other boot onto the next step--meeting solid air once more as a feeling of relief etched itself into her body. Iris resolved herself not to look down, but having to move each step perfectly in front of the other without sight to guide her wasn''t an easy feat. All she could do is look ahead towards the next pir that awaited. Even if it was impossible to see where the bottom truly sat, the length of the pirs alone from what was visible stretched as high as even the greatest saplings of that inhabited Grandeuve.

    After a few minutes of cautious, methodical walking had continued, she now stood in equal distance between both pirs,pletely surrounded by nothing but empty space and the darkness that waited for her to miss a step.

    The updraft brushed against her body, tickling her pores as the wind attempted to sway her step. A few more steps forward seemed to wake the slumbering winds below even further as a more powerful draft blew upwards, pushing her hands down against her skirt as they were nearly blown uppletely--a blush appearing on her face as she forgot the situation she was in for a moment.

    "--Right. Nobody can even see me right now��"

    Letting out a small breath, Iris pushed herself forward once again with cautious enhancing each step she took, until she had reached the next tower of stone.

    Upon encountering tangible ground again, Iris nearly fell over and hugged the moss-covered rock below as a breath of relief exited her exasperated lungs.

    "Ah��"

    Standing herself back up and brushing the dirt from her blue leggings, what awaited her was the same invisible bridge she just took, tenfold the length--leading to a massive pathway sitting at the back of the colossal cavern.

    "I bet Ren is doing his best, wherever he is right now...I can''t sit around and be left in the dust!"

    Clenching her fists and puffing her cheeks up to release a steamy breath of victorious energy, Iris stomped forward without a second thought, walking along the unseen bridge with utmost confidence as she kept her pale blue eyes peeled on the destination ahead.

    A pace coiled with resolve, Iris reached the territory that sat beyond the chasm, expelling the fears she held within herself with an exhale, kneeling down to see her knees trembling as they disyed the same trepidation.

    "Not...so bad."

    In-between breaths, Iris held a small smile as she proimed victory over the bottomless pit, raising herself back up as she looked onwards at the shadowy tunnel that sat ahead of her. Somehow, even in the face of this unknown domain, she didn''t feel frightened at the idea of having to walk forward blindly--but that thepanion she came here with to protect was likely all alone.

    --Ren, please be safe.

 Chapter 108 - Into The Bowels Of Despair

    Stepping into the trial built to torment mortals, facing adversity after adversity, experiencing pain and suffering that I had hoped I would never have to in my life, I began to ask myself one question.

    "Why?"

    For some reason, sinceing to Gaia, I''ve had this obsession with bing stronger. At first, it was simply my childish wonder with this world, and my own desire to be someone I wasn''t that drove me to lust for strength.

    Then, when the very first person in this world I met betrayed me, I began to wonder if it was even possible to stray away from what I already was--a weak, unmotivated husk of a human, someone without a work ethic, someone without any true desires of their own--the only thing I ever wanted was to be someone strong enough to take hold of the intangible desires I had.

    Meeting that person, the first in this world to befriend me, who taught me...it returned to me, I severed my ties to those childish dreams, but...I still held onto them, in hopes of one day being able to achieve them.

    Taken away from me, I med my own powerlessness. I swore to never let something like that happen again, not because of selflessness, but because I feared what depths I''d fall to if I were to lose those around me like that again.

    That''s why meeting the Ounders, who have all been so patient and caring, just feels wrong. I don''t deserve it.

    Why do I get to be this happy without you, Meinhard?

    That''s why...I''llplete this trial and bring you back.

    I know you''ll probably scold me for "wasting" a wish like this on you, but I don''t care. Even if you somehow resent me for it, you''ll be alive. That''s all that matters to me. Just live, experience a life of your own choices.

    Surrounded by scornful walls that looked down upon him, three options sat in front of him: Forward, left, or right.

    Each of these walled paths were covered with mossy, thick branches that coiled around each other, acting as a doorway to each of these possibilities. In truth, he couldn''t tell which was the right path to begin his journey through thebyrinth ahead.

    Kneeling down against the ckened stone, Ren let out a sharp, prolonged breath between his lips, "Araphel: Particle Shade."

    There was a maximum range of the sensory spell, spanning up to a ten meter radius for maximum proficiency. He nned to use this to garner some level of informationpared to the zero he possessed, aiding in making his choice.

    Extending the veil of shadows, there was no difference felt between each path, retracting the spell as he slowly stood himself back up--now back to square zero. Looking up, another possibility was brought to his mind, noticing theck of a ceiling sitting above the high-reaching walls.

    "Bingo. This is the answer to this room, isn''t it?"

    Ren rubbed his hands together, cracking his knuckles before grabbing onto the grooves of the wall, hoisting himself up before he began to scale the wall. Focusing his reinforcement primarily in his hands,cking the natural understanding to put it in his fingers, climbing the wall came with ease--not even requiring much of a handle for himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Before he could even make it halfway up the dirty, chipped stone wall--it began to rumble violently, shaking him off as he fell onto his back as the air was shot out of his lungs. He then watched as wooden limbs extended over the precipice of the unscble walls, creating a ceiling of damp, mossy branches over his head.

    "--Can something go the way I want it to for once in this ce?"

    cing his hands behind him and raising his hips, Ren kicked the air with a "Hup!", jumping up from his fallen position and onto his two feet. Facing the three options before him once more, he extended one finger--"Eeny, meeny, miny...moe!"

    His fingernded on the path to the left as "moe" left his mouth. As soon as he stepped to the leftmost passageway, the bed of branches that covered the walls pulsated as if recognizing the choice he made. It was already dark enough before the ceiling of damp wood had formed, presently it requires his utmost focus not to trip over his own feet.

    --In times like this, I''m pretty damn envious of light and fire users��

    The shadows that painted the walls yed with his senses, tricking him into believing a path existed when there was not. Walking turned into a jog, then into a sprint as the corridor became ustrophobic, stretching onwards without a seeming end.

    The end of the corridor became apparently--mming into it nose first as he nearly fell back onto his rear from the sudden impact against the wall obscured by darkness.

    "Ow��"

    Ren rubbed his stinging nose, checking near his nostrils for blood before he turned to the left, noticing the corridor had led to an open area within the maze.

    A wee sight, light bynterns that were perched on each wall that made the room, but at the same time, he felt standing in such an area made him stand out like a sore thumb.

    Sitting in the center of the room was a pedestal, ced within a fountain of blood simr to the one he initially found, decorated with copper roses, holding a tablet with text inscribed onto it. Time had clearly weathered these carved symbols, but he managed to decipher the text.

    "The abode of the cretinous half-beast, an existence scorned by even those who seeded him. Born to die, born to punish, his gentle nature was nurtured into one of unimaginable malice. Even when the Prince of Minos himself came to y the ungodly entity, he too became but sustenance for Asterius. Abandoned in thebyrinth, forgotten by all, his snow-white hide became tainted by his evil, dirtied with grime and blood.

    Any sanity or mercy the minotaur once possesses were buried by only the instinct to kill and consume. Those who step into the winding halls of thisbyrinth draw Asterius in, bing prey to the gluttonous man-beast."

    The final section immediately stood out to Ren as he traced his finger along the dust-covered text, his blood running cold as he carefully repeated what he read in his head.

    --This is Asterius'' personal domain, and stepping into it means...he knows I''m here.

 Chapter 109 - Released Beast

    "Is this supposed to be a wee? I feel more like pissing my pants��"

    Ren chuckled to himself as paranoia now made itself a home within his mind. It was a tough question for himself whether he feared encountering Asterius once again. Right now, he felt the answer would be "No", but he also knew that this was because the bull wasn''t standing in front of him right now.

    A reluctance to leave the warmly lit room halted him for a moment before he ushered forward into the next corridor, once again surrounded by an ever-present solitude-the one, major difference now was that the walls no longer attempted to hug him with their narrow width.

    The corridor was grand in size, stretching a half dozen meters in size as pirs held the walls. In fact, this new size made no sense to him. It was impossible for thebyrinth to have grown thisrge from one room to the next. Symbols were etched into the obsidian of the walls, with built innterns giving a scarlet hue to the maze he found himself in. Matching the light that inhabited the abode of Asterius, red, velvet curtains draped down from the peak of these pirs.

    "--"

    There wasn''t any part of him that wanted to crack a joke to delude the bleak atmosphere, finding himself at a loss as he looked on towards the impossible scenery before him. The chance had confirmed one thing for him.

    --Thisbyrinth isn''t normal. Nothing about it is. Trying to find reason or an exnation for how a ce like this functions is pointless. It is an abode of the divine, a ce beyond humanity.

    This is the true nature of this floor, isn''t it? Everything else...was just the path to this ce. Gggher...Why didn''t you tell me?

    Knowing this, he began to feel as if every choice he made was predetermined--that everything he did led to this one point. No matter which path he took, how hard he tried--thebyrinth of Asterius was his destination.

    --Those times I encountered it, was it trying to kill me to set in motion the pathway to thisbyrinth? I don''t like the idea of that monster actually possessing intelligence, but it''s starting to feel that way.

    Moving through the wide corridor, befit for royalty in its size and splendor, there seemed to be a new path disyed to him past every pir.

    Making a choice on where to turn next didn''te easy when a constant unease lingered in the air, waiting in anticipation for the minotaur that lived in these dreadful walls to make its appearance. Even the sturdy walls that towered over him didn''t provide any feeling of safety, as at any moment, he imagined Asterius barging through those walls as if they were made of cardboard.

    --"Innate Ability", if I just had mine...maybe I could handle Asterius, or at least close the obvious gap in power. I just don''t understand what I need to do to unlock it--from all ounts, it seemspletely random.

    He spun around at the sublest of noises, having his sword halfway out of its scabbard as he stayed alert. The memories of agony burned into his being, gored, crushed, and cut by the merciless beast, these kept him from ever letting his guard down. It was the first true enemy he had been faced with after his year of training, and the nature of the beast itself did away with such things as "sword technique" or "martial arts"--only superior power could inflict harm onto Asterius.

    Continuing down the daunting corridor of thebyrinth, the curtains that clung to the tall poles of stone were gently tugged on by wind that shouldn''t exist in these depths. Even these minute movements caught the corner of his anxious vision, feeling his blood rush through his veins at every unnatural, sudden movement.

    Inhabiting these vast, somber walls were circr gates, blocked off with silver bars. Ren kept his eyes on these, not knowing what sat behind those bars, waiting for him to let his guard down. At the end of this singr hall within the grandioseir of Asterius, there were threerge doors formed of dusty, tan stone carved with drawings of warriors.

    In the center of this ending section, there were six levers, seeming to do with the doors that sat in front of him. The only noticeable difference nted on the stone levers were a series of symbols that varied between each.

    "I''ve never been good at puzzle games��"

    He had no inkling of what any of these choices meant, grabbing hold of the rightmost lever and taking a deep breath before finally pulling it. A click followed the pulling of the device, but the noise that followed didn''t belong to any of the three doors opening. It was the unmistakable sound of metal grating, scratching at his eardrums--without a doubt in his mind, it came from the gates built into the walls.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As he had feared, hisses and groans echoed from the series of newly opened gates as creatures of all kind began to pour out. His skin crawled at the sight of the man-sized arachnid, covered in brown fur as its curved, conicals secreted a purple substance. Following the oversized spider was a creature that resembled a bloodshot eyeball, wrapped in a hide, crawling with dozens of tendrils carrying it, as well as hollow, dposed goblins wielding grimy weapons.

    However, a yell resounded from one of these newly opened cages,pletely different from the inhumane sounds releasing front he creatures. It was without a doubt, a human.

    "Finally! Free at least!"

    The unknown man''s voice was rough as if he had been a prolific smoker all of his life, yet a certain entricity wrapped itself around his tone.

    Like a blur, the figure evacuated the hole propped several meters onto the wall, leaving feet first in a flying kick. His appearance was obscured by the dirty, holey, olive cape that was wrapped around his shoulders, hanging over his head like a hoodie.

    Ren wasn''t the only one who had his attention stolen as the creatures turned to face the man as he crashed down against the ground with a superheronding executed so well that Ren became a bit jealous. The tattered cape that clung to the man''s shoulders fluttered upwards from the fall, revealing a stockpile of des strapped to his torso, hips, and legs. It was only for a moment, but the man''s ck leather armor could be seen along with his bronze trousers d in the same leather armor.

    He didn''t waste any time reaching with his tanned gloves to the two handles sitting at his sides, unsheathing two long, curved sabers, thirsting for blood. Standing straight with both des in his hands, all that could be seen under the obscuring hood of the man was a wide, unnerving smile as he unleashed augh before beginning his carnage against the creatures.

    Ren had frozen in ce at the surreal sight before him. He watched as the unknown man spun around like a tornado of des, cutting apart the helpless monsters without any trouble as the smile never left his face.

    --I think...I released someone more troublesome than the monsters.

    There wasn''t any magic being used from what Ren could see, the man was simply carving apart the foes before him with raw physical strength, freeing the arachnid from all eight of its limbs in a sh before finishing it with a sh through its head.

    It didn''t take more than twenty seconds for the creatures to all be dealt with, leaving the man covered in purple, ck and crimson blood. As he began to walk over towards Ren, the young man ced his hand on the handle of Belus--ready to fight the monstrous man.

    "Ah, you really did me a solid there. I was stuck in that damned musky cell for weeks. Got any grub?"

    To his relief and surprise, the man had no intention of treating him like the disemboweled creatures strewn about the corridor, sheathing his dual sabers back into their sheaths.

    "--Uh, yeah. Here."

    Ren paused for a moment before reaching into one of his pockets and retrieving a half of stale bread, handing it off to the man. He had never seen someone so fervently devour hardened bread as if it were cooked by a five-star chef.

    "Goldheve. That''s my name."

    The man extended his blood-soaked hand towards Ren, removing his hood with his other hand. He had shaggy, ck hair that covered his eyebrows, with a scar that nicked the edge of his lip. His light brownplexion was something Ren hadn''t seen from natives of Gaia yet. Although he held a slight smile, his dark, obsidian irises seemed devoid of life or care--the true eyes of a killer.

 Chapter 110 - Unlikely Pair

    Not wanting to risk offending the brutal de-wielder, Ren met his hand and shook it, experiencing the tight grip he feared as his hand felt as if it were surrounded by stone.

    "Urr, I''m Ren."

    "I owe you one, Ren."

    "How did you get stuck in there in the first ce?"

    The question was gnawing away at the back of Ren''s mind, leaving him no choice but to ask the man, who stood roughly a head above him.

    "Let''s just say that horned-fucker doesn''t only get thrills from butchering and eating people."

    "...He stuffed you into the cell?"

    Goldheve nodded in response to Ren''s question, which was mostly coated in doubt as he thought he misunderstood the sharp-edged adventurer.

    "You look a bit young to be entering this ce? Even growing hair down there yet?"

    "First off yes I am, not that it is any of your business. And so what? It''s not like there is an age limit for entering the trial."

    It was already apparent Goldheve was someone who didn''t have a filter as Ren defended the state of his physical growth.

    "You''ve got some spunk, kid, I''ll give you that. What I mean is, this is a ce for men like me who have shit for brains, leading to awful decisions likeing here."

    "--Do you have a wish of your own you want to be granted here?"

    Goldheve paused for a moment at Ren''s question before giving him a wide, unnerving smile.

    "I don''t believe in any of that "wish-granting" bullshit. For me, this ce is heaven. I''m free to kill, I''m free to live, I can spend eternity here if I have to, ughtering whatever creaturees my way. This is a proving ground for the strongest, and you bet your ass I want to make it to the end and fight whatever strong bastard is waiting."

    Although they seemed to be on good terms, the words he spoke caused Ren to never lower his guard--the man before him felt aplete wild card, someone who acts on impulse and on their own whim.

    "...Alright. Well, do you have any clue how to solve this puzzle?"

    It was a longshot, considering this man seemed to have less sanity than des, but Goldheve indulged his question, turning his attention to the set of levers sitting in the stone system.

    "How about...This."

    Watching Goldheve carefully as he studied the levers, Ren watched as the man then grabbed every lever and pulled them down at the same time.

    "--!"

    It was done so casually that it didn''t even register in his mind what Goldheve had done until the all three of the heavy doors parted with a resounding rumble, followed by the echoes of metal grinding once again.

    "What the hell are you doing?!"

    "Shoving it right back up thisbyrinth''s ass! These little games have been pissing me off! Just fight me like a man, bull!"

    Goldheve slid his trusty sabers out from the scabbards at his sides, yelling out into the air as he challenged all of the approaching creatures that left their dank cells.

    --Should I just go ahead? This guy just seems like trouble...If I stick with him, he''s going to bring the fight to us.

    Watching as Goldheve held a warped smile over his face, walking over to the pile of monsters as his charcoal boots carried the weight of his bloodlust--Ren couldn''t decide on what to do. Looking upon the man''s back, he knew he could potentially be what he needed to ovee Asterius, but the question was how many deaths would await in that alliance.

    --Even so...A partner doesn''t sound so bad right now. Even if it is a lunatic, I won''t be alone anymore...Screw it.

    Scorning his own softness, Ren slid Belus out from its scabbard and followed alongside Goldheve as they approached the wave of creatures: arachnids, goblins, serpents, and chimeras. Besides the yearning for human interaction, there was something alluring about Goldheve that kept Ren close to him, an air of charisma that hung around the bloodthirsty, battle-lusted man.

    Being ill-prepared to engage in battle left him in Goldheve''s dust, who burst forward towards the swarm of monsters with speed that abandoned the limits of the human body, carving through the sound barrier and far past it. In his path, he painted the air in crimson as his des effortlessly sliced past the defenseless monsters.

    Once again, the joyfulughter returned to the man as he spun his des around the flesh of the inhuman creatures. Dropping his dual swords for a moment, the dexterity he disyed by reaching to the straps on his torso and flinging the throwing knives forward before catching the des in midair before they fell was unmatched. Even in that short time frame, the des he threw forward were guided by picture-perfect precision as each de hit between the gray-skinned goblin''s eyes.

    Ren couldn''t find a spot to step in towards, fearing he might be coteral in Goldheve''s bloody rampage. Somehow gashes and cuts appeared on the bodies of creatures even when Goldheve wasn''t near them, amassing a torrent of shes that stretched beyond his own reach.

    Watching his unlikelypanion fight, or more so ughter the enemies before him, only raised a single question in Ren''s mind.

    --This guy hasn''t beaten Asterius?

    The sharpness of his strikes, the unending tenacity he showed, paired with his perfect precision--if this was a man who was bested by Asterius, then there was something he felt was missing in all of this. Finishing his spree, the floor was dyed in the liquid essence and entrails of the deceased monsters as Goldheve sheathed his tools of destruction once more.

    "--Seriously, you can''t beat Asterius?"

    "Can''t beat?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    For the first time, Goldheve held an annoyance towards Ren, it didn''t take so much as a sharp nce or change of expression to send a shiver over Ren''s skin--just the change of air around the man.

    "He''s bested me a few times, but I don''t think you understand. I take it you''ve just entered thebyrinth, no?"

    "That''s right."

    "Well, consider any other encounter you''ve had with that horned-shit just him ying with his food. We''re in his domain now, next time you see him...You''ll understand."

    Moving past him, Goldheve cracked his neck side to side before choosing to enter the rightmost pathway without a second thought.

    "Urr, any particr reason why you chose this way?"

    "Not at all. If you don''t like it, go your own damn way."

    There wasn''t a single ounce of care in Goldheve''s rough voice, not stopping or even so much as looking at Ren as he spoke.

    --Should he really be leading the way then? Or does he even think we''re a "team"?

    What followed was a corridor simr to the one that he initially found in thisbyrinth, narrow and dark, only serving as a hallway to the room thatid ahead.

    "How long have you been here?"

    "Thisbyrinth or the floor?"

    "Both?"

    "In that case, one month."

    He didn''t borate with the second portion of the question asked to him, leaving silence hanging in the air as Ren waited for him to continue��which he didn''t.

    "Urr...That''s just one answer."

    "I made it to this musty maze the day I arrived. Been stuck here for a month."

    It wasn''t an answer that met his ears pleasantly. He already had his guesses that thisbyrinth was a hard stuck trial in its own right, but for it to be confirmed by another challenger was another thing entirely.

    Reaching the edge of the corridor, the next area came into view. Once again, thebyrinth proved to be something built by divine entricity, as the next chamber spanned far, holding in it a towering, elder tree that spanned its limbs to every corner of the room. From time and grime, the overgrown sapling had shifted from its natural dusk to a hollow, grey, and ckplexion.

    The sharp, jagged branches that reached out in every direction acted as barriers, splitting the room into a series of smaller sections.

    In ce of the fresh, rejuvenating air to expect from a tower of nature, what met his nose was a sharp, nose-scrunching stench of dposing timber, wrapped with a hint of spoiled meat.

    "Is anything normal in this ce?"

    "Normal is boring. This is the only ce of its kind in the world��savor it while you can."

    ��What is there to "savor" in this ce? I thought the Ounders were adrenaline junkies, but this guy has them beat by a mile.

    Goldheve seemed pleased by the sight of the new chamber, cracking his neck side to side as well as his knuckles as he stepped into the domain without any hint of cautiousness. Meanwhile, Ren watched his step, expecting false steps to trigger poison darts��he chalked thisck of caution from his acquaintance being that he never watched adventurer movies or yed a dungeon crawler game.

    "Hey."

    Goldheve called out to Ren nonchntly, standing in front of the barren tree''s trunk.

    "What is it?"

    Stepping next to Goldheve, Ren looked in the same direction as the man, noticing cavities oozing with an amber liquid that resembled a face disying a crooked smile.

    "This isn''t some tree. It''s an Ent. A big ass one at that. Although we''re lucky--cooped up down here, I think it lost its wisdom."

    The matter-of-fact way Goldheve spoke without any shift from his deadpan tone almost made it seem natural as the formerly immobile tree began to move.

    Pulsating subtly, from its limbs down to its core, it seemed to be breathing, releasing a harrowing groan from the dark cavity warped into a smile.

    "How about we give it a nice morning wee?"

    Smiling at the prospect of a battle, Goldheve slid his two sabers out from their sce, holding them in a cross.

    "��Is running an option?"

    Ren''s desired choice didn''t seem to meet Goldheve''s ears, who prepared to face the awakening ent with his wicked smile stretching across his lips. Roots rose from the stone as if shaking off crumbled leaves, turning the battlefield into the body of the enemy before them.

 Chapter 111 - Eco-Slayer

    The change in thend didn''t so much as capture a flinch from Goldheve, who held his stance before sliding both of his des together--unleashing a sharp shriek from the sh of steel as sparks flew into the stale air.

    "Eight Vasus: Agni."

    It was the first time something resembling magic left Goldheve''s lips, but it wasn''t something Ren had ever heard of. The phrase conjured ck markings across Goldheve''s body before mes coiled his drawn sabers.

    "What kind of magecraft is that?"

    Ren asked, enamored with the sight as the newly manifested fire held a different pressure and heat to that he experienced from standard heat. A streak of cobalt was present within the enigmatic mes, running through the flowing scarlet.

    "Magecraft? Don''t get it twisted, kid. What you''re looking at is real power, not the flowery bullshit you''re taught in the west. Watch for yourself."

    Raining down upon him, spears of nature crashed at the ground which he stood--vanishing with speed that made Ren nauseous just watching it. He assumed Goldheve had dashed forward to avoid the iing volley of branches, but he had instead leaped into the air to meet them halfway, rearing his ming sabers back as the heat expanded into an exciting ze.

    Bringing one de forward through the air, the wind pressure alone was enough to carve the limbs of the ent into two sections, catching them on fire in the process.

    A pained groan that more so resembled a low hiss resounded from the monstrous tree''s mouth, the rest of its limbs began to thrash about as in response to the bisection. Before the mes of azure and scarlet could spread further, the affected limbs tore off on their own, falling to the ground below before being reduced to ash from the hungering mes.

    "It''s intelligent?!"

    Ren, who still hadn''t done anything at this point, had spectated the battle. It seemed the ent noticed his slothfulness, spawning miniature creatures formed of bark and moss from its ancient roots. Compared to their parent, they had the proportions of human children, onlyposed of withered, old bark as they made their move toward Ren.

    The uncanny way they stepped forward, swaying side to side made his skin crawl but didn''t prevent him from removing his trusted de from its sheath. It took a single strike to bisect one of the approaching bark minions, much to his surprise.

    --This''ll be easy!

    Or so he thought. Cutting it in half resulted in the branches that formed its body sprouting outwards, reconnecting both halves as if it had never been separated from itself. In ce of an edge, Ren opted for magic this time, yelling out with "Dunkle: Piecer!" as he threw one of his trustynces of darkness towards the closest foe.

    It had the same result, stabbing through the body of the creature only for the damage inflicted to be reversed by it regenerating with its naturalpound.

    "Urr...Any advice?"

    Ren directed his question towards Goldheve, watching his toes as he danced around the infant ents as they attempted to grasp at his legs with their moss-covered limbs. All he got in return was the de-wielding man simply waving his ming saber in the air without turning to give him the time of day.

    "...Very helpful."

    At the very least, cutting down the spawn of the ent slowed them down.

    --Wait. mes. Is that what he''s trying to tell me? Crap, I didn''t tell him my affinity--is he just assuming it''s fire?

    Using his sword to pin one of the offspring of the tree down, he took a moment to ponder a way to put these creatures down for good. Only one thought came to his mind, and it was aplete long shot. Reaching into the leather pouch on his belt, he retrieved the crimson gem that Lucas had parted with him as a gift before tackling this trial.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Red means fire, right? Let''s hope it does--!"

    Without any knowledge on how to activate the gemstone, Ren tossed it towards the iing group of slow-moving mini-ents, watching in anticipation before it began to glow faintly.

    --Come on...Come on��!

    As the crimson gemstone shattered, his wishes came true as mes erupted from the broken jewel--consuming the lumbering offspring without any hint of mercy.

    "Victory!"

    He proimed, only to return to reality as one of the massive limbs of the true ent swiped across the floor, aiming for Goldheve but wounding up nearly hitting Ren as coteral as he narrowly rolled over the iing mass of nature.

    Watching Goldheve now, his focus sat on the fiery enchantment he used on himself, his interest garnered by the im that it wasn''t magecraft.

    The dual-de wielding warrior moved with agility unbing of his tall, bulwark build as he swiftly sprinted up the bridge-like limbs that stretched out towards him, dragging his ignited sabers along the length of the ent''s arm.

    --It isn''t just the fire. Whatever that "Agni" is, he seems to be moving even faster than before, not to mention the strength behind that first strike against the ent.

    The mes zipped forward up the ent''s elongated limb, sinking into every groove and impurity as they exuded a hostile warmth. At the speed the fire carved through the air, sprinting against the mmable surface of the living tree''s body--it waspletely helpless to the carnage of the man who dedicated his all to the way of killing steel.

    Performing a sh wasn''t necessary, as with the agile movements Goldheve enacted, the mes dragged behind him, unleashing a wave of inferno in his path. Cavities parted all around the ent in the form of pores, shooting out a hail of speeding seeds towards the sword-wielding menace who traversed its body.

    "--Not enough! It hurts, right? Right? You want the pain to stop, right? Then you''ll have to do better! Kill me if you want the mes to die out!"

    Goldheve taunted the ent withughter before he spun in the air, creating a vortex of highly pressurized mes that decimated in approaching storm of seeds. In the midst of the battle, life returned to his somber eyes, dazzling with the same fire he held in his hands.

    --I''m kind of starting to feel bad for the big ol'' tree...If I had to fight that guy, I think I''d be pissing myself. It isn''t a question of strength or magic, just that twisted personality of his.

    Circling the entirety of the ent''s body, a zing trail was left in Goldheve''s path before he found himself sitting at the peak of the creature''s body. By this point, the mes had found their way to every inch of its body, consuming its matter as it did without prejudice to all.

    Goldhevended back onto the ground, kicking up a wave of dust before the mes that wrapped around his des disappeared, along with the markings on his body.

    "Disappointing. At least I got a bit of a warmup."

    "All those monsters before weren''t a warmup?"

    "That was just pest control."

    They watched as the ent fell into nothing more than burnt bark, now resembling charcoal more than anything as life was nowhere to be seen from it.

 Chapter 112 - Eight Vasu

    "So, what was that? The "Eight Vasus" stuff."

    "Damn, you talk a lot, you know that? More than that, you ask a lot of questions--can''t you just keep quiet for once?"

    Brushed off, Goldheve let out a yawn before moving past the corpse of the fallen ent, heading towards the left pathway instead of the other options--once again, disying little to no method to his madness. After being so rudely answered by the tan-skinned man, Ren swerved to the rightmost path out of frustration, before reluctantly moving back and catching up with Goldheve.

    --Am I a masochist or something?

    "Are you really going to keep following me, kid?"

    Goldheve picked at his own ear, moving and talking without looking at Ren as his dirtied, olive cape followed behind his step.

    "--I''m not following you, we just happen to be going the same way."

    "Oh, I see."

    --He actually bought that?!

    The man wasn''t much for chitchat as silence stood in the air as they made their way down thebyrinth corridor. It was almost too quiet to Ren,pared to the hoard of monsters that seemed to gue the hellish maze, the gnawing quiet was just as worrying.

    "Hey��"

    Before Ren could state his suspicions, the next step Goldheve took released a click, before the rough man that walked in front of Ren had disappeared down the false flooring beneath his step.

    "��Grrh!"

    More so than scared, Goldheve let out an annoyed grunt as he fell down the pit without any visible depth.

    "Urr...You okay?"

    Ren called out as he knelt down beside the newly opened pit in the hall, his voice echoing down the darkness. Waiting for his own call to be carried down the crevice, a response finally came back.

    "Is standing in a pile of cold, damp feces your definition of okay?"

    "...Fair. Can you climb out?"

    In response to his question, Ren heard the man let out a grunt before jumping up and clinging to the wall, followed by a thud and a ssh.

    "These damn walls are coated in some nasty liquid, I can''t get a grip."

    Leaning over the edge of the trapdoor, a draft carried the awful aroma of abandoned excrement directly into his sense of smell.

    A gag left his mouth before he covered his nose with his arm, trying to think of a way to recover hispanion.

    "If you have any ns, I''m all ears!"

    "��I''m thinking!"

    ��It''s not even close toplete, but it''s the only thing I''ve got.

    It was hard to gather his focus with the overwhelming stench of dposing fecal matter, cing his palm facing downwards against the pit as he closed his eyes.

    "Araphel: Inverse Hand."

    Shadowy mana d itself over his extended arm, stretching down into a non-solid hand formed of his own mana.

    From all of his practice with the spell, he had only ever managed to extend it to ten meters, losing functionality the further he stretched it. It wasn''t a particrly powerful spell, especially offensively��but it was a necessary tool he chose.

    ��I just don''t get why it has to be this hard to master when it isn''t even all that useful!

    It felt as if the spell was attempting to rip apart his muscle fibers, pulling the water that inhabited his body out from his stressed pores.

    ��Nine meters...This is where it gets bad.

    A deep inhale felt as if needles were pricking his ribs from the inside, exhaling as he forced the spell to extend downwards even further.

    "You taking a shit up there? Hey! I know this is a shithole, but don''t add to the pile!"

    Goldheve called out from his prison of lost waste, listening to the distant grunts from Ren as he focused on his magic.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "��Shut...it!"

    Just uttering two words was enough to send his body temperature into a fever, feeling his vision fall shaky as he forced another few meters of the dark hand down.

    "What the hell is this thing dangling down towards me?"

    "Grab it!"

    "How about I slice it up?"

    "If you want to stay in that pile of death, be my guest��!"

    It seemed the threat of staying in the pool of deathly droppings was enough to move even the stubborn warrior. He didn''t prepare himself for the sudden increase of weight that grabbed onto the extended hand.

    Stepping beyond preconceived limitations opened Ren up to extend this moment of impossible growth��entering what some call "the zone". This unnned development came in the form of activating reinforcement while simultaneously using Inverse Hand, hoisting his fallen partner up the narrow chasm like a budget fireman.

    "��And up!"

    With all of his remaining strength that for that moment felt boundless, he brought Goldheve back to the surface before falling backward.

    "You weigh a lot more than I thought��"

    Ren huffed, his arm throbbing, burning up as if it was dipped into a pit of mes.

    "Not bad. Maybe you''re notpletely useless."

    Standing over him, Goldheve extended his hand to the tuckered-out young man.

    "Not sure I want to grab that hand."

    epting the helping hand, Ren chuckled as he was hoisted up, feeling like a feather from theck of effort needed to lift him from the cold, hard ground below.

    "You use darkness, huh? Didn''t take you for a gloomy bastard."

    "You don''t? Guess that means I''m not doing too bad...Speaking of magic, what''s that stuff you use?"

    Whatever gooey, dark substance rubbed off on his palm was something he wasn''t taking any chances with, wiping his hand off on the dusty stone wall beside him.

    "I thought I told you��it isn''t magecraft. You''re a real damn headache, kid."

    "Well, I''d say this headache just saved your life."

    "Don''t get carried away. It just would''ve taken a bit of exertion for me to get out."

    It was like trying to fish for praise from a prickly father. Looking past the thorny, icy exterior of Goldheve, Ren began to just appreciate the fact that the man didn''t see him as an enemy.

    "Wait a second, you said you owed me one right?"

    Ren smirked as he realized the ticket to the knowledge he held now, jumping over the trapdoor after Goldheve.

    "��"

    "...How about you tell me about that "Eight Varoos" thing and we''ll call it even."

    "If it''ll shut you up, then fine, you chatty bastard!"

    Letting out a perturbed breath as he reared his head back, Goldheve finally caved into Ren''s relentless pestering.

    "��"Eight Vasus", it''s a direct blessing from the gods who watch over my homnd of Derjun. Man, it''s a real pain in the ass to exin," Goldheve scratched his greasy head of jet-ck hair as he unleashed another sigh, "It''s not amon thing. Only chosen warriors are given this blessing, and even fewer can wield all eight Vasu."

    The longer he talked, the more annoyed his tone became.

    "Derjun? Don''t think I''ve heard of that ce."

    "Doesn''t surprise me. You Mastornians live in your own bubble."

    Before he could cut into that snide remark, the next room came into view. Stretching his limbs out like an eagle preparing to soar, Goldheve cracked his back as he stepped into the next section of thebyrinth.

 Chapter 113 - Show Him!

    Instantly the differences between this room and any before it were clear to Ren, as a pathway made of stone sat around a body of murky water, holding an unseen depth.

    The bridge that stood above the harrowing depths was weathered and slippery, holding a translucentyer of the deathly, likely disease-holding water. In the center of the murky room, at the end of the somber path sat a circr flooring of stone, shaking subtly from the push of the flowing water.

    "Of course there has to be a water level. I see these old gods really do have a bone to pick with mortals��"

    "Doesn''t matter what Asterius throws at me, I''ll cut it all apart with my des. I know he''s watching, somewhere--probably pissing himself."

    Entranced once more by the concept of bloodshed, this time, Goldheve opted to reach behind his back, pulling out two jagged des that resembled a cross between shortswords and saws.

    "How do you even know we''re going to fight anything?"

    "I can smell it in the air. Death is waiting around, he knows what is about to happen."

    Ren was hesitant to draw his de, knowing full well that the bloodthirsty man would have no problem taking care of whatever waited ahead.

    A slight vibration ran across the soles of his boots, water sshing onto the stone pathway from the subtle rumbling. He didn''t think anything of it, taking a few steps forward before the vibration returned--this time, with greater intensity.

    --Huh?

    It all felt as if it happened in slow motion, watching as a figure erupted from theke of shadows, baring its rows of hungering des that lined its gums. A gray, almost humanoid body with the head of a scarred great white shark, leaping from the watery habitat it hid in--aiming its ripe, crimson fangs towards the abrasive, unsuspecting warrior.

    Before he could let even a single utterance escape his lips, he found himself with his de drawn, with the distance between him and the aquatic creature cut away before he could process the exorbitant speed he unleashed.

    "Dunkel: Shadowstep", is what he had nned to say, a spell specializing in rapid, almost instantaneous movement. Every cell in his body moved towards one action--bringing his de forward and through the slimy body of the malicious creature, having no trouble parting its unnatural head from its shoulders. There was no thought required toplete these movements, not even realizing what had been done until the soles of his feet met with solid ground once more.

    By the time the decapitated body of the man-shark had fallen to the ground, Goldheve had finally turned around, des in hand--only to find the battle had already ended.

    "What the hell happened?"

    "...I...I don''t know."

    It felt as if he was but a passenger in his own body for that moment, looking at his hand which held Belus as it quivered from the now dissipating adrenaline.

    --My head...

    "So we''re dealing with "Malwerks", sneaky bastards."

    Goldheve nudged his stained ck boots against the lifeless body of the fallen creature, watching as its webbed fingers and toes still twitched.

    --I feel sick.

    Just as the thought swept across his mind, his stomach turned, spewing out a cough backed with bile. All of the heat felt as if it evaporated from his pores, leaving his body with a quivering cold. A headache set in, throbbing directly behind his left eye as he covered it with his hand, wincing at the abrupt onset of pain.

    "The hell is up with you?"

    The first thought that came to mind was potentially being low on mana, but this feeling waspletely different. The absence of mana tended to feel the same as extensive physical activity, but this felt to him more like a nauseating sickness.

    "--I think using magic like that did something to me."

    "Huh?"

    Goldheve was clearly clueless as to Ren''s situation, flipping his des in his hands as he kept his distance as if the young man was a contagious patient zero.

    --Darkness. It feels like a ck fog is upying my mind, an empty darkness sitting in my stomach...Taking away everything from within.

    "--I''m fine."

    Ren stood himself straight with a few deep breaths, wiping the residue liquid from the corner of his mouth before spitting the tainted saliva out.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Didn''t ask," Goldheve abrasively responded with his back already turned, "we''ve got some ugliesing our way."

    As sick as he was, theplete and utterck of empathy from his loosepanion drove through Ren a burning resolve--a resolve to steal all of his fun from him by taking all of the action for himself.

    --I''m pretty sure he thinks I''m some snot-nosed brat, I don''t have much pride or self-esteem to speak of, so I''m inclined to prove him wrong.

    A gang of the shark-men broke through the surface of the ck water,nding on the stone flooring below with their damp, webbed feet. Now that he could actually see one clearly, they were around the height of a young adult human, with the build of a linebacker.

    As usual, Goldheve took his time, scraping his des together with a wicked smile as he slowly walked towards the iing menaces.

    This, however, was something Ren used to his advantage as he bolted past the man with his hand already around his de.

    Even in a situation like this, with his aching sickness��he felt likeughing from the thrill. Imagining the priceless look on Goldheve''s face as he left him in the dust, drawing Belus as he cut apart the first malwerk before him.

    Sometimes he forgot the strength he had umted throughout his time on Gaia��watching as he split the aquatic fiend into a tray of sushi. At the turn of his action, he could feel the immense presence of Goldheve approaching, aiming for the three malwerks to his right.

    ��Not happening!

    "Dunkel: Shadowstep!"

    In a speed that surpassed even the bloodlusted aplice of his, Ren introduced the sharpness of his de to the soft and rubbery exterior of the fishmen. It was a jarring spell to adjust to when first training it, but Shadowstep proved to be an invaluable tool in his repertoire--even if it was for a moment, it granted him speed unmatched in most areas.

    Pivoting with a slight spin, Belus was brought down upon the next creature''s head, splitting it down the middle as a fountain of cobalt blood spewed forth.

    ��One more from this batch! I can''t wait to see the look on his face, he''ll have to stop calling me "kid".

    Gripping the handle of his trusty de once more he whispered the incantation for his Shadowstep, propelling his body through space��sinking the tip of Belus into its soft abdomen.

    A flick of his wrist incurred a ravine through its belly, disemboweling it with force deemed to be excessive.

    "��The hell are you getting at here?"

    Goldheve watched the ughter of the malwerks, his bloodlust reced by confusion. While the man was left perplexed by the sudden enthusiasm disyed by the young man, Ren wasted no time moving onto the approaching malwerks.

    Their feet sshed against the stone below their step, baring their pit of fangs as their zed-over eyes looked as if they were already in the world of the dead. Swiping his de across the air from a distance impossible for Belus to reach--Ren unleashed a "Dunkel: Slicer" from his lips, sending forth a de of darkness through two of the approaching aquatic monsters.

    --These are small fry, I''m not really partial to believe this is it for this room.

    Finishing thest of these helpless creatures was finished off by a swift strike, disconnecting its head from its shoulders before Ren swiped the unnaturally colored blood from the steel of his weapon.

    "What do you think you''re doing?"

    "ying my enemies, just as you did."

    "Don''t get it twisted, I''m only letting you tag along because I felt sorry just looking at you. If you''re set on bing a fucking nuisance, trying to be a realpetitor--then I''ll have to take matters into my own hands."

    As he expected, Goldheve wasn''t exactly thrilled with having all of the "fun" taken away from him. His hands trailed down, behind his cape as he reached for something--stopping as a massive ssh erupted from the once still waters. A downpour of the unclear, sewage-like waters rained down upon the two as they looked on towards what had made itself known.

    "--I think I jinxed it. The boss is here."

    "Stay the fuck out of this one, brat."

    Even as he smiled from the prospect of battle, the look in Goldheve''s eyes were anything but joy--reeking of absolute bloodlust that needed an outlet, gripping his drawn des as if he was nning on shattering the handles.

    "Sure, sure."

 Chapter 114 - Attack Of The Bloodlusted

    Ren rested Belus against his shoulder, watching as the enormous creature from the aquatic depths of darkness made itself visible. Simr to the malwerks, it possessed a humanoid body, but with the head of an octopus, covered in dark-gray skin with a hexagonal pattern running across its body.

    In reality, he had no ns of sticking out of this fight.

    "Dunkel: Slicer -- Times Ten."

    An array of dark lines extended through the air, oncending against the creature''s body it was diced into a bloody mess without putting up any fight. As each chunk of the water-dwelling creature rained back into the depths it came from, the anger came off of Goldheve like steam, fuming at the sight of the battle robbed from him.

    "This room was piss-easypared to the rest, wasn''t it?"

    "--"

    Goldheve fell silent, keeping his back turned to Ren as a drawn-out breath hissed from his lips. As his arms fell limp at his sides, still holding onto his jagged des which met with no victims--he turned his head slightly, his eyes meeting with Ren.

    "You want to be recognized as "strong", do you not? Maybe you''ve forgotten...What I''vee here for. This is a proving ground for the strongest--those who hold the highest conviction, strength, skill--I don''t care whether it is a monster or human here, if they''re strong--I''ll fight them. You''re just prey."

    It was the one thing he had feared the most since meeting the shaggy-haired man. Feeling that oozing bloodlust, pouring out from all of his pores as his voice carried the same deadpan tone--all directed at him, Ren felt like shrinking away.

    "--I was just messing around. You''ve taken all of the action since we paired up so I��"

    It was toote, the man had already set his sights on this bing a battle, slowly turning his body around as he faced Ren, his dark pupils dting as his eyelids didn''t shut a single time.

    "I don''t want to fight you, Goldheve. Please."

    A fact that he had known this entire time, since the moment heid eyes on Goldheve, finally came to a full realization as he watched the man ready his des.

    --He''s insane. That''s what a ce like this attracts-plete lunatics who can''t see reason. The moment I showed any semnce of strength, his animalistic nature set itself on me.

    "This is the consequence of being strong. Stand proud."

    Perspective came to him, this time seeing through the eyes of the countless creatures Goldheve had in. He was now on the receiving end of those exhrated eyes and the ear-to-ear smile he disyed to those he nned to introduce his des to.

    "--Come on! Stop ying around already!"

    Desperation had overtaken Ren''s voice as he watched Goldheve approach with his slow, methodical pace.

    If the act of battle was sustenance for Goldheve, then Ren had challenged the authority of the alpha pack leader��taking his meal from within the sps of his jaw.

    "You really don''t know anything about this ce, do you? There is a lot more than just clearing floors, in hopes of some "blessing". Killing you isn''t just about satisfaction--there is value in it. If you manage to actually beat me, by some miracle, you''ll learn what I''m talking about."

    "--"

    There was no other choice but to fight, even so--Ren was hesitant to experience the sensation of rending human flesh. He was unsure of what truly brought upon this hesitance, but just the thought of it caused his grip to shake.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Goldheve wasn''t one to wait around, wasting no time to begin the dance of blood as he swept his saw-like sword towards Ren''s face, missing as the young man ducked down, rolling under the de and around his opponent.

    "Stop--!"

    He could hardly get another word in before having to block the next strike with Belus. The sh of steel manifested a rain of sparks, holding back Goldheve''s overwhelming tenacity with one hand.

    --I don''t want this. I don''t want to do it. Someone, something, I don''t care what it is, just stop this!

    For a moment, he had forgotten about the second de his opponent held--forcing him to catch it with his own hand as it tore through the palm of his glove, straight into his flesh. As the blood-hungering man attempted to retract the held de, Ren tightened his grip, causing the ruthless, jagged edges to sink into his hand further.

    The look on Goldheve''s face was that of a dumbfounded man, not realizing the strength Ren held as he was unable to retrieve the de from his iron grip. As he pulled, the edges pulled against the flesh they were buried in, leaving a fall of crimson to meet the stone below.

    "Promise you''ll stop and I''ll let go."

    A voice devoid of the heated emotions he should disy in the heat of battle met Goldheve, as the nk look in Ren''s eyes begged for him to stop this.

    "Like hell, I will! I underestimated you! I was waiting for you to tire yourself out, but it looks like I''ll actually get a real fight out of this!"

    With a vicious, cacklingughter, the ck markings returned to Goldheve''s body as a heat emitted from his body.

    --"Eight Vasus: Agni".

    Ren recalled the technique, feeling the predicted mes burst out from the de he held, the newly manifested embers tearing away at his hand from within.

    --I won''t do it, Meinhard. I won''t be the same type of person that did that to you. If I don''t have to, if there is absolutely another option, no matter how offset it is--I''ll avoid it at all costs. Crossing that line...It''s something I would like to avoid if possible.

    As it is, I''m already hanging onto the threads that connect me to who I was, who I''ve always been.

    Who will I be if I strike down another person? Will my value of one''s life diminish? Will how I perceive those I care about change? I don''t want to find out.

    The persistent fire burnt away at his hand, reducing his glove to nothing but fragments of what used to be leather.

    --I''ll let it happen. It''s not so bad anyway, I''ll just make my way back here. Just get it over with, Goldheve. Compared to dying by that bull, I''ll take a swift death by sword any day of the week.

    There was no longer any passion residing within Ren, apparent to Goldheve who bore an enraged look on his face as the fight he yearned for left him only with a vacant boy.

    "Disappointing. If that''s what you want, then fall!"

    Goldheve reared his de back from Belus'' steely resistance, lifting it into the air as he looked down at the young man for a moment, who seemed to have no ns of evading the strike. The moment the harsh steel met his body, everything had faded.

 Chapter 115 - Awakening Of The Honored One

    "You''re a real idiot, you know that?"

    "Huh?! Where the hell did thate from?"

    The random insult was flung at him from the crimson-haired man sitting across from him, stretching his muscly, sweat-covered limbs after an intense session of training.

    Why am I remembering this? Right now? I��Is this death?

    A beautiful blue apanied the sea of clouds during the heart of spring; the sight felt like a dream to him.

    That''s right��I remember this. This was a month before I left for Purgatory.

    Just seeing Sora with his smile as radiant and calming as the spring itself was nourishment for his soul.

    "Just a thought��an observation. You''re tunnel-visioned, Ren."

    "Tunnel-visioned?"

    Sora responded with a nod, running his tan fingers through his vermillion locks as it was slicked back by his perspiration. The way the soft, orange rays of the sun danced upon his skin, making it glisten in the light, even Ren found himself ogling at the man.

    "All you''re focused on is getting stronger, putting on muscle, learning magic--it''s not a bad motivation. But, it''s not going to be able to solely fuel that will of yours. There will be times when you find your resolve cracking under an overwhelming force, finding excuses to give in...At that point, you can kiss your dream goodbye."

    "...What''s your point?"

    Ren raised an eyebrow, leaning forward in his chair as the two sat in the bountiful fields of the evergreen, honing his hazel eyes on the man.

    "Pride."

    "What?"

    Simply put, he was utterly confused by the single word used by Sora as the man held one finger up, looking intently at him with those radiant irises of his.

    "You''re prideful, terrible so...But, you don''t have anything to be proud of in the first ce. It''s just a surface-level facade you use to hide behind."

    "...Ow, I didn''t realize this was a therapy session��"

    "Shut up and listen. If you''re as much as a self-centered, egomaniac as I take you for--then you need something you''re proud of to protect. Something close to you, in you."

    As Sora exined this with a tone that left behind jest, he prodded the tip of his finger against the young man''s chest.

    "...Huh. I think I get it. Wait, ego?!"

    "Don''t pretend like we all don''t know that you spend thirty-minutes each morning fixing up your hair. I''m the damn one you asked to cut it!��Which I still don''t get; it''s still a messy do."

    "It''s called purposeful bed-head! It''s a trendy style, okay?!"

    Defending his new hair style that he was still sensitive about as it was his first time taking some aesthetic initiative in years, Ren found himself steering away from the point of the conversation��set back on track by the man.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Mm. Anyway, anything works, justtch onto something. Like, being able to lift four grocery bags in one-go, or carrying a case of water with one hand. That sort of stuff."

    "I think you''re shooting really low for me!"

    "I''m kidding. There is just one thing you should cement your pride in, something about yourself you should love and cherish, never letting it dissolve--the fact you''ve never given up."

    The moment those final words left Sora''s mouth, it felt as if everything in his mind connected, rewiring itself as a fire lit itself anew within him.

    Ah...I guess that''s what this is...I''ve heard of this theory: your life shing before your eyes, to find anything, one simple thing to save you.

    Thank you, Sora.

    Throughout my life, I''ve lived by the code of, "Don''t make trouble for others". Living this way, there isn''t much in the realm of love or hate to experience; so being pressured with this killing intent by another...I honestly don''t know what to do with myself.

    I fear it. I''m scared of it. Being a murderer.

    The moment I use my own hands to take another life, I cease to be just "Ren Nakamura", but known as "Ren Nakamura, the murderer". Once that line is crossed, nothing can be done to retrace your steps. Forever past that defining moment, your hands will be stained with that blood, your mind will likely be consumed by regret and detachment until one day��

    You find yourself afraid of the person you''ve be. As someone who had made the judgment to take another''s life, you doubt your own thinking--spacing yourself from others out of fear of their own lives.

    Every time my mind lingers on the option of retaliating, rending the flesh of my attacker, I imagine how Iris...How Meinhard would look at me. Would those eyes fear the man they saw? Would they be disappointed? Condemning me for my sinful actions? I don''t want to experience it. I''m scared of that judgmental gaze.

    That''s what''s stayed in my mind for so long. The hesitance to kill, the mental block I had forced onto myself subconsciously...For better or worse.

    Still...I want to be their hero. I want my presence to make them smile, to make them forget their fears and only look upon my back withplete faith in me.

    However, it''s not just that--I have my own pride now. Something I must protect--just as you taught me, Sora. I haven''t given up yet, that''s the source of my pride, the one thing I can gloat about!

    If that''s the case...I can''t fall here. Not yet.

    It wasn''t death, or at least not the pathway to the next life as he was used to. In fact, it felt neither like death nor life--it was truly something transcendent. Consciousness wasn''t taken from him, yet it carried the same dreamlike haze that slumber brought upon.

    The concept of pain diminished until it becamepletely erased within this enigmatic mindscape, reced by an amplified sensation offort that forced its way past his skin. Upon opening his eyes to this unknown ce between life and death, reality and dream--what he saw was a sight that invoked such nostalgia he felt like crying.

    If you were to ask him if he had ever seen this ce, he wouldn''t be able to answer you. It was so distinctly familiar, yet no memory of it found itself into his mind.

    He soared through these sepia skies, filled with golden, divine clouds without a body of his own. An endless sea that saw only tranquility, boundless in its freedom as it erased any stress from his mind. He didn''t question the nature of this realm, nor did he have any worries of its nature. All he knew was that for this moment--he had achieved true humanity.

    Despair, anger, death, anguish--none of those concepts existed in this realm of golden clouds, carried by gilded winds.

    Walking through these clouds with his intangible step, knowledge seemed to flow into his mind naturally as if it had always been there. Normally such an intense barrage of wisdom and memories finding their way into one''s mind would prove to be a head-splitting task, yet--it felt so very soothing, as if he was shedding away the ignorances he held, disying a new, vibrant self.

    For some reason, he wanted to speak these words--he had to speak them, bring them from his mind and into reality, to hear them for himself.

    "Above heaven, below heaven...I alone am worthy of honor."

 Chapter 116 - I Alone Am Worthy Of Honor

    "Above heaven, below heaven...I alone am worthy of honor."

    As the words traveled from his consciousness and into spoken words, he felt a burning sensation glide across both of his sclera, intensifying on his irises. It should''ve been painful, enough to send him into a convulsive state--yet, it only felt like pressure being applied to his orbs of sight.

    "Is this pain the price for speaking such arrogant words?", he thought to himself, but the question answered itself as the words flowed directly into his mind.

    "No...This is the reward for iming those words for myself. A consequence of being the strongest--the lone honored one in this world full of impurities."

    What he needed most came to him--not raw power or heightened senses, but the will to go through with that he refused. The one who would open their eyes would not be the boy who feared bing a murderer, but a self forged of the desire to live.

    Even if it was a momentary reprieve, his de wouldn''t be coated in fear for now.

    As his eyes set upon the sight of the being that should''ve been dead, the killer instinct he embraced so fervently had briefly faded.

    "In my decades of strife, ying foe after foe��I''ve never seen something like this, I know for sure my de reached him. There isn''t any way somebody could shrug off a strike like this," Goldheve thought as he couldn''t avert his eyes from the sight.

    The deep sh that had sunk into the young man''s neck, eviscerating his jugr��it seemed as if it was nothing more than a paper cut. Crimson that had stained his deathly pale skin evaporated off of his body into a mist of vibrant scarlet. As horrifying as a sight it should''ve been, there was a peculiar divinity about it.

    He hadn''t so much as twitched a finger until this moment, shrouded in the steam that emanated from his pores. Awakening from a tranquil dream that was his true reality, his eyelids parted gently to reveal eyes, not of this world.

    In ce of his irises were gilded wheels that seemed to see all, past falsities and only the truth. A focused gaze upon these mystical eyes would see the intricate details that made up his golden diaphragm, running along each end of the radiant wheel.

    This was��"Heaven Earth Disconnect."

    The first words to leave his lips, a taut tone that left no space for doubt.

    "You had something like this up your sleeve, huh? So this is what you Mages call an "innate ability", is it? ...I can''t stop shaking, my own damn body wants to run. That''s how I know...This is the fight I''ve been looking for!"

    Finally forcing words out of his stunned self, Goldheveughed at his own reaction to the phenomena. It didn''t matter what his body told him, how much his instincts urged him to run��he was a true warrior, a connoisseur of battle.

    "Eight Vasu: Prithvi. Agni. Vayu. Varuna."

    Departing his torn cape from his body, his light brown skin shifted into a reddened hue as his veins pressed against the exterior of his body. A torrent of fiery winds picked up around his body, spiraling as the embodiment of his mystical strength.

    "...Are you done yet?"

    The detached tone that came from his opponent sent Goldheve into a frenzy, pushing out every ounce of power he had within his body, pushing it out through his pores as he singed his own skin.

    A set of arms formed of crimson mes sprouted from his back, drawing two des from the sheaths on his sides��holding four des with a smile as twisted as theye.

    "Don''t me me if I make this a lot more painful than it has to be. You just make me want to go all out!"

    "��Just hurry it up already, would you?"

    That was all it took to lift Goldheve from thend he stood, sending himself forward with a burst of speed that blew away a chunk of stone beneath his foot.

    "A sh from the left��"

    Renmented as he dodged the iing strike, leaning back as the fiery de passed by his flowing locks.

    "...And another from below��a vertical sh, attempting to catch my chin."

    As he predicted from his monotonementary, the gilded-eyed young man reared his head back, looking up towards the barren ceiling as the attack whisked past its target.

    Turning up the heat, the swings became faster, more frequent, yearning to meet the flesh of the swift mage. A subtle difference, but it was noticeable��the way Ren evaded the iing steel wasn''t just reflex, it looked more as if he knew the path the des were traveling.

    "Is he fucking with me? It has to be a fluke��a lucky guess, there''s no way he can predict my attacks!" Goldheve''s mind raced as his des only met air.

    Those golden, wheel-shaped eyes of his��even standing below him, those irises made it feel as if he was being looked down upon.

    "��I''ll carve those damn eyes out of your skull!"

    All four of his sword-wielding appendages dragged through the air, coated in spiraling mes as rage consumed the maddened warrior. Finally responding with an attack of his own, Ren shed his de against all of the iing ming des, unleashing a vibration through the stone below.

    "You''re hard to hit, but you don''t hit hard!"

    "��"

    He moved and spoke, participating in the battle--yet it was obvious even to the man sunken into the battle that the young man before him wasn''t truly conscious. He was driven by the sole purpose to win, guided by an ascended instinct

    Thrilledughter roared from Goldheve as he sank deeper into the lull of battle by the moment, his skin shifting into a vibrant crimson, blood vessels popping as his sclera was dyed to a red.

    "Stay your de and I''ll allow you to live."

    "Allow me to live? Do you know the situation you''re in, bastard?!"

    "Your body is deteriorating. Using four of your Vasu simultaneously must be too much for you to handle. My victory is inevitable, I am dictated by fate to be the victory."

    His vacant concern was met only with Goldheve throwing him back with overwhelming force, sending him nearly into the dark waters as the heels of his boots sat at the edge. In response to the uncaring advice he gave, Goldheve shed at the air--unleashing sharp des of wind that soonbusted as they neared contact with their target.

    By the moment, the physical condition of the fiery warrior devoid of reason lessened, shaping more and more to be something inhuman. Even so, withstanding such agony as a result of his glutton for battle, Goldheve''s viscous love for the act didn''t falter. Each time he struck the air in an attempt to hit Ren, his des carved through the air as if trying to y the very concept of it.

    Dodging one of these strikes, Ren countered by using his free arm to put Goldheve in a lock, pushing the man''s elbow against his back.

    "Concede."

    Only augh was given in response to his try at mercy, tightening his grip on the man''s wrist as it felt as if he was holding onto molten iron.

    "You still don''t get it, do you?! Giving up is thest thing on my menu! Dismember me, decapitate me, I don''t give a shit! Someone will die here! Whether it''s you or me, that''s up to our des to decide!"

    As Goldheve smiled ear to ear, his skin holding a devilish red from the extreme heat, a burst of mes releases from his body--forcing Ren to release his hold.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...Do you not feel any pain, bastard?"

    Freed from the hold, the fiery man cracked his shoulder. Without so much as a flinch from his golden eyes, Ren raised his hand, briefly inspecting the boiling, melted away flesh from the palm of his hand before looking back up at his opponent.

    "Pain is a safety provided by your body that warns you of potential danger. I am currently not in any danger."

    Ripping off the sleeve of his long-sleeved ck tunic, Ren wrapped it around his burnt hand as a make-shift bandage.

    "At least that''s one thing we have inmon! Pain is nothing but an abandoned concept on the battlefield, a hindrance to the raw, true form of man!"

    Bringing his arm back for another strike of his de, the crimson essence that Goldheve manipted warped around his jagged sword, extending into a massive greatsword of scarlet mes. Even in the stillbyrinth that provided no winds, the world''s breath screamed out in response to the release of mystical mes.

    "Let''s see you dodge this one, you golden-eyed bastard----!"

    It didn''t take a genius to realize that there was no avenue of retreat on the small pavilion, watching as the pir of hungering mes roared out from Goldheve''s de, holding a smile of absolute glee as he unleashed everything he had.

    "Come, Hama Yumi."

    As Ren raised one hand to the air, a luminescent wind gathered above his open palm, a short glow consuming the vision within the bounds of the light before fading.

    Sitting in Ren''s palm was a finely crafted bow, stretching a length that surpassed his own height. Decorated with stripes of ck over the light-brownplexion of the base material, it gave off a sublime air.

    The sight had stolen Goldheve''s attention as he watched Ren slowly set the bow, drawing the string back as a feathered arrow manifested between his fingertips. As soon as the bowstring had been pulled back, a gentle breeze emanated from the young man''s position--causing the rampant mes to shrink in fear.

    "The--the hell is a flimsy bow going to do against my mes?! If you''re feeling suicidal, then be my guest, Ren!"

    "--Hama Yumi is a bow that wards off evil. This includes those with negative karma, such as yourself, Goldheve."

    A swipe of the fire-manifested, towering sword unleashed a tidal wave of sharp, condensed mes backed by an army of savage inferno. Releasing his hold of the mystically manifested arrow, it torpedoed through the air--colliding directly against the hostile wall of mes approaching. The sound of cackling mes, spewing embers, and turning the dark stone to ash had disappeared--as did the mes, as soon as they made contact with the unknown arrow.

    Left agape at the simple do away of his attack, Goldheve narrowly avoided the arrow as it missed his forehead, piercing through the wind with divine grace.

    "Where did thise from��? All of this power? I''ll admit, I didn''t think you were too bad before, but this doesn''t make any sense."

    "It was with me all along. You just opened my eyes to it, so--thank you, Goldheve. That''s why I''ll give you onest chance to end this scuffle."

    "Scared it''ll stay on your consciousness? Haunt your dreams? What business did a kid who never killed somebody haveing to a ce like this? That''s all you are...A kid! I''ve nurtured this strength, cultivated my body in bloodshed since I was a child. Whipped, beaten, facing death more times than I can count--I''ve lived a life you can''t even imagine! I can''t ept it! You surpass me just because of a fucking ability you never before today! How is that fair?!"

    "...You only lose what you cling to. Abandon that pride and ept defeat, follow me through this trial, Goldheve. There is no shame in being defeated by the honored one."

    Facing the man consumed by emotion, clenching his teeth with so much force that he may shatter them, Ren calmly extended his hand towards him.

    "--You''re too kind of a soul for a ce like this. You''ll never make it out, Ren."

    "Just concede, Goldheve. As I am right now, I don''t have any qualms liberating you from your flesh."

    The not-so-subtle threat, almost sounding like gentle kindness from the detached look in his golden-wheeled irises--Goldheve couldn''t help but smile at those words as he pulled his hand back, tightening his grip on his des.

    "To hell with that---!"

    "You brought this oue onto yourself."

    Taking a leap back, Ren let out a quiet sigh from his lips before holding his sword up. A wheel of mes rolled after him as Goldheve cartwheeled across the weathered floor, tossing forth a heated wind towards his opponent. The movements the man-made were unorthodox, spinning about and twisting his limbs in ways that seemed only possible with the absence of bones.

    Approaching with de spinning in the air, rumbling the stone below under his might--Goldheve missed his mark once more as Ren sidestepped the iing offense.

    To call it a "sidestep" would be giving too much credence to the effort exerted by the stoic young man, who simply turned his body one way without any stress to hasten his movement.

    His gilded eyes watched the four-armed man carefully, analyzing his expression as he searched for an ounce of remorse in his insanity-driven battle. Even as he missed his swings, the cackling never stopped, only increasing as his own mes heated his body to the point that his own arterial fluid began to evaporate from his pores.

    Through his ceaseless battle, driven forward only by the prospect of blood and glory--Goldheve had disyed his true nature to the judging eyes of Ren.

    "Manjushri."

    It came out in a faint whisper, a golden me lighting itself across the fine steel of Belus. The transcendent beauty of these gilded mes, whispering atop the sword''s sharp nature consumed even the bloodlusted man''s focus if but for a moment.

    The movements performed by Ren transcended his opponent''sprehension of what was happening before his eyes, attempting to hone his hawk-like gaze on his majestic footwork. Between his fingers, Belus spun in an entrancing ze, forming a wheel of mes that further obscured Goldheve''s understanding.

    No defense came in the way of Belus as Ren slid the de directly through his opponent''s chest, hitting his heart with perfect precision.

    "You''re a real monster, aren''t you, kid?"

    Coughing up a spat of blood, Goldheve coughed out a frail chuckle as the ck markings faded from his skin as did the persistent, mystic heat.

    "--I don''t know what you did to me, but I don''t appreciate you erasing my anger with this fucking de of yours. Kill me, defile my corpse--but don''t taint my twisted soul with your high and mighty bullshit. I don''t want your fucking blessing or repentance."

    As much as he tried to conjure his rage, the man couldn''t wipe the unrelenting smile from his face. His cheeks trembled as he tried tobat the grin, slowly reaching him and gripping onto his own lips. Goldheve maintained eye contact with the still eyes of his victorious opponent as he screamed out before ripping his own chapped, scarred lips from his face, along with a portion of his cheek.

    Loose skin and hanging muscle now apanied the obscured smile as a pool of crimson painted his once pearly whites.

    "I''ll part you with some knowledge, kid. You''ve earned it," Goldheveughed as clots of blood spit out from the jagged hole in his cheek, "...There are secret rules to this ce. One of them...If you''re killed by another participant of the trial, there''s noing back--that''s it."

    "--What? Hold on!"

    Emotion had returned to Ren''s lifeless expression, looking down as he attempted to withdraw the de from Goldheve''s chest--who grabbed his wrist with a dry chuckle.

    "If you ever make it to the second floor, that''s where I hear the real fun begins. Now, if you''ll excuse me...I think it''s time I finally take a long nap."

 Chapter 117 - Village Of The Forgotten

    The hollow cavern she found herself traversing seemed to never end. Holding the illuminating spell just in front of herself, it all looked the same--the cracked, pale stone that ran on for a seeming infinity and the shadows that danced just outside of her light''s scope.

    It was a nauseating environment to travel through, doubt came to one''s mind if the path they walked truly had an end to it, only hearing the sound of her boots dragging along the brittle surface of the stone, sometimes mistaking her own footsteps for the existence of another.

    Taking a moment of rest and frustration, Iris sat down against the unweing, rigged wall to the side of the tunnel.

    "--I''ve been at this for at least an hour now...Is this really the trial?"

    Venting to herself in a contained whisper, it seemed the rocky corridor had responded to herints as a pebble moved in her vision. There wasn''t any wind strong enough to push a pebble, looking as if it was deliberate by a separate force.

    "...Hello?"

    Iris raised the orb of light she used as guidance, focusing it on the area of the sudden movement. In ce of a subtle, almost unremarkable noise a pebble rolling made--a rumble erupted in the tunnel as a portion of the wall seemed to jut out from its ce.

    She quickly stood up out of fear and confusion, watching closely as the outline of a door-shape had been made from the rock that stuck out of ce.

    As if being hoisted by unseen hands, therge b of stone was then pulled to the side, revealing a hollow entrance into the stone innards of the thought-to-be lonely cavern. The silhouette of an entity with humanoid proportions stood in the doorway, obscured by the constant shadows that loomed in the cavern.

    "Who''s there--?!"

    Not knowing what the intentions of the beings were, she called out, focusing her mana as she prepared tounch a spell towards the enigmatic entity.

    "--Sorry...I didn''t mean to rm you, missus."

    Bringing the sphere of illumination near the doorway, it revealed the identity of the being that greeted her with its timid voice, reminiscent of a gentle old man. While resembling a human, the timid man of seniority clearly was not of the same species. He stood a height shorter than her own, nearlying lower than half of her length.

    His long, pointy ears carried his surprisingly clean sses, the wrinkled, yet healthy skin of his covered inyers of silver body hair.

    "...What are you?" Iris asked without thinking, quickly correcting herself out of embarrassment, "sorry--I mean to ask who are you?"

    "It''s quite alright...I am sure my race is one seldom seen on the surface. I am Heldjrim--a primorelf, a simpler term would be...Ah, a cave-elf."

    "Primorelf��? I''ve read about your kind, actually! It said they all had gone extinct��"

    A solemn expression came over Heldjrim''s face from the girl''sst few words, adjusting his sses as he slowly turned himself, ushering for her to follow him inside the secret abode. Sitting inside the hollow walls of the seemingly endless cave was something beyond her imagination--an extensive base not containing just a simple spot of rest, but an extensivework, built into the side of the cave.

    "This is��"

    "The home of the Ender n, which I believe is thest standing n of my race."

    Heldjrim ran his wrinkled finger against a violet magic seal imprinted on the wall, causing the stone b to return to its ce as a door.

    "We''re inside of the Purgatory temple, right? Or am I mistaken?"

    "No, you''re correct, missus."

    "I don''t understand...An entiremunity living in this ce...Forgive me, but it is simply hard to believe."

    It was a sight that made her question if her own two eyes had been lying to her. One moment she was traversing the deste cavern devoid of anything, and now--the ce she stood contained bustling life, humble cottages sat in the vibrantly lit vige that sat within the protective walls of rock.

    Streams of water flowed through man-made rivers, apanying rows of produce being grown with the assistance of magic--as seen by the farmer primorelves, tending to the growing green with a verdant glow emanating from their ns.

    They all seemed to wear the same general attire, keeping themselves d in robes of pale hazel fabric, likely crafted from a singr tailor.

    "I understand your confusion, missus. It is quite unorthodox, I do say, but we''ve been given this home by the generosity of the gods of this domain."

    "The gods��?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Heldjrim responded with a nod, stepping down the smooth, meticulously carved steps of tan stone, "The very ones who formed this sanctuary. If it wasn''t for their guidance and hospitality, I''m afraid our n wouldn''t have survived the scourge. If that happened...Our race would be wiped off the world."

    Following the short of stature ground elf down the steps, taking note of the absence of shoes on his feet��hairy and calloused from likely walking barefoot on stone his entire life. Each step the elderly elf took caused his curly locks of silver to bounce, draped over his shoulders.

    "I still don''t understand...Why''re you showing me this ce?"

    "Ah, well...We understand the dangers that await beyond our humble vige. Even if it''s temporary...We wish to give visitors relief from that danger, a ce of rest."

    "��You said your people follow under the old gods, right?"

    Iris stepped onto the narrow wooden bridge to cross the stream of water, following after the weing elf.

    A pair of younger members of Heldjrim''s race greeted Iris. On the left, a young female primorelf stood shyly, fiddling with her bright, curled locks of red. The boy to her left, seeming simr in age, wasn''t shy enough to try to hide his gaze--staring straight up at Iris with his dazzling silver irises, beaming with youthful vigor.

    "This here is little Eurya, my great-granddaughter. Come on now, say hi to the missus."

    Heldjrim gently pushed the small girl forward as her pointed ears twitched, looking down shyly as her scarlet hair obscured her emerald sight-seers.

    "...Nice to meet you��"

    "It''s nice to meet you too, Eurya. I''m Iris."

    Squatting down to meet the small girl''s height, Iris couldn''t help but smile as she gently ran her hand across the top of Eurya''s head.

    "And that there is little Einsdel, he''s shaping up to be the next guardian of the Ender n. You''ll have to forgive them, it isn''t often we actually get guests here--so they may be a bit reclusive."

    "It''s alright! Hi, Einsdel."

    Greeting the young elf with spiky, light-brown hair to match his pointed ears, Iris met his handshake, holding his small, but firm hand in her own with a vibrant smile.

    "Listen...I really appreciate the offer to stay, but I came here with someone...I have to find them."

    Iris told Heldjrim, fixing the silver ribbon that held the fur-lined cape draped over her shoulders. He looked almost hurt at those words, quickly attempting to dissuade her decision.

    "No, no...You must stay, missus Iris. Once you move onwards, you can''t retrace your steps back here. I''m afraid...Once you leave, you can''te back to our vige."

    "Why''s that?"

    "It''s the way Purgatory is designed, missus. I don''t mean to intrude but...I''m sure your friend will be fine. Purgatory can be harsh to visitors, but I''m sure a friend of yours is capable of withstanding it."

    Heldjrim guided her over to a bench that sat in the pavilion, serving as the main intersection of the interior vige as primorelves went about their day. As far as she could tell, there weren''t any ill intentions from the elder elf, looking at his slightly sunken in dark-silver irises which sat behind his sight-assisting lenses.

    "--I agree with you, Ren is probably alright...Even so, sitting around and doing nothing isn''t going to help him."

    Beginning to stand up from her seat, Heldjrim quickly got up after her--hassling her like a desperate salesman attempting to meet a quota.

    "Please, missus, I implore you to stay--just a night."

    His eyes lit up with delight as he stopped the girl, who ced her hands on her hips before facing him again, "I still don''t understand. Why is it so important for you for me to be here?"

    Standing over the weather elf so highly that she had cast a shadow over him, Heldjrim seemed to shrink away from her serious questioning--his eyes darting between the ground and her as he attempted to avoid her azure gaze.

    "Well, ur, missus��"

    "Tell me, Heldjrim. I want to know."

 Chapter 118 - The Troubles Of The Weak

    Looking around the somewhat bustling center of the tucked-away vige, she noticed that the passing by primorelves mostly kept to themselves--taking short nces at her.

    --I guess there isn''t much to expect from a vige tucked inside of a cavern, but they don''t seem very well off.

    Bringing her sight back down to the fidgeting elder, who was fiddling with the cor of his olive tunic--Iris let out a huff as no answer came from Heldjrim. As soon as she began to turn with the intention of leaving the vige, he finally spoke up.

    "--Missus! Alright, alright. I''m not supposed to disclose this information, not around them...Come with me to my cottage,e,e."

    Heldjrim whispered as he looked around to make sure none of the vigers had been eavesdropping, ushering for the girl to follow him as he began to move down one of the pathways. It was a peculiar situation to be put in, but she decided to trust her instincts that the seemingly kind, old elf wasn''t one with malicious intent as she followed him.

    Even without the nurturing light of the sun, saplings had managed to grow into healthy, high-reaching trees, baring silver and hazel leaves on their limbs. Entering the pathway that led away from the series of small shops, these trees overlooked the trail, blocking the stone sky with petals of nature.

    The luscious green that inhabited the soil almost made her forget that she was within a cavern, even capturing the sight of vibrant poppy flowers, greeting her as they gently swayed side to side.

    "...How much farther, Heldjrim?"

    "Just a bit more, missus."

    An uphill slope led to a cottage in the shape of a dome, built with decorated stone instead of the other homes formed of rock and mud. The front door attached to the front of the odd abode was opened by the elderly primorelf, who scooted his way inside, ushering for the girl to follow.

    --It''s a bit short��

    The door had only reached up to her shoulders, forcing an awkward bow forward in order to enter the home. Inside of the peculiarly built cottage, the interior was fancier than the exterior had let on: holding stone bookshelves, tables stocked with produce, and a bed befit for only a primorelves'' size.

    Just existing in the home of Heldjrim was enough to know nothing in this vige was built with humans in mind, as the top of her head was a hair away from reaching the ceiling.

    "Would you like some tea, missus?"

    Shuffling over to one of the tables, the frail old elf nced at her to await her answer, taking hold of two teacups.

    "Urr...Sure."

    Iris watched as he retrieved water from the pot sitting beside the ashen table, pouring it into a kettle formed of stone.

    The primorelf closed his eyes, holding his palms out in front of the kettle as he began to concentrate--breaking a sweat and releasing a heavy breath as he attempted whatever he had in mind. After a moment of prolonged focus, a small me conjured from under the kettle, the small, newly-formed mes coiling the round sides of the object as steam began to emit from its crevices.

    --No incantation...So it is true that elves don''t need them to use magic.

    It wasn''t a particrly powerful spell in the slightest that Heldjrim had cast, but Iris still found herself fascinated by theck of incantation from him.

    Keeping one hand focused on retaining the spell of mes, Heldjrim dropped a few leaves into the steaming pot. She didn''t bother attempting to make conversation during the wait for tea in fear of breaking the primorelf''s concentration.

    "That should do it��"

    Clearly tired from holding a basic spell, Heldrjim moved his wrinkled hand towards the handle of the pot, lifting it and pouring the fresh contents into both cups.

    "Here you are, missus."

    epting the offering of tea, a soothing fragrance emitted itself from the recently brewed beverage, momentarily taking her away from her problems.

    "Please, sit."

    Heldjrim urged her, rushing over to one of the tables and pulling out a chair for her. It made her feel bad having such a withered, elderly being work so hard to try and amodate her presence--so she decided to ept his demands, but first needed to hear his reasoning.

    Taking a seat and sipping the tea, the heated liquid felt as if it directly traveled through her body the moment it touched her tongue, caressing her tired cells and rejuvenating them. The seat itself was low to the ground, resulting in a rather ufortable seating position.

    "Is it to your liking, missus?"

    Iris nodded her head in response to Heldjrim question, who held a static smile as if desperately awaiting her answer, "I think it''s time you exined yourself, Heldjrim."

    The joyful smile he held in response to her approval of the freshly brewed drink had faded just as quickly as it came about.

    "Ah, I suppose you''re right��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Setting his own cup down, Heldjrim adjusted his round-lensed sses, clearing his throat before he ushered forth his response to her question, "I''m sure you''d like to know first and foremost, why I''ve been urging you to stay, yes?"

    "That''s right."

    "To answer that, I must first ask you a question of my own, missus. You believe the Purgatory temple is but a host for the trial, yes?"

    It was an odd question, forcing Iris to repeat it in her head a few times as a perplexed look came over her azure gems--finally nodding her head slowly with a, "Yes."

    "I am sure that''s why you mainly found the existence of this vige to be an odd one. However, your assumption would only be half right."

    "What?"

    "It is true that this temple serves as a grounds for the trial made by the gods, but it is far more than that. This temple doesn''t exist solely for the purpose of the trial, but as a new kingdom--built by the generous gods to give a home to those without a ce in Gaia."

    From what she had gathered of Heldjrim, he was a reasonable and wise person, so hearing this brought no room for doubt into her mind.

    --Did Mother know this?...This is something she would mention, so why didn''t she? Is it really possible this is something out of her reach of knowledge?

    "...That is definitely important to know, but what does it have to do with you wanting me to stay here? I don''t understand."

    "Well...many adventurers whoe to this ce to seek out the trial end up realizing this truth. Purgatory is set up in such a way that humans can actually thrive here--such a fact has led to the predicament that my n finds itself in."

    Adjusting his sses once more, Heldjrim''s gaze lowered for a moment as he reminisced whatever truth he had stored in his base of knowledge.

    "It started a few months ago...Just as we did with you, we weed in one who undertook the trial, a young man who seemed to possess good intentions...At least, that''s what this old man saw from him."

    "Then what''s the issue?"

    "That young man...Macheo, he lowered our guards with his kind front, having us show him around the vige before he revealed his true colors. Using his overwhelming strength, he established himself as a dominant force��forcing the vige to pay him a "tax" for his protection."

    "That''s��"

    "It started off as just small payments, but as time went on, he became greedier, tainted with the power he had seized. Eventually...those small payments becamerger, too much for our humblemunity to pay. As pensation"...Macheo took a woman of his choice. My daughter, Uylia...It''s been a month since he took her...Everyday I worry so greatly for her."

    Behind that anguish, she could see a fire light in the silver irises of Heldjrim as he spoke of the injustice brought to his vige, even more so as he mentioned his daughter.

    "--I don''t quite follow still, what does this have to do with me? It''s awful, really, but I just don''t see my ce in all of this��"

    Heldjrim fidgeted a bit, scratching at his scruffy chin before letting out a small breath as his answer soon followed, "Macheo''s next visit is tomorrow...I was hoping that if you stayed here for a night, you would be forced to protect the vige and defeat that man."

    "You deceived me."

    "I did what was best for my people. I am the elder of this vige, missus Iris--I...I have to look out for them, no matter the cost."

    "You could''ve just told me, I would''ve dly helped."

    Setting the cup of tea down, Iris looked at the timid primorelf with her dazzling eyes, radiating with apis beauty only matched by her silken locks.

    "I...I know, missus. I just couldn''t risk you leaving here out of fear...We don''t have enough to pay what Macheo wants, andst time he showed...He promised to hurt my little girl as coteral."

    "--"

    "I''m out of options, missus��"

    The raw sadness that disyed itself in each wrinkle on his weathered face did away with any thoughts that he may be deceiving her. Those ancient, silver lenses of his looked at her, pleading for her help from the bottom of his soul. As much as she put up a tough front out of frustration of his previous deceit, her heart yearned to assist these kind folk.

    A continuous inhale puffed out her chest before she let it out in a sharp exhale, "Fine."

    "...Fine?"

    "Fine, I''ll help your vige...I''ll make sure your daughter is returned safely to you."

 Chapter 119 - A Proper Exchange

    For a moment, the withered, somberness had vanished from Hedljrim as he beamed with joy at her words--getting up from his seat and indulging himself to a small dance, tapping his bare feet against the flooring. As much as she tried to retain an air of professionalism around the primorelf, she couldn''t stop herself from giggling at the sight of the elderly man moving his body in frivolity.

    Heldjrim pped his hairy, stubby hands together, letting out a soft, "Woo!", as he celebrated earning the protection of Iris.

    "Is that normal?''

    Covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle herughter, Iris asked in between giggles leaving her lips as the dancing came to a stop as the primorelf had reached his limit.

    "I guess you could say we''re a bit more of free-spirits than our uptight brethren, although my old bones don''t allow me to partake in such dances for very long these days!"

    Seating himself back down, huffing as he attempted to regain his quickly spent stamina, Heldjrim took arge gulp of the tea he had brewed.

    "Still...I have to ask, if this Macheo person deceived you, taking advantage of your hospitality...Why did you take the chance of letting me in?"

    "I''d like to say that I am a good judge of character, but after Macheo...I don''t think I have any right to say that. So, if I''m beingpletely honest, missus...It was a gamble. You were my only hope to save my daughter and this vige."

    Getting her satisfactory answer, Iris took another sip of the refreshing beverage, taking another look at the cottage of the vige elder before calling his attention once more.

    "I have one condition if I''m to help you with this Macheo problem."

    "...Yes? If it is within my power, I will give you anything that you ask for, missus."

    Looking at the kettle for a moment, her eyes then went back to Heldjrim, who always seemed hesitant to meet her own lenses with his own.

    "Teach me how to use magic without using an incantation."

    Opening his mouth in an attempt to argue against this request, Heldjrim stopped as the piercing resolve from Iris'' gaze shut down any doubts he could muster.

    "Are you sure, missus? I have no trouble passing this knowledge to you, but I can''t guarantee you will be able to adapt to it. As you know, it is a traitmon for elves...It is seldom seen in other races."

    "I am sure."

    "Well...I''ll introduce you to Heimgol, he is the brightest practitioner of magecraft in our vige. I must warn you though, missus, he is a peculiar fellow. Nobody in the vige has seen him leave his quarters in well over a month."

    He seemed hesitant but willing, running his xen nail along the rim of his sses, standing up from his seat as the elf of seniority waddled towards the table once more to return the tea kettle to its rightful ce.

    "So what is it you want me to do exactly in regards to Macheo? I''ll agree to help...However, I won''t agree to murder another person."

    "I wouldn''t ask such a thing either, missus. As much as I scorn that young man, I believe he is simply tainted by the concept of such power...If I''m correct, then I believe giving him a taste of defeat will cleanse him of this corrupt nature he has taken on."

    "Even after he took away your daughter, you still believe such a thing?"

    Heldjrim paused for a moment, looking down at the table as he ran his thumb over the grooves of the stone, "...Maybe it is naivety speaking in ce of reason, but the genuine curiosity of our culture and the smiles that boy showed...I trust that those were not lies. This ce is cruel and unforgiving to those that enter it in hopes of defeating the trial, missus...I believe a young man like him simply wanted a way out, and this was his only option."

    Even as he spoke, some words left as if they were choked out of his throat, his opulent irises glistening with a spectrum of emotions.

    "--I understand, Heldjrim, I do."

    Iris gave him a gentle smile as she attempted to console the somber primorelf, standing beside him as her oceanic curtains fell over her narrow shoulders.

    "If he really is as you say, then I''m sure Uylia is unharmed...I''ll return her and the happiness of this vige to you."

    "Thank you, missus, truly."

    "So, what''s the n here? Am I just going to wait here until Macheo arrives then confront him?"

    Iris asked, taking a sip from the new batch of tea that the elder of the Ender n had made, who sat himself down across from her with his own cup.

    "About that��" Heldjrim cleared his throat, "I think it would be better if you confronted him first, but which I mean--seek him out before hees here."

    "Weren''t you nning on having me face him when he arrives tomorrow?"

    Iris raised an eyebrow at the shift in ns, still having some level of doubt when it came to Heldjrim--even if he had a noble reason to lie, he was still capable of deceiving her.

    "Well, yes...Only because there was no other choice. Now that you''ve agreed to help, this is the better option. It''s just...a battle between two mages of your and his caliber woulde with heavy coteral to the vige, potentially the vigers as well. As the elder, this is something I must mitigate. I''m sure you understand, missus."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Can you cut out the whole "missus" thing, please? It''s making me feel like an olddy��"

    Her abrupt disapproval of the term caught the brittle primorelf off guard, who paused for a moment before slowly nodding his head with an, "...Alright, what shall I call you then?"

    "Just Iris is fine."

    "Well, alright then, Iris. So what do you think? A few of the abled youngins scouted out the tunnels and found where Macheo is staying. I''m sure with the element of surprise on your side��"

    Iris watched as Heldjrim delved right back into the topic, desperation had consumed his voice as he spoke of the n. It was clear as day to her that this "Macheo" had instilled a level of fear into the poor cave-dwelling elves, presuming the role of a tyrannical leader.

    "You said the tunnels right? When I was out there it seemed to go on endlessly, I swear it."

    In response to her somber worries, Heldjrim let out a dry chuckle, coughing after releasing the small fit of joy from his throat.

    "What''s so funny?"

    "Nothing, Iris. It''s a simple trick that the gods etched into these depths. You see, it''s supposed to be a small, cut-off section within the trial for us primorelves to exist...So the enchantment was meant to ward off adventurers or creatures that managed to wander off."

    "That didn''t seem to work did it?"

    "It did for a while, but it was inevitable that one such as Macho would stumble upon the solution to the endless tunnel."

    Heldjrim let out a quiet sigh between his cracked lips, adjusting his ocr lenses and scratching the top of his silver-haired head.

    "So what is this trick you''re referring to?"

    "It is quite simple really, all you must do is keep one palm t against the leftmost wall as you walk, then you''ll move forward."

    "--That''s��childish."

    Knowing the solution now, she didn''t know whether she wanted to p herself or the petty gods that likely watched as she endlessly walked the tunnel. Even with all of his reverence for the gods, Heldjrim dipped his head slightly in agreement.

    "You''re really asking me to stick my neck out for you, you know? I''m only going to do this in exchange for something else."

    "--What is it you want? We don''t have much to offer inpensation��"

    "Your kind are limated to these depths right?"

    Her question was met in response from a slight nod from Heldjrim, who squinted his eyes a bit as he attempted to deduce what she wanted before she asked. The brittle elder fidgeted as he thought, tapping his barefoot against the ground.

    "I need help finding someone in this trial. This deal is...It''s non-negotiable."

    Iris nted her palms down against the smooth surface of the table, keeping her resolved gaze locked on the elder as she made her demands clear. Hearing this, Heldjrim took a moment to ponder what she wanted from him, scratching his sharp, ragged nails against his scruffy chin. Falling deeper into thought, the wise in age primorelf murmured to himself, fiddling with the pointy end of his ear.

    "It is a steep price you''ve given me to pay, Iris."

    "You''re asking me to do battle with a likely powerful adventurer, I think this is fair enough."

    "I understand that but...My kind aren''t just given free rein to traverse the sacrednd. In exchange for a secluded, safe ce for my people, we''re under but one rule: to stay within this vige. It is a more than fair rule for what the gods have given us, to betray that is��"

    "What is so safe about this vige now with Macheo nting himself as a bandit to your kind? There is nothingforting about living in fear of another, having to divide your resources and grant them to him. Is this what you want the primorelves to be reduced to? Weak, sickly people who bend to the will of one man?"

    The words cut into the elder, who dropped his head down as the meaning behind them sank into him. As his head dipped, so did his sharp ears, flopping down like a saddened canine.

    "What you say is true...We''ve been reduced to nothing. I...I''ll speak with my people, I can likely send out a few scouts who are willing, but no more than that."

    "--"

    Reading the doubt on the girl''s fair face, Heldjrim fervently assured her, "Worry not, my people excel in such things. I''m sure your friend will be found."

    "I see...It''s a deal then."

    With it decided, the two shook on it, meeting hand-in-hand. Grasping his small hand, the size of which roughly equated to a pre-teen human, Iris smiled as she finally made some progress in her search for Ren.

 Chapter 120 - Sanity, Crumbling

    Slowly his eyes parted open, after unknowingly having fallen into slumber. Even in the somber environment, the subtlest instances of light made his eyes water, his own body attempting to force his eyelids shut.

    "--I fell asleep?"

    Sitting up and rubbing the back of his head, Ren''s dreary eyes shot wide at the sight of the lifeless body resting against the damp stone.

    "Goldheve?!"

    Steam rose from the man''s unmoving body, giving Ren temporary relief as the body still held the warmth of life in it.

    Checking his pulse, however, did away with that short-lived reprieve. There was no response met with his touch as he checked the man''s limp wrist, the same null sensation came when he pressed his fingers against the man''s jugr.

    "What happened��"

    Seeing the gaping hole in the man''s chest caused him to gag, throwing himself near the edge of the flooring before heaving bile into the abyssalke. The sight of mutted flesh dragged unwanted memories to the front of his mind as water flushed from his eyelids, continuing to heave waste from his mouth to the water below.

    --Did I do this?...I wouldn''t. Why would I do something like this?

    Looking at his hands, cloth from his tunic had been wrapped around his palm, dyed with a familiar red that had made its way down his forearm.

    --His body is still present...It didn''t turn into a stain of red like usual.

    Coming to this realization finally, Ren had fully realized what this had meant. The man he saw before him, or rather, the husk of the man he had known--was gone.

    Sitting in the puddle of blood that had seeped from Goldheve''s lifeless body was Belus, lifting it from theke of crimson with a somber expression. All he could see from the once beautiful silver was now a tool of evil, a weapon that assisted him in crossing a line that should not be crossed.

    Looking at the de, soaked in scarlet, he could only muster one thought.

    --I want to throw up.

    Attempting to rid himself of the sight of blood, he swiped the de in the air a few times before sliding it into the pocket of leather formed for it. He had almost missed them, but a handful of crimson coins bathed in the pool of blood. Leaning down, Ren hesitantly retrieved them, "...Were these his?"

    Deciding whether or not to stuff them into his pocket manifested a dilemma. The stench of blood and guilt reeked from the hellish currency, but if he wanted to make it out��he needed whatever he could get.

    "Sorry, Goldheve."

    It was a choice made with Iris in mind, as well as his own life.

    --I have to move forward, no matter what. This ce is banking on me breaking down, sumbing to its sick games so that the gods can get a kick out of my own misery. Even if I want to stop...I can''t. I won''t. Somewhere out there, Iris is all alone...If there is one thing I can still protect, please let it be her.

    As sluggish as his body felt, he dragged his boots forward against the weathered stone, damp with blood and water as he pushed himself into the next waiting corridor.

    Each step he took forward, it felt as if it was a bet against his own body if the strength of his legs would falter beneath him.

    The next room he was led into took the shape of a dome arena, reminiscent that of the ancient Colosseum of Rome. Like everything else in the twistedbyrinth, it was distinctly inhuman, holding an air of old, dried blood and death along its cracked, dirtied stone walls lined with grime and other substances he didn''t dare ponder too hard about.

    That coppery stench of blood made him want to heave, sapping the already minimal strength from his tired body as he stood at the entrance of this colosseum room. Just one look at it, far-stretching yet so very lonely--he became exhausted just at the thought of what awaits him here. After his brief, but densely-packed time in the domain of Asterius, Ren had already be ustomed to its ways.

    If there was ever one guess to make about a chamber within thebyrinth��it wants to torment you.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --Come on, body, move.

    He watched with his unmoving mirrors as his presence in the enclosed arena had awakened its inhabitants--bat-like creatures that hung from the ceiling, responsible for the droppings on the floor below. From the distance he saw them, they had looked small in size, roughly the same as the bats he knew of on Earth--however, as they pped their ck curtains towards him, approaching with clear hostility, their size became apparent.

    --Move. Move.

    Fatigue had won its battle against his will, losing control over his motor functions as all he could do was watch as the human-sized flying mammals bared their fangs, making clicking noises as they swiftly approached the unmoving young man.

    Not even fear was enough to move his body, as the first of these oversized bats had reached him, taking a chunk of flesh from his cheek with a swift swoop past him.

    It had happened so fast that his body didn''t seem to process the pain, or was too exhausted to do so--as he only felt a vibrating heat emanating from his torn cheek.

    --I don''t want to die.

    All he could muster was a wiggle of his fingertips, brushing against the handle of Belus as he begged for it toe to his hand. Another of these airborne creatures reached him, using the razor-sharp edges of its wing to sh his shoulder, cutting through his leather armor easily.

    The next one followed, leaving another eviscerating attack through his hip, nearly knocking him over from the weight of the impact. It was a miracle in his exhaustion he had remained standing, feeling as though the soles of his feet were glued to the stone below.

    As another bat-like creature approached, he saw directly into its merciless, beady eyes as it parted its jaw, dislocating it like a serpent before it took a serving of flesh and leather from his shoulder. He felt naked against these gluttonous creatures, who tore through his armor and clothing as if it didn''t exist.

    Ren wanted nothing more than to scream out as his nerves woke back up, making up for the moments of pain he had avoided as it seared through his body likeva.

    Through his scalp, their talons of ck steel showed no mercy, then his arms and legs experienced the same visceral attack as soon he stood in a puddle of his own arterial secretion.

    Finally, he fell onto his back as his blood emptied itself from his body��but somehow, there was one question he asked himself in this maddening time of agony.

    ��Why am I not dead yet?

    After falling into his ownke of red, the winged, ck-furred creatures imed the spoils of their offense, gnawing at his flesh. Their incisors dug into him like pliers, pulling back ravenously as his skin unraveled like a ball of yarn.

    In his tired haze now fueled by blood loss, he attempted to count the number of attackers as his own way of counting sheep, only seeing red as his own blood poured over his sclera.

    By the sensation of teeth pulling and tearing away at his arms, legs, torso, face��nothing was left untouched. It had to be a dozen of these creatures, all attempting to take their share out of fear of losing out on a meal.

    As terrible as the pain has be, their teeth reaching bone, he couldn''t scream out��opening his mouth in another failed attempt to roar out in agony as one of the creatures took away his lips aspensation.

    --...This is it.

    At some point, it had be apparent to him something wasn''t right. He could feel it��his blood, the liquid that retained his life, was pouring from every torn apart pore of his body, yet��he was still alive, even conscious.

    --The price of power. At least, this is the price given by the detestable deities that created this tomb of endless torment.

    There was only so much the human mind could handle, after enough, reason began to fade--even if it meant eternity in this hellscape, he wants to rid himself of this agony. Attempting to bite his tongue to end this misery, the creatures had already eviscerated the muscles empowering his jaw��disabling his one ticket out. All he could do was cry, letting out gargled groans as his blood filled his mouth.

    No matter how much they ate, it was never enough. Their rabid mouths found their way to his blood-soaked eyes, sinking their sharp, frontal teeth into his squishy orbs of sight��tearing their heads back as they pulled them out from his sockets.

    Every atom that made up his body fired up with a heat that became his entire being, simultaneously radiating with agony, contorting his mind into a vessel that could only feel torment. By some miracle, his body had finally sumbed to the cold embrace of what lies beyond the edge of mortal''s power.

 Chapter 121 - Heightened Reinforcement

    Sinking into an ethereal ne, away from the grasps of time, life, or death, he soon surfaced from the all-too-familiar fountain of blood, slowly dragging himself out with his reformed body before falling into the ground below.

    As quick as he met with the solid surface below, the memories of his previous life sprang to his mind, memories of the dozens of ravenous teeth tearing him apart. Remembering this, bile spit out from his mouth before he wept without an ounce of restraint.

    "Dammit��!"

    Even as it felt like his throat was being eviscerated, he screamed out as loud as he could to the unmoving depths of blood and darkness.

    Louder and shaper, as much as he screamed, he couldn''t rid the sound of the incisors chattering, the squelching of his own flesh--it reyed in his head without stoppage. Even if the pain was no longer present, the phantom presence and pressure of the man-eating beings still crawled over his skin. Safety was lost within his own mind, as even thoughts of conceding could earn him a permanent spot within this grave of adventurers.

    --I need to find her...I need her. I need her by my side, before I lose it, before I give in to this hell. Iris, where are you? Where are you?

    mming his knuckles against the unmoving stone below, the pain didn''t even register as the surfaceyer of flesh had peeled away from the repeated impact.

    "Stand up right now, you pathetic bastard��"

    Even as hemanded himself, his body didn''t listen, quivering at the vivid memories of the ck-furred beasts that had a liking for flesh and the looming man-beast that ruled over the endless, curving halls.

    "I mean it...Get up."

    Droplets of the emotions he attempted to bottle fell onto the ground below, pelting against his bloodied fist.

    --A trial that doesn''t even allow sce within your own mind...It really is a ce only capable of being created by inhuman entities that scorn the existence of mortals. Death is a salvation that they won''t even grant you. It''s a thought I can''t focus on too much, or the gods will likely condemn me to this realm--but, is anything worth this? Promises of strength, riches, fame--none of it matches the value of my own sanity.

    All I want is to make it out of here.

    Looking down at the slight puddle formed of his own bitter digestive juices, the primary hue of yellow tainted with streaks of ck and red, all he could do was wipe the straggling remnants of this substance from his chin before forcing himself to stand.

    In truth, what he found was the true essence of will. A propelling force not fueled by grandiose motives or unachievable dreams, but diverting all of his brainpower solely to moving each foot in front of the other.

    --If I''m going to cry, scream, or scorn the world for its cruelty--I can only do so while moving forward. If I want to give up, only can I express that while doing the opposite with my body? This ce doesn''t make any sense. It doesn''t want to make sense.

    Leaving the boundaries of what Ren nicknamed the "spawn-room", his fears were confirmed as the next corridor waspletely different than the one previously connected to the room. Like the rest of the floor, upon death, thebyrinth had shifted itself.

    Matching the pace of an elderly man with arthritis, Ren carried himself down the vast passageway that opened up like a cone, bing wider the farther down he got. The stench that had always been present almost seemed new with how it began to affect him, having to hold himself back from gagging and heaving. Each inhale brought this aroma of lingering blood closer to him as he dragged his boots forward across the muckthered stone.

    Statues made of weathered, tainted metal lined the walls, their design obscured by the side-effects of time. Upon a slightly closer look, they seemed to represent human soldiers of a distant civilization of that from Mastorn--wearing a cuirass over their torso and armored skirts.

    There was no tact in his mindless step, bringing his boot down as the stone tile beneath sank down under his step, resounding with a click that snapped him back into focus. A sharp hiss of the air-filled each ear, the hairs on his body standing up as he raised his guard.

    Falling from the ceiling, a de surpassing both the length and width of his body came swinging down, attached to a rope. Its trajectory was set directly on a path to butcher him,unching himself forward with a less than graceful fall against the stone--managing to evade the trap.

    Missing its target, the gargantuan de collided with the sturdy wall, bouncing off of it and continuing back and forth into a swing.

    The wind howled once more as another circr de dived down, aiming its deathly existence towards Ren who rolled to the side, earning a nick on his arm.

    It seemed he was one of the lucky ones to step into this booby-trapped chamber as the recently introduced de was coated in old blood.

    "��This ce is relentless. A feint with a trap..."

    Before he lifted himself from the ground, he chose this time to check his surroundings for any more stealthy des hidden away in the crevices of the ancient room. Just as he pushed his body up from the ground, the tile his left hand pressed down on gave in under his weight--releasing another harrowing click.

    "Shit."

    All senses were driven to two-hundred-percent as he quickly scanned the room for where the activated trap was--noticing a previously unseen gaping hole that sat in the center of the statues.

    "Dunkel: Shadowstep!"

    Using the incantation, he readied his body to beunched forward to avoid whatever attack was iing--only for nothing to activate. He might as well have yelled out gibberish, looking down to make sure he really was in the same spot.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What the��"

    There wasn''t any time to waste questioning the absence of the spell, pushing himself back as a projectileunched from one of the statues, colliding with the wall.

    He had never seen an arrow pierce stone, but that was what his eyes presented to him. A ck substance coated the length of the projectile, dripping down onto the floor, bubbling up.

    --I don''t want to know what that would''ve done if itnded.

    One more arrow attempted to pierce him, then two more came--this time shot as a double. It was clear it wasn''t just the statues as the angles the projectiles came from didn''t add up.

    --Another diversion.

    That''s when he finally noticed the holes nted within the walls, almost unnoticeable by the way the shadows rested against the stone. As he dodged, he stepped on another false tile--bringing upon himself a higher-intensity barrage of poisoned arrows.

    --I''ve got to do something about this damn room and fast��!

    Being pressured by the rapid firing arrows that seemed to now dissipate just after making contact with a solid surface, Ren slid himself back and mmed his palm against the stone below.

    "--Araphel: Particle Shade��!"

    Once again, nothing of a spell had shown itself in response to his call. It wasn''t ack of mana, that much he was sure of as he could feel the vibrant mystical energy flowing through his body the same as always. Another push, repeating the incantation, led to the same oue--nothing.

    It was up to pure physical prowess with the help of his reinforcement--only his own body and reflexes to carry him through the room of seen and unseen dangers.

    --I guess it''s time to try out "that".

    Stopping in ce for a moment, Ren diverted the flow of his reinforcement, altering its properties as the magical armor-d itself over his eyes with an unseen mysticism. A thinyer of the standard form of reinforcement stretched over his body, running parallel against him as if creating anotheryer of nerves.

    "Heighten."

    As the aggressive arrows resumed their volley, Ren woke Belus from its leathery slumber, swiping it across the air to deflect the arrow--with sess.

    While using this alternate reinforcement, Ren was forced to staypletely silent and mostly still in his step, as a heavy amount of focus was required for this ability. Heightening his senses to their maximum potential, it wasn''t as if his perception of time was altered or his body moved faster, but his brain processed iing information at a highly exceeded rate.

    Each time an arrow carved its path towards him in the air, it felt as if his brain sent a subtle shock through his body, almost causing his sword-wielding arm to move autonomously. After slicing away the iing arrows for a minute, releasing the heightened reinforcement felt as if he had stretched every muscle in his body at once.

    The fallen projectiles lost their form, breaking down into dust as Ren carefully moved towards the left-most corridor.

    --What''s going on with me?

    Looking at his hand and clenching it shut, nothing except the pain he had just gifted himself drove through his body. Moving forward was already an act of forced will, now that his magic had seemingly stopped working for whatever reason--he felt naked in a cage of lions.

    "Was it this��?"

    Running his hand over his arm, he found the spot which he had been cut by one of the falling des. A quick inspection didn''t tell him much, the consequence of not being much of a medical connoisseur.

    "...I don''t see anything odd. Never heard of magic-nullifying poison either��"

    Even if it was a madman like Goldheve, he wanted nothing more than apanion by his side right now.

    --Unknown, unseen, unforgiving--this is what made up thebyrinth of Asterius. I''m beginning to ask myself if Goldheve was even real, or just another trial was thrown my way. There is no sce here, it is simply hell.

    Sinking into his own thoughts, Ren looked up only to realize he was now walking amongst a newly mist that upied the domain. It didn''t take long for the mist to be thick enough to obscure his sight entirely, reducing his vision to only what was directly in front of him.

    --It''s just one thing after another, no breaks at all.

 Chapter 122 - Here And Now, Win

    Pulling his cor over his nose in case it was some sort of poisonous fog, Ren rushed down the corridor to flee the grasps of the malicious clouds. Humming filled his ears, upying the mist, forcing him to pick up the pace as his instincts screamed at him.

    Apanying the constant humming came a roaring thud reminiscent of a stomp. First, this clomp came from his left, then his right, behind him, and all around him it continued. There was barely a recognizable moment that his feet came into contact with the ground as he ran with the utmost speed he could muster, turning down corridor after corridor without any regard for his direction.

    Every hair on his body stood up, everything in his body yelling at him one thing--"Protect your back". Ren quickly turned around just in time to witness one of the walls crumble, or rather st away as if met with the force of an explosive force.

    Before a shape was seen, the bellowing, enraged call of a bull vibrated the ground where Ren stood. The call had shaken him to his core, watching with widened sclera as the taurus of nightmares stepped into the corridor, crushing the debris under its hoof as steam emitted from its scarred nostrils. Whether it was fear or mist obscuring his sight, but the minotaur himself seemedrger than their previous encounter--holding in his hand the towering axe of steel.

    His skin was d in an icy fear that held him in ce until Asterius'' eyes lowered onto him--signaling his body to begin running once again.

    There wasn''t any better motivator to run than feeling the thundering stomps of an axe-wielding minotaur behind him, dragging its colossal weapon behind it as it carved through its own abode.

    As it attempted to take wild swings at him, it barely missed each time--sending a million volts of fear through Ren''s body as he continued aimlessly sprinting through the unknown corridor.

    --I don''t get it, how am I still running down halls?! Is it this mist?

    The constant stomping of the beast''s massive hooves came to a sudden halt, causing Ren to briefly look back to check on the status of his pursuer.

    --Did it give up?

    He watched as Asterius lowered his stance, pointing his naturally-formed drills ivory drills forward as he ground his hoove back against the stone. It was a stance all too familiar to Ren, at least from his knowledge of how normal bulls acted.

    "A bull-rush��!"

    Starting in a faint whisper, the words ended in a yell as he realized the intent of his pursuer. The foggy hall that he inhabited was far too narrow to dodge in--Asterius'' width left only room for his own enormous temple to move forward.

    In a contest of speed, he knew from first-hand experience that Asterius'' bull-rush would reach him without a second thought.

    --There''s only one thing I can do. I have to trust my own body and spirit.

    Facing the man-beast as it readied itself to charge forward, emitting steam from its nostrils, Ren held both of his hands forward, nting his boots firmly against the vile stone.

    It wasn''t a choice entirely made of utmost brazen or trust, as he knew death wasn''t the end in this temple of torment--but even so, the pain that apanied death was enough to shake his breath as he filled his lungs with resolve.

    "--Don''t fail me now."

    Ren whispered to himself, bracing himself--nearly jumping from his own skin as Asterius finally rushed forward with such speed and weight behind him that the air itself roared out.

    For a moment in time, the bull''s hooves didn''t even touch the stone as he briefly glided through the air with his horns piercing forward,nding back down as his weight crushed the floor beneath his step.

    --It''s do or die! Right here, right now!

    "Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    As the words that were meant to invoke magecraft left his lips, the decisive moment carved away at his heart--waiting to see the result of his trust in his own self. Each rapid stomp that the minotaur left quaked the surrounding area with an overwhelming brutality coating its presence.

    All at once, a strong surge of magical energy traveled from his core up into his arms, leaving through the palms of his hands as a well of ck mana manifested into the air. It quickly shaped itself into a massive drill that began spinning with an intense speed.

    "--Times two��!"

    Casting away so much mana felt as if a weight had shed from his body, conjuring into existence another massive drill of dark mana, sitting in the airside by side as they collided with Asterius'' horns. As soon as the minotaur met with his manifested drills, it felt as if a train had smashed against him, sending his arms back with a massive recoil.

    Whether it was by luck or real power, he managed to maintain the form of his drills, holding the massive beast back as they spun with greater intensity.

    --I''m pretty sure this bastard just dislocated both of my shoulders with that impact alone! Even so...I''ve got this!

    Oveing the possibility of death from the initial collision, Ren couldn''t help but wear a smile fueled by adrenaline.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As Asterius attempted to push forward utilizing his massive heaps of physical prowess, Ren could feel his feet begin to slip against the smooth surface he stood.

    --...Not happening!

    Ren diverted a heavy portion of his reinforcement down to the soles of his feet, keeping him locked down against the stone as he pushed his drills back against the muscle-bound minotaur. Even if there was no clear winner in the contest of strength urring, Ren couldn''t be more d to finally meet the bull-man on equal footing.

    Magical energy continued to pour from his body and into the dual augers, pushing the rotation to a force high enough to create winds that peeled away at the cobble. The constant pressure of Asterius pushing back against his drills was felt throughout his arms, grinding bone against bone as he forcefully used his arms despite the dislocation. Luckily, the adrenaline surging through his veins dulled the pain, but it was still enough to cause tears to break from his eyelids.

    It was beginning to feel as if he was just preventing the inevitable, looking past the mass of dark, spiraling energy to see Asterius'' unmoving crimson eyes looking straight-forward, not a hint of weakness shown. His own spells were working against him, the force produced by their rotations beginning to slide his feet back once again--using every ounce of strength his damaged arms could squeeze out.

    --How damn tough is this thing?! Its horns aren''t even cracked from all of this?!

    Gritting his teeth to the point that he feared they may shatter, he continued his defense against the immovable guardian of the floor.

    He learned that there was a hard limit to the amount of mana that could be poured into the tyrantnces, watching as cracks began to form around their shape. A bellowing roar unleashed from Asterius as he pressed forward with more might than before, digging his horns against the drills before theypletely shattered into particles of darkness.

    "...No!"

    It was unclear why that was the one word that left his lips in this moment of absolute despair, fearing the repercussions of standing up to the bloodlusted bull. "No, I don''t want to die", "No, that''s impossible!", "No, stay away!".

    All of the above reactions coursed through his veins as he watched the bull''s beady eyes lock onto him with killing intent.

    "Dunkel: Veil!"

    As much as he could pour into the basic shield, he did--strengthening it to the utmost before Asterius rammed against it. The impact echoed through his skeleton, lifting his feet from the surface as he was sent up into the air from the otherworldly strength behind Asterius'' step.

    Veil had shattered like peanut brittle, leaving Ren flying back through the corridor as the air was forced from his lungs. Garnering focus in such a situation was a herculean task, but he managed to reinforce his back before colliding against a wall--then another, another, a few walls caved in behind his airborne self before finally stopping in one of the chambers.

    It was safe to say his reinforcement wasn''t capable of enduring such strain as his spine felt as if it had been rung out, his back hit by thundering strikes by a hammer. Lifting himself up slowly, he was covered in dust and debris, leaking thick, sticky crimson from his nostrils, mouth, and newly opened holes in his body.

    "...All of that from one charge. He wasn''t kidding when he said you were just ying around before��"

    He didn''t mean to speak his thoughts, but it seemed he had hit his head enough times to where that wasn''t much of a choice.

    Finally standing himself, he realized he had escaped the embrace of the ustrophobic mist. As he attempted to raise his arms a sharp sting made itself known.

    "That damn bovine really did dislocate them��"

    His arms hung limp at his sides as he left them be, changing his focus to the chamber he now found himself in. Bones littered the domain, piled up against the walls--mostly skulls made up the horrific collection, almost as if they were prizes of a sort.

    The room itself stunk of rot and fecal matter, not wanting to confirm or deny the existence of thetter smell as he turned his gaze towards the massive throne that sat in the center of the immense territory of death.

    Fitting the theme of the rest of the area, the throne was formed of a variety of bones, with the arms of the deathly chair being formed of monstrously shaped skulls. What hadpletely stolen his attention now was what sat behind the throne, making up the back wall.

    It wasn''t a passageway to another corridor, but a massive gate formed of stone inscribed with symbols, etched in ck ink.

    A few more moments were needed for him to add two and two together, but he had figured it out.

    "...This is Asterius'' chamber...Then this has to be it--the end of this damnbyrinth."

    Any cause for celebration was quickly uprooted as he remembered the one very important objective that must be met to open the gate before him.

    "Defeat Asterius."

    In the shape he was in, such a feat was simply unreachable, and losing again would mean the maze would be rerouted--this chance would be gone. Knowing this, Ren ceased these thoughts and did his best to resolve himself.

 Chapter 123 - Paramount Challenge

    Familiar stomps became both audible and felt through the vibrations against the ground. Urgency became everything as he quickly attempted to prep himself for the next round against Asterius.

    --I need to do something about my shoulders. I can kiss any chance of defeating that monster goodbye while I''m like this.

    Just like that, a thought shed itself across his mind as a smile followed from the sheer joy of the solution that made itself present.

    "Araphel: Inverse Hand��!"

    Summoning the hand of shadows, he guided it down to his left wrist--taking a deep breath before making the magically conjured hand tug his arm forward with swift strength.

    A loud pop followed the action as he let out a sharp gasp, feeling the ball of his arm find itself back to its rightful ce in his shoulder, clenching his fist before raising his left arm.

    Doing away with the Inverse Hand, Ren then gripped his right wrist with his newly recovered arm, yanking it forward as another pop echoed to his ears. Adrenaline still charged his body like an amp, pushing past the sharp, constant pain throbbing through his arms.

    --I''m running low on mana, I can probably use three more spells, seven if I restrict myself to Dunkel.

    Coming into the dim light of the chamber, Asterius dragged behind him his trusty axe, steam fuming out from his red nostrils. As always, it carried an air of untouchable strength around its massive body, hulking with muscles beyond a human''s physicality.

    In terms of pure power, the obvious one to bet on would be Asterius, Ren knew this fact well--however, there was one advantage he had.

    "Come on, you shit-eating bastard! Yeah, I''m talking to you and your ugly mug! You''re Asterius, right? The "Bull of Minos"! I know who you are, I know that you were abandoned by your own damn father!"

    A simple taunt was enough to invoke an ear-piercing roar from Asterius before he charged forward, shattering stone beneath his hooves.

    --He''s a shit-for-brains half-man. Even if he is intelligent for a beast, at the end of the day--he''s got nothing on a real human!

    Waiting for the proper moment as the overwhelming force of raw strength tunneled towards him, Ren kept his hand hovering above the handle of Belus.

    --He''s not even attempting to be sly, it''s clear as day by the way he is holding that axe--he''s going to swing it overhead and attempt to split me in half right from the get-go. Now I''m ready for you, Asterius!

    Just as he had predicted, the minotaur raised his axe straight into the air as its crimson eyes full of rage looked down upon him.

    Kicking off of his left foot, Ren dashed forward with breakneck speed--drawing his de and striking the beast''s abdomen. This time, it didn''t feel as if he was striking an unmoving mountain--he felt the fragile substance that was flesh meet the edge of his reinforced de.

    Rolling to the side and turning back to see the oue of his initial attack, it had been a sess. Blood spurted out from the fresh evisceration across the ck-furred minotaur''s abs, invoking a confused expression from Asterius as it halted its attack, looking down for a moment at its wound.

    "--Yes!"

    Thrilled with the sight of injury from the once immovable wall, Ren clenched his fists with excitement, letting out a yell of pure pride. It was a shallow cut, nothing that would bring down the beast of legend--but it was a start.

    "I bet it''s been a while since you''ve seen your own blood, bastard. I''ll introduce you to a whole lot more of it soon enough."

    Turning his head to face Ren''s further taunts, Asterius moved with an unnerving calmness, simply turning to face his body towards the cocky young man. The man-beast loosened his grip on his axe, allowing it to fall to the ground as with a quake that shook the bones in Ren''s feet.

    --Huh? He''s doing away with his weapon?<novelnext></novelnext>

    He didn''t know what to make of this development, watching as Asterius cracked his knuckles, each being a blunt weapon of their own.

    Raising his guard to prepare for the unknown offense his opponent prepared to take, Ren was already toote on the uptake as Asterius rushed forward with such swiftness it seemed simply illogical for a creature of that build to move like.

    Watching an entity of that size rush towards him with such speed and intent to harm him, shifting its body weight side to side even to trick his reflexes--Ren once again experienced true despair in the face of the beast that didn''t follow the rules of the world.

    He attempted to guard his left, holding his de like a shield--only to be met with an impact to his right side, feeling the beast''s boulder-like fist m against his ribs. Each knuckle could be felt so distinctly grinding against his bones, hearing a crack internally from his battered skeleton. Any air in his lungs was sucked out immediately as his body was sent flying to the left from the monstrous force behind the punch.

    The impact sent him crashing into a pile of withered bones, experiencing a smell so rancid that there was little chance of falling unconscious from the pain. Standing himself from the coffin of those who had fallen to his opponent, something caught the corner of his eye as he groggily adjusted himself.

    That object which caught his attention was the massive minotaur, who had leaped into the air--crashing down towards him with his hoof aiming directly for his skull.

    "--Dunkel: Shadowstep!"

    Flinging himself forward, he rolled across the grime-coated floor once again as Asterius missed his target, crashing down like a stray missile against his treasury of bones. Using Belus as an object for bnce, he brought himself back to his feet to meet the enraged beast once again.

    --He sacrifices his weapon in order to gain speed, even so...His physical strength didn''t diminish at all as a result of losing that axe. Still, I don''t have to worry about being split in half, for now, just my bones being crushed into dust.

    Spitting out a lob of clumped blood from his mouth, Ren wiped his lips before rushing forward--taking the initiative for himself this time. Catching Asterius before he broke into a sprint was the right call, as he managed to bring his de across the beast''s hulking thigh, following up with an attempt to hit its head--managing to slice a section of its nostril off.

    While he thought it was sizable damage, Asterius didn''t even flinch this time, grabbing hold of Ren and lifting him into a bear-hug. The moment those massive arms d in ck fur had wrapped around him, he waspletely secured in their unmoving grip.

    --Shit! He''s going to crush me!

    Kicking his feet against the minotaur''s body, it felt more likely he would just hurt himself. Belus was still in his hand, but there wasn''t any room tomit to a proper swing. In essence, he had fallen to the minotaur''s unfair strength.

    It slowly began to squeeze, being engulfed in an all-epassing pressure that etched itself into his flesh. Being forced face to face with the beast as it held him into this deathly grip, it gritted its yellow-stained teeth, blowing hot air from its nostrils as crimson seeped from the open wound inflicted to its flesh.

    The breath that emitted from its mouth almost felt like enough to send him to his grave, releasing a stench so horribly rancid it would be ssified as a toxin; stinking of the old, spoiled meat that clung between his teeth.

    --Shadowstep requires me to be able to perform a step, so that''s out of the picture...Come on, Ren, think! Think!

    Panic came as his body recognized no avenue for escape, being tormented by the beast''s slow, tight embrace as he finally felt the pressure reach his bones, invoking a pained yell that burst from his lungs.

    --I don''t know if it''ll work, and if it doesn''t--I''m fucking screwed! ckout should nullify his sense of touch, maybe his grip will be overwritten by that!

    "Araphel: ckout--!"

    The incantation was squeezed out of his lungs with thest bit of air rewarded to him before his lungs werepromised by the fleshy coffin. Darkness emitted from his body like a reverse shbang, overwhelming the beast''s senses temporarily.

    As he had prayed for a thousand times within a moment, he felt the grip around his body loosen before he dropped down to the ground. Due to the nature of Asterius'' innate ability, the potency of ckout had been greatly reduced against him--causing him to snap back into his senses after only a few sparse seconds.

 Chapter 124 - Rock Bottom

    It seemed escaping the beast''s malicious embrace sent him into a rage beyond the state he already existed in, veins bulging against his skin all across his body as his eyes seemed as if they were going to pop right out of his head from the raw anger he sank himself into. The augury of pain he unleashed from his throat shook the grimy pce to its core.

    "Any chance we can resolve this peacefully��?"

    Watching the beast emit steam from its pores from the raw heat it produced within its body, Ren felt a reluctance in himself to meet it in battle.

    As the time came to sh once more, the minotaur moved with a dexterity that rivaled his own, swinging its fists rapidly with enough strength to shatter steel behind each thrown fist.

    Being forced to such close proximity to the beast, the heat radiating from its skin felt as if he was standing in front of an open oven, working up a sweat within moments. Dodging frequently caused the pain in his side to sharpen, praying that his broken rib didn''t pierce anything within him, twisting around to avoid the iing flurry of fists.

    Counterattacking was an opportunity given sparsely due to the rapidity of the attacksunched at him, forcing him to dodge, awarding him with only enough time tounch half-baked swings that barely nicked the minotaur''s incredibly sturdy hide.

    --I''ll win. I have to. If I lost now--I don''t know what would happen to my spirit the next time Ie back. I''m running on fumes right now, all of this strength bringing me forward, all of this boisterous energy fueling me--it''s my all-or-nothing assault. I''ll win and find you, Iris!

    Swinging his body around one of the iing fists, Rennded his foot atop the minotaur''s hulking bridge of an appendage, striking down upon its head--swiftly departing its horn from the side of Asterius'' head like a fountain of dark scarlet poured out.

    For a moment, he had forgotten the beast''s negligence to sumb to pain as it retaliated with a backhandnding directly against the young man''s chin. The strike left all of his motor functions in reverse, as well as the world before him--what was up was now down, left was right. Having to divert all of his focus to maintain his bnce, another impact collided against his sternum, sting him backward against the solid wall behind him.

    Somehow, two wrongs made a right as the impact brought his senses back into order--just in time to witness the minotaur bathed in its own blood stomp towards him with steam pouring out from its mutted nose.

    --I don''t have enough time for great magic...I need somehow to halt it, something to give me some time to regain myself!

    Pointing his hand towards the iing beast, Ren muttered out the incarnation of choice as blood seeped down from his scalp onto his facial features, "Dunkel: Piercer��"

    Before itnded against the minotaur''s hide, it caught the spear of darkness with its bare hand, releasing a bellowing set of breaths that mimicked deepughter.

    "...Dumbass, you fell for it. Araphel: Detonation!"

    Clenching his extended fist, hemanded theunched spear to dissolve into a vtile mass of dark energy, releasing its form into an explosion of bright, violet energy directly against Asterius. A cloud of dust filled the area of impact, obscuring the result of the st.

    "A dust cloud...If that isn''t a red g, then I don''t know what is��"

    --I''m all out of juice, I don''t even have enough for reinforcement anymore. This is it, I''ve either won or I''m about to die.

    Fears of his had been confirmed at the dust settled to reveal Asterius still standing like the bulwark he was, barring only superficial cuts on his skin and patches of fur missing from his body. Ren stepped forward, now slick with his own blood as he had nothing in his arsenal besides his natural strength and de in hand.

    As his own reservoirs of crimson life traveled down his body, his fingers were coated in its sticky essence, forcing him to grip Belus tightly with a resolve to never let go.

    --If I''m going to die, I''m not going out like a powerless child again. I''ll die fighting.

    Stopping for a moment as the minotaur slowly approached, he looked at his sword with his groggy vision as it spun in his sight, returning it to its scabbard.

    --No point in using it right now. Without reinforcement...It''d just shatter against him.

    It was that same feeling all over again, driven by nothing grand or out of his scope, moving forward solely because that was his only choice. It was the principal lesson drilled into during his time in this world--to fight.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As Asterius pulled his unrefined club back to prepare for a devastating hook, Ren dropped his stance low, nearly falling over as he dodged the strike. Just the air pressure alone attempted to push him down against the stone, yet he stood himself back up. Feeling his heartbeat in his ears, everything was numb across his body.

    --A straight-forward. Just like you taught me, Brahmi.

    Ren sent his fist forward against Asterius'' blood-soaked abdomen, hitting a wall that budged not a single inch. Brought within close enough distance to feel its breath, Ren took notice of the wounds he inflicted on the beast--or rather, theck thereof now.

    --Ah...So he''s already healed. That''s no good.

    He could feel the change in air pressure as the minotaur reared his fist back to throw another punch down towards the young man only standing a fraction of his height. Only a few moments were spent standing in that spot, yet enough blood from both the boy and the beast had formed a slick puddle beneath. As Ren attempted to groggily pivot around the iing attack, he rolled his ankle, inhaling sharply as he raised his guard.

    --There''s no avoiding this one. Bite down and prepare yourself, Ren.

    Listening to his own advice, he bit down on his lip until it tore open and bled, being met with a world-shaking impact against his already battered side. Experiencing such force without reinforcement was an eye-opening experience, feeling as if the impact hadpletely reset his bodily functions, forcing a fountain of burning crimson to spew from his mouth.

    Something in his body had been destroyed, or a lot of somethings from what he felt, the inside of his mouth waspletely coated in exiled blood. The bitter taste was something he had grown ustomed to in his time here, yet as much as he adjusted to the taste, the bleak feeling that came with it never was mitigated.

    Even as his consciousness began to flicker from the repeated blunt attacks thrown against his flesh-bound shell, the adrenaline coursing through his veins kept the pain from seizing his bodily functions.

    ? --Why...

    It was that feeling again.

    --Even after all of this time, I''m powerless.

    Running his hands against the cold, bitter ground that became painted in his spilled blood, it was the only outlet for his question. Watching it drip from his battered and shattered head, the puddle of crimson showed the man looking down at it.

    The sight of his own bruised and broken face made him want to puke, his nose had been relentlessly battered to the point it became nothing but a heap of crimson, held together by tattered skin and fractured bones.

    Each impact of the minotaur''s hoof meeting the ground below sent ripples through the reflective puddle of red.

    --That''s right. This is how it''s always been. After all my efforts, I''m as weak as ever. I was delusional to think anything had changed. It''s a different world but I''m the same Ren. The same kid who couldn''t even get through high school, now challenging a trial befit for only the strongest of wills, who was I kidding bying here? Was it to prove something to them? To myself? Either way, I''m going to die here.

    Whether it was from his head being battered too hard or his life shing before his eyes, he saw her in that crimson reflection of his own lively essence. Even in the ocean of discarded life, her pearly blues held such kind radiance.

    --No. Not yet. Not until I find her. Stand up, Ren. You can do that much.

    --So blurry��

    His own fists held out in front of him looked like nothing more than a pair of pale clouds, swaying side to side as nausea set in. All he could see approaching was a mass of ck bingrger andrger until his entire vision became engulfed in that sight--and then, pure darkness was all he was left in.

    --Ah, I died again, didn''t I?

 Chapter 125 - Heaven-Earth Disconnect

    Attempting to move his limbs, a resistance met with his arms and legs, as if he was engulfed in liquid. Blinking a few times, his eyes were already opened, still seeing nothing but darkness all around him. A muffled hum resonated against his eardrums as he continued to sink down further into this darkness helplessly.

    "Helpless" might be the improper way to describe it--he didn''t have any qualms with sinking down into this mass of darkness, it was quiteforting in all honesty. After fighting so hard, he finally was able to rest.

    "Is that what you want?"

    It was a voice he knew well, a voice he had missed dearly, calling out to him as he relieved himself to the whims of this sea of ck.

    --...What I want?

    "Are you fine with just giving up? After all of the pain and suffering you''ve put yourself through? After the blood and sweat you''ve cast away, the promises you''ve made to yourself?

    Again, the voice questioned him, speaking so clearly even within the endless body of liquid.

    --Shut up. I want to sleep. I''m tired.

    "That''s not the Nakamura Ren I know. That''s the Nakamura Ren I first met, a boy who caved to any hardship, fragile both in mind and body. You shed that old you long ago, didn''t you?"

    As the voice continued to speak to him, the ckness that surrounded him became a bit more clear, noticing the many grooves within the liquid that cascaded downwards, witnessing a small glimmer of something hanging atop the sea.

    --But I lost. I already died. I''m out of mana...There''s nothing I can do.

    "That''s not true, is it? You know that, you just haven''t remembered it yet."

    --Remembered?...

    The weight of the dense liquid eased from his body, allowing him to glide his arms through the body of tranquil water.

    "The essence that resides within you, the singr truth that makes up all of us. Remember it, Ren, recall those gilded clouds that swim in the sepia. You''ve only shied away from it out of fear of losing who you are. All along, you''ve known, haven''t you? There was never a chance you were normal. After all, you came to this world."

    As the words were spoken to him, the images of those fluffy, divine nebs that inhabited the skies shed in his mind. The one and the only light that seeped into the dark ocean shifted itself, revealing a sepia sky that looked down upon him.

    --...I remember now. Something besides strength--what lies beyond just the desire for power. It''s her--it''s them. I want to protect everyone, I want to bring in a world where they can be free to walk through grass and stone alike alongside everybody else. Not just them...I want it too. I want to be free.

    I need to be strong enough to overthrow that bastard king. I''ll do it...but first; I need to kill this bull--I need to ovee this trial.

    Clear as day, he could feel the warm sensation of his veins pumping blood, as his heart began to thump in conjunction with his awakening, the beat of it resonating with the sly waves that brushed past his body.

    "Say it, Ren. Invoke it from the deepest depths of your soul and into your heart, manifest it into reality, my dear friend."

    --I want it. I want to fight. I''ll do it. Even if I have to discard myself--I want it! I want that power! If it means I never have to repeat that day, if it means I can protect them, protect her, I''ll do it! Give it to me!

    It all came back to him, the battle against Goldheve that urred in his unconscious state. The clouds that carried him down that path, that conjured that power within him. As he remembered this, the words returned to him, as did a fuzzy sensation, a trillion volts surging through his once exhausted body.

    "Above heaven, under heaven...I alone am worthy of honor."

    The moment the words left his mouth, he rose from the uncountable hands of the ck sea that held onto him so fervently, rising into the sepia skies that awaited his arrival.

    It was oblivion to others, but a utopia to himself; the root of nirvana and the essence of his being--the formless skies that gave hospice to the clouds of gold. Sitting in the center of the skies of splendor was a mass of a gas-bound substance, disying a golden sheen to it, weing him inside of itself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Somehow, this was all as natural as breathing to him, this realm was his home, truer than any other he had upied. Within the confinement of this nebulous entity, what he experienced was a true detachment of both mind and body and at the same time--the union of both.

    It was here he learned of the true name of his ability, the essence born with him into this world, and it was here that he spoke it.

    "Heaven-Earth Disconnect."

    Time flowed forwards and backward simultaneously, while at the same time falling still under his presence within the nebulous sphere.

    A continuous stream of knowledge, wisdom, mechanisms of himself he never knew were vacant from his mind--it all flowed directly into his mind, etching itself into both mind and soul. All of it fit in so naturally within himself, as if they were pieces missing from him all along.

    --That''s right...All along, I was the chosen one. I simply had to open my eyes to it, ept my throne amongst the heavens, I had forgotten all along--I am the lone honored one. After all, who but the honored one would possess such strength?

    Good, Evil,--Such concepts diminished before his enlightened gaze, looking down upon all things equally with an understanding of all. There was only one, singr truth that he believed in--his will. By his judgment, he would decide who is worthy of punishment, what entails "good or bad", what deserves to exist within his ascended presence.

    This was the result of something that stepped beyond the confines of magic, past a threshold few ever so much asy their eyes upon. An oue that steps beyond what could be called evolution, it is an ascension of one''s own mind, body, and spirit--witnessing that which lies beyond the world they know.

    If any other dared gaze into the mind of the honored one, true insanity would be bestowed upon them, unable to decipher or frankly, understand what it is they would be gazing at.

    --Such is the price of true power, I alone must dictate the root of humanity, I alone am capable of giving them salvation. I stand alone as the one free man in this world, even if it''s just for this moment.

    He couldn''t help but release a peal of heartfeltughter from his deepest depths, feeling it through his flesh and bone, the power he now possessed, the knowledge and wisdom bestowed upon him.

    The self-realization of his inner worlding topletion led to the nebulous object parting itself into the form of a lotus, exposing the young man who was hardly recognizable from the one who had entered.

    The messy, full tufts of hair that covered his scalp fell to translucency, barring a subtle iridescence to match the graces of the nirvana he stood in. Blinking once more, his hazel eyes that rang with normalcy shifted into golden wheels that emitted a faint glow, producing an essence to match even the grace of the sun itself.

    He escaped the flow that swept him through his life, rising above it, and now chose the path to walk for himself.

    For the first time in his life, he felt in control.

    --Karma isn''t something that is decided to be good or bad on a whim. Through every action one takes in their life and how it affects the people around them--it is decided over time whether or not they have left good in their wake, or bad.

    The world is overflowing with negative karma--resentment, anger, guilt, regret, despair--all of these emotions that leave people to drown in pits of darkness have led the world into the same shadow.

    That is why I was born, why I was brought into this world. There must be a singr, defining entity who sets what is considered "good" or "bad", that is the role destined for the honored one.

    Destined for me. I alone will carry out repentance, no hands but my own will cleanse this world of its evil.

    On the thought of such evil, only one took the limelight within his mind--the crimson-eyed executioner who had taken what was dearest to him. The scenery of blood and death that stretched itself across thevish walls of the fallen estate was still as vivid as ever in his mind, but the rage settled itself as fast as it came.

    "Awaken."

    Commanding himself, the orange skies he floated in faded away, instantly finding himself standing in the somber chambers of Asterius, finding that the minotaur had taken a seat in his throne of remains.

    Unmoving eyes on the ceiling, his fallen body rose up without the usage of his upper body, allowing his arms to dangle as he simply brought himself up. The final impact from the Minotaur had contorted his neck, allowing it to reset itself like a cork being adjusted.

 Chapter 126 - The Enlightened One

    His presence quickly caught the beast''s attention, who looked as if he had seen a ghost.

    The almost-human reaction garnered a smile from Ren, who removed the bloody, tattered tunic from his body--revealing a set of tattoos now etched onto his pale skin.

    The open wounds and bruises that once covered his body had vanished as the young man took a deep breath. Unraveling the torn cloth that wrapped itself around his palm, the wound it covered had been sealed shut without a trace.

    "I will ask you once and once only,e down from your false throne, beast. I will not have you looking down upon me with your unworthy, filthy eyes. Lest you dare disrespect the honored one before you."

    Malice made itself absent on his face, only holding a smile that sat with his gilded gaze.

    Asterius sat still, looking down with eyes that didn''t believe what sat before them, only his mouth having slightly agape in response to Ren. Only another moment was granted to the minotaur before the opulent-haired human appeared directly in front of him. One would be hesitant to call it speed, as he moved as if warping space itself.

    "I said I would ask only once."

    He held his smile in front of the perplexed beast, cing his hand atop its fur-d head as it did nothing to prevent him from doing so.

    "Repent."

    It left his mouth as more of a divine suggestion than a word as a vibrant light filled the air before sting the minotaur backward, shattering his throne as he met the ground with an intense force.

    "You did not fall that easily, did you? I would not me you for sumbing to my superior strength, but I would be vastly disappointed."

    Before the beast could stand himself up properly, he was once again met face to face with his enigmatic opponent, who greeted him with a smile as his golden eyes stared into the depths of his being. Such swiftness that made the creature deny what its eyes showed made it easy to drive confusion into the enemy, and once confusion and doubt were seeded within the minotaur''s mind, soon fear sprouted.

    "To strike fear in those who have long since abandoned such weakness, that is something worthy only of the ones who stand at the pinnacle--and I am the one who stands at the precipice of such heights."

    "Do you understand now? I am the one who delivers finality to those I deem unworthy of breath. There is no greater undoing for a being than toy a finger upon my honored self. Do you understand now? This is the consequence of the negative karma you''ve rued, of all the torment you''ve bestowed upon man, I am their avenger. Kneel before me and I will grant you a quick departure."

    If there was one certainty that made itself known in Asterius'' sparse sanity, it was that the man before him was not the same young man--at least, something fundamentally changed within him. He waspletely and utterly high on power, devoid of any stress and mercy. The man seemed only to act in ordance with his own desire and nothing else.

    Hesitance grasped Asterius for a moment before he blew steam from his nose, rearing his fist back as he sent it towards his opponent. It was stopped dead in its tracks, meeting the palm of the young man''s hand without any force emitting from the impact.

    "Ah, so you haven''t caved to your fear yet? Are you denying yourself salvation? To reject my graces is to reject life itself."

    It felt so minuscule, the giant fist possessed by the minotaur held nothing behind it that threatened him any longer, tracing his fingers across the matted fur on his knuckles while holding his careless smile. In the face of an overwhelming difference in power, the animalistic mind of Asterius fell into utter fear, attempting to unshackle himself from the subservience his instincts attempted to tie him into.

    Each movement he watched the man make was coiled in grace and tranquility, holding not a semnce of malice yet, there was a looming, horrific power he disyed.

    There was one thing the man-beast learned by gazing upon his radiating presence--his very existence was contradictory, it was deceiving. While only benevolence oozed from his being, he was distinctly sadistic, wanting to bestow torment upon the beast. It was simply illogical, the man that stood before him transcended such reason.

    It was his domain, the one and only ce in the world that he belonged--yet he felt like nothing but an insect before him, holding fear that he had long forgotten.

    The moment Asterius'' moved the slightest bit, a sharp impact collided against his mutted nose, sending him crashing against the unmoving stone gates.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ah...it''s rather hard to restrain my strength. It is easy to forget how fragile you all are."

    Moving over to the groggy beast who fell upon his collection of brittle remains, he watched as Asterius let out a deep groan, lifting himself as bones fell from his physique.

    "Good, evil,...They''re one and the same. That''s why what you''re seeing before you is the form of good that you should seldom provoke, the reflection of evil. If these two intertwined concepts are said to exist on each side of a coin, then I am the one who flips that coin, as well as the one who decides which side it falls on."

    A frontal kick sent the minotaur back against the wall with a heavy thud, leaving a trail of saliva from its mouth.

    Its status as a guardian wasn''t for show, shaking off the impact with a quick shake of its head before it engaged with the opponent who came only to a portion of his height.

    Fist met fist, the disproportionate knuckles colliding against one another with a brutal impact that shook the skin of the cobble. What seemed like a ssic case of "David v Goliath" was indeed the opposite. The strength behind the translucent-haired man''s fist propelled Asterius'' arm backward with a violent thrust of wind pressure.

    "I am unmatched. I am without peers. I am the greatest! The Strongest! I am the almighty!"

    Utter exhration stered itself on his expression as he spread his arms out into the air, flexing his entire body as he imed dominion over strength itself.

    "Tainted by power? The opposite! I am blessed beyond any other! That is the undeniable truth in this world!"

    "Come, bull. Don''t tell me you fear pain?"

    The taunt dragged the minotaur back into the battle at full throttle, charging forward with his horns jutted in front of his pathway.

    Holding the resolution to pierce him with its hazardous spears protruding from its head, the beast propelled itself forward with a heavy yet swift dash.

    It was the first time since that decisive battle ages ago--before him, the man didn''t attempt to evade his rush or conjure magecraft tobat his horns. Seeing the confident, radiant man hold his smile while awaiting him manifested memories sealed in the deepest depths of Asterius'' mind.

    The illuminating aura around the young man was all the same as the legendary hero of Athens, the boisterous man, blessed by gods, who had attempted to y the minotaur. An unknown feeling bore itself into existence from within the man-beast, who pushed onwards, this time--with a conviction of his own.

    What blended the two figures in his mind was the overwhelming confidence the two men disyed, the bravado of a hero who believes in nothing else but the oue they see as "good". If it was in the name of good if it was against a monster--then they could do whatever they want, however cruelly they decided to cast this judgment.

    "Hero."

    It was a concept that existed as the antithesis of Asterius'' own life, wanting only to live his life in solitude, finding himself hunted by heroes who proimed him to be a horror upon the world.

    Now that he recognized the man before him as a harbinger of justice, Asterius pushed onwards with even more strength behind his step.

    Before its fangs could reach his skin, Ren repelled the charge with a mystical pressure, propelled by a single step of his foot. Even with a mind as deluded by madness as his, Asterius discovered what brought upon this difference in strength as the invisible force pelted against his hide.

    That difference was the love bestowed upon the man by the world itself. In this world, governed by unseen forces of divinity and primordials, the minotaur was a gue upon it, secluded from kindness, affection, and love.

    It was the result of a man blessed by the world facing one scorned by it.

 Chapter 127 - I Am Ajita

    There was only one, inevitable oue that could await such a meeting of two opposing forces.

    It feinted a retaliation, going in for a swing before sidestepping around Ren--dashing past him as it retrieved its previously discarded axe.

    "Oh? Do you think that will turn the tides back in your favor? Be my guest."

    A swing of the three-meter long axe, riddled with spikes at the edge of the de, failed to hit its target as Ren simply stepped to the side, allowing the weapon to crash into the cobble below. Pressing his foot down on the blunt side of the war-axe, Ren lodged it into the ground, holding his persistent smile that brought an air of utter superiority.

    "Allow me to show you what makes me the sole being worthy of honor. It is the transcendence of human emotions, the authority to bend them to my will, to nullify and to amplify--that is "Heaven". Witness it,plete and utter despair."

    A simple snap of his fingers flipped a switch on Asterius'' brain, sending the beast into a frozen haze as his eyes stared a thousand yards away.

    Invoked with despair brought to heights beyond normalprehension, the beast drooled from the mouth, letting out a continuous groan as it was left in a trance of horror.

    Trapped in its own mind, witnessing whatever atrocities to the mind Ren had conjured into it, tufts of fur shed from its body, some of which grew white from the immense stress.

    Another snap relieved the minotaur from the mindscape prison he had been locked in. Seeing the dumbfounded expression stered on the beast''s face as saliva continued to drip from its mouth, Ren let out a chuckle that crescendoed into boisterousughter, ovee with hedonism with the new power he held.

    "Are you angered by my actions? It is only natural to envy the strong, is it not? You may scorn my strength all you''d like, but know that this is a privilege earned by being the sole honored one in this world of impurities. It is my strength and mine alone, cultivated by none other except myself--which is why, I have every right to do with it as I please. If I wish to burn you, I shall burn you, if I wish to rend your flesh, I shall rend your flesh, all of this is in ordance to my pleasure and displeasure."

    As he spoke so fervently of his own status, Ren''s eyebrow twitched, gripping his own hair for a moment before taking a deep breath. For a moment, a look of disgusted horror overtook his expression before returning to his previous smile.

    Facing such an arduous situation, the minotaur let out a world-shaking cry, roaring out into thebyrinth as his deep, bellowing voice carried out through every crevice of the expansive dungeon.

    "Huh? Was that an attempt to scare me...Wait, I see!"

    Ren turned away from Asterius for a moment, honing his sense of hearing as the sound of dozens of footsteps met his ears,ing from all directions. Stretching almost ear-to-ear, the smile he held stepped beyond benevolence or frivolity--it was pure sadism.

    "Calling for reinforcements? I''m ready!"

    The thick branches that acted as a ceiling for the grimbyrinth retreated, giving room for whatever wasing to enter the domain of Asterius. Raising his arms as if weing the approaching monsters, multiple, thundering clomps rumbled through the ground caused a slight widening of Ren''s gilded eyes.

    "...You didn''t hold back, did you? Bringing in the big guns, I see."

    Side-to-side, he cracked his neck, looking back to notice Asterius had disappeared in his moment of distraction. Before he could pursue the man-beast, the creatures summoned by its rallying crawl began to set into the wide-spanning throne room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It took only a single swipe of his divine eyes across the room to count every creature that poured in, yet even that wasn''t sufficient as they never seemed to stop growing in number. Arachnids of varying sizes, some holding brown fuz, some baring just their slick, ck armor, these oversized spiders made their way in from above.

    The source of the massive steps that made the ground jump under their weight became known as giant, pudgy humanoids wielding primitive weapons set in. From their facial features, they somewhat resembled goblins but possessed stone-like gray skin.

    "I guess I''ll have to level the ying field a bit."

    Pressing both of his palms together, Ren allowed a prolonged breath to travel to his lungs, briefly shutting his eyes before parting them once more to reveal his ethereal gaze.

    "I am Ajita, heed me as the honored one of the Lotus Sutra. Come, Vajraparamita! Come, Fugen! Come, Jizo!"

    For a moment in time, all had stopped, only the words that emitted from the heavenly lips of the enlightened man were heard. Following his call, mystical energy unlike mana sprouted forth from him, rising into a pir of radiant gold, crimson, and verdant.

    The mass of divine energy split, forming into the shapes of colossal beings, each possessing an extra set of arms that remained in a praying and meditative form. They remained bound together, back-to-back to form a three-sided sentinel, looking down upon the approaching fiends with their unchanging expressions.

    As the energy settled, the ethereal beings took on a form that stood between physical and energy, manifesting as heavenly spirits as they began to slowly move, the sound of massive quantities of metal moving as their statue-like bodies prepared to attack.

    A simple pointing of the golden spirit''s palm, Vajraparamita, evoked an invisible force that sent forward a pressure, crushing the approaching arachnids into condensed balls of natural armor as their verdant blood spewed out. The dirty stone beneath the attack''s radius had been decimated, crushed into dust as nothing was left in the path of Vajraparamita''s palm.

    Witnessing the futility of the arachnid''s attempt to harm him, Ren released another howl ofughter, watching as another of his conjured sentinels swiped its arm through a group of goblins, bisecting them as if they were insects.

    Each time the tri-sided colossal spirit moved their many arms, death followed, freeing the monsters from life. Air gave way to the honored limbs, parting space to allow for movements that surpassed the boundaries of reason. Speed itself became but a simple concept, so easily unraveled by the heavenly spirits as the very intent for them to bestow harm was enough to secure it into destiny.

    Leaving the summoned spirits shackled to the spot of summoning, Ren leaped into the air, falling towards a group of the giant gray-skinned monsters. As heavy-set as they looked, the oversized monsters definitely weren''t all fat as he had thought at first nce. Beyond the many rolls of blubber that protected their sensitivities, rock-solid muscle lined their physique.

    Opening their mouths, rows of decayed, cavity-filled, ck teeth filled their gums as a putrid stench of tainted garlic and mildew emitted from their crevices of consumption. Teeth weren''t the only things decrepit about their bodies, as many infected scabs crawled across their skin, which now he questioned if it was naturally of a grayplexion or it became that way from dposition.

    "So slow."

    Their reactions and the movements that came from those insights all came at a snail''s pacepared to his own swiftness,shing out with a swipe of his hand, pointing his fingers out like a de.

    For a moment, he had forgotten how weak other creatures within this hellscape werepared to Asteirus, as that singr movement of his hand erupted the towering, blubbers-formed creature''s flesh, exploding out from its torso.

 Chapter 128 - Dance Of Light And Dark

    As the tainted, obsidian blood from the creaturended on his skin, it evaporated in an instant, cleansing his body of unwanted impurities. The second of these gluttonous giants attempted to avenge its kin, raising a colossal club formed of a raw chunk of stone into the air.

    Any attempt at an attack waspletely halted by it as Ren''s palm was pressed against its bulging stomach, moving with such a speed that it froze out of surprise more than innate fear.

    "Negative Karma: Extinguish."

    Releasing the words with utmost eloquence, a pulse emitted from his palm throughout the monster''s enormous figure. It was instantaneous and without pain, the force manifested by Ren vibrating through the creature''s body before releasing a sudden vtile force exploding through, blowing it apart into rotten smithereens.

    Numbers didn''t make any difference, the finally awakened innate ability of Ren ran rampant. After almost a year of keeping this power bottled up subconsciously, finally releasing it felt like stretching out a limb he never knew he had.

    The intense, overflowing nature of the manifested ability drove him into ecstasy, as if enacting his own lucid dream, overpowering the many fiends of thebyrinth that attempted to stand to him.

    To call it a man facing an army of monsters wasn''t right. Such a thing would imply that the singr person was fighting an uphill battle.

    In this scenery of bloodshed, it was the creatures of thebyrinth who began to fight out of the instinct to survive, while the human flourished a desire for violence. When such power came into y, it simply became one force versus another. And the weaker of these two forces will fall to the will of the other, that is an undeniable truth.

    The many undead goblins, covered in decrepit, fatal wounds used their intelligence to devise a form of offense rather than mindlessly taking charge as the rest of the fiends did. They took up posts atop the high-reaching walls of Asterius'' chamber, catapulting stones etched with rune magic.

    Engulfed in battle with the ground-level beasts, Ren wasn''t able to sense this underhanded assault until just before the impact. As soon as these magic-enchanted rocks met with the ground, the runic seals activated--unleashing small, but high in number explosions across the chamber. His heightened instincts threw him forward, but not before one of these magical sts collided against his body, throwing him back as hended on his feet.

    "...Goblins. As crafty as ever."

    Checking his body, he managed to avoid the brunt of the explosion, only leaving non-factor cuts across the left side of his body.

    In the state he was in, his pride reached beyond the clouds, to be inflicted any level of harm by the bottom-feeder fiends sent him into a flurry of anger. Even in his wrath, it didn''t feel as so, feeling his own spirit alleviate the emotion--as was the price of enlightenment.

    "I have to hand it to you bunch, you''re smarter than these weaklings. However...Before me, all are equally helpless."

    Positioning his gaze towards the squadrons of rotten goblins that lined the peak of these old walls, Ren raised one arm to the side.

    "Hama Yama."

    The words manifested themselves into his grip in the form of a long, two-meter bow. Using his amplified sense of sight, he could see them as clear as day, as if he was standing directly in front of them. Most of them had open wounds disyed across their dposing bodies, disying ckened flesh and hollow bones.

    Raising his bow leisurely, sliding the string back caused a hesitance to every monster inhabiting the room, allowing for the summoned spirits to dismantle a group of distracted undead giants with their ethereal des.

    "...First their weapons."

    Whispering to himself, an arrow breathed itself into existence, positioned between his supple fingers that prepared to unleash its destructive power. As the undead scavengers moved their hollow bodies, unimed by death, desperately loading in more ammunition into the makeshift catapults--Ren released his hold on the feathered, airborne spear.

    Traversing the still winds, the arrow suddenly made an abrupt shift in direction, turning to the left with an intense speed guiding it. It had locked onto the set of slings, zipping through the air before crashing into the first of these shoddily made weapons, breaking it apart into a hail of timber.<novelnext></novelnext>

    No time was spared as the singr arrow continued on its path to the next target, rocketing through another catapult with a serene light coiled around its form.

    As the flung tool of catapult-destruction finished its rounds, Ren finished with a quiet utterance to himself, "Hama Yama: Part The Sky."

    Following hismand, particles of light began to conjure in the path the arrow had traveled in, from its initial impact to its final one. These small, almost miniscule specs of light radiated with great intensity, bubbling up into releasing into a stream of light that stretched across the precipice of the walls.

    All at once, the dynamically weaved tunnel of light melted the decrepit flesh of the goblins, reducing the majority of them into nothing but piles of scattered bones.

    "When you find yourself in opposition of the honored one...It is best to give up."

    The chamber had beenthered in a mixture of many different fluids from the destruction of the horde: purple, green, red, blue, even ck.

    "Do any others dare challenge the honored one--"

    As Ren announced to the hollowed chamber, a sharp jolt threaded itself through his body as he caressed his own head in a grimace.

    It felt as if his muscles had mped down on his bone, attempting to squeeze them of their essence, causing a full-body cramp to momentarily overtake him. Whether it was his increased pain tolerance or luck, he managed to remain standing.

    "...I see. Using the bodhisattva is too much at my current level. Disappear."

    Swiping his arm, he did away with the manifested spirits as he caught his breath. Holding his palm over his heart, he felt the cardiac organ rumble against his hand, pumping itself at a hastened pace that sent a cold through his body.

    "--I don''t know how much longer I can hold this. Where did that damn bull go��"

    As if the heavens themselves answered his question, the familiar density underneath the clomp instantly told him of the presence of his foe. Wherever the minotaur had gone, it wasn''t to retreat, at least not in the way he had thought.

    Asterius now donned a massive hammer in one hand with the battle-axe he always kept close in the other. Awarding himself time away from battle, his ability cleared his body of all injuries, even regrowing the horn that was previously stripped from his head.

    "...A battle of attrition? Is that what you intended? No, I''m giving you too much credit."

    Still holding his smile, a single cough from Ren blew out droplets of blood from his mouth. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his rapidly beating heart, Ren faced towards Asterius, who seemed to have done away with his blinding anger. It no longer felt like he was putting down a beast, but dueling against another warrior.

    Drawing his de from its scabbard, Ren looked up to the stoic minotaur, feeling a streak of blood trail down his nostril as he smiled faintly.

    "Sunyata."

    Not another word as spoken, the sharp-steel of Belus met against the rough, unrefined edge of Asterius'' axe as a shockwave erupted from the collision of such powerful forces. All it took was that single swing to elerate the bloody nose Ren had cooked up, ignoring it as he spun around gracefully to evade the meteoric impact of the giant hammer.

 Chapter 129 - Vanquish, Manjushri

    Sparks danced in the air as steel embraced each other, swing after swing, the collected minotaur managed to match each strike brought down towards him. It brought no frustration upon Ren, who felt nothing resembling negative emotion--in fact, he felt ted, as if floating about those gilded clouds. He moved so fluidly with a natural elegance as if dancing, using the beast''s size as part of his own arsenal, stepping up his massive arms before swinging down upon him with his shining steel.

    The impact collided against the hammer, a chunk of steel that acted as an imprable steel.

    As the exchange persisted, Asterius'' assault grew more aggressive, using his overwhelming brute strength to whip the colossal steel he wielded through the air with such ease. However, simply increasing one''s dexterity wasn''t enough tond a blow upon Ren in this state, maneuvering in such ways that looked as if he were performing acrobatic feats instead of dodging.

    It was the true disy of divine footwork, a simple, feathered step was enough to flip his entire body around, spinning and twisting around with finesse. Gravity itself seemed to cave under his presence, as he used the vacant air as a foothold to maneuver his body. In essence, connecting an attack was simply impossible when considering two factors: Ren''s supernatural instinct and the speed he exhibited. Unless one had a way to counteract either of these aspects, he was practically untouchable.

    There wasn''t any rhyme or reason to these formless movements, which was the very strength of this type of style. To move like a cloud through the skies,pletely unpredictable, fluid, and ever-moving.

    Every minuscule movements were diligently recognized by his watchful gaze, predicting each attack that came his way with such uracy it seemed he was reading the future toe. Charging forward, Asterius mmed his hammer down upon the world, conjuring a wave of dust that emitted from the shattered stone.

    That is when a pathway was found to harm the elusive fighter.

    Even if he dodged the brutal attack, the shockwave still reached him, sending through his bones a chilling echo. The guardian didn''t let up, continuing with a relentless offense as he seemed intent on dislocating his shoulder with how he wielded the mass of steel, striking the ground repeatedly in quick session.

    In his path, he left behind small craters as he chased after Ren, who backpedaled with a subtle smile guiding his feet. Properly motivated by a strong opponent, Asterius disyed strength and tenacity beyond what Ren had previously witnessed. His movements became more animalistic, propelling his colossal body forward as he used his horns as dual javelins, no longer limiting himself to orthodox bipedal movements.

    Attempting to trick the minotaur into lodging himself into the wall, Ren sidestepped the rush at thest second, only to watch Asterius m his hoof down, burying it into the relenting stone to halt his rapid speed. For a moment, it seemed as if his body was going to be flung forward from the sudden stop, or at the very least, his leg would snap--but the bull seeded in halting himself.

    The roar Asterius unleashed to the closed-off heavens wasn''t one of intimidation or agitation. He could feel it, the joy from Asterius himself, engaging in a battle of skill, each swing felt perfectly crafted to win the battle.

    However, only one could be the victor. A fledgling me slid across the de slick with blood.

    "Manjushri."

    A ze that embodied perfection, so beautiful that even the beast that could not appreciate art fell in awe of it for a moment. zing with its divine, radiant mes that coiled around the length of the de, it was the manifestation of justice itself. Air found itself sparse in the presence of the roaring element of heat.

    The translucent-haired man stood at a distance that no de could reach, yet when he swung his de once more, an impact had fallen upon his opponent. Within those mes, truth spoke, virtue made itself known--and repentance was manifested.

    Asterius was brought down to one knee, his chest having been caved in slightly from the impact of the unseen strike, forcing the air within the beast''s lungs to evacuate.

    Now that the monstrous guardian that once was seen by him as the paramount of horror was brought to such a vulnerable image, Ren felt a slight empathy for the creature.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I should''ve seen it earlier, but I was blinded by my own depravity. You were left here, all alone for so many centuries. I see it in those eyes of yours, you envy those who are free, unshackled from a fate so cruelly bestowed upon them. I condemn your actions, yet I understand them. Most would fall to such impurities when left in such solitude...Worry not, I will set you free."

    As Ren raised Belus, surrounded with heavenly mes, the downtrodden beast could do nothing but look upon the sight of the one who held his fate in his hands. Etched into the numbed mind of his, Asterius remembered the mystical symbols painted onto the human''s skin, the varying wheels which held enigmatic gemstones.

    It would be thest sight to meet his eyes as a blinding light consumed his vision. A st from the mes of ascendance embraced their target, shifting him from life and into death, allowing no pain to meet him in his approaching end. Bathing in the mes of repent, Asterius kept still, kneeled down without a shift in expression from the beast as his fate had been epted. Even if the pain of being burnt alive was spared upon the minotaur, the smell of it wasn''t.

    Wrapping around one another, the spiraling mes coiled, rising into a pir that resembled the bulwark pirs of nature, illuminating the dungeon with its vast array of light.

    Ren covered his nose as he watched with his wheel-shaped irises before the man-beast finally fell face-down with a resounding thud, lifeless as the mes ceased their rampant offense on his ashen body.

    The ability began to release itself from the battle''s end, the tattoos etched onto his body fading as did his gilded eyes. Returning to his normal state, Ren found himself devoid of air, nearly brought to hyperventtion as he regained his breath. All at once, he felt all of that knowledge vanish from his brain, almost taking a physical sensation as a veil peeled from his mind. Through instinct, his hands instantly rose to shield his eyes as a burning sensation crawled over his sclera, honing in on his iris as the heat amplified itself.

    It was purely pain from what he could tell, but his brain couldn''t tell the difference as his body panicked, releasing a cold sweat as his eyes felt as if they were melting away from the scorching, phantom heat.

    Gritting his teeth wasn''t enough to cope with the pain, salivating as the intensity only seemed to spike higher and higher. Tensing up from the unbearable agony inflicted to his eyes caused his muscles to cramp in response, the pain that came with these cramps actually worked to distract him from the main source of the hellish sensation.

    The option crossed his mind to yank the orbs straight from his head, anything would be better than the current pain, he thought. It was impossible to think straight and even more unlikely to garner the strength for such a feat as he allowed himself to sink into the agony.

    Something he wasn''t prepared for; the drawbacks of an innate ability--his body felt as if it were set aze, his blood boiling up from within his own veins.

    Minutes passed of this agony as he fell to a fetal position, finally feeling it alleviate as a pool of water expelled from his now bloodshot eyes, slowly lifting himself from the vile floor.

    --This power is anything but enlightenment. Invoking it...It feels as if a part of me is lost in exchange for its power. All of the wisdom it grants me only obscures who I am, hiding "Nakamura Ren" behind a veil as if trying to hide the weakness that is myself. It''s all so foggy as if the person in control wasn''t even truly me. That sadistic nature...Is that truly what lies deep within me? I don''t know what I want to believe.

    As soon as it leaves...I''m filled with this emptiness, a void is left inside of me--all of the joy granted to me by "enlightenment", it''s as if I''vee down from the highest high.

    What I obtained was "loss"--an abandonment of myself led to that temporary growth. Is a price like that even worth it? I don''t know the answer to that right now...

    As he looked upon his own dirtied hands, a torrent of dust blew against him as the colossal gates of stone began to part. The entirebyrinth itself seemed to rumble under the parting of these gates, ushering Ren forward as both curiosity drove him.

 Chapter 130 - Reprieve &Amp; Dream

    Approaching the newly opened passageway, Ren hesitated for a moment as he remembered the mission that had clogged his mind.

    "...Iris."

    Looking back at the desecrated dungeon, another stinging pain traveled through his body, urging him to move forward.

    She was much stronger than him, he knew that well--if she was on that floor, she would''ve already cleared it without a doubt.

    --Even if she didn''t...Asterius is gone now, I don''t know if he''ll be resurrected again, but there should be a grace period before that.

    Beyond just stringing logic together, it seemed his temporary enlightened mind granted him one gift before parting--a feeling in his gut told him she wasn''t here.

    Encumbered by a failing body, Ren dragged his feet forward into the awaiting section of the floor, stepping past the ancient gates. As the threshold was crossed, the towering bs of natural elements pulled themselves back into ce--cutting off any hope there may have been of returning to thebyrinth.

    What waited him inside the room beyond the guardian''s domain was a high-reaching humanoid statue formed of rusted metal. From its outstretched hand, a fall of crimson flowed down into the pool that sat at its feet.

    A simple graze of his calloused hands through the lukewarm liquid sent a shiver crawling across his skin, shedding some of the unease that loomed over him. Rising from the pool of crimson without a visible depth, a stone tablet emerged.

    "Nakamura Ren, your strife was one most entertaining. As a reward for your valiant effort and the strength to see that will through, ask one question and see it answered."

    He didn''t know whether or not to be creeped out or honored by the praise from the tablet. Still, only one question made itself persistently known in his head.

    "Iris...Where is she?"

    Asking his desired question, the tablet was submerged once more into the depths of crimson. Waiting for his response, he scoped the isted chamber. Compared to the rough, unrefined nature of thebyrinth, the room was extravagant.

    The floor was formed of a finely-crafted, pale-blue stone separated into many tiles. Composed of the same material, the walls held vibrant torches that created a much missed sense of security.

    A plop followed an uprising of bubbles from the crimson pool before the tablet returned to the surface of the fountain, bringing with it a small chest formed of an azure metal.

    "A girl of your age and of your acquaintance traverses the quiet depths of the second floor. She moves forward in search of Nakamura Ren, praying for his safety."

    Reading those inscriptions from the tablet brought upon him total tion as he let out a sigh that blew away the umting stress in his lungs.

    "...I''m so relieved...I''m happy. I''m happy��I thought...I feared that I made a mistake, but you''re out there. Looking for me, even...Iris, it''s so lonely here."

    Brought down to his knees from the overwhelming spectrum of emotions that manifested from this knowledge, Ren rested his forehead against the rough, prickly stone of the fountain. All at once, the weight from his shoulders glided away, even if for a moment, Ren finally allowed himself to rest both physically and mentally.

    "Finally...Something good came out of this ce," Ren muttered weakly, "I''ll find you, Iris, I swear it...I swear it on any grave, star, anything."

    Since the moment he came to this primordial realm of torment, every waking moment was spent fighting, worrying--all in the name of garnering strength, but in reality, he fought to avoid the torturous end that awaited every corner. He exiled this dormant pain from the grooves of his eyes, allowing the liquid personification of his emotions stream down his pale cheeks.

    --In truth, it didn''t feel like a victory to me.

    --All I felt was that I seeded in surviving. But that was enough for me. Knowing that she was out there, looking for me just as I was for her...I gained a new lease on my conviction.

    After spending a batch of time huddled near the fountain, oozing from his pores his discarded pain and tears, Ren steadily brought himself up to retrieve the peculiar chest that floated in the crimson fountain. Holding it in his blood-soaked hands, the contents within it felt heavy. Tracing his fingertips over the smooth steel of the handle, decorated in the shape of many arms grasping each other, Ren gulped before revealing the innards of the enigmatic box to himself.

    Peeking into the interior, lined with somber, ck fabric, a piece of untainted cloth clung itself around the item stored within. Once again, anxiety worked in tandem with his curiosity as he slowly moved his hand over the cloth, preparing himself to unveil the object. Unwrapping the tightly-wrapped cloth had uncovered a dagger, possessing a handle that seemed to be formed of a light, pearly metal, carved with hieroglyphics that were not known to him.

    What had bewitched him was the de itself, formed of a translucent, obsidian material that became iridescent as he lifted it from the chest. It felt natural within his grip, the grooves of the handlefortably weing his supple digits.

    He found himself staring at the shifting de for far too long, entranced by its beauty by interrupting his engrossed stare with a quick head shake. It had almost missed his sight, but a fair chunk of crimson coins rested within the cloth, quickly storing them in one of the pouches attached to his belt.

    Finding a ce to sheath the dagger, only now did he realize he hadpletely left his tunic behind in thebyrinth, only finding his crimson amulet resting against his chest.

    Even if nobody was around, he still felt eyes watching him, trailing his unveiled skin--such thoughts sent a cold tremble throughout his body. Using the cloth inside of the chest, he created a makeshift scabbard for the dagger, tying it to his belt before he finally moved himself past the towering fountain of crimson.

    "...Checkpoint reached."<novelnext></novelnext>

    All that sat at the end of the mainly empty room was standard door, almost so normal that it roused suspicion in him as he hesitantly moved his hand to the chilled handle, swinging it open. The first thing to greet him was the aroma that seeped out of the next room, the scent of something freshly cooked, salty and rich with vor.

    He had been consumed by the nature of the trial so wholeheartedly that he didn''t recognize the hunger that had been present within himself, listening as his stomach let out a war-cry, yelling out for whatever the aroma attached itself to.

    The sight of thevish room that awaited past the door made him question if this was reality or if he had fallen into a dream. It was like apletely different world had been connected to the door, holding a dining hall that was decorated with the trinkets of the opulent ss. A long, narrow table inhabited the center of this peculiar room, veiled with a somber tablecloth, ending in red strings of silver.

    It took him a minute to notice the man sitting at the very end of the table, nearly making him flinch out of surprise.

    "Greetings, Ren."

    He had a voice as smooth and refined as a starlit sky, his weing rolling off of his tongue like silver. Normally such an abrupt interaction, especially in a ce as vtile as this, would serve to put Ren on guard, yet he felt no such maliceing off of the man.

    "Sit. You''ve earned that luxury, I''d say."

    Being brought out of his statuesque trance, Ren stepped into the room proper, looking down as he took in the sight of the exuberant, vani carpet that sprawled out across the tan, wooden floorboards, not seeing such cleanliness in the trial. Seating himself in the cushioned chair, he instantly felt his body enter a rxed state as his tensed muscles finally let up their tireless battle.

    He had started to get used to the natural vomit-inducing stench that lived within the floor--so the fresh fragrance that existed in this domain of tranquility met his nose with utter delight.

    Somehow he didn''t notice the unknown man''s features until after he had seated himself, trying to hide the surprise from his face in an attempt to prevent offense, but it was a jarring sight.

    --Either he had aplete makeover...Or this guy just isn''t human.

    The initial aspect of the man''s appearance that jumped at Ren were his eyes, namely the abyssal sclera he had, any white or color for that matter had been absent from his sightseeing organs. It didn''t stop there for the abnormalities with his eyes as his irises took on a hexagonal shape, baring a shade of magenta.

    Even seated, he could tell the man was freakishly tall, likely standing at a height surpassing the likes of the crimson-haired Ounder. Though his build was much more slender inparison, fitting well into his sharp suit that matched his irises, holding no wrinkles or stains to speak of. It waspletely and utterly odd to see a non-otherworlder wearing a suit of that style, as it definitely had no ce in a world of this era, that much Ren was sure of.

    Looking past these abnormalities, Ren couldn''t help but admit, it took nothing away from his natural, almost perfect beauty. In Ren''s mind, "handsome" didn''t cut it, the celestial grace the man''s face bore, from his wless jawline and to his well-kempt,bed-over, jet-ck locks--even someone with questionable heterosexuality as himself couldn''t help but acknowledge such a being.

    --And here I am, shirtless and dirty like I just crawled out of the sewer. "Like"...I''m pretty sure I actually did that at some point.

    "I take it you''ve never seen one such as myself before, no?"

    The man confronted Ren''s prolonged gaze with a slight smirk, carrying his words from his lips elegantly. He quickly shifted his head away from the man''s direction out of embarrassment, holding a blush that attempted to divert all of his fluster to his cheeks.

    "It''s quite alright, I don''t mind being ogled. Jokes aside, my kind are quite rare for humans to meet, much less otherworlders like yourself."

    It was enunciated sensually, taking away the embarrassment from Ren as he faced the man without any hesitation upon hearing that term.

    "--You know that?"

    "It was but a simple guess, but now you''ve confirmed it."

    Pleased with the adolescent''s response, the man let out a refined chuckle, tapping his clearly groomed, obsidian fingernails against the table.

    Although he imed it to be a guess, the fervent certainty in his voice when referring to him as an otherworlder struck as nothing but the known truth.

    --He''s messing with me.

    "Ah, worry not, I don''t hold the same prejudice towards your type as many in the world do. I guess you could say we''re in the same boat."

    "Wait, you aren''t human right? What are you?"

    "My, that''s a rude way to ask such a thing," the man smirked as he rested his cheek against his knuckles, "I suppose I should introduce myself properly. I am Bifrons, I will henceforth be your attendant through the trial."

    Once again, Ren found himself at a loss for words at the man''s whim, watching as he unraveled himself from his seat to stand straight with his towering height, cing one hand over his heart as he bowed ever so slightly.

    "Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ren Nakamura."

 Chapter 131 - Epilogue Of The First Floor

    The Voyager Keep, the home base of the Argonauts, a ce that houses those praised as the true heroes of Mastorn, even more so than the honorable knights themselves. In this ce inhabiting individuals of both absurd power and personalities--the man responsible for running this untameable lot has called in two individuals.

    "Sir Bulsteighn, I believe my tea is running cold."

    Clearly ufortable in the stiff chair formed of wood, the ever-smiling Rouge shifted about in his seat as he kept his hands on hisp.

    The office of thergemander matched his somber choice in apparel--dark, lifeless wood without a hint of decoration, besides his many honors from his time in service, made up the room. Draped over his shoulders was a fluffy, thick cape of obsidian wool that resembled the coat of a crow.

    "--"

    The man sitting behind the desk flooded with paperwork, holding an unmoving stone-faced expression that stood out even behind his thick, bristly scarlet beard and locks that draped over his forehead.

    "You know I usually wouldn''tin, but it was rather expensive tea. Actually, price isn''t the issue here, it took months for it to be imported, you know, so--"

    "Silence, Rouge!"

    Even thunder couldn''t hope to shake the soul of another man as much as Bulsteighn''s booming voice.

    "You''re lucky I don''t have you demoted for your past failure. It is an utter disgrace, staining the reputation of the Argonauts."

    Falling silent for a moment after the man of superior rank finished his gruffment, Rouge raised a finger to the air, "So, I''m not being demoted then? What a relief, I thought that''s what this meeting was all about!"

    Before Bulsteighn could part his lips to unleash a high-decibel scolding to the frivolous, bob-cut baring man, the colossal door both of height and density had flung open, the iron door handle bouncing against the wooden base,manding both of the men''s attention.

    Upon his crimson irises meeting with the unknown guest, Rouge''s smile drooped down, stopping himself from cracking the joke he had nned.

    "Ah, there you are, Avdima."

    Greeting the man standing in the doorway, Bulsteighn''s tone took a higher, more rxed pitch as his expression followed by softening.

    The man possessed skin of such a paleplexion it was a mystery to the world that he had frequently seen the sun, looking as if he belonged in an abandoned house on a dark hill. As he took a stride into the office, his prickly buns on the back of his head bounced.

    Not a single word was said from him as he sat in the chair beside Rouge, keeping his gaze forward. With eyes as worn out looking as his, holding abyssal bags under, it was a question if he even indulged in the act of slumber.

    "...Excuse my rudeness, but what the hell is this man doing here?"

    Rouge looked at the somber man as if seeing a piece of litter. Even as he spoke of the man directly next to him, he didn''t earn a spec of his attention--further fueling his distaste as he scoffed, adjusting one leg over the other as he sat.

    "Silence, Rouge. One can only put up with enough of your antics for a day," Bulsteighn scratched his beard, "Now that you''re both here, let''s get this over with, shall we?"

    The bulwark of the Argonauts shuffled through documents for a moment as the room fell to mostly silence, besides the sound of papers being ruffled through. Taking a peek at the man next to him, Rouge sneakily moved his gaze, watching Avdima as he sat inplete silence.

    "Say, Avdima, I heard you recently returned from a Phantasmal-rank mission."

    The sleepless argonaut wore loose-fitting, ck trousers with a baggy, all-white tunic sitting under a dark vest. As was the case with argonauts of higher positions, there wasn''t exactly a universal uniform required to be worn.

    "Yeah."

    "How was it? Did you almost die? Bruised up at least?"

    "It was boring."

    Attempting to make small talk with the bristly-haired argonaut beside him, Rouge was almost met with responses as dry as a cat''s tongue.

    --This is what I hate about him. He''s so damn unreadable! A single skewer--that''s all it''d take to see if he has any vibrancy in his blood, the damn, dead-eyed fool.

    A hoarse cough erupting from Bulsteighn''s throat brought forth the attention of the two men sitting in front of his desk. Setting his iron gaze on Rouge, the burly man sped his bear-like hands together before addressing the frivolous argonaut.

    "A year ago, youunched an assault on the Althaus manor after Gaol discovered the existence of an otherworlder being harbored there."

    "Correct."

    Rouge confirmed the report, holding his entricities within him when faced with therge-setmander.

    "While you carried out punishment on all those within the estate, you let the one target you were there for escape, with the Ounders, no less."

    "--There was no way I could''ve predicted Sora himself showing up when he did, I mean, it is maddening for an Ounder to attempt such a maneuver!"

    "Silence!" Bulsteighn brought his club of a fist down upon the russet desk with a bellowingmand, "You will speak when I ask you to speak. This is your problem, Rouge. You have no respect for the order of things that must be done. The moment you heard of Gaol''s discovery, you rushed to the estate of Althaus without bringing with you a single executioner or another from your squad--such impatience and negligence led to the escape of the otherworlder."

    "He was useless. Weak. Broken. That boy won''t be a problem, I''ll find him and finish what I started, just give me another--"

    Another m of Bulsteighn''s hand against the desk resounded against the eardrums of Rouge, quickly sealing his lips as he could feel themander''s frustration be tangible.

    "In the hands of the Ounders, that boy has surely been trained by now. Your ipetence has led to another Ounder being born into this world. You will not waste but a single moment of your day on this mission, Rouge. You''re hereby dismissed from hunting down Ren Nakamura."

    Being berated as such, without a single opportunity to defend himself, guided Rouge into a void of anger within his mind. It wasn''t often he experienced such burning emotion, feeling his fingers twitch against the fine leather of his gloves.

    --I want to pierce his flesh. I want to see what his shade of red looks like. It''ll be fine, won''t it? Who the hell cares about him anyway?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lingering in a tinge of red, his mind wandered off about the plethora of ways he could go about skewering the hulkingmander, feeling his blood stream through his veins with radiant warmth.

    "Rouge!"

    The ear-wrenching yell of Bulsteighn dragged the man back from his fantasies of crimson, returning his scarlet pupils from their dted state as he cleared his throat. Shaking his head with a sigh, Bulsteighn grumbled before continuing with his hoarse words.

    "In your ce, Avdima will take on the mission of hunting down Nakamura."

    "Excuse me?"

    He had already deduced as much, but having it confirmed felt surreal, causing a demeaning, almostughful tone to guide Rouge''s words from his lips.

    "Is there a problem with that, Rouge?"

    "Is there a problem? Mind my rudeness, but Avdima can hardly find the will to raise himself a cup of water. That man has no haste in his step or any desire for that matter. By the time he finds Nakamura, he will likely have be a full-fledged Ounder."

    As Rouge spilled his words that were coated by nothing but honesty, he wasn''t halted by words or even a m of the desk by Bulsteighn--but a menacing aura rising from the man sat next to him. For a moment, any frustration was reced by primal fear, refusing to turn his head, only shifting his eyes to the side to check on Avdima.

    The man who not only looked like a ghost but also behaved such as one did not move from his position, yet his abyssal irises were locked on Rouge, dted with a form of emotion he had never felt emanate from the usually stoic argonaut. From his baster pores, a deathly aura rose, giving way for a cold air to fill the chambers of themander.

    Words were not spoken, but Rouge understood through those murderous eyes what Avdima was saying--"I will not be disrespected again."

    "...Fine, have it your way. How do you n on finding Nakamura anyways? Do you n to use Gaol again?"

    "You know just as well as I that Gaol was only able to find the otherworlder boy because he was in such close proximity. Gaol has little chance of finding anyone once they''re under the veil of that rotten sage."

    Bulsteighn answered the disgruntled argonaut, stroking his beard between his calloused fingers. It was almost soothing to watch his well-kempt beard of crimson locks be caressed through the grace of his hand, although Rouge always had found himself enamored with the shade that resembled blood.

    "If that''s the case then what purpose does assigning a mission like this have? Without Gaol, it''ll simply be attempting to find a needle in a haystack."

    "I have a lead."

    For the first time, Avdima spoke up on his own, catching both Rouge and Bulsteighn''s attention directly to him. It wasplete news to the ears of Rouge, ncing back at Bulsteighn, it seemed this knowledge was something original to the tired-eyed man himself.

    "borate."

    Rouge rested his chin atop his hands as he held a look of genuine curiosity across his face, earning a response from the quiet argonaut.

    "After you had left the premises of the Althaus estate, the cleanup crew had found something--a set of clothes that was peculiar. Something that could only belong to someone, not of this era or world."

    As Avdima exined his findings, a look of frustration began to tint the bob-cut man''s face, his eyebrow twitching as he found himself regretting this oversight.

    "While Gaol might be unable to pinpoint the location of someone within Beatrice''s barriers, he was able to get a general sense of hisst traceable location by using the clothing as a catalyst."

    "...And where might this location be?"

    Rouge pressed for the answer but Avdima had fallen silent, scratching the top of his head as he attempted to ignore the man''s curiosity.

    "Where is it?"

    "Rouge, no. As you''re no longer heading this mission, such information is none of your concern."

    "What would you have me do then, Bulsteighn? I am an Argonaut, my purpose is to eradicate the otherworlders thate to Gaia."

    Standing himself up, he protested the withholding of such precious information, wanting nothing more than to carry out what he had started.

    "You will stay in the capital and continue your duties as an argonaut, away from the field. That is what sleuths do, lest you forget. Now, that is an order, Rouge."

    He knew better than anyone that once Bulsteighn had made a decision, there was no convincing him otherwise, such stubbornness earned him the nickname--"Iron-Skull ''''. Rouge begrudgingly epted this, adjusted his long coat with a huff before storming out of the office.

    "That man will be the death of me one day��"

    Bulsteighn let out a sigh, massaging his temple as he momentarily shut his eyelids.

    "How many men can I bring with me?"

    It wasn''t often for themander to hear the silent, gloomy-looking argonaut to speak first, opening his eyes quickly to the question.

    "Huh? As many executioners as you need��"

    "Argonauts. I want Argonauts."

    "Mmm��" Bulsteigh stroked his beard as he pondered, "��Three. You can choose whoever except Rouge, the Cataclysmic Trio, or the problematics."

    "Understood."

    Given his answer, Avdima stood from his seat and left without another word.

 Chapter 132 - Interlude: Mind, Body, And Sword I

    The outskirts of the acimed capital of Mastorn, though it draws near the immensely-powerful maw of the kingdom, the wild, naturalnd remains untamed to this day. A region of danger and fear in the hearts of everyday men; a region of opportunity for those of strength.

    "I appreciate it; the "Knight of Knights" himself showing me the ropes."

    Taking care not to sully the stainless, white boots he wore along with his matching trousers, Charlemagne stepped over the puddle of mud, pushing past the low-hanging limbs of the ancient trees. Leading the way was a man dressed in simr garments in the form of an opulent, snow-white uniform with the royal palette to match Mastorn.

    He was a man that could not be mistaken for another; the massive de thatid in rest at his hip, etched with the design of gilded wings. Turning back briefly to meet Charlemagne, his smile was gentle yet somehow weighed heavier than others; it was utmost confidence.

    "Speak nothing of it, it''s an honor to share a brotherhood with you now, Charlemagne."

    "Ah, you''re as kind as they say, Aelius!"

    As the two kind souls shared a brief chuckle with one another, Rnd, hanging back to keep an eye out on any potential conniving beasts, found himself somewhat envious of their instantaneous bond. Within the boundaries of the thick, wild forests that lined the opulent walls just outside of the capital, the two knights stood out like stars in the night sky.

    Unlike most knights, Charlemagne and Aelius neglected to wear armor; opting only to carry a sword at their sides and awaited any who dared step to them.

    "So are the stories true?"

    Charlemagne asked, tilting his head a bit to try and get a nce at hispanion''s coral eyes as he stepped over a fallen, rotting log.

    "Mm...I suppose a simple "yes" or "no" wouldn''t be very sufficient for a curious man such as yourself?"

    "You know me well."

    The two shared a briefugh before the look in the rookie knight''s eyes pressed for Aelius to continue, who promptly cleared his throat, fixing his own snow-white locks before answering.

    "To tell you the truth, it seems my actions have brewed a number of tales that I unfortunately haven''t been able to listen to."

    "Let''s see then...Is it true that you defeated a King''s de at nine-years-old?"

    The question of a silly nature sparked a chuckle from Aelius, who promptly covered his mouth with his pale-white glove before regaining hisposure.

    "Ah...Forgive me, it''s just a funny thought."

    "I take it that it''s false then?"

    Stopping for a moment, Aelius put his hand on his chin as if recalling something from his memory, his unruly, opalescent locks being yed with by the iing breeze.

    "I must admit that it''s indeed false; I defeated Sir Maleon when I was eleven."

    Hearing it from the present-day legend himself, Charlemagne paused for a moment, attempting to read the young man''s expression--unable to decipher if it was the truth or simply jest.

    "...Really?"

    "Indeed...However, it isn''t very knightly to speak of such things."

    Aelius gave hispanion a smile, gesturing with his hand to disregard the topic as he looked back to see Rnd holding the same gloomy expression he had been holding since they came into the fiendish forest.

    "Yeah, I''m sure Sir Maleon isn''t exactly happy about that loss."

    "Neither was the king, I''m afraid��"

    As they pressed onward, the quivering of evergreen caught their keen eyes; watching the trembling hedges frantically move as the sound of heavy steps met their ears.

    Without any hesitation, Charlemagne slid his de from its sheath, revealing its pristine radiance as the sparse sunlight reflected off of its pure form. Running down the middle of the majestic longsword were two streaks of cobalt running parallel to one another, meeting at the bottom of the de to form a shape resembling a star.

    "It truly is as beautiful as the bards have sung��"Joyeuse", correct?"

    Aelius held an enamored smile as his eyes dazzled upon witnessing the true form of Charlemagne''s trusty weapon, who gave him a nod in return.

    "She''s been with me as long as I can remember; how about yours? I''d be blessed toy my eyes on your divine de--"Deicide", the de said to be capable of ying gods."

    "...I assumed such a weapon would be vexing for you to see, Sir Charlemagne."

    "Nonsense. Please, I''d love to witness its legendary sharpness against the beast that dares challenge two knights of Mastorn."

    Hearing their tant fanboyism over swords, Rnd looked as if he was babysitting two children; watching as the mysterious creature pressed onward through the thick line of evergreen while the two continued to sing praises of des.

    "--And an argonaut, don''t you forget it!"

    Deciding to take it upon himself to handle the problem at hand, Rnd swiped his finger against the air, sending a thin line of scarlet through the air before it collided against the still unseen beast. As the beast parted its jaws as wide as its own body, the line etched itself into its form--parting it into two before an eruption of crimson was released from its body.

    "Hey, we had that one covered!"

    Charlemagne looked back at Rnd, who held a pleased, smug look on his expression, shrugging his shoulders.

    "Nice one, Sir Rnd. I''m d to have such a reliable argonaut such as yourself with us; I was worried for a moment that my humble strength wouldn''t be capable of handling such an arduous foe."

    Raising one hand up, Aelius bowed his head in gratitude as Rnd''s triumphant pose quickly dissipated at the sight of the humble knight, finding no words as his eyes shot over to Charlemagne, who looked pleased with this development.

    "He''s way too damn kind! That''s the "Knight of Knights" for you; a man who represents the best of humanity!" Rnd thought to himself as he looked upon the radiant, pure man as if he was too bright to handle.

    "So, what kind of monster is this anyway? It''s quite...unsightly."

    Charlemagne slid his renowned sword back into its ce of rest, walking over to the beast that was now split into two half down from its scalp to its feet.

    "Ah, it''s a "Murmonger"; as you saw, they are quite aggressive, they''ll attack no matter the strength or number of their perceived prey. That''s more a result of their rather primitive minds rather than bravado. Though, they do boast quite a bite; particrly fearsome for rookie adventurers."

    Kneeling beside the carcass of the fallen beast, Aelius pointed towards the massive rows of teeth that upied the monster''s maw. Taking a closer nce, the ck-haired argonaut noticed an orange substance coating its fangs.

    "What''s that stuff? Some sort of bile or what?"

    Before Rnd could brush his curious finger against the mysterious substance, his hand was stopped dead in its tracks as Aelius swiftly took hold of his wrist. It was clear as day to tell that the snow-haired knight wasn''t straining himself, yet it felt as if his arm had been locked in ce.

    "Ah, forgive me; you wouldn''t want to touch that," Aelius released his hold on Rnd''s wrist, "that''s the true weapon of the murmongers; aplex poison that changes itself depending on the individual. It can be quite lethal even for those far above it."

    "You know a lot about monsters, don''t you?"

    Witnessing Aelius'' extensive knowledge on this particr beast, Charlemagnemented on this; sparking a meek chuckle from the young knight, scratching his own cheek before he rose to his feet again.

    "I know a thing or two; I am a monster hunter, after all."

    "Really? You know, I really never heard of what it is you did. I guess that makes sense...You''re not around the king much, are you?"

    The question from Charlemagne dimmed the expression of his knightlypanion for a moment before a slight smile was returned to his lips.

    "Ah...That''s correct."

    A plethora of questions wereunched towards the humble knight, who answered them to the best of his ability while the golden-haired rookie followed alongside him, continuing this onught of questions.

    For months, Rnd couldn''t hear the end of Charlemagne''s excitement about this outing with the legendary knight himself; it was clear as day that the man of divine blood saw Aelius himself as something of a god.

    "Have you heard the rumors?"

    It was a different question asked by Charlemagne, this time backed by a sly smile that caused Aelius to pause for a moment before responding, "Rumors?"

    "There is a battleing."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What? A battle? Is it Lacrauv?"

    Aelius instantly took these words to heart, holding a serious expression across his fair face as he ced his hand at his chin.

    "No, no; it isn''t against another kingdom. It''s the Ounders."

    "...The Ounders? Do you mean their location was actually discovered?"

    As Charlemagne seemed to hope, his words hadpletely taken Aelius'' attention, briefly looking back at Rnd who rested his back against the oak.

    "Indeed. This is all just hearsay though, nothing confirmed."

    "Do you know where they''re said to be?"

    In response to Aelius'' asking, Charlemagne simply shook his head, nodding his head back towards his argonautpanion, "Rnd there isn''t exactly privy to much insider information when ites to the argonauts. Though, I''d venture to say someone of your status could get in on this mission."

    "Me? The knights and argonauts hardly get along...I doubt they''d let anyone attempt to steal their glory of hunting otherworlders; especially the Ounders."

    Rnd knew well what hispanion was ying at, feeding the pure of heart knight information that would surely stir something up.

    "Charlemagne is a good person; I believe that with all of my heart. However, he has a tendency to y at things such as this--using information as his own ammunition to serve his goals," Rnd let out a brief sigh as he closed his eyes while the two knights conversed.

    "Nonsense; you''re Aelius, your name transcends such rank. With you at their side, I''m sure the argonauts will seed in their mission."

    With the assurance of the blue-eyed knight, Aelius nodded his head silently before turning himself back onto the path they were set on; the three setting out once again within the forest.

    "We''ve been at this for an hour; are you sure our target is really here?"

    It wasn''t impatience or ack of stamina weighing on Charlemagne; the wild environment was dastardly against his pearly-white, pristine clothes--or at least, used to be pristine.

    "There were multiple reports of passing adventurers sighting it around here; look--right over here."

    Ushering for his temporarypanion to check the point of interest, Aelius knelt himself down besides arge imprint that caved in the loose mud, running his finger along the smooth shape.

    The size of the foot seemed to be asrge as the knight''s own body, who seemed thrilled by this fact that should otherwise be daunting.

    "Without a doubt, this is its track."

    "A tainted behemoth, right? That seems a bitrger than I had anticipated��"

    Charlemagne released a slightly worried chuckle at the sight of the track, bringing his gaze back up to notice something off about the trees that surrounded them; namely the path directly to their left. The overgrowth of oak, vines, and evergreen had been either parted or in trampled, leaving a less than obscure path.

    "...I think we know where it went."

    "We already knew that from the track."

    Aelius informed the golden-haired man, pointing directly from the footprint and towards the newly-formed path, sparking an embarrassed cough from Charlemagne while he heard Rnd chuckle to himself.

    "I knew that��"

    "Don''t worry; monster hunting isn''t amon tool within a knight''s arsenal."

    Clearly a yful jab, Aelius gave him a bit of a smirk before patting his shoulder, moving past him as he followed the track of the wild beast.

    "Still, it''s a bit odd for a knight to handle monsters, right?"

    Walking in haste alongside Aelius, Charlemagne prodded him with yet another question, looking back to see Rnd observing their surroundings as he followed.

    "You mean that this sort of thing is usually left for adventurers, right?"

    "Exactly."

    "Mm...Well, I''d ask that you not repeat this��"

    The concept of a secret from the legendary knight himself drove a smile across Charlemagne''s head, who fervently nodded his head to affirm his secrecy, "Of course!"

    "King Held is afraid of me."

    "...Afraid?"

    Before a further answer could be drawn, the curious divine-blooded knight found his conversation interrupted by the croaking of trees; followed by a booming step that unleashed an ear-piercing sound that likely belonged to stone being crushed.

    "It seems our nomadic friend has found us."

    "I thought it was trying to escape from us!"

    Charlemagne let out a huff before drawing Joyeus from its sheath once more; this time preparing for it to rend flesh.

    "Behemoths can be quite docile; that is, if you''re speaking of those specifically bred and raised in captivity. Out here in the wild, in their own element--their true nature as rtives of dragons themselves is shown!"

    Excitement was made clear from how Aelius spoke, watching with a beaming smile and impatient eyes as the cedar began to cave under the step of the approaching, gargantuan terrestrial-beast. Still, his sword had not left its ce of rest, sitting within its exuberant scabbard that synchronized both white and golden decorations.

    "Do you n to fight unarmed, Sir Aelius?"

    "I n on letting myrade show me what he can do, Sir Charlemagne."

    cing his hands on his sides, there was no hint of Aelius participating in this battle as he looked at his fellow knight with his iridescent gemstones; gesturing with his eyes for the man to initiate the battle against the behemoth.

    "I see...I can''t say I''m quite as suave with the de as you are; though, I think I may know a thing or two."

    Flipping the hilt of his trusty weapon between his supple fingers as if it were an extension of his body, it was as obvious as a giant hiding within a hedge; Charlemagne was no novice.

    Though his own protective nature urged him to rush to hispanion''s side, Rnd stayed his hand, keeping himself at the sidelines as he knew how much his dearrade enjoyed a good fight.

    Leaves gave in to the form of the mountainous fiend; another step taken had plunged thest set of thin oak blocking its path, revealing its full form to the eyes of the three.

    From its nostrils and maw, its breath left in a haze of steamy vapor, briefly obscuring its form once more before its rock-like hide was put on disy.

    "Suffice to say: that is one,rge, angry-looking beast."

    Witnessing the sheer size of the behemoth as it dwarfed the ceiling of natural green, Rnd whistled with a slight chuckle following.

    "All yours."

    Aelius gave Charlemagne a good-luck tap on his shoulder before stepping beside Rnd to witness the sh of knight and monster.

    "I can see right past that charming, gentle exterior, Aelius, you''re enjoying this, aren''t you?" Charlemagne thought to himself as a smile formed across his lips, looking up towards the lumbering behemoth before it stopped in its path.

    A single exhale from the colossal, living mass of rock''s abyssal nostrils unleashed a torrent that blew against the many des of grass.

    "Joyeus: Awaken."

    Holding his de towards the slumbering stars, Charlemagne remained at an absolute calm in the face of the beast; unleashing a brief, beautiful sh of cobalt that scaled over the length of his de. Rnd noticed the surprised, perplexed look in Aelius'' eyes as he honed his sights on the body of the renowned sword.

 Chapter 133 - Interlude: Mind, Body, And Sword II

    "You sense it don''t you?"

    Rnd asked with a smile as if knowing information known to few. It took a moment for the pristine-uniformed knight to peel his eyes away from the iridescent beauty of Joyeus, looking over at the somber-dressed argonaut beside him.

    "That de...It has its own source of mana? Something like that should simply be��"

    "Impossible? I don''t think anything is impossible when ites to Charles; part man, part god--thest of his kind within Mastorn yet it has never brought him down. He is simply a person that wishes for the good of the world to defeat the bad; as simple as that. It is unreasonable to believe, isn''t it? An immortal such as himself who has lived many lifespans, witnessing the worst that mortal kind had to offer; murder, war...Yet he has never grown jaded, his aspirations have never been dulled by these experiences. I can''t say the same for myself, which is partly why I believe I''m so entranced by his existence. That is Charlemagne; the man who is blind to impossibilities."

    Speaking of his treasuredrade, the look in Rnd''s usual dark, gloomy eyes emitted a dash of life through them.

    Before Aelius could speak another word, the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of the start of the battle, dragging his watchful gaze back to Charlemagne, who was now rushing towards the armored behemoth with his de in hand.

    "That form; it isn''t bad but not that of a master swordsman either��" Aelius couldn''t help but analyze the demigod knight''s own style as someone who lived by the de.

    Anticipation caused him to hold his breath as he witnessed Charlemagne swing his sword back to prepare for a strike--swiping it horizontally only for the de to bounce right off of the dense hide of therge dragonkin.

    "Huh?"

    The simple word was the verbal realization of Aelius'' confusion, expecting the strike topletely decimate the beast, only for Charlemagne''s strength to bepletely insufficient.

    "Was his form off? No...It was the power behind his strike," Aelius tried to find an apt reason for this failure.

    "Surprised?"

    Rnd read the tantly perplexed expression covering the fair face of the young knight, holding a slight smile as he kept his eyes on the battle.

    "...No...Well, maybe just a bit."

    "There was a reason why Charles chose his human blood over that of his divinity."

    "Huh?"

    Aelius found it hard to choose between shifting his focus to Charlemagne''sbat against the behemoth or Rnd''s words.

    "Amongst his fellow demi-gods, let alone gods, Charlemagne was the weakest of them all. Frail, sickly, and cowardly...He showed no gifts of his divine father. Most of his time as a boy was spent being taken care of by his timid mother; even if he was a half-blood, his weak existence was something condemned by the gods for tainting their image of power. They berated him, treating him like filth��"

    The man who clearly loved Charlemagne seemed pained to speak of such a past, his hand trembling at memories that he was likely reluctant to drag to the forefront of his memory. Aelius paused before speaking--watching another set of strikes crash against the behemoth''s unmoving hide to no avail; yet the resolve in Charlemagne''s eyes didn''t dim in the slightest.

    "I see...He chose to side with humanity because of how the gods treated him...I can''t me him for despising them."

    "That''s not it."

    "It''s not?"

    "Charlemagne experienced firsthand what humans had felt secondhand from the gods; knowing the feeling of scorn and belittlement, he wanted nothing more than to offer them reprieve from such cruelty."

    The words left his mouth as if being read from a history book; assisting Aelius toe to a realization of his own about the loyalpanion of Charlemagne.

    "Rnd...You talk of these events as if you lived through them. You''re��"

    "No, I''m not a demigod like Charlemagne. I am a half-blood just as he is though; more specifically, I am one who shares the blood of those who feast upon it and lurk in the darkest corners of Gaia; I am a vampire."

    Announcing the identity of his blood, Rnd held a sly smile; knowing full-well that this information woulde as a surprise to the young knight of legend. To further confirm this, Rnd reached under his lip with his ck gloves, pulling it up to reveal a fang upying his set of teeth.

    "A vampire?!"

    "That look on your face was worth spilling the secret," Rnd chuckled, "I''ll ask that you don''t repeat that bit of information."

    "...But the sun��"

    Aelius was still caught on this revtion, though he emitted no clear hostility from what Rnd could sense; listening to the sound of steel shing against the rock-bound body of the behemoth as the battle between demigod and beast continued.

    "Perks of being a half-blood, I guess. I''m totally immune to the sunlight," As Rnd spoke, his gaze shifted back to Charlemagne''s battle, "I''d watch him if I were you."

    "--What?"

    Still taken aback by the existence of a half-vampire, Aelius brought his attention back to the battle, just in time to witness a development from his fellow knight.

    It was a sublime movement thatpletely superseded anything he had disyed previously; a total shift in his eyes was shown, the blue, gentle haze shifting into a determined, battle-hardened azure. A dance was had, evading a strike of the behemoth''s pir of a limb as he spun around with his de emitting its powerful glow into the form of a radiant cyclone.

    "When I said Charlemagne was the weakest of his kind; that was at his birth. He takes a bit to get warmed up, but when he does...Well, you''ll see for yourself."

    When Joyeus shed against the bulwark leg of the behemoth, once again, it failed to cut through the sturdy hide it possessed--however, something else happened. Aelius watched with his superb vision; witnessing the serene mana that belonged to the de propel into the beast''s body, resurfacing from under its hide into geysers of cobalt steam that blew apart its rocky exterior from within.

    The eruption of magical energy continued to blow chunks of rock from the gargantuan monster''s body--soon flinging its smooth, unprotected flesh, coiled in the ming embrace of Charlemagne''s mana. Witnessing this, Aelius'' momentary confusion shifted into a smile as he recognized the power belonging to the knight.

    Leaping into the air, Charlemagne brought his de over his head with a joyous smile before bringing the radiant sword down against the sturdy forehead of the behemoth. The impact was backed by his innate magical strength, creating an echo of force that shook the nearby cedar as birds fled from the unknown impact.

    "Tell me; how long have you two known one another?"

    Aelius asked with an ted smile as he watched his fellow knight''s final attack flow through the monster''s body from within, ending with an implosion that scattered its stoney hide throughout the forest like a meteor shower.

    Looking upon the argonaut half-vampire, Aelius could see it now past the man''s young, handsome appearance; those dark, dull eyes of his had long since lost the spark of life that mortals carry with them until they are six feet under.

    His question seemed to be ignored as Rnd moved towards the victory of the scuffle with the behemoth, giving Charlemagne a pat on the shoulder as the knight, now covered in a shower of red from the beast''s interior, allowed his sword to rest within its sheath once more.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That was truly a sight worthing out here for; I''ve never seen a technique quite like that one."

    Aeliusplimented the dance of steel he had witnessed; giving Charlemagne a firm, congrattory shake of his arm.

    "I find it hard to believe Aelius himself found any of that to be anything more than a shy disy of mediocre strength; but thank you, nheless."

    "...You''re really embarrassing me; my humble strength is nothing special, Sir Charlemagne��"

    Once again, Charlemagne and Rnd could hardly keep their eyes on the radiant, kindness that embodied Aelius, who seemed to never recognize his own legend.

    "Say, Rnd, how about we show ourpanion here some quality grub?"

    Looking back towards the quiet argonaut, Charlemagne gave him a beaming smile--a growl releasing from his stomach spoke of his true intentions.

    "So, have you always been a connoisseur of fine des, Sir Aelius?"

    Finding himself seated at the bustling restaurant with his twopanions, Charlemagne''s question caused an eye roll from Rnd, taking arge swig of amber liquid to take his mind off of the storm of chattering that is sure toe.

    "...Mm, I''d say my love for swords began when my eyes met with the renowned de belonging to Sir Morgan."

    Aelius found his answer after tapping his chin, taking a bite from his savory-looking serving of sauce-covered, roasted chicken.

    "Ah, "The Sword that Sings of Death--Schwertod", a beautiful de, indeed. Well, I''ve only heard descriptions of it myself; a long, wide greatsword that takes on a dark purple across its length; formed of mythical steel that bathed in dark mana for centuries--dunkore."

    "Trust me, it''s even more magnificent than the tales of it; shing steel against steel with that de, it feels as if it is a living, malicious being. The weight behind it is deceiving; Sir Morgan actually let me hold it once and it was quite light, yet when we practiced, it felt as if I was having to repel a mountain itself."

    While the two knights continued their discussion about their love for des; the waitress continued to refill their alcohol with a shy blush upying her freckled face, clearly entranced by the presence of the legendary knight himself.

    It wasn''t a one-way ticket of first-sight romance, however, as whenever the orange-haired waitress had her back turned, Rnd caught Aelius'' gaze trailing on her.

    Taking note of this, Rnd decided to put a stop to the constant chattering about steel by stopping the waitress on her next round; raising a single digit to bring her attention.

    "Y...yes? How may I help you?"

    There was no hiding that scarlet blush of hers; spreading from her cheeks to her ears as she averted her gaze from the radiant sight of Aelius, clearly battling against her own instincts as her olive pupils tried to get a peek at the young man.

    "What''s your name?"

    Following his sly question, Rnd took a sip from his mug of golden liquid, watching as the waitress fiddled with her fingers before giving her answer. The half-human argonaut gave a slight nod of his head to gesture to the waitress that this was not for him, but for the white-haired, pearlescent knight.

    "...Avidia."

    It was as simple as filtering air through his lungs for someone such as Aelius to identify the feelings that emitted from the meek waitress, for better or worse. Some called it a blessing; but to him, a curse--the "Songs of the Wind", one of the many blessings afforded to the prodigal knight by the world.

    Still, knowing this wasn''t enough to prevent a bit of blush from tinting the young man''s own cheeks, earning a triumphant smirk from Rnd. Looking at the argonaut seated across from him, one nce between the two men, Aelius knew what he had to do.

    "Avidia? That''s a wonderful name."

    Such apliment seemed to take the girl byplete surprise as her entire face began to be swallowed by a sea of fluster, shifting into a darker shade of red.

    "T...thank you, Sir Aelius."

    "Just Aelius is fine."

    "--I couldn''t! You''re an esteemed knight-"

    "I insist."

    Luckily for the young knight, Charlemagne was too busy in his own world, drowning himself in quality ale while Rnd silently spectated the exchange of words between the two innocent souls.

    It was an awkward spot for Aelius, who kindly spoke to the lithe waitress, eventually setting up an eventual "dinner meeting" with her at the very same establishment.

    "You would think a famous knight would have some game...I mean, you''re a handsome guy, so you don''t even need it, do you?"

    "...I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    Clearly embarrassed by Rnd''s tactless words, Aelius drowned his flustered state away with arge gulp of water.

    "Still, I have to thank you��"

    "Huh?"

    Rnd looked up at Aelius from his mug, raising an eyebrow as he exchanged a look with his brotherly knight--who simply shrugged his shoulders.

    "I did take a liking to her, but I''ve always beencking in confidence...What I''m saying is, you pushed me to actually take hold of my feelings. Thank you."

    "...It''s nothing--really. That was all you."

    Being thanked by the radiant knight of knights felt like he was being acknowledged by goodness and heroism itself, a feeling Rnd wasn''t too familiar with as he also covered his meekness with arge drink.

    Mission sessful. I believe with this, I''ve acquired a friend most powerful, Barnabas. "Aelius, the Knight of Knights"--just what will you choose to do, I wonder? Charlemagne thought.

 Chapter 134 - Bifrons, The Attendant

    "Attendant? Is that some kind of sick joke?"

    Looking at the man who imed his name to be Bifrons, Ren put his worries out on the table.

    "I assure you it is no joke. I understand you''re awfully tired, so please, use this time to rx, Ren."

    Bifron''s voice was as smooth as silver, as enigmatic as he was, it held a subtle aspect offort within it. pping his hands together, a tray conjured in front of Ren, bringing with it a delightful fragrance of grilled meat of some kind and a variety of spices.

    ? As much as he doubted any kindness from the trial, his stomach let out a roar at the smell of this culinary gift before him.

    "It seems at least your stomach is honest."

    Winking, Bifron sped his tone in humor, moving his hand to gesture for Ren to lift the silver lid of the tray.

    Ren hesitantly grabbed hold of the pristine handle, raising it to reveal what his sense of smell had already confirmed��a hearty portion of marinated chicken, surrounded by peppers and coated in spices.

    The instant his sight and smell matched the existence of this meal, his stomach let loose another hungering yell in call of the appetizing grub.

    "This isn''t poisoned or anything��Right?"

    "Take a bite and find out."

    "��"

    "I simply jest. As I''ve told you, this is a ce of leisure between floors, a sparse concept within Purgatory��so savor it while you can."

    There was some level of pride that made him want to refuse the meal, however, he was simply far too hungry at this point. Exhausting himself physically, mentally, and in mana, his stomach was running on nothing by this point.

    "��Thanks for the meal."

    He took a deep breath before ravaging the meal without using the utensils provided, tearing apart the chicken like a primal warrior.

    Eating so fast without any concern, a chunk of meat had lodged itself in his passageways, forcing him to bump his fist against his chest to guide the piece down.

    A chuckle from Bifrons caught his attention, "It would surely be a first if a challenger died from asphyxiation. Take your time, Ren, there is no rush."

    Not paying much mind to the words of the mysterious inhuman, Ren washed the meal down with a helping gulp of water.

    "Ah��"

    "I presume the meal was to your liking?"

    Bifrons tapped his ck-painted fingernails against his cheek with a present smile, watching the young man with his magenta gaze.

    "Tell me what you mean by being my attendant."

    Being at rest, lowering his guard--it all felt wrong. It felt as if he was being deprived of the senses forcefully honed by the harshness of thebyrinth.

    It hurts. Everything still hurts. Some of it...It''s a pain that doesn''t even exist; a phantom pain beneath my skin, stabbing away at my nerves, he thought.

    "My, you don''t waste any time, do you?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you going to answer me or not?"

    It seemed the mysterious, well-dressed man enjoyed the forwardness of his guest, taking a slight chuckle.

    "I suppose I should properly exin things so that you may understand."

    "Probably should''ve done that from the get-go."

    "Spicy," Bifrons smirked, "The first floor that you have cleared��the Labyrinth��, is in a way a culling for challengers."

    Exining this, the man ran his long, bony fingers through hisbed hair, shifting his tie that rested between his cor.

    "A culling? So, like a test?"

    Snapping his fingers, Bifrons nodded his head, "Bingo. There aren''t a frequent number of challengers, so the trial is able to make the first floor exclusive to one challenger at a time."

    "Urr��One challenger?"

    "Yes?"

    The so-called attendant raised an eyebrow at the challenger. Bifron''s statement didn''t make much sense to him��he clearly was with Goldheve within thebyrinth.

    "That''s��not right. I met someone��I was with someone in there."

    "Is that right? That sounds unlikely, but it doesn''t sound like you''re lying��"

    Hearing this information, the ck-sclera man scratched his temple with his sharp fingernail.

    "Who knows? Maybe that person was just another aspect of the trial."

    "Really?"

    Ren only received a shrug in response, watching the ever-present, smug smile remain on Bifron''s expression.

    "You still haven''t told me��"

    "Hm?"

    "Just what the hell are you? I...I can''t trust you until you tell me, I''m sorry."

    It was only then that the enigmatic attendant realized Ren had his fingers wrapped around the handle of his sheathed de.

    "I answered that already: I''m your attendant--"

    "No. What are you? You aren''t human. All I know is that you''re a part of this ce somehow."

    Taking a hostile tone against Bifrons, the man in question let out a subtle sigh before settling his ethereal gaze on the young man.

    "Now, now, no need for such drastic measures. It wouldn''t go well for you anyways," Bifrons held a smile still, "I am a demon."

 Chapter 135 - Into The Second Floor

    "--What?"

    Getting his answer, Ren''s grip on his de only tightened, nearly unveiling it from its holding before the man raised a finger to stop him.

    "I assure you that you have a misunderstanding in mind when ites to my race, Ren. I am not some monster that gobbles up bad children, or good ones for that matter. In fact...It was humans that wiped out the majority of my people, forcing us to iste ourselves to a remote ind. Worry not, I don''t hold such grudges--you would be wise to do the same."

    For the first time, there was a hint of malice beyond the usual frivolity of the man''s tone. Meeting eye to eye for a solid moment, Ren decided to trust this answer--releasing his hold on Belus as he rxed in his seat.

    "Good! I''m d to have such an understandingpanion!"

    "Companion?"

    "Obviously as your attendant, I will be with you during your trial! I thought I had mentioned that already, perhaps not? Ah, well, now you know!"

    Once again, Ren found himself being thrown into the darkness with this abundance of sudden news. After he had finished everyst scrap of sauce from his dish, Bifrons had insisted on bestowing a new wardrobe onto him--which he graciously epted as the biting air didn''t sit well with his skin.

    "Give it a go! You''ll be happy to see it fits perfectly."

    "Okay...Can you turn around though?"

    "Ah...Of course, I forgot about human''s shyness of their genitalia, quite an odd cultural aspect, I might say."

    Responding to Ren''s wishes, thenky demon turned himself away as Ren took a look at the clothes ced on the table for him.

    "How did you know I needed clothes anyway?"

    "It is a pretty good guess when speaking of one going through the trial."

    "...Fair enough."

    Ren epted the answer with a slight shrug before undressing himself to swap outfits.

    A thick, all-ck gambeson coat fit nicely over his torso, using the straps to adjust it to a taut fit to himself. With it came matching gloves, holding a more durable form than the ones he had brought into the trial with him.

    Paired with this ck, heat-retaining attire were beige breeches, covered with straps of leather armor to protect his vitals. This new fit was finished with a silken, ck cloak that was held to him by a pair ofces that hung near his cor.

    "How do you like it?"

    "It''s...great. The cold is finally gone, it feels pretty sturdy too!"

    Ren tucked the amulet under his armored coat, swinging his arms to test the flexibility within this attire. The attendant snapped his fingers, manifesting a full-body mirror in front of him to check how it looked on him.

    "What the��"

    Looking at his reflection, he ran his armored fingers through his snowy-white locks with a perplexed expression.

    "Is something the matter?"

    "No��"

    Deciding to ignore it for now, Ren finished adjusting his belt around the new coat, making sure all of his materials were still where they should be.

    "Do you have any further questions before you proceed? Once you walk through that door, there is no returning."

    Bifrons asked, standing beside the ominous door formed of ckened, rough wood. Looking up at the almost freakishly tall demon, Ren squinted his eyes before giving the only question he had in mind to the purple-suited attendant.

    "Can you tell me anything about Iris?"

    "The girl, right? I''m afraid I can''t disclose any information about other participants."

    "I expected as much��"

    Seeing the disappointed look on hispanion''s face, Bifrons chuckled a bit before continuing on, "How about asking me what lies beyond that door? That much I can answer, though it may be vague...Or absent of a few things."

    "Fine. What''s waiting behind that creepy-ass door?"

    "I''m d you asked! You see, the second floor is truly where Purgatory begins. There will be a host of other participants, as well as many treasures to be found. A healthy supply of crimson coins is advised to be gathered, as there are multiple vendors that require such currency. I should add...The floor itself is very different from thebyrinth you''re familiar with."

    The way Bifrons exined the contents of the next floor, waving his hands away, snapping his fingers and nearly dancing on the tip of his toes--it all came off very sadistic to Ren, but found it to be a needed source of light.

    "Different how?"

    "Oh, I can''t ruin the surprise, now can I?"

    "Right��"

    Dropping his shoulders, Ren approached the door with a quiet sigh, preparing himself for the next round of hell awaiting him.

    --Iris, I''ming for you.

    As he pulled on the handle, a small sh of light met his left side--turning to see that Bifrons had disappeared.

    "What the hell?!"

    "Right here, Ren."<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was the same eloquent voice yet he couldn''t ce a body to it. Shifting his gaze side to side, in front of him and behind him--he then felt a weight on his left shoulder.

    A feline of jet-ck fur with sharp, magenta irises in the form of slits stared up at him from his shoulder, holding a smug cat smile in response to his confused gaze as its tail flicked side to side.

    "It''s I, Bifrons-nya."

    "Don''t ever "nya" again, please."

    Hearing such a cute noisee from a deep, refined voice sent a shiver of unknown emotions along his spine, causing him to scrunch his nose as the noise hit his ears.

    "I can''t help it in this form-nya."

    "I don''t believe you."

    "You don''t trust this cuteness-nya? Come on, give my fur a pet--it''s silky, I promise-nya."

    The cat-form of Bifrons raised a single paw to the air, wiggling it as if attempting to coax the man into petting him.

    "Listen, I admit you''re pretty damn adorable in that form, but for personal reasons, I don''t want to pet a grown man!"

    epting yet another case of weirdness within this world, Ren gently shook his head before fully opening the sealed door, releasing a deathly breeze against his skin. Out of instinct, he raised his arms to shield his body from the sudden burst of cold, slowly stepping forward through the door as it mmed shut behind him the moment his body passed its threshold.

    "I guess that''s that, huh?"

    "It is-nya."

    Awaiting past the door was another room simr to the one that preceded the dining hall, holding a colossal fountain of resurrection, this time the statue took the form of a malicious dragon formed of pearlescent obsidian.

    As much as he hated it, he dipped his spotless gloves into the abhorrent liquid, feeling the thousands of unseen hands within the fountain run against his fingers before he pulled away. Touching the fountain for the first time always rejuvenated him, refilling his body of its lost mana.

    It felt as if every ounce of exhaustion was gently caressed out from his pores, filled in with vigor.

    "What happens to you when I die anyways?"

    "You sound pretty confident that you''ll die-nya."

    "Just answer the question."

    Following his persistent questioning, Bifrons jumped from Ren''s shoulder and into the palm of his hand, looking up at him with his bewitching, magenta eyes.

    "If it is paramount that you must know: I simply vanish until you return from the fountain."

    "I see��"

    Getting his answer, he set the cat-demon back onto his shoulder before moving forward towards the mouth of the small cavern, seeing nothing past the darkness that inhabited it. Each step against the gravel beneath his boots filled his ears, cementing into him the choice he made to move forward.

    --There is no road left but the one that leads forward. Even if it''s a demonic cat that I can hardly trust, I''m not alone for now.

    "You''re basically my helper, right?"

    Ren looked over at the cat sitting on his shoulder as he stood before the utter darkness that loomed through the passageway.

    "...I suppose that''s technically correct-nya."

    "Can you use a spell to create some light?"

    "I cannot-nya."

    The answer came quick without any sense of hesitation behind it, watching as Bifrons simplyid on his shoulder in a napping position.

    "You can''t or you won''t?"

    "Both-nya."

    It was worth a shot in his mind, inhaling in the stale, musky air to fill his lungs with a burst of bravado before stepping into the shadowbound tunnel. The sensation was subtle, but he was clearly traversing an incline.

    Keeping his hand against the left wall, he marched forward through the silent, empty tunnel of stone until light was met. It was subtle; not inhabiting a ferocious white that blinded him, but a serene glow that pulled him forward with a sense of curiosity.

    As he stepped onto the threshold that separated darkness and light, it finally came into view.

    What lies beyond his eyes as far as he could see was a boundless cavern, illuminated in some areas by glowing veins of verdant andpis rocks and an abundance of floating creatures resembling fireflies. It was the nature of this floor--a boundless number of paths awaited, seemingly endless choices resided within this domain, all of which likely led to challenges of their own.

    Even so, something about this floor was serene; almost tranquil inparison to the gruesome first domain.

    "Holy��"

    He felt like nothing more than a spec within the vastnd, looking on at awe as he tried toprehend the sheer size of it. From what he could see, the stretch of the cavern at least matched that of the capital of Mastorn itself.

    What made itself peculiar to him was the presence of grass beneath his boots, kneeling down to run his hands through the smooth, natural feathers of the world.

    It wasn''t just grass��shifting his gaze to the side to side atst, he realized he was surrounded by massive, slumbering trees that took a form different from the ones on the surface. The bark waspletely coated in overgrowth, fuzzy with a mixture of green and blue asyers of vines draped from their jagged limbs.

 Chapter 136 - Ren Nakamura: Born Anew

    "I don''t get it��"

    "What is it you don''t understand-nya?"

    "How is there such an abundance of nature underground?"

    Ren asked while sitting on his knees against the enigmatic grass, shifting his perplexed hazels over to Bifrons, who was looking back at him while fixing his whiskers.

    "Oh, you seem to have a fundamental misconception about this ce-nya. Purgatory isn''t simply an underground space-nya."

    "Huh?"

    "This entire ce is of its own realm, existing in its own pocket space-nya. Simply put, you''re in the world of Purgatory, not just some temple-nya."

    The look on Ren''s face upon hearing this was half-doubt and half-reluctant belief, taking a moment to sit his rear down against the soft grass, wiping the green stains from his newly acquired breeches.

    "Now that I think about it, there really is no way this could be considered a temple...but a world of its own? I don''t know about that��"

    "Why not? You have experience seeing two different worlds, do you not-nya?"

    It came so nonchntly from Bifrons that it took a moment for what was said to register in his head, looking down to see those magenta slits looking back up at him.

    "--You know I''m an otherworlder?"

    All he received as an answer was a natural meow before Bifrons closed his eyes.

    "Don''t pretend you can''t talk now!"

    Standing himself back to his feet, the only path left ahead was a far-stretching bridge of moss-covered stone, raised above a pit of darkness that had no visible depth. From what could be seen, many of these stone bridges were scattered within the unfathomablyrge cavern, stationed at a variety of heights, connecting to different holes within the mountainous pirs of stone.

    --No rails, huh? I guess it''s wide enough��

    Stepping onto this bridge, he instantly felt the brisk air that inhabited such vast space. At the very least, Ren found himself thankful that the bridge was kept steady, unmoving at each step he took and wide enough that he could walk freely without fear of tumbling into the abyss.

    A high-pitched call from something not human met his ears with dread--it was the one thing he had feared most upon walking this bridge.

    --I was really hoping not to get into any fights here!

    Looking up, he could make out the faint shape of a winged-creature, pping its long, jagged wings as it carved a path through the winds towards him.

    "--I can hit it from here. I can."

    Raising his hand to the air, he guided his palm to match the direction of the iing hostile. It continued to let out more of its skrees, viting his ears with its vicious pitch as he focused his aim.

    "Are you sure you can hit an airborne target, from this distance even-nya?"

    "Shut up, I''m focusing."

    Steadying his shaking hand, he closed one eye as he honed in on the approaching figure with trust in his aim.

    "Dunkel: Piercer."

    An unexpected amount of forceunched from his body, manifesting and propelling the cknce from his arm like a cannon, releasing a small shock wave as it began its journey in the air. Watching in surprise of this sudden power backed by the basic spell, thence hit bullseye--piercing through the skull of the airborne beast and bringing it down onto the bridge with a resounding thud.

    "--Holy��"

    "Surprised at the sudden increase in power-nya?"

    "Yeah. What the hell was that all about?"

    Ren raised his hand in front of his face with a perplexed expression, clenching his fist and releasing a few times as if in disbelief at his own body.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You recently awakened your innate ability for the first time. This boost in magical power is to be expected-nya."

    Answering with a yawn that Ren found particrly adorable, Bifrons ran his paw over his whiskers.

    "So I leveled up?"

    "If that is what helps you understand then yes-nya."

    Approaching the carcass of the unknown creature, Ren kneeled down to check its identity. It possessed rough, cracked skin that resembled stone, absent of feathers. A long, spear-like beak protruded from its head, scarred and stained with old blood.

    "What is this thing anyway?"

    Poking its lifeless body with the tip of Belus, Ren asked with a repulsed expression, watching a mixture of fluids seep out from the wound bore through its skull.

    "The Brood of another-nya."

    "Huh? What kind of answer is that?"

    "All I can say is that creature is not one naturally born, it is the spawn of another, greater beast within this realm-nya."

    It was a vague answer but Ren got the general gist of what Bifrons was implying.

    --So it''s like a minion of another bigger baddy? Is it the guardian of this floor or something else entirely?

    A contorted sound became audible within the vacant winds, mimicking the sound of rugs being yanked up and down.

    "It seems you''ve drawn the wrath of its siblings-nya."

    "Give me a break."

    Ren quickly stood himself up, looking up to see at least a dozen creatures of the same type were now flying towards his position, frantically pping their wings and yelling out with their sharp pitches. What he hade to learn in his time here was the conservation of mana was of paramount importance--leading him to two options.

    --One: I use reinforcement, maybe a couple of dunkel spells, and take out all of them. Two: I use reinforcement and use my speed to hopefully make it past them. I''m not too far away from that castle structure, maybe one hundred meters or so.

    "What do you think? Should I take them out or make a run for it?"

    Keeping his de ready forbat, Ren asked Bifrons with a hint of desperation masking his tone.

    "Trust your judgement-nya."

    "That''s not helpful! You''re my attendant, aren''t you? Give me a damn real answer?"

    Forcing the demon-cat out of its desire to slumber, Bifrons raised his head as his ears twitched a bit, releasing a yawn as if not miffed at all with the approaching horde of airborne monsters.

    "If you want my input...Then I think it''d be best to run-nya. They may be weak individually, but in high numbers, they pose a tangible threat-nya. In their bite, they possess a unique venom that causes your cells to rapidly mutate and replicate, causing a painful death...nya."

    "They give you cancer?! Running it is then��"

    Lowering his stance with one heel ced far behind the other, Ren inhaled deeply in preparation of his life-threatening dash.

    "--Go!"

    Commanding his own body, he stomped forward with his amplified reinforcement--stepping with too much force, however, as the stone cracked beneath the soles of his feet.

    "I used too much power?!"

    Perplexed by this development, there wasn''t enough time to react to the bridgepletely giving away from underneath him--leaving only the abyss under his step.

 Chapter 137 - Facing Death

    "--Bifrons, do something!"

    "That is not my ce-nya."

    So casually denied by the cat that slumbered upon his shoulder, he debated on tossing it from his body out of spite but decided to save his energy on surviving.

    --Think, think!

    The only saving grace in this moment of falling was that the malicious creatures seemed to ignore him as he fell from the bridge. Seeing nothing below him but utter darkness amplified his desire to live, not wanting to know what slumbered in those unknown depths.

    Attempting to grab hold of the swiftly passing walls of rugged stone, his index finger was rejected, snapping back in a clean break from the overwhelming velocity pulling him.

    He could only let out a sharp gasp and wince as the adrenaline dulled the pain, watching as his finger turned to a deep shade of purple.

    "Araphel: Inverse Hand!"

    It was thest option afforded to him, propelling the dark limb forward against the blur of stone that he continued to fall next to--carving the ws of the magical hand deep into the stone, dragging down as it slowed his fall before he stopped abruptly. The abrasive halt in velocity seized the air from his lungs, shooting through his nerves a sharp pain--but he was alive.

    --If it wasn''t for reinforcement, I would''ve snapped in two!

    Taking a moment to collect his lost breath, hanging only by the hand formed of dark mana, he looked down at the abyssal pits that awaited below him, hungering for his arrival.

    "Not today...Not today��"

    Ren wiped the saliva that inhabited the corner of his mouth, still huffing as his heart thumped against his chest.

    "You''ve halted your tumble, however, what shall you do now-nya?"

    "...That''s a good question."

    Even if he stopped his fall, there wasn''t much he could do to climb back up from this position. Inverse Hand wasn''t capable yet ofplex movements like climbing which would at the very least require two hands to be manifested at once, somethingpletely out of his skill level.

    Looking at his stomach where the origin of the dark hand lent itself from, Ren scoured his brain for an answer to this predicament, swaying back and forth gently in the air.

    "I''ll have to do this the old-fashioned way, I suppose��"

    Taking a strong ration of breath into his lungs, he swung himself up, gripping onto the subtle grooves within the vast wall of ckened stone, securing his grip as sediment attempted to guide his fingertips away.

    "You''ve got quite a journey ahead of you-nya."

    Following thement from thezing cat on his shoulder, Ren looked up to confirm the distance he had to climb--unable to see the precipice of the cliff, only the sky of stone that imprisoned him within this realm.

    "--No talking, busy."

    Ren muttered in a strain, slowly raising one hand up at a time, carefully locating the next handle to rest his life upon.

    --One step at a time. Slowly, carefully. You''ve got this, Ren.

    The most troublesome aspect of this climb was guiding the tips of his toes into an applicable spot in the jagged, reclusive mountain. sping his calloused fingertips that hid behind theforting cloth of his gloves around the jutted-out handle of stone, a subtle vibration ran against his hands.

    "Do you feel that?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ren asked quietly without receiving an answer, stopping in ce as he focused, feeling nothing this time. Then it urred again. It became slightly stronger, now feeling it run throughout his body as a quiet nose of stone being broken came to his ears.

    "Do you hear that? Bifrons?"

    Pestering the slumbering familiar, it finally awoke with a silent yawn, baring its fangs as it blinked a few times--gathering its senses as its ears perked up to the vibrations.

    "Ah, it seems you''ve garnered the attention of the Burrowers."

    "The what--"

    Just from that name alone, his mind jumped to the most likely answer to what had caused the now continuous vibrations. Something was making its way to him from within the sea of stone he held his body close to.

    --Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

    There was nothing that he could do in the position he was in as the handles he held onto kept his very life in check, causing a cold, stressed sweat to break from the pores on his forehead.

    He watched with an anxious breath as the stone before his eyes began to give to a small crack, running along the surface of the darkened material with its jagged form.

    "--Araphel: Inverse Hand---!"

    Yelling out ofplete desperation, he loosened his grasp on the grooves carved into the stone, allowing the magically conjured limb to m into the stone and take hold. It seemed he acted not a moment toote, watching as whatever was carving its path towards him reached its destination, sting a meter-wide hole through the side of the far-reaching stone.

    First, he saw its long, tinum whiskers that bounced as its pink, scarred nose sniffed the air through the cloud of dust risen by its abrasive impact.

    Peeking its head out, the top of it waspletely covered in old wounds, calloused by its many injuries as it seemed to possess no eyes of its own, only guided by its powerful nose. Ren witnessed the tools it used to swiftly dig through the ocean of rock, the ws that gave its name--each w was the size of a shortsword, dangling down with a repugnant horror that had him begging to never meet its sps.

    --Does it know I''m here?

    Ren wished for its ignorance, watching as he dangled from below the grasp of his inverse hand. A singr gulp followed by him releasing a muffled breath caused the creature to point its constantly sniffing nose in his direction, digging its sword-like ws into the stone to allow itself to protrude further out from the stone. From below, he could nearly see its full form, covered in light, beige fur.

    --Would using a piercer work from here? If I missed, I could end up taking out the stone that the inverse hand is holding onto. If I hit...the thing could fall on top of me. It''s not worth it.

    Keeping his hand over his nose and mouth to mask his presence, Ren continued to strain his legs as he kept the soles of his boots pressed against the side of the mountain.

    All he could listen to was the humming ambiance that filled the caverns along with the rugged yet quiet squeaks that emitted from the creature''s mouth. Attempting to relieve himself from the strain put on his legs in this position, his foot slid against the stone, sending pebbles to cascade down the hips of the stone wall--catching the attention of the burrowing beast.

    "Shit!"

    It released a high-pitched roar of sorts at him before it left the hole it sat in, using its ws like icepicks as it mmed down towards him with its buck-teeth nipping at him. Ren hastily attempted to swing himself to the side, using the inverse hand as a harness--not realizing that the mole-like creature had stabbed its ws into the very stone his life depended on.

    As the b of rock fell from its home, so did Ren, yelling out as his voice was carried through the vast winds while his back faced the abyss below.

    --This is it. I''m going to die again. At least this time, it''ll be over quickly.

    Closing his eyes to prepare for impact, shielding his face with his arms, he fell for much longer than he had anticipated. It was tangible; exiting the subtle light of the cavern and entering into what was considered the darkness below. The air became putrid, filling his nostrils with something thatpelled him to exile liquid from his mouth--holding back that urge with everything he had.

    If there was one feeling he recognized within this treacherous space, it was that it was evil--just existing in this pit felt as if he was being cursed every moment.

 Chapter 138 - Sightless Combat

    Praying for a swift death upon impact, he finally collided with what sat at the bottom of the abyss--only it wasn''t solid ground but the sharp yet non-fatal embrace of water. Sinking into the depths of the unknown liquid, it filled his nostrils and gaping mouth, forcing him to rise up from beneath its hold, coughing up the foreign substance from his body.

    Floating above the surface of this body of liquid, there was absolute darkness all around him, unable to see even his own hand as he held it in front of his eyes.

    "Bifrons? Bifrons? Bifrons!"

    Ren yelled out in a panic, left to this unknown abyss as he kept himself afloat. For reasons unknown to him, the familiar had vanished from his shoulder, leaving him alone to whatever depths he had tripped into.

    Moving through these waters, unknown if it was blood, bile, or actually water--he swam until he met with a solid edge. Weakened by the harsh impact of the fall, reinforcement was needed to raise himself from the water, crawling onto the ufortable, cold stone before dropping onto his back to catch his breath atst.

    It was futile to move his gaze around, only seeing ck in front of his own two eyes, leaving further anxiety to seep into his throttling heart. All he could listen to was a noise that sounded like ragged breathing,ing from an unknown direction as he had lost that privilege within the darkness.

    In an attempt to circumvent this hindrance of sight, he gathered the handful of gemstones that were tucked away in his pocket, holding them as close as possible to his pupil to try and discern the identity of each magic-bearing stone. His saving grace in this situation was the slight glimmer each stone gave off, allowing him to just barely make out their shades.

    Out of the bunch, the snow-white gemstone that glimmered with golden particles was the only one that fit the picture of what he was looking for.

    "...Here goes."

    Squeezing the gem within his hand, he threw it against the ground with his utmost force, shattering it and praying for its desired effect.

    For a moment, his heart fluttered in reprieve as a sh emitted from the shattered gemstone, soon reced by an utter recluse of his resolve as the brief stunt of light revealed what rested within the enigmatic abyss.

    It was only for a moment when the light danced against the walls but he saw it, a giant sat against one of the walls, its head covered by a ck cloth while itsrge body wasyered in many scars. Quite easily it surpassed the stature of Asterius even as it sat.

    Although he couldn''t see its face and its skin was of a pale red, it was distinctly humanoid, unlike the half-man, half-beast he faced on the previous floor.

    With this sight revealed to him, he recognized the pungent stench that filled his nose to originate from the colossal being, as it seeped in its own exiled matter, covered in stains of crimson and brown. Knowing the existence of such a creature, he quickly ced his hand over his face to muffle his breathing.

    While his confidence in his strength was at an all-time high, he simply didn''t know for certain how powerful the giant was, as well as not particrly fond of his chances of fighting in total darkness, only hoping that the brief, fierce radiance didn''t wake it from its seemingly deep slumber.

    --The fact it didn''t wake up from my loud ssh is probably a good sign...I hope. Still, where the hell is Bifrons?

    Each sleeping exhale from the being of enormous stature gently vibrated the stone beneath Ren''s step, bringing himself to the closest wall for some semnce of direction. Behind him, from all that he could tell, was endless liquid--potentially holding creatures that he would rather bet his life against the giant on.

    --There is no road left but the one that leads forward, right, Ren?

    Scorning his own resolve, he gulped down as he slowly and stealthily made his way past the slumbering colossus. The closer he got, the more potent the effects of its heavy breathing became, feeling it grind against his ears.

    One hand covering his nose and mouth, one hand kept against the hilt of his de, Ren neared the apex of this breathing, knowing full well he was now within dangerous proximity of the enormous humanoid. Another careful step led him into his ill-fated desire as the sole of his boot met with a fragile pebble, shattering it beneath his foot with a resounding, brittle crack; a noise that would hardly draw attention in most ces but in the silent depths, it was as loud as a bomb setting off.

    There wasn''t any abrupt movement or roar that came from the giant, only a halting of its quaking snoring, leaving Ren in a frozen state as he felt sweat trickle down his cheek.

    One moment. Another passed. Silence, then--

    "Grahhhh--!"

    Within a moment, the giant rose from its slumber with a booming roar to back it up, listening to the metallic cascade of its binding chains fling against the stone as it picked itself up.

    Ren was quick to draw Belus from its abode, giving a wild sh to the air in hopes of hitting the giant, meeting with nothing as he had feared. Even with total caution, he had lost the location of the giant, now relying only on his only spatial awareness to hone on the weight of its step.

    --Can it see me?

    It was an important question, one that would lead to at most a battle of two blind men but it was important nheless. This question found itself resolved he felt the air near him hiss, pressing against his skin as he jumped back--avoiding an iing whip of the giant''s limb.

    A few more of these unrefined strikes were led his way, causing him to blindly backpedal until his back met with the stone wall.

    Only left with one avenue to approach from, Ren mmed his palm against the wall, "Araphel: Particle Shade!"

    A veil of darkness drove through its twin element, guiding his sixth sense to acquire the position of the giant as rough as it may be, it was something. The sense bestowed upon him by the sensory spell felt so natural yet so odd; granting him a distinct instinct that told him exactly where the being stood as if the air that rested against its skin were his own two hands.

    --I can see you now, big guy!

    Bursting forward with utmost reinforcement, the wind sted apart from his path to allow him to travel at a speed he was definitely not adjusted to, nearly crashing against the body of the giant--using the pommel of his sword to stop his harsh collision.

    Not only was this new level of agility leaving his brain jumbled, the darkness inhabiting his sight only amplified this obliviousness. Left for a moment to regain his sense, he nearly fell into the mighty grasp of the abyssal giant, flipping himself backwards, leaving a swift kick as a parting gift to the giant''s chest--causing it to briefly stumble back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --I didn''t put much behind that kick yet it seemed to be somewhat effective...This new magical energy boost is really something. Though, fighting while both holding Particle Shade and reinforcement isn''t something I''m quite used to yet.

    Meeting the towering being once again, his head reached only as high as its knee, lending his de its target as he curved it towards the back of that pivotal section of its hulking, scarlet-tinted leg. The incision was made, opening its flesh to allow for a fountain of blood to rain down.

    A pained, angered roar left the giant''s mouth, shaking the ground beneath as it prepared for retaliation by wildly hammering its fists down upon the ground.

    "Hey, hey, calm down--!"

    Ren maintained his bnce within the darkness, feeling a ticklish sensation journey through his body due to the harsh vibrations.

    The blind rage of the giant as it plunged its massive fists against the world had masked the secondary vibration traveling not over the surface, but underneath it. Particle Shade had immediately identified the new existence--it was one of the burrowers, rising from the stone with both of its massive, sword-filled paws sped together in the form of a drill.

    --Great. Fantastic, even. Just what I needed! More foes!

    As if condemning him further, two more burrowers pierced through the stone beneath, rising from the ground. There was just one issue with this new development--as he tried to pinpoint the location of these creatures, they werepletely vacant to his additional sense.

    Something he had never ounted for had made itself known; from the clouds of dust raised by the eruption of stone in the burrower''s path, the particles of dust counteracted his sensory spell--effectively leaving him partially blind once again.

    --Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. What now? Particle Shade was my only tool for a situation like this; nothing else in my arsenal can rece sight itself. Four-on-one...I need something that''ll hit all of them, at the very least, something that can take down these pesky burrowers.

    Trying to maintain whatever calmness he had left in the tank, he now focused on his own two ears--listening in on the subtle yet constant noise that was now apparent; the sniffing the burrowers did without end. It was his one ticket to sess, one he thanked whatever gods watched over him for.

    --One is close, two paces to the left, maybe.

    Gambling it all, he stepped without hesitance dulling his movements, tightly gripping the hilt of Belus as he drew himself near the source of the sniffling beast.

    --A stab or a slice? A cut may end up too shallow against its hide, especially if I can''t see it, but a stab is even more of a shot in the dark.

    Changing his stance at thest moment, he opted for a sh; swinging his de from his hip across the abyssal winds, making contact with one of these stone-dwelling creatures. Once again, he seemed to underestimate the new strength awarded to him by unlocking his innate ability, guiding the sharp edge of Belus through the starting point of the beast, and exiting the de through the other side, bisecting it without any hindrances.

    The squelching of flesh filled his hearing, listening to a high-pitched, pained screech leave the creature''s taut mouth before the sound of its innards being stered against the stone reced its cries.

    --One down.

    He felt the booming stomps of the giant close in on him, rolling forward to narrowly avoid a meteoric downfall of its fist, the resounding squelch likely telling him the fist had met with the split carcass. It was clear the monsters had a mutual thirst for his death as the other two burrowers made their path towards him, their rampant screeches piercing his ears as he debated on his next n of action.

    The constant pressure applied by the ravenous burrowers kept him from making any progress against the red-skinned colossus, finding himself in a sweat as he continued evading unseen attacks, supported only by his heightened instincts.

    For a moment, his boot slipped into the murky waters, quickly recoiling it before pushing forward to assure he didn''t repeat that mistake--finding himself dodging between the pirs that carried the giant forward. Getting a solid grasp on the location of the burrowers was a hardened task, it seemed they learned from the death of their kin; constantly retreating into the stone when he came near,ing back up in swift attempts to tear at him.

    After evading the dual attacksunched in unison by the reclusive, sharp-wed beasts, he began to learn the sensation he felt, the way the wind felt on his skin just before they attacked. Using this sense, he leaped into the air as the feeling arose once more, stomping one foot down on the leftmost burrower and driving his sword through the hardened skull of the other.

    Wasting no time as the looming threat of the giant drew quickly, he slid his de, slick with blood, out from the creature''s skull, stabbing it into the neck of the one he stood on, leaving them both dead within a moment.

    --Only one to go.

    As the dust settled his recon spell reemerged into usage, guiding his senses to sp onto the location of the colossal being.

    Meeting its rough step, supported by no style or grace, Ren subverted its open-palmed swipe by bringing Belus down swiftly, removing all five of its fingers. A bellowing roar echoed from its strained throat, shaking the surrounding stone as it grasped its defanged hand.

    ? Ren didn''t let up on this opportunity, unleashing a circr sh that bent thews of physics to the untrained eye--now removing the giant''s wrist from the rest of its arm.

    Compared to Asterius, even if its height was greater, its durability was nothing inparison--at the very least, this much was true with a nketparison but Ren still hadn''t taken into ount the difference in strength between the past him and the present.

    Using its mutted arm as a bridge, Ren sprinted up its flesh-bound pathway, dragging Belus behind him as it left a dreaded incision across the length of its appendage before he reached its shoulder; from there, he flipped his handle on the de, bringing it downwards into a plunge, burying it within the skull of the enormous humanoid.

    As soon as the de lodged itself into the interior of the giant''s head, its pained groans came to a total stoppage. Before it could fall forward and subsequently pin him under its multi-ton body, he dislodged the de from its thick skull, using its head as aunchpad to kick himself off from.

    Slick with the blood of his fallen foes, he swiped Belus through the air to rid it of the foul crimson that stained its pristine silver.

    Letting out a "Phew," Ren reced his tired expression with a smile.

    "...Now how the hell do I get out of this damn hole?"

 Chapter 139 - The Job Only She Can Do

    "This map is so vague��"

    Iris kept her eyes keenly on the rugged map provided by Heldjrim, keeping an orb of light close to her as she traversed the shadowy tunnels, keeping her palm against the leftmost wall just as instructed to her by the elder.

    --Still, to fight another person...I''ll try my best to resolve this with words. If he truly is a kind person at his core like Heldjrim said...It could work.

    The map itself had nothing to do with the tunnel she made her path in, but instead outlined the whereabouts of Macheo, supposedly staying in a temple that previously housed creatures of Purgatory. After a short time of clinging to the wall, Iris found herself at a new passage; looking upon a secluded cavern that housed the aforementioned abode of Macho.

    It looked regal, almost divine--or at least, it appeared it used to look like that. The manyvish designs painted onto the marble had faded, scratched away by countless years of erosion. Pirs crumbled, leaving debris to decorate the still-standing bridge that led to the towering abode.

    Still, even in its ruined state, it was a sight to behold. Likely being a structure built hundreds, if not centuries ago, its beauty and overall architectural prowess was something that put the buildings of Mastorn to shame.

    Looking upon the ivory grace of the abandoned, royal temple, Iris neglected to notice the fiends crawling up from the jagged ledges until they let out vicious growls.

    "--Goblins��!"

    Iris took a quick step back, rearing her hand back as she prepared forbat.

    --Two...No, three!

    The wretched expression the goblins wore at the sight of a human girl caused her to shrink back, watching as they licked their lips and giggled manically. Dragging their unrefined, crudely made weapons behind them, they slowly stepped forward with their grime-covered, pale-green feet as saliva seeped over their jagged lips.

    "Licht: Arrow!"

    Aiming her index finger at one of these repugnant creatures, Irisunched an arrow formed of light directly at it as it froze in ce, piercing its skull with the light-formed weapon.

    Its pupils faded, leaving only the white in its eyes as it dropped forward, limp, blood seeping out from the wound bore through its head.

    The instant death of their kin stole confidence away from the other two.

    --I...I hate killing, even if it is creatures beyond saving...Even so, I can''t find Ren, let alone make it through this trial, if I''m not prepared to kill creatures like this.

    In the case of fight or flight, they chose to fight; charging towards her with their offbeat steps, swinging their savage weapons in the air with a battle cry releasing from their throats. The left goblin wielded a club obviously cut down to scale to its size, the other holding a dagger that had been stained in a multitude of liquids.

    For better or worse, she was careful in choosing her next attack, wanting to make sure she gave the creatures a swift, painless death. Waiting until they drew within just a couple meters shy of her, iling their primal weapons about--she unleashed a swift incantation.

    "Licht: Holy Wave!"

    Raising her index finger as if it were the catalyst for this magecraft, a wave of blistering, serene light emitted from her position in a spherical pulse, sending the weak creatures back with such almighty force that their necks were instantly snapped, their skin charred, and their life taken.

    Hearing the snapping of their bones as they met with the malicious light caused her to close her eyes, shrinking away from the horrific noises before slowly opening her eyes to meet with the result of her actions; slowly passing by the lifeless corpses of the goblins.

    "...I''m sorry."

    Iris bowed her head slightly before moving on. As the heels of her boots clicked against the fine-stone of the wide, expansive bridge, she could only feel a daunting sensation when looking upon the colossal temple as it reached towards the abyssal ceiling. A set of stained-marble stairs led her up to the courtyard of this unfitting, grand pce kept within the murky depths of Purgatory.

    It was only by reaching the summit of these stairs did a realizatione to her; noticing theyed-out skins of animals used as mats, the arsenal of makeshift weaponry sprawled out across the courtyard, and the plethora of campfires, all put out except one. This courtyard was used as a base for the group the goblins belonged to.

    Although she could make out these objects on the ground, her vision was highly limited by the darkness now that her radiant orb had vanished. Shadows cast themselves over the once royal marble, the many pirs obscured by this darkness.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --If there is anything lurking within this darkness, I can''t see it��

    With that thought, she opted to reuse the spell that granted light; even if it gave away her existence, it was a necessity.

    "Hyperion: Guidance."

    Serving not only as a source of light but also as an object in which will guide her towards points of interest, the orb manifested, floating into the air to chase the slumbering darkness away.

    As the radiance filled the surrounding area, her suspicions had been confirmed--looking up at the high-standing, ivory pirs to see the familiar figure belonging to goblins perched atop the vantage points. They were caught off-guard by the sudden light, previously resting atop the pirs before jumping up with disgruntled yelps before wielding their shoddy bows.

    --This is bad! There are a lot of them! Four--five? If that''s just how many are on the pirs, acting as scouts, then how many are in the main group?

    Iris quickly raised her guard, checking her surroundings to make sure none were stationed near her. Luckily, the goblin closest near her seemed to have been awoken from its slumber, still rubbing its tired eyes as it patted the floor to search for its weapon.

    Seeing it in such a vulnerable state, she hesitated--but there was no time to think, forcing her to act immediately.

    --I can regret itter!

    "Licht: Damnation!"

    With the tip of her index finger acting as the aim of this spell, she pointed directly towards the groggy, green-skinned creature''s forehead, causing a star-shaped sigil to burn into its head. Utterly perplexed, the goblin scratched at its head in an attempt to remove the symbol before it awakened into full force, the sigil turning into a source of divine heat; it melted through its flesh, skull, and directly finished it by turning its brain into liquid within moments.

    --As long as they''re weak foes like this without much defense, I can prioritize low-cost spells! I''m not adept at using weapons like the others, so this is my way!

    "--Licht: Protection!"

    In the nick of time, she raised her hand up to project a barrier formed of light mana, shielding her from the iing volley of arrows before they crashed against its ungiving form. Compared to the Hyperion alternative, the Licht variation of Protection yielded a much weaker shield, yet it was more than enough to handle the arrows shot by the roughly-crafted bows.

    Keeping one hand holding the barrier in front of her, Iris held her other in a half-prayer formation, pushing onward with her counterattack.

    "Licht: Bind!"

    --Normally, this is only used to subdue opponents--but for something of a smaller, weaker form than normal, its usage can be stretched.

    Summoning tendrils of light that sprouted forth from the air beyond her, they reached out towards the fiendish archer, grabbing hold of their legs before pulling them down from their sniper positions. Each of their falls made her wince, causing her to avert her gaze as the sound of their skulls harshly meeting the rough stone, cracking and letting out groans, met her soft-set ears.

    The fall down the tall, eroded towers didn''t seem to kill them, at least not instantly, as they fell into a concussive slumber.

    Battle came with a cascade of sounds, drawing in more of the Purgatory-dwelling goblins as they funneled in from thedders stationed at the sides of the courtyard, leading down towards whatever pits the goblins primarily lived. Pressed with this sudden increase in numbers, Iris moved her lips silently as she counted the number of these approaching creatures, giving up once she realized the number was high enough that a precise number was futile.

    It seemed she had awakened the brunt of this tribe, watching as goblins clearly higher in rank than the previous ones climbed up, d in animal skin and wielding more refined weaponry.

    What caught her eye was the enormous goblin that dragged itself atop the courtyard, standing itself up to disy a height that stood at arge portion of the pirs.

    --A hobgoblin? No...It''s far toorge. I''ve never seen one but it must be...A goblin knight. It''s something not seen often in areas of the world popted with adventurers--but goblins have the ability to evolve as they kill, almost simr to how we can progress our magical energy. In Purgatory, it would make sense such evolution is possible��

 Chapter 140 - Reluctant Victory

    Iris attempted to calm herself with a few deliberately long breaths, watching as the goblins clearly held confidence in their numbers, taking their time approaching as they held the same lecherous expressions as the first.

    --I''m not great at facing arge number of opponents, but I won''t be given any handicaps--not here or anywhere else in this ce. I''ve got to step up.

    It wasn''t something she had mastered yet, leaving her unlikely to use it as the drain on her mana could be rampant--but it was better suited for situations like this.

    --If there is any time to train it through real battle, it''s now--my secondary affinity.

    "Feuer: Heat Wave!"

    Swiping her hand forward to send off the desired spell, a wave of mes dashed out from her position, covering the width of the courtyard before colliding with the goblins who recoiled at both the sight and scalding heat of the approaching ze.

    A factor that stayed her hand with the usage of this element was the very nature of it; as her mes were hardly capable of outwardly destroying anything, they brought upon a slow, torturous burn to those afflicted by it.

    Her bottom lip trembled as the agonized screams of the verdant-skinned creatures filled the area, watching as the torment of these mes reached such heights that they began to peel their own skin off in an attempt to find some reprieve in the sea of fire.

    "I''m sorry...I''m sorry��"

    Soon the horrific stench of charred flesh met her nose, causing a tear to trickle from her eyelid down her cheek as she watched their bodies shift from the radiant green to a ckened charcoal. This moment of despair in her own wrath was interrupted as the knight of these goblins strode through the mes, wincing but mainly facing non-lethal damage from them.

    Wielding a massive club formed of rock, it roared out, baring the grime-covered tusks that protruded from its bottom jaw. Growing closer, she could now make out its full appearance, wearing arge helping of golden animal skin around its waist, holding a viscous scar that stretched from its left shoulder down to its right hip.

    It was in as day to her that it had triumphed through a number of battles to reach the level of strength it now sat at; a fearsome concept for a species regarded as bottom-feeders.

    --Is it mad at me for killing itsrades? Or is it mad at me simply because I caused it pain? Either way, it doesn''t matter now...An enemy is an enemy.

    "Licht: Arrow��!"

    Aiming for the goblin knight''s head, it disyed unbefitting agility; hastily swiping its b of stone down to deflect the arrow formed of light.

    "...Impossible��"

    --Light is one of the fastest--no, it is the fastest element of them all. To deflect a light arrow...That''s a rare feat. I thought it was just a seasoned warrior, it might be even greater than I imagined. I can''t risk undermining it any longer; it''ll cost me mana, but I have to do it.

    Pondering too long resulted in her having to leap back to avoid a swipe from the pir of stone regarded as a weapon, feeling the air pressure manifested by both its weight and strength used to swing it brush against her.

    The colossal goblin didn''t let up, following its initial attack with a m of its obsidian club against the marble flooring, causing a wave of pebbles to scatter under its power.

    Attempting to use a barrier spell against one of those attacks wasn''t an option; there was a high chance it would likely both result in the goblin knight breaking through it and wasting mana. Keeping this fact in mind, Iris did her best to evade the frequent attacks, finding her back now towards the burning corpses of the verdant fiends.

    --It''s not giving me any time to cast! It must have experience battling mages!

    It would be easy enough to assume it was just wildly swinging its boulder of a club around like any other primal-minded goblin, yet the look in its eyes--startlingly calm and calcting behind those reddened sclerae; Iris could tell it was beyond the goblins she had encountered, not only physically, but mentally as well.

    By pressuring her with its constant strikes, it led her into her own mes, forcing her to act with a battle on two fronts.

    --I have to move past it somehow, but it''s fast!

    Aplete gamble is what she decided on.

    "Licht: Bind!"

    There was no guarantee that the bindings formed of luminescence were strong enough to hold it back, but it was her best move as the spell was low-cost and versatile enough. As it raised its weapon for another downfall, the limbs of light wrapped around its hulking bicep, halting it as it struggled for a moment--giving Iris time to dash past it to regain her ground.

    "Hyperion: Divine Ignition--!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Nearly sliding as she came to a halt, seeing the opportunity afforded to her, Iris held her hand out in the direction of the towering goblin, manifesting a circr seal in front of her palm. The symbols sitting within the seal began to move, spinning as magical energy was generated.

    The enormous goblin felt this energy being gathered behind him, whipping his arm back to free himself from the binding before facing the radiance gathered behind him. By the time he faced it, the light was blinding, scalding even, covering his eyes out of instinct.

    "Release!"

    Pressing forth, Iris unleashed the full effect of the spell, emitting a roar of light that took form in a beam that directly collided with her target''s torso. The radiance of the divine attack filled the courtyard, drowning out the pained growls of the verdant knight with the ear-filling sizzling.

    Met with the crushing power of Iris'' spell, the fiend was helpless to fight against it; only able to stand in ce as his eyes rolled to the back of his head from the immense strain put on his nerves. Once the spell hade to an end, a gaping hole was left drilled through the torso of the goblin, leaving its insides turned to ash before it slowly fell forward, dead.

    Iris fell to her knees, huffing and grasping her head as it began to feel light; the sight of the graveyard of burnt corpses filled her mind with sickness, turning physical as she found herself gagging at the present stench that filled the area.

    "...I had to do it. I had to."

    Slowly lifting herself from the ground, wiping the tears away from the corners of her eyes, she pressed forward, doing her best to keep her gaze up while moving towards the entrance of the temple.

    Raising the beige cloak draped over her shoulders, Iris covered her nose tobat the looming stench, traversing the rusted steps that led to the marvelous, towering doors that sat at the front of the massive base.

    cing her hand on the circr, gilded door handle, she hesitated for a moment. The prospect of fighting another person was something she found herself questioning; if it resulted in her having to kill, she didn''t know if she had it in her.

    --It''s toote to think about it now��

    Iris gulped down her fears, pulling on the handle as the massive doors groaned from being moved from their closed state. The ground beneath her feet rumbled from the weight of these gates being pulled, filling her with slight anxiety as she then peeked inside of the abode.

    As she had thought, it was mostly a ruin inside. Paintings were torn apart, the ones that weren''t had been weathered to obscurity by now. It was mostly vacant as if it had been ransacked for all of its valuables, leaving only tattered, discarded belongings strewn apart the oncevish lobby.

    Dried-up, old blood had stained the opalescent marble floors, leaving only worries to fill her mind on the safety of Heldjrim''s daughter.

    --I''ming, so just hold out a bit longer.

    Making her way through the exuberant temple, lost to time, it felt as if she was walking through a past battlefield, cautiously stepping onto the staircase lined with scarlet carpet as silence filled her ears. Looking at the withered paintings torn and thrown onto the staircase, the blood that slicked the gilded railings--she felt her heart began to pick up in pace as she hastened her step ever so slightly.

    Reaching the top of this staircase, something met her hearing for the first time; quiet, somewhat muffled crying came from somewhere beyond the steps.

    --That crying...Is it her?

    A single drop of sweat traveled down her cheek as she stopped for a moment to focus on the noise, hearing it continue for a moment longer before returning to silence.

    That abrupt stoppage of sound forced her to move forward with a mission now, leftpletely in the dark as to what was happening in this mysterious, abandoned temple. The tattered, scarlet curtains designed with golden strings that upied the walls swayed side to side, catching her eye as she finally surmounted the flight of stairs.

    What awaited her was a grand corridor, presenting a plethora of doors that lined each wall--all leading to an ominous, heavy-ted door inhabiting the end of this hall.

    This entire time since she had stepped into the abandoned temple, Iris did her best to suppress her mana signature--if Macheo was a formidable mage then not suppressing her magical energy would amount to her screaming at him that she was there. It wasn''t a tactic that came without shorings, however, as doing this would result in her leaving her reinforcement off; she would bepletely vulnerable to any sudden, unseen attacks.

    As she slowly traversed the hall, keeping her eyes peeled, the quiet cries returned again-ing from the second door on her left. Hastening herself to try and rescue the entity, Iris'' actions were halted once she approached the ivory door.

    It had been tightly sealed by an enchanted padlock.

    --It has a magical binding on it. Something like this can''t be broken, only opened by an enchanted key of a simr nature--it''s a powerful magi-tool, does he possess more tools of this kind? Either way, I need to find that key��

    She didn''t want to admit it to herself but the key was more than likely in the possession of Macheo himself.

 Chapter 141 - Heroism Never Dies

    --What do I do? Would it be best to leave her be until I handle Macheo?

    Debating on this as she ran her thumb over the padlock, Iris listened to the continued cries of the girl behind the door, feeling her heartache at the sound.

    Iris gently knocked on the door, "Uylia?"

    Calling for the name of Heldjrim gave her, the crying hade to a sudden halt before Iris received a response a few momentster.

    "W...who is it?"

    The feminine voice was gentle yet audibly frightened, her wordsing out shakily. Iris did her best to put on a reassuring voice, holding a smile to help give herself that calmness.

    "I''m Iris, your father Heldjrim sent me toe rescue you."

    "...Father sent you, is he okay? Is the vige alright?!"

    "They''re all fine, Uylia, just calm down, alright? I have to take care of Macheo first...Do you know where he is?"

    Iris asked, receiving silence as her answer for a minute before the girl finally spoke up again. It was clear that there was fear instilled into her body from her time here.

    "...He went out to hunt earlier."

    "Macheo isn''t here--?"

    The answer came as aplete surprise to Iris, she had set her mind on him being present in the temple already. For better or worse, this was now the situation.

    --This might be a good thing...He won''t know I''m here. Wait...The goblins outside, he''ll definitely know something is up��

    Iris bit her thumb as she pondered her n of action; not knowing what Macheo was capable of put a wrench in her thought process. The only guess she could make was that as a Purgatory participant he must''ve possessed some level of formidable strength.

    Nodding her head a few times at her own thoughts, Iris exhaled through her nose briefly before deciding her next move.

    "Uylia? Are you still there?"

    "��Yeah."

    "Okay, good. Just stay there a bit longer, alright? Do you know where Macheo keeps the key to this lock?"

    Iris kept herself close to the door as she awaited the answer to her question.

    "In��In his room. The door at the end of the hallway��"

    "Thank you, Uylia. I''ll be back for you, just stay strong, okay?"

    Giving her reassurance, Iris ced her palm against the door, gently running her fingers along the grooves of the wood.

    "Okay��"

    Standing herself back up, she set her sights on the door leading to Macheo''s chambers. Somewhat surprisingly to her, no locks of any kind sealed the unknown adventurer''s door, leaving Iris no trouble in opening it cautiously.

    The personal room of Macheo was almost like stepping into another realm altogether; the interior was clean, almost spotless, housing a plethora of trinkets and goods that were likely the offerings of the vigers.

    It was without a doubt a room built for some sort of royalty as it stretched as wide as the average condo. Inhabiting the center of this unlikely magnificent chamber was a bed befitting of a king, covered in navy blue sheeting with translucent curtains draping over the sides from above.

    "Not exactly living humbly, is he��"

    Iris fiddled with the plethora of trinkets scattered throughout the room, searching for the key to the lock.

    Rummaging through this collection of items of no corrtion, no sign of the key was found, finding, however, arge sack containing potatoes, fruit, and many other naturally grown products--all of which she knew must''vee from the vige of primorelves.

    It wasn''t the only sack of its kind; a few others containing food sat in the corner of the room--ushering Iris'' conscience to bring this with her. Reaching the desk formed of ashen wood, she flung the drawers open, rummaging through the tattered papers before her fingers met with something metallic, an object imbued with magical energy--the sensation was unmistakable.

    Throwing the plethora of ruined, damp papers to the side, Iris almostughed out of relief as her cobalt eyes met with the sight of the silver key, etched with wing-like designs.

    Before she left the room in a hurry, she looked back at the packs of grub, remembering the gloomy sight of those vigers.

    --I''ll bring these back with me...They looked like they needed this.

    Throwing the somewhat heavy bags over her shoulder, Iris made her way towards the sealed room, poking the key around the lock a few times as she missed it out of a rush guiding her hand. Taking a quick breath and closing her eyes, Iris calmed her unsteady hand, sliding the key into the enchanted padlock as a wave of magical particles released from the lock--watching as the metal dissipated into nothing more than residual mana.

    Opening the door slowly, Iris found the frightened primorelf, her silver pupils shaking as if she was afraid the person who would step through that door wouldn''t be Iris.

    "Are you okay? Can you walk?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Iris was quick to console her, kneeling in front of her to check for wounds. All she was wearing was a ragged, simple dress that was held together by shoddy pathwork--yet surprisingly, there didn''t seem to be any wounds on her.

    The young primorelf girl nodded her head at Iris'' question, standing herself up and raising her hand as if showing her rescuer the chains that kept her bound.

    "Let me take care of that; just keep still."

    Iris assured her with a warm smile, receiving another nod in return as Uylia closed her eyes tightly. With a swift breath taken into her lungs, Iris amplified the mana flowing through her body in preparation for her next spell.

    "Licht: Burst."

    A simple, small-scale pulse of light manifested between two of the chainlinks, breaking them apart easily. Iris then repeated this three more times until Uylia waspletely unbound, taking her hand to guide the short of stature primorelf out of the dangerous temple.

    --I don''t know how much time I have left until he''s back...If I can just get her back before having to face him...That''s the best-case scenario.

    Moving with haste, nearly tugging the girl behind her, Iris raced down the stairs as the looming fear of Macheo grew greater and greater--with the girl hand-in-hand with her, she wasn''t certain she would be able to defend her if the man resorted to such tactics.

    "Are you fine? Do you need me to slow down?"

    Iris asked as they traversed the steps, feeling the small girl nearly trip behind her. The primorelf fervently shook her head, tightening her grip around Iris'' hand. The look in her pristine eyes wavered between two flickering emotions.

    "...No, I want to go home. I want to go back to my father!"

    "I''ll get you there. Don''t worry, Uylia!"

    The glimmer in Iris''pis eyes seemed to work their bewitching powers on the girl as she was left agape for a moment, her fears subsided as she felt the confidence ooze from her temporarypanion.

    Reaching the lobby floor, it was the final stretch--Iris knew well that past that door, it was only a minute sprint at most, even with the girl in hand. No matter how smooth everything seemed to be going in this moment, Iris couldn''t shake the anxiety clouding her mind, something deeply seeded within her fervently told her that something wasn''t right.

    --What is this feeling��?

    "...Is something wrong?"

    Uylia had likely felt the cold sweat that had evacuated from Iris'' palms, looking up at Iris with her constant worried gaze that masked the serenity of those tinum eyes.

    "--Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Just keep going, Uylia, we''re almost out of here!"

    Giving her a somewhat forced smile, Iris then pushed ran through the front doors of the ruined temple, listening to her own boots ck against the marble as well as her own ragged breathing. During her rush, she neglected to remember the fallen, charred goblins left in the marble courtyard--turning back towards the girl she guided.

    "--Cover your eyes!"

    "...Why?"

    "A child shouldn''t see something like this!"

    Iris told her, standing in front of her briefly to shield her view. A confused look was ced on the primorelf''s face, blinking a few times up at Iris.

    "...I''m not a child. I''m turning sixty-seven this year."

    "Eh?"

    It was an aspect of elves she hadpletely forgotten--their lifespan that dwarfed that of most other mortal races. Even so, it was hard to believe the girl before her was that old with such a youthful appearance, even with a meek attitude to boot.

    Shaking her head to snap her out of her constantly wandering mind, Iris pulled on the girl''s hand once again to move forward, rushing past the many ckened corpses of the halfling monsters.

    --Almost there. Almost there. Almost--

    What happened next led Iris to believe this entire time she had been jinxing herself; the pathway they ran towards erupted into a fog of sediment, unleashing a powerful shockwave that forced Iris to shield herpanion with her body as the wind tugged at her skirt ravenously.

    What felt like thousands of minuscule pebbles had begun pelting against her body, shutting her eyes to endure the strain of this sudden vtile reaction.

    "It''s rude to enter another person''s home--actually, it''s grounds to kill in some areas of the world."

    The masculine eloquence quickly brought her mind to a probably guess as to who the words belonged to. At the hearing of those arrogant words, Iris could feel the girl she held shaking in her arms; confirming what she had guessed.

    "Not only that...It seems you''re attempting to run off with something that belongs to me."

    "...Something?"

    Iris snapped her gaze towards the voice as something so viscerally repulsive left his lips. A swipe of the obscured figure''s arm repelled the cloud of dust, revealing himself to her eyes.

    It was a fact she had already known beforeing here but seeing it with her own two eyes, confirmed, made her stomach sink just a bit. The male before her was young--maybe even younger than herself, yet his eyes, their exhausted, jaded, gaze of sepia were experienced in the cruelties of this world.

 Chapter 142 - Macheo, The Weak Of Heart

    --Short, slicked-back blonde hair with reddish-brown eyes...A scar across his nose and a burn mark on his forehead; he matches the description that Heldjrim gave me, there''s no mistake.

    "Macheo, right?"

    Calling out to the young man for the first time, he raised an eyebrow at the clear mention of his name. Keeping Uylia behind her back, Iris faced the youthful man with a narrowed gaze, readying herself for battle if it came to that.

    It was clear by one look at him that he was prospering within the trial, wearing a set of light-leather made of dark fabric with crimson and gold etchings sewed into it, giving it a design giving an air both of regality and of adventure. Waiting at his hip were a plethora of magical tools tied to his belt, which he kept his hand near with clear intentions of battle showing in both his eyes and bodynguage.

    "I will ask you once, how do you know my name?"

    "--"

    His question was guided by a wave of silent anger, Iris'' reluctance to answer fueling this calm rage as he briefly took in a breath, letting it out sharply between his lips.

    "Let me guess; those damn cave-dwelling rats put you up to this, didn''t you? Did they promise you something of value? Gold? Artifacts? Well, they have none. What little they had, I''ve taken!"

    "--Listen to yourself!"

    Hearing his spiel, she couldn''t contain herself, his repulsive words grinding against her ears, knowing full well what emotions they set through the girl behind her back.

    "Huh?"

    Macheo scoffed at her sudden outburst, raising his eyebrows to give her a look as if she were the mad one in this conversation.

    "Nevermind this, I''m tired. I''m a rational person. Return what you have taken from me and I will let you walk away from this ce. I can promise you that much."

    It was hard to get a read on him, whether he was telling the truth or not--but it didn''t matter to her if he was. What he asked was beyondpromise.

    Listening to the fearful whimpers of the girl as she clung tightly onto her robes, Iris wanted nothing more than to wash those tainted emotions away and return glee to her vibrant eyes.

    "No."

    "No?"

    Macheo responded to her quick denial with a slightugh, almost not believing the in and simple rejection to his deal.

    "These people are defenseless and you''re taking advantage of them! Don''t you have a heart? You''re an adventurer, right? You want to be a hero, don''t you?"

    "What the hell do you know about me?! Huh? Don''t pretend like you know a damn thing! The strong take from the weak, that''s how it is around here! If you haven''t learned that by now--then you''ll just be swallowed up by this ce, just like the rest!"

    The rising hostility in Macheo''s voice manifested in a surge of magical energy, fluttering his scarlet cape with the winds of mana generated, causing Iris to drop the bags of food she had held onto.

    "That''s not right at all! The strong protect the weak! That''s what it means to be strong! That...That''s what separates us from beasts! Without that kindness, selflessness--we wouldn''t be human!"

    Yelling at the top of her lungs, Iris ignored the strain of her throat as she attempted to drive her words through the adventurer''s pores.

    "Look around! Those types of thoughts will only result in pain, agony, and death! Such a naive mindset doesn''t belong here!"

    "I know that you believe I''m right, Macheo!"

    "Don''t say my name like that! Enough of this!"

    Once again, a rise in magical power was felt, emanated from every pore of the man''s body as he readied himself forbat--a vein popped from his forehead, his paleplexion shifting into a slight crimson from the anger felt. Clear as day, he wasn''t used to not getting what he wanted.

    "Uylia! Go back inside the temple! Now!"

    The tiny primorelf was hesitant, doubt filling her eyes as she sized both of the mages up before Iris'' raised voicepelled her to take cover within the pearly manor.

    "Once I''m done with you, I''ll be sending her head to her father. Such disobedience...I thought these cowardly creatures already learned their lesson!"

    "I won''t let you!"

    One judgment had to be made in this split-second, a vital piece of information each mage should know about their opponent when it came to a battle between wielders of magic.

    --Is he an in-fighter or an out-fighter?

    When it came to a battle of mages, not knowing this could result in a swift defeat. She watched him carefully, taking note of each of his subtle movements to try and determine which of the two categories he fell into.

    One movement ced an answer directly into her mind. Iris watched as Macheo bounced on the tip of his toes to warm his body up.

    --An in-fighter!

    The realization came a moment too close, witnessing his figure disappear right before her eyes. Following the trace of his mana, it had flowed directly behind her.

    "Licht: Bar--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Attempting to shield herself, there was little time to do so as Macheo''s glove-covered fist broke through the half-made shield. Luckily, the shoddy shield made of light absorbed the brunt of the impact.

    --So fast!

    "You actually reacted to that! Not bad!"

    Before she could retaliate with a swift cast of her light arrow, Macheo dashed away with blurring speed. It was a mind-numbing task to attempt to track him as he ran circles around her,ughing in thrill as he was letting loose.

    A halt in the constant stream of reflections showing Macho halted; telling of his next move, however, knowing it wasing didn''t mean she had the swiftness to prepare for the attack. The impact of his fist collided against her raised shoulder, feeling the force echo through her body.

    "I hope you weren''t betting on me not willing to hit a girl!"

    Meeting face to face with his smirk, Iris threw her hand up to unleash another arrow of light--missing once more as Macheo threw his body back with inhuman agility.

    --So this is the power of someone willing to enter Purgatory��!

    It was impossible to tell if the soles of his boots ever met with the marble floor, this time Macho leaped into the air.

    --Is he going to unleash a spell? I''ll counter it!

    "Licht: Deflection!"

    A luminescent mirror formed in the air, forming a spiral of a formless, gold liquid within it. Iris realized as soon as the spell formed that her instincts had failed, watching as Macheo''s feet pressed against a circr tform formed in the air,unching himself off of it with blinding speed--rocketing directly towards her.

    --Even so, he can''t bash through my Deflection!

    Just before Macheo met with the golden mirror, another tform was conjured, allowing him to propel off of it straight into the air, following with another of these azure steps formed of solidified mana-unching down towards Iris again.

    The rapid session of steps within the air, as if negating the concept of gravity itself, threw Iris'' focus off, evading the downward strike by a hair as she rolled herself to the side.

    --Is that some sort of spell��? I didn''t hear any incantations. Is it an imbued ability from one of his tools? Maybe his innate ability? I don''t know...I don''t know.

    "Is that really all you''ve got? Did you enter Purgatory with strength like that? How pathetic."

    Clenching her fists at the berating words that left his conceited lips, Iris swiftly brought herself past that anger, not allowing her mind to be clouded.

    "Oh,e on, it''s not much fun if you don''t talk!"

    Macheo''s nonchnt tone crescendoed into a yell as he dashed forward, forcing Iris to raise her guard--only to move past her and circle back after reflecting himself off of one of his midair tforms. She found herself barely defending against this one, having his rocketed fist sh against her thin forearms with a thundering impact, sending her falling back.

    --All of my spells...They''re too slow for a fighter like this��This is my worst possible matchup...I don''t want to use it...Don''t make me use it.

    The cold, dirtied stone pressed itself against her cheek, flickering her eyelids as she looked at her own hands, slowly raising herself from the ground. Before she could pick herself back up, she was forced back down by the weight of Macheo''s foot pressing down on her back.

    "Ah!"

    "I''ll tell you what--grovel for me and I''ll let you be my wife."

    Under the pressuring weight of his down-brought boot, Iris drew her strained gaze up towards the face of the adventurer. A twisted grin that left no room to see the goodness within him had stretched from ear to ear, his eyes of avarice scaling her body.

    "How about it? Not a bad deal, right?"

    Ignoring his lecherous demands, Iris kept her eyes closed, drowning out his words as she focused on the one thing important to her in this singr moment.

    "Licht: Holy Wave."

    Macheo''s snide arrogance was abruptly halted at the quiet incantation muttered by the girl. Iris watched in that brief moment as the light that emitted from her reflected from the white of his eyes--only seeing him twitch a single muscle before the radiance swallowed his figure.

    Bringing herself up, swiping the dust from her skirt and leggings--hearing his voice again met her ears like nails to a chalkboard.

    "Close, very close..."

    The tan dust formed of knocked-up sediment settled, revealing Macheo to be coughing up the inhaled air. A few scratches were left visible on his pale, frontal cast, as well as the edges of his cape being torn and filled with holes throughout its surface.

    Through these exchanges, it began to feel less like she was facing overwhelming speed and more like she was being treated as if she was moving in slow motion.

    "How��"

    It was the only word that came to her mind as she looked upon his mostly unharmed figure. Her confused, half-exhausted expression reeled in a wide smile from him.

    "It''s simple; I''m stronger than you. There is nothing you can do to deny that fact. Knowing this, why don''t you stay at my side?"

    --If my spells can''t catch him...I''ll resort to something else.

 Chapter 143 - Selflessness: Value

    Ignoring his repeated request, Iris let her shoulders fall limp as she took a few calming breaths before raising her hands in front of her chain, sliding her feet into position as she took a stance.

    "Huh? Are you really nning on using your fists against me? Is this some sort of bluff?"

    He loved to hear his own voice; that much is something she realized through these short exchanges. Using this fact, Iris moved forward, straining her calf muscle as shemanded all of the strength within that leg as he was busy pping his lips--guiding her step forward with a vtile speed backed by reinforcement.

    The look in his eyes as his pupils shrunk out of pure fear of the sudden speed she disyed sent a reinvigorating chill through her body as she reared her fist back, cing her elbow at her hip beforeunching forward with a colossal strike directly against the bridge of his nose.

    There would only be one moment that he would underestimate her, only one opportunity to strike him with everything she had--so a clock directly to his scarred nose was her choice of target. A trail of scarlet flowed out from his nostrils and into the air as he slid back on his feet from the harsh impact that pushed him.

    --A straight-forward. Thanks for teaching me that one, Brahmi.

    If it was going to turn into a battle of fists, she was going toe prepared; conjuring a small band of light to use to tie her flowing locks of azure into a ponytail. Kicking the charred goblin corpse that upied the space next to his foot away, Macheo pinched the bridge of his nose as blood seeped from his nostrils, falling onto the deathly-stained marble below.

    "...That was a nice punch, I''ll give you that."

    "Thanks."

    Maybe it was only for a moment; a humbled look overtook the lecherous, arrogant expression that housed itself on Macheo''s face as he spit a drop of blood onto the ground, wiping his lips as he kept his gaze low.

    "I thought you were just a meek, naive girl...Allow me to retract my previous judgment; you''re a fighter, just like I am."

    "No, you were right--I am naive. That''s why I''m going to knock some sense into you."

    Hearing these words of conviction backed by her resolved, pearly-blue eyes, Macheo let out a brief chuckle before fixing his gaze, narrowing it to match the tone of battle.

    "Did youe to this ce to guide the dark to the light? You realize you have stepped into the deepest pits of depravity the moment you entered this ce, no? There is no ce for selflessness, only the selfish can survive here."

    ? "I''ll just prove you wrong; right here, right now."

    "I''m right here."

    Macheo ushered her towards the fight by waving her index finger, holding a subtle smile that reced his egregiously toxic look of frivolity he previously held.

    The switch from his casual demeanor into his state of battle was just as swift as his step, pping his hands together before calling out words of mysticism, "Achelous: Stride of the Leviathans!"

    It wasn''t a magical prefix she had heard before, quickly learning of its nature as waves of water manifested into existence near Macheo''s feet, propelling viscous waves that began to take a shape of their own.

    Dealing with the element of water was one of the most arduous of all other elements, twisting its form yet carrying itself forward with jarring changes that made one question what they saw as each second passed by their own two eyes.

    The conjured water coiled around itself, splitting into three separaterge pirs that took the shape of carnivorous beasts, baring their fangs formed of liquid as they roared out.

    "Go!"

    Commanding the familiars formed of water, Macho jutted his index finger in the direction of Iris, sending the grouping of viscous water-leviathans towards him.

    "Hyperion: Protection!"

    Iris called for the safety of the solidified form of light, however, it wasn''t for the protection of herself; manifesting the shield directly between the head and body of the water-bound familiar, she managed to sever its head cleanly.

    A triumphant smile came naturally to her expression in the heated moment as her attack met sess, watching the severed core of the beast fall to the ground before dissipating back into a puddle.

    --Just two more!

    She knew that Macheo wouldn''t fall for the same trick twice, jumping tile to tile as the leviathans swept towards her, leaving their jaws hanging open in an attempt to snatch her body. The force that they passed her by elerated her step, driving forward her instinct to live, just colliding head-on with the water-formed beasts would bring forth a brutal impact, let alone being caught in their massive jaws.

    "How long can you keep avoiding them? You can dodge them a thousand times...I only need to catch you once."

    Keeping his focus steady on stabilizing the form of the leviathans, Macheomented without any y in his tone, watching her carefully as his eyes never left her position.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Achelous: Boil."

    Hearing the quiet incantation leave her opponent''s lips, Iris shot her gaze towards Macheo--watching for a spell to erupt from him but nothing came.

    It was when she dodged another strike from one of the leviathans did she realize the nature of the spell he had cast--feeling a scalding heatnd against her forearm. As steam emitted from the form of the towering leviathans of water, she deciphered the nature of the spell.

    --He shifted the constitution of his conjured water; it was riled up to a boiling heat!

    Rearing its head back, one of these dragon-like heads parted its jaws like a hungering serpent, releasing a stream of skin-melting aqua.

    Just simply avoiding its path wasn''t enough; the scalding liquid repelling from the marble floor met with parts of her exposed skin. A simple droplet of this liquid was enough to shift the affected portion of her skin to a reddened hue.

    It was unconventional but it was needed, "Licht: Holy Wave!"

    Ushered into existence with pained desperation, Iris called for the zonal eruption of light mana to repel the iing ssh of heated liquid, once again facing the two-headed leviathan.

    "You didn''t think you only had to worry about them, did you?"

    It was a whisper to her ears, that unmatched swiftness from Macheo hadpletely taken her senses hostage as she froze up, his words leaving a tickle against their destination. Any sort of retaliation was far toote, receiving a back-fist directly against her cheek as she was sent tumbling onto her side. Rolling across the ground, slick with blood and heated by her previous mes, the pain from the back-fist drove through the flesh of her cheek. It seemed she inadvertently bit her cheek from the momentary reaction to his presence, causing a tear from within after being met with his fist.

    --It''s pathetic.

    Facedown against the blood-soaked floor of the exiled courtyard, Iris could hear only the hisses of the water-beasts as they hovered above her.

    "Shall I let them devour you? It would be a waste."

    --I''m still so weak. After all of this time here, I''ve had nothing but time to go stronger but I''ve been so conceited...Rarely leaving the safety of my own home, coddled by Mother.

    "I''ll ask you this once more; be my wife or be food for my familiars."

    The demand fell upon deaf ears as Iris ran her fingers against the marble before clenching her fist so tight that blood was drawn forth from her punctured skin.

    --I''m not strong enough to save anyone. I''m too weak to take it easy enough on someone...To guide them onto the right path. I was naive to think I had that sort of strength.

    It didn''t take more than a few moments for her cheek that received the impact to swell up, turning a light shade of purple as she strained to push her body from the ground she lied on.

    --...I''ll use it. I''m sorry, Mother. I''m going to break my promise.

    Watching the miserable, slothful attempt to raise her body from the ground, Macheo gritted his teeth, swiping his enclosed fist through the air before following through with an ear-blistering yell, "Give me your answer now or face my wrath! Don''t test me!"

    "...Shut up."

    "What did you say?"

    Macheo asked in a scowl, his pupils dting as he tried to get a look at the girl''s face as it became obscured by her fluttered drapes of azure.

    "Shut up!"

    Her amplified, repeated words were backed by an existence of enigmatic mana crawling from the depths she existed upon.

    "Do you not realize the position you''re in?! Even still? Maybe I hit you too hard or maybe you were always this dense! If you are so impatient to be eaten by my leviathans then I''ll dly meet your request!"

    Rearing both his arms back before sending them forward as amanding signal, Macheo ushered the two-headed leviathans of aqua to finish their prey.

    Traveling through the air with their watery constitution, their journey was halted by a sudden meeting with a newly felt sensation.

 Chapter 144 - Signs Of Disaster

    At the base of the Ounders within the embrace of the Grandfather Tree, preparations are made to set out for a certain location��

    The usually boisterous base housing the otherworlders designated by the great sage, Beatrice, had fallen quiet as ofte. Besides the brief interactions between the few Ounders not currently on missions, the only utterances were that of invasive winds that breathed through open windows.

    "She really wants to talk to us three specifically? Give me a break..."

    Running the prongs of ab through his silky, ck hair, Sirius asked without looking towards the other two with him. If there was a single thing he took pride in besides his own strength, it was his looks.

    "Are you going to say that to her face?"

    Holding a teasing smile, Sora leaned against the sturdy hallway wall, propping his leg up as he left his muscr arms crossed over his chest. It was the standard way of being briefed in the base, something they had all grown used to, but never quite limated to the anxiety it always produced. Awaiting for Beatrice to wee them into her chilly, mystical chambers to disclose whatever peculiar task she had for them was always a feat for their beating hearts.

    "Must you two always squabble so much? Such a headache��"

    Pressing his finger against his forehead, Lucas gently shook his head as the words between the other two men were exchanged with him in the crossfire.

    "That''s riching from you, Lucas. You''re always messing with Ren."

    Sirius quickly countered with a slight smile, adjusting the pristine white gloves that covered his hands. A subtle smile came over Lucas'' expression for a moment before he quickly did away with it, responding in kind with a scoff.

    "...Someone has to humble him, no?"

    The words caught both Sora and Sirius'' attention, who both ended up raising an eyebrow at this odd remark.

    "Look, when I found that kid, he believed he was scum, useless, and frankly, he didn''t believe he deserved to be saved."

    As he calmly spoke, Sora seemed to remember the events of that day as a glimmer glided over his sky-like pupils.

    "As he said, Ren will be fine. He''s a good guy, Lucas."

    Sirius agreed with the crimson-haired man, giving him a slight nod as they looked back at Lucas, who held a reclusive sadness in his emerald eyes, keeping his arms crossed against his chest as he tried to hide his expression behind his hazel fringes.

    "He can''t rece Sebastian."

    Leaving his lips almost in a choke, Lucas'' quiet, pained words hit both of the other Ounders like a pile of bricks.

    "...Come on, Lucas. That''s not what Ren is."

    Attempting to console Lucas, Sora had his sympathetic hand rejected by a swift p to it by the androgynous young man, being confronted by his passionate verdant gaze as tears lined his eyelids.

    "Then what is he, huh?! He only came after we lost Sebastian--that''s all Beatrice sees him as! That''s his role, no?!"

    The words he released were sharp, brimming with a plethora of emotion that were seldom seen expressed from the tight-mouthed boy.

    "Knock that off!"

    "Sirius!"

    As Sirius stepped towards Lucas with unknown intentions, both of his arms were grabbed by Sora to withhold him. There wasn''t but a single flinch or movement from the regally-dressed boy, who simply watched Sirius'' cobalt eyes wash over with contempt for his words.

    "...All we have is each other right now! That''s how it''s always been here! The second you start doubting the validity--the existence of your ownrades, your brothers and sisters--you''ll find yourself alone and miserable."

    Even if they came out wrapped in anger, the words Sirius sent to Lucas'' ears felt more of guidance rather than something to put him down.

    The hall fell to silence between the three, Sirius pulling his arms away from the tight grasp put on them by Sora''s bulky hands. Before the awkwardness could stew to a greater proportion, a click met their ears as all of their heads turned in unison to watch the door to Beatrice''s quarters open.

    "I hope I wasn''t interrupting anything."

    Standing in the doorway, the unmistakable, ethereal gaze of Beatricended upon them like the iridescence of a full moon, holding the same gentle smile she was nearly always seen with.

    "Nothing."

    Agreeing with Sora''s quick assurance, the other two Ounders were fast to fervently nod their head in agreement with his answer. Although, the wary exchange of nces between the three was telling of their obvious lie, though Beatrice brushed it off.

    "Come."

    Beatrice gave them a simple invite in the form of amand, slowly waving her finger to usher them inside of her chambers before she returned to the depths of her somber yet regal bedroom herself. Following their leader''s call, Lucas pushed past Sirius with an abrasive brush of his shoulder against the man''s arm, keeping his gaze down before entering the gloomy chambers.

    "...He''s such a child sometimes, I swear��"

    Shaking his head a bit out of disapproval, Sirius muttered his low-key insult before fixing his hair by running his glove-d fingers through his forest of smooth, ck locks.

    "Give him a break. He''s been through it; we all have."

    Sora ced his hand on Sirius'' shoulder, giving him his best attempt at a reassuring smile, earning no change in expression from the lightning mage.

    "That isn''t any reason to talk like that about one of our own. Putting Ren in that position when he didn''t have a choice toe here...That type of stuff really gets under my skin, you know?"

    "Yeah, I know, I know. Still, though, I think Lucas cares about Ren...Just in his own distant��"Lucas" way. I mean, how long did it take for that kid to open up to us anyway?"

    Soraughed, patting his hand against Sirius'' shoulder with unintentional force, causing the military-like uniformed Ounder to gasp quietly as it felt like his bone marrow had been attacked.

    "...He''s opened up to us?"

    "Well, inparison to how he acted when he first got here��"

    Looking at Sora''s radiant smile, Sirius couldn''t hold onto his temporary contempt, releasing it by giving Sora a smirk of his own--also getting payback by pping the man on the back with a sharp impact resounding through the narrow hall.

    "Let''s hurry, I''d rather not have her send me on a quest to clear a noble''s basement of swamp goblins."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s the spirit!"

    Arriving within the personal abode of the exiled sage, the two men sat at the woman''s frequently used table, experiencing thefort of the plump cushions embedded onto their seats. Silence temporarily made itself primarily between the four; the three Ounders watching as Beatrice leisurely allowed a stream of freshly brewed tea to fill her favorite teacup, watching as the liquid of obsidian shade emitted subtle steam from its form.

    "Would you like some?"

    Beatrice offered, pointing with her eyes towards the extra cups that upied the center of the table. In response to the offer, Sirius epted with a tiny nod, Sora declined the tea by raising his hand up with a smile, and Lucas let out a soft sigh before nodding.

    Instead of epting the tea, the vermillion-hair jock reached into his trousers to retrieve a small vial, holding it above his pried open eyelids as he released a few droplets of the liquid inside the minuscule, stic container onto his ocr orb, blinking a few times. It was amon sight for the others, but it was an odd thing to witness at first--Sora had a case of dry eyes, having to water them twice a day.

    If there was anything Beatrice seemed to take joy in, it was the concept of tea itself. Whether it was brewing, drinking, or serving it--a subtle radiance came off of her pale skin whenever it came to the serene beverage.

    They watched with quietness holding back their tongues as the tinum-haired woman slowly moved the nozzle of the teapot from her cup, pouring the heated liquid into two simr cups formed of porcin before cing the filled containers in front of Sirius and Lucas respectively.

    "Now, do you have any guesses as to why I brought you three here?"

    Beatrice brought the brim of the cup near her nose, taking in the refreshing fragrance before taking a sip following her calmly asked question.

    "You want us to do something?"

    Giving his half-baked answer to the question, Sora kept his arms tucked across his chest.

    "I think she meant a bit more specific than that, man��"

    Sirius chuckled at hisrade''s answer, bringing the cup to his lips before allowing the liquid to run over his tongue, neglecting to realize the scalding nature of it. Like a dog, he let his tongue hang from his open mouth to allow it to cool down.

    "How the hell are you drinking this? It''s likeva right now!"

    "I have a calloused tongue, dear."

    Beatrice answered his question with a slight smirk to her lips, taking another sip as if confirming her statement.

    "Continuing on, you''re half correct, Sora. I don''t want you to do something, I need you to do something."

    "...Sounds like whatever you''re about to tell us is quite significant."

    Running his finger along the brim of the cup, Lucas kept his gaze low as his verdant eyes watched the steam rise from the porcin.

    Beatrice nodded before resting her chin against her hands, "Indeed. Quite some time ago, I sent Noah away on a...diplomatic mission of sorts."

    "Really? Noah?"

    The raised eyebrow from Sirius made him seem shocked to hear of this, almost holding a surprised smile at this information.

    "I agree with him...Noah of all people for a diplomatic request? You''ve had to request him to be whitelisted after the Hollow Order cklisted him...three times."

    Sora held a hint of concern in his voice when speaking of Noah, scratching his cheek before brushing his crimson locks.

    "I understand your concerns but this mission required haste and the bulk of you were away on quests of your own."

    "What was this mission of his anyway? Trying to hire some adventurers? Could be risky, might work though."

    Pondering his own guess, Sirius tapped his chin a few times with a wrinkled expression as if straining his brain.

    Waiting for the man to finish his guessing, Beatrice only watched him with her nebulous mirrors, sparkling as if they were the innards of a kaleidoscope.

    "The mission I entrusted Noah with was one that could decide the tides of the war toe. A war that will decide the eventual fate of this world."

    "...Sounds like a bit of pressure on the guy''s shoulders."

    Sora could only force a nervous smirk as the gravity of the sage''s words were clearly felt to those whose ears heard her.

    "Indeed. From the report...It seems he did his mission, or rather the mission did itself for him...However, luck would have it. The task given to Noah was to make contact with Lady Getrude Aerosyndale."

    Hearing the nature of this alluded-to mission, the three were visibly taken aback at the name dropped by the silver-haired, tea-loving woman.

    "Getrude? The first daughter of the King--that Getrude? Right?"

    Sirius was already standing from his seat with his hands pressed against the table in clear shock, a droplet of sweat running down the side of his face. The small, subtle nod from Beatrice confirmed it, sending a reaction into both Sirius and Sora that looked as if they were going to sumb to heart attacks.

    "That sounds like you sent him on a suicide mission...Not only would that be in the belly of the beast itself, but to contact someone so close to King Held? Yet, you say it was a sess��"

    Even Lucas was shaken by this information, releasing his words in a mutter as if trying to arrange his thoughts in a concise manner.

    "What are you hoping to achieve by contacting someone of her status? I mean, she is a captain of one of the most powerful knight squadrons--it doesn''t get much more "Mastorn" than her."

    Hearing these words from Sora, Beatrice finally reprimanded their unknowing thoughts, "You three seem to be mistaken as to the type of person Getrude is. She is a knight; through and through. More than anything, she wants the prosperity of Mastorn, primarily through the happiness of its people. That seems to directly conflict with her father''s own philosophy of war though��"

    Allowing her eloquent words to linger on as she brought the fine porcin to her lips for another drink, Beatrice rested her gaze on the three before her.

    "You don''t mean��"

    Sora began to put it together, while Sirius had finished the thought for him.

    "Getrude wants to rebel against the King? Her own blood?"

 Chapter 145 - Mission: Escort Getrude

    The silent smile from Beatrice seemed to ce this thought as the truth, leaving Sirius agape at this development.

    "So, that makes her our most likely ally then?"

    Lucas found his words, leaning over the table slightly as he seemed to be intrigued by the nature of this conversation--and whatever the mission for them would be in corrtion to this news.

    "Indeed. Not only that; Getrude is a necessary person even without the power she can bring to the table with her loyal knights."

    "What do you mean by that?"

    Finally seating himself, Sirius ran his white glove through his hair to gather his focus again, responding to Beatrice''s remark of thedy in question.

    "If the goal is to remove King Held from power, likely by fatal means, then it stands to reason there needs to be someone to take his ce."

    "I thought that was your n; for you to take his ce and rule as a matriarchal figure."

    Taking a quick sip of tea, Lucas disyed his subverted thoughts, gaining a nod from the other two men who seemed to have fallen under the same notion.

    Beatrice simply shook her head to dissuade that thought before correcting them, "I am no ruler. My ce is by the ruler''s side as their advisor."

    "But you''re undeniably the wisest in all of Mastorn."

    Once again, Lucas'' thoughts were dissipated by Beatrice''s evesting, hollow smile.

    "Wisdom does not rally people under your name or summon their fighting spirit when the timees. A ruler needs charisma, a im to the throne, and the power in both mind and body to lead a kingdom; especially one as powerful as Mastorn. Getrude is the pinnacle of those necessary aspects."

    "So...Noah sealed the deal with her? Then what''s our mission?"

    Sirius asked, taking a sip of his now cooled-down tea as a curious, slightly anxious look filled his pupils.

    "The deal is not sealed. That is why Getrude ising here herself. We will discuss the prospect of an alliance."

    "Here? What if she isn''t really on our side?"

    Sora mmed his palm down against the table out of instinct, raising his voice at this im by the tinum-haired woman.

    "It''s simple; if she doesn''t agree to an alliance, she dies."

    "...Oh."

    Satisfied with that answer, the hot-headed Ounder rxed in his seat, matching the somber palette of the ckened room.

    "Now, this is where you threee in."

    "Finally."

    Lucas muttered under his breath hearing this, falling silent along with the other two as they anxiously awaited the details of their mission.

    "I received a letter from Getrude herself yesterday,ing from a malcorn falcon...In it, she mentioned the route she was taking toe to Grandeuve."

    Beatrice snapped her fingers, suddenly bringing into existence the aforementioned letter between her fingers, sliding it on the table for disy.

    "Yeah...They''re taking the route through Lemasdale to stock up on supplies and take a night at the inn there. What''s so special about this?"

    "Yeah, I''m a bit lost as well."

    Sora shared the same perplexed sentiment with Sirius as they both hogged the letter, leaving Lucas to huff as he crossed his arms out of frustration.

    "...A few days ago, one of my little birdies informed me of something happening within Lemasdale. It began with a sighting of an odd individual of a gray, rottenplexion, covered in maggots and deteriorating flesh. This deathly man savagely attacked the first viger he came across, then that viger took on the same repulsive form. This continued; spiraling until this mysterious event spread itself throughout the town--and it wasn''t just Lemasdale, the report said there were hordes of these decrepit beings moving in from the surrounding mountains."

    There was no smile present on Beatrice''s expression as she spoke of this, keeping her cosmo-like eyes on the three as grave expressions overtook them.

    "That sounds like��"

    "Zombies."

    Sirius finished Sora''s sentence, both holding a grim look--exchanging worried nces between one another.

    "It seems you have a basic understanding of what husks may be then."

    "Husks?"

    Hearing the newly mentioned term, Lucas repeated the word while watching the woman dressed in a ck gown, waiting for a further exnation as his tea began to run cold.

    "Husks are the result of a lost, sacred mysticism...A twisting and tainting of magic itself, seen as repulsive even amongst the element of darkness. As such, there are very few who know of this spell outside of the Founders."

    "Who do you think would be capable of this? I mean...Behind this attack specifically."

    Every piece of information Beatrice brought to the table seemed to stir up more questions from them, resulting in yet another asking from Sirius.

    "...It''s hard to say for certain. A lich, perhaps. An exiled adventurer...Or perhaps, a mage from Belmon."

    "Belmon?"

    Sora and Sirius repeated the unheard name in unison while Lucas'' sclera seemed almost to stretch when hearing this.

    "...The forgotten kingdom."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Indeed. Though it does not matter as of right now who is responsible for the attack, our task is simply to escort Getrude safely to Grandeuve. You will take the old merchant''s route and--"

    Before Beatrice could finish her briefing of their given mission, a sudden m on the table hadpletely interrupted her--originating from Sirius'' own hand.

    "--What about the vigers?"

    It was that shaky, anxious look in his eyes that she knew well from him; Sirius was a man who couldn''t overlook such things. A trait not known whether to be a good or bad thing in this world.

    "...It is simply toote for them. The husk spell is formidable; I would guess an outbreak even at this level would be ssified at Phantasm-level, due to the threat it brings."

    "You don''t know that! There could still be people, hiding out in fear--waiting for somebody, for people like us toe to save them!"

    Sora and Lucas remained silent as the gray-uniform baring man spilled his emotions onto the table, speaking to the woman who didn''t seem to recognize such feelings.

    "Be realistic, Sirius."

    "Realistic, huh? You''ve told us before that Mastorn is the most important thing to you, more so than your own life...Is this how you want to save it? Letting people die?"

    As Sirius spoke in the heat of the moment, his words seemed to cut deep into the unmoving woman, her slender, pale fingers briefly twitching as she caressed the handle of her cup.

    "...Make no mistake; Mastorn is my reason for living. However, the individuals within it are not of that same importance, not if the safety and prosperity of the kingdom itself are in conflict with their own state of living. Do you understand? All of you. Getrude''s life supersedes that of likely dead vigers, her life might be the very threat that holds this kingdom together."

    There was a slight tone of reprimanding that coated Beatrice''s cold, stone-like words as her nebulous eyes locked onto Sirius, leading him to find a vacancy in rebuttals.

    "...I understand."

    Seating himself silently, Sirius'' words felt hollow, hispliance holding no plea of agreement--only following themand of his leader.

    Comforting the clearly distressed man, Sora grabbed Sirius'' shoulder, gently rubbing it and giving him a slight nod as if helping him ept the decision already made.

    "As you were saying, Beatrice?"

    "Thank you, Lucas...You three will be taking the old route that merchants used to take before Grandeuve became too dangerous. There will likely be quite a few roaming beasts; nothing that you can''t handle."

    Once again, a snap of Beatrice''s polished fingers summoned forth a paper, allowing it to gently drift down onto the table, revealing itself to be a map.

    "Wait a second...We''re taking a road...So no titan rays?"

    Sora''s words slowly crescendoed from mutters into a question, trailing his thumb along the detailed route inscribed on the map before looking back up at the sage.

    "Precisely; titan rays give off quite a potent mana signature, something that husks can sense like blood to a vampire."

    "...So we''re going by foot?"

    "I didn''t say that."

    Beatrice rejected Lucas'' obviously miffed question with a simple smile.

    "...You know, somehow I should''ve expected this."

    Sirius let out a sigh, cing his hands at his sides as he, along with his two chosenpanions, looked upon the shoddy, withered carriage that was left within the embrace of nature, covered in discarded branches and brittle leaves.

    "Who''s going to be the one to tame the wild behemoth? That carriage isn''t going anywhere without one to pull it."

    Asking the question they all dreaded, Lucas stood between both of the much taller masculine figures, instantly invoking sweat to leave their pores.

    Still, looking between the withered carriage and knowing the existence of a singr behemoth nearby, the curly-haired young man felt something was peculiar about this situation.

    "...Any volunteers?"

    Sirius shifted his gaze between the hazel-haired, androgynous boy and the man covered in hulking muscles.

    Silence was the only answer received by his question as they listened to the distant, bellowing groans emitting from the cave they waited near.

    "It''s only fair to settle this with a game of rock-paper scissors, no?"

    As ifing up with the solution to world hunger itself, Sora snapped his fingers with a beaming smile--quickly shot down by a sigh from Lucas.

    "I''ll do it."

    Walking towards the maw of the foreboding cavern, Lucas removed a pocketwatch formed of gilded steel, flipping the cover open to watch the thin, golden hand click away.

    "--Wait. We''ll do it together."

    Catching up with the boy of a short, frail-seeming build, Sirius ced his hand on Lucas'' shoulder, giving him a forced but helpful smile.

    "Ah, screw it! Count me in!"

    Sora joined in, summoning his ivory armor over his body with a brief disy of a torrent of magical particles coiling around his body.

    "...What a handful you two are."

    It seemed the radiant frivolity from his twopanions managed to lure a slight smile from Lucas that he desperately tried to hide with his jaded words, sliding his pocket watch back inside of his regal, ck coat.

 Chapter 146 - Behemoth Wrangling!

    Standing before the ominous entrance of the cave that allowed no light inside, both Lucas and Sirius turned to Sora like children in need of something.

    "Alright, alright, I''ve got it. Feuer."

    With the most basic call of magic, Sora conjured an orange orb that chased away the nearby darkness, leading the way inside of the abode of the behemoth.

    Standing shoulder to shoulder with reliablerades, Lucas felt any air of doubt fade away, looking up at the goofy, radiant smiles put on disy by both of the men.

    --Has it been long enough, Sebastian? Can I finally let go of that pain? Without you here...A void will always be upying my heart, but I suppose it can be filled to some extent.

    Waiting until they weren''t looking, Lucas wore a mncholic smile, retrieving the watch from his coat once more as he ran his thumb over the chilled metal, feeling out every groove engraved within the refined steel.

    Walking without any caution in his step, Sora came to an abrupt stop as he frantically waved his arms for bnce to prevent an untimely fall. Grinding his boots to a halt, pebbles were dug from the ground, cascading down as they fell to the surface waiting below the precipice.

    "...That was close."

    Whispering with a relieved sigh following, Sora looked back at the other two with a slight chuckle. It wasn''t a threatening height that waited below, however, the now present, booming snoring that released a vibration through the cave followed by a less than desirable stench made it clear that the beast they were looking for awaited them.

    "How''re we doing this?"

    "Shh!"

    Lucas raised his fingers to his lips as Sirius spoke, causing a raised eyebrow to look back at him in return.

    "What? You think us talking is going to wake that damn thing up? It''s sleeping like a rock. Chill out, man."

    As reassuring as Sirius tried to be, giving Lucas a pat on his shoulder, the regally-dressed boy already knew of this fact but wished to act in caution; an option not avable with these two with him.

    "Well, we should see the thing first before we make any ns."

    Sending the orb of orange light forward into the abode of the behemoth, he squeezed his palm to force the sphere to emit an even greater light, filling the dome-like cavern to be revealed.

    The three watched in anticipation as the light ran itself across the slumbering form of the beast, unveiling it from the now dissipated darkness. Its skin was of stone, protected by a thickyer of this rocky, ck hide.

    The general shape of its body, stretching long in length with a spiky tail, possessing short, stubby limbs, the behemoth resembled a reptile.

    "...We''re supposed to tame that thing?"

    Soramented quietly as he found himself in awe of its size, fitting the rumbling snores it released from the bowels of its being.

    "Someway or another, the people of Mastorn manage to do it...This should be no problem for us, right?"

    Sirius had already begun rolling his sleeves up with an anxious smile, hopping down from the short ledge as his boots met with the damp stone below.

    "They probably have some sort of secret trade technique or something we don''t know about! Hey! Sirius!"

    Watching the impatient man begin to make his move, Lucas called to him in a high-whisper, watching as the armor-d man then followed behind him. As Sirius was the one carrying the sack of supplies they had brought, Lucas wasn''t exactly happy about him approaching the beast with it on him.

    Releasing a quick huff, the well-dressed boy begrudgingly followed behind them, sliding down the ledge as he held a repulsed expression from the grime of the cave now clung to his beloved attire.

    Each sleeping breath that left through the nostrils and maw of the beast traveled through the air, tugging on Lucas'' well-kempt hair with the brief winds conjured.

    "You brought the rope, right?"

    Sirius looked back at the scarlet-hairedrade of his, who was indeed carrying a circle of organized rope around his shoulder.

    A confident nod from Sora came as he began to undo the line of tough material, gripping it between his hands and spinning it, "Yeah, I''ve got this!"

    Even witnessing this confidence, Lucas had anything but faith in the results that the red-haired man would yield; keeping his guard up as he awaited whatever n of action Sora had in mind. Walking as stealthily as a man d in heavy armor could, Sora crept upon the slumbering behemoth, keeping his stance low as he circled around its massive form.

    A battle cry unleashed from the man''s throat as he jumped on the beast''s rocky back, throwing the rope over its round, lengthy head that blended into its body without any neck to speak of. This sudden weight and yell yanked the behemoth straight out of its blissful sleep, rising up from its position offort as the cave seemed to rumble beneath the shifting of weight.

    "--Idiot!" Lucas thought to himself, witnessing the less than tact approach to this situation.

    "Hold its head down!"

    Sora yelled out towards Sirius, who followed his frantic words by cing both of his hands on each side of the behemoth''s massive snout as it roared out. The bellowing yell it released unleashed a haze of repugnant breath from within its parted lips; directly colliding with Sirius'' poor noses as a wrinkled expression took over his fair face.

    Taking such a stench directly to his nose, feeling it singe his minuscule hairs straight from his nostrils, Sirius was momentarily distracted from being able to garner his strength, resulting in the behemoth breaking free of his grasp with a surprisingly dexterous movement of its lumbering body.

    Like a rookie cowboy trying to wrangle something more akin to an oversized rhino rather than a horse, Sora stayed atop its back as it wrestled about, likely inplete confusion from its sudden, abrupt awakening.

    "--Calm down, damn you!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shifting the position of the rope, Sora managed to lodge it into the behemoth''s mouth, securing a tight hold on it. Each stomp of its wide, stumpy legs made Lucas worry that the dome of stone would crash down on top of them, watching as Sirius finally shook off the awful breath of the beast after gagging a few times.

    "Haven''t you ever heard of dental hygiene!"

    Sirius yelled at the beast as it wrestled against Sora''s control, rearing his fist back before knocking it upside its stone-covered jaw. It was hard to tell if it was an action taken out of frustration from experiencing sewage to his nostrils or if it was a solid n as the punch actually managed to bring the beast down into submission.

    Whether it was frightened at the human''s uncanny strength, respected his power, or just outright had its senses knocked from it--the behemoth dropped to its below, keeping its head down as it seemed to ept its new caretakers.

    "...Hold on, we got pretty lucky, didn''t we?"

    Noticing the rather quick withdrawal to a submissive nature from the behemoth, Lucas came to a realization.

    "What''re you talking about?"

    Sirius brushed his fist off against the air as he looked back at the androgynous Ounder.

    "That carriage...This behemoth so conveniently close to it; it isn''t just coincidence."

    "You''ve lost me. Exin it, would ya''?"

    Giving the beast a few loving pats on its back that were more like ps for the sturdy beast, Sora squinted his eyes and raised an eyebrow at Lucas'' words.

    "If I had to guess, that behemoth used to pull that same cart; likely the old owner got into some sort of trouble and decided to leave it behind."

    "...So you''re saying this guy was left here all alone?"

    Both of the other two men diverted their attention to the now quiet beast with mncholic looks.

    "Whatever the case, he''s with us now!"

    Sora proimed, hopping down from the behemoth''s back as he hoisted the beast that likely weighed a few tons of its own as if it were nothing more than a bag of potatoes.

    "--What horrifying brawn...Though I''ll admit, it''s a good thing to have it right now."

    Witnessing the crimson-haired man carry the tamed beast on his back,pletely overshadowed by its size, Lucas held a shaking smile at the unorthodox sight, keeping in front of Sora while Sirius kept behind him for insurance.

    Each step was taken with the gargantuan beast on his back, Sora''s footsteps carried a simr sluggishness, just barely managing to squeeze out of the cave with the round creature.

    Setting the behemoth down by the old carriage, it stood itself up with a bewildered sheen showing itself in its azure sclera. Sniffing the prickly wood that formed the base of the vehicr object, poking its head against the beige roof of the carriage--the three found themselves somewhat sad by its clear remembrance.

    Setting the behemoth up properly with the rope, attaching it to the carriage while Sirius and Lucas handled the restoration of the cart, their brief sunlight left was dwindled before they were all set to head out.

    "Well, she isn''t exactly pretty, but she''ll do��"

    Sirius let out a huff, scratching his head as he looked up at the somewhat improved state of the shoddy carriage.

    "We can''t be very picky in a situation like this; nor do we have the time to waste doing so, let''s move out," Lucas looked up at Sora, who took the position of the carriage driver, seating himself on the cab as he held onto the reins, "All set?"

    "One-hundred-percent!"

    Giving a thumbs-up, Sora responded with a boisterous yell, earning a bellowing call of a simr nature from their newly-acquired behemoth friend.

    With that confirmation in mind, the lightning-wielding Ounder and the one of a feminine build climbed into the back of the carriage, adjusting to the ufortable, t wooden floorboards before giving a p to the roof to announce to their driver to take off.

    "Let''s go, Bemo!"

    Sora called out with his usual excitement for life, giving the reins a crack as the behemoth began to move forward through the path abandoned by travelers.

    "He already named it?"

    Hearing Sora''s announcement, Sirius let out a quiet chuckle, taking a bite out of an apple he had retrieved from the bag.

    "...Are you in any way surprised at that?"

    "Nope."

    Setting off, an uneven, steep bump in the dirt road caused Sirius to bite his tongue as he went in for another chomp against the apple''s hide, wincing at the sudden pain and letting out a "Goh!"

    --I''ll never quite understand Sirius; he''s likely the strongest out of all of us, yet when ites to anything besides fighting, he is a total klutz. Either way, I''m d to have arade like him by my side, Beatrice said it herself before we left; his ability will prove invaluable against the husks.

    Watching Sirius'' failed attempt at devouring the apple in his hand, Lucas let out an unintentional chuckle between his soft, pink lips.

 Chapter 147 - A Miracle Is Needed

    "Is something funny?"

    Sirius asked, looking sharply at Lucas after clearly feeling as if he was beingughed at.

    "Yes; quite funny in fact--a grown man who doesn''t know how to properly use his mouth. I believe that skill is acquired when one reaches the age of, say... five years old?"

    "Oh, "haha", funny, really funny."

    Taking an aggressive bite out of his red-skinned apple while maintaining razor-sharp eye contact with Lucas, Sirius chewed the juicy contents of the fruit with the same fearsomeness.

    "I''ve got a question for you."

    Lucas began to rummage through the supply sack after speaking softly, earning a side nce from the apple-eating man.

    "Let me guess: it''s about me not being able to chew properly?"

    "Not that; this is about our mission."

    Sitting back down, Lucas had retrieved the map from the tan material, sprawling it out across the even floorboards of the carriage, running his pale hands over its surface to smooth out the creases.

    "What about it?"

    Sirius asked with a mouth full of fruit as he leaned in towards the map to watch as Lucas'' finger trailed over its contents before finding the path they were on.

    "We need to assess where we''re likely to first encounter these husks. Unlike normal monsters, these pose a much heavier threat."

    "Do they really? If they''re just infected vigers, I kind of doubt they''ll be much of a problem."

    "If you opted to dedicate even a portion of the time you spend honing your mage for reading, you''d likely understand the potential danger these husks pose even to us. These aren''t just mindless, frail, rotting "zombies" like you seem to think."

    Being reprimanded for hisck of literary knowledge, Sirius let out a quiet, nervous chuckle while scratching his cheek in an attempt to subvert the berating, emerald re that Lucas seemed to always hold.

    "...Anyway, "Husks" are a multi-stage hivemind that evolves as they assimte more into their ranks and feast upon both mana and flesh. If we''re lucky, they''re still in their initial stage��"

    "What''s that?"

    "I only know what I''ve read, but their first stage is simr to what you originally had in mind; slow, stupid, and overall not much of a threat. However, I doubt that''s the case from Beatrice''s words��I believe that''s why she wanted us to use a behemoth instead of some other cart-pulling beast like a gargotiger; its hide and overall tank-like existence will prove to be a valuable asset against these husks."

    Watching and listening carefully to Lucas'' analysis, Sirius couldn''t help but respect the natural intellect the young man possessed--realizing now that this is why he was assigned to this mission.

    "If I''m the "secret weapon" and Sora is our "brawn", then no doubt--Lucas is our "brains". Actually, I believe Ren would say something like: "You''re the DPS, Sora is the tank, and Lucas is the healer!", yeah...that totally sounds like him," Sirius nodded to himself a few times at his correct guess at Ren''s own mindset, finding himself missing the slightly obnoxious brother of his.

    "So, what are these other "stages" of husks you''re referring to? If it''s really as urgent as you''re saying--I''ll take this seriously then."

    "As you should; all of this informationes from a single journal, one of the few documented cases of something from Belmon. With that said, as this stems from one man who seemed to degrade in his mental state as the writing went on��"

    "It''s a bit of loose information?"

    Finishing Lucas'' thought for him, Sirius watched as the young man nodded his head slowly. While Lucas'' verdant orbs scanned over the map, the sound of the creaking wheels of the carriage moving and the constant, dense steps of Bemo were all that apanied their hearing.

    "That sage didn''t give us any sort of numerical value, only saying there were likely "hordes" enclosing on the vige. Being safe, let''s assume this means there are five-thousand of these husks--Beatrice thought this was a threat enough to merit a Phantasm-level threat."

    "Is that the threat level of the current horde or their potential growth from this stage?"

    Sirius asked, crossing his arms as he engrossed himself into this; looking at the map as he attempted to engrain the information into his mind.

    "That''s what I''m trying to figure out. Everything changes depending on the nature of her statement. If the husks have already reached a number of five-thousand...They''ve reached the third stage, likely."

    "And that is?"

    "The "Gluttony" stage."

    Lucas bit his thumb softly, a mix of concentration and worry stering itself on his expression as he recalled the information he knew.

    "...In the first two stages, the husks are set on infecting and converting organisms and adding them to the horde. Once enough bodies are added and enough husks are mad, the third stagemences, shifting their demeanor entirely; instead of opting for conversion, the husks now strictly feed upon anything theye in contact with."

    "So...a "kill-mode", right?"

    It was a simple but effective conclusion toe to, at the very least, Lucas was d that the hot-headedpanion of his was quick to understand.

    "You have to remember husks aren''t human or beast; they move purely on the smallest, minute instincts without any care for their own state of being--they will w their way to you even if you strip them of their flesh. Make sure to take them out without any hesitation; none can be spared with potential numbers like this."

    "...Is it an absolute must to wipe all of them out?"

    "It is."

    Lucas affirmed, keeping his verdant eyes locked with Sirius'' own azures. That look in the eyes of the fair-faced man was something Lucas knew well--they all knew well. As long as he had spent in a world full of cruelties; Sirius had never abandoned his sacred heart, for better or worse--his humanity had never dwindled.

    --Even though he ns on returning to Earth when this is all over...He wants to leave this world a better ce than when he arrived. I don''t know whether it''s admirable or downright naive; I''m d people like him exist, nheless.

    Looking the man up and down: the uniform of a somber silver, striped with blue--it was something manifested from Sirius'' own grandiose dreams--Lucas recalled so clearly on how Sirius exined the meaning of such an oundish outfit.

    "I want them to know without a doubt when they see me; cape fluttering behind my back, the golden buttons running from my torso down to my belt--"that''s Sirius Federov-!", once we remove that king from his ivory tower, they''ll see this uniform as the symbol of the hero that saved them!"

    Remembering how serious he was when he exined that to the stone-faced Beatrice, yelling it at the top of his lungs with such passion, Lucas found himself smiling; earning a perplexed look from the man across from him as a few more bumps were hit on the road.

    "Beatrice mentioned husks were the result of a spell, right? If we take out the caster, the spell will be lifted, no?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Asking this, Sirius circled his index fingers around one another to represent a string being untied. It was asked calmly; a result of Sirius putting his emotions on the backend, but thevishly dressed boy knew well why he was asking this.

    "I''m afraid not--well, more specifically: I don''t know for sure."

    "Then--"

    "Now, hold on."

    Given a single piece of rope with this idea, Sirius spiraled quickly back into the true nature of his question: rescuing the infected. Lucas was fast to cut him off, not wanting to allow any hopes of his to build up, more so not wanting the man to get any reckless ideas.

    "You''re not forgetting the mission we have, are you? It''s not our job nor our responsibility to handle the husks--we''re trying to avoid thempletely, if possible."

    "...I get that."

    "Good. Then--"

    "But we can still save them."

    Those steely, blue eyes of his left no room for doubt; it wasn''t the first time Lucas encountered this stubborn nature of his.

    "Are you an idiot or something? Have I not exined in enough detail the danger we could be facing?"

    "I could ask you the same thing!"

    Sirius retorted quickly, jabbing his finger towards Lucas, who had been left dumbfounded for a moment at the quick, childish response.

    "Did you train all of those days, casting spells until your lips bled and your tongue cramped up, exhausting your mana until the strength left your body until you felt like you were going to die from sickness--did you do all of that to gain this power--just to abandon those who need it the most?"

    "...Sirius��"

    "They might think we''re monsters, devils, you name it--but we''re not. We know that--or have their maledictions led you to believe we really are heartless viins?"

    For a long moment after those words that came deep within the gut of the snow-born man, Lucas could only sit in silence as the rickety wheels of the shoddy vehicle rotated, feeling the constant vibrations that traveled through the wooden nks beneath him.

    "...Is that what Sebastian would want, Lucas?"

    Following up his words, Sirius asked this with a gentle voice, his words quickly drawing Lucas'' eyes up to him as they became coated in a plethora of emotion.

    "Why would you...Why would bring his name up now?"

    "You''re scared of repeating that day. I get that, but he gave his life to save that vige, remember? I had to drag you away; you wanted just as badly to stay back with him...I was so weak then; powerless and pathetic--all I could do was promise him I would get you back safely."

    Sirius was now sitting on one knee, keeping his face close to Lucas, who now desperately tried to hide his pained expression by looking down towards his hands.

    "Sora!"

    Calling out without turning his sight away from hispanion, Sirius beckoned the attention of the man heading the carriage, being met with a quick response.

    "Yeah?"

    Sora had to yell over the ruckus caused by both the carriage being drawn forward and the thundering, meaty footsteps of Bemo.

    "Are you up for a bit of friendlypetition? Whoever finds the bastard responsible for this husk-bullshit and takes him out wins."

    "Hell yeah! You''re on!"

    Hearing the agreement on this subject by his twopanions, Lucas slowly raised his gaze to meet with Sirius'' beaming smile.

    "Are you in?"

    "...That''s not fair."

    Looking at the unchanging smile on Sirius'' expression as his abyssal hair flowed against the moving winds, it was that same stubbornness again--only a "yes" or "no" would be sufficient; Lucas wasn''t sure if even a "no" would work.

    "Fine. I''m in."

    Lucas'' answer was quickly subsided as his hair was met with a rough ruffle from Sirius, who let out a chuckle.

    "--Cut it out!"

    "I''m just trying to warm this noggin'' of yours up!"

    "Huh?"

    "You''re our brains, right? We need a n to stop the mage behind all of this."

    In all honesty, Lucas knew going into this mission that pairing Sirius and Sora up was a decision he could only ssify as "absolutely risky". They were kindred souls in that they were wild, free, and loved battle--they were also the two given the most freedom by Beatrice herself to act out their own way.

    --She had to know they woulde to this conclusion, right? Sirius and Sora would never abandon innocent people--did she expect me to rein them in? No...I have no say of what these two do. She wanted this, didn''t she? She just didn''t want to see it outright...The choice was left up to us.

    He brought his emerald gaze back up to Sirius, who was now scanning his eyes over the map, running the fabric of his white glove over the brittle material.

    --If there is one person capable of pulling off a miracle such as this--it''s Sirius Federov.

 Chapter 148 - Times Of Mercy

    Gritting his teeth, his body felt like an oven; the prolonged, continuous usage of Particle Shade to traverse the pitch-ck side of the cliff had pushed him more than he thought. The constant, subtle vibration he could feel glide across his fingertips put him in a constant state of anxiety as he waited for the burrowers thatid dormant.

    It was hard to tell just how far he had climbed by now; not trusting his own sense of time as all of his other senses at the moment werecking. All he knew was that he was high enough now to illicit that ticklish filling from within his abdomen--as if a million little butterflies were dancing about from within his stomach.

    --Still nothing from that damn cat...I don''t want to admit it, but I miss his stupid "nya"--anything is better than the ambiance of this creepy cavern.

    Every little noise felt as if they were trying to pry his fingertips from the rigid, cold stone: the periodic, distant pping of wings, the rumbling from within the tower of stone, distant but heavy footsteps--he had to act fast to resolve his mind for this, overriding his own instincts as he clung to the wall. Each inch surmounted, moving his hand up as he desperately pped his hand against the sharp stone, pricking his fingers as he grabbed hold of his next step--he prayed and waited for his sensory spell to recognize the summit of this enigmatic obstacle.

    His own rugged, anxious breathing filled his hearing, only slightly obscuring the distant yet looming groans of whatever creatures inhabited this forsaken realm.

    "I''m strong,"--he repeated this to himself over and over as the dreadful, mmy atmosphere seeped into his pores, propelling his heartbeat. Telling himself this so fervently, so frequently--it began to feel like a lie.

    One more reach up with his fingertips, he had realized something: his spell was unable to recognize a difference in substances. It was a minuscule shoring of the ability, but at this moment--it was everything. He assumed his digits would meet with firm, albeit slightly damp rock. Instead, some sort of gooey, sludge-like substance made his fingers slip right off of the hold,pletely throwing him off bnce as he blindly put his faith in that hold.

    He could feel the weight of his entire body being pulled down by gravity, the ever-present force tugging on the hood of his cloak as he swiped his hand forward with desperation--finding his prayers answered at that moment. A miracle; he took hold of the same hold, this time tightening his grip and oveing the slippery nature of the substance coating the narrow groove.

    Taking a moment to himself, thanking fate herself for him not being red paste on the ground below, Ren kept himself close to the wall as he inhaled and exhaled with his jaw hung open.

    --"Magic"--you would think learning something hailed as mystical and powerful would rise you above situations like these. Maybe; maybe not. I''m sure someone like Sora could scale this thing in a single jump...Just thinking about that makes me want to puke, but also makes me want to try harder.

    Ren took in a huff that reinvigorated his worn-out body, beginning once again his arduous climb up the pitch-ck tower of rock.

    He allowed himself to fall into a lull of mindless momentum, focusing the entirety of himself to climbing the unweing stone before atst, his fingers met the summit. It was a feeling ofplete tion, his eyes widening at half-disbelief and half-shock before he pulled his body up, falling onto the stone as he let his body go limp while catching his breath.

    Expelling and weing air into and out of his lungs, Ren pulled himself up after a minute--meeting face to face with the familiar, fur-covered face of a certain cat.

    "I''m surprised-nya."

    "...Huh?"

    "I thought for sure that initial fall would be the death of you-nya."

    Pausing for a moment, Ren watched with a droop of his eyebrows as the familiar cat looked back at him with its swaying tail.

    "Where the hell were you?"

    Ren sat down against the ufortable stone, brushing the collective dust from his calloused hands before cing them down against his knees, looking for an answer from the feline.

    "I was summoned by my masters-nya."

    "How convenient that you showed right back up the moment I reached the summit��Anyway, I''ve got a question for you."

    Asking the eloquent feline, Ren reached behind his cloak as Bifrons twitched his ears out of curiosity, watching as the adventurer retrieved a peculiar dagger from a makeshift sheath. Even in the realm thatcked radiance, the beauty of the obsidian de was clear as day; an entrancing site that even caught Bifrons'' sharp eye for a moment.

    "What''s the deal with this thing?"

    Ren asked, holding the dagger between him and the cat as he presented it to him, rotating his wrist side to side as if disying the serene nature of the enigmatic weapon.

    "It''s a dagger-nya."

    "I knew that already, smartass. I mean what is it really? It''s enchanted, right? No way it isn''t."

    Ren asked, scanning his hazel eyes across the length of the unknown de as he flipped it from one side to the other.

    "This was given to you from the fountain beyond the first floor''s gate, yes?"

    Licking his own paw without a care in the world, Bifrons asked with one eye open, getting a node in response from Ren, who found himself reluctantly thinking the devilish cat actually looked kind of cute at that moment.

    "It''s a gift from the overseers-nya. I can''t say whether or not it is enchanted, but it will be of use to you--that much is certain-nya."

    "Certain, huh? You really don''t know what it can do or are you just being tight-lipped?"

    All he got in response was an innocent, "meow", from the familiar of his. Ren clicked his tongue before retreating his dagger back into the shoddily-made sheath. Looking around, if it wasn''t a ce filled with a plethora of man-eating, murderous monsters, it would actually be quite beautiful. The way the vibrant, opalescent veins of crystals atop the cavern glowed in unison with the countless fireflies, it reminded him of the northern lights--thought he had only seen it in pictures, this far surpassed what his eyes had expected from such a sight.

    --I wonder if she''s looking at this right now as well.

    "So, should I be watching out for the guardian? That big guy got to me right away on the first floor��"

    Ren asked as he stood up, adjusting his belt to make sure all of his resources were intact. Holding his arm out, he gave ess for Bifrons to leap onto his shoulder like catching anding falcon.

    "I wouldn''t worry about that; the nature of the second floor is vastly different from that of the first-nya."

    "Yeah, how so?"

    "There are conditions that must be met to encounter the second guardian-nya. To put it in a way you would understand: think of this as a scavenger hunt-nya. Eight keys in total are needed to unlock the gate that seals the second guardian-nya."

    Bifrons exined as his tail swatted Ren''s cheek, causing the young man to have to retrieve a loose strand of hair from his lip with a disgusted expression.

    "--Eight? That doesn''t sound too bad...I''m guessing there are certain challenges to get these items, right? Just like a damn RPG��"

    "Indeed; though the real trouble is holding onto those keys-nya."

    "Huh?"

    "I told you; there are many more challengers within the second floor-nya. Having a key makes you quite the scrumptious target, no-nya?"

    Ren had already begun walking along the surface of the high-standing stone ground, making his way towards the ruinous castle that sat ahead of his sights. Hearing this, he went silent for a moment as he remembered his encounter on the first floor that ended in blood.

    --I don''t want to repeat that. It''s sounding like there isn''t much of a choice, though. If this floor really is a ce full of murderers...I have to find Iris that much faster now.

    "Do you know where any of these keys are?"

    "I don''t--but I can find out. However; I''d rmend thinking greatly before using my senses-nya."

    "...Why?"

    Ren had noticed something ever since Bifrons reappeared after he climbed the cliff; the taut-mouthed demon-cat previously was reluctant to pass on any information that weighed more than lint, but now he was parting with knowledge freely.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --Something changed...For now, it''s a good thing--but I''ll keep my guard up.

    "If I were to use my scouting ability, the other familiars would sense my position and likely alert their designated adventurer."

    "So we''d basically be yelling out our position to the world?"

    "Precisely-nya."

    Knowing that these keys may already be in the hands of other adventurers, he was hesitant to search them out, at least for the time being.

    "I''ve got one more question."

    "You have quite a few, I doubt this is thest one-nya."

    Ren could feel his blood pressure rise every so slightly with every jab of the feline''s words but continued to press on with his question and destination with a sigh.

    "...Where do I use these things?"

    Retrieving a crimson coin from one of his belt pouches, he held it in front of the cat''s eyes as it was perched atop his shoulder.

    "I ran into a guy named Gggher on the first floor, but he isn''t the only vendor, right?"

    "That''s correct-nya. There are a few Ggghers, one for each floor in fact. The location of his shop changes frequently though so it''s mostly based on chance-nya."

    "Wait, multiple Ggghers, hold up--"

    Ren''s confusion was quickly and passively sidelined as Bifrons continued speaking without any intention of being interrupted.

    "There is another usage of those coins; pay them to the fountain as a direct offering to the gods. You may find yourself lucky enough to find a sponsorship from one of the overseers."

    "...Huh."

    It was definitely a more readily avable option than waiting for the off-chance to encounter Gggher''s shop.

    Ending the brief conversation with Bifrons, Ren realized he had be momentarily distracted, not realizing that once again--he was walking across a bridge suspended far above the abyss. Though this one looked to be man-made; moss-covered, withered cobblestone that still bore its intricate, artistic designs that ran across the railings. It was impossible to make out what all of the symbols made as most had been eroded, but what caught his eye was the etching of a four-headed dragon.

    Seeing some form of history, he found himself somewhat anxious yet excited to enter the bowels of the awaiting castle that sat within this abyssal cavern.

    The main section of the castle towered high, ending in four prongs that each were carved into statues of differing warriors. Poles jutted out from each side of these moss-covered walls, bearing decrepit gs that no longer showed any allegiances. The size of the kingly abode likely rivaled Aus'' manor from his somewhat educated guess.

    "Any clue what this castle is? Should I be preparing myself for a fight?"

    Stepping in front of the rusted gates that separated him from the courtyard of the abandoned estate, Ren shook his arms to warm them up.

    "You should always be prepared for a fight within these walls, Ren-nya. However, I''d be doubly on-guard with this ce-nya."

    "I gotcha; I bet a field boss is waiting for me there."

    Using game lingo that the cat quite obviously didn''t catch, Ren held a slight smile, slipping Belus out from its leathery home.

    "--No. I''m not talking about beasts-nya."

    "Huh?"

    Turning his face towards the entity sitting on his shoulder, Ren awaited a further exnation-ing to his own conclusion but wanting to hear it out loud.

    "What awaits you within that domain is an enemy of a human variety-nya."

    "...Do you have to talk so mysteriously, man? So, there''s a person in there...How do you even know they''re an "enemy", anyway?"

    "I don''t, but it''s best to assume that everything within Purgatory is your enemy-nya."

    It was a mindset he definitely could understand, but the prospect of another person like him being there only gave hope to him--Ren knew it might be naive, but he was willing to take the chance. The only question he could ask himself in this scenario was one he didn''t quite know the answer to.

    --"Am I strong enough to take chances like these?", I have to consider maybe I''m stepping a bit over my boundaries here...Bifrons is likely right. Still...I can''t do it. I can''t. I won''t.

    Hesitantly, Ren came to his decision--hiding Belus within its sheath as he could clearly feel Bifron''s eyes lock onto him just from that single action.

    "I know what you''re going to say; don''t. I''ve made up my mind."

    "I wasn''t going to say anything-nya."

    Taking in a breath of the musky air, Ren pressed his hand against the cold, peeling bars as they opened with a less than subtle whistle of old steel, wincing as he prayed the noise didn''t attract any malicious entities.

    Filling the courtyard were long since abandoned hedges that were nothing more than ckened, jagged branches that disyed no green. The sight of crimson silhouettes stered against the cracked stone that made up the pathway to the front doors allowed caution to guide his step.

    --There''s half a dozen...Someone must''ve found some trouble around here.

    Ren kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, scanning his surroundings before taking each step.

    "Ren."

    It waspletely out of the blue to hear the shapeshifting cat call out to him first, dropping his usual "nya"--Ren didn''t know which of those two aspects freaked him out the most.

    "...Yeah?"

    "Before you step through that door, I must ask if you know the rule of Purgatory pertaining to challenger-on-challengerbat?"

    The wordscked any yfulness;ing out with urgency as he looked over at Bifrons, who had his eyespletely locked on therge, wooden doors reinforced by jet-ck steel. Stopping for a moment, Ren gave a nod after remembering some vivid images he had hoped stayed buried within his headspace.

    "You mean that if you die by the hands of another challenger--you die, right?"

    Bifrons nodded his head, his tail stopped swaying side to side as Ren then continued his way to the door, traversing the small flight of eroded stairs. Standing between two ivory pirs that held the stone-b above his head in ce, Ren slowly ced his hand on the gilded handle of the door, taking a few breaths to himself.

    --No blood will be spilled when I open this door.

 Chapter 149 - The Girl From A Foreign Land

    Allowing his thoughts to no longer cause hesitance, Ren pulled on the handle, opening the dense doors slowly as the interior air met with his skin--a dank, mmy atmosphere released. Right away--his eyes caught the existence of orange mes inhabiting torches of ck metal, lining the interior pirs. Seeing some semnce of light beyond the faint luminescence alleviated his nervousness, stepping inside the enigmatic abode.

    It was even more rundown than he had anticipated; debris took refuge on the floors which were tainted by ash and rubble.

    Standing in the middle of the decrepit entrance to this old castle, he looked up to see the miraculously still-standing staircase, spiraling around each wall to lead up to the very pinnacle of the building. For a moment, his senses were dulled as he let himself investigate the state of these ruins--only noticing until the sensation was potent--something was approaching.

    "Ren, to your left!"

    "I''ve got it--!"

    With not a moment to spare, Ren pivoted his body and leaned back, avoiding the iing blur that made itself out to be d in a gauntlet of sorts, formed of splendid gold and serene ivory. In that moment of adrenaline, with the obscuring of the shadows left by the mes, he was unable to get a clear look at his assant.

    Another strike came directly for his jaw, redirecting it with the palm of his hand and retaliating with a swift kick of his own, evaded by his agile opponent leaping backward with a set of flips.

    --Is this guy a ninja or something? What the hell!

    It was only a brief glimpse; neatly-wrapped robes of dirtied white and gold, decorated with floral patterns. This one-moment sight was quickly cut off as the figure approached him again with a dash of incredible speed.

    A flurry of fists came his way, meeting each of them with his protective arms as he guarded and deflected them with the same dexterity as his unknown attacker. All of these moves were drilled into his body from the countless hours he spent under the guidance of his mentors, specifically the abrasive woman herself. It was surprising even to him; he had yet to test these moves against someone other than his mentors, finding them to be more than sufficient for his current opponent.

    --It''s like he''s moving in slow-motionpared to them. I can handle this--without resorting to extreme measures!

    To handle the next swift jabing his way, Ren propelled his hand down with a subversive p that jutted their arm down, allowing him to grab hold of their forearm and spin them around.

    "I''ve got you! Now, listen up--"

    As Ren attempted to take advantage of his hold on the enigmatic fighter, temporarily distracted by their jaw-level, curled locks that were a mix of beige and scarlet--an unorthodox move was performed. The swift warrior used the pir directly in front of them as a foothold, traversing it upwards as defiance of gravity and spinning their body in a way that no longer held their arm as a liability.

    --They aren''t very strong, that much I know from the weight behind those punches--but their agility is beyond human. It''s not just speed...I''ve never seen someone move like this.

    Seeing the iing flip-kick, he shielded the top of his head with a cross-guard of his arms, attempting to grab hold of their leg in response to this attack, only for them to slip back in another middle-finger to Newton''sw.

    "Cut it out already! I''m not an--"

    Before he could get hisst word out, he had to eat his words to evade an axe kick that he almost didn''t seeing. As more exchanges were had, he began to feel out their rough build; clearly, they were about a head shorter than him, their physique being on the thin side yet holding some muscrity clearly by their performance.

    Finally finding his moment, Ren caught both of their gauntlets as they went for an unorthodox pincer attack on each side of his head, gripping their fists tightly and pulling them close to finally get a look at them.

    "Huh?"

    It was the only verbal sound simple enough to leave his dazed mouth as he saw their face. Those big, violet eyes that glimmered with the same shock he held their fair, thin face with a small, button nose. Two bandages sat on each cheek of theirs that seemed to take on a slight blush from the close proximity.

    "You''re a girl?!"

    Finally finding the ability to enunciate proper words, Ren asked almost in a gasp. For some reason, the feminine fighter looked just as shocked to his face--maintaining eye contact with him before pulling herself free from his grasp.

    "Why''re you here? And those clothes...Are you an exile?"

    The voice was unmistakable belonging to a girl, her question reaching his ears sharply as she kept her eyes locked onto him.

    "Huh? An exile? I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    "Don''t feign ignorance! You''re from Akiteien!"

    --"Akiteien"? Hold on, that''s tantly Japanese! Now that I have a good look at her...She''s definitely Japanese as well. Or at least...This world''s equivalent.

    Rejecting her im wasn''t exactly the obvious choice as it wasn''t right to say he was from Mastorn either. This was the singr chance he had--the only opportunity to dissolve the dispute between the two.

    --If I say I''m from this "Akiteien" ce then she might still bebative if she thinks I''m some sort of exile. Mastorn...From what I''ve heard, it isn''t exactly a kingdom beloved by other nations--so that''s off the table as well. Telling her I''m an otherworlder might be the riskiest choice of them all...Though being honest with her could just be my one ticket.

    Lowering his fists as he took in a deep breath, closing his eyes, he opened them once more to meet with her own pearly irises. He checked briefly on Bifrons, who somehow found himself the opportunity to fall into slumber despite the tense situation.

    "...I''m Ren Nakamura--I''m not from this "Akitein" region or whatever, the ce I was born is Japan!"

    "Japan?"

    The beige-haired girl tilted her head at his introduction, slowly pronouncing the name of his birthce with a perplexed expression.

    "That''s right! It''s a nation on Earth! I''m...I''m an otherworlder!"

    Although he announced it with seeming confidence, he could feel his body heat up just from letting the word "otherworlder" leave his lips in front of one native to this world. To his surprise, her expression softened instead of turning further into malice.

    "An otherworlder?"

    The girl ran her eyes up and down his body before meeting back up to his eyes as her shoulders loosened, folding her arms across her chest.

    "Do you believe me?"

    "There is no reason why anybody would lie about such a thing; it would lead to a fool''s death, I suppose. Still...An otherworlder in Purgatory. Why?"

    "Before that; I think you owe me something in return."

    With the prospect of battle diminished, Ren took a seat on a b of fallen stone, brushing the restingyer of dust off before cing his rear down. Hesitantly, she met the same position, seating herself with her back against the pir chiseled with star-like symbols.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking at her now without the intensity of battle looming over his sight; she was a beauty of her own. The garments she wore struck a bnce between being practical forbat and enhancing her cuteness factor, wearing loose white and gold robes over a ck undersuit that clung to her body. With her arms exposed from the shoulder down, they were thin but chiseled in their own way; showing that she didn''t shy away from training at all.

    Though, she did look a couple of years younger than himself--that conclusion was unfortunately driven by his degenerate mindset of weighing age by the size of one''s bust; which she held very humble measurements in thatpartment.

    "Owe you? If you want an apology for a fight then--"

    "No, no. I gave you my name--so I want yours."

    Ren flipped his hair as if he were in some sort of dating simtor, giving him his best smile he tucked away for special asions. Clearly not expecting this, the girl gave him a slight pout by puffing her cheek out, looking up at him with her noble, violet eyes.

    "Aiko."

    "Aiko��?"

    He raised an eyebrow, gently running his index finger along the silky fur of Bifrons; only getting this opportunity while the cunning feline took rest.

    "Don''t push it! You don''t need to know my family name--I still don''t know if I should let you live!"

    Seeing this somewhat flustered, prickly reaction from the petite girl, watching her fringes bounce as she jabbed her finger towards him.

    "Alright, alright...Anyways, you''ve got one like this guy right?"

    Ren asked, ever so softly pressing his finger against the forehead of the slumbering cat on his shoulder.

    "Of course I have an attendant. Camio, wake up."

    Getting his confirmation, Ren watched as Aiko asked quietly for "Camio" to awaken, witnessing the pouch at her side protrude with the existence of something inside before the p swung open. Peeking out from the pouch was the head of a white-feathered crow, looking towards him with its beady, scarlet eyes that had no pupils.

    "Oh, I see you''ve found yourself apanion."

    "...He''s not mypanion."

    --A bird? At least it doesn''t say "nya"...

    Ren gave it a slight wave with a nervous chuckle, "Hey, I''m Ren--"

    "Oh, I know who you are, child. You needn''t waste your breath with such words known to me."

    To be so tantly shut down by a talking bird felt like the lowest-low he had experienced, weakly retreating his hand as he only gave a quiet nod in response.

    Still, to be able to talk to someone at all without the prospect of battle--Ren couldn''t put into words how much it revitalized both his mind and body. A reprieve from the constant fighting that inhabited Purgatory was invaluable, he didn''t know how much longer his psyche wouldst if it were not for this unexpected break.

    "Now, you got my name, so answer my question."

    --Wow, she''s prickly. Giving her name only made things even yet she jumps right into demanding answers from me, sheesh.

    Ren exhaled through his nose as he met with her intense, resolved gaze--deciding to give in to her answer. From what she could tell, she was cautious, and not answering a simple question would likely lead to a dissolving of this briefpanionship, or worse.

    "I''m here to get stronger; it''s that simple. With the argonauts wanting my head on a pike, I have no other choice but to acquire as much strength as I can. Right now though...I''m looking for someone."

    "Someone?"

    "A..rade of mine. We got separated at the start. I know they''re somewhere on this floor so I have to find them."

    Honesty; it was risky, but he decided to trust his gut on this girl not being aplete and murderous psychopath like the previous challenger he met.

    For a moment, Aiko became quiet as if digesting this answer before whispering something to Camio. Watching these unknown words be exchanged, Ren became anxious, awaiting the answer that woulde from her lips.

    "From our brief encounter, I can tell you''re a formidable fighter and from the looks of it...You don''t seem to have any malicious intent."

    "So��?"

    Hearing this, Ren''s ears sparkled a bit at the prospect of what was about toe.

    "I''ll apany you to find thispanion of yours, but on one condition."

    "...Yeah?"

    "You''ll have to help me take care of something."

    As Aiko asked this, she twiddled with her hair a bit, averting her gaze as she looked down towards the side.

    "Deal!"

    "Eh?"

    Ren''s answer came immediately without any hesitation, jumping up from his seat as he extended her hand towards her for a handshake to seal the deal.

    --With someone like her who knows her way around here, she''ll be invaluable in helping find Iris. Also...she looks younger than me--I can''t in good conscience let her travel alone.

    Even though he told himself this, it was more along the lines of him not wanting to travel alone, at least, not with just his familiar that slept most of the time.

 Chapter 150 - New Ally

    "...I need to make certain of something...You''ve just entered the second floor, haven''t you?"

    He was left hanging with his hand in front of her as she stopped him to ask a question first, letting her familiar perch itself on her slender shoulder.

    "You can tell?"

    "The fact you didn''t try to kill me the moment we made contact is enough to know that, or maybe you''re just truly an idiot. Either way...There is only one reason I want to form an alliance. There are a band of challengers that have grouped together...A real nasty bunch, I don''t know if they''re even trying to get past the second floor anymore or if they''refortable ruling over this floor. Anyway, I''d like your assistance in wiping them out"

    "Wipe them out?"

    Ren asked with a bit of worry in his voice, pulling his hand back before she had the opportunity to shake it.

    "Is there a problem? They''re tough, but I''ve seen how you can handle yourself--I think together with the right caution and nning, we could do it."

    Seating himself back down on the b of stone inhabiting the dust-covered floor of the oncevish keep, Ren listened as Aiko divulged her n.

    "I''m not worried about them being too much."

    "Then it''s fine?"

    "I don''t want to kill anyone. I won''t."

    Making it known in and simple; the room fell silent for a moment as Aiko looked into his eyes--the steely yet devoid look in his chestnut eyes left no room for argument. One look at his unmoving expression and eyes, she could see that there was definitely something in there he didn''t want to dig up.

    "You do know where you''re at, right? There is no room for mercy here, only the strongest can survive these trials--"

    "I know that already! What''s the point of bing strong if I have to abandon everything else first? What''ll be left for me to protect? If I be some cold-blooded, thoughtless murderer in the process--will I even use my strength to protect them? Not just that; making the choice to take another life...I''m afraid after that I''ll start to value life less and less. It''s selfish, I know, but I don''t want to be that kind of person."

    He caught himself as he unintentionally let his words out sharply, grating them against the girl as he brought his hand to his chin to cool himself off. Even though he didn''t remember it well, he could still vividly feel that sickening sensation as he drove steel through the flesh of Goldheve. Feeling warmth shift to cold as life fled to death; it wasn''t something he wanted to truly experience firsthand.

    "...We don''t have to kill them then."

    "Really?"

    Aiko nodded in response, letting out a brief sigh as she held a prolonged link before turning her gaze to the young man again.

    "If I''m being honest; leaving them alive is a total risk so I''m leaving the responsibility to you."

    "We''ll just have to beat them well and good so that they don''t try anything!"

    --This is a good opportunity; with them having their own share of keys, this is a quick and efficient way to acquire some. With apanion of my own with me, this is my best chance. I''m pretty damn lucky today, aren''t I? Apanion--a cute one at that.

    "--Quite a childish conclusion toe to, but I agree."

    Noticing that Calio had fallen into slumber, Aiko carefully lifted the albino crow before guiding it back into the pouch it originally came out from, closing it and giving it a gentle pat.

    "So, do you know anything about this group?"

    Asking this, Ren looked around the lobby they were sitting in, feeling a bit wary by theck of windows-pletely obscuring their vision of what could be lying outside. Aiko nodded her head, running her fingers over the smooth, fine-metal of her gauntlets; brushing the tip of her digits against the scarlet gems that sat on the center of each armored glove.

    "...I had a run-in with them earlier, I was forced to retreat...I thought you were one of them��"

    "That''s why you tried to rip my head off the moment I walked in, huh?"

    Putting it that way, Aiko meekly nodded her head as if apologizing for her actions silently. Seeing her like that, Ren felt likeforting her with a head pat but didn''t want to risk losing his hand in the process.

    "They''re led by a man named Leo; the rumor is he is an ex-argonaut��"

    As she told him this, Aiko looked at Ren as if trying to gauge his reaction to the identity of their target. The young man stopped in ce, running his gloved fingers across his chin while keeping his arms folded across his chest.

    "An argonaut...That could be troublesome. They''re all pretty strong, right?"

    "Mm."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Aiko nodded her head, watching as Ren ruffled his head of snowy locks with a sharp breath, nting his rear back down on his chosen seat.

    "What kind of magic does Leo have? How many people are in his group? Do you know their abilities?"

    Ren began to ster his newfoundpanion with questions, looking at her with watchful eyes as he rested his chin against his hands.

    "Urr...He uses high-level fire magic...From what I saw, he had three people with him, but there could be more. I didn''t get to see the full-extend of their abilities��"

    "I get it; you were pressed by their numbers. I''d probably tuck-tail and run if I was in your situation as well. They have keys, right?"

    Hearing his next question, Aiko looked at him for a moment before nodding. A confident smile painted itself on his face as his eyes sparkled for a moment.

    "I''m feeling pretty good; I think we can give them a bit of an introduction today."

    "...Wait, wait, wait. Right now? Are you sure?"

    "I don''t know why, but I''m fired up! If they are well-acquainted with this floor, they might have a lead on mypanion. Even so, having an actual destination might help find them as well. Bifrons, wake up!"

    Inplete honesty, Ren was so anxious to take care of these malicious adventurers out of his protective nature of Iris--the thoughts of what a group of ill-natured men who''ve been holed up in Purgatory all of this time would do to a lovely girl like that made him sick to his stomach. "Fired up"--it was another way to describe the clear-cut rage he felt imagining this; he wanted nothing more than to put these guys in their ce. Still, he opted not to show the girl this side of himself, keeping his boiling blood under wraps.

    Standing himself up with proper enthusiasm, Ren poked the cheek of the cat as it was plucked from its blissful dreamstate; yawning cutely before it moved its magenta gaze to Ren with scorn.

    "...What is it-nya? Oh, I see you''ve made a newpanion-nya. Pleased to meet you, I am Bifrons--attendant to Ren."

    The smooth-furred cat sat itself up, lowering its head as if bowing for a moment as he introduced himself to the new existence.

    "...I''m Aiko. This is Calio, my attendant."

    She opened the p of the pouch used as a room of rest for the all-white bird, showing its sleeping state to Bifrons.

    "Ah, I''m well acquainted with Calio-nya. So what brings about this unlikely unison of two challengers-nya?"

    As Bifrons asked this, quickly following up by cleaning himself like a cat, Aiko and Ren exchanged looks before the man decided to answer.

    "Well, it seems others have already teamed up--so this is to even the odds a bit."

    "I see. Not a bad n at all; likely the only one that could work in this environment-nya. To ovee a numerical disadvantage, one would need to make up for it with a vastly higher power of their own-nya,"

    "Anyway...Can you do the thing? The sensory thing?"

    Ren asked, cing his palms together and shutting one eye, giving a soft plea to the recently awakened feline.

    "And you''re certain you want me to do this-nya

    Bifrons asked, looking between the twopanions who both gave him affirmative nods before he let out a sigh of his own.

    Following Ren''s asking, Bifrons'' eyes briefly shifted into aplete white, taking a radiant azure that emitted an almost blinding light.

    A wind separate from that which stood still in the realm of Purgatory pulsated from the familiar''s origin, unleashing a deafening hum as Ren could feel his pores tremble from the unknown sensation. It was nauseating to say the least; finallying to an end as Bifrons'' eyes returned to a normal state.

    "Three keys are a thousand meters to the north of here; they seem to all be within a single area-nya."

    "...That must be their base. It''s a cleared out quarry."

    Aiko looked over at Ren, who nodded his head quickly, "Let''s go then! We can''t really stand around here anymore anyways!"

    "That''s correct-nya."

    Deciding to leave the directions to the one who had actually somewhat explored the floor, Ren followed closely behind Aiko as they traversed the winding halls of the abandoned castle before finding their way out of the back--meeting with the endless cavern once more as a series of bridges presented themselves. To little surprise, Bifrons already returned to his slumber.

    --Do these familiars run on batteries or something?!

 Chapter 151 - Two Heads Are Better Than One

    "--Who headbutts a girl?! Why''re you not even hurt?!"

    Aiko yelled out as she held her throbbing forehead, feeling her blood rush to the spot of impact, hoping a bump wouldn''t form.

    "Who randomly starts attacking their partner, huh?! Talk to me! What''s wrong, Aiko?!"

    He didn''t know exactly why he was so riled up, but at least the flowing emotions had dulled the mutually assured pain that came with a raw collision of foreheads.

    "...Nothing."

    "Don''t give me that crap!"

    Ren didn''t let up, swiping his hand to the side as he brought his face close to hers, not allowing her to avert her eyes.

    "...I can''t do it."

    The words came out meekly from her lips as her pupils trembled ever so slightly, trying her best to look away from him.

    "Huh?"

    "I don''t want to go back to them."

    "I get it...I''m guessing it was a scary encounter, but I''m here now."

    Trying tofort the clearly distressed girl, Ren ced his hands on his shoulders to try and get her to look at him. Aiko only shook her head slightly as her lip trembled before speaking her next words.

    "...There is something I need to tell you. I should''ve told you earlier at the keep."

    "What is it?"

    His soft asking had coaxed her eyes to meet with him once again, it was a scenery he didn''t want to see from her; her watered, trembling irises looking at his own forfort.

    "I was a part of Leo''s group...I didn''t run into them before meeting you; I was escaping."

    "Escaping?..."

    Ren repeating herst word, processing what she had just told him as he could feel her body trembling under hisforting hold. She gave him a slight nod before sniffling; remembering something that had brought upon this distress.

    "They''re horrible--the worst."

    "You can tell me, Aiko. I''m right here; they''re not."

    He couldn''t help but feel like he was witnessing his own little sister break down in front of him; it was already something he had trouble understanding: why a girl of her age was in a ce like this. There wasn''t much experience on his part with helping in situations like this, only knowing to keep her close as he caressed her shoulders, finally getting words out of her.

    "...When I first entered the second floor; it was by chance. Somehow, the first guardian was already weakened...So I took my opportunity. From that...I wasn''t ready for this floor, I died a few times within the first day--until I met him."

    "Leo?"

    Aiko shook her head, "No. Matthias--he saved me from a giant...I''ll never forget the reassuring smile he gave me after cutting down the beast while his blonde, messy hair blew in the wind��"

    The very fact that this person wasn''t right here by her side made Ren reluctant to hear out the rest of this story, watching as an array of emotions ran across her pained eyes. As distressed as she was, speaking the name of this boy brought upon a mncholic smile for a moment.

    "He was strong; stronger than me, more confident, experienced in Purgatory. As powerful as he was, the fact was he had been stuck on the second floor for three years."

    "Three years?..."

    Hearing that, Ren felt his stomach sink a bit--at the same time, this fact helped reassure him Iris was likely still on this floor if it was that arduous.

    "In that time, Matthias found a key--then we found another together after clearing a dungeon. I remember how ecstatic he was that day...He was always so optimistic despite the ce we were in. That all came falling down once a sensor had gone off��"

    Coming to this section of her memories, Aiko flinched at the dredged up past, closing her eyes briefly and taking a deep breath before she continued.

    "It was Leo and his group. There wasn''t any negotiating or mercy; he tore Matthias apart right in front of me."

    "...Why did you join him then?"

    "I didn''t. There is no way I would ever join those monsters...They forced me toe with them. The things they did...I..."

    Watching her bottom lip tremble as one of the held back tears finally escape her eyelids after her valiant attempt to retain her strong image, Ren brought her into an embrace, gently caressing the back of her head as he stared at the wall behind her, seeing nothing but scarlet at that moment.

    "Don''t. Not another word. I''ll take them down; everyst one of them."

    He feared that if she continued speaking, there was no doubt his anger would be unfathomable; not a single cell in his body doubted that he would likely kill them if what he thought had urred was confirmed by Aiko.

    It was a shock to himself; the anger he felt was like none other--his entire body ran warm as his blood boiled within his veins.

    It was far worse than he had expected; this band of adventurers was a threat to Iris that he couldn''t leave wandering around. At first, his only motivation was to take out these hostile adventurers to protect Iris, but something else spawned within his heart seeing how vulnerable the girl in front of him became.

    --I''ll protect you, Aiko; it doesn''t have to just be Iris--I''m strong enough to protect more than just one person.

    "We should call it a night and set up camp around here."

    After a few minutes of caressing the girl''s head, Ren stood up, looking around as he targeted his words towards her.

    "I''m fine--"

    "No. It''s not just you; I don''t want to go after them yet."

    Aiko gave him a confused look as she watched Ren sit himself down, covering his face with his gloves as he held that stance for a prolonged moment.

    --Not right now. If I run into them while I''m like this--I won''t be able to hold myself back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know a better ce than this...Though, it might be overrun with creatures right now."

    epting his proposal, Aiko twiddled with her hair as she spoke, looking down at her white boots that had been sullied by dust and dirt alike.

    "That''s fine; lead the way."

    Ren was quick on his feet after heating this, extending his hand to help Aiko stand as she looked up at him for a moment as if examining his state of mind--finally moving forward.

    "There is a fountain near this ce, so we should check in."

    "Good idea."

    It didn''t cross his mind until Aiko had mentioned it; if he were to die right now by a creature, he would be resurrected quite a distance away.

    Finding their way out of the dank tunnels, they were put on a grassy path between tworge rock formations leading directly to the ce of interest. It looked like an abandoned manor; covered in vines and old, dried-up fluids that tainted the withered stone.

    "Is this the ce?"

    Ren asked, stepping over a puddle of unknown liquid--pushing past low-hanging vines that almost looked like snakes at the right angle.

    "Mm. It seems quiet...We might''ve gotten lucky."

    Before Aiko could enter first, Ren pushed himself through the hollow entrance, stepping into the musky atmosphere that dwelled in the lost abode.

    As she had said earlier, there was indeed a fountain of resurrection, formed of a pearlescent stone carved into the figure of a winged humanoid. From its palms poured the scarlet liquid of undeath; filling therge bowl as Ren brought himself close to it, taking off his glove before swiping his hand into the lukewarm substance.

    Aiko followed suit; leading Ren towards the room upying the centermost doors of this crumbled manor.

    "...Matthias showed me this ce. He said it was his "secret base", so I don''t think any others know about this ce."

    Grabbing one of the stray quilts, Aiko formed a makeshift mattress with it before seating herself down on top of it.

    From the looks of it, the chamber seemed to function as a library or lounge room, at least it used to. For the most part, the bookshelves were empty, covered in dust if not destroyed altogether. The firece was cramped with ashen timber. It would do though, Ren found the singr point of entry to be a good feature for this room along with the extra nkets--he didn''t know whether or not if it was weird he already cared about Aiko gettingforting rest.

    "I see. Get some rest--I''ll stand guard."

    Ren proposed, standing near the doors as he propped himself up against the threshold, keeping an eye out as there were just enough holes poked into the exterior of the abode to allow him some insight on what was outside.

    "...Are you sure? It should be fine��"

    It was clear as day that she was tired, her eyelids flickering a bit as a yawn came out against her own will, quickly covering her mouth. Ren smiled at the sight, giving a slight chuckle as he gently prodded his finger against the still slumbering feline on his shoulder.

    "I''ve got this sleepy guy with me; I''ll be fine."

    Ren gave her an "OK" sign with his fingers along with a reassuring smile, watching as Aiko hesitantly lowered her head onto the quilt.

    Seeing that this clearly wasn''t enough, he released a yful huff before sitting himself down next to her.

    "Aiko...In my homnd, that name means--"little loved one", kind of fitting."

    Commenting this while looking up at the ceiling inhabited by a subtly swaying chandelier, Ren could feel her gaze look up towards him.

    "I''m not little."

    "That''s news to me."

    Ren teased, looking down to meet with a sharp re from the girl whose hair represented beige winds and scarlet mes.

    "I''m almost an adult now--I''ll be sixteen in a few months."

    "...Where I''m from-- you''re not quite an adult until you''re eighteen."

    She clearly wasn''t fond of that response, giving him a look that made him instinctively move his leg out of her punching range. Looking at her hands in case he did indeed need to avoid a retaliatory strike, he noticed she was still wearing her steel-bound gauntlets.

    "Why''re you still wearing those?"

    Ren asked, looking down towards her gauntlets as Aiko held them close to her chest. Not earning a response right away paired with the shift of emotion in her eyes, Ren vehemently waved his hands to disregard the question.

    "Ah--it''s okay, forget I asked!"

    Aiko gently shook her head, running her armored fingers over the fine steel of her gloves, "...No, it''s okay. I don''t mind telling you."

    Seeing that gentle smile from her felt like a rare treat, finding himself entranced by that heartwarming expression before swiftly averting his eyes as she faced him.

    "My older brother gave them to me when I was still little...It was a parting gift before he set out on his journey around the world. You noticed they look a bit big on me, right?"

    Reminiscing on the origin of her gauntlets, Aiko gave him a brief chuckle as she lifted her hands to disy the oversized gloves.

    "A journey around the world, huh? That sounds nice��"

    "Mm."

    Aiko nodded her head in response, raising herself from her resting position so that she was sitting directly beside Ren.

    "That ce you mentioned--"Akitein", right? What''s it like?"

    "It''s beautiful; surrounding the border of thend are a range of mountains, raised by one of the guardian deities to protect ournd from outsiders. The mountains act like walls, holding bountiful waterfalls that flow down into our rivers...I miss it. That''s how my brother used to describe it to me when I was little."

    Seeing that entranced look in her eyes as she spoke of her homnd forced a smile on his lips, but he couldn''t help but feel somewhat guilty for likely making the girl feel more homesick.

 Chapter 152 - Inaptitude

    "Do you think they''re going to meet us halfway because of that move?"

    Ren asked, keeping up with the short-haired girl as she moved at a hastened paste. She had opted to take the leftmost bridge; somewhat to Ren''s dismay as it had a sharp incline without any railings to hold on to.

    "--No. Though we might run into others beforehand."

    "Remember--"

    "No killing. I know."

    The swift girl was quick to intercept his words with her own, clearly, a bit perturbed by the handicap bestowed upon their alliance. Ren could only find it somewhat depressing that a girl her age was reliant on killing.

    --I can''t imagine what kind of life she likely led up to this point to have no hesitation with taking another life. At that age, your blissful days of immaturity and stress-free days should be the peak of your life--not this.

    Moving one leg after another up the steep form of the bridge sent a ticklish sensation throughout his thighs as he imagined the heights he was at; looking up at the curvature of the stone bridge, feeling his stomach drop just at the sight.

    For a moment, this fear of heights was alleviated at the scenery before him--finally seeing the area that took hold past the castle had opened his eyes. The vastness of it could hardly beprehended by his mind; the colossal walls of this endless cavern were filled with an army of tunnels, dozens of ruined structures inhabited thisnd, some even hanging to the side or upside-down. It looked like something out of a fever dream; acknowledging this, his stomach resumed its tantrum.

    "Come on, slow-poke!"

    Aiko was as natural as they came with this, traversing the windy bridge as if it were a literal walk in the park, looking back as she ushered for herpanion to pick up the paste.

    "...Dammit."

    Swallowing his anxiety, Ren pushed onward, closing his eyes and yelling out as he sprinted up the pathway with all the bravado he could muster. Catching up with her with a slight boost of reinforcement, Ren found himself sliding along the decline of the bridge side by side with her.

    An unavoidable excitement expressed itself across her lips as they slid down, Ren could only find this a slight worrying.

    --Is she a damn adrenaline-junky?!

    "--Listen, we need an actual n!"

    Ren yelled out over the winds that came with their agile traversing of the unorthodox bridge, looking over at Aiko as her mixed-color hair blew against the wind.

    "What happened to those big words earlier?"

    Responding in a slightly teasing manner, Aiko kept her gauntlet against the stone as she slid down as if it were a slide.

    "I''m not going back on anything I said! I''m still down for giving these guys a beatdown, but we can''t just go in blindly, especially when they might know we''reing!"

    Following behind Aiko, Ren found it troubling to hold a conversation while traversing the rollercoaster of a bridge. Before he could get an answer from the girl, she leaped from the side of the bridge, flipping herself over to a chunk ofnd jutting out from one of the gargantuan walls of stone.

    Ren followed her, knowing hesitation would likely lead to a higher chance of failure, he leaped without a second thought,nding next to her.

    "...Warn me before you do that."

    "You did fine; don''t sweat it."

    Aiko gave him a slight smile, knocking her fist against his chest as he still felt the effects of challenging gravity so brazenly. The entire time he went through with this n, Iris'' safety lingered in his mind, impatience filled his mind as he wanted nothing more than to get this over with and find hispanion.

    --Just a bit longer, Iris, just a bit more.

    "Are you sure we''re going the right way? This doesn''t look like a quarry."

    Ren asked, kicking a pebble as he looked around the sombernd filled with nothing but stone, bones, and withered fabric.

    "You''re even dumber than you look if you assumed we were just going to take a path directly to them."

    Hearing the insult that came without any hesitation or jesting tone from Aiko, Ren brushed it off after letting out a defeated exhale, "I''m not talking about that. Everyone on the floor can sense when a sensor is used, right? I still think there is a chance Leo and his crew might move out; either towards the sensor or just change their location since they have keys."

    He watched as Aiko scoped out the wall, poking her head into one of the tunnel entrances before looking back at herpanion, gesturing with her head for him to follow.

    "...You wouldn''t happen to have fire or light magic, would you?"

    Ren asked with a hint of concern as he walked into the ominous, pitch-ck tunnel behind the girl, keeping himself behind her.

    "I do not."

    "Really? ...That''s alright. Yeah, totally fine."

    Trying to convince himself of this, Ren nearly lost it as the dreaded sensation of cobwebs colliding with his face came over him, iling his arms around before peeling the substance from his face. Aftering into contact with the web, Ren frantically ran his fingers through his hair to make sure no critters decided to take refuge in his locks.

    "How did you survive this long?"

    Aiko looked back at him,menting on his less than manly disy. The young man''s hair had beenpletely ruined, sticking out in every direction as he fixed it up in an attempt to retain some level of his dignity.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Good question."

    Not denying the nature of her belittling question, Ren scratched his head with a meek chuckle as he continued down the gloomy path. It was difficult to tell just how wide or narrow the tunnel was; feeling that they were traveling on a gradual decline as all he could do was watch her multi-colored hair bounce with each step she took.

    --Should I try to make small talk? She seems a bit...prickly. Anything is better than this gnawing silence��

    "So, urr--"

    Just as he resolved himself to speak, something had erupted from the floor beyond their position. Out of pure instinct, he pushed past the girl and stepped in front of her to prepare for whatever wasing.

    --A burrower? I can''t see a damn thing!

    "Araphel: Particle Shade!"

    Casting his sensory spell, he unleashed a wave of ck particles that scoured the area beyond his step. It took no longer than a moment for the spell to coil itself around the form of the unknown visitor--quickly helping him to find out that it wasn''t a burrower.

    A moment was needed to process what he was indeed feeling from the particle sense; eight, long and spiky limbs, a round body with countless tiny hairs. When he put these features together--he felt his skin crawl.

    --A spider?!

    As Ren slid Belus out from its sheath, Aiko bolted past him with breakneck speed, moving directly towards the giant arachnid.

    "Hey! Hold on!"

    It was no use trying to halt her step with the momentum she had built up. His hesitance halted him long enough to witness his worries be whisked away as a singr thrust of her gauntlet-d fist had propelled the arachnid back with such force that an echoing squelch filled the dark caves.

    --That''s right...What am I thinking? She''s someone that made it past the first floor.

    The perception he had of a girl he needed to protect was shifted, watching a single punch turn the insect into a mess of verdant ooze stered on the wall.

    "I had it covered."

    Ren walked up beside her, retreating his de back into its holding.

    "I did too."

    She answered without any visible emotion, brushing past him as she moved forward. Somehow he felt that he angered her, but decided it was best not to ask about it.

    Standing beside her, there were three paths waiting in front of them; all three possessed the same pitch-ck veil and howling winds echoing through them.

    "Probably a long shot to ask but--you wouldn''t happen to have any divination spells, would you?"

    "I do not."

    As soon as he uttered thest word of his question, Aiko rejected the notion without as much as a turn of her head.

    "Right. I say we go le--"

    "We''re going right."

    Completely intercepted mid-sentence, Ren watched as Aiko began to make her way down the rightmost tunnel, pausing for a moment before releasing a perturbed slight and catching up to the pricklypanion of his.

    "Aiko...Do you really know where we''re going?"

    His question waspletely and utterly ignored. Normally, he wouldn''t have much of a problem following someone like this, but when time was as valuable as gold when it came to finding Iris--he wasn''t up for taking much of this.

    "Hey! What''s the matter with you? I''m talking to you!"

    Ren grabbed the girl by the shoulder to make her face him. As soon as his hand met with her body, Aiko spun around and gripped his hand--the look in her fierce, violet eyes was simple enough of a sign that she wasn''t ying around.

    He quickly retreated his hand to block the iing spear-hand jab of hers that looked as if it were going for his eye.

    "Watch out, you could''ve seriously taken my eye out!"

    Ren tried to calm her, but for some reason, she had fallen into aggression--attempting to go for another strike with her spear hand as Ren swiftly grabbed her wrist to prevent the attack.

    --If she won''t listen...I''ll have to use a bit of force!

    Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grasp on her wrist before yanking her closer to him, rearing his head back as for a split-second before his next action, she realized what he was about to do. Aiko attempted to evade, but the grip on her wrist was far too tight--having no choice but to be met with the brutal impact of his forehead against her own.

    The headbutt forced a high-pitched wince from Aiko as Ren let go of her arm, letting her back collide with the rugged wall of the tunnel.

 Chapter 153 - A Path Best Taken Alone

    "You really care about your older brother, don''t you?"

    Patting his hand against her surprisingly well-kempt hair in this environment, a tint of scarlet came over the girl''s cheeks.

    "Of course I do!"

    Aiko ced her hands over her flustered cheeks in an attempt to hide her blush--to no avail as the crimson spread its way to her ears.

    "Still though...Akitein sounds pretty amazing. You''ll have to show me around once we''re out of this ce, Aiko."

    "Promise it."

    It was said so quietly and suddenly that Ren felt that he might have mistaken his ears, looking over at the girl as her blush remained as potent as ever.

    "Huh?"

    "Promise me that you''lle with me to Akitein once this is all over!"

    "Ah--alright then!"

    Ren smiled, extending his pinky towards the girl as she gave him a confused look, switching her violet gaze between his hand and his eyes.

    "It''s a little something we do back on my world. A "pinky promise"--here."

    Showing her what it was, Ren reached for her hand, having her extend her pinky finger before he wrapped his around her own.

    "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye! I''ll go with you wherever you want within Akitein!"

    As he repeated the idiom, Ren bounced their interlocked hands yfully before giving her a wide, almost childish smile that magnified her fluster even more.

    "...I''m holding you to it then."

    "Of course! Is it alright if I bring some friends along with me?"

    Asking her this with his beaming smile still present across his lips, the question caused her to puff her cheeks out a bit in a slight pout. Raising her voice more than usual sparked a twitch of Bifrons ears as the familiar still sank into slumber, temporarily garnering Ren''s attention.

    "Ah...Is that a no?"

    Ren asked with a nervous chuckle, scratching his own cheek as he felt as if he were poking a slumbering lioness when she was like this; wearing those heavy gauntlets, he wanted no part in the blunt force they packed.

    "It''s fine! Bring whoever you want! It doesn''t matter how many; I''ll show them all how wonderful Akitein is! Our food puts all other kingdoms to shame!"

    All of a sudden, the previously stoic, cold-shoulder-giving girl spoke so passionately. The only thing he could do was raise his hands up and nod his head.

    "Does it now? I bet it can''tpare to the culinary prowess of Japan!"

    Ren gloated yfully with a "Tsk, Tsk, Tsk"--swaying his finger. Expecting a quick rebuttal of his statement, he looked over to see that Aiko was looking at him as if attempting to say something only to be unable to find her words.

    "Japan...You said that''s where you''re from in your world, right?"

    Asking this curiously, Aiko drew her nket over her shoulders to retain as much warmth andfort as possible.

    "Mm, that''s right."

    "You look like you''re from Akitein--I''ve read in books that some schrs theorize that the world you otherworlderse from is simr to ours in a lot of ways. I bet Japan is like Akitein''s sibling!"

    Hearing this from the beige-haired girl, it somewhat confirmed a hypothesis Ren already had when he first arrived. Between the culture, kingdoms, and names--he knew there was some sort of connection that had to be there.

    "I think you''re probably right about that."

    Ren supported her statement, putting his hand on his chin and nodding as he thought it over a bit more. Talking with her like this, if only for a moment, allowed him to sway his mind away from the hellscape he was in, finding even the gloomy, deste library they sat in to be a haven of its own.

    "Can you tell me about it?"

    "About what?"

    "Your world...Earth."

    That boundless curiosity that sparkles in her eyes was nothing short of being fueled by childlike wonder; forcing a smile across his lips as he found himself victorious in his own, small way.

    "I''ll tell you all you want, but first you have to tell me something."

    Ren kept his arms folded against his chest, finding a slight chilling over his body even with the thick cloth he wore.

    "...Yeah?"

    "Why did youe here, Aiko?"

    The question did away with that glimmer in her jewels, resting her head in her arms as she fell silent for a moment.

    "You''ll think it''s childish."

    "I won''t."

    Ren assured her with his unchanging hazel irises, his quick, serious response affirming this trust in her heart before she raised her head back up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My older brother...The truth is, he was supposed to be back within a couple of years--he promised me that. You see, my family is somewhat important in Akitein...My brother was supposed to be the next head of my family. Right now, my father is sick--that''s why...I have to find my brother."

    "I see...You''re going to ask the gods of this ce to find out where he is?"

    Aiko nodded with Ren''s confirming question, lowering her head back down against her knees. He hovered his hand above her head with the intent of giving her aforting pat but retreated the notion.

    --Letting a kid like her take on this sort of responsibility...I''ll have to give both her dad and her brother a wallop when I go to Akitein.

    It seemed all of this talking had drained thest bit of juice from her batteries, Ren watched as her eyelids began to close slightly.

    "I''ll go stand guard now, alright?"

    Ren gave her a quick ruffle of her hair before standing himself up, giving her a smile as she was clearly too tired not to put up any type of argument.

    --Maybe it was when I first died, maybe it was when I first awakened my ability, just maybe it was when I put Goldheve down--but something changed. A flip switched; a screw came loose--I could feel it this entire time; something fundamentally was different about me.

    This type of anger was never something I experienced. I didn''t want to believe it--I wanted to believe that I could hold it back.

    I can''t. I''m sorry, Aiko...I can''t let you see this. I thought your behavior was just the thorny armor that every here eventually grew, but it was something different, wasn''t it? Despite what they did to you...you still trusted me, Aiko.

    Someone as kind as you--whoever hurt you has to pay.

    Waiting until he could hear her subtle, slumberous breathing, Ren quietly shut the doors behind him as he left the premises.

    "Bifrons."

    Ren gave the cat on his shoulder a soft flick to force it out of its nap.

    "...It''s getting quite bothersome to be rudely awakened so frequently-nya."

    "Do you remember where you sensed those three keys?"

    Ignoring the yawning cat''sints, Ren pressed him for directions, climbing out of one of the hollow sides of the decrepit abode, stepping into the unnatural fields of evergreen.

    "That''s correct-nya. You''re not bringing your partner of yours with you-nya?"

    "She doesn''t need to see this. Someone her age shouldn''t."

    Turning back for a moment, he looked towards the moss-d manor, feeling slightly anxious about leaving her alone there, but as she said--it was a seldom known area. He ced his trust in that very fact, turning his back towards the house as he moved forward.

    "Whether or not that is the usual case, she is a participant of Purgatory-nya. There isn''t much you can do to shelter her from the harshness of this realm-nya."

    "I''m not here to argue. Do you remember the location of that group or not?"

    "I do-nya. A "please" would be greatly appreciated."

    Waiting for a disy of proper manners, Bifrons received nothing, releasing a small sigh as he stood himself up on Ren''s shoulder, giving a slight smack to the young man''s cheek with his fluffy tail.

    "Follow this trail until you reach a three-way divide; from there, take the rightmost path and follow the trail of bone-oak until you reach the quarry. Now if you''ll excuse me, I''ll be resuming my nap."

    Giving sufficient directions, Bifrons curled himself back up before closing his eyes. With an answer given and a clear destination in his sights, Ren gave a gentle pat to the feline''s head before moving onward through the trail of green.

    "Thanks, Bifrons."

    --It isn''tpletely right to say I''m doing this simply because of my own anger or out of worry for the others. When I sit around, when I rest--it just feels wrong. I need it. I need to fight, I need to dull the pain with something else; feeling my heart thump inside my ears, sparks formed from the sh of steel, feeling the vibrations in my bones. All of that lessens the ever-present pain.

    It was a somewhatforting environment; within the realm of stone and darkness, the stretch of natural green made him forget just for a moment that he was within the bowels of hell itself. Though the enigmatic flowers that embedded themselves in this soil took that illusion right away, disying what looked like rows of teeth between their crimson petals.

    The trees themselves, while different, were serene in their own way; covered with silver, almost ashen leaves that clung to ckened oak which wasthered in sap.

    Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

    Frantic, dense footsteps suddenly came into existence, Ren''s ears guiding his gaze towards the side of the steep cliff that ran parallel to him, witnessing therge form of the approaching entity that was without a doubt hostile.

    It was a giant, simr to the one he found slumbering in the depths below; though its skin was tan, as if it were formed of rock itself, standing several times his own height as it wore the same type of rag over its head as its predecessor.

    Each enormous stride forward was followed by a bellowing grunt before it came close enough to the human that it leaped into the arrow, raising its muscr leg for a vicious stomp.

    "--You couldn''t have picked a worse time. I''m in a bad mood."

    With no haste in his movements, Ren muttered as he ced his hand on the handle of his trust de--between the time it took him to unsheath it andmit to aplete swing was less than a blink, causing the colossal creature to crash against the ground as its leg was separated from its body.

    A perfect cut; from the thigh below, the appendage of the giant fell to the ethereal grass with a squelch, dying the green into a crimson.

    Witnessing the odds so clearly stacked against itself, the monster''s malicious nature crumbled as it attempted to show its submissiveness by cing both palms upward with its head bowed down. Somehow seeing this only furthered Ren''s contempt that clouded his mind, squeezing the hilt of Belus so tightly that he feared it may shatter.

    "Raise your head."

    As he thought, the giant understood human speech--raising its head that was covered in a tattered, stained, brown rag.

    That moment of mercy that first bore those words into reality quickly dwindled as Ren still raised his sword above his head, bringing it down against the sturdy neck of the gargantuan creature as if it were nothing more than a dish ready to be diced.

    It was an outlet for his anger, yet it did nothing to quell that fire burning him up from within. Looking at the scarlet liquid that tainted Belus'' pristine steel, Ren swiped the de before continuing on his path. There was no diminishing this feeling scorching his heart until he paid the malicious group of adventurers a personal visit.

 Chapter 154 - The Prince From Lucrauv

    "I get it--this is your ability, isn''t it? You were hiding it all of this time?"

    Macheo squinted his eyes at the sudden existence of ferocious energy. In an instant, the leviathans formed of water had been blown away by an unseen force; reduced to nothing but droplets of water that sank into the now damp stone.

    The enigmatic energy began to coalesce, verdant particles leaving in their trail a gaseous cloud as they merged into a figure hovering over Iris. In the face of such wild, untamed mana--Macheo could do nothing but keep his guard up as he waited to see its true nature.

    "...I didn''t want to use it. You didn''t give me a choice��It''s over...I can''t save you anymore--I can''t. I can''t."

    Iris spoke in a trembling tone, raising her head to reveal tears clouding her eyes. Seeing this sympathetic, saddened look from his own opponent sent a shiver down Macheo''s spine as he raised his guard further; manifesting a sphere formed of water around his body.

    As the gaseous aura left her body, manifesting into whatever she held within herself, Iris'' mana evaporated at a rapid rate. Such an aggressive drain of magical energy strained her body, each fiber of muscle under her skin feeling as if they were being peeled by an overwhelming force.

    "What the hell is this? I can''t shake this fear from my body...My blood--it''s running cold," Macho thought to himself, finding just the act of breathing to be shakily done.

    The merging of gaseous winds started to be clear; it was a humanoid figure with a sharp, elongated jaw and arms that stretched into a wingspan of several meters. As its form waspleted, it was still left obscured by the cloud of gas that surrounded its body, hovering with no lower half to speak of.

    It began to part; the formless substance that hid its appearance started to spread out, revealing to Macheo''s eyes what was summoned by the girl.

    Seeing it forced his breath to leave his lungs as his heart paused for a moment; its face was ghastly beyond all measure, ckened skin that could not be called flesh, no lips to speak of to cover therge rows of teeth that constantly chattered, an unnerving click resounded through the now stale courtyard.

    Its long, bony arms seemed to possess two elbows; at the end of these wretched, scabbed arms, a set of long, decrepit fingernails of a ckplexion inhabited the end of its bony fingers. From the enigmatic entity''s pores came vile liquid, oozing out in a mixture of crimson and poignant ck as a bellowing wail unleashed from its mouth.

    There was not a single cell in Macheo''s body that wanted him to approach the mysterious figure, feeling his knees shake just by looking upon its ursed appearance.

    "--AKHLYS, please...Don''t kill him."

    Hearing the supposed name of this horrifying entitye from Iris'' pleading mouth, Macheo attempted to discern its nature--finding nothinging to his mind. Looking at who should be his opponent, the girl was trembling, averting her gaze from the figure she manifested herself.

    It was true terror that they both shared in.

    "I can''t let that miste near me. I can''t breathe it in," Macheo came to the obvious conclusion, maintaining his barrier to keep the gaseous substance away from any orifices of his.

    "Run!"

    Iris yelled out at the top of her lungs towards Macheo. It was a futile warning falling upon arrogant ears, even if the look in her distressed, fear-ridden eyes was genuine--he could only see this as an attempt to look down on him.

    "Your bluffs won''t work! If you truly had something powerful up your sleeve--you would''ve used it the moment the battle started!"

    Shouting out in response with a veil of fear over his angered words, Macheo''s response felt to Iris to be something to convince himself.

    "Forget about your pride! I don''t care about who is winning or losing this--you''ll die if you don''t get out of here!"

    Lifting herself up to her knees, Iris didn''t look back towards the entity she had manifested; sitting within the cloud of deathly mist as tears evacuated her eyes.

    "It''s your own damn ability, do you think I''ll believe such bullshit?!"

    "I can''t control it!"

    As if disying her own words, a harrowing screech had cascaded from the rotten mouth of the astral being, propelling the mist directly towards Macheo. For a moment, he intended to stand his ground with his barrier, but the presence of the summoned entity threw that notion away as he jumped into the air, standing atop one of his midair tforms formed by magic.

    It would be proven to be the correct choice as he looked down to see that the gaseous form of a verdant and ckplexion had begun to deteriorate the marble flooring, shifting it into a rusted ck before it began to peel away.

    --Why did I release it? Why did I think it would be different this time? I still can''t handle it��

    "Achelous: Storm of Arrows!"

    From atop his perched position--standing on the vibrant circr stepping stone, Macheo yelled out his next incantation, bringing forth a haze of azure that hung above the courtyard.

    Raining down upon the wretched personification of poison and misery, darts formed of water shot down with malicious force; enough so to shatter the marble that came into contact with it. Iris raised a protective shield of light above herself but quickly realized there was nothing pelting against her barrier.<novelnext></novelnext>

    All of these arrows of highly pressured water were directed only at AKHLYS.

    --He could easily direct those towards me as well...Why? It would be easier to take out the summoner to take out two birds with one stone.

    Iris was perplexed at this action from her enemy, watching as his gaze was solely focused on the dreadful being below him, sending a flurry of these arrows at its form. As they made contact with the deathly aura around AKHLYS, the water''s form was altered into pungent grime, bing one with its own target.

    Futile usage of his magic garnered a click of Macheo''s tongue as he did away with the spell, leaping back as a funnel of gas wasunched in his direction.

    "At this rate, you''ll harm the primorelf girl as well!"

    Macheo shouted out towards Iris as hended on another tform of his, evading the stream of malicious gas.

    "...I know. I can''t stop it...Please, take her and run��"

    Looking at her own trembling hands, she began to realize the dreadful decision she had made to unleash her innate ability. By her own two hands, she may be the death of Uylia--as well as Macheo himself. Watching him fight for his life silently against the creature of her own creation, there was no evil present on his expression--only concern.

    "I will not abandon my domain--or those within it. One day--I will be king!"

    That resolve was echoed in his honed eyes, dashing forward as his smooth locks of gold were tugged on by the passing wind.

    "King?..."

    "That''s right--once I im triumph in this ruin of hell, I will return to Lacrauv as the rightful heir! That''s my ce in this world--standing atop it as the destined ruler; as such, none under my jurisdiction will die!"

    The spiel of his true nature seemed toe from nowhere, but Iris understood well why these words were suddenly spoken with such passion.

    --He''s prepared to die here--I can see it in his eyes; he''s scared of that fate but ready for it. If nothing else, if I leave her alive--he wants me to know it was a brave royal who he fell on this day.

    Seeing him dash through the air, jumping from tform to tform--pushing past the fear inside of him to approach the entity that dragged dread in its trail--Iris could see it--the hope that Heldjrim had held onto for the young man.

    Beneath that insurmountable arrogance, past his degenerate actions--it was there; who Macheo truly was. A boy carrying such a burden, forced to adapt to the hellish nature of the trial--yet he retained this side of himself.

    --What am I doing, just sitting here, helplessly, covered in tears and snot...Stand up, Iris! He''s probably out there right now, fighting with everything he has!

    Slowly standing herself up, her knees shook under the strain put on her from the ability, slowly looking up to watch as Macheo flungnces of water towards the unmoving entity, dodging strikes of poison as a nervous smile took ce on his face.

    With the speed that the golden-haired noble boy moved, flinging his water-based spells at the poisonous figure, it looked as if waterfalls were sprouting across the abyssal skies. Each ssh of clear liquid shifted into ck grime, leaving the courtyard in a somber state--yet that radiant look in Macheo''s eyes turned that notionpletely around.

    "--Return, AKHLYS!"

    sping her hands together, trembling and sweating heavily as her body heated up from the strenuous usage of mana, Iris called for the entity to return. Beckoning for it to turn to nothingness, such a request was promptly denied as a sharp feedback jolted through her body, causing her to briefly yell out in pain.

    AKHLYS unleashed an ear-piercing screech that felt as if it would bring the surrounding gates of stone down upon them.

    "Halt your idiocy! I''ve got this handled, girl!"

    Macheo yelled out as he watched her attempt to seize the malicious figure. As the gaseous entity became momentarily stunned by Iris'' action, he saw this opportunity--rushing in with a speed nothing short of breaking the sound barrier, holding in his palm an orb of gyrating water.

    "Macheo, no!"

    It was something only seen from her angle; as the one responsible for manifesting this creature, she knew well that it wasn''t fully incapacitated. Though her call came a moment toote for the speed the man of young age moved at; as he thrust his water-wielding arm towards AKHLYS, the deathly spirit turned to face him--grabbing hold of his forearm.

    The moment thevish fabric of ck and crimson came into contact with the scabbed, rotten skin of the deathly entity, it withered away--leaving the bare skin of his left arm toe into direct contact with its grasp.

    --No...It''s toote. If ites into direct contact like that--there is nothing you can do��

    However, Macheo was smiling.

 Chapter 155 - The Personification Of Poison

    "You have my gratitude for bringing me so close, olddy! Achelous: Trans-Rebuttal!"

    From his form, a pulse of aqua emanated; holding its form as it rapidly stretched out to epass both him and the gaseous malice. The liquid seemed to retaliate against the very concept of Macheo being touched, grasping onto AKHLYS--this time not losing its form to her corruptive nature.

    Iris could only watch in suspense; no inkling of the status of the spell cast by the boy was known to her. She pped her own cheeks to call back her own focus, once again attempting to recall AKHLYS, if only to prohibit its movements for a moment.

    The aggressive aquatched itself onto the bony forearm of the entity--the exact same spot as which it held onto Macheo. A crushing, crunching sound resounded before the water hadpletely crushed the poisonous figure''s forearm, snapping it away from its body and relieving its hold on the young man.

    --He did it?!

    Before a feeling of relief could take ce in her heart, she took notice of the ck mark that had reced the paleplexion of his exposed skin.

    Iris opened her mouth to yell to him to retreat--to go to the primorelf vige to receive treatment, but she knew right now that those words would not suffice for the arrogant noble.

    "...Do it now!"

    Encouragement; it was the best and only choice she could think of, fueling the mountain-sized ego of Macheo likely directly amplified his prowess.

    She could see it--he was trembling as he stood before the entity, yet he stood his ground with a smile that could not be called false. It wailed out with its haunting screech, mming its chipped, vile teeth together rapidly as if consuming a meal so ravenously.

    "Hear me; I am the bearer of your mark on this world, the blood that runs through my veins is of your creation. There is no one in this vast world who canpare, not of your grace, strength, or authority--"

    As Macheo opted for great magic, manifested a spiral of newly manifested water around himself, Iris desperately held the gaseous entity back--conjuring a pain that she felt in the marrow of her bones, feeling each of her muscles twitch as she forced herself to hold on.

    Being directly connected to it, the harrowing presence it held with it was felt directly in her heart, feeling the warmth of her strained muscles battle against the chilling despair that crawled over her skin. It was impossible for her to imagine what it felt like to be in his ce, standing face to face with AKHLYS.

    "It''s of your jurisdiction that evil shall be vanquished, by your call shall my hand be guided--this is the retribution that corruption must face. Poseidon: Na Staloun Tartarus!"

    By hismand, the humble amount of liquid shifted into a great tide, circling the region around AKHLYS and boxing the entity in with massive walls of raging aqua. The rectangr room of imprisoning liquid then melded into a sphere, releasing a wave of steam that quickly traveled the perimeter, pelting against Iris with a somewhatforting heat.

    "Rupture and return to nothingness, vile woman."

    Macheo muttered words only heard by himself and the inhuman entity, looking into the ck depths where its eyes likely would have been.

    Following his own words, the sphere released its form momentarily, caving in towards the imprisoned spirit with enormous des of water that wrapped and carved into its rotten flesh, binding it with a divine grip.

    With a squeeze of his fist, the aquatic bindings snapped with full strength, rendering the malevolent entity into nothing more than a vtile mess of ck liquid, shifting its form as the boiling water forced its shape to mend to the will of its bindings, sttering across the courtyard with an ear-filling squelch.

    As AKHLYS was reduced to nothing once more, the gas it brought with it began to dissipate, leaving the musky but relieving air to return.

    "...You did it. That was amazing."

    Iris stood herself up, limping on her first step as the mana strain still held an effect on her muscles. Still standing, Macheo gave her a grin that put her on her guard; stopping Iris in her tracks.

    "Worry not; I have no desire to fight anymore...As...I am quite sleepy."

    Each word he spoke became drawn out longer as his eyelids drooped before finally closing all the way, the golden-haired adventurer slowly falling over face first.

    "Macheo!"

    There was no time to concern herself with the qualms of assisting an enemy, rushing over to the now unconscious boy''s side. The arm which had been held in the grip of the poisonous entity waspletely ck from the forearm down, eliciting a gasp from Iris as she drew her hand away.

    Not even his fingernails were left exempt, turned to a charcoal as was the rest of his arm from the forearm below.

    --I have to get him back to the vige...Quickly! My healing magic won''t work on this, it''ll only speed up the poison. Even so...Will the primorelves have an antidote for this kind of thing? I doubt it��

    Biting down on the tip of her thumb, Iris ran through the options in her head, finding them especially scarce. Looking at his ckened arm, there was one option that came to mind--the safest choice in retaining his life.

    Just thinking about it made her feel sick, pping her own cheeks as she swallowed her own hesitation.

    "...I''m sorry, Macheo. This is the only way to save you. You saved me--so I have to repay the favor!"

    She spoke to the unconscious boy, who held an innocence in his sleeping state with theck of arrogant words spewing from his mouth. Grabbing hold of his bicep with one hand, she hovered her right hand above his elbow pit.

    "...Licht: Arrow."

    The incantation came out with hesitance and fear, dulling the effect as the arrow shot out into the designated spot, only somewhat rending his flesh. A mixture of thickened, clotted blood as a result of the poison seeped out, causing her to scrunch her nose as she turned her head to gag.

    After recalling her resolve once more, she tried again--"Licht: Arrow!"

    Calling forth the arrow of light, it shot through the pit of his elbow, separating the portion of his arm corrupted by the mist from his untainted appendage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The squelching that was released from this action caused her eyes to water as she held the hasty bile within her throat. Not wasting any time, swallowing her disgust, Iris tore a piece of her silver cloak off, tightening the severed end of Macheo''s arm to halt the rapid departure of blood.

    The front door of the forgotten temple was kicked open, scaring Uylia half to death as she watched with wary eyes--Iris walked in, carrying Macheo by the shoulder, crimson dripping from the space his left arm should have been.

    "Let''s go! Now...Hurry or he''s not going to make it!"

    Desperation masked Iris'' voice, giving no opportunity for the primorelf girl to question the nature of this situation as she hesitantly went to Iris'' side.

    The hasty traversing of the ravaged courtyard felt like an arduous journey of itself, listening to the rugged, fast-paced breaths that weakly left his lips as no more than minute puffs of air.

    "He''s burning up! We have to hurry!"

    Iris called out, adjusting her hold of Macheo as she picked up the pace, looking over to make sure Uylia was keeping up properly.

    "...There is a doctor in the vige. He''ll be able to help."

    "Alright...Alright!"

    It was a bit of hope; that little spur was enough to allow Iris to forget the agony that gued her exhausted muscles, pushing onwards as she now reached the grasp of the tunnels. Every step taken was lined with the unnerving sound of blood leaking from his fatal wound. Listening to this sound as she walked through the dark cave--everything else became blocked out, her vision bing shaky as the only action she could focus on was moving one foot over another.

    "Here!"

    Uylia called out, pressing her palms against one of the rocks lining the wall to their left. In her hazed state, Iris didn''t even consider she might''ve passed the secret entrance to the vige, watching as the small primorelf guided the hidden door open, revealing the hidden vige.

    Entering the boundaries of this istednd, Iris followed behind the girl she had rescued, moving past the stunned vigers as their shocked eyes watched the unconscious boy she assisted, knowing full well that his existence came at the price of their peace of mind.

    It wasn''t just Macheo; the shock of the present vigers was amplified further as they saw Uylia, running past their gazes as if they had seen an apparition of one lost.

    --Just a bit more, Macheo. A little bit further.

    It was a humble cottage--tucked away behind thick, bountiful trees full of silver leaves, waiting as Uylia pounded her fist against the door of redwood.

    "Mr. Kerull! Mr. Kerull!"

    The door swung open, a primorelf boasting a rather tall height for his kind inhabited the doorway, holding wide yet spective yellow eyes behind his circr lenses.

    "Uylia? Is that really you?"

    The tall primorelf asked, leaning down a bit and adjusting his sses to get a better look before stroking his long, thin beard between his fingers.

    "That doesn''t matter right now, Mr. Kerull! We''re running out of time! You have to help him!"

    Uylia''s forwardness took the doctor out of his trance, bringing his gaze up to see the half-dead boy being held around Iris'' shoulder. One look at the desperate expression on the blue-haired girl''s face was enough that no questions were asked as he nodded his head, gesturing for them to follow them inside.

    The interior of this abode was no doubt one belonging to a schr specializing in medicinal knowledge--books inhabited most of the space in an unkempt manner, not secluded just to the main, cobweb-covered bookshelves.

    "ce him here."

    Mr. Kerullmanded, pushing the clutter of stained books off of one of the tables, clearing it as he made his way to one of the stands.

    Theck of hesitation left Iris paused for a moment, only being moved once again as the hasty doctor gave her a sharp nce. Gently, the boy wasid t on the table, wincing in his state of unconsciousness from the change of position.

    "Quite messy work, but it saved his life."

    Standing by the table, Mr. Kerullmented on the handiwork of the cloth used as a tourniquet, pressing his sses up his nose as he got a closer look at the wound.

    "I''ll need your assistance."

    "...For what?"

    Iris asked with a bit of worry, already feeling sick being near such a gruesome sight--the memories of what she had to do still reying vividly in her mind.

    "Hold him down."

    "But he''s unconscious."

    "That won''t matter for what we''re about to do."

    The way the doctor spoke was with utmost rationality and calmness, clearly having been in a plethora of simr situations--his head remained cool. It didn''t take a psychic to see that Iris was clearly not sitting right in her mind, sweating her anxiety through her pores as she attempted to avert her gaze from Macheo.

 Chapter 156 - Hesitant Operation

    Hesitantly, she ced her arms on his shoulders firmly, holding him still as Mr. Kerull removed the blood-stained cloth wrapping around Macheo''s arm, narrowing his gaze as he saw the vibrant crimson reveal itself in full glory.

    "What is the status of this infliction?"

    "I��"

    "Answer quickly; he is losing life as we speak, girl."

    Mr. Kerull went about the situation with haste, giving little time to Iris--forcing her to find her words properly before answering.

    "His arm was infected...So I amputated it."

    "I see. Good call; not many have the will to make such a decision."

    Quiet, yet chilling groans continuously left the boy''s lips as he remained out of the realm of consciousness as they spoke, garnering their attention.

    "...That tourniquet was quite tightly wrapped; likely in your haste. Let''s hope there isn''t permanent damage to his nerves. That is assuming he makes it."

    "Assuming?..."

    "He will."

    Mr. Kerull assured her, correcting any misleading doubt in his words before bringing his hand close to the spilling wound, "Be ready to hold him."

    Not knowing what to do in this situation, Uylia could only watch, still not fully adjusted to anything that had happened in the past hour--finding the reality beyond her gaze to be fickle.

    "I''ve got him."

    Iris gave the doctor a nod as she kept a firm grip on the boy''s shoulders, looking down at his messy blonde hair that draped over his winced expression.

    Slowly, Mr. Kerull brought his palm before the open wound, a subtle aura of orange emanated from his hand as he seemed to enter a deep concentration, biting down on his lip as sweat began to drop down his forehead.

    Iris didn''t recognize what the doctor was nning to do even as she saw the glow from his hand, running from his wrist to the tip of his fingers. It wasn''t until the radiating heat itself was recognized, pelting directly against the exposed flesh of Macheo''s bisected arm that she knew what he was doing.

    --Cauterization?...

    Before she couldmit to a full thought, her grip was challenged as Macheo thrust his torso up from the potent pain inflicted onto his wound. Handling a wounded person, Iris found it difficult to muster her strength--finding it only once she knew it was for the best, using a slight bit of reinforcement to promptly hold him down.

    "The amputation wasn''t perfect; there is still some residual infection left. Mainly isted flesh that has been tainted, but nheless--it must be done away with."

    As if reading the confusion on Iris'' expression without even looking, Mr. Kerull exined calmly, keeping his hand close to the wound while maintaining the fire spell.

    "Look at me��"

    The doctor began to say, fishing for the girl''s name as he brought his keen gaze up to her briefly, potentially finding the sight of cauterizing flesh a bit unsightly.

    "Iris."

    She supplied him with her name, albeit slightly confused at what he was getting at. The sound of searing flesh filled her ears, finding it hard to maintain eye contact with the doctor.

    "Look at me, Iris; none of this is at a fault of your own. You made the right decision, you gave him the chance to live. I can''t say for myself if even I would have spared this boy, but you did. I''ll save him, worry not--we will."

    Before she could respond to the reassuring words of the elven doctor, her hold on the boy''s body was tested as he convulsed, thrusting his body upwards with an ear-wrenching scream of agony as his wound continued to be dealt with.

    "...Just a moment more; it''s almost done."

    The smell that wasn''t the least bit alluring filled the room; a smokey, pungent aroma that attempted to pry Iris'' fingers from Macheo''s shoulders. She watched the doctor''s expression carefully to know when this deathly moment would be over.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In thest seconds of the hastily put-together operation, Mr. Kerull magnified the heat radiating from his palm, veiling his hand with a radiant orange thatpletely did away with the leftover infection; sealing the wound shut.

    "It''s alright now...The worst of it is over."

    Mr. Kerull stood himself up, brushing his palms together with a forced exhale before turning his gaze towards the girl.

    "..It is?"

    "I''ll handle the rest from here, how about you get Uylia back to her father? Then, get some rest yourself."

    Wiping the sweat from his skin with a beige rag, Mr. Keruller motioned with his head towards Uylia for the small primorelf to go with Iris.

    "I''m fine."

    Iris interjected, shaking her head as it felt as light as a feather, and as warm as a pile of burning coal. As she took another step to try and maintain an image of stability, the strength in her leg gave out, nearly causing her to copse as she clung to the cricketing bookshelf.

    "You''re clearly not fine;e here."

    The doctor ushered her over, cing the back of his hand against her perspiring forehead, narrowing his eyes before retreating his hand.

    "You''ve expended your natural well of mana to itsst few droplets--you''re lucky to still be conscious. Uylia, assist her to your father''s, would you?"

    "Yes, sir."

    A picture-perfect diagnosis left Iris without any room for argument, simply nodding her head as she walked arm-in-arm with Uylia, briefly looking back at the unconscious boy before exiting through the front door.

    "Don''t worry, Mr. Keruller is the best doctor in the vige--well, he''s the only one, but he''s great at what he does."

    The once meek girl assured Iris, keeping her body close to the human girl''s side as a means to help her stabilize each step, walking along the rock-bound trail that found itself burdened with many silver pirs of cedar.

    "...Uylia, why did you help him?"

    It was a question that had been guing Iris'' mind since the moment they left the temple, realizing that the primorelf didn''t hesitate to assist in saving the man who enved her. Looking down towards Uylia, her expression had begun scrunched up as if stirring thoughts that she had kept herself from thinking.

    "You saved me so I have no right to question your decisions��"

    "So you still--"

    "I don''t hate him; truthfully, he didn''t do anything bad to me. It was scary, I won''t lie--but I was simply a hostage for him; not a ve. I get it...Why he did it, I mean. All of this. Most of the vigers don''t understand what Purgatory is like outside of these walls, but I saw it when I was with him."

    Hearing these words from the girl of a humble stature sparked a weak smile from Iris, feeling as if the choice she made was the right one indeed.

    --Everyone deserves another chance...I''m d she seems to agree with that thought process. Thank you, Uylia...You might''ve saved me today, as well."

    From head to toe, the nauseating heat radiating from her core took her overpletely, leaving her huffing as she dragged her feet over each step across the path.

    "A break...Gimme a break for a minute, Uylia��"

    Iris weakly came to a stop at the sight of the pond filled with clear water, dropping down to her knees as her hair met with the cool embrace of the liquid. Without another moment of hesitation, Iris dunked her head straight into the water, feeling the chilly substancebat the fire guing her from underneath her skin.

    "Iris��"

    The primorelf girl looked around in second-hand embarrassment, seeing that the vigers stopped to give peculiar looks to the human girl.

 Chapter 157 - End Of A Long Day

    Raising her soaked head from the pond, Iris let out a satisfied gasp, feeling reinvigorated from the relieving sensation of the water, standing herself up with a smile as she brushed her damp hair back. Looking over at her elfishpanion, she received a worrisome and questioning look before moving on once again down the familiar path.

    "Are you sure you''re alright?"

    Uylia asked with her hands kept close to her chest, keeping her gaze up towards Iris, looking at her as if she were a reanimated corpse.

    "For the moment--yeah. Let''s just keep going; we''re close now."

    Not many more minutes were passed until the two reached the stone abode belonging to none other than the elder of the vige, giving a few hearty knocks to the door before it was answered.

    "By the grace of the gods...Uylia!"

    The moment Heldjrim''s tinum gaze met with the sight of his once lost daughter, the tiny elf brought Uylia into a tight embrace, running his palm over her back.

    "Father!"

    Watching the two be reunited brought a triumphant feeling within Iris'' heart as she smiled at the heartwarming sight, keeping her hand on the threshold of the door for bnce. After keeping his beloved daughter in a prolonged embrace, Heldjrim brought his gaze up to Iris--his eyes widening at the state of her being.

    "Oh, dear--missus, are you alright?"

    The elder primorelf approached the sickly-looking woman, looking between her and his daughter as if seeking an answer.

    "Mr. Kerull said she ran through all of her mana--she needs to rest, Father."

    "Kerull? You two went to see the doctor?"

    "We''ll exin itter! Just give her a ce to rest!"

    Uylia smacked her hand against her father''s chest, snapping his focus onto what was paramount--ushering him to adjust his sses before nodding his head a few times, "Yes, yes...Right this way, missus."

    Following Heldjrim into the room towards the back of the igloo-like home, Iris was brought into the resting quarters, gently guided down with the assistance of Heldjrim and Uylia onto a mattress made of a peculiar substance--fluffy, yet unknown.

    "Apologizes that there is nothing more adjusted for your size, missus��"

    "It''s alright...It''ll...It''ll do great."

    Iris assured him in a drowsy tone, allowing her sybles to linger before drifting off into slumber without needing a moment to get into afortable position.

    It was an odd state of slumber; one that came with the depletion of one''s mana--Iris had experienced this on a few asions. A state that fell between consciousness and unconsciousness, existing in a static realm of her own mind, surrounded by gently moving tides that bound her to this state. Complete warmth wrapped itself around her, resulting in an ted feeling that came withfort as her body recuperated its mana.

    Anytime she had wound up in a position to fall into this recharging slumber, Beatrice scolded her for such reckless expenditure of her own mana--drilling it into her to never drive herself to these lengths.

    --I''ve always been the weakest of the group. She knew that, they all knew that. Even you, Ren...You''ve left me in the dust. I think Mother knew how I felt; for so long she tried to shield me from this cruel world, but eventually--all fledglings must be released into the unforgiving maw of nature.

    Slowly her eyelids parted as consciousness pushed itself forward, finding it to be an immense task in itself to keep her heavy shutters open as the rest of her body still seemed to be asleep.

    A cool, moist sensation was pressed against her forehead, slowly raising her hand to feel the familiar touch of prickly cloth covering her heated forehead, drenched with chilled water.

    "Ah, you''re awake, missus?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Heldjrim?..."

    Iris asked groggily, only able to see a slight blur before her eyes. Rubbing them after waking from slumber in the morning would always focus her gaze, however, this time she was truly exhausted.

    "Yes, it''s me, missus. How are you feeling?"

    A hand was ced on her shoulder, hearing the familiar, low voice of the elder, her eyes adjusted--seeing the meek form of the primorelf.

    "I''m fine--still a bit groggy is all."

    "That''s good to hear, very good��"

    From the detachment of his words at the very end, Iris could see a certain looke over the wise, silver eyes of the cave-dwelling elder as he sat himself down on the cushion across from her. As she sat herself up, her eyes came to realize the presence of bandages wrapped around her hands and fingers, running her digits across her cheek--wincing as a sensitive lump had spiked with pain at her touch.

    "My medical skills aren''t quite up to par with the doctors, but I did my best...There was nothing serious, though you will likely be sore for a couple days. You''re wee to stay in the vige to rest as long as you''d like."

    The fact that it was Heldjrim that had tended to her injuries instead of Kellur brought her mind to the state of the boy she brought back with her.

    "...Macheo. How''s Macheo?"

    "Ah, yes...Kellur just recently notified me that he had concluded his tending of the boy''s arm."

    As Heldjrim paused for a moment after his words, he could see the suspenseful worrye over the girl''spis gaze, bringing his next words to her quickly.

    "He''s going to be alright, Iris. You''ve saved him."

    "I didn''t do anything like that...I''m the one that did that to him."

    "I haven''t known you long, but I know this much; you''re a kind girl, Iris. Whatever you did, you had to do it. Just like how you brought him back here--in your mind, you had to save him. Thank you, Iris. You may not get any thanks for saving the menace to this vige--but you have my gratitude."

    Hearing the genuine utterances from the withering elder, holding a small smile of his own, Iris felt her heart in her throat as nothing came out of her mouth--her eyes heating up as tears dedicated themselves to the rims of her eyelids.

    ---I did it, I saved someone...Maybe, just maybe--I''m not so hopeless after all, Mother.

    "I''m sure you''re impatient to get your end of the bargain, Missus--"

    "No, no! I wasn''t thinking about that!"

    Iris quickly raised her hands into the air out of embarrassment, earning a chuckle from the old primorelf as he adjusted his sses.

    "It''s quite alright, Missus. This was part of the deal, now...the person you''re looking for, what kind of description can you give? Our scouts are light on their feet; quick and sharp--your friend will be found without a doubt in my mind."

    "...Ren, his name is Ren. He''s my age, a head or so taller than me...I think. Pale skin, navy-blue hair. hazel eyes; when he talks about something he''s passionate about, they be so big and vibrant like he''s a giddy child."

    As she described the young man, a slight blush and smile came over her as her eyes seemed to look at him through her memories.

 Chapter 158 - Bottomless Malice

    Moving on the path he resolved himself to move along, Ren found himself surrounded by gloomy formations of bones presented in the shape of cedar, looming over him with their ivory limbs.

    "I''m guessing this is bone-oak then...Must be close."

    A valley of white within the abyssal caverns; a harrowing sight to find, juxtaposing the scenery he had be ustomed to. The soil-like ground beneath his step was embedded with the shavings of the bone-oak, caking it in ayer of dry snow as this same substance floated in the air. There hadn''t been any monsters to interrupt his path beside the giant-ing to the conclusion that this area was one definitely upied by other people.

    The path in front of him remained illuminated by the presence of the minuscule but plentiful bugs of light that filled the air, moving onward as he approached what was unmistakable a quarry.

    Arge pit sat beyond the towering ivory cedar, leading into an ashen pit full of nd and asional stone. There was an absence of light bugs here, but it was kept somewhat lit in the distance by a burning campfire.

    He knew well that those in this group were without a doubt seasoned users of magecraft, leading to him suppressing his own mana and malice as he approached this beckoning fire.

    "...Damn bear got me good."

    It was a gruff voice, reaching Ren''s ears quietly from the distance he was at. Approaching the fire slowly, he saw the men upying the warmth around the me--his eyes immediately set on the man in the center; without a doubt the source of the voice he had just heard.

    Lengthy, titian hair kept within a ponytail yet still disheveled; he wore a thick, crimson cloak that seemed to be resting on top of chainmail, embroidered with the sigil of a lion across his right breast. Only one eye looked up at Ren, as the other had been veiled by an eyepatch of ck leather--gazing at him with his golden iris.

    Ren knew it upon eye contact with the man in the middle; he was without a doubt the one Aiko had talked about.

    The chattering between the men stopped as they noticed the unknown visitor, though their guard was raised--none of them reached for their weapons.

    "The hell are you?"

    Asking in a low, abrasive tone, the man with the eyepatch lowered the fuzzy fruit he held away from his mouth. Sitting beside him were two men; one of a burly, round build and the other slim yet holding a keen look in his narrow, questioning gaze.

    "Ren."

    A vague, yet honest answer; Ren calmly answered before taking a seat in front of the strongly breathing me, directly across from the man he kept his eyes on.

    --I''d like to avoid violence, if possible. I doubt they''re the type topromise, but...I refuse to be someone like them. If I can get them to stay away from Aiko, from Iris--I''ll ept that.

    Getting a closer look now, the three men were clearly injured, likely justing out of a battle as their skin still glistened with sweat, dirt still clung to their attire, and injuries were present. Ren took note of these injuries; the man who was most likely the ringleader, bearing the eyepatch, had a bandage wrapped around his thigh, dyed in red.

    The burly man, wearing an odd set of heavy-ted armor thatcked abdominal and bicep protection. It was made of some sort of metal coated in cobalt, caved in at certain sections--his unguarded stomach clearly having been taken advantage of as a series of bandages wrapped around his midsection. Ren kept his guard up most on thisrge man--taking note of the immense greatsword he kept by his side.

    "Ren, huh? Are you new around here?"

    "No."

    Quickly rejecting that notion, the campfire fell silent for a few moments more as a tense lock of gazes were kept before the eyepatch-wearing man finally spoke out again.

    "Well, I''m Samson--big guy here is Dendhrug, snake-eyes is Yoel."

    Introducing himself and hispanions, the gruff-voiced man forced a smile as false as can be; extending his hand out towards Ren. He looked down at the extended hand for a moment; the lion sigil once more etched onto the ck glove.

    --He''s full of shit.

    As repulsive as it was, Ren met the handshake, gripping tightly as they shook hands; a smile was forced across Ren''s lips, yet his eyes were anything but joyful. It was the same for "Samson"--though he held that weing expression, his iris was nothing of the sort; it was the eye of a cold-blooded killer, someone not unfamiliar with the taste of death.

    --Even though it''s just me, he''s bothered to put on this nice guy act and even give me a false name. Those injuries must be real damming; I have the leverage here. Even still��<novelnext></novelnext>

    Even in his injured state, the potent aura of power radiating off of Samson was great, undoubtedly intentional; like a cornered animal baring its fangs.

    "You look pretty tough, that''s your familiar there?"

    Samson asked, nudging his head as he pointed the subject of his question towards the slumbering feline on Ren''s shoulder.

    "Yeah; that''s yours, I take it?"

    Pointing the same question back at the man, Ren looked at the serpent wrapped around Samson''s left arm--only just now noticing it as its scales shared the sameplexion as the man''s cloak.

    "Yeah."

    Though the two conversed, there was not a single word spoken from Dendhrug or Yoel; they werepletely on their guard, their gazes not straying from him for a single second as a cold air kept around them.

    --Should I do it? It might be better to take the initiative--that innate malice from Samson--from Leo, no doubt he wants to kill me. The only thing stopping him is that injury, most likely. I might be able to pull it off quickly if I start with a ckout. If it seems like words won''t do the trick then...I''ll have to do it.

    "So, what brings you over here? It''s a dangerous ce, this second floor, I mean. Lots of sinners out here; lots of men who don''t have much to lose."

    As Samson spoke, the weing smile had passively shifted into something of a more wretched nature; it looked to be his natural smile, one that belonged to someonecking in humanity.

    "Truth be told, I''m starving!"

    Ren gave a yful chuckle, patting his stomach as he hoped hisugh didn''te off as a facade. It wasn''t exactly a lie though--just mentioning anything rting to food had caused his stomach to growl out, finally luring a response from the silent, watchful men as they shared in Ren''sughter.

    "Yoel, give the man something, would ya''?"

    Giving a subtlemand to the thin man wearing a tattered, dirtied cloak, Yoelplied as he reached into a sack sitting beside him, tossing to Ren something spherical in shape. It was a mix between magenta and scarlet, having a smooth surface--rolling it around in his palm, he took a quick sniff of it.

    "What? Is it rotten or something?...Or do you think we gave you a poisoned magren? What would bring you to that thought?"

    As he spoke, it seemed as if Samson convinced himself to be warier, narrowing his eye a bit as he watched Ren, taking a bite from the fruit he held.

    "Can''t be too cautious. It''s like you said; a lot of sinners around here."

    It seemed Ren''s calmly spoken answer sufficed as the false smile returned to Samson''s lips. From what he could gather, the mysterious fruit was untainted; arge bite was taken out of it, leading to a mouthful of a dry, bitter chunk before spitting it out.

    Watching this, the group of three fell into a roar of gnawingughter, the burly man nearly falling backward from his stone seat.

    "What the hell did you give me? It''s awful!"

    "Where did you think this fruit came from? We''re in Purgatory; not exactly bountiful fields here, Ren. Better than starving, no?"

    Though he tried to reason with the awful taste of the fruit, Samson held a leering smile that attempted to hold back hisughter.

    --Even if he''s not actively assaulting someone, he''s a douchebag. The more I sit here, the less inclined I be to give them a fair chance. Even so...What good does it do if I save Aiko from violence with the same unconditional brutality? What kind of example does that give her? I haven''t seen much, but I''ve seen enough; I''d like to prevent any further warping of perception--I want her to see a kind world--one that clearly doesn''t exist within these depths.

    Looking at the fruit he held in his hand, Ren softly exhaled the frustration out from his lungs, soothing the boiling rage that rioted within his veins as he lifted his head with a smile that trembled, holding onto it the best he could.

 Chapter 159 - Maximum Abhorrence

    "Thanks for the food."

    "It''s not free."

    Just those three words from Samson sapped away the smile from his face. Looking back up, it was impossible to tell if it was just his paranoia or reality; he swore that Samson''s hand had gone closer to his sheathed de, perched on his thigh.

    "Excuse me?"

    --Don''t make me do this.

    Ren asked with a slight chuckle, a part of him wanted to believe he misheard the man--or that he was at least joking around with him.

    "We worked hard to gather that fruit; it ain''t free, man."

    "Yeah, I busted my ass getting that exact one! Took a whole lot outta'' me."

    Dendhrug chimed in with his raspy, deep voice that came through the visors of his metallic helmet. There was no doubt; as Ren moved his pupils side to side, the armor-d half-giant had his hand rested against the hilt of his silver greatsword, Yoel had both hands covering the sheathed daggers on the sides of each of his thighs.

    "...I didn''t know."

    "Sorry, that''s just the way it is. So, whaddya'' got for us?"

    "I don''t have anything, really. I''ve barely been scraping by as it is. You know the struggle, right?"

    --I don''t want to do it. Please, just let it go.

    Trying to y off the malice that was clearly building up around the campfire, Ren gave a nervousugh as he ruffled his head of snowy locks.

    "Sure you do; that pretty de at your hip there, those fine clothes--hell, even your body has some usage. Isn''t that right, boys?"

    It wasn''t just malice; at least not the vibrant aura of bloodlust--it was evil. Ren could feel it--these men were tainted, corrupt--anything but good. In response to Samson''s alluding words, Yoel''s tongue left his lips, while a repulsive, gargling-like chuckle left the armored man.

    "Huh?..."

    "Just the three of us, fighting to survive here--hardly any women to speak of, we get a bit "bored", you know? You know the struggle, right?"

    Thoughts went vacant within Ren''s mind as the tainted words from Samson met his ears. All of that quelled rage he attempted to subside began to cook up once more, feeling his entire body heat up as his vision became obscured with a slight blur of red.

    There was no avoiding it now--attempting to bottle it up this entire time, the rage he felt had reached a boiling point, toppling over as the disgusting nature of the men became clear. Imagining what Aiko had experienced in her time with this group sent him into a further daze.

    Before he knew it, he had already stood up, sliding Belus out from its sheath without a single thought or hesitation gliding past his mind.

    Dendhrug had risen from his seat, grabbing hold of his greatsword in response to the clear malice now flowing from their enigmatic guest--but the colossal man was too slow. As his de was brought over his head with a heavy grunt to back up its weight, his left arm was flung from his shoulder, causing him to drop his de down.

    Bewilderment came across the three men at that moment; the clean, precise slice came with such swiftness that Dendhrug had not yet even registered what had happened, looking over to see crimson squirting out from the nub sitting on his left shoulder.

    As Ren opted to continue his assault, moving forward as he prepared to direct a sh against the exposed abdomen of the half-giant--his de was stopped by another.

    Before him wasn''t Dendhrug, but the man bearing the lion sigil, stopping Belus with his sword. It was different from his own longsword; having a pronounced curve that seemed to end in a thicker form of steel towards the end.

    "Leo!..."

    Ren did away with the falsities, exposing the true identity of Samson as he held his de against the man''s own.

    Behind the two men, the half-giant copsed onto the ground as a puddle of crimson began to form around him. Howls of agony came from him as he wed at the stone, forcing Ren to avert his focus from the consequences of his own actions.

    "You knew? Did someone send you? Come here for revenge?"

    Even as hispanion was delimbed, Leo held a fierce smile as he pushed his curved de against Belus, a radiance of bloodlust shining through his gilded iris.

    Not giving an answer, Ren nearly found his rage dulling his senses--narrowly stepping back as Yoel attempted to pierce him through the back with his silver and ck dagger. The cloak-wearing man proved to be swift, his attack missing as a blur as his hood copsed, revealing his shaggy, ck hair.

    --I let myself sumb to it...That was dangerous. I can''t be reckless; I don''t know what they''re capable of.

    Finding his footing as he flipped backward, Ren held his de up as he slowly maneuvered, keeping his eyes on Leo and Yoel as they circled him together.

    "Your friend will bleed out quickly if you don''t help him. He''ll die."

    Ren didn''t know whether his cautionary words for them were out of an attempt out of some sort of resolution or trying to prevent himself from bing a murderer. In the nketed rage that fought for superiority over every other emotion at this moment, it became impossible to tell what his own feelings were.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "He''ll be fine! Dundhrug is a tough bastard!"

    As Leo yelled out with an anxious smile, a worried nce came from Yoel, who responded in opposition to these words.

    "...He''s right, Leo...Dundhrug isn''t going to make it with a wound like that!"

    "Shut your damn mouth! I said he''s fine so he''s fine!"

    No words could convince Yoel of hisrade''s survival; Dundhrug was heaving on the ground, wreathing in pain as his helmet slid off of his bald, almond-colored head. The cobalt armor of his had been soaked in his own blood, but he began to stand once more--the look in his eyes seemed as if they were going to pop out from the strain of standing.

    "...I''m fine."

    The assurance came from Dundhrug''s saliva-dripping lips hoarsely, grabbing onto his greatsword with his only arm, using it as a crutch to stand.

    --He''s back up from that? What is he made out of?

    Seeing this, the mood around the campfire shifted as a resolved look came over all three men''s eyes; putting Ren on hisplete guard.

    "Yoel! Can I trust you to handle him for a minute?"

    Leo called out, ushering a perplexed look from the dual dagger-wielding man, who simply responded with a nod.

    --Here hees.

    Feeling the animosity rise from the swift man, Ren turned to face Yoel as the ex-argonaut went to help out the delimbed, burly man.

    He had no practice against this type of fighter; both in the fact that Yoel was a dagger-user and a dual-wielder. Unlike most of his foes, there wasn''t a potent force behind each quick-strike--proving to be a hindrance on his senses that grew ustomed to heavy attacks.

    Even so, he evaded the edge of the daggers, noticing as one narrowly passed by his eyes that they were coated in some sort of substance.

    --Poison? Shit--just one more thing to worry about.

    Ren didn''t like the idea of leaving his back to Leo and Dendhrug, but there was no choice when facing such a swift opponent. It was difficult to keep up with the continuous, rapid shes with just his longsword, having topensate with his own footwork to subvert the attacks.

    Faced with this difficulty, Ren remembered something--reaching to his side to retrieve the obsidian dagger he acquired previously.

    It was a sudden development; he had no experience wielding a dagger, let alone dual-wielding it with a longsword in his right hand. Seeing his target equip the beautiful steel, Yoel''s cat-like eyes watched Ren carefully with a hint of caution before going in for a dual-strike.

    The attempt waspletely halted as Ren stopped both daggers with Belus, leaving a window of opportunity for him to retaliate this time, shing his obsidian de against the shoulder of Yoel.

    "...Bastard! Not bad...Dunkel: Shadowstep!"

    --That''s,,,?!

    A familiar incantation, briefly leaving Ren paused as he heard ite from the mouth of Yoel as the man vanished into an air of darkness, propelling forward. There was no time to counter with a spell of his own, leaving Ren to meet the unseen strike head-on with a wide sh from both of his weapons. Backed by the violent speed of Shadowstep, shing with the agile man packed a heavy impact, dragging the soles of Ren''s boots against the stone as he held back the attack.

    "What the hell? Are you made out of stone or something?!"

    Yoel looked up in confusion at his attack beingpletely halted without much exertion from his opponent, receiving a knock on the head from the pommel of Belus.

    The blunt force instantly sapped the consciousness away from Yoel, who slumped over onto the ground with a thud.

    --Crap...I might''ve hit him a bit too hard.

    His thoughts were interrupted as a chilling wind ran up his spine as a cautionary sense, causing Ren to roll forward to just barely evade an impact from over his head. It looked as if a boulder attempted to pulverize him; the dust settling to reveal it was but a single swing of the one-armed man''s greatsword, who was now standing side-by-side with Leo.

    --The bleeding, it stopped?

    Narrowing his gaze, the area of bisection of the man''s arm had steam emanating from it. Swinging his gaze towards Leo, the same steam was drifting from his glove.

    --He cauterized it? I see.

    "You''re going to be sorry for fucking with us, boy. The things we''ll do to you...I''m getting excited just thinking about it."

    A disgusting expression, a repulsive emotion came from Leo''s twisted words and smile--it was an ecstatic rage, a bloodlust fueled by joy.

 Chapter 160 - What Humanity Looks Like

    Ren wasn''tpletely naive; he could see just from that wicked smile that his resolve not to y another person was likely impossible to withhold against people like this.

    He feared never seeing her again. He feared pain. He feared death. These fears all superseded the fear of betraying his own conviction.

    "At the end of the day...I''m a coward."

    "Huh?"

    "It''s my true nature--if my life is on the line, I''ll throw away my resolve. Pretty pathetic, right? Frankly, I''m not strong enough to hold a conviction of my own. Besides, someone gave their life so that I could keep on going...I can''t just ignore that sacrifice. I''ve tried, but if you''re really going toe at me--then...I''ll respond in kind."

    The words were calm,ing from a hollow smile from the boy''s lips as he held his dagger and longsword up. All that surrounded the still, readied fighters was a scenery of ivory, surrounded by the nket of ash and dust that coated the pit of stone.

    --If ites down to my life or theirs, I''m choosing my own. It''s as simple as that; I will continue living on so I can remember you, Meinhard, so that I can protect you Aiko, and so that I can find you...Iris.

    There''s not a single redeeming quality to be seen between the three of them. So...What''s the harm in getting a bit violent?

    Stealing the initiative, Ren burst forward, raising his hand as he beckoned for a spell--"Araphel: ckout!"

    As the burst of darkness began to expand towards the two opposing forces, a sh of vibrant mes repelled the swiftly moving shadows--negating the spell before it could even take effect. An incantation wasn''t heard; it was simply a raise of Leo''s hand before the wall of mes erupted into existence.

    --Not just theck of incantation...The reaction time it would take to counter ckout--so this is the power of an Argonaut.

    It was easy to forget from Leo''s unrefined, twisted nature that he was indeed one who once held the powerful title, proving such with his impable timing.

    "Dundhrug, handle the offense; I''ll back you up."

    A calm order came from the man of the lion-sigil, waving his hand forward to usher for the half-giant to move in.

    --He wants to hang back? From our sh earlier--his physical strength was nothing to sneeze at. Is it because of his injured leg? Still...Sending a guy with one arm.

    Each step Dundhrug took towards Ren could be felt through the ground, vibrating beneath the soles of his sturdy boots as he prepared to counter. It was vastly easier to delve into a battle of steel against a one-armed opponent, as their singr limb left little room to guess their moves.

    Expecting an overheard strike, he adjusted the cement of his feet to counter for a quick sh to his exposed gut--finding this prediction to be shattered as the man with a physique like a boulder presented swiftness. It wasn''t a strike with his de, but an agile flip kick that was absolutely unnatural for his size, leaving Ren hit with the brunt of this force directly against his chest.

    Backed up by a hefty amount of reinforcement, the impact sent Ren back against one the stone wall with a violent crash, knocking the wind from his lungs as breathing came sharply; expanding his chest with a breath felt as if he was cycling fire through his throat.

    An aggressive follow-up forced Ren to gather his senses, rolling to the side as the massive greatsword mmed into the b of stone behind him.

    "Feuer: Ball."

    Assuming he was within the grasps of safety from the colossal man, Ren''s shaky vision looked forward to see Leo in the distance as he muttered this calm incantation. Following the mystical words spoken, an orange glow obscured Leo''s palm before a ball of mes began to tunnel towards him through the air.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Ren opted for a risky but highly-rewarding move, not knowing if the sh of dark magic would be sufficient for disemboweling the fireball--but heunched it with utmost conviction backing both his words and de.

    The strand of visceral darkness collided with the sphere of inferno, releasing a small shock wave that kicked up a brief storm of dust. Countering the iing ball of the raging element was a sess; watching as the orb lost its form, cascading into an explosion of mes. There was no time to appreciate the fireworks as Ren found himself on the defensive of the agile strikes aiming towards him, feeling the wind pressure of each downfall of Dundhrug''s de.

    It was as clear as day; the thread leading his de towards the jugr of the enormous man. A single swipe of his de and he could end this escapade--but he withdrew this murderous path, for now, holding out what little hope he had left.

    --I could at least knock them unconscious. Is that enough? With guys like this--, they''re sure to retaliate; they''ll hunt me down even if they face an unquestionable defeat. Can I take that risk with them around?<novelnext></novelnext>

    As he maneuvered his body out of the range of the flurry of sword swings, the look in Dundhrug''s bloodshot eyes held nothing rting to empathy; he was purely driven by the desire to kill and that alone.

    Ren caught a whisper of incantations being muttered by the ex-argonaut, dodging the next cascade of steel as he brought his de across the Achilles'' heel of the pir of a man with a wless slide across the ground, bringing him to his knees before he prepared himself for the iing spell.

    "...En: Wisp O'' Wrath!"

    Having no knowledge of the invoked mysticism by Leo, Ren found himself strapped on decisions; banking on his own reaction time as he witnessed the birth of the enigmatic spell firsthand.

    "Get im'', Leo!"

    Calling out from his vulnerable position, Dundhrug called out towards the boss of the group, caressing his mutted heel as a fountain of scarlet released.

    It looked almost identical to a basic fireball, but Ren knew this was definitely not the case--watching as the orb of mes manifested into the space in front of Leo, gyrating with a secondary me that coiled its shape.

    "Go--!"

    As soon as themand was shouted from the caster, the orb propelled towards Ren, losing no traction as it made a beeline straight for him. Dashing to the right to avoid the iing spell, Ren looked back to see the orb hadpletely shifted its direction--tracking him with utmost precision and tenacity.

    --It''s locked on to me?

    The pressure didn''t stop there; another Wisp O'' Wrath was invoked, zipping towards him with jolting speed as he now found himself on theplete defensive.

    "Run if you''d like; my wisps never tire!"

    A cackle from Leo met his ears like nails on a chalkboard as he continued sprinting around, looking back periodically as he felt the heat emanating from the orbs pelt against his back.

    --Screw this; he''s right!

    Doing away with caution, he came to an abrupt stop to meet the iing wisps face to face, masking his de with magical energy before splitting it against the wisp--resulting in the oue he feared as its form released into a vtile explosion.

    "You really are a tough bastard, ain''tcha? A normal person would be chunks of meat from that!"

    Though there wasn''t any visible damage taken from the small-scale explosion, Ren felt the effects of the shock wave within his bones, feeling as if a million tiny hammers struck him all over.

    --I''m going to wipe that smug look off his fucking face.

    "Dunkel: Piercer...Times three!"

    Rushing forward as he cast the spell, he flung three of the dark spears towards Leo, forcing the man to move from the spot he stood, avoiding the spears while still retaining his frivolous expression.

    --Even though hisrades are suffering, he''s smiling. I feel like vomiting just looking at his vile smile.

    Steel met steel as Ren crashed his de against Leo''s crimson-jeweled scimitar, forcing the man to nt his feet down as he slid back against the ashen ground. The hiss of des grinding against one another in a battle of strength; the grating noise overpowered the groans of fallen half-giant.

    "Those eyes...You''re not a killer, are you? That''s hrious! You''re fighting without the conviction to kill! I''m sure you know better than anyone how much that dulls one''s de! What did you say earlier? That you''d "respond in kind"--well I''m going to kill you, how will you respond to that, Ren?"

    Hearing the heckling of his opponent as they contested each other was even more grating than the edge of steel colliding.

 Chapter 161 - You Or Me; Death

    "--Aiko, you remember that name, don''t you?"

    It was a question that came from his lips without his own thoughts; matching the gaze of the man standing taller than himself.

    "Oh? That brat from Akitein? I remember her well--we all do. She was feisty, that one...Probably still have some scratches on me--"

    Before another repulsive utterance coulde from Leo''s lips, a knee to his abdomen interrupted him, sending him back as a look of fury was present on his opponent''s expression.

    "...Not bad. There was some vigor to that one. Let me guess; you''re here to get revenge on the brat''s behalf? How noble."

    Hearing these taunts from Leo, Ren could feel his blood boil with greater intensity, his senses bing overwhelmed by the potent emotion that invoked only wrath; from this point on, he didn''t n on pulling any punches.

    The next sh of des between the two men; Ren swung Belus down with crimson in his sights, hammering the de down as if it were a blunt weapon. Though Leo had guarded against the iing attack, the impact was felt throughout his body, leaving him stunned for a moment before another attack came; this time with the dagger.

    It scraped the skin of his forehead, cutting it open just enough to free his blood as Leo''s evade came half-sessful.

    "This guy isn''t a joke--he might actually kill me," Leo thought as he could still feel the sharpness of the dagger against his head.

    A flurry of heated swings came from Ren, who wildly but form-fully threw both his sword and dagger towards Leo rapidly--breaking through the ex-argonaut''s guard, leaving him defenseless as the dagger neared his chest.

    However--a smile came over Leo''s expression at that moment.

    --Huh?

    The dagger met its target, but it wasn''t the one who bore the lion sigil. It was lodged into the rock-solid abdomen of Dundhrug, buried hilt deep into his flesh.

    --What?

    Ren felt like puking; his grip on his dagger trembling as he realized what he had done. He fervently questioned his own eyes, knowing full-well that Leo was the one before him just before that moment.

    It wasn''t even a case of blinking and missing what had happened--it came so fast that his entire perception was thrown for a loop.

    Left stunned for a moment, a new heat brushed against his skin as a glow caught the corner of his eye; a burst of mes collided against both him and Dundhrug, knocking Ren back as he retrieved his dagger from the man''s gut.

    "It seems I need to stop underestimating you; your defensive reinforcement is quite impable."

    Leo pped his hands together, watching as Rennded on his two feet with but a few scratchesyered on his skin.

    "What the hell did you do?! You were right in front of me then--"

    As he yelled out in anger-fueled confusion, Ren looked down at his dagger-wielding hand, now covered in the blood of Dundhrug.

    "Oh? Was I?"

    "...You''re a monster. What kind of person uses his ownrade as bait like that?!"

    Ren''s words fell on deaf ears, invoking only a shrug from Leo as he stretched his fingers out to prepare for the next attack.

    The half-giant was out of the picture; slowly falling backward as the brunt of the fireball seemed to be on his end.

    "He''s going to die if you don''t do something. I know you care about him."

    "Spare me that bullshit. I only helped him before because he still had some use left in him. Now...Well, you see what he''s turned into."

    mes coiled around Leo''s arms, coalescing at the palm of his hands as he faced the young man with a spike in his mana signature. It seemed clear as day that the opportunity to resolve this by talking was gone; Ren had to step up.

    --Someone who is perfectly fine sacrificing their ownrades like that, there isn''t a chance in hell they''ll see reason. I want to do good, I want to be good--but if ites to pure evil like this, I''ll have to pick and choose.

    As he rushed towards the lion sigil, Ren swerved into a Dunkel Slicer, cutting through the ground as a vicious wave of sharp darkness cut through the middle of the quarry. Somehow or another--Leo was nowhere to be seen in the direction of the sh, momentarily halting Ren before he felt his familiar mana spike from behind him.

    --Again, he vanished from where I thought he was.

    "En: Rising Phoenix!"

    Behind him, Leo unleashed from his two hands a gargantuan mass of mes, guided by two wing-like shapes that carried the orange light directly towards him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just before it reached him, the ming spell made a sudden shift upwards, rocketing up as Ren brought his gaze up towards it in suspense. After reaching a height that would rest with the clouds, the horde of fire began to plummet downwards directly towards him.

    --That''s bad. Real bad. I can feel it--the magical energy generated by that...It''s enough to destroy this quarry two times over. Is he trying to kill himself as well? Is it a fluke? I have to take it out before it gets any closer.

    Left with not many options, Ren sheathed his des before he intertwined his fingers together, cracking them before he ced his hand up towards the air, "Araphel: Void Piercer!..."

    A swarm of abyssal energy coiled from his shoulder and around his arm like a deathly serpent, forming into a majestic, darknce that spanned several meters. Taking aim, heunched the colossalnce towards the plummeting mes, witnessing the residual dark mana fill the area with ck snow. Even if it worked--it would be a violent impact.

    Somehow, he imagined Leo wouldn''t move until the spell had reached its conclusion, nearly finding his neck to be split open as he barely blocked the iing steel with Belus.

    "Exciting, isn''t it? We could both die right here. Maybe just you, maybe just me--that''s the fun of it all. This ce is paradise, nowhere else in the world can you have this much fun!"

    As Leo pressed his de against Ren''s, speaking his twisted, repulsive words--Ren could only focus on the harrowing mes above as he watched hisnce near its destination.

    The collision sparked; a majestic array of ck, purple, and orange filled the void above them as a massive roar of force propelled against the quarry. Leo didn''t turn back at all to witness the spectacle; only furthering his frivolous smile as the sh of magic thundered in the air over their heads.

    --It worked.

    "You managed to stop it? Thrilling...En: re."

    From the stance he was at, Leo''s malediction came at a shock to Ren; casting a spell while both of his hands were tied up in the contest of strength was simply unheard of by him. From the ex-argonaut''s body, a glow began toe over him, running over his form before releasing in an explosion directly in front of Ren.

    --Shit. Shit. Shit.

    Sent flying back by the force, he skidded across the rough ground beforending on his back, knocking the back of his head against a jagged stone.

    All that filled his ears was a high-pitched ringing, the scenery beyond his groggy eyes was fuzzy;cking any substance as he blinked to try and rid himself of the perplexing filter. Lifting his head felt as if a knife was being jabbed directly into his spine, wincing from the sharpness of it all.

    --This isn''t good...He really got me with that one.

    cing his hand on the back of his head, a warm moistness met his touch, bringing his ash-covered fingers to his eyes to confirm--it was indeed his own blood.

    "You really had a chance, you know? Coming up on us all of a sudden after we had a run-in with that fuckin'' panda and demihuman girl. Hell, you might''ve really killed Dundhrug there...but this is where it ends."

    Leo rested his de against his shoulder as he walked past the clouds of kicked-up dust, kicking a loose pebble as he stood above his fallen foe.

    "How about it? Lick my boot and I''ll consider letting you be my dog. Hell of a lot better than your other option, probably--maybe."

    As usual, there was no sense of normalcy to the man as he walked almost in a dance, cing his ck, charred boot near the young man''s cheek.

    "...Go to hell."

    "Oh, I''m going there for sure. Not before I send you there myself though!"

    In response to Ren''s rejection of his offer, Leo reared his foot back beforending a ser kick directly against his temple.

    The harsh impact against his already mistreated head shed through him like a sledgehammer, spitting out blood after identally biting the inside of his cheek. It wasn''t the only kick; more came, hitting his ribs, head, shoulder.

    "Come on! Are you done already?! Weak, little punk!"

    Following the aggressive taunts from Leo were stomps,nding against Ren''s jaw as the pain began to dull as his consciousness debated on retreating.

    --I have to do it.

    Another impactnded against his cheekbone, squeezing blood out from his nostrils as he exhaled.

    --I have to kill him.

    Before the next downfall of Leo''s boot coulde down upon Ren, the young man grabbed hold of the boot, using both of his legs to wrap around the single one the man stood on, swerving his hips to cause Leo to fall to the ground.

    --It''s his life or mine; that''s how Purgatory works.

 Chapter 162 - Unintended Consequence

    There was only red in Ren''s sights now, crawling up and getting into a full-mount on the ex-argonaut as he began mming his hands down against the man''s face as if he were striking down with a mallet. Leo was unable to get any words out as the flurry of sharp blows filled his mouth with his own crimson fluid.

    Trying to block this assault by raising his arms, Ren simply drove his fists through this guard like a savage beast, honing in on the canvas for his painting of red. All Ren could think about in that moment was how good it felt to hit him, over and over while the man''s face became dyed in red.

    Again, the battered man attempted to half this assault; grabbing onto Ren''s wrist to hold back both of his bloodthirsty fists.

    Violence, however, found a way; with his fists withheld, Ren reared his head back before mming his sturdy forehead directly against the bridge of the man''s already shattered nose, forcing a fountain of clotted blood from his nostrils. A few more of these vicious headbutts weakened the grip on his wrists, soon Leo''s hands fell entirely, allowing Ren to continue his fist-filled assault.

    Sshing against his skin, the warm, crimson fluid exuding from the newly opened cuts on the one-eyed man''s face felt refreshing to Ren, the concept of red itself acting as further fuel to this fiery haze.

    Reinforcement shing against reinforcement; Ren''s proved to be superior as the man beneath him was reduced to nothing more than a punching bag, knuckles raining down from above. He was lost in this moment; his fists bing drenched in blood as he continued to disfigure Leo''s nose, only squelches and groans came out.

    "...Ren?"

    A feminine voice, pierced through his trance of blood as he stopped for a moment, turning his head towards the source of it, huffing as he finally took a break from the relentless barrage.

    "Aiko?..."

    Just seeing her brought tears to the rims of his eyes as he realized what he was doing; being witnessed in this savage state of his felt as if he was naked, his tainted thoughts exposed to the one he wanted to protect this cruelness from.

    "Why''re you here?..."

    He asked slowly with a trembling voice, knowing by the frightened look in the girl''s eyes, mirroring the blood-covered man she saw before her.

    "...I...I woke up and you were gone so I followed your track��"

    "Why?!"

    As soon as she gave her exnation, Ren shouted out towards her, still mounted on the man whose face was more blood than skin at this point.

    "...Huh?"

    "Why the hell did youe here?! I had this all handled--why?!"

    The screams from him sounded as if they were tearing at his own vocal cords, saliva and blood spitting out from his lips as his words cut out from his mouth. Being on the receiving end of this, Aiko tensed up, trembling a bit at both the words and sight before her.

    "...I wanted to make sure you were okay."

    Hearing the quiet, genuine words from her, Ren''s eyes widened for a moment as his mouth was left agape.

    "...Aiko, I''m s--"

    Before whatever he was about to say could leave his lips, a gargle of blood came from the man beneath him--squelched words following quickly.

    "...En...Sun Spear��"

    From his stunned state, he couldn''t react fast enough to the spell quietly cast by Leo, watching only as the man pointed his palm away from Ren, shooting out an arrow of mes away from the both of them.

    --Not me? Then who--

    Turning his head, Ren almost didn''t want to confirm the answer he found--watching almost in slowed time as the pir formed of mes shot through the air, heading directly for the girl.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Aiko----!"

    Yelling out with everything he had, reaching out with all of the strength he had--he wasn''t nearly close enough to redirect the agile spell, only watching as the somber atmosphere was filled with a fiery radiance. Her eyes were locked with his; wide with fear and confusion as the spear directly collided with her abdomen, an ear and gut-wrenching squelch filling Ren''s hearing as the spell pierced right through her stomach.

    It was a clear, gaping hole left in her abdomen, soon filled by an onught of rapid waves of blood leaving through the wound. For a moment, she stood, her head shaking side to side as did her body, soon falling over.

    "...Leo----!"

    Filled with an absolute slew of emotions, Ren gripped the man''s cor, looking at his blood-stained smile, letting out augh that came out as a few gargles.

    Rearing his fist back, nning to crush the man''s skull here and now, Ren stopped as he heard the faint breathing of the girl. Without wasting another moment, he picked himself up, nearly tripping over his own feet as he rushed to her side, turning her over onto her back.

    "Aiko? Aiko! Stay with me!"

    cing his bloodied palm against her cheek, caressing it, he could feel the warmth of it quickly fading as her cheek began to lose itsplexion. Keeling over, he tried to hold in the painful, scorching tears as they left his guilt-ridden eyes.

    "No! Not again-! I won''t let another person die on me!"

    Gritting his teeth after his pained yelling, he removed his cloak, wrapping it around Aiko before he scooped the girl up in his arms, beginning to retrace his steps back to the temporary base they had established, moving with such desperate haste that he nearly tripped over his own feet once again.

    --The fountain of resurrection...It''ll heal her. I just have to make it in time. Please. Please.

    Running as fast as he could, following the stone-covered pathways that could lead to an easy loss of direction, Ren could feel her rapidly evacuating blood seep over his arms as he held her, grimacing as he felt this.

    --Faster. I need to go faster!

    He focused his reinforcement in his legs, bursting forward with enough speed to shatter the stone under his boot, holding the girl tightly in his arms as he dashed onward. With a massive pir blocking his path, he drew in a breath before leaping over it, the harshnding sparking a sharp breath from the unconscious girl.

    "...Sorry, Aiko��"

    A screech he knew well came into earshot, looking up to see one of the scaled birds of prey pping its wings toward him.

    There was no avoiding its approaching presence; Ren adjusted his hold of Aiko, keeping her held with one arm as he gripped the hilt of Belus, continuing to sprint forward as he would soon meet the predator halfway.

    Keeping whatever patience he had left steady, he withheld his malice until the airborne monster came within striking distance, parting its sharp break as it swooped down for its meal. With a swift, almost unseen strike, he parted its head from its body, moving forward without ever stopping.

    Soon, the abandoned abode came back into view, guiding his step with further swiftness as a relieving feeling came over him, kicking open the decayed doors.

    The fountain of resurrection was a sight for sore eyes, finally catching his breath as he dipped the girl''s body into the crimson liquid. Watching her body carefully; her pale, deathlyplexion wasn''t restored as she was doused in the fluids of rejuvenation.

    "Huh?"

    Ren raised the girl back up--finding his stomach sinking and his heart dropping as the gaping wound in her abdomen was still very much present.

    --We already touched this fountain...The healing effects only ur once per fountain?...

    It was the only conclusion he coulde into with his hardly functioning mind, finding himself hyperventting as he began to feelplete and utter despair in the face of this hopeless situation, looking upon the girl''s anguished expression.

 Chapter 163 - Ill Save You, Aiko

    "...Bifrons! Bifrons! Bifrons--!"

    Shouting without any mercy on his own throat, Ren forced the slumbering familiar on his shoulder awake, not even allowing it the opportunity to yawn before barkingmands at it.

    "Where is the nearest fountain?! Tell me--hurry! Make sure it''s one she hasn''t been to! I know you can tell that much!"

    Bifrons took one side nce at the half-dead, beige-haired girl in Ren''s arms and nodded his feline head.

    "West of your current position, several hundred meters-nya."

    "Alright! Keep giving me directions!"

    "It''s a highly dangerous area, filled with monsters--"

    "I don''t care! We''re going!"

    Without any hesitation, the speed that Ren burst forward with caused the cat to dig its ws into the young man''s cloak to prevent himself from falling.

    --You saved me, Aiko. I''ll return to the favor--no, I''ll mend the mistake I made---because of my reckless behavior, you��

    He could hardly bring himself to look down at her agony-driven expression, covered in a cold sweat as he kept his hand on the back of her head. Caressing her head, running his hand through her hair, staining it with the crimson that painted his hands, he pushed himself to move even faster--feeling his legs begin to go numb as the scenery around him became a blur.

    "You''ll have to get past this gap-nya."

    Bifrons whispered to him as they approached a massive crevice that led down into the abyss, there was no bridge to speak of. Not halting in the slightest, Renmitted full-speed; leaping from the precipice of the obsidian cliff he ran against as he lept through the cold, musky air.

    Keeping Aiko tightly locked in his arms, held against his chest--he braced for thending, meeting both soles of his feet with the stone ground of the next portion of the cavern, caving in the rock beneath his step before bursting forward once more.

    "Multiple hostiles approaching-nya."

    "Got it."

    A pair of humanoid-looking creatures lumbered towards him with dome-like heads that sat directly on their shoulders with no necks, arms hanging below their knees. Using their massive arms and knuckles that were disproportionate to their obsidian bodies, they used them like crutches; moving like goris.

    --Crap, I''m starting to feel a bit dizzy...I think I''m running low on mana after that fight.

    Without any time to shift the girl and draw his de, Ren repelled the gori-like stone dwellers with a pair of kicks, temporarily leaving them stunned as he bolted past them.

    "Ahead; do you see it-nya?"

    It was surrounded by arge, tattered tarp of ck fabric; a colossal fountain taking the shape of a serpentine as its statue.

    "Yeah."

    More and more came; it seemed like dozens of the dome-headed dwellers rose from the depths of the abyss, trudging towards him as muk lined their step.

    --There''s too many; I can''t take them all, not with her.

    The many bodies began to obscure the path to his desperately wished for the destination, looking at him with their pupilless, glowing white eyes.

    Raising a single hand, he shut one eye as he aimed towards the mass of huddled together humanoids--"Dunkel: Piercer -- Araphel: Detonation!"

    The trustybination of two spells wasunched; allowing the ck spear to release into an explosion of dark mana as it reached the grouping, blocking a clear path for him as he pressed onwards with a Shadowstep.

    Uneven ground lent itself to be difficult terrain; dodging these jagged stones that stuck out from the ground, avoiding a puddle of ck muk as he drew closer to the fountain, listening to the breathing of the girl be fainter and fainter.

    "Ren, you''re--"

    From Bifrons'' perspective, the young man was just in need of recovery as the girl; his lip was busted, nose shifted to the nose, eyebrow cut open--it was hard to tell what blood was his or his enemies'' own.

    "Not now. We''re almost there."

    Shutting down the unlikely words of concern from Bifrons, he huffed, feeling his legs burn and cramp up from the fastly-traversed distance--nearly tossing himself towards the statue that held the crimson fluid. Reaching it, he didn''t hesitate to lower the girl''s body into the grasps of the liquid of undying, watching as it took her in--this time responding to her injuries.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...Good...We made it. We made it��"

    Falling down onto his knees, Ren held onto the rim of the stone fountain, catching his breath as it felt like he was allowing the fire to traverse his lungs.

    "Not quite-nya."

    "...Huh?"

    Groggily, Ren turned his gaze down towards the small feline, meeting its sharp gaze with his own. At this point, he was barely holding onto his own consciousness, tethering it to his will.

    "It seems your explosive decision has incurred the wrath of many creatures of the cavern-nya. They will surelye for both of you-nya."

    Looking back to confirm this, Bifron''s words were correct; there were dozens of the gori-fisted creatures slowly stepping towards his position, all locked onto him with their harrowing gazes.

    "...Give me a break."

    It took everything he had to raise from his knelt position, weakly drawing both Belus and his dagger from their abodes, taking in a deep breath that soon left his scorching lungs. Just the thought of having to fight drew a higher density to his rebellious eyelids, firmly nting his boots against the ground to draw out any stamina left within his veins.

    "Juggerknulls; they''re slow but they can pack quite the potent punch behind those massive knuckles of theirs-nya. Be careful, Ren-nya."

    "Thanks...for the tip."

    Taking a step forward nearly resulted in him copsing forward, pressing himself onward as he met with the first of these shadow-skinned beasts, watching as it raised its fist the size of his head; its knuckles had no skin over them, formed of a metallic substance.

    Before it could send its fist against him with a savage strike, he allowed his de to guide through the air, cutting through the juggerknull from its shoulder, dragging Belus down diagonally until the sword came out through its side; bisecting the beastly being.

    --That''s one down. A hundred more to go.

    Lifting his arm for another movement of his de while another juggerknull approached, it felt as if his tricep was set aze, straining to its utmost as it felt he was swinging a boulder.

    --I only have enough mana to cover and enhance my arms and de with reinforcement. Shit...I''m so tired. I want to lie down...I could really use thatp pillow of yours, Iris.

    The thought of that briefly formed a minuscule smile on the edge of his lips, half-dodging, and half-falling as an enormous fist whisked by his head. He wrapped his arm around the bicep of the juggerknull, locking it in ce as he sent his dagger into its back, digging it in deep before sliding it back out.

    --I can''t hear anything...Just this ringing in my ears.

    Any time left to catch his breath was gone, blocking a fist from the next of these beasts with the edge of his de, causing the juggerknull''s to split its fist down the middle as it shed against the unmatched sharpness of Belus.

    A pained roar escaped the maw of the oddly-proportioned beast as its forearm was left split, giving Ren enough of an opening to m his dagger down against the top of its dome-like head, piercing through its thick skull with a resounding crunch.

    --Every time I kill one...I feel just a bit better; a little more energy flows through my body, guiding me to kill another.

    As he remarked on this peculiar sensation, he could feel a certain heat pressing against the bare skin of his chest from underneath his clothes.

    --Ah...it''s the amulet, isn''t it?

    There was no choice but to test this hazy hypothesis, pivoting on his foot as he swung his de through two more of the endless beasts. Killing both at once, he felt that small, yet very present surge of energy flow from the amulet and into his body, parting his groggy eyelids.

    --I can do it...I can kill them all. I can protect her--I''ll save her. Just sit back and rest, Aiko--I''ve got this.

    He soon lost count; it became a pattern, thrusting his dagger into their skulls, bisecting their bodies with his longsword, it became a pattern ingrained in his flesh--leaving in his wake a scenery of dismembered bodies. As his head throbbed, his body aching--his instincts remained sharp, guiding him safely out of the range of their fists, as a single hit might just be enough to do him in at this point.

    After an unknown amount of gnawing time passed, Ren managed to cut down everyst juggerknull that came his way. Resting on his nted sword as a cane, his momentary reprieve was set to a pause as thebat seemed to draw in another guest.

    "...The hell is that?"

    At this point, he was only running on fumes, his questioning out low and raspy, blood lining his lips as he spoke.

    "An "Ethernaut"; I''d advise for you to run, but I know that is futile advice-nya."

    Confirming Bifrons'' words, Ren huffed as he pulled Belus out from the blood-soaked stone beneath, focusing his blurred gaze as he tried to understand the figure before his eyes.

 Chapter 164 - A Fleeting Reprieve

    It was tall andnky; likely rivaling the size of Asterius, formed out of what looked to be shadows, almost blending in with the darkness that shrouded the cavern. The only feature that distinguished it from the darkness was its wide grin full of pearly whites.

    "Murderer...Killer...Murderer��"

    Speaking out in an itchy tone,ing out almost like static, it let out these repeated words as it slowly approached.

    "...Murderer?"

    Dazed for a moment at these words, he was unprepared for the sudden burst of speed it disyed, clearing the distance between them in an instinct that spiked his heart rate up to ten times over. With its long, thin arms, it grabbed each side of his head, holding him close to its spiral eyes as it continued to grin.

    "Murderer! Killer! Murderer! Killer!

    "No! I''m not!"

    Looking into those swirling eyes of ck and white, he felt his consciousness became entranced in these words. He could feel something emanating from its shadowy form and into his head, on a physical level--it was trying to alter him.

    "Murderer! Murderer! Murderer---!"

    Its tone became vicious, the smile it held bing wider--so wide that its cheeks would''ve torn apart if it were human.

    "...Stop it!"

    Mustering up his strength, he finally drove Belus through its smooth torso, feeling no resistance within its body. The repeated words came to a halt; the ethernaut simply stared at him silently with its smile before its form began to crumble into shards of darkness.

    Dropped back onto his feet, Ren quickly grabbed his head, feeling as if his brain had been tied into a series of knots.

    Once again, time proved to be a luxury as burrowers made their presence known.

    "...Once more."

    He moved past the gue on his mind, picking himself back up as he felt his body yearn for him to keel over from the pain, or to fall over and sumb to his exhaustion.

    Through the veil of darkness, flesh, and mortality--he carved through it endlessly, his body numb and on the verge of shutting down, until atst--he was thest one left breathing.

    Standing alone in the pasture of fallen bodies, covered in blood both his and not-- from head to toe; he imed victory. He was unsure if he was even holding onto his des, feeling nothing past his static fingertips.

    A walking corpse at this point; he lumbered his way back to the fountain, dragging his feet as his limbs stayed dropped at his sides. The path back to the fountain was littered with an array of contentsing from the plethora of juggerknull''s bodies; their blood seeping into the grooves and crevices of the stone, clinging to the bottom of his boot like an adhesive.

    Dropping to his knees once more in front of the fountain, he rested his cheek against the cold, smooth rim of gray stone, peering with his tiresome gaze into the somber matter, seeing her obscured figure below the surface of its crimson sheen.

    "...I did it, Meinhard...I saved somebody."

    Allowing his eyes to close by no will of his own, they were suddenly jolted open as a pair of subtle, light footsteps were heard from both his left and right--instantly drawing his hand to his de.

    "Stay your hand, we''re no foes of yours."

    Squinting past his blurred sight, he found that the gravelly voice was attached to someone short of stature, or rather something. Although the voice was definitely human, the build of the entity in question was short in stature, with a short neck and wide head unbefitting of a person.

    "Who are you?"

    "We''re the ones asking the questions here, boy--"

    The one to his right scoffed, his appearance obscured by a worn, hole-filled cloak made of beige fabric with patches of ck.

    "Stop that, Velrum. If he''s the one that Miss Iris is looking for then--"

    Clearly the more reasonable of the two, the mysterious figure to Ren''s left interrupted hispanion before promptly being interrupted himself by the half-conscious human.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Iris?! What did you just say? That name--say it again!"

    The leftmost figure had no time to react as Ren sprung up from his knelt position, rushing over and gripping the figure by his slender shoulders.

    "Back up!"

    "Velrum, no! It''s alright."

    From the frantic movements of the blood-soaked human, Velrum had ced his hand on his sheathed sword, stopping only once his partner raised his hand to stop him; slowly, he looked back up at the young man.

    ''...Iris?"

    "Where is she?!"

    Getting a closer look at the features of the unknown being, a small, pointy nose with lengthy ears that twitched at the sudden closeness--Ren didn''t care. For the first time in a long time; beyond all these sleepless days, life returned to his eyes--a wonderstruck innocence stared into the unknown being''s eyes.

    "...You''re Ren, aren''t you?"

    Hearing his own namee from the lips of the non-human being, he fell silent for a moment before nodding his head slowly.

    "Yeah...I''m Ren."

    As the sybles parted from his lips, what little consciousness he was holding onto began to slip away. A surprised expression came over the mysterious visitors as the young man slumped over, falling against the one he held onto so fervently, his grip still tight on the short being''s ledges.

    "Well, don''t just stand there! Help me set him down, Vel!"

    "...Right, right!"

    Taking their hoods off, the two elven beings gently took hold of the crimson-drenched young man, carefullyying him down near the fountain.

    Being brought so close to the ominous statue, something within the liquid caught the corner of Velrum''s emerald mirrors.

    "Hey, Moko! There is someone in here!"

    "Huh? What''re you talking about--"

    Following the curious words of hispanion, Moko leaned over the side of the tall geyser of crimson, peering into it as the unmistakable silhouette of a person was floating under the liquid.

    "Should we bring them out?"

    Velrum asked, looking towards hispanion with a questioning look, scratching the top of his silver-covered scalp.

    "Fool! We''d be cursed a hundred times over for touching the sacred liquid! It''s bad enough as it is that our skin met the paramount stone! A thousand prayers will be sung from my bedside tonight...Lest I want the gods to punish me."

    "Right...Well, he was fighting off those creatures as they drew close to this divine well...Do you think this person is someone he knows?"

    Now scratching his scruffy beard that lined his neck, Velrum backed away from the fountain, looking down at the unconscious, snow-haired man.

    "...It matters not. We will wait with him here until he wakes. That is the order Elder Heldjrim gave to us--we will not fail him."

    "Still, this is really ''Ren''? The description Miss Iris gave us was definitely a boy with dark hair. I mean, the eyes match at least��"

    Velrum knelt beside the fast asleep human, he parted Ren''s eyelids to take a peek at his iris before standing himself back up with a tiny huff.

    "He confirmed as much...Besides; I can just tell. That look in his eyes, I''ve never seen so much joye over someone''s eyes with just a mention of a name."

 Chapter 165 - B.A.M

    Reaching its time of rest, the sun slowly began to lower itself into slumber as the skies set to a warm hue of orange. Paired with the repetitive sounds of the wooden wheels rolling over dirt and the asional pebble, this atmosphere had nearly driven Sora into a state of slumber, invoking a bellowing yawn as the only thing keeping him awake was his task as the carriage driver.

    "How much further? I''m dying here��"

    Letting out a whiney groan, Sirius looked up towards the white shell of the coach, gently rocking his head back against the wooden frame.

    "I believe we should be around the "The Colossal Vale of Habascus", right about now, in fact."

    Lucas ran his finger along the proper route of the map, answering in a calm, somewhat hesitant voice as he seemed to confirm his own answer.

    "And how do you even know that? You''ve been counting each spin of the wheels or something?"

    Sitting up from hisid-back position, Sirius brushed his messy hair back, looking down at the map with his azure gems.

    "Take a look outside."

    Sounding somewhat perturbed by the mocking tone of the ck-hairedpanion of his, Lucas looked up from the map, gesturing with his chin towards the open back of the carriage.

    Hesitant about this, Sirius slowly brought himself to his feet, walking along the shaky floorboards of the ever-moving transport, peeking his head out as his hair met with the rapid winds, pressing against his skin the chill breath of the world.

    Seeing the scenery all around them, his eyes grew entranced at the spectacle; hugging their pathway on both sides were enormous walls of stone, their summit touching past the ivory fluffy in the sky, covered in evergreen,yered with bountiful flowers plucked straight out of paradise.

    Running down the shoulders of the gargantuan mountains, streams of crystal clear water ran coalesced naturally formed fountains. The serene sounds of this aqua as it smoothly traveled along the slopes of verdancy were enough to soothe any worries guing the heart, caressing both fears and anxiety out from his pores.

    "...Beautiful."

    It felt as if he had to pry his eyes from this view in order to seat himself back down in the carriage, feeling a warmthe over his body as now his ears could only focus on those fresh streams moving along.

    "You''ve never traveled through here?"

    "Nope. Haven''t really needed to."

    Looking at Lucas and his eyes that matched the lustrous green past the carriage, Sirius knew the boy loved this sort of thing--but he took his role as navigator quite seriously.

    "Thisnd has quite the history attached to it."

    "Yeah? You really know your stuff, don''t you?"

    Asking with a smile, Sirius watched with his cobalt gaze as the boy reached into his pocket; a familiar pocket watch being retrieved. As his eyes rested on the object, his smile dissipated, while Lucas formed one of his own; though it held no joy.

    "...You still have that."

    "Of course I do...I would never discard it...It''s thest I have of him."

    The way he held it so tightly between his fingers, caressing it and watching its form so closely with yearning eyes; one could mistake the watch for a sacred relic by the fervor shown.

    On the other hand, Sirius couldn''t stand to look at it; whether it was the existence of an object belonging to a dead man or the unbing look on Lucas'' expression, his eyes were averted, looking out towards the grandiose valley they passed through.

    --It''s not my ce to tell him how to grieve; I just hope one day he can move on from it. Not that I''d ever say that...Lucas can hold quite the grudge, Sirius thought.

    Holding thatst thought to himself, Sirius let out a dry chuckle from the corner of his lips, earning a token re from Lucas. That look was something he quickly learned after meeting the feminine boy wasn''t personal; it was his default stare, it might be even more perplexing for him to look at you with weing eyes.

    "...Hey, sorry about what I said earlier."

    Scratching his cheek bashfully, Sirius muttered out the words through stone-tight lips, turning his gaze away as Lucas looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

    "For what? I don''t remember you saying anything offensive."

    "I''m talking about back at--oh, right...Yeah, I guess I''m just misremembering."

    Realizing Lucas'' intentions, Sirius shared a smile with him. As taut as he could be; Lucas was an ounder--a special bond was held between all of them; this was something Sirius especially held dear, as did Lucas.

    --I''ll never let what happened with Sebastian repeat, Lucas. I promise, Sirius thought to himself with a resolved look in his azure eyes.

    As Lucas returned his investive mirrors back down to the rugged map he held so firmly between his fingers, not allowing the slim chance of the passing winds to pry it from his fingers--a stunned look came over him for a moment.

    "...Sora. Sora!"

    His first call with an inside voice garnered no response; beckoning from him a sharp yell that earned a "Ah!" from the steerer of the behemoth upfront.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You don''t have to yell so damn loud! Nearly made me lose my hold of the reins--what the hell is it?"

    Under the looming shadows of the high-hanging clouds, Sora turned his head back momentarily as his crimson locks were helpless to the winds.

    "We''reing up on a narrow trail."

    "Are you scared Bemo isn''t going to fit or something?"

    Responding to Lucas'' worryingment, Sirius butted in, earning a chuckle from Sora at the thought of the bulbous beast not fitting through a crevice.

    "...That''s not it."

    "Get to the point then!"

    Sora had to yell out for his voice not to be carried away by the loud winds, further amplifying his voice due to the tremor-inducing stomps from Bemo. Smacking his palms down directly against the creaking nks of timber, Lucas let out a huff as his hazel locks were tugged by the wind''s many hands.

    "...It is the edge of the mountain, you idiot!"

    Finally hearing this, Sora quickly turned his gaze back towards the path, looking onwards with a squint at the quickly approaching end of the cliffs hugging both his left and right. It was impossible to tell; low-hanging branchespletely obscured what sat at the end of the current trail.

    Frantically, the muscr man flicked his wrists; pelting the behemoth''s scale-covered back with the ropes.

    The reins were nothing more than noodles being whipped against unmoving stone; watching as Bemo continued his fast-paced stomps forward.

    "Right...This damn thing is tough! The hell is the point of these reins then?!"

    "Give them here!"

    Leaning through the window leading to the coach seat, Sirius snatched the lines from the man''s confused grip--a sudden traversal over arge pebble causing Sirius to smack the top of his head against the sharp edge of the carriage.

    Squeezing the prickly rope between his gloves, the ck-haired Ounder unleashed a current of electricity along the hemp; traveling directly through the nomadic behemoth and bestowing upon it a sharp jolt.

    Feeling the effects of Sirius'' violet magical energy, the hulking beast let out a bellowing groan, slowing down as its heavy, frantic steps were reduced to leisure stomps.

    "Phew��"

    Sora wiped the sweat from his forehead, taking back the reins as the lightning mage let out a sigh of relief as well, slumping back down in the carriage.

    "Good thing I was around right--"

    In a braggadocious manner, Sirius shrugged his shoulders--finding himself promptly interrupted by a deep, harrowing hum that seemed toe from all sides. It wasn''t just him that heard this; Lucas was already as stiff as an arrow, while Sora had frozen, listening closely to this sound.

    "What was that? Did you see anything?"

    Sirius brought himself to his feet in a single movement, holding onto the sill of the window as he shouted directly in his red-hairedpanion''s ear.

    "No--I didn''t see anything! Bemo, stop! I think that noise scared him--he''s picking up again!"

    The carriage was now being pulled at a dangerously rapid pace; the wheels spinning at such a frequency that it became grating to listen to.

    "Give me the reins! I''ll calm him back down again!"

    Just as the tips of his fingers met with the rope, one of the wheels shot out from the carriage, leaving the back left of the transportation device scraping against the stone behind them. The sudden incline of the carriage nearly caused Lucas to slip out from the back, grabbing onto the narrow grooves of wood with his fingertips, wincing from the pressure applied.

    "Shit!"

    "I''m fine--just calm that damn beast down!"

    Assuring hispanion, Lucas gritted his teeth from the rough, prickly wood being scraped against his smooth fingers.

    Each half of Sirius seemed to be holding onto two different actions; one hand holding onto the reins as one reached out towards Lucas--it was a decision he wasn''t prepared to make in this second of mayhem--but he didn''t need to make it.

    Before a choice was needed, it all became obscured. The sun, the ancient, historical stone around them, bountiful springs of water--it was all reced by a sudden abundance of fog setting in, inhabiting the once beautiful vale with the harrowing scenery of pale winds.

    --Where did all of this foge from? Just a second ago, it was nothing but sunshine and flowers, Sirius thought.

    The fog grew so thick that he could no longer even see Sora, who was no more than an arm''s reach away.

 Chapter 166 - Perplexing Crash

    "Sora---!"

    Yelling out only caused his voice to be sucked away into the void of mist, turning back to see if at least Lucas was still there. To his surprise and relief, the boy was still clinging desperately to the side of the carriage.

    Carefully, Sirius inched his way over, extending his hand towards Lucas as no words were exchanged, watching as he gritted his teeth, straining; he stretched his arm out as far as he could. As their fingertips met one another, it all fell apart.

    An outside force crashed into the carriage that was already hanging onto a thread, sending Sirius'' vision to go into aplete spiral as his body was flipped around this way and that; feeling a sense of weightlessness.

    He soon came to the realization that this sensation was directly linked to the wooden coach; it had been sent directly off of the side of the cliff, yet still the fog clung to its presence.

    --Ah, shit, Sirius thought.

    There were no rays of sunlight that graced his parting eyelids, greeting his hazy, exhaustion eyes with the bountiful, warming red.

    "Ngh��"

    His ears only met with a constant chime, finding himself unable to tell if he was facing right, left, up, or down with the odd lightness he felt to his body. Blinking once more as his vision began to adjust; it was all fog around him, the heavy mist hiding the answer of his location from him.

    --What the hell happened? Sirius asked himself.

    Holding his throbbing head, he sat himself up slowly. As he had thought from the prickly, almost ticklish feeling against his neck, it was indeed a bed of grass beneath him.

    "Right...Something intercepted our path--damn, I was really flung right off a cliff, huh?"

    Realizing this, Sirius rubbed the back of his head, thankful his reinforcement saved him from the colossal fall.

    --All those grueling years of training paid off; passive reinforcement is a damn life-saver, Sirius thought.

    Standing himself up, he brushed theyer of sediment from his previously immacte uniform with a disgruntled sway to his movements. Though the natural presence of the thick mist was jarring; he couldn''t feel any nearby presence--leaving him to rx his guard, but notpletely. There was no songs of birds perched within the many trees to be heard; in fact, there wasn''t any sound meeting the core of his ears but the subtle hum that threaded the enigmatic fog.

    --Still, what is this fog? Where did ite from? It''s one thing that it was with us at the peak, but now down here as well? Something just isn''t adding up here, Sirius pondered.

    Pushing past thick foliage, he found that shattered nks of wood were nted into the soil. Running the tips of his white gloves over their form, he recognized them without a doubt.

    "The carriage��"

    Seeing the debris of the fallen carriage only spurred more questions than answers; the rest of the vehicle was nowhere to be seen.

    --There''s no way I could''vended that much further from them or the carriage, Sirius thought.

    It was only as he stood back up that he realized the dropping temperature of the surrounding area, watching his breath leave his lips in the same mist he stood in.

    Feeling this gnawing coldness set in, doing nothing to aide his anxious mind as he questioned the safety of hisrades--he stopped in ce for a moment.

    --I guess there''s no choice. Even if I have to give my position away...I need to find them.

    Lowering his stance a bit, he took a deep breath beforeunching into the air with a bolt of lightning discharging from his body, breezing past the ceiling of evergreen. It took no longer than the air to travel from his lips to his throat for his body to be far above the trees, hanging in the sky as a trail of purple lightning clung to his path.

    Looking back down at the forest; it was shrouded in the fog, reaching as high as the trees themselves as it acted like a faux prison.

    "Sora----! Lucas----!"

    Sirius yelled out as loud as he could, his voice being carried across the entirety of the valley of endless verdancy.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Is that you, Sirius?!"

    His call was met with the response of a well-known, deep voice. Hearing this, a relieved smile came over Sirius'' expression as he took note of the source of the call back as hended back down in the bowels of the fog-covered forest.

    --It wasn''t far at all, guess I freaked out for nothing, Sirius thought to himself.

    "Yeah, it''s me--I''m headed your way!"

    Sirius assured the man, heading west of his current position, scanning past the obscured trees as they only became visible when they were no more than a foot away from himself.

    Swinging his arms against the blockade of evergreen, bursting through the leaves, he found himself in a medium-sized field within the forest, walled off by the thick, obscuring foliage. Sitting against the grass was the familiar sight of red locks.

    One look at him was enough to tell that his usage of passive reinforcement wasn''t quite up to par; his body wasyered in dirt from the fall, apanied by superficial scratches across his skin and a bruise resting on his cheek that seemed to swell up.

    "Yo."

    Giving a cheeky smile to Sirius as the man was clearly staring a bit too long at his injuries, Sora gave him a thumbs-up.

    "...You''re alright?"

    "I''m A-OK!"

    As if confirming as much, Sora pped his own bicep with his wide grin, wincing as the smile seemed to incur a sting from his swollen cheek.

    "Yeah, you don''t look so hot��"

    Sirius squatted down beside the fiery Ounder, reaching into the pouch on his belt as he retrieved a verdant orb from it, the size of a piece of candy.

    "I don''t need that, like I said--I''m great!"

    Attempting to reject the heilen ball, Sora gave a bright, trembling smile as he clearly invoked the same pain once more.

    "Take it."

    "I''m--"

    "Take it."

    Insisting, Sirius had nearly shoved the rejuvenating orb down the man''s throat, pressing it against his mouth with an annoyed look. Knowing it was the only way to please Sirius'' worrying nature, Sora epted the heilen orb, tossing it down his throat and swallowing it whole.

    It didn''t take but a minute for his cuts to slowly close up entirely, a surge of vigor running through the man''s veins as he stood up.

    "Man, I''ll never get used to that feeling��"

    Soramented, running his fingers over the freshly sealed cuts on his arm, shivering a bit from the freakish sensation.

    "Where''s Lucas?"

    "I was going to ask you the same thing."

    Sora looked at the man with a perplexed look, just as out of the loop on the whereabouts of their friend. Hearing this answer, Sirius clicked his tongue.

 Chapter 167 - Husk

    "Shit. How''re we supposed to find a damn thing in this fog?"

    "That''s what I''ve been wondering; what the hell is this stuff anyway? It seems like it''s following us around or something. I just can''t wrap my head around it."

    "...I was having the same thought. It could be the work of magecraft."

    Sharing in their thoughts, the two men pondered the nature of the veil hanging around them, falling silent for a moment before Sora pped his hands together, rubbing his palms against one another with a confident smirk.

    "Did you think of something?"

    "If this really is the work of magic like you say, then we should be able to dispel it, right?"

    "Assuming it isn''t a spell woven beyond our paygrade; yeah, I suppose. Do you remember the seal that Beatrice taught us?"

    Sirius shared in the confidence of his partner, cracking his knuckles as well as his stiff neck, lowering down to the ground.

    "Of course I do! That witch made sure to drill it into all of our skulls!"

    Sora met Sirius'' position, the two began to carve lines into the brittle soil; running a line around into a clear circle. Working in unison; the seal was finished in the form of a seven-pointed star with an array of lines within its interior.

    Standing back up, Sirius brushed the veil of nature from his pristine gloves while Sora didn''t bother with the dirt that clung to his fingers.

    "Who''s going to do it?"

    Sirius asked, looking down at the surprisingly cleanly put-together seal. In the time it took to create, the ever-present fog seemed to amplify, taking away more of their sight as it clung to the forest.

    "I''ll leave the honors to you."

    Pinching his fingers together with a closed-eye smile, Sora left it to Sirius, who let out a brief sight before raising one hand to the air.

    --Bastard probably doesn''t remember the invocation words, Sirius thought with a smile.

    "Like a bloomed flower, as a life not yet lived, the graces of old can be plucked. Mana signature--ON."

    Following his calm,manding words, Sirius conjured the dirt-drawn seal to illuminate with a purple haze.

    "Ubi Minus!"

    Yelling out these words that spurred on mysticism, the subtle glow from the magic deal unleashed into a light that consumed their vision temporarily, leaving a blinding sh that obscured their visionpletely for a few moments.

    --Did it work? Sirius thought.

    Removing his hand from the front of his vision, the scenery of fog was still present, trailing through the forest like sunken clouds.

    "Did we mess up the seal?"

    Sora scratched his head, squatting down as he inspected the handiwork put into the hastily put together symbol.

    "No, that''s not it. The dispel went off--it was unleashed without a doubt. I felt as much."

    "So, this isn''t magic then? The hell--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Before Sora could continue talking, a hand was brought in front of his lips swiftly. Sirius held his index finger in front of his own lips, giving the man a "Shh"--a highly-alerted look came over his hawk-like eyes.

    There was no doubting Sirius'' keen senses, Sora didn''t attempt to ask him what it was he had taken note of, only trusting hisrade''s sensespletely as he focused on his surroundings. Falling silent, the noise that drew this reaction now met Sora''s ears for the first time.

    It was the rustling of bushes; not just from one direction, it came from the left, right, and directly ahead. Even if the dense fog wasn''tpletely blocking their vision, the bountiful foliage would result in the exact sameck of sight.

    No chances were taken; Sora manifested his mystical armor over his body, holding his hand out as his greatsword came into existence directly within his grip. Sparks of purple electricity coiled around Sirius'' hands; the two men pressed their backs against each other, watching each other''s nks. It was the result of years ofradery; no words had to leave their lips.

    --Goblins? No; they''re too cowardly to approach a strong release of mana. Could it be tribesmen? I don''t recall there being any in thisnd, Siris thought.

    His eyes scanned the area, waiting anxiously as the sound of rustling bushes continued, frantic footsteps heard from all sides.

    The fast-paced steps picked up, hearing it intensify before suddenly they drew near; the form of one of these mysterious figuresing into view as it sprinted through the fog directly towards him. No doubt; it was a human, or used to be.

    Its skin was rotten, covered in scabs and pus, left with cracks against its dried-out, grayed skin. The zed-over eyes filling its sockets held vibrant, magenta irises as it held its mouth open wide with a snarl, no lips to be had as only its ckened teeth were on disy.

    The decrepit being threw itself in the air, hurling towards Sirius with its teeth chattering rapidly. In response to the clear aggression from the foul creature, Sirius masked his hand in a stream of electricity, swiping his hand down through the enigmatic winds as he used a string of lighting like a de; severing the bald head of the deathly being from its bony shoulders.

    As soon as its head departed from its body, its snarling ceased; falling inanimate while its bodynded on the soil like a sack of potatoes.

    On Sora''s end, another of these rotten entities sprinted towards him on all fours, baring its meat-stained teeth at him with its low-hanging jaw hung on with a single strand of muscle. It moved like a feral animal, swiping its sharpened fingernails against his waistline before he mmed his enormous b of steel down upon its head, the powerful force behind the brutal sh bursting its skull with a repulsive squelch as an explosion of crimson sttered against his armor and the prime evergreen.

    "Moreing!"

    Sora called out, retrieving his greatsword as it was lodged within the matter of the deceased creature, lifting it as crimson leaked from its form.

    Multiple now came at once; sprinting with their hungering jaws snapping at the sight of the two men, howling at with harrowing screams.

    --If these are what I think they are, I can''t let them close! Sirius thought.

    Sirius raised his hand in front of his gaze, pointing his finger out as if ying with finger guns. When it came to being in such close proximity to an ally; he was left with few options as his magic was devastating to wide areas--leaving friendly fire to be a possible threat if he wasn''t careful. Taking aim with his index finger pointing to one of the heads of these foul, repugnant beings that smelled as if they crawled out of sewers, Sirius unleashed a condensed bolt from the tip of his finger.

    Traveling at a speed far surpassing a bullet, the small bolt cracked the air,pletely pulverizing the skull of the approaching hostile as it came into contact. Repeating this process with the iing reinforcements, Sirius shot out these tiny, yet sharp bolts at them--destroying their heads before they could draw near him or hispanion.

    Sora did not possess the same finesse; swinging his enormous sword around like a gori as it brought with it a wind pressure that dazed the rotting bodies of his foes. Bringing the dense de up in a heavy upward sh, the impact flung the hungering being''s body into the air as it was bisected, leaving a brief rain of guts onto the once serene green.

    Brought back to back again, Sora and Sirius looked around the field now covered in rotten flesh, still hearing the sound of surrounding entities.

    "...We have to find Lucas, if he''s alone with these--"

    Sirius huffed out, allowing his lightning to wrap around his forearms, his hair starting to stick up from the static.

    "He''s tough! He''s an Ounder, just like us! Have some faith!"

    "I know! I know!"

    "We have to worry about our own asses, for now, Sirius!"

    As he assured hispanion, Sora dragged his de against the flesh of the world, flinging the de against a rapidly approaching foe, parting its snarling head from its body.

 Chapter 168 - Take The Iniative

    Sliding his boot across the slick des of verdant, the lighting Ounder swiped his palm through the air, unleashing a veil of lightning that ruptured against the trio of these rotting bodies, slicing them into many sections while charring their already tainted flesh.

    --I hate to admit it, but the big guy is right; if these really are husks, then trying to brute force our way out of this zone could risk being infected, Sirius thought to himself, forget the mission--we might not all make it out at one piece if the husks have already reached this point.

    After piecing apart the couple dozen of decrepit bodies that came their way; the assault seemed to finallye to an end as Sora plunged his sword into the soil with a huff.

    "We need to find Lucas and get back on our path towards Lemasdale."

    Sirius made sure the husks remained down, sending minuscule bolts against the back of their inanimate skulls.

    "Huh? No, we''re going to find Lucas then get the hell out of here!"

    "What''re you saying?"

    Hearing the objection from hisrade, Sirius raised an eyebrow, prodding for the man to exin further.

    "You know what I''m saying; look how far the husks have already expanded. We need to group back up at the base and organize a proper team."

    "...Getrude will be dead by the time any of that is done."

    Sirius interjected, calmly uttering his words as if it was a factor that Sora had simply forgotten.

    "That''s not our problem."

    "Bullshit--"not our problem"--you heard her; this mission is paramount to the main goal at hand, Sora. If Getrude dies, not only do we lose a valuable ally, but Mastorn is going to be ruled by some greasy sack of shit no better than the current king!"

    As he drilled his words into Sora, Sirius grabbed hold of the cor of his armor, pulling him closer to make sure his words hit his ears.

    "Listen to yourself--Mastorn, Lemasdale...None of that is our problem! This isn''t our world, they aren''t our people! What matters is us and not losing any more of our group that we have to! Don''t forget; we''re just here until we finish Beatrice''s mission. It doesn''t do us any damn good if we die along the way."

    "What the hell is the matter with you? This is nothing like you at all! You''re fine with people just dying when we can do something about it? Did you train all of these years just so you can stick your tail between your legs and run like a fucking coward?!"

    Sirius'' grip tightened on Sora''s cor, who responded by grabbing hold of the man''s wrist, meeting his azure gaze with his crimson jewels.

    "No, I put my body through hell so I could get back home! Didn''t you do the same? What about your siblings, huh?! Don''t you want to see them grow up? Watch them graduate, find love, have kids? Be an uncle?"

    "...Of course I do!...But how am I going to face them if their beloved older brother is a coward who abandons helpless people?!"

    Sirius pressed his forehead against Sora''s as their words became sharper and more fearsome, shouting within the bowels of the fog-covered forest.

    --I understand where you''reing from, I do; you just want to make sure Lucas is safe. You''re not the type to leave the weak behind, Sora. I know that, Sirius thought.

    "...alright, alright! I got it! You''re stubborn as hell��"

    "And you aren''t?"

    Sirius smacked his knuckles against the heavy-ted armor on Sora''s torso with a smirk, the tension dissipated between the two in an instant.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Still, how the hell are we supposed to find our way to Lemasdale now? Finding that map is going to be next to impossible if it wasn''t torn to shreds in the crash."

    "Easy; we find Lucas. He was buried in that map the entire time. I''m sure the route to the town is ingrained in his mind at this point."

    Tapping the side of his head, Sirius answered Sora with a reliable smile.

    "Okay, smart guy--how the hell are we supposed to find Lucas then?"

    "Willpower and positive thinking!"

    As if it was an appropriate n to go off of, Sirius responded with a snap of his fingers, speaking in a tone befit for amentator. Sora slumped his shoulders hearing this, letting out a sigh as he shook his head and ted his palm against his face.

    "I''m kidding; sort of, maybe. Look, we have no choice but to locate that sharp-tongued guy. So, are you with me or not?"

    "Of course I''m with you, just not too pumped about wandering aimlessly through this damn fog without a n."

    Ruffling his own vermillion tufts, Sora rested his weapon that looked as if it was wielded by a giant against his shoulder.

    "Actually, I''ve got a n; I think you''ll like it, in fact."

    "Oh?"

    It was a somewhat worrying smile from Sirius that brought upon Sora''s questioning "Oh?", the man who believed so fervently in his own genius.

    "I''m betting Lucas is looking for us right now; he likely woke up before us or maybe never even was knocked unconscious in the first ce because of his ability. The thing is--I believe he came to the same conclusion I''ve reached."

    "What''s that?"

    "In this fog, it''ll take the winds out of anyone''s sails trying to find someone, especially with the thick bounds of the forest. He probably realized it would be much better to wait somewhere that we were all heading anyway."

    "...Lemasdale."

    "Bingo."

    Sirius snapped his fingers as he guided Sora to the same idea. Nodding his head a few times, Sora brought his fingers to his chin as he leaned back against the cedar, his dense form causing pollen to dance down from the limbs of the oak.

    "That still brings up the damn question...We don''t know where Lemasdale is."

    "True, but that''s not to say we can''t still find it."

    Knowing another self-reliable part of this n was going toe from Sirius, Sora braced himself for whatever daredevilish method wasing.

    "...I''m all ears."

 Chapter 169 - Maniacal Plan

    "We can''t exactly traverse the forest urately with this clingy fog everywhere--so we opt to set our sights from above, instead of below."

    Pointing directly towards the sky, Sirius'' smiling words brought the crimson-haired Ounder to briefly look up, seeing nothing but the looming mist obscure even the sky above.

    "I hate that I have to ask this since I know you probably have something stupid in mind but...I can''t fly, so how''re we going to go about surveying from above?"

    --He''s right. It wouldn''t be a problem if it was just me, since I can fly...I''m not about to leave without him though--who knows if I''d even be able to find him again in this mess.

    "I''m d you asked! It''ll be better to exin with action than words."

    It was as if this n was something Sirius had been cooking up in his mind for a long while before this situation, dragging the skepticalpanion of his with him before a fallen log was soon found. cing both hands on each side of the slumbering pir of oak, a sh of lightning emitted through Sirius'' palms--unleashing a graceful, scorching cut along the form of the natural object.

    The vtile method of carving had left the wide log to be split in half, leaving a curve in the desecrated wood as that lent itself to the shape of a boat.

    "I think I''m starting to understand what you''re going for, crazy bastard."

    "Is that something you can call another person when you have that excited smile perched on your lips like a giddy child?"

    Sirius called out Sora''s words with a smirk, kneeling down in the hollowed log as he tested the sturdiness of it, rocking it back and forth and pping his hands against each side--it stayed. Brushing the residual sap and shavings of wood from his gloves, Sirius stood back up, cing his hands at his sides as he seemed satisfied with his creation.

    "From the shape of it...this is going to be used for transportation of some kind? Is there ake or something nearby that I don''t know about?"

    Though he knew it was supposed to be a recon from up above, Sora couldn''t really grasp what his friend had in mind.

    "Not at all;pletely the opposite, really."

    "Oh, boy."

    Loosely beginning to figure out the intentions of his recklesspanion, Sora muttered under his breath, giving a few short nods.

    "So, this thing is going in the air...Yeah, makes sense...How? How does that make sense?"

    "The beauty of magic, my dear friend, the beauty of magic. I''ll get us up in the air with my lightning, then you handle the part where we don''t crash down horribly with the assistance of your mes."

    Even if the n was risky at best, Sora couldn''t help but be thrilled to put it to the test, seating hisrge body into the narrow form of the log, holding onto the sides tightly as he allowed his greatsword to return to an astral state.

    "Alright, can you veil the log with reinforcement?"

    Sirius asked, running his hands together as if trying to spark a me as he ced himself at the back of the makeshift transport vehicle.

    "Didn''t you say it was durable enough?"

    "Do you want to risk the log being shattered into a billion pieces while we''re a hundred feet into the air?"

    Deciding to be better safe than sorry, Sora concentrated with a quick inhale and exhale, wrapping his powerful reinforcement from his body and around the shape of the shifted oak. With the log fully prepared to go, Sirius finally ced both of his hands down against the soil just beyond the log as he kept the soles of his boots firmly nted against the flooring of the hollowed oak.

    "Here goes nothing...Ba''al: Divine Divergence!"

    From his ttened palms, a shock wave unleashed between the minuscule space existed between the thin, silken fabric of his gloves and the dry, cold soil. With little room to exist, the immense force, born into apact form, repelled his hand as the wave of energy expanded.

    As the shock wave unleashed itself, the log was propelled into the air with thundering force, shattering the sound barrier as the two men desperately clung to the sides of the wooden transport. The high-pressured winds pelted against their skin, pulling their cheeks back as they pped helplessly against the absurd increase in g-force.

    "Hold on!"

    Feeling his hair rapidly blowing in the sharp, high-altitude winds, Sirius yelled out as his lips rebelled against hismand, pping uncontrobly as his words were almost turned into gibberish.

    "I think you used a bit too much force! This isn''t one-hundred feet!"

    Soramented as he watched the log ascend, easily surmounting dozens of feet by each passing moment.

    "Even better! Use your fire to stabilize us!"

    Watching the surface of the evergreen below them, Sirius called out to Sora, who promptly put his hands facing away from each side of the log.

    A grunt escaped Sora''s lips as he began to emit apressed, continuous stream of vtile mes, swaying the vehicle a bit before it remained static in the air, leisurely traveling through the high-altitude winds.

    "Holy crap--this is actually working!"

    "...Sometimes my own ingenuity frightened me��"

    Sirius looked over the side of the airborne timber; the colossal cedar was now nothing more than saplings at this level, feeling his fluttering hair nearly lick the clouds resting above.

    "Do you see anything? Any roads or trails?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sora asked with a slight strain threaded in his deep voice that was brought higher in these altitudes, keeping his me-producing hands steady.

    "It''s kind of hard to see between the smoke of your fire and the clouds...Give me a second."

    Squinting a bit, Siriuspressed his reinforcement to his eyes, enhancing his vision as he honed in on the lower scenery.

    --I don''t like to use this much; it dries my eyes out in an instant--but it''ll have to do, Sirius thought.

    The mixture of dry, ungraceful winds and the potent concentration of mana against his ocr organ wasn''t exactly pleasant; an itchy sensation quickly came over, having to grip the timber so tightly as to not scratch his eyes.

    It was faint, likely impossible to see without the amplification of his gaze; a trail diverging from the range of mountains had blended into the outskirts of the forest, leading into a trail that pierced directly through the foremost peak.

    "There--it looks like a trail goes straight through that mountain. Do you think we could just go over the mountain?"

    "I might be crazy, but I''m not that damn crazy! At that altitude, this log and my mana won''tst!"

    "Alright, alright! Just bring us down onto that trail!"

    Sirius pped Sora on his broad, muscr back a few times as if telling him, Pick up the pace, earning a disheveled grunt from the red-haired man.

    "Bring us down--? How exactly do we handle that part?"

    Asking with a nervous chuckle, Sora briefly looked back at Sirius who held the same trembling smile, quickly reverting to fervently scratching his own shaggy hair.

    "That''s a great question��"

    "You don''t know?!"

    "...It wasn''t aplete conclusion, but I do have an idea, alright! Just wait until we''re above the trail and release your hold on the fire!"

    Sirius could feel the slight indignation from hisrade, who epted this shoddily thrown together n silently, maneuvering the durable timber until it was hovering well over a hundred feet above the trail.

    "Now!"

    Following themand of the creator of this adrenaline-junky n, Sora withdrew the constant stream of firepower keeping them afloat, gripping the flesh of the log with everything he had just as Sirius did. As it began to plummet, both of their stomachs came over with the influence of mother gravity, descending rapidly.

    Sirius kept his gaze down, watching as the surface of the world drew closer and closer while his hair was subject to the wind''s grasps.

    --Just a bit more, a little bit more, Sirius thought.

    Filling his ears was the howling of the high-velocity winds, finally, he let one hand go of the log as he slowly pointed his hand downwards.

    --I just have to control the output, paired with unleashing it at the right distance. No biggy, right? Sirius thought with a chuckle.

    "Ba''al: Divine Divergence!"

    As opposed to thest time it was used, Sirius waited until they were a dozen feet above the ground, using the immensely powerful pulse to break their fall, bouncing the log up slightly but overall causing it to float down onto the dirt below.

    Meeting the soil, the timber shattered into many pieces the moment the two men stood themselves from it. Standing up, Sora stumbled slightly before catching himself with a chuckle.

    "Next crazy n is mine, alright?"

    "Fair enough."

    Looking back, Sirius could see it in the distance, through the many pirs of oak that inhabited the bountiful, verdant forest.

    "You''re kidding me��"

    Hearing the exasperated words of the lightning-wielder, Sora turned his gaze back to witness the fog cascading down upon this section of the forest, swallowing up the clear view of nature as it enclosed on their position.

    "Let''s get moving, I don''t want to be inside of the tunnel when the fog hits--I don''t think you do either, right?"

    Sirius ushered himself forward, marching up the slope that led to the maw of this obscure pathway through the side of the mountain.

    "Right."

    Keeping his eyes back for a moment as the ominous fog followed their position, Sora conjured his greatsword just in case as he followed Sirius inside of the dark tunnel.

    It was only for a brief moment in time; so subtle that he wasn''t sure if it was his imagination or reality, choosing to keep this to himself, Sora didn''t speak of what he felt when he looked back at that harrowing mist once more.

    An existence, spread out thin through the space of the fog, faint yet dreadful--whatever drove the enigmatic cloud forward through the forest was not an entity of benevolence.

 Chapter 170 - Interlude: The Land Of History, Divinity, And Tranquility -- Jinyue (Act One) Pt.1

    Growing tired of the gue of war that scoured the world, the entities known as the "Five Primordial Dragons" decided to form their ownnd; one untainted by avarice, this region founded by these divine dragons would be known as-- Jinyue, the Kingdom of Golden Grass.

    However, these ancient divinities knew not the needs of humans nor how to govern them; electing a candidate they deemed worthy of ruling their prized kingdom.

    Secluded from the eyes of outsiders, Jinyue has retained an era of tranquility since the rule of the god-king, Xianyi, had begun. A wise man that studied the history of not just his own kingdom, but all other nations throughout time, he saw the patterns that led to war and annihtion; it was something he vowed to break.

    Make no mistake; as wise and benevolent as the god-king may be, any who dare threaten the unbroken peace of Jinyue will face a wrath that none can be saved from.

    Very few outsiders are let in; only those with invitations by god or lord are allowed within the boundaries of the divinends of Jinyue--thest kingdom to embrace the rtionship between god and man. Through this coboration of divine and mortal, the "Kingdom of Golden Grass", as they call it, has been cultivated into an empire whose fangs frighten even the hungering beast, Mastorn.

    Though some people within Jinyue call for war against the corrupt kingdom of Mastorn, with even some gods taking side in this wish, Xianyi ces his undivided will towards retaining the prosperity of thend under his rule. Due to its isted, guarded nature, Jinyue has be alluring to the eyes of those around the world--spawning many tales, whether true or false--that will remain a mystery to those outside of its sacred boundaries.

    Sitting under the calming warmth provided by the bright radiance above the clouds, the young girl of taupe hair looked over to her sister who bore the same locks, only unkempt and wild, unlike her own smooth, illustrious hair. Surrounding the two women not high of age were tall, vibrant flowers that resembled the sun, gently dancing against the serene winds thatforted their skin.

    "Zhihua, Zhihua!"

    As always, her sistercked much grace, but made up for it with her fiery nature, looking at her with the scarlet jewels that made up her irises.

    "Yes, Huohua?"

    Meeting her rambunctious sister''s eyes with her ownpis gaze, she couldn''t help but be inflicted by the contagious smile of Maihuo.

    "Are you spacing out again?"

    "...No, I was just watching the clouds. Look! That one up there; it looks like a great dragon, doesn''t it?"

    If it wasn''t for their eyes of opposing colors; Zhihua''s oceanic blues and Huohua''s fiery reds, it would be almost impossible to tell the twins apart from one another. To further circumvent confusion, they opted to have different styles in clothing: Zhihua wore a sleek, ck-and-gold, silken half dress with coal shorts that stopped above her knees. Around her thin bicep, a golden bracelet formed of mystical string was wrapped.

    Huohua took a less refined approach; a loose, gray-and-ck tunic that was covered by a half-cloak that hung from her left shoulder, with a crimson bracelet simr to her sister''s own wrapped around her more muscr bicep.

    "Mm...It looks like Zhulong!"

    Pointing her finger towards the oddly-shaped cloud, Huohua squinted with her scarlet eyes before shouting out what she saw.

    "I think it looks like Qinlong��"

    Zhihua crossed her arms as she kept her gaze on the slowly traveling cloud as it embarked on its journey through the azure skies.

    "Hah! No way! That''s totally Zhulong; it has the face of a man!"

    "You can''t even see that from here! Didn''t you listen to Mother''s bedtime stories? That''s Qinlong!"

    "Zhulong!"

    "Qinlong!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Neither of the girls were giving in, devolving into nothing more than a game of who gave in first; which usually resulted in the more rambunctious of the two winning.

    "I see you two are as noisy as ever."

    It was a masculine voice they knew well; they both stopped their bickering as the shadow of the newly-present figure loomed over them, turning their gaze up towards the source of the words. The first thing to catch their eyes as always was the man''s illustrious, golden head of hair that was nothing less than divine;plimenting his fierce, but fair eyes that took on a mix of scarlet, ck, and purple.

    "Xianyi��"

    Zhihua muttered quietly, somewhat surprised at the radiant man''s sudden appearance within the field of star-like flowers.

    "Are you cking off? You have an empire to run, don''t you?"

    As always, Huohua''s attitude was less thandylike, quickly resorting to sharp, stingingments that drew a vein from Xianyi''s forehead.

    Crossing his arms across his chest, the golden-haired man briefly closed his eyes as he let out a quick, quiet sigh. Zhihua found herself anxious about the ruler standing in the fields; not wanting to see such exuberant clothing sullied by the plethora of dirt. He wore a long set of uniformed robes of an oak-brown with stripes of goldplimenting the worldly color; embroidered with many fine details that likely took many hours of expert tailoring.

    "I don''t want to hear about "cking off" from either of you two; your tutor tells me you two didn''t show up to your private sses today?"

    Though it came as a question, they could tell Xianyi already knew well; looking down at them with that strict, stone-like gaze as they found themselves at a loss for words--it waspletely true.

    "...Come along now, you troublesome duo. Luckily, Ms.Lian didn''t leave; she was worried about you two. So, show a little courtesy."

    Xianyi ushered for the two girls to follow him, who meekly nodded their heads as there was no winning against the king himself; lest they wanted to lose their ytime.

    Following the tall, regal man through the fields of towering flowers, they looked upon his back, Zhihua always found herself mesmerized by the golden etching of a dragon stretched across the left side, while Huohua couldn''t part her eyes from the rightmost dragon, who seemed to hold sharp, prickly scales.

    Leaving the boundaries of the field, they found themselves crossing the gentle river that flowed around the sproutings of nature; crossing the stone bridge before reaching the illustrious pce that inhabited this far-reaching garden.

    "You two can find the study hall yourselves, yes?"

    The two girls gave him nods without speaking any words; finding it hard to speak when Xianyi was in a reprimanding mood.

    "Good; if I find myself having to find you two a second time, I''ll have the maids give you lessons instead. Would you two like to learn the arduous process of cleaning the temple of Tianlong?"

    Hearing this threat, both Zhihua and Huohua fervently shook their heads as their long locks swayed side to side.

    "Then get going; your studies are of utmost importance."

    Smiling out of triumph from his own threats working, Xianyi watched as the two troublesome girls hastily entered the pce, marching up the long flight of stairs that followed.

    "What a handful you''ve left me with, Shanshen."

 Chapter 171 - Interlude: The Land Of History, Divinity, And Tranquility -- Jinyue (Act One) Pt.2

    Racing to their private ssroom, Huohua pressed herself ahead of her sister; picking up her speed as she abandoned any chance of moving like the nobledy she was expected to behave as. As with most twins, there was an air ofpetitiveness that came with anything; running, eating, schoolwork, fighting--it was all fair game between the sisters.

    "Huohua!"

    Finding herself cking behind her abrasive sister, who held a confident smirk in her speed, Zhihua sucked in a quick breath; pressing herself onward as a light, warm glow radiated off of her skin. Using this enigmatic energy, Zhihua easily passed up her more physically adept sister.

    "--That''s not fair, Zhi! Xianyi said...Fine then!"

    Huohua''spetitive spirit was stronger than her own guilty conscience, garnering her focus with a swift inhale and exhale as she took on a simr aura as her twin sister; catching up to her as they zig-zagged through the many halls that made up the gargantuan pce.

    As their spontaneous race heightened into something beyond normal capabilities; picking up enough speed to rumble the squeaky clean floorboards they passed up--they stopped paying attention to their surroundings, turning the next corner only to bump into something unmoving.

    Whatever it was hadpletely bounced their momentum back against them, causing the twins to fall backward as Zhihua found herself questioning if there was always a wall right there.

    It was no wall; it was a woman that held a look of irritation and impatience in her jade eyes. If it wasn''t for the clear lenses in front of her sharp gaze, the girls swore that her stare would''ve set a curse upon them.

    "...So you two finally decided to show up?"

    "Ms. Lian��"

    "By the Five Dragon''s Grace, I was worried sick!"

    The sses-wearing woman''s strict demeanor quickly dissolved as she dropped to her knees to bring the girls into an embrace, nearly having the bun that kept her crimson hair held neatly fall apart. All the two girls could think about at that moment was how warm it was.

    Being brought close to the girls, Lian quickly realized what was up with them--as they seemed to try and avert their gazes from her.

    "You two...You were using it inside the pce, weren''t you? How many times do I have to tell you two not to use the Dragon''s grace without a supervisor? I have to tell Lord Xianyi."

    Lian reprimanded the two of them, standing herself back up as she ced her hands on her hips.

    "No!"

    In unison, the twins protested their mentor''s decision, grabbing onto her ck-and-gold robes as they pleaded with her with their vibrant eyes.

    "You can''t, Ms.Lian!"

    "He''ll make us study under the maids!"

    It was impossible to stay angry at the adorable faces staring up at her, wanting nothing more than to pinch their cheeks that became round and tinted with scarlet as they puffed them out.

    "I suppose I can let this slide...On one condition."

    Hearing these words leave the strict bounds of Lian, the twins gulped as they looked up at the vermillion-haired mentor of theirs.

    "During the next F��sh�� r��, you two will be apanying me."

    Giving her condition to the young girls with a smirk across her glossy, fair lips, Lian waved her index finger in the air. Zhihua and Huohua blinked a few times, exchanging perplexed nces with one another before looking back up at their mentor, who was now tapping her scarlet fingernail against her chin as she waited for their answer.

    "Deal!"

    "Yeah, deal!"

    The sisters epted the offer with beaming smiles, hopping up with the unlimited vigor afforded to their youthfulness.

    "Now, I hope you don''t think you''re getting offpletely free here."

    Lian crossed her arms as she looked at the two girls, who looked as if their souls left their bodies hearing this remark. The mentor of theirs walked into the lustrous hall of the lengthy pce as her snow-white qipao, designed with scales reminiscent that of a dragon had beamed from the soft rays of the sun, peeking through the windows.

    "The keepers of this ce work hard to maintain its beauty, as it is a gift of the Five Divinities. Your little skirmish through these sacred halls has seemed to drag in a share of soil."

    Lian was looking down at a clear footprint etched against the otherwise pristine wooden floorboards, bringing her sharp, noble gaze back to the twins who averted their guilty eyes. From the table sitting in the middle of this hall holding a variety ofvish paintings, Lian retrieved a pair of washcloths, putting one in each girl''s hand.

    "Remove your dirty shoes and retrace your steps; this pce has withstood centuries of natural disasters and has never once fallen--don''t sully its protection now by insulting those who built it. Get to it, you two."

    "Y...yes, Ms.Lian��"

    Zhihua sulked; it wasn''t due to the physical task bestowed upon her but the feeling of shame from having to be reprimanded like so. Such feelings didn''t befall Huohua who held a bright smile as she fervently began scrubbing the dirt from the floor.

    "I bet I can clean more than you!"

    "Not true!"

    Lian couldn''t help but smile as she watched the naturalpetitiveness of the twins lead to productivity rather than the normal destructive behavior it left in its wake.

    "How''s it going?"

    The calm, masculine voice meeting her ear suddenly caused Lian to nearly jump, turning to see the familiar sight of pristine white locks.

    "Do you intend to give me an early death-- sneaking up on me like that every time?"

    "Sorry--a force of habit."

    Raising a single hand with a smile, he bowed his head slightly as an apology. Though he bowed, he was still head and shoulders taller than her.

    Looking upon him--if they weren''t distinguished colleagues, it would be easy to fall into the weing features bestowed upon the man. He wore a sleeveless, ck skin-tight vest that clung to his pronounced muscrity, which sat under his casually disyed robes that sat over his broad shoulders, representing the ck and gold colors of Jinyue.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though his fair face was befitting of a noble, one look at his body was enough to tell of his life as a warrior. Tattoos circled his muscle-bound arms, representing the scales of an obsidian dragon and one of frost. Telling of all were theck of scars visible on the surface--a telling sign of a warrior who must not be provoked.

    --Yong Xu, the "Endless Winter"--a title he earned after repelling a one-thousand man raid from the Coalition of the Tainted by himself. It''s hard to believe such a well-mannered man holds the might of a dragon within himself. I suppose that''s why he''s the perfect one to handle the girl''s hand-to-hand training; the emperor saw as much in him, Lian thought.

    "They''re as they always are; rowdy as ever."

    "I meant you, Lian."

    Yong asked with a smile, watching with the woman as the twins frantically ran the cloth tightly gripped in their hands against the floor. Asked this, the vermillion woman was left in silence for a moment before recing her temporary shock with a small smile.

    "Quite fine; thanks for asking."

    "I think you''d be better with a serving of teramine soup in your belly."

    "While that offer does sound enticing, I do have my teaching responsibilities still ahead of me, Sir Yong."

    Lian smirked in response to the true nature of the man''s visit, closing her eyes momentarily as she presumed he would give up there.

    "Is that so? How about we bring the girls along then? I''m sure they''d be up for that, right?"

    Finishing thest portion of his words by aiming them towards the twins, Yong gave the woman a wink as the two girls'' ears seemed to perk up at the question raised to them.

    "Yeah!"

    Zhihua and Huohua answered in joyful unison, looking back at the two adults with gleaming eyes. Seeing this reaction, Lian had to admit victory to the man''s suave--letting out a quiet sigh between her smile.

    "Fine--but you girls better finish your cleaning before you even think you''re going out!"

    Agreeing to Yong''s offer, Lian gave her condition to the girls, who nodded a dozen times in a second, resuming their cleaning duties with a new resolve.

    Watching them scrub the now dirtied cloth against the dirt they had tracked across the floor, moving their arms swiftly with fierce, determined gazes--Yong chuckled a bit as Lian gave him a raised eyebrow, keeping her arms folded over her chest.

    "Ah, forgive me, forgive me. It''s just...they''ve really grown so quickly. Feels like yesterday that they were just two little babies, wrapped up invender cloth. You remember it, don''t you? That look on Xianyi''s face when he held them both in his arms, I''ve never seen it. Doubt I will again."

    Hearing the man refer to the revered emperor of thend without the proper title was vexing to her ears, but Yong was the sole man allowed to address the lord so casually--anyone else might find themselves stripped of their head.

    Running his azure fingernails through his pristine locks of snow, Yong looked upon the girls with his vibrant, crystalline eyes that looked as if ciers had been imnted into his eye sockets. So cold, yet so warm his irises were; Lian found a slight tinte over her cheeks before finally swerving her gaze away from the man.

    Even as one bearing a royal position, overlooking the adopted daughters of the emperor himself, Lian felt herself engulfed in the presence of Yong.

    --It took me a fairly long time to adjust to his presence. As a young girl, I listened to the tales written about him, the songs sang--to see him in the flesh was as if meeting a mythical creature. Young me would scream at the opportunity to have lunch with him, so I suppose I''ll ept it, Lian smiled to herself, I do have a weakness for blue-eyes.

    "Are you sure this is alright? I''m not sure Xianyi will be ecstatic about the girls missing out on their lessons��"

    Approaching the front gates of the vastnd that fell within the royal pce''s domain, Lian looked up at the gilded, ck, furnished wood that made up the tall walls with a look of worry.

    "Maybe Xianyi wanted something like this."

    "For the girls?"

    "All three of them."

    Yong affirmed her statement with a slight correction of his own, giving Lian a wink as the gates were opened by the guards standing at each end, tugging on the ropes that parted the colossal wards.

    "Come on, you two--if youg behind, I''m not letting either of you get dessert!"

    Calling out to Zhihua and Huohua, who were fiddling with some bright, verdant insect along the bridge that overlooked the royal pond, Yong gestured with his hand for them to follow closely.

    The twins werepletely obedient to Yong''smand, nodding their heads as they followed behind the two adults without anyints of their own.

    They''re wise to listen kindly to the man responsible for their martial arts training. I trust he isn''t as kind when ites to such practices, Lian thought.

    Waiting beyond the gates was the illustrious town, the capital of Jinyue that also captivated Lian. The architecture of the tall-standing buildings held graceful curves as opposed to the stiff, broad roofings of Mastorn. In respect to those who founded thend they inhabit, these buildings frequently disy decorations of dragons, even inheriting their features in the nature of the buildings themselves--the shingles of these buildings being reminiscent of dragon scales.

    It was a bustling city, the width of the immacte roads of smooth stone being filled with people of all varieties. Poor, rich; foreign or native--though, foreigners were far and few between, but those who were present clearly held a high status of their own.

    Extending her hands to each of the girls, they promptly looked up to Lian with reluctant gazes, opening their mouths tobat this decision but they were too slow.

    "I don''t want to hear anyints; I''m not losing you both within this crowd--you haven''t shown me you can walk around on your own yet."

    Lian took hold of each of their hands, turning their beaming smiles into sulking pouts as they were reduced to helpless children within the aura of their mentors.

    Seeing the genuine joy and glow on the people''s faces as they traversed the prosperous city filled Lian''s heart with a certain warmth--seeing the result of Xianyi''s exhaustive work ethic. The same appreciative look was present on Yong''s expression but different in its own way.

    He was around before these times of peace, the perspective he holds of thisnd must be different from my own. Someday, I''d like to know what you''ve seen, Yong, Lian thought.

    Some of these expressions of joy were twisted into fear, sometimes contempt as they saw the group of royal officials. Whispers were heard, nces were had; Lian held the girls close to her, hiding them from the prying eyes of these questioning folk.

    Much of this doubtful behavior pertaining to their existence came from the civilians of low-ss; likely feeling resentment for their own misfortune, ming this on any royal member they can.

    Even so, the two girls remained oblivious to this aspect of the world--keeping their glistening, noble gazes in awe of the beautiful city around them.

    I''m sure they''ll grow up to be finedies, Lian thought.

 Chapter 172 - Radiant Hope

    --So cold, he thought.

    Walking through the darkness seeping through the many walls of the abyssal pce, bringing one foot in front of the other as each step felt as if it may be hisst, he let out a huff of cold air through his lips.

    --Where am I? I...I don''t remember anything, he tried to recall.

    Standing in the nooks of this grandiose, somber hall were thrones; far toorge for anybody to sit in, formed of ckened, silver metal. It was vague as if he could not see them but instead simply felt their presence--shadowy entities sat upon these thrones, watching him with their disembodied gazes as he lumbered forward, limping.

    The cold grew more fierce; stiffening his limbs as the next attempt at moving his legs resulted in a tumble down to his knees. There was something there; just ahead of him, waiting for him--he didn''t know what it was, but he needed it so fervently. It was the only thing keeping his body animated, forcing him to his knees once more before falling again.

    This time,ughter filled his ears. So sharp and abrasive; cutting deep into his skin the heckling, cackling roars belittled him without a single word being uttered.

    "Stop...stop it��"

    cing both hands over his instruments of hearing, theughter wasn''t dulled in the slightest, even amplifying as a result of his futile effort.

    "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

    As he begged and begged so desperately, tears escaped his trembling eyes as he kept his gaze to the floor out of shame, rocking back and forth as he attempted to block the noise out.

    "Weak! Weak! Weak!"

    "Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic!"

    "Murderer! Murderer! Murderer!"

    Theughter was now threaded with these taunts, resounding through his body as if his pores took on his sense of hearing as well.

    "Shut up!"

    With thatst scream, he sat up quickly--theughter was gone; the grimy pce was no longer there, in fact.

    "Ren?"

    Blinking a few times at the sound of his name, his groggy gaze set itself on the figure looming over him, looking down at him with its snubbed nose that twitched a few times. Utterly confused by his current position and situation, Ren let out a gasp before shooting up--throwing himself onto his feet with a swift movement.

    "Calm down! Calm down! It''s just us!"

    Moko raised his hands up as Ren''s own hand immediately traveled to the hilt of his sheathed de. The tiresome adventurer paused for a moment, narrowing his blurry gaze as if to focus it--recognizing the stout being in front of him, and thepanion of a simr appearance that stood near the fountain.

    "Oh, that''s right��"

    Still, with one foot in the realm of dreams, Ren recalled his most recent memories, wincing a bit as using his brain seemed to trigger the dormant headache under his skull, rubbing his head before he remembered a single name that brought everything together.

    Iris.

    "You both--you know where Iris is, don''t you? Right?"

    As he asked this, Ren walked past them and over to the fountain, peering over the side of it at the figure of the girl resting within the regenerative liquid of scarlet, looking down with eyes that held a fit of guilt and anxiousness.

    "That we do."

    Moko was the one to answer, looking over at Velrum as the two primorelves watched the young man move like a reanimated corpse, covered head-to-toe in blood; how much was his or his enemies was unknown to them, though the plethora of monster corpses made it a bit more clear.

    "Where is she? Tell me."

    Squeezing the unmoving stone of the fountain rim, Ren questioned them without turning his gaze away from Aiko, waiting for her body to resurface from the pool of red.

    "We can do you one better; we''ll bring you to her."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Huh? Really?"

    Finally looking back at the two, his desperate words took away the harsh expression that harbored itself on his face--revealing the eyes of a boy, worried and scared.

    "Of course. Why do you think we were looking for you in the first ce? It was as requested by Iris herself."

    "...I just don''t get it. How? Why? Who the hell are you two? Why''re you helping her?...Why''re you helping me?"

    It was a reasonable question, one that the two scouts seemed ready to answer as they exchanged nces with one another. Under the watchful, deconstructive gaze of the white-haired adventurer, Moko and Velrum knew that attempting to withhold information would prove less than beneficial.

    "Iris saved our people--more than that, she saved our elder. It wasn''t asked of her to do that much, but she did. All she wanted in return for a gift most unpayable was for us to help her find you, Ren. Frankly, we were worried...It is a request without much inherent value to it, but even we felt it might be impossible for us to find one person in this domain��"

    Moko spoke with clear age guiding his words, cing his hands behind his back as his many wrinkles seemed to be revealed in the slight light that emitted from the vein of pearlescent rocks embedded into the side of the stone.

    "But you did."

    Hearing that this was all an effort originating from Iris'' desire to find him, Ren couldn''t help but smile for a moment, catching a shocked look from Moko as he finally saw an expression befit for someone of the young man''s age--a happiness that Purgatory doesn''t cultivate.

    Reaching his fingers to his head, Ren winced a bit as the tips of his digits didn''t meet with the fluffiness of his locks but the solid, smooth surface of a bandage. He didn''t realize it until just then that there were bandages also wrapped around his hands and body.

    "Oh, I patched you up a bit while you were out, but it''s only just something to keep you steady until you get the help of an actual doctor."

    Honestly, these wounds don''t even really hurt. In fact, it''s dulled out the main pain throbbing throughout my body, like an itch being scratched, Ren thought.

    Moko answered Ren''s confusion before a question could be asked, earning a slow, hesitant nod from the young man as if saying, "Thank you?", who still held his slight smile.

    It onlysted a moment before he returned his attention to the fountain, his smile dissipating along with his reprieve--watching like a protective parent over their child.

    "...If you don''t mind my asking, what happened here?"

    It was Velrum who decided to ask, stepping forward as his bare feet walked over the stone ground that harbored no warmth.

    "I do mind."

    Just rejecting the curious question made something flow through Ren''s veins that he didn''t want; feeling a building warmth that would only result in the heat of rage.

    Taking a deep breath, this destructive emotion simmered down as he saw the girl''s body finally break through the surface of the crimson, revealing her form to him atst.

    The wounds she endured were no longer present; besides the paleplexion that came over her--she was fine. It felt as if a boulder crumbled from atop Ren''s sternum, finally taking in full breaths of air into his lungs as he smiled with utter relief.

    "Aiko!"

    The two primorelves could only watch in silence at the sight; Ren retrieved the girl''s small body from the bowels of the fountain, embracing her before she could yet wake.

    Running his fingers through her beige locks, he held her so tightly he feared he might hurt the girl of a frail-seeming build. Hearing her quiet, soft breaths close to his ear and feeling her melodic heartbeat--Ren felt his cheeks burn as the sensation moved to the edges of his eyes, releasing the built-up stress in the form of tears.

    "...You''re really okay. I did it. I did it��"

    It was as if Moko and Velrum didn''t even exist to him in this moment, brushing his hand through her hair, watching her slumbering expression carefully as if waiting for the very second her eyelids parted--the smile he held constantly trembled as tears slid down his cheeks, washing up the blood that stuck to his skin.

    "We should go now, Ren. It was enough of a risk to wait for the girl there to recover, but it was a miracle we weren''t attacked yet. I don''t want to press our luck any further."

    Moko''s words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Ren remained knelt down with the girl in his arms, holding her so close to his chest as if fearing the wind might carry her off, nodding his head a few secondster while his eyes remained on her restful canvas.

    Standing himself up, Moko and Velrum quickly nodded their heads before turning themselves around, setting their sights on the path they must traverse. It didn''t take long for the scouts to figure out their route, moving forward as Ren followed close behind them.

 Chapter 173 - Journey To Ender Village

    The primorelves were swift on their feet and even quieter; masking their presencepletely despite it looking as if they were stomping their calloused soles against the stone. They soon found themselves in a hallowed ravine, covered in decayed branches and withered bones and cloth.

    Though he was holding Aiko in his arms, Ren kept up with the agile two, still holding the anxious, nk expression on his face as his hand caressed the back of the girl''s head.

    "Make sure to stick close to us, Ren. The way to our vige is a tricky one; it''s meant to deter creatures of Purgatory."

    "What is this vige anyway? It''s hard to believe there''s such a thing in this wretched ce��"

    It was a question from Ren that Moko seemed to anticipate, releasing a slight chuckle as he bounced from stone to stone, using one of the branches as aunchpad forward.

    "Our vige is thest stronghold of our people, if you want the details, you''ll have to ask Elder Heldjrim yourself!"

    As old as Moko seemed to be, the swiftness to his movements was aspletely natural as if he was a leaf blowing through the wind. Velrum was in no way inferior in agility butgged behind as he remained cautious��scanning their surroundings as they traversed the lifeless crevice between two cliffs.

    "Heldjrim, huh��"

    If it weren''t for the mention of Iris, a vige would''ve sounded too good to be true��or at the very least, the settlement would''ve sounded more like some sort of grouping of monsters.

    At the very least, they look hospitable enough. If they try anything, I''m sure I can take them without a hitch, Ren thought.

    At the thought of fighting, his sword felt heavier in its sheath. Looking back down at the girl in his arms while he moved swiftly, these paranoid thoughts of violence crumbled to dust.

    Not again. I won''t repeat what happened to you again, Ren sighed.

    It wasn''t before long that the traverses of the unforgiving domain reached the existence of a pit upying a floor of dried, gray leaves.

    "Make sure you''ve got a good grip on her,d."

    Velrum warned, peering down the pit as only darkness stared back. Whispers of wind rose from the perfectly circr hole, fluttering the leaves as Ren squinted his eyes, looking at the pit then at the two primorelves.

    "...We''re going down that pit?"

    Asking with a wry smile, Ren''s question came out doubtful as he hoped the two ck-d scouts were pulling his leg on this one.

    "Indeed! It''s the only possible way to enter the vige; see you at the bottom!"

    Hoping for some sort of secret trick to handle the fall down the pit, Ren''s hopes were dashed as Moko''s scarce words were followed by him flinging himself down the pit with a wide smile on his face. Velrum gave a simple wave of his fingers before following hispanion down the pit with a cannonball leap.

    Listening for their screams or any sort of confirmation of the height of the pit, there was no sound that returned to his ears.

    "Of all the things...This world is really trying to force me to conquer my fear of heights, isn''t it?"

    Cursing the world in his mind, he made sure he held Aiko with an unmoving grip before taking one more look down the abyssal pit. With a long inhale and a just as long exhale, he threw away his doubt before sending himself down the pit.

    "Gah!"

    His bottom quickly met with a smooth, somewhat slippery tunnel of stone, sliding down the bowels of the pit as his hold on Aiko tightened out of instinct. A direct fall was expected, but he found himself on a slide formed of rock--it was hard to tell if it was an improvement from his initial fear as his mind was busy trying to adjust to the sudden change of pace.

    Unluckily for his own bowels, it wasn''t a straight shot either way--the tunnel began to swerve left and right, feeling his stomach bounce around the interior of his temple as he could only feel the speed and motion of this unlikely passageway.

    Theplete and utter darkness to it all amplified the intensity; not knowing exactly where he was, how far he was in it, and where the endpoint was--he was left in the dark as each sudden shift in direction felt like he was participating in a rollercoaster ride made for adrenaline junkies.

    As his periodic screams of primal terror echoed through the windy tunnel, it was only when his body no longer sat against stone but caressed by nothing but air, that he fell silent. For a moment, his stomach felt as if it remained still in his body, feeling each particle of airflow in and out of his parted lips--he finally realized what this feeling was.

    Oh, I''m falling, Ren thought.

    Kicking his legs back and forth in the air, this conclusion was further cemented as his shock was reced with terror.

    Wait, I''m falling?! Ren thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Before he could fling a spell in an attempt to break his fall, the bottom finally came into view from the illumination of verdant quartz embedding itself onto the walls of this deep cavern. What awaited him at the bottom was a mass of some sort of clear, emerald substance that looked as if it were breathing.

    Taken aback by this mysterious form, Rennded onto it with his rear, sinking into its soft, bending form before being shot back up into the air briefly. Landing against it once more, he was returned to the air with a shorterunch--repeating this until finally, the force dissipated, leaving him utterly confused as he sat on the gtinous pool.

    "What the��"

    This entire situation took a few moments for his brain to catch up on as if booting up an oldputer, sitting there for a moment with a nk expression.

    "Ha-ha-ha!"

    Theughter of two familiar voices met his ears--bringing his gaze up, Moko and Velrum stood outside of the gtinke. Though it was only yfulughter, Ren still shot them a sharp re before bringing himself back to his feet.

    "You could''ve warned me."

    Gaining his bnce on the unstable form of the verdant substance, Ren felt like he was in some sort of yground meant for kids--a feeling he didn''t expect to be invoked by the hellhole.

    "Could''ve; no fun in that though!"

    Velrum finished his chuckle, wiping his mouth before ushering for Ren to follow, turning towards the length of the corridor of stone. Though he felt frustratione over him for a moment, he couldn''t help but chuckle.

    It seemed the noises of joy scared the duo of primorelves more than any re could, freezing in ce as they watched Ren nkly.

    "Did he finally snap or something?"

    "Seems like it."

    Moko and Velrum spoke to each other with just an exchange of nces, watching as Ren finally quieted down with a relieved sigh, stepping forward once more.

    "Lead the way."

    Ren told the two, who hadpletely stopped in their tracks during that moment. A raised eyebrow from Ren asked them, "You two alright?", to which the two fervently bobbed their heads before marching onwards down the dimly lit corridor.

    It was an unlikely reprieve within Purgatory; he still wasn''tpletely sure if Iris really was waiting for him in some sort of vige--though it was something that sounded almost too good to be true, he couldn''t ignore the possibility.

    If they really are deceiving me, I''ll cut them down, Ren thought.

    Once again, that thought process only led to him twisting himself up in his own thoughts. Killing continued to be the first answer in his mind when he feared deception, no matter how much he tried to dissuade himself from that process of thinking, it never halted itself.

    As he gently brushed Aiko''s beige fringes aside with his hand, it was still there: crimson-d itself to his fingers, seeping through the bandages that wrapped around his hands.

    The deepest, freshest sections of these covers were at the points of his knuckles--torn and busted open from the assault he unleashed on the man prior.

    Just seeing the abundance of blood that clung to his form made him want to puke; the stench of copper that came with theyer of scarlet around him made his eyes water from the sheer repulsiveness of it all. All he could hear was his own breathing, watching the backs of the stout figures leading him forward as he moved one front in front of another.

    He wanted to heave; it seemed it was only afterposing himself that the smell became obvious to his nose--his body ran hot, feathers became his head as sweat escaped his pores.

    I''m a murderer. I''m a murderer. I''m a murderer, Ren repeated in his head.

    It was clear as day to him--what would''ve happened during that encounter if Aiko didn''t show up. When he mounted Leo, the only thing he could see was a stream of red, flowing from his fist down to the man''s face. There was nothing in his point inhibiting him: no inclination to stop, no regret of hurting the man, no care for anything besides hurting him.

    Even if he didn''t go through with it, he knew it wasn''t because he chose to spare him. Sparing himself from these intrusive thoughts, he gave himself a firm smack on the side of his own head, wincing from the unexpected force.

    Crap, I forgot how strong I''ve gotten, Ren thought, Thank you, Aiko.

    Moko seemed to sense the quietness hanging over Ren, briefly turning back to see the anguished expression the young man tried to hide.

 Chapter 174 - A Relieved Heart

    "Just a bit more to go."

    Velrum called out as if reading the impatient air around Ren. As the ghostly-haired Ounder followed the two down the wide tunnel, he noticed that the slightly taller of the two, Velrum, kept his hand pressed against the wall as if using it as a crutch.

    "Is there really a whole vige in a ce like this?"

    Ren asked the question that had gued his mind since dropping down. The width of the passageway was filled with nothing but darkness and damp stone; not a single sign of life other than those he saw existed.

    "Still doubting us?"

    "Of course I am."

    "Good; that means you aren''t an idiot."

    Imparting some wisdom onto Ren, Moko''s words only seemed to put the young man on his guard before the primorelf waved his hand as if saying, "I''m kidding".

    "Oh, we''re here."

    "...We are?"

    Watching as the two stopped in their tracks, Ren raised an eyebrow as nothing in their scenery had changed--it was still the same, ever-present air of darkness apanied by the smell of wet sediment. Velrum waved his hand to call Ren over, jabbing his yellow-tinted fingernail against the stone before him.

    "Urr, yeah, that''s just rock. It''s kind of everywhere."

    Giving a smartass reply, Velrum let out a sigh before tapping his knuckles against the stone--a hollow, resounding sound released in return.

    That sound--something is behind that rock, Ren thought.

    Bewildered by this all, he watched as the form of the stone began to shake, releasing a rumble before jutting forward and sliding to the side. Immediately, the light from behind the door seeped into the dank tunnel-ing into contact with his eyes like the light of the savior.

    "Wee to Ender vige; thest bastion of primorelf kind."

    Moko presented that which waited behind the secretive door, holding a reassuring smile as Ren poked his head into the newly revealed entrance.

    Even though the sight was clear before his eyes, his brain didn''t want to believe what he was seeing: normal, rxed vigers going about their everyday life, tending to crops and retrieving water from wells, children ying without a care in the world--it was simply an impossibility made possible in front of him.

    ? "I don''t get it...How?"

    "As I said, you can talk up Elder Heldjrim''s ear all you''d like. That lonely old man won''t mind answering all of your questions. And, as it so happens, Iris is at his abode."

    Velrum had his hands on his hips, stretching his back before straightening his beige cloak, gesturing with his head for hispanion to lead the way forward once more.

    "A doctor is more important for you right now, but I don''t think any amount of words will sway you from seeing the girl��"

    Moko sighed as he led Ren through the vige, gaining the eyes of the vigers at the sight of the snow-haired adventurer.

    "Uh, hello?"

    Giving the watchful vigers a wave, it only resulted in some of them shying away, but not averting their gazes.

    "Don''t take it personally, Ren. We''ve just been through a lottely as amunity. I''m sure they''lle around soon enough."

    "I see."

    Though their houses were small and humble in scope, some built of timber, and some of soil��it was astonishing to see it at all in the realm of hardships.

    Fields of crop, flourishing streams, amunity; the lonesome feeling of constant battle no longer solely harbored his heart.

    Ren stopped himself suddenly, cing his palm over the girl''s forehead as he confirmed a hunch he had. A warmth met his skin��a heat that surpassed the norm.

    "Moko, right? You mentioned a doctor��"

    "I did, yes."

    The two escorts halted with the human, watching him as they tried to discern the source of this sudden stoppage.

    "Aiko��I think she''s got a fever. I''d like to be there when she wakes up, but��"

    "I understand. You''re worried about her, aren''t you?"

    Ren simply nodded his head at him. Reaching out to retrieve the girl from his arms, Moko''s attempt to help was met with some rejection as Ren pulled back.

    "Ah, sorry��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was an instinctive action; for some reason, he didn''t want to part Aiko off with anybody else. Ren rxed this reluctance of his, slumping his shoulders as he gave the unconscious girl onest smile.

    "Poor doc'' is going to have a busy night ahead of him��"

    Moko released a dry chuckle as he retrieved the slumbering girl, carrying her on his back. Despite the size of the primorelf, falling short of Aiko, he held her without seeming too encumbered.

    "Come on,d, don''t want to keep your friend waiting, right?"

    "Right!"

    Following Velrum onward, Ren''s heart throbbed with a spectrum of emotions: excitement, joy, anxiousness--it felt like the morning of Christmas, rushing towards the living room to see what bountiful gifts arrived that year.

    Such excitement came with irrationality; somehow fearing that if he was a second toote that Iris might just float away. Walking up the trail of dirt, overlooked by the ashen trees that still held onto some bit of life, he couldn''t shake the fluttering feeling running up his calves and through his thighs as the clear home of the mentioned elder came into view.

    "Is that it?"

    Ren asked in a huff, the anxiousness shrouding his words as he began to pass up the man leading him.

    "...Yeah it is. Hey! Hold on!"

    Velrum''s call was futile; Ren already began to approach the abode of Heldjrim in full sprint, kicking up the dirt behind him as he moved with a fixed target before him. There was no n in his head, not an ounce of tact as he pounded his fist against the door in search of who he longed for.

    "Iris! It''s me!"

    There wasn''t a chance given for response as he continued pounding his hand against the door without any care for his own injuries, not hearing the footsteps that approached from the other side of the gate that withheld him from the girl.

    As the door swung open, it wasn''t who he had searched for, but another one of the stout creatures--clearly surpassing Moko and Velrum in age. The tiny, hunched over primorelf adjusted his sses, shaking his head as if his ears were ringing.

    "...You almost sent this old fool to an early grave, I thought the cavern wasing down on top of us!"

    Heughed with a slight rasp, clearing his throat before properly greeting the exasperated young man, extending his wrinkly, hair-covered hand up towards him.

    "Pleasure to meet you. I am Heldjrim, the elder of this vige. You must be Sir Ren."

    "...Yeah. Where is she? Is she here?"

    Shaking the old primorelf''s hand rapidly, Ren didn''t waste any time returning to his point of arrival--stepping into Heldjrim''s abode without any sort of asking.

    "Hey! Ren! Hold on a second!"

    Finally catching up, Velrum walked into the open home with a huff, bowing his head to Heldjrim before apologizing for the behavior of the young man.

    "It''s quite alright...The vige is always quite silent, a bit of rambunctiousness won''t hurt."

    Heldjrimughed as he stroked his beard, guiding Ren towards his point of interest as he guided him towards the back of the stone-built home.

    Being so certain of his goal now, the adrenaline-filled anxiety that propelled him forward began to settle, now feeling his hearte to a still as he slowly approached the room at the end of the hall, breathing in the chill air that inhabited the entirety of the vige.

    Just a few more steps, just a few more and I''ll see her again, Ren thought.

    Air vacated his lungs as he turned the corner into the room, his eyes settling on a figure so desired that it embedded itself as mythical in his mind. Those illustrious, ocean-like hair, wavy and somewhat curly yet so perfectly retained--they were unmistakable.

    "Iris��"

    Falling to his knees from the sheer relief of her existence being validated by his own two eyes, no response was garnered from the girl as her back was to him.

    Before he could repeat her name again, reaching his hand out, he could hear the subtle, melodic breathing emitting from her.

    "Asleep, huh?"

    Ren smiled wryly to himself, propping his back up against the wall as he sat himself by her, letting out an exhale that seemed to spur on a fit of exhaustion once more.

    "I think you might have the right idea there��"

    His words came out mixed with a yawn, adjusting himself into asfortable a position he could be, propped up against the rock-formed wall. It felt as if finally rxing himself from the goal he had ahead of him had relieved both his mind and body.

    Soon, his limbs went numb from the sudden burst of exhaustion, a weing warmth running over his body as he felt his eyelids be dense, flickering as he fruitlessly tried to hold on just a few more moments to consciousness.

    I did good today, I think...So it''s fine if I rest, Ren thought.

 Chapter 175 - Dreams Of Unknown Emotions

    Falling into the depths of slumber once more, it wasn''t long before he reached a different state of awareness. A weightless sensation came over him as he slowly opened his eyes to the realm of dreams--meeting with scenery of fluffy goldness, circting around him, holding him within the embrace of these gilded clouds.

    "This again, huh?"

    Ren ran his fingers through the empty form of these majestic clouds, though they held no solid form--brushing his hand through them garnered a warmth that sent a ticklishfort through his nerves.

    "It''s my inner world, isn''t it? This is all somehow part of my innate ability, I think��"

    He found it hard to reach any sort of logical conclusion while in this state, his own mind running on minimum power while attempting to rest.

    Anytime he felt he was about to make sense of something, it all became fuzzy to him. Letting out a sigh, he decided to ept the nature of this mindscape--relieving himself to theforting bed of the neb.

    It felt as if his eyes were only closed for a minute before a sharp yell reached directly into his left ear, jolting him.

    It was no more than a few seconds after he allowed his eyelids to shut, he believed, but something already desired for him to wake up.

    "Ren!"

    Can''t a guy get some sleep? Renined.

    "Ren!"

    This time the yell was apanied by his body being shaken by his shoulders, finally forced out of his dream state as his eyes shot open.

    There was no room in his heart to be angry at this abrasive awakening as his eyes met with the source of it all--those damp, azure gems that met with his own eyes had overpowered all other feelings under his skin.

    "Iris��"

    As soon as her name left his lips, the hands on his shoulders transferred to his cheeks, cupping them as she looked at the young man as if confirming it was really him.

    "Iris?..."

    He said her name again, this time a bit confused as she held his cheeks, feeling a slight blushe over his cheeks--further deepened by the fact she likely could feel the warmthing over his now pink cheeks.

    Looking into her eyes in that moment of quietness, it felt as if he was looking into a reflection--that worry in her eyes washed away as utter relief reced it; shining over her diamonds with a glisten of restrained tears.

    Her hands are soft, Ren thought.

    Compared to the rough, malicious embrace that Purgatory held for him, the gentle touch of her pale, supple fingers was all he could think about at that moment. There was no ego in his heart, no shame or embarrassment felt--before the girl he longed to see again, he didn''t hide any part of himself, none of his vulnerabilities.

    Seeing her simply exist; dainty yetrger than the world itself in his eyes��the electric tingle in his heart didn''t waver.

    "It''s really you��Ren, what happened?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    It wasn''tplete happiness disyed in her smile, one look at the young man was enough to tell that the journey towards this reuniting wasn''t one free of obstacles. She ran her thin, uncalloused fingers through the messy, colorless locks of his, still looking at his eyes.

    The wounds that scaled his body, wrapped in bloodied bandages--it wasn''t what she was talking about. Of all the injuries she felt herself worrying over, it was the ones not visible to the eye that she knew gued him the most.

    "Iris��"

    He wanted to keep saying her name over and over, but just speaking without bursting into tears was hard enough for him as it is. Not averting his gaze from her own, he could feel his hands trembling. He didn''t know why this was, but he couldn''t stop it.

    Iris must''ve noticed this as her hands moved down to hold both of his own, settling down the constant trembling with her warming kindness.

    "I...I looked for you, every day...I never stopped, Iris��"

    As he told her this between his shaking lips, he looked down as the recent, vibrant memories of his journey so far took the forefront of his mind.

    All of the pain, all of the obstacles, all of the hardships--it was all for this moment. The first question that came to his mind now--was it all worth it?

    Seeing that crown ofpis stroll down her shoulders elegantly yet with such promation as if announcing her existence to the world, further fueled by those beautiful gems inhabiting her eyes, all of which held nothing inparison to the unmatched sweetness of the cherry pink that ever-so-slightly made way onto her cheeks; he had his answer.

    Yes.

    Still, just because pain is something that can be resolved to take, a concept one can prepare themselves for and ept the price--it doesn''t mean it doesn''t take its toll any lighter. That much was present on her face; as joyful as she was, the state that Ren was in brought its own nuance to her relief.

    "I''m sorry, Ren...I was supposed to be with you, I promised myself I''d protect you��"

    From the way she spoke, her voice so brittle it seemed it''d crack from the smallest interference, it sounded as if she believed she already failed.

    "It''s not your fault, Iris."

    Hearing her clear regret, his own worries were superseded by his desire tofort her, though only sinctly. After all of this time, thest thing he wanted to do was make the girl he cared for cry.

    My own failure to be at her side caused her enough pain. I won''t let you cry anymore for my sake, Iris, Ren thought.

    Badump. Badump. Badump.

    Being so close to her, after being apart for so long, both of them clearly longing for one another--the situation before him finally clicked in Ren''s brain. Deducing the vulnerable situation, his heart throbbed with the excitement that should be limited to a prepubescent boy, yet here he was.

    The quietness falling between them, listening only to her soft, warm breaths that pelted against his skin, sent his mind into a mess of static.

    Does she want me to make a move? A kiss? Cheek? Lips? Just thinking about it made Ren''s heart pump against his chest as if trying to make the move for him.

 Chapter 176 - Proper Rest

    "You need treatment��"

    Iris suddenlymented, snapping Ren out of his flustered trance, looking at the bruises that took ce on his body: purple, blue, green--he only just noticed them as well.

    "Ah, I''m fine...It doesn''t really hurt."

    Ren gave her a reassuring chuckle, quickly thwarted as a gentle flick against his arm shot through his body the pain of a thousand needles prodding his nerves. Tears instantly welled up as he tried to hide the pain--to no avail as Iris gave him an unimpressed look that soon shifted back into worry.

    "You''re right��"

    Giving in to this, he finally recognized the severity of the wounds he umted throughout the stressful day--even the subtlest brush of the wind against his skin began to bring with it a sense of pain.

    "I can handle injuries of this level, but you''ll need to be asleep."

    "Asleep? I''ve slept twice today already--am I a toddler or something?"

    Though he protested this decision, a yawn erupted from Ren''s maw naturally, causing a bit of fluster to tint his cheeks as he slumped his shoulders.

    "Fine, fine��"

    "If you''re asleep, it allows your body to divert all of its focus on healing; with the usage of my magic, it''ll further expedite the process, Ren��"

    "I''ve got it, I''ve got it!"

    Ren let out a sigh before slowly adjusting himself onto his back, wincing as the faintest contact with another surface seemed to shock his sensitive body.

    Everything hurts. Breathing hurts. Existing hurts, Ren thought, Still...I''m happy. It''s the first time in a while I can genuinely tell myself that. It''s not a lie to fabricate a world in which I can keep moving forward--I reached my destination. She''s here, smiling...I did it.

    For the first time...It feels like I''m truly experiencing magic. The darkness that shrouded both my heart and soul is fading under her light; that constant, beating anxiety is finally settling.

    I''m d I didn''t do it now. I didn''t sink to the level of a killer--so many times, I thought to myself...It''d be okay to do it if it meant seeing you again, Iris. It was just an excuse for my weak heart to give in; I''m here now.

    I''m still Ren Nakamura; all the same, give or take.

    With Iris smiling down at him, gently petting his head as if he were some sort of family pet, which he didn''t mind really, sleep came just as easy as the first two times--this time fully weing it with an open embrace.

    That''s weird, he thought.

    Once again, he retained some level of consciousness while resting. Laying motionless within the sea of golden clouds, he could feel a distinct warmth attack the wounds scaling his real body--eliminating the resonating pain and recing it with a soothing sensation.

    I guess this is the healing she talked about, huh? I''d prefer if I could sleep without being conscious though, Ren thought.

    Attempting to sleep within a dream, Ren let out a frustrated sigh--sitting himself up as he fixed his shaky bnce--not used to the feeling of walking along clouds.

    "This is a real pain in the ass. Maybe I''m supposed to do something so that my own damn ability will leave me alone��"

    Folding his arms across his chest, Ren massaged his chin as he took in the scenery--a sepia sky that seemed to constantly orbit around his existence, the endless, illustrious clouds pouring into existence to stay at his side.

    "Heaven-Earth Disconnect, right? That''s the name of my ability; I know that much."

    Saying the name of the ability seemed to trigger some sort of response within his inner world, watching as some of the clouds fluttered at his words.

    "I would prefer to get some sort of handle on it. It''s a real pain in the ass if I can''t even activate my own ability by my own will."

    Speaking out loud, the words he allowed to leave his lips seemed to naturallymand his innate realm, guiding the gilded clouds to coalesce into a humanoid shape; a silhouette roughly resembling himself. Looking at it with a questioning gaze, Ren slowly waved his arm in front of it--watching as itpletely mimicked his movements.

    "That''s not very funny...The hell am I supposed to do with this?"

    Though one thing dide to mind--holding a smile as he dashed forward with his fist reared back, meeting the cloud-bound mirror of himself halfway as it met his fist with its own. Even without a physical form, the impact replicated his own.

    As Ren threw all he had at it, it matched both his speed and power, negating every blow heunched at it with perfect precision.

    I think I get it now, Ren thought.

    It was a good hour, he felt, though it was really impossible to discern time within this inner-world, he started to understand the point of this exercise. Tounch an attack against a perfect mirror of himself was nothing short of impossible, but it wasn''t the end-goal.

    I can see it, I can understand it--how I fight. A perfect outside view of myself and all of my ws; I can predict my own self, the shorings of each attack, how they feel, how I am perceived--all of it, Ren thought.

    Mindlessly shing against this golden mirror of himself, it was only after continuing this for what felt like hours that he noticed something--he wasn''t flesh-bound as he had thought.

    He was a mass of ck, harrowing clouds--an entity that tainted the beautiful sepia before his gaze. Noticing this darkness of himself, the gilded clouds slowly became corrupted, adopting this shade of darkness as the skies fell to utter darkness.

    Why?

    The one, true ce of reprieve in his heart, and even it became just as cold and deste as his mind felt all this time.

    If this is my inner world, then just what the hell is going on with me?<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Geh--!"

    Once again, his eyes shot open as he was suddenly back into reality. A gray, smooth ceiling sat above his gaze as he took a few deep breaths, still feeling his heart race from the heat of such intensity within his own mind.

    "Ren?"

    A feminine voice, but it wasn''t Iris--a bit too high, with a slightly differing ent. In his recently awakened haze, Ren couldn''t immediately put a face to the voice but knew that he knew it; turning his gaze to meet the caller of his name.

    The short, beige hair that had a few crimson streaks running through it--he felt ted just at the millisecond sight of her.

    "Aiko!"

    Attempting to quickly sit up to reach out to her, he was quickly dropped back into his bed by a sharp sting resonating from his abdomen, wincing as slumped back down.

    "Don''t move so quickly! Your body still isn''tpletely healed��"

    "Yeah, I can feel that."

    Ren chuckled through the pain, massaging the side of his abdominal region before realizing a differing sensation from normal. The covers of the bed he rested in were soft--really soft. A slight wind traveled through the nkets, tickling his skin.

    I''m naked, Ren concluded.

    "Why the hell am I naked?!"

    As he asked this, a slight blush came over Aiko''s cheeks as she kept her gauntlet-d hands on her legs, looking down.

    Watching the young girl fiddle with the ends of her snow-white robes, Ren raised an eyebrow, his mind wandering to thoughts he would never speak.

    "They had to do it while you were being healed, to check your wounds��"

    A sigh of relief poured out from his lips as he got Aiko''s flustered answer, thanking the fact that he wasn''t tampered with in his rest by someone of her youth.

    "Wait--you said they? Did Iris undress me?"

    Holding himself with quite a potent blush and exasperated expression, Ren asked this with almost a yell of excitement. Just the thought of it sent his mind into overdrive as he gulped, feeling his heart begin to thump inside of his chest.

    "No...It was Elder Heldjrim."

    Aiko''s quiet and concise answer put an immediate hold on Ren''s excited heart, sending his heated body into a cold sweat.

    "Heldjrim��"

    Putting a face to the name, Ren felt a shiver run over his body--remembering that the name belonged to the stout, ancient primorelf.

    Why the hell was it him?! I wouldn''t have minded if it was you, Iris! He thought.

    After calming down from his regret of not being undressed by the beautiful maiden, Ren turned his attention towards the girl at his bedside.

    "You''re really okay, right?"

    Ren asked with a gentle smile, looking at Aiko as he saw the girl before him now in pristine condition--not even a single scratch was to be seen.

    "I don''t know if it''s really fair to be asked that when you''re in that sort of condition...but, yeah. I''m perfectly fine."

    "That''s great."

    Ren smiled wide hearing ite directly from the girl, patting his hand against the top of his head as a slight blush inhabited her cheeks.

    "...It''s only thanks to you. If it weren''t for me, you wouldn''t even be hurt��"

    Aiko spoke what she seemed to be holding within herself this entire time, averting her gaze as she gave these words to him.

    "Ah, that''s not your fault at all...I was, urr, a bit reckless��"

    "A bit?..."

    "Really reckless."

    Ren adjusted his words with a chuckle, not gaining much traction on the mission of putting a smile on the girl''s face. As he held his smile continuously, it was obvious that the youngdy was clearly attempting to hold her brooding mood; Ren watched as her lips trembled and squirmed before a smile she had fought against finally made its way across her lips.

    "See? A smile suits you much better, Aiko."

    Patting her head once more, herplexion shifted to that of a tomato; blushing so deeply from the powerfulbination of apliment and a pat on the head, Aiko fell silent.

 Chapter 177 - As Sweet As A Micahberry

    "So--how long was I out for exactly? Felt like roughly an hour."

    Ren asked after retreating his hand before the flustered girl could chomp it, stretching his arms as he had to stop himself from fully sitting up.

    "Three days."

    "...Three days?"

    Repeating her answer quietly, Ren''s question was confirmed as Aiko nodded her head, her tinted cheeks dissipating back into their paleplexion.

    "That''s��quite a bit."

    Ren scratched his cheek with a nervous chuckle,menting the time that waspletely swept from him.

    "Anyway��where''s Iris?"

    The sudden question from Ren seemed to make Aiko fidget a bit before she responded while fiddling with a strand of her straightened hair, "Last I saw, she saw ying with the children."

    "She really is a nice girl, huh?"

    Renmented, nodding his head a few times as if talking to himself.

    "Yeah��She is."

    Though she agreed with him, there was no joy in her voice.

    "Anyway��you might want to leave the room."

    Ren told the young girl, pointing towards the bedroom door.

    "Huh? Why?"

    "Urr��I kind of have to get dressed, ya'' know?"

    Not wanting to be any more explicit than that, Ren pressed his palms together��clearly getting through to the girl as she fervently nodded her head before leaving the resting quarters.

    Finding his attire sitting on the olive-tinted chair by his bed, he noticed a certain softness regained in the cloth. The bloodstains that littered the entirety of the fabric was now washed out from it, he also found that the smell of such battle had also been cleansed.

    "Wow, they''ve got some powerfulundry detergent, don''t they?"

    Ren smiled, looking down at his body before getting dressed.

    At the sight of his own temple, he paused for a moment as he ran his fingers over his abdomen. Though he was guilty of doing this during his first few months of training out of admiration of his newfound muscles, this was not the reason.

    Scars littered his body, etched into his flesh from his chest down.

    Arms, abdomen, sides��even his legs weren''t exempt from the sea of scars.

    As painful as the process was for his sore, aching body, hemitted himself to his much-needed, daily stretches. Caressing his calf muscle after sitting down to do toe-reaches, he massaged his own foot, wincing a bit and letting out a sigh.

    I guess even with healing magic, some things can''t be covered, Ren thought.

    Sliding himself back into hisfortable, yet protective attire once more, strapping his utility belt on and attaching his sheathed de to his hip��he felt brand new.

    "I just now noticed��where the hell is that Bifrons?"

    Asking this, his question was answered as the enigmatic feline popped into existence, directly into his left shoulder.

    "You asked for me-nya?"

    "Not exactly��Where the hell are you even going when I''m not looking?"

    "The business of a demon is none of your concern-nya."

    Given such a mysterious reply, Ren decided to withhold his own quips in favor of seeing the girl he fought his way here for.

    It was something that didn''t register in his mind while he was solely focused on seeing Iris; the strange structure he resided in finally took notice in his eyes.

    The roof was low, furniture was made either out of dirt or stone��and somehow it was warm despite theck of proper utility.

    upying the main space of this primorelf home, Aiko and the familiar elder were seated at the low table, sipping from what Ren guessed was tea of some sort.

    "Ah, tea really is a constant through all cultures, huh?"

    "Are they fond of tea in yournd, Ren?"

    Heldjrim asked as he lifted his gaze, holding the curved cup between his small, hairy hands as steam rose from its surface.

    "Mynd?��"

    Looking at Aiko, Ren didn''t know whether or not it was fine to disclose his origin to the primorelf, to which Aiko let out a soft sigh.

    "Heldjrim knows you''re an otherworlder, Ren. Iris already told him about you two."

    "Really? And he doesn''t absolutely hate my guts?"

    Although Ren joked about it, it was a genuine question at the same time.

    "I won''t deny that otherworlders hold an unusual standing in this world, it is only because of the whim of Mastorn. Most people know you aren''t monsters or devils out to harm the world, Ren."

    Heldjrim assured the young man, speaking with his wise tone that seemed to solidify his words even further.<novelnext></novelnext>

    However, they had the inverse effect on Ren; who felt those words as prickly maledictions spoken from a ce of ignorance more than anything.

    "Is that so? And when''s thest time you''ve seen that world for yourself?"

    "Ren--"

    Aiko could tell by the expression on his face that the young man wasn''t in a position to dull his words, attempting to halt him with just his name--to no avail as he took a seat across from the elder.

    "I haven''t."

    "Then you know even less than I do, don''t you? The only thing I know about this world is that it despises me, wants me dead--wants me to suffer and burn in hell. I''ve yet to find any reprieve beyond the existence of my ownrades; so do I really belong in this world?"

    A fire billowed in his eyes as he spoke, an intensity came from his words that shot Aiko into silence while Heldjrim pondered this response with another sip of tea sliding down his mouth.

    "You''re right; you may very well know more about this world than I, who''s lived in Purgatory my whole life. However, can you truly deny the hospitality shown to you now? Are you able to deny the care this young missus has shown you during your most vulnerable time?"

    Heldjrim''s words alluded to Aiko, who lowered her head out of embarrassment as Ren took notice of this development.

    This whole time, she was by my side? Ren thought.

    "I��"

    "Don''t let the actions of one rotten group dictate your view on this world, Ren. There is a ce for you here."

    "What about you?...Your people are living in Purgatory. If you''re stuck in here, you don''t exactly have a ce yourself in Gaia, do you/"

    The rebuttal from Ren stopped Heldjrim''s cup from reaching his lips once more as a somber shade came over his silver eyes. Even Ren knew the words that he parted with the elder were nothing short of cruel and insensitive, but he wanted the truth--he needed it.

    "My people were subject to genocide a time long before my own birth; hunted and chased out of our homes."

    "Then--"

    "But it was because of my people''s predicament that I believe in the kindness of this world."

    Heldjrim''s words held no doubt in them; it was hisplete conviction--a belief he held close to his heart. This much was obvious in those sharp eyes of his that didn''t seem to dull with age at all.

    "By all odds, every string of fate woven, my people were supposed to be eradicated--yet the kindness of those born of this world gave us a new home--a new ce to flourish. Who would I be to scorn all of this world if I was saved by it?"

    "--"

    Ren couldn''t find it in him to reply; the unmoving resolve in Heldjrim''s eyes kept all rebuttals sealed behind his lips.

    "You''re right...Thank you, for taking care of Iris, and me."

    Standing up from his chair, Ren gave a slight bow of his head to the elder before he made his way towards the door.

    "Not going to stay for some tea, Sir?"

    Stopping the young man just before he could exit through the front entrance, Heldjrim raised the pot, still emitting a lofty bout of steam from the kettle.

    "Hm, I might take you up on thatter! Cya, gramps! Aiko!"

    Hearing those words from Heldjrim dragged a hidden core out from Ren; something he didn''t recognize before.

    A simple act of kindness; a simple act of evil--those two don''t cancel one another out. It is simply the way the world functions. What good does it do to scorn the world for those who are evil while those that are good still exist? Ren thought.

    Stepping outside of the elder''s abode and into the domain belonging to the vige of the Ender n, Ren once more found himself in awe at the existence of this unorthodox ce.

    "Seriously? Homes, normal people that don''t want to kill me...I think, crops--it''s hard to believe."

    As he was busy taking in the view that Heldjrim''s estate brought; ced on an upward slope that allowed him to get a good overview of the humble vige, Ren wasn''t prepared for the sudden appearance of a fruit in front of his eyes.

    "Eh?..."

    Pulling his head back from the close fruit, he looked down to see the bearer of this naturally grown food--a primorelf girl who held a cheeky smile as if pleased with his reaction.

    "Hey! You''re Ren, right? You really slept for a long time."

    "Yeah, yeah��"

    Averting his gaze from the embarrassing first impression that likely spread to all the vigers, he felt the vermilion fruit be ced in the palm of his hand by the short primorelf.

    "I''m Uylia, Heldjrim in there is my grandfather! Nice to meet you!"

    "Urr, nice to meet you too...What is this?"

    Ren asked as he brought the red-skinned fruit up to his nose, taking a few sniffs of it as he tried to discern the tartness level of it. At first nce, he would''ve guessed it was an apple but the stem was the same shade of red as its skin, almost like a giant cherry.

    "A "Micahberry"--it''s good!"

    Told to Ren with such enthusiasm, he couldn''t help but trust those words as he took a fearless,rge bite into the body of the micahberry. Chewing it came with a surprise of its own; it felt solid and sturdy when held in his hand, but was as soft as can be the moment it reached his teeth.

    "Sweet! Kind of sour as well. Not bad, not bad."

    Ren gave his review with a few nods, bouncing the half-eaten fruit in his hand before he began to walk off.

    "Oh--thanks for the, urr...micahberry!"

    Giving his thanks, he waved off the daughter of the elder with a smile. Seeing how happy she was to aid him in some way was infectious; he felt as if his mood had been amplified by a rainbow beam as he strolled down the windy hell, avoiding the branches that jutted out from the divided path.

 Chapter 178 - Reunion

    "Iris, Iris...Come on, it''s not hard to find a blue-haired girl, is it?"

    Inspecting every figure that came into view once reaching the busy center of the vige, Ren scouted for the preciouspanion of his.

    Most of the primorelves seemed reserved; watching him with their nosey gazes but never actuallying out to say a word to him as they passed by. He chalked some of it up some of them just being busy with their clear responsibilities; running shops, transporting goods, tending to crops--but he could still feel a distinct feeling of not belonging.

    Still...It''s probably better to just ask someone than to look blindly, Ren thought.

    The best bet he decided on was to ask the primorelf running the humble fruit shop at the first corner, approaching the stand as it disyed a plethora of fruits he had no way of discerning--except the micahberries, of course.

    "Anything catch your eye, Sir?"

    The shopkeeper asked with a faux smile only meant to draw in potential customers, or better yet--coin. It was impossible for Ren to decipher the age of these short, cave-dwelling elves. While the elf possessed gray, fluffy hair that circled into a bountiful mane, the clear, wrinkle-free skin and vibrant eyes told otherwise of his locks.

    "Urr, have you seen a girl-- a human girl, with bright, kind of wavy, blue hair?"

    As soon as Ren asked this, a frown came over the shopkeeper''s expression as his shoulders slumped and his hands parted.

    This guy is really that sad over losing a customer? Ren thought.

    "You mean "Iris", right?"

    "Oh, you know her?"

    Ren asked with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest as it felt almost uncanny to hear the shopkeeper speak her name so suddenly.

    "She''s famous ''round here now, of course I know who she is--she saved this vige. You''re a friend of hers, I take it?"

    "Hmm, I''d like to think we''re a bit more than friends, but yeah!"

    Answering with enthusiasm, it seemed to only serve as fuel to the shopkeeper''s slight, not-so-subtle disgust of the non-customer.

    "Last I saw, she was headed back to Dr. Kerull''s ce to check on that Macheo bastard."

    "That "Macheo Bastard"--the hell is that?"

    "Hey, more information wille after you buy something! Shoo on now, I''ve got real customers to give my attention to!"

    As if he were a pest, the shopkeeper motioned with his hands for Ren to leave, flicking his hands as he rolled the bristle between his lips.

    "Alright, alright--just tell me where this "Dr.Kerull" lives and I''ll be on my way��"

    Pushing further for another bit of information, it looked as if the greedy primorelf was about to explode, his tanplexion shifting to a light red hue before he gave in to the young man''s demand.

    "...Just east of ''ere, tucked behind some trees--it''s a lone cottage, you can''t miss it. Now out of here with you! Don''te back till you''re ready to buy something!"

    "Thank you!"

    Ignoring the clear impatience of the shopkeeper, Ren gave him a smile and a wave before bursting off once more, heading towards the aforementioned ce of interest.

    He felt like a rebellious child, running through the thick foliage, swatting away the intrusive branches, going into a ce he shouldn''t ess--it was the simple things that spurred on a smile for him.

    It didn''t take long for him toe into view of the cottage; speed came effortlessly with continuous usage of reinforcement--he chalked this up to a residual effect of the basic magecraft.

    A couple, soft knocks against the door were immediately met with a response as the door was pulled open on the other side.

    "Oh--Ren."

    "Iris."

    Face to face with her again, they both came over with a bit of fluster on their cheeks, shooting their gazes down in unison.

    Before he could follow up with another word, he was met with a tight embrace from the girl, feeling her slender arms wrap around his torso, bringing him into a close hold.

    Even as wee as the feeling of being held by her slender arms was, it wasn''t a painless experience; his ribs feltpromised just by the slightest pressure.

    "Ouch, ouch, ouch...I''m still a bit sore, Iris."

    Ren chuckled weakly, wincing a bit before returning the embrace, instead gently petting her head.

    "I was so worried about you...You''re really here now. You''re here."

    It was as if she needed to say it out loud to make it a reality; keeping her face hidden against his chest. Though the closeness hurt him all over his body, he didn''t mind it in the least--all of that pain was dulled by the warm, ticklish sensation that came with being in close contact with the girl.

    "...I am."

    Although he''d like to say they were close before being separated within Purgatory, this felt like a new level. A hug was had here and there, but to have her buried so closely and intently in his chest, holding onto him as if never wanting to let go--his fluttering heart didn''t exactly know how to handle this.

    "Why''re you here anyway? I heard this is a doctor''s ce, so��Are you injured or something?"

    "No! I mean...I''m alright, Ren, really."

    "That''s good to hear��"

    Ren gave a smile to the girl as she looked up at him, finding it hard to maintain eye contact with thosepis jewels staring back at him with their glistening refinement.

    "I''m here because, well...Someone else is hurt, because of me��"

    As she exined her reasoning for being there, Ren could see her beautiful pupilse over with a sense of guilt, her fingers holding onto the silky fabric of his stygian cloak.

    "Did you lose your temper again and hit someone?"

    "I don''t do that! And no!"

    Iris responded, giving Ren a soft hit to the sternum--whichpletely negated her own words. As soon as she replied with the yful punch, the girl immediately regretted it, watching as the young man keeled over.

    "Ah! Are you okay? I forgot you''re still hurt��"

    "I''m perfectly fine...Radiant, even."

    Giving her an "O-K" sign with his fingers, Ren was hunched over, holding his chest as even the slightest touch sent his bruised body into a stupor of pain.

    Completely worth it. She''s so cute when she''s worried like that! Ren thought.

    "Did you use reinforcement or something when you hit me?..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Still feeling the effects of the "light" hit, Ren gently caressed his chest, wincing a bit as he gave a dry chuckle to the guilty ounder.

    "Are you two going to continue to be an absolute racket to the ear out here?"

    The sudden existence of a third speaker startled Ren, who focused his gaze on the primorelf standing in the doorway--a taller one of their kind, adjusting his sses with a less than pleased expression held towards the two humans.

    "I have a patient who needs all the rest they can get; this constant chattering is doing absolutely no assistance--it is detracting from his recovery, even."

    "Sorry, Mr.Kellur."

    Iris apologized, fiddling with her fingers--she didn''t handle disapproval very well; this was even more so prevalent with those older than her.

    So this is the doctor of the vige, huh? Guy has a stick in his ass, that''s for sure, Ren thought.

    "Ah, so he''s still asleep?..."

    "Were you actually hoping to wake him with thismotion?"

    "No��"

    Ren only watched as Kerull and Iris exchanged words, having to resist speaking up to the abrasive doctor as he knew it was likely just a misunderstanding.

    "Who even is it?"

    Finally deciding to ask after being left out of the loop for so long, Ren ced his question down between the doctor and the girl. Aplete silence fell between them as the question was posed; furthering the curiosity the young man held.

    "It''s this "Macheo" person, right?"

    "...How do you know that?"

    Iris seemed utterly surprised to hear the namee from Ren''s lips. Seeing that expression from her, Ren felt as if he had yed a trump card, holding a half-smile before continuing, "Well, as it would so happen--I have a few friends here and there."

    As much as he tried to turn the topic into something light, he could see the existence of "Macheo" was a sensitive subject for the girl. A nce at the Doctor further cemented this, who returned his look with a slight shake of his head.

    "I almost killed him...I was fine with doing it too, it would''ve been done but--"

    "But you stopped. You saved him. I''ve told you this a dozen times, Iris."

    The old, wise doctor assured the girl with a slight sigh, adjusting his sses once more as if repeating words that were set to yback.

    "Almost killed, huh?"

    Ren said with a smile that was devoid of joy; merely curving his lips as he knew this exact feeling shemented.

    "Ren?"

    "I know what you''re going through...The same thing happened to me. I almost did it; I almost took the life of another person. I would''ve done it--I consciously made the decision, but I stopped. It wasn''t because I chose to stop out of the goodness of my heart, I just...I just had to."

    As he shared this with her, he didn''t break the line between their gazes, giving her a single pat on the head before Iris nodded once.

    "...I want to know."

    "Huh?"

    "I want to know what happened to you, Ren. You''re..pletely different. It''s easier to point out what remained the same about you rather than what changed--you''re just so different now."

    Although Iris spoke with some passion to her voice, Ren couldn''t help but feel his heart sink into his chest when hearing this.

    "I''m really that different to you?..."

    Turning his gaze to the side, he felt as if the girl was staring at someone else--a man she didn''t recognize as "Ren Nakamura".

    "No...I didn''t mean it like that, Ren. You''re still "Ren"--it''s just...You''ve matured. Also, your hair!"

    The sudden change in tone from her took him by surprise as he felt his hair bepromised by her curious grasp, he was helpless as she fiddled with his snow-white, colorless locks right in front of the old primorelf.

    "Urr...Yeah, I definitely can understand the confusion there. I think this happened because I awakened my innate ability."

    Ren told her, just now realizing as he spoke those words that this was the first thing he should''ve told her about.

    "...Innate ability, you really--"

    "Are you two just going to stand out here all day and chat? You''re going to make the vigers think I''m some sort of rambunctious home for chattering lunatics!"

    "Ack--"

    Iris waspletely interrupted by the prickly doctor, who finished his words with a long, drawn-out sigh before walking through the threshold to his cottage.

    "Are you going toe in or what?"

    "I thought you wanted us to leave."

    Ren followed up the doctor''s offer with a raised eyebrow, not knowing how to read the practitioner of healing.

    "I''vee to the conclusion that young Macheo has likely acquired enough rest; I''d like to have my home back to himself--that much is clear after having my ear nearly talked off this entire time."

    "So he''s finally relieved?!"

    Iris sounded joyful at this news--as if a weight had been lifted straight off of her chest. Before she could speak anymore, a sharp nce from Kerull halted their words, guiding the two inside of the cottage and down onto the lounge-supporting couches waiting in the main room of the home.

    "I''ll make some final adjustments on the boy''s new arm then he''s off to go; he''s in your hands now, Iris. It was your choice to save him--you''ll have to deal with the potential consequences if need be."

    "I know."

    The doctor seemed satisfied with her sinct response, nodding his head before disappearing into the next room--leaving the twopanions to themselves.

    "Macheo, huh? A boy, huh��"

    "What is it?"

    "Oh, nothing��"

 Chapter 179 - Solo Rolling

    "Great...not a single coat like this one left in this entire kingdom. That''s one-hundred dragon coins down the drain..."

    Looking at the tattered state of his beloved coat, left with rips and tears throughout its entirety, Lucas begrudgingly tossed it aside.

    He was left only with his beige, high-cored blouse that had sable designs etched across it in the form of roses. Though the undershirt wasvish in its own right, Lucas still felt as if he had been reduced to the fashion state of a peasant.

    Tightening the tan belt around his waist, he kept his back close to the oak directly behind him, surrounded by the heavy mist that seemed to follow him. Watching the ominous fog continue to fill in the bowels of the grandiose, verdant forest, an astute pain returned to his head, causing the feminine male to wince.

    The sudden spur of pain instinctually brought his hand to the source of the stinging, quickly redrawing his fingers as they briefly met the dampness on the back of his hazel crown. Bringing his digits into view, they were covered with a familiar crimson liquid, clicking his tongue at the sight of it.

    This is bad; I don''t know how long I''ve been bleeding out of my head for...I woke up in the grass--I''m already a bit lightheaded--not to mention it''s already night, Lucas thought.

    Finally opting to do something about the open wound leaking on the back of his head, Lucas used his discarded coat as a bandage; ripping the silky, fancy cloth from the sleeve and tightening it around his skull tightly.

    "...They''re definitely going to have augh when they see me like this. Though...I wouldn''t mind hearing such frivolity right about now."

    Alone in the mist, Lucas took in a deep breath before pushing forward down the dirt trail that almost had been obscured by overgrowth--further hidden by the plentiful mist that seemed to tag along with the boy.

    I shouldn''t be very far from Lemasdale now...A shoddy trail like this has to be the work of a local of the town, no doubt, Lucas thought.

    The trail led him to an incline; traversing the steep slope before surmounting the tiny hill of verdant grass--finding himself looking down on a small clearing within the forest. It was an intersection of streams; coalescing into a pond--tainted with repugnant scarlet.

    It was like a different reality existed just over the slope; the cedar that lined the boundary of the clearing was full of scratch marks, bark drenched in blood and covered in bits of flesh. The grass wasn''t spared of this tainting--mangled corpses were strewn across the field, some missing half of their bodies.

    What the hell is going on here? Lucas thought.

    Covering his nose in an attempt to block out the gag-inducing stench that upied the hellish section of the forest, he found that the instigators of this mess were still present--seeing figures that should be corpses buried six feet under wandering between the trees; some still feasting upon the spoils of their conquest.

    Husks, Lucas concluded.

    Somehow, they didn''t seem to notice him yet. He took this time of unknown to watch them carefully--figuring out the situation ahead of him.

    Four, five...Six. Six husks ahead, Lucas thought.

    They were directly in the way of the continuing path; dragging their rotten feet across the soil aimlessly as they sniffed the air.

    Focusing the mana that ran through his inner veins, a new wind circled his palm as he kept his gaze locked on the nearest husks before showing himself from his spot of hiding behind the slope.

    "Boreas: Condense!"

    Yelling out the name of this spell, the husk he targeted turned its attention to him, letting out a high-pitched roar as its jaw stretched wide. Before it could take a step towards the human, the spell that had been cast unleashed a pressure on each side of the husk''s head--squashing its crown into flying chunks of rotten flesh.

    It requires heavy focus and a clear, still target to get that one off--I won''t be so privileged with the others, Lucas thought.

    As he suspected, the roar called in the other straggler husks, keeping his position within the center of the deathly field to give him a clear view of all points of entry. A gust blew through the des of grass-- the work of Lucas concentrating his mana for another assault.

    Closer, closer, Lucas thought.

    Even as mindless as they seemed to be, the husks seemed to enact some sense of caution--slowly approaching him as they circled his position, watching him carefully. Though, it didn''t seem to be an action made out of fear of death--they were waiting for all six husks nearby to be present before finally going on the offense.

    Not yet. Closer, Lucas thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Keeping his hands ready at his side as a continuous air coiled itself around his form, he waited carefully, marking each step they made towards him as their jaws stretched so far they ripped apart their own flesh.

    Now! Lucas concluded.

    They all came within distance of him; one further leap would prove to be enough for their fangs to reach him--but he responded in kind before that could be a reality.

    "Boreas: Unified Wind!"

    From his form, a wave of air perfectly crafted into the shape of a sphere emitted-pletely eviscerating the grass which he stood on before reaching his close enemies. As the sphere of vicious wind met with the gray, decrepit bodies of the husks, their forms were mangled further--limbs were crushed into sacks of skin by the immense air pressure before being shredded by the visceral nature of the wind.

    Not even the blood squeezed out of them reached Lucas as the wind scattered any approaching substance. Such high potency came with one drawback: range. The reach of the spell ended just two meters away from the position he stood.

    "Disgusting��"

    Lucas watched as the eviscerated remains of the husks rained down upon the clearing, tainting what was already tainted even further.

    Still, if they went down this easily then I shouldn''t worry about those two brutes. I''m sure even they can figure out their way to Lemasdale, Lucas thought.

    Even if he told himself that, he still held a bit of doubt in his mind. Moving forward once more down the singr path awarded to him, Lucas could feel a palpable dread stand within the air. It wasn''t just the steely smell of manifested dread; the air felt colder and damp, breathing came with a bit more difficulty as each step forward required a reservoir of confidence.

    I''ve only heard of it in books, but I''ve never experienced it firsthand. "Emotion Manifestation Magic"-- something only done by users of dark magic.

    Usually, it is seen as useless when used on one individual, but on a group--namely an entire town, it can yield results like this. Conjuring the dread felt by an entire town of people...It acts as a ward to stave off potential nuisances. Is the one behind this mess in Lemasdale? I doubt it, but...I can''t ignore the possibility, Lucas thought.

    Shrouding his body with windy reinforcement, the tangible dread didn''t halt him, but it still had its own effect. His heart raced within his chest, sweat left his pores in a worried hurry, fear and doubt began to set in.

    Remember, it''s just the workings of magecraft, Lucas reminded himself.

    The smell of death became clearer the deeper he traveled down this dirt path; bing wider with more hints of civilization bing clearer.

    A bridge allowed him to cross a stream flowing through the verdantnd, carrying through its rapid waters inanimate bodies. Although he resolved himself to keep his eyes set on the path ahead, the quantity of death became heavy on his shoulders.

    Crossing the bridge was immediately responded with the sound of twigs snapping, the foliage being rustled through--breathing, snarling became apparent.

    Again? Lucas thought.

    He could sense it, but he couldn''t see them; there were many of the rotten sentinels hidden within the obscurity of the many trees, watching him with their zed-over eyes. It was a worrying feeling; he knew that if he were a regr civilian, the husks wouldn''t waste a single moment rushing him and tearing him piece by piece--but they knew otherwise.

    Are they at the second stage? Lucas pondered.

    Preparing for the inevitable collision with the man-eating corpses, Lucas allowed his wind to scale his body, coalescing at his fingertips as his verdant eyes watched the tree line.

    It would be much more efficient to take them out with reinforced punches or kicks, but getting in so close, using my own body as a weapon--it''splete suicide. A single bite from one will leave me defeated, Lucas thought.

    Raising both arms up in a guard, wind spiraled around his hands as he invited any husks to attempt an assault on him.

    It seemed his readiness for battle reached one of these entities; one began sprinting through the foliage--shifting its movements into something unorthodox as it bounced its body from tree to tree like a ravenous beast.

 Chapter 180 - Unexpected Turn

    Seeing this obscene movement from the husk, Lucas felt his heart skip a heart as his focus was halted for a single moment--regaining his attention just in time as the husk made itself clear to the eye; it wasrger than the ones he saw previously. Definitely more muscr, it seemed slightly taller, having apletely bald head covered in gashes and tears.

    It roared out to Lucas, spitting saliva that was deflected by the present winds before it leaped once more towards the feminine male.

    "Luft: Bore!"

    Opting for a basic spell, heunched a condensed ball of air straight through the forehead of the aggressive husk, boring from the front of its head and out of the back as itnded face-first into the dirt, instantly falling motionless.

    Good; it seems their bodies are fragile enough for basic magecraft still, Lucas thought.

    The start of the squabble with the initial husk drew in those lurking within the depths of the forest, drawing Lucas'' full attention as their rapid footsteps snapped through the fallen limbs of cedar, snarling and roaring out as their violent sclera illuminated under the shadows of the oak.

    "It doesn''t matter how many of youe."

    Lucas swiped his hand through the air beforeunching another wind spell that cut apart two of the approaching rotten bodies into a dozen pieces.

    As he cleared the number of husks he was sure existed at this boundary, another half-dozen poured in, some crawling on all-fours like wild animals-ing at him as if sharing a in goal of taking down the hazel-haired boy.

    They seem set on me now...Did the creator of these husks recognize my presence? This is bing a real nuisance, Lucas sighed.

    With the way the husks approached in varying speeds, they came in no more than pairs of two--making it child''s y for any average mage--Lucas recognized this. The problem he held in his mind was bncing his mana reserves--the true number of husks was still an unknown variable, and continuousbat could draw in more.

    I need to end this quickly and change my approach, Lucas resolved.

    Unleashing another well-timed Unified Wind against thest of these aggressive husks, he sank into the treeline, taking himself off of the trail as he suppressed his mana signature.

    After obscuring his presence within the wild depths of the verdant, he could hear more husks fall onto the trail--snarling as they tried to locate the young mage.

    I''m d I got out of there when I did, Lucas thought.

    There was hardly a spot of visible ground; tall, unkempt des of grass stood almost as tall as him--whether it was a good or bad thing, he couldn''t decide on. Taking each step slowly, he had to narrow his gaze in order to see past the abrasive foliage, parting the green as he could see it in the distance, past the trees---the man-made structures, walls, even a carriage.

    "Lemasdale��"

    Remarking in a whisper, the relief he felt at the sight of the town was brief at most; the walls that stood around the town were charred, broken, and torn apart--securing nothing any longer.

    Crimson coated not only the walls but the stone path that left to the front gate--the corpses of the guards that likely protected that gate were mutted beyond recognition--all of which was seen with sight reinforcement by Lucas.

    Before he took a step to leave the boundary of the forest, he halted himself as he noticed husks patrolling the outskirts of the desecrated town.

    Opting to wait for them to pass by, something caught the feminine mage''s emerald eye. At first he believed it was just a husk within the carriage, but he could clearly see it now: a frightened child was hidden inside of the stationary coach, covering their mouth as they shook helplessly.

    The very fact that they were still alive was a miracle to Lucas, in such a precarious situation--it was simply an impossibility to expect a child to make a proper decision. As much as Lucas wanted to handle things the optimal, safe way--at least until he was rendezvoused with hispanions--the sight of the child made it impossible to keep himself hidden.

    ...I''ll save them, but I''ll do it my way. I''ll do it smart, Lucas thought.

    Silently, he cast a self-buffing spell; "Boreas: Drifting Wind."--the spell held no unique form, only shaping a gentle wind around the form of Lucas.

    Using this, the winds will silence any noises made by my body and anyone I keep close to myself, Lucas thought.

    Waiting for the opportune moment of the husks either being at the far-end of their patrol or having their backs turned to him, Lucas sprinted towards the abandoned carriage with speed guided by his wind reinforcement--reaching the carriage, not more than a second after parting his heel from the soil.

    Landing inside the cart with a vault only matched by an olympian pole vaulter, Lucas fell onto the wooden floorboard without a single noise.

    At the sudden presence of the androgynous mage, the child nearly let out an instinctive scream--only stopped by Lucas'' own hand covering the child''s mouth. Raising a single finger to his lips, Lucas motioned as if doing a "Shh" to the child.

    Once receiving a single nod from the kid, Lucas removed his hand from their mouth. It was a young boy, likely no older than seven by the looks of things. By his clothes; a snow-white tunic and olive shorts, he didn''t seem to be low-ss but not some sort of noble either.

    "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lucas asked in a whisper, making sure he wasn''t able to be seen from a quick nce into the carriage by a curious husk.

    The child stared at Lucas with fright still present in their shaking, cobalt irises. It took a moment for them to finally respond, "...I-I''m not hurt��"

    Hearing their soft, trembling voice as tears visibly held a trail down from their eyes to their cheeks, Lucas felt his prioritized mission fall behind his inclination to save the child right in front of him. Without realizing it, he was holding a worried expression, likely doing nothing tofort the child with such an exasperated look.

    Forcing a bright smile across his lips, Lucas reassured the child with his faux confidence--cing his hands on the tiny shoulders of the boy.

    "What''s your name?"

    Asking the child calmly and quietly, Lucas'' smile seemed to wash away the unease the boy held in front of the mysterious visitor.

    "F...Finn."

    "Finn? That''s a wonderful name. I''m Lucas."

    Exchanging names and bing familiar with him, Lucas could see the rapid, frightened breathing of Finn settle down as his eyes finally stopped shaking like marbles in a jar.

    "Where are your parents, Finn?"

    Asking this, Lucas sparked a saddened look from Finn as tears lined the boundary of his irises once more, sniffling as he held his hands close to his chest. It was a question Lucas didn''t realize was likely hopeless in a scenario such as this.

    "I-I saw it��"

    "Saw what, Finn?"

    Keeping his attention on the boy, Lucas didn''t ignore the looming presence of the husks, taking a brief peek past the tattered curtain veiling the innards of the carriage--still safe, for now. As his hands were kept on Finn''s shoulders to keep him calm, Lucas could feel how fervently the boy''s body trembled under such a flurry of confusing emotions.

    "My Mother...It got her, the gray men��"

    "Gray men?..."

    Lucas repeated the term to himself in a whisper, deciphering the meaning of the child''s coined nickname for the husks quickly as Finn swallowed his trembling words before continuing.

    "They ate her! I-I...I saw it!"

    Recalling tainted memories, the boy''s voice grew louder--quickly having his mouth covered by Lucas, who began to sweat at the fear of them being discovered. Getting into a loud scuffle with the patrolling, mindless man-eaters would likely draw in those lurking within the walls of the town--at that point, Lucas feared he wouldn''t be able to handle it alone.

    "Finn, calm down. The gray men are still out here; do you want them to eat you up too?"

    They were harsh words, but he felt he needed to get the point across concisely for the child, who fervently shook his head in response.

    "Good. What about your dad? Is he?..."

    Lucas moved his palm from the boy''s lips to give him the chance to speak again. Asked further, Finn gave a slight shake of his head as he looked down, pulling his knees close to his chest as his azure irises washed over with held-back tears.

    "Father...He left me in here, he told me to "stay silent until hees back"...I''ve been here sincest night now. It was so dark...So scary, I''m hungry and thirsty��"

    The child let out all of his hindrances at once, fiddling with his fingers as he mumbled thest half of his spiel.

    "Listen--I''m going to get you out of here, alright?"

    Standing himself back up, Lucas prepared himself to figure out a n to escort the child to safety--all the while Finn looked up at him with doubt in his eyes.

    Frankly, where is "safe" right now? His father might''ve had the right idea with this carriage--it seems the husks work off of sight and hearing, so they''re not going to check the inside of a carriage unless instructed, I imagine, Lucas thought.

 Chapter 181 - The Prospect Of Being Selfless

    "...Can you?"

    "Huh?"

    The odd question took Lucaspletely out of his train of thought. Looking down at the small boy with a raised eyebrow as if asking "Come again?", Finn rified his question.

    "Can you really save me?..."

    "Now, why''re you asking a question like that?"

    "Nobody was able to do it...I-I watched as Father carried me here. The gray men couldn''t be stopped even by the guards, and they were strong��"

    Inplete honesty, Lucas understood the source of this concern from Finn. He wasn''t exactly possessing a sturdy, bulwark build nor did he wore fancy armor or wield a weapon for that matter. Still, an important step in saving the boy was having him believe he could be saved in the first ce.

    "I was going to hide my identity, but...I''m a famous adventurer, Finn."

    "An adventurer?..."

    The term seemed to garner a hint of childlike wonder from the distraught boy, who looked up with eyes as wide as the moon.

    "That''s right; I''m a phantasm-level adventurer, in fact. I''ve fought dragons and giants, alike--these gray men are no problem for me, see?"

    Lucas assured him with a confident smile. Though he talked himself up with this pseudo-lie, Finn''s eyes lingered to the tattered state Lucas was in; his head wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth, the rest of his attire tainted with dirt and sediment both.

    "Really?..."

    "Really."

    It seemed for a kid, words weren''t exactly enough--actions spoke louder than words, especially in a situation like this. Letting out a sigh at the still present doubts clear in the eyes of Finn, Lucas raised his index finger to the air, manifesting a sphere of spinning wind.

    "See? I''m a mage."

    "...Woah��"

    Even if it was for a moment, the sight of magic took the boy''s unease away as the curious, boundless excitement thatid within the eyes of the youth took center.

    "Alright, you''re going to have to cooperate and do as I say, okay?"

    Lucas instructed the boy, squatting back down in front of him, keeping one ear focused on the positions of the husk patrols. It seemed the disy of basic magic was enough to gain the boy''s undeniable trust in Lucas as he fervently nodded his head--entrusting himself to the recently met young man.

    I''ve never been good with children, this is honestly nothing short of a miracle...What am I doing? Really, this is so unlike me. I think Sirius is really rubbing off on me, Lucas thought.

    "Once I have you in my arms, you''re going to be under the effect of my magic--it''ll make any noise thates out of you silent, alright? However, it''s difficult for me to maintain the spell when it''s not just myself--so I need you to remain calm andpletely still. Do you understand?"

    Using more than a few words didn''t do well on the child''s ears, who simply nodded his head in response.

    "Good. Alright...I''ve got you."

    Lucas lifted the boy into his arms, shrouding him in the masking winds as he peered outside of the beige curtain looming over the back of the carriage. Being held so close to himself, he could feel just how deep the fear was ingrained into Finn''s body--every part of him seemed to be shaking without any control.

    I don''t think the emotion manifestation is doing any good for him...I can''t imagine what type of emotions are being drawn out from him because of it. He''s strong--he must normally be a rowdy kid if he''s still somewhat holding it together here, Lucas thought.

    It looked to be clear--Lucas took the opportunity to quickly retreat from the carriage with the boy held tightly in his arms.

    "You''re doing good, Finn. Just a bit more."

    Lucas whispered to him with a smile,plimenting the boy''s steady hold of himself as he remainedpletely still in the swift escape.

    I saw it on my way here--there was arge, red oak with a hollow cavity. It''ll do for now--I just need to make sure he''s safe until this is all handled, Lucas thought.

    Entering the forest once more with a swiftness that made it difficult for the boy to maintain his stillness, Lucas headed directly for therge, hollow tree he remembered. It was easy to believe in the power of memory before having to put it to the test; in the repetitive forest where it shared the same characteristics throughout itsnd--such memory was challenged.

    Come on, I know it wasn''t too far away, Lucas raced the thought through his mind.

    A pir of red caught the corner of his eye, stopping him dead in his tracks as he turned to confirm it was indeed the towering red oak he saw earlier. Lucas didn''t waste a single moment before dashing to its form, setting the boy down within the hollow space of the oak.

    "I''ll be back for you, alright? Just keep quiet and don''te out for anyone."

    Lucas assured Finn, making sure he was fully inside of the cavity before standing back up to wrestle some foliage in front of the space for further obscurity.

    "L...Lucas!"

    A quick and sharp, "Shh!", from Lucas made the boy gulp before lowering his volume, repeating the young man''s name again.

    "What is it? Time is of the essence right now, Finn."

    "You''re going back there, aren''t you?"

    Finn''s question came packed with concern, holding that same glisten in his eyes, clearly strained from withholding waterworks.

    "...Yeah, I am."

    Slowly nodding his head, Lucas didn''t know why the boy asked this. The timid child sniffled again, wiping the hanging snot from his nose as his sleeves became clearly stained from this continuous action.

    "Please...Find my Father...I-I know he''s still alive, I know it...He''s strong."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The pragmatic, pessimistic side of Lucas almost made him quickly respond with words that would only serve to harm the boy''s heart. Instead, he held his words as his lips parted--picturing in his head the sight of the gleeful, lightning-wieldingpanion of his.

    "Don''t worry, I''ll save your father--because I''m the strongest."

    It was that beaming confidence that came to his mind first when he looked to Sirius for inspiration. Holding a smile so bright he felt his cheeks would cramp and his lips would tear, he pointed his thumb to himself as if he were fervently disying his own outward confidence to the young, impressionable boy.

    Just doing this makes me want to vomit. This childish, unrefined "bravado" -- that''s who you are, Sirius. But that''s what I admire about you the most. No matter how difficult things be, how hopeless, when options run thin--you always smile, you always choose everybody but yourself. That''s what you told me once��"I won''t be thest one standing.", Lucas thought.

    Such confidence left no doubt in the child''s mind as he looked at Lucas in awe--even as frail and weak the feminine Ounder looked to be--he stood tall for Finn.

    With the boy taken care of, Lucas felt as if an anchor had been lifted off of his chest, returning to the outskirts of Lemasdale, bringing himself up to the dested walls to finally get a look at the true level of damage done to the town.

    That smell...It''s so much stronger here. Spoiled meat, a sickening sweetness to it--it''s like it''s trying to coax the bile straight out of my stomach, Lucas thought.

    Using a low-level spell that required only a faint whisper--"Luft: Away"--manipting the most basic function of his personal wind, he dissipated the horrid stench from his nostrils before taking a deep breath into his lungs.

    By the stench alone, he found it difficult to openly face what scenery was left beyond the walls of Lemasdale. cing his hand over his chest, the rapid beating of his heartfelt as if it were trying to guide him to run the other way. It was hard to tell what concerns were his own or what was the work of the emotion manifestation spell.

    I can''t just sit here and wait for those two. Who knows how long until they arrive? If they even arrive? I still have a mission...Without them or our vehicle, the best I can do for now is mitigate the danger of the town, Lucas concluded.

    Arge, gaping hole left the eastern side of the wallpletely exposed. With the patrols nearing his way again, Lucas finally resolved himself to enter the ursed town--stepping over the debris as he was instantly met with the dreaded sight before him.

    Red. Red. Red.

    This was the width of his vision; the uneven streets of dirt and cobblestone were caked in the scarlet fluid of life. Likely dozens of red trails all led to what upied the center of the once humble town--a mountain of corpses, arms jutting out, flesh torn--women and children weren''t exempt from the wrath of the assants.

    "I��"

    There wasn''t a single cohesive thought that came to Lucas'' mind as he saw this, stumbling back a bit as an instinctive reaction to part his gaze from the horror--tripping up on his own feet as his back pressed against the wall.

    No reprieve was found from the repulsive scenery, feeling the moist, thickness of the arterial fluid cling to his back as he leaned against the wall, letting out a disgusted, horrified gasp before stumbling forward once more.

    Utter death; that was the one constant Lucas would apply to the town. The natural, flowing winds picked up the mist of crimson that emanated from the endless supply of blood, bringing with it a permanent stench that would''ve driven everything out of his stomach if it were not for his own magecraft at work.

    Toote. I was toote, Lucas finally thought.

    Even if he could avoid the smell, he could still taste the bitter copper that upied the air, feeling the mmy, repungentness of it brush against his lips as he drew his hand over his mouth. Dragging his feet forward across the ground soaked in a stew of blood and scattered entrails, he was brought to a stop once more--this time by way of a thunderous, booming stomp.

    Each step sent a vibration through the ground, feeling it travel through the soles of his boots, Lucas hid in the gap between two cottages, keeping just his eye out to watch whatever the stomps belonged to show itself.

    Thud. Thud. Thud.

    Apanying the tremor-inducing footsteps, the squelching sound of something soaked being dragged against the ground became audible.

    Bright, violet skin that blocked out the scenery behind its form, standing tall enough that its head surmounted the height of the cottages--the weight behind each step was more than adequate to match its physicality.

    In its right hand, it dragged behind it two locals of Lemasdale, their limbs twisted in unnatural ways, dyed in their own blood.

    A man and a woman of simr age; seeing this, Lucas covered his mouth before the slight gasp could leave the boundaries of his lips.

    A husk...It''s enormous. I can feel it; the magical energy it possesses...It''s equal to a proper mage, Lucas thought.

    He watched within the shadowy depths of the gap he clung his body against so fervently, witnessing the colossal husk toss the two mangled corpses onto the deathly pile without any care. As it turned back around, it came to a stop, raising its chiseled, deformed head to the sky as it began to sniff the air.

    It held apletely different appearance from the average of its kind;pared to the husks Lucas encountered so far that merely looked like reanimated corpses with gray skin, likely as a result of decay, and purple eyes--it held a truly altered appearance. The height at which it stood was more than three times that of a normal man, with a hulking physique with muscles that didn''t normally exist in the human anatomy.

    Beyond that, what Lucas found truly vexing was its face: no eyes to be seen, only possessing nasal cavities without a nose, and a hive of bulbous, magenta, fleshy organs where its ears should be.

    They''ve already reached this stage...It likely possesses intelligence and some level of awareness. This is bad. Really, really bad...I have to get out of here now. This is beyond what Beatrice told us about--we need to regroup, Lucas thought.

    After a few more of its sniffs, the colossal husk began to wander off into the depths of the vige once more, unleashing tremors with each fall of its foot.

    Lucas waited until it waspletely out of sight before making his move, aiming his sight towards the entrance he came through, wanting only to leave the hellish boundaries of Lemasdale.

    I''ll take Finn and get out of here. There is nothing left here; only death, Lucas thought to himself.

    Before he could take one step beyond the fallen wall, something met his ears from deep within the town. It wasn''t the howl of a husk, but the call of a human.

    "Huh?..."

    There was no ignoring it, no matter how much he wanted to--it was clear as day--"We''re still here! If there is anybody left! We''re here!"

    The gruff voice of a man forcing out a volume not suited for his vocal cords; it echoed through the town so clearly.

    A call for help?...No, a beacon of hope for survivors? Lucas thought.

    As much as he wanted to leave the ursed town behind, there was now a reason to stay--hearing that call, he pulled his step back and turned to face the horrific scenery.

    Damn it, Sirius...It''s your fault that I''m going to get myself killed. That idiotic heroism of yours--it''s a damn disease, Lucas thought.

    Even if he scorned the impression ced onto him, he couldn''t help but hold a trembling smile, feeling his heart race with a foolish intensity as if a million volts began to run through his veins. It was a foreign sensation; knowing that there were those in need of his help--he could look dread right in its eyes and stand stall.

    My fingers feel fuzzy, my breath is hot, my blood is boiling so intensely...This is it, isn''t it, Sirius? The excitement of selfness, Lucas smiled.

 Chapter 182 - Tranquil Space

    "...The hell are you looking at?"

    Waking up from his medically-induced sleep, the first words toe out of Macheo''s mouth as he blinked with his dreary eyes were exactly what Iris expected.

    "That''s the first thing you say after having your life saved? At this rate, you''ll never be a man."

    Ren shrugged his shoulders,menting on his first impression of the young, golden-haired adventurer. His words instantly shot Macheo straight up from his rxed position on the raised bed.

    "Huh?! Are you looking for a fight or something?!"

    "Sorry, I don''t fight handicapped people."

    Ren smirked, waving his hand to disregard the offer from the recently awakened patient.

    "Ren��"

    Being looked at with those damp jewels belonging to Iris, hearing his name said so softly, all of his yful rudeness fell to shame as he nodded his head to the girl, "Alright, alright��"

    Calming down, Macheo finally started to take in his surroundings--looking at the structure of the humble cottage with a fierceness to his crimson irises.

    "This is Ender vige, isn''t it? Why the hell am I here? Am I some sort of prisoner or something?"

    Asking this, Macheo looked straight at Iris for an answer, watching as the girl''s eyes lingered on his left arm. Naturally, he also looked where her gaze seemed to be fixated--not realizing until he checked for himself that his limb waspletely different.

    "What the?!"

    In ce of his natural, flesh-formed arm was a recement of the appendage, created by meticulous craftsmanship of timber. As he released this burst of confusion from the bowels of his being, the wooden fingers of this newly-attached arm wiggled as he further gasped.

    "It was either that or no arm��"

    Before Macheo would respond with likely some sharp, unkind words to the girl--he stopped himself as guilt was so clearly stered on her fair face. Besides that, the white-haired man sitting next to her continued to re at him, having him withhold his words.

    "I''m sorry...It''s my fault you lost it��"

    Lowering her head in guilt, her apology caused a loss of words within the sharp-eyed adventurer, who ran his remaining hand over the form of the new, unnatural limb of his.

    "Thanks for saving me."

    It came out in a forced mutter, the abrasive adventurer ruffling his own hair as he turned his head to dull the words.

    "Eh?..."

    "I won''t say it again!"

    Fluster came over Macheo''s cheeks as he looked away, gritting his teeth as he seemed to have already passed his cap on kindness. It was in as day to Iris what had transpired before her eyes; it wasn''t quite a transformation, but an unveiling of the boy''s true nature.

    Did being defeated humble him?...Or was it being saved? She thought.

    "Oh, someone is a tsundere."

    Ren teased quietly, holding a smile as he watched Macheo closely--still not trusting him enough after hearing the story Iris gave him.

    "I don''t know what the hell that is, but I hate it!...Who the hell are you, anyway?"

    It seemed Macheo was too busy caught in a stupor as soon as he woke up, only just now taking a moment to ask Ren who he was--a question that seemed to catch a smile from the snowy-haired young man.

    "Oh, me?"

    Ren''s smug smile as he responded caught a worried look from the girl next to him, who knew that his words always led to trouble.

    "Ren Nakamura, Iris'' personal bodyguard and number one candidate for her heart!"

    Announcing himself so fervently, pointing to himself with his thumb--his unusual introduction caused Iris'' pale cheeks to turn as red as an apple, letting out an audible, "Huh?!", when hearing this. Macheo shared the same bafflement at this, raising an eyebrow.

    "I don''t care about all that, but you said "Nakamura", right? I never skipped out on my studies--I know that''s an Akitein name, right?"

    "Good question. It really depends on what came first--Akitein or Japan?"

    Ren responded in a joking manner, using a term that waspletely foreign to this world--expecting to draw further confusion from the recently awakened boy. Though, one look at Iris'' slightly agape mouth as she looked at him, he felt as if he misspoke.

    "...Japan? You''re an otherworlder?"

    "Huh? You actually know about Japan?!"

    Though he was recognized as an otherworlder, Ren didn''t sense any fermenting hostility in Macheo''s tone--in fact, it seemed he was calmer than ever, sitting criss-cross applesauce on the bed with his hands on each of his knees.

    "Ren...Macheo is from Lucrauv��"

    "I''ve heard you mention that ce before, but I really don''t get what that has to do with him knowing about Japan��"

    "That''s because you''re spending your damn time in Mastorn! I don''t know why unless you''re looking for a death wish--that ce eats otherworlders like you right up. It''s also a damn arrogant empire! No wonder why you''ve never learned about Lucrauv!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Macheo seemed offended at his ignorance of his homnd, though the anger seemed more directed at Mastorn than anything else.

    "...Iris, right?"

    Iris nodded her head at the sudden calling of her name from Macheo, whose anger seemed to settle after adjusting to his awakened state.

    "I can assume you''re an otherworlder as well then, right? If you''re with him, it''s the most reasonable assumption��"

    Asking this, Macheo received a slight nod from Iris, who slid her azure locks behind her ear as she kept her gaze settled.

    "What do you mean "with him"?! Is there something wrong with being with me, huh?!"

    "Damn right there is! In Mastorn, you''d be beheaded just for being seen talking to an otherworlder without spitting on them!"

    As Macheo corrected Ren''s yful banter, the response he garnered hit memories he didn''t expect to be touched. That ursed day--the bloodied estate, ran through by the hellish Argonaut.

    "Ren...Are you alright?"

    Feeling a hand on top of his own, he snapped out of the ensnaring memories that gued him, slowly nodding his head, "Yeah��", looking back up at Macheo, who looked a little guilty despite not knowing what he said wrong.

    "Anyway...I''m still curious as to why you know about Japan? And why don''t youpletely and utterly hate my guts despite my status as an otherworlder?"

    "Who says I don''t hate you?...Anyway, Lucrauv is a kingdom that used to be twopletely separate ces--but because of Mastorn''s greedy nature, the two kingdoms were forced to merge to avoid being conquered. I suppose inparison to Earth...The twobined kingdoms are simr to "Russia" and "South Korea"--right?"

    Macheo looked at Iris for confirmation, who simply nodded silently once more. Hearing this, Ren nodded his head a few times, taking in this information as if recording it into his brain.

    "Interesting, but that doesn''t really answer my question."

    "I was getting to it! Just merging the two countries together wasn''t enough, the leaders knew Mastorn would return sometime down the line, so they opted to start summoning in otherworlders to add into their military."

    Exining the history of his homnd, Macheo caressed his new, wooden arm, running his fingertips along the smooth timber. It seemed speaking about thend of his birth calmed his heart as the usual ferocity to his voice settled.

    "Forcing people into your army, huh?...That''s pretty shitty."

    "Don''t get us wrong; otherworlders have to join our forces, but in exchange, they''re treated like royalty. They''re givennd, riches, power--you name it."

    "...Huh."

    Hearing this, a greedy look came over Ren''s expression as he earned a sharp elbow to the arm by the young woman sitting next to him.

    "So, this "Lucrauv" ce--it actually values otherworlders? That''s...different."

    "They''re blessed with magical talent whening here; it''d be foolish for any army to ignore valuable soldiers like that. That''s why Mastorn is going to go down."

    "Oh?"

    "Yeah, when I be ruler--I''m storming through those damn pearly gates. I''m sick of everyone living under the shadow of "big, scary Mastorn", enough is enough."

    Macheo clenched the fist of his wooden arm, looking down at it as his golden fringes draped over his royal, vermilion eyes.

    "Wait, ruler?"

    "Yeah?"

    "You''re the heir to the throne?!"

    Ren sat up in his seat, pointing directly at Macheo as if he was meeting some sort of celebrity, holding a bewildered look momentarily as the room fell silent.

    "Well, not exactly��"

    Seeing how excited Ren was, Macheo seemed a bit bashful having to correct him, scratching his own cheek with a slight chuckle.

    "I''m one of many sons of the current king."

    "Ah��So, you''re not the heir then? If it''s like any other ce, the eldest son gets everything."

    Keeping his arms folded against his sore chest, Ren looked up at the ceiling as he spoke.

    "That''s not exactly how it works��"

    Iris butted in, speaking softly as she couldn''t seem to maintain eye contact with Ren for more than half a second.

    "It''s not?"

    "Like I was telling you; Lucrauv values strength. Age ys a part in who bes the next ruler, but strength does as well. That''s why I insisted on being the Purgatory candidate for Lucrauv this year."

    Standing up from his ce of rest, Macheo finally stretched his body that had been unmoved, his joints popping audibly as he let out a relieved sigh.

    Seeing him up in full form, Ren finally realized just how young the Lucrauv royalty really was��shorter than him by far with an innocence upying the resolve in his eyes.

 Chapter 183 - The Road Ahead; Stagnancy Or Chaos

    "I heard something about that. This "yearly candidate" stuff that each kingdom does."

    Renmented, watching as Macheo rolled his stiff shoulder.

    The prince was shirtless, wearing a bandage that ran from the cut-off point of his discarded limb and around the left side of his torso. He wasn''t particrly muscr, but he wasn''t out of shape; this fact calmed Ren''s irrational thoughts of having him stroll around in front of Iris.

    "��About that, Ren��"

    "Yeah?"

    The entire time, Iris was awfully quiet, only speaking in the middle of already sparked words.

    "Aiko��You met her here, right? How''d thate to be?"

    "Huh? When I talked to her earlier, it sounded like you two were getting along��I thought you would''ve talked about this already."

    "Well��I did talk to her about it, but I just wanted to hear it from you��"

    Muttering her response, Iris twiddled with her hair as she hid her likely cherry-red cheeks from Ren''s gaze.

    Damn, she really is just pure sugar, isn''t she? Ren thought.

    "Well��I met her on the second floor��well, that''s here."

    "Wait��did you start on this floor as well?"

    "Huh?��No."

    Asked this, Ren shared a perplexed expression with the girl as they stared at each other for a prolonged moment.

    "You started here?"

    Ren asked, pointing his finger a hair away from the girl''s cheek. As she nodded her head, he let out a sigh, ruffling his own head of colorless hair.

    "Sheesh, this ce really is just diabolical, isn''t it? Do you have a familiar?"

    "��Familiar?"

    Iris tilted her head at this question, getting another confused look from both Ren and Macheo in unison.

    "��I knew this ce had a mind of its own, but this is something else��"

    Macheo held his face in his hand, muttering to himself as Iris looked between the two boys, still clueless as to what a familiar was.

    "Bifrons!"

    Shouting the name of the demonic cat, a ck mass manifested on Ren''s shoulder, forming into the narcoleptic cat as it let out a yawn.

    "Good morning to you too, Ren-nya."

    As soon as her eyes met with the sable feline, Iris blinked a few times, meeting eye to eye with the cat as it tilted its head.

    "So cute!��"

    Iris let out a high-pitched squeal that rang through the ears of the others, immediately starting to caress the fur of the cat without any hesitation.

    "It can talk? Wow! Its fur is so soft, like silk��"

    It seemed Bifrons was helpless to the sudden attention, quickly beginning to purr like an engine as Iris ran her hand over its back.

    "Wow��You''re not even weirded out by him being able to talk?"

    Shaking her head in response to Ren''s confused question, Iris didn''t stop petting the feline, smiling giddily as she did.

    "Well, I guess it''s a world of magic��Maybe I''m the weird one."

    "No, she''s definitely the odd one��I''ve never seen someone pet those things so carelessly."

    Macheo scoffed as he sat back down on his temporary bed after finishing his stretches.

    "A cat?"

    "No��A demon."

    As soon as Iris heard thatst word, her stupor caused by the fluffiness of Bifrons was dissipated, retreating her head as she simply let out an, "Eh?", looking between the two young men again.

    "A demon?��"

    Looking at the perfectly fluffy feline as its tail swayed, Iris repeated the term.

    "Yup. One-hundred-percent demon. He''s a "familiar"��or I guess technically a "guide". Oh, that''s why I called you in the first ce, Bifrons."

    "Yes-nya?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why did Iris start off on the second floor, and without a guide, at that?"

    As always, Bifrons seemed to exist in his own world, going at his own pace as the feline simply cleaned his paws before finally responding.

    "I was under the impression I told you of this already. The first floor is a culling of the weak, a proving ground to test potential challengers��it''s meant to be handled alone-nya."

    "Still��Isn''t it counterproductive to just send the other challenger to the second floor anyway?"

    "It would seem that the observers deemed her to be fit for the second floor-nya. While you��"

    Before the familiar could finish his sentence, Ren interrupted him with a wave of his hand, holding an embarrassing tint to his cheeks.

    "I got it, I got it��Man, this ce is just confusing as hell. Macheo, you have a familiar, right?"

    Asking a question he felt he already knew the answer to, Macheo remained silent for a moment before answering promptly, "No."

    "No?��"

    "Those bastards aren''t to be trusted."

    Macheo pointed directly at Bifrons, who seemed to care less about the human talking directly about him.

    "I mean, they''re shady but that''s about it."

    "If you know what''s best for you, you''d get rid of that thing as soon as possible, as I did."

    Crossing his arms across his prevalently bare chest, Macheo''s cautious words didn''t fall onto deaf ears.

    "Get rid of him? Is that even possible?"

    Looking at the feline resting on his shoulder, Ren considered whether that was something beneficial or not.

    Is Bifrons really "untrustworthy"��I mean, it''s obvious he couldn''t care less about me, but he doesn''t seem malicious, Ren thought.

    "I want one��"

    Iris muttered quietly, still looking closely at the familiar with childlike wonder in her eyes.

    "Were you listening to a single part of this conversation?"

    Ren chuckled, seeing Iris'' fixation on the cute feline.

    Well, if she likes it��he can stay, for now, Ren concluded.

    "If you''re energetic enough to talk so much, then get a move on."

    The infamously calloused voice belonging to the doctor came from the threshold behind them. Kerull stood with his arms sternly held across his chest, looking at the three as he clearly wanted his home cleared.

    I mean, I can''t really me the guy for wanting his home to himself, but sheesh, Ren sighed.

    "Sorry, Mr.Kerull��We''ll be out of your hair."

    Apologizing to the practitioner of healing, Iris slightly bowed her head as Ren leisurely made his way out of the abode that stunk of metal and alcohol.

    "Thanks for the arm, old man."

    Macheo didn''t stop in his step as he spoke, pushing past the tall primorelf as he followed Ren''s path outside of the home.

    Seeing the abrasive exit the two boys put on disy, Iris felt slightly ashamed at this, bowing her head again, "Sorry for them��"

    A heavy sigh left the gruff doctor''s mouth as he raised his hand for Iris to halt the gesture, fixing his sses.

    "You should take a note from Macheo there."

    "What?��"

    "I don''t help people because I want them to apologize to me; I do it because I want to. So, try a "thanks" instead, I''m sure it''ll be one-hundred times more effective."

    Kerull parted Iris with these words as he wiped his hands off with a beige rag, leaving the girl silent for a moment before she smiled.

    "Thank you."

    "What now?"

    Ren leaned his back against the sturdy tree inhabiting the sheltered cave, brushing his fingers through his snowy locks.

    Another week had already passed by, and it was clear some of them were getting anxious being stuck doing nothing for such a prolonged amount of time.

    I''ve grown so used to fighting for my life that this peace has actually been kind of��empty. Kind of frightening, really. Now that I''ve found her again��that raging, fiery will doesn''t have an outlet. It''s still there��Just dormant, Ren thought.

 Chapter 184 - A Journey Anew

    The question seemed to be mutually unknown between the four of them, Aiko having just returned from her "morning tea time"--adjusting her gauntlets as she sat down on a fallen cedar.

    "Macheo still needs some time to adjust to his arm, and your body is stillyered in bruises, Ren."

    Iris responded, going over this as she looked down at her hands, circling a strand of her azure hair around her index finger.

    "I''m fine."

    "I''m okay."

    Macheo and Ren responded in unison, shooting nces at each other at the unexpected synchronization.

    "You--you''re not fine, both of you!...Ren, you told me about it, didn''t you? Purgatory...it''s unforgiving, right? Why''re you in such a rush?"

    "I was alone before; that''s not the case anymore, is it? Part of that hell was....looking for you. I wasn''t able to think clearly, but I''m fine now, really, Iris."

    "I hate to admit it, but he''s right. I was driven into a corner by trying to tackle this ce all on my own...It''s a world of difference--four of us, together, we have a real chance at this."

    Macheo supported Ren''s proposal to get a move on, ruffling his own set of golden locks as he didn''t seem too happy to copy the young man''s resolve. Looking at Aiko for support, Iris could see clear as day that the beige-haired girl agreed with the boys.

    While they started off as opposites��they naturally gravitated towards some level of friendship��Macheo and Ren. Each time the two interacted, either bickering or discussing something that usually pertained to magic or "legendary weapons", Iris felt d she made the choice that she did.

    "I see...If you all really think it''s our best move, I can''t say otherwise��"

    "Come on, Iris...You want to return home as soon as possible, right?"

    cing his hand on her shoulder, Ren gave her a small smile as his words seemed to spark something inside of her.

    "Of course I do...I can''t stop worrying about them."

    "Worrying? Are you sure you don''t just miss them? Come on, admit it!"

    Ren teased her, prodding his elbow against her arm as he caused Iris, once again, to enter a flustered state as a blush reached from her cheeks to her ears.

    "...You''re so bold now, Ren��"

    "Huh?"

    The suddenment snapped him out of his yful aura, looking at Iris as if mishearing the girl, watching as she turned her head away.

    "Anyway, if we''re heading out, we should go say bye to Heldjrim, right? I kind of feel bad leaving, the poor guy seems a little lonely."

    "He''s got his granddaughter now, he''ll be fine."

    Iris smiled at Ren''s concern, leaving the young man speechless as she fluffed his colorless hair--returning the favor as a slight blush was left on his cheeks.

    "I can''t watch this anymore! I''ll vomit!"

    Macheo suddenly got up in a huff, marching back to the main section of the vige as Aiko began to follow behind him, waving off to the two.

    "When did they start to get along so well?"

    cing his hand to his chin, Ren muttered as he watched Aiko attach herself at Macheo''s hip; starting to leisurely follow the same path as Iris walked beside him.

    "Well, Aiko is a noble of Akitein, and another annual candidate."

    "Ah, so they''re pretty much "two peas in a pod", aren''t they?"

    Looking to his side at the blue-haired girl at his side, Ren still felt as if it were a reality too good to be true. He couldn''t remember just how many times he pictured those fluffy, azure locks of hers paired with those ocean-like gems that were his eyes--the image that fueled him through the hellish bowels of Purgatory.

    Without realizing, he fell behind her pace a bit, getting caught in her natural, shining beauty before she turned around, catching his watchful gaze.

    "Nice weather today, isn''t it?"

    A futile attempt to try and change the subject, caught red-handed staring at the girl, Iris gave a yful sigh before flicking him on the forehead.

    "Come on, dummy."

    "Yes, ma''am."

    It looked as if tears were on the cusp of leaving the old, withered primorelf''s eyes as he looked upon the four adventurers.

    "Ah, so it''s that time, is it?...I knew it wasing, but I had hoped you''d all stay here a bit longer."

    As he spoke, his wise eyes lingered towards Macheo, who kept himself further behind the other three--he had made an effort to avoid the primorelves as much as possible.

    Iris told me what he did here...I can''t really me him for not being able to face them after doing the things he did, Ren thought, looking back at Macheo briefly.

    "Well, time waits for no one, right? Well...Time does move differently here, from what I''ve heard, but that''s not the point!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You''re awfully hyper today��"

    Aikomented with a slightly worried smile, seeing Ren frantically move his arms as he spoke with the linguistic speed of an auction host.

    "Ah, I had a few michaberries...A handful. Maybe a lot of sugar in my tea as well."

    The two girls and the elder couldn''t help but chuckle at the antics of the caffeine-fueled young man, who was sweating already despite the steady temperature that inhabited the cavern.

    "It calms my heart to know that you''re able to retain that frivolity in the face of the uing trials, all of you. I believe with my entire being that you four will very well surmount this challenge and be victorious--call it the intuition of an old man."

    Heldjrim chuckled at his own words, bringing forward the bag he held behind him this entire time, rummaging through it before retrieving a trinket.

    "Aiko--this is for you."

    "This is?..."

    Slowly epting the star-shaped amulet, Aiko looked back up at the elder for rification. The jewel embedded within the copper was pure and radiant; subtly glowing with its emerald form as her fingertips grazed its smooth surface.

    "A magic artifact my people found discarded in the depths of the cavern; it''s been waiting here for over a decade now--I believe it''s found a worthy owner."

    "It''s beautiful...What does it do?"

    Entranced by the peculiar illustriousness of the object, Aiko''s violet irises reflected in its shining jewel, sliding thece of the amulet over her neck as it rested against her chest. Wanting to get a closer look at it for himself, Ren no longer found that option avable to him now that it rested near her chest.

    "A difficult question to answer...It was studied by two different schrs within our vige--disying two,pletely different effects between the two men. However, I can say this much for certain--it will aid you on your journey, Aiko."

    Heldjrim assured the girl with a smile as he nodded his head, reaching into the bag to retrieve another parting gift. This time, what he pulled from the mysterious sack was not a magically enhanced piece of jewelry, but a book.

    A grimoire? Ren thought.

    It instantly caught his eye; the ck, featureless design of the grimoire''s cover no doubt led it to be pertaining to the element of darkness.

    "I heard from Missus Iris that your affinity was darkness, quite a rare one indeed. Forgive the dusty condition of it...Nobody has really had any use of it since myte brother...I believe you''ll be able to put it to good use, Ren. Oh, and I was told you lost one of these so I did my best to replicate one for you."

    Heldjrim''s words were apanied by a silken, ck cloak he presented to Ren, who graciously epted it, quickly adding it to his outfit.

    "I-I don''t know what to say��"

    There wasn''t a more perfect gift Ren could think of, epting the grimoire with utmost gratitude as he felt like a child on Christmas morning once again---swiping theyer of dust from its surface.

    "A "thank you" will suffice."

    "Thank you!"

    Smiling brightly, the contagious expression found its way to Iris as she couldn''t help but giggle at the childlike wonder stered on Ren''s face.

    "What''s so funny? Do I have something on my face?"

    Ren ran his hand over his mouth, checking if any straggling crumbs of bread or michaberry juices left a trail on his mouth. The seriousness of his attempt to wipe the non-existent blemish from his face only made Irisugh more, covering her mouth as she shook her head.

    "No, no...It''s just nice, seeing you still be the same dork."

    "Oh, gee, thanks��"

    "It''s not like that."

    "I know."

    Ren chuckled, sessfully teasing the girl once more before a cough from the elder primorelf set them straight once again.

    "And this is for you, Missus Iris."

    Already holding the gift in his hand, Heldjrim showed to her a silver bracelet, holding a series of small, yet beautifulpis gems within its circr form. Staring at it for a moment, Heldjrim gestured for her to take it, which she dly did--sliding it over her wrist before looking at it once more with her mouth slightly agape.

    "Pretty...Thank you, Heldjrim."

    "Unfortunately, I can''t say for sure what its use is, but I''m sure a distinguished mage such as yourself can discover its purpose."

    Parting with them the gifts he had been stockpiling over his time as the wise elder of the vige, Heldjrim''s smile was chock full of varying emotions--watching as the four began to set off into the unforgiving bowels of Purgatory.

    "I know he won''t ept it from me, but please, give this to him��"

    Before Iris departedpletely with the group, Heldjrim fervently ced something in her hands--a thick cloak, it was the same style of ck and red that Macheo wore before being thrashed. Holding it in her hands, it took her a moment to realize it was the restored coat that originally belonged to the boy, nodding her head slowly as a smile came over her lips. Although, there were slight variations made to fit his noble birth; the hems and cuffs of the sable coat were fluffy and frilled.

    "Of course!"

    As they waved so enthusiastically--all except Macheo, who kept his eyes forward--it was the marking of a new journey.

 Chapter 185 - A Putrid Obstacle

    "That''s...a big one."

    With his hands on his sides, he looked at the massive, bloated creature obstructing their path. Its arms didn''t scale properly to their size, unable to reach towards anything as it waspletely stuck in the spot it sat; it salivated as it looked down at the group of humans.

    Though it looked at them, there was no hope of itunching some sort of attack--leftpletely stagnant by its abnormal body.

    "How the hell did it even get here? How did it even get that big!..."

    Macheo casually walked up to the creature, kicking his boot against its enormous stomach, covered in slimy, silver skin. It was the one thing blocking their way of leaving the depths of the repetitive tunnel that held nothing but darkness, damp stone, and apparently overweight blob-goblins.

    "They said this was the only path back to the surface of the cavern...Did it really get here between the time the scouts left and now?"

    Ren sighed, still trying to understand how it even got there. It was bigger than any goblin they''d seen; sitting at a sizeparable to even whales of the sea--most of which, the size came from its stomach.

    "I feel kind of bad for it...It looks like it''s in a lot of pain."

    Expressing her sympathy for the creature, Iris held her hands together as she had to strain her eyes to continue looking at it. There was no doubt she was correct; the pain the creature in was more than apparent through its bloodshot eyes, foaming lips, and vein-covered stomach that bulged outwards, surpassing its capabilities.

    "...Should we put it out of its misery?"

    Aiko suggested, staying close to Iris--not wanting to get any closer to the gargantuan goblin as its abdomen seemed to pulsate at random intervals.

    "Obviously--it''s just...Going to get a bit messy."

    Sliding Belus out from its sheath, Ren already looked disgusted at the action he knew he had to take; being brought so close to the unnatural creature, the smell of it would''ve been unbearable if not for his nose already being used to such horrors.

    "Disgusting��"

    Even though Macheo said that, he squatted down to get a better look at the condition of the creature--noticing the moldy growth on its underside as a putrid liquid seemed to secrete from the calloused scabs.

    "Stand back--I''m sure you don''t want to be in the "ssh zone" of this thing."

    Ren warned Macheo, raising his sword as he prepared to strike it directly in its blubbery stomach, holding his breath. Realizing what the white-haired young man was referring to, Macheo furrowed his eyebrows before stepping back a few feet.

    "Wait!"

    "Huh?"

    He was stopped by Iris before he could bring down steely retribution to its core, looking back at the girl as she looked at him with a bit of sadness.

    "...That''s cruel. If you just sh it there, it''s going to suffer until it finally passes on...It''s already in enough pain as it is, Ren."

    Hearing this from Iris, he looked at Aiko, who non-verbally agreed with this sentiment with her eyes. Turning his eyes to Macheo, the boy simply shrugged with his arms folded across his chest.

    "I hear ya'', I hear ya''...So, what''re you suggesting then?"

    Resting the dull side of his de against his shoulder, he looked at Iris for her solution to the big, round problem blocking their path. Slowly, Iris stepped close to get a look at the goblin restricted by its own sheer weight.

    "Don''t forget, just killing it isn''t exactly the problem here: we need to move it out of the way."

    Renmented quietly as he stood next to the azure-haired girl, watching as her eyes seemed to emphasize with the pain of the goblin.

    Its breathing was ragged, sharp, and pained-ing out in weak huffs as its diaphragm seemed over-encumbered.

    "...I know. I can handle it."

    "I''m leaving it to you then, Iris."

    Giving her a reassuring smile and a wink, Ren ced his hand on the girl''s shoulder before stepping aside to let her do whatever it was she had in mind. The others watched as Iris held her hands together, shutting the veils to her eyes as mystical words parted from her tongue.

    The incantation was said so softly, without any malice or intent to harm in her voice, it was impossible to make out what she was saying so kindly--yet it could be felt. A gentle light surrounded her form, running along her height as her locks began to dance in the air so subtly; a spell was born into reality.

    Ren couldn''t help but smile for some reason as he watched her, witnessing the light born of her words wrap itself around the goblin, embracing its strained, silver hide before the radiance etched itself into its flesh with a scorching end.

    It did not scream, its groans halted as did its breathing--it merely epted its peaceful end as the spell transformed its flesh into nothing more than ash, then to particles of discarded mana that began to float away into the dank air. Not a minute passed before the entire form of the encumbered entity had been reduced to nothingness.

    "...All done."

    Iris turned back to them, brushing the perspiration from her forehead with a gentle smile as her eyes first met with Ren''s.

    "What was that? It was...beautiful."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s a special spell, it''s mostly regarded as useless because of its condition, but I learned it anyway��"Hyperion: Passage"--it only takes effect on those who want to pass on; granting them a painless, quick death."

    Exining the spell she used, a confident smirk came over Iris'' lips, seeming joyful to finally find an adequate usage of the spell.

    "Ah...Well, good job!"

    Renplimented her, giving her a thumbs-up as she returned the gesture with a pearly smile.

    I''m lucky to have found her again when I did...Well, I guess it''s more like she found me, didn''t she? I was plummeting so fast into the deep end, it wouldn''t have been long before I became someone she would''ve despised, Ren thought.

    As they moved on, Macheo continued to question the abnormality of the oversized goblin, talking their ears off before Ren decided to change the subject for the good of the group.

    "I''ve been meaning to ask---Aiko, what is your affinity anyway? I don''t think I''ve seen you use magic."

    The question caught the young girl by surprise as she let out a quiet, "Eh?", as her lips fell slightly agape from being put on the spot.

    "That''s right; if we''re going to function as a group, and fight like one--we should be familiar with our capabilities. I''m a water user."

    "Dark here."

    "Light, as you all just saw��And fire."

    Quickly naming off their affinities to make it easier for Aiko to speak up, the girl twiddled with her fingers before finally disclosing her element.

    "...Light."

    "Oh? Two light users--that''s pretty handy."

    Ren ced his hand on his chin hearing this, looking up as if thinking of the usages thisbination of elements might have.

    "Two lights and a dark user, why do I feel like the odd man out here?..."

    "You''re also the only one with a wooden arm. Pretty damn weird."

    "Shut the hell up! I don''t want to hear that from you, snow-head!"

    Macheo responded with a vein popping out of his forehead at Ren''s low blow, letting out a huff before chuckling with the white-haired man. The two girls looked at each other with worried smiles, shrugging as the only thing they could think of was--"boys."

    While the two boys continued bickering with one another, Iris felt a bit of reprieve in her heart witnessing the carefree spirit still residing within Ren.

    I guess I was worrying too much, he''s changed, but he''s still Ren...Still, I feel like something else is different about him that I haven''t noticed yet, Iris thought.

    "What type are you?"

    Iris decided to ask Aiko, making conversation as the Akitein native girl seemed reluctant to spark any sort of words on her own.

    "Type?"

    "I mean, like, do you use offensive light, defensive, more prone to healing?..."

    "Ah...I think the way we cultivate magic in my homnd is different from what you''re used to��"

    The topic of magecraft seemed to be something Aiko wasn''t too excited for, looking down towards the ground as she adjusted the leather straps keeping the metallic gauntlet on her arms. It was the first thing she always seemed to turn to when pressed with ack of words.

    "Those gauntlets...They''re special to you, aren''t they?"

    "Huh? You can tell?..."

    Iris nodded with a smile, luring some emotion from the girl finally as she seemed flustered, keeping her arms behind her back as she looked forward towards the back of the familiarpanion of hers.

    "Mhm. The way your eyes settle on the steel...It''s like you''re looking at something dear to you, or at least it''s reminding you of something or someone that holds that ce in your heart."

    "...You can tell all of that just from my eyes?"

    "Intuition between fellow light users!"

    Iris exined with a bright smile, doing her utmost to try and open the silent shell that Aiko hid in.

 Chapter 186 - A New Destination

    "Even with this map��I still don''t really get where we''re going."

    Not really speaking to anyone specifically, Renmented with a sigh as he looked at the parchment he held in his hands. The group came to a stop as three simr tunnels awaited them.

    "It''s all just a mess of scribbles...Some of them seem to lead into the same ce; it doesn''t really make much sense."

    "Let me look at it."

    Macheo, matching Ren''s pace as if it were apetition, made a grabbing gesture with his hand. Willingly handing it to the golden-haired boy, it was snatched out of his hands abrasively by Macheo--luring a sigh out from Ren.

    "Give it a shot. I doubt you can read it any better though. It''s just a bunch of lines."

    "My father might''ve been a tough bastard, but he made sure all of his children were educated. Reading a map is the bare minimum for any traveler."

    "Right. You know, I keep forgetting you''re a prince and all that."

    Looking at the twisted expression of anger that seemed to be present on Macheo''s face half the time, Ren''sment only proved his point as the boy''s eyebrows furrowed further.

    "This left one should be the way."

    Finding the proper destination, Macheo handed the map made of stained parchment back to Ren��who rejected it with a slight smile.

    "Huh?"

    "You''ve kind of just proven I don''t know what the hell I''m doing. You''re the navigator now."

    "��Alright."

    Macheo seemed shocked at the responsibility given to him, looking back at the two other members of the group as if expecting them to protest this.

    Traversing the tunnel of a much more ustrophobic width, holding little to no light within it as Iris held an orb of light; leading the path alongside Aiko.

    "Hey."

    "Yeah?"

    Ren looked at the crimson-eyed Lucrauvian walking alongside him, keeping his hands casually rested on the back of his head as he walked.

    "��Why don''t you hate me?"

    "What?"

    It was an odd question, Ren heard it clearly but still responded in confusion at the random inclination from the boy.

    The quiet, calm volume that Macheo spoke in was unlike his fiery demeanor��clearly not wanting to draw the ears of the girls ahead of them.

    "She told you what I did, right? Not just to the vige, but��her."

    "Mm."

    Ren nodded to confirm Macheo''s asking, who didn''t seem satisfied yet.

    "��You care for her. A lot��I''d say you even l��"

    "Shh!"

    Raising a finger to his own lips, Ren stopped the boy before he could finish his sentence��fearing Iris potentially hearing him.

    "You want to know why I don''t "hate" you? Well, I do. In fact, the moment she told me what you did��I was tempted to drive my de through your unconscious skull. Quick and easy��"

    As Ren finally gave a truthful answer, he looked at his own hand, watching it shake with repressed emotions before clenching it shut.

    "Why didn''t you?��"

    "I would be a hypocrite. I would betray her and those who brought me to where I am today. By the time I met you��You were already trying to change. Well, I am too."

    Hearing this, the look on Macheo''s face seemed curious as to what Ren was really alluding to.

    "So, I''m trying not to hate you. Truthfully, I can see you''re not a bad guy, but some irrational, dark part of me��It isn''t so forgiving. Satisfied now?"

    "You''re an interesting guy."

    Surprisingly, Macheo was smiling wide��clearly more than satisfied with what he heard.

    I think I''m starting to get him little by little--maybe it''s a Lucrauvian thing, but I can tell he values transparency above all. I can respect that, Ren thought.

    "What''re you two chatting about back there?"

    Iris turned one eye back without stopping, putting a cork in the conversation between the two young men.

    "Oh, nothing--so what''s the n now? I mean, we didn''t really discuss anything specific."

    "I''mpletely clueless on Purgatory, so I won''t be of much help��Sorry."

    Lacking any real experience within Purgatory thus far, Iris smiled meekly as he turned her attention back on the path ahead.

    "Nah, you''re fine. Macheo, you''ve been here and there, right?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    As the two closened the distance to bring the group closer together, Ren turned his attention to the golden-haired boy once more.

    "Urr, yeah, what about it?"

    "Any ideas? If not, we can just have Bifrons use his recon ability to locate some keys."

    "Bad idea."

    Macheo interjected Ren''s words firmly, keeping his hands slid into the pockets of his coat. Raising an eyebrow to this doubtfulment, Ren looked at him for further exnation.

    "That "recon" only shows you keys possessed by other participants."

    "Bifrons didn''t mention that, I think��"

    "Neither did Camio��"

    Hearing this, Ren and Aiko exchanged worried nces as Macheo nodded his head to further confirm this into reality.

    "That''s what I meant when I told you before that you can''t trust those damn demons. They want participants to kill each other--I think they get some sort of sick, twisted pleasure out of it or something. Fucking disgusting."

    "I hate to admit it, but it sounds usible��"

    Ren sighed quietly, assuring Aiko as she clearly seemed distraught at the sudden distrust garnered in her heart in regards to the birdpanion of hers.

    "So, we have to find...Eight keys, totally blind?"

    Counting on his fingers, Ren then crossed his arms--racking his brain for some sort of easier route through all of this.

    "Notpletely."

    Macheo jutted in once more, gaining the attention of the other three as they slowly continued their way down the dark tunnel.

    "I''m listening."

    "First off, I have to ask you all--well, not you, Iris: just how much do you know about this second floor?"

    Put on the spot, Ren looked at Aiko, the girl returning his perplexed look with one of her own as they turned their gazes back at the Lucravian noble.

    "Nothing."

    In unison, their answer forced a sharp, annoyed sigh out of the eternally frustrated, blonde challenger of Purgatory.

    "Well, the main gimmick of this floor is that it is split into four quadrants."

    Raising exactly four fingers, the blonde mage gave this information to them--seeming to manifest more questions than answers as he continued before he could be stered with more questions.

    "They can be essed in no particr order, and each one is a vastly different environment. I guess you can call the "Abyssal Cavern" the default--but that still isn''t exactly true. I heard from a few passing challengers in my time here that they started in other quadrants."

    "Different environments...I see. So, what exactly are these other quadrants?"

    Ren asked what the pair of girls were thinking, the entire group nowing to a stop as they became intrigued by this information provided to them.

    "I''ve only been to two of the other three, one of which was the "Astral Riptide"--I didn''t spend too long there because there were some troublesome people there, but it was a mysticalnd of water."

    "And the other?"

    Iris pressed him to continue, clearly having to coax the words from him as the memories of it seemed to be stuck in Macheo''s throat.

    "Cann...Iter learned what it was called after I was instantly cut down by one of the entities there. All I remember was seeing what I thought was a giant knight, then the next moment I was on the ground...in a dozen pieces."

    A visible chill ran through his body as he recalled this, squeezing his fists as he looked back up to finish this piece, "That ce--Cann--it''s the location of the guardian. It''s a region of lifeless, silver grass and a graveyard of des. I remember seeing it in the center of it all--an ivory keep, it was guarded by dozens of those knights."

    "Huh...That''s our target, huh?"

    Ren said quietly, listening to this as Macheo simply nodded in affirmation.

    "Firstes the keys."

    Aiko seemed to correct Ren''s notion, crossing her gauntlets across her less-than-voluptuous chest as this reminder seemed to damper the already dreary mood.

    "Yeah--wait, you brought this up because you know where some keys are, right?"

    "That''s right��"

    "Spill it."

    Ren pressed Macheo for more information, who seemed close to a headache from all of this questioning and answering. By this point, they had all seated themselves in a circle, keeping the radiant orb in the center as if listening to campfire stories from the young prince.

    "There is a ce in this quadrant--it''s probably still holding a key since it''s pretty infamous for its difficulty. Some challengers broke their pact after experiencing it��"

    "And that is?"

    "The Butcher''s Locker."

    Answering with a foreboding, ominous tone--the air fell silent as they all looked at Macheo with tiresome eyes.

 Chapter 187 - A Glimmer Of Light

    "Are you trying to spook us or something?"

    "No! It''s really a domain here! I didn''t see it for myself, but from what I''ve heard--it''s the hardest challenge within this quadrant. Apparently--it holds two keys."

    Attempting to prove to Ren he wasn''t messing around, Macheo held up two fingers close to the snow-haired man''s face, repeating "Two!" multiple times.

    "So what''s this ce? Doesn''t sound...weing."

    Iris asked quietly, adjusting her skirt as the material she sat on wasn''t exactly weing to her rear either. Letting out a puff of air through his lips as he fiddled with his wooden arm, the golden-haired Lucrauvian looked between the group before answering.

    "I''ve really only heard it from other passing challengers who got their asses kicked this way and that by the ce. Though...it''s a bit disingenuous to put it that way."

    "How so?"

    Aiko asked, trying her best to seem indifferent to this information, but the constant twiddling of her thumbs made all of that stoess flush down the drain.

    "They all looked like they went through hell--real hell. Shaking, looking at me with eyes that saw into some great distance, they could hardly speak without breaking down like babies. All I know is that apparently, the domain is built out of flesh of discarded creatures of Purgatory...and humans."

    Thatst tidbit of information clearly took the other three by surprise as Macheo looked up with his crimson eyes as if expecting someone to speak their doubts, but nobody did.

    If there''s one thing I''ve learned from this messed-up ce, it''s that Macheo is, unfortunately, telling the truth. A dungeon of flesh?...It really doesn''t even surprise me at this point, Ren thought.

    "It sounds dangerous��"

    "I''m just saying it''s an option. If it makes you feel any better, none of the guys I saw who ventured into that ce looked like much, really."

    Trying to assure Aiko in his own way, Macheo''s words wereced with some level of smugness, which somehow worked as the beige-haired girl nodded her head with a slight, but existent smile.

    "If I''m being honest, this is probably our best shot. Obviously...we all agree that fighting other challengers for their keys isn''t really our style."

    Keeping his arms folded across his chest, Ren looked over at Macheo as he spoke before correcting himself.

    "Well, most of us, anyway."

    "What do you mean by that, you white-haired bastard?!"

    "Oh, nothing."

    Holding a cheeky smile at Macheo''s easy-to-dismantle anger, Ren fiddled with a long strand of his hair that hanged between his eyes.

    "I agree...I don''t want to fight anyone if I can help it."

    Iris ced her position as she kept her hands resting atop herp, looking up at the young man who sat next to her with her glistening sapphires.

    Sure didn''t have a problem kicking my ass, did you? Macheo thought.

    "...It sounds like my vote doesn''t really matter at this point, does it?"

    "So you''re against this?"

    Hearing Aiko''s unexpected words shrouded in her meekness, Ren pressed her for her answer as the girl seemed tantly conflicted by the way she bit down on her lip, looking down for a moment before returning her amethyst gaze to the group.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I didn''t say that. I''m in!...This sounds like our fastest way of getting out of this wretched ce��"

    "Alright, alright...Then that''s our ce. You know where it is, right, Macheo?"

    "Of course I do!..."

    "Then lead the way, Navigator!"

    Iris caught herself fixated on Ren as he spoke with his cheerful tone, only pulling her gaze away when she noticed Aikopletely catching her in the act--holding a smirk of her own as if saying, "I know."

    He''s just...Amazing. In such a short time in this world, he''s improved himself in every facet. I can still see it--the carefree, goofiness that makes him "Ren", but the confidence and strength that makes him an Ounder. You''ve already left me behind, Ren, Iris thought.

    It was impossible to tell night from day if such a thing even existed within the bowels of Purgatory. Rest came only when they decided it was time to regain their energy.

    Most of the creatures lurking within the depths of the deadly cavern witnessed their fangs fall short of reaching any within this group. Though teamwork was limited by inexperience with one another; the sheer effectiveness of four, powerful warriors was enough to stave off these beasts.

    It didn''t mean the journey towards the Butcher''s Locker was one that came easy--the rate of monster attacks seemed to grow more and more frequent the deeper into the cavern they traveled.

    "We''ve been walking...For like, a week now...All I see is rock, more rock, and the abyss waiting beyond the cliffs. Are you sure you''re going the right way?"

    Theint from Ren didn''t stem from his legs unable to handle the day-to-day hiking, but the exhaustioning over his mental state from the repetitive, somber scenery that surrounded them all.

    "Of course! We''re not even that far now...Probably, a day or two��"

    "See! If you really knew, you''d give me a straight time!"

    Bickering amongst each other for the thousandth time since departing from the vige, Aiko looked as if she was about to blow steam through her ears as her paleplexion shifted to a tomato-red, raising her hands as she halted the two boys.

    "Stop it already, you two!"

    Hearing the usuallyconic, quiet girl raise her voice to an almost ss-shattering high-pitch, Ren and Macheo both stopped as their eardrums were harassed.

    "Phew...That felt good."

    "Good job."

    Iris praised the girl for speaking her mind, who held a calm, reserved smile despite her yell just a moment ago. Witnessing the odd phenomena before them, the pair of males decided to just continue down their path.

    After crossing a bridge formed of a solidified, slippery substance made of a cobalt rock, the group found themselves on a patch of green resting atop the next surface of the stone.

    "Should we call it a day? I think we can all use a bit of rest at this point."

    Iris put the question on the table, stopping in ce as the others halted as well, scanning the area as it seemed rtively monster-free.

    "This is as good a ce as any, I guess. I''ll stand guard first."

    Rolling his shoulders and stretching his legs side to side, Ren took up the offer and stood at the edge of the cliff, looking over the abyss and at the distance array of mountains needed to be crossed.

    I guess I should be thankful it''s been somewhat...boring, so far. From what I''ve heard from Macheo, it''s because we''re in the "safe zones"--the difficultyes from challenging these "key dungeons" or whatever. Still, it''s been nice...Human interaction and all of that, Ren thought, seating himself down on the precipice of the tower of stone that overlooked the abyssal depths.

 Chapter 188 - Through The Air, They Hunger

    Getting lost in his own mind for a minute, it took a few seconds for him to process the flying objects that became visible to him. The familiar way they pped their wings through the abyssal air, letting out screeches that reached his ears like nails on a chalkboard--he recognized them.

    It''s those same things from when I first arrived on this floor. Annoying, Ren thought.

    Jumping up to his feet, he closed one eye while pointing his index finger towards the sky as if aiming with a weapon.

    "Three...Four baddies--approaching fast."

    Warning the others in a less than concerned voice, he could almost feel the tangible excitement emit from Macheo--who had been waiting for a bit of action.

    "I call dibs on the one on the left! It looks mean."

    Hearing Macheo im rights over the leftmost airborne creature, Ren smiled slightly before pointing his finger towards the one hanging further behind the others, looking a bit bulkier than itspanions.

    "Dunkel: Piercer."

    Saying it as quietly as he could, almost in a faint whisper, the result was a much thinner, shorternce manifesting above his outstretched arm.

    The less I think about it, the vaguer it bes in my mind--the weaker the resulting spell is. While most of the time it can be a bad thing; there are usages. Less mana is used and a more lowkey spell is generated, Ren thought.

    Squinting a bit more as he carefully aimed this manifested spear, he finally released it from the faraway distance--watching as it tunneled through the air before crashing through the winged beast''s skull.

    "Bullseye!"

    Clenching his fist in victory, Ren smiled as he watched the creature instantly fall victim to the spell, falling limp as it plummeted down into the abyss.

    "Let them get closer! They''re going to be our dinner!"

    Macheo yelled out, blushing slightly as his stomach roared out along with him-.

    Watching this, Iris couldn''t help but smile, knowing that what she just saw from Ren was the result of his studious personality during their journey.

    Even while walking, he mostly keeps his head buried in that grimoire that Heldjrim gave him. He''s learning, fast--I can''t fall behind, Iris thought.

    With this resolve in mind, she ced a confident smile across her lips--taking a note directly from Ren as she took in a deep breath, summoning forth her reservoir of magical energy. Compared to the others, Iris'' mana released into a much thicker, vibrant aura that wrapped around her like a golden wind, fluttering her illustrious locks.

    Allowing the malicious creatures that inhabited the winds to draw near, Iris waited until the one she set her sights on was above their temporary campsite.

    "Do it now, Iris!"

    The yell that came directly towards her from Ren wasn''t meant to be an impatient rush like Macheo usually expressed, but desperation for her own safety.

    Not yet, closer��it needs to be closer, Iris thought.

    It could clearly recognize the threat of the umting mana that Iris built up, releasing a screech towards her before diving down with itsnce of a beak.

    Holding her hands together as if weaving a spell, Iris kept her eyes away from the creature as it finally got within arm''s reach of her. At that moment, the lithe girlpletely changed her stance��sliding the soles of her boots against the ground as she shot her fist back.

    The dense umtion of light, golden mana dancing around her body coalesced into her reared back fist.

    I learned in that fight against him��I rely too much on long-ranged spells. I won''t waste what you taught me, Brahmi, Iris thought.

    With her radiant, blue gems set solely on the target in front of her, she couldn''t see herpanions, but she could feel it��the utter confusion seeing this movement from her.

    Propelling her fist forward as it was soaked in her magical energy, it carved through the air, crashing through the sound barrier��her magically-enhanced fist came into contact with the head of the attacking creature.

    She could feel it at that moment before the true impact, its skull was as tough as steel, which is why it likely didn''t care to avoid the hit��holding confidence in its evolved skull.

    However, it didn''t matter; the full force of the dazzling blow liquified its dome before disintegrating it uponplete impact. The condensed power traveled through its body, popping it like a balloon as even its blood evaporated upon meeting her magical energy.

    Smiling as her attack works better than she thought, Iris looked up at Ren, who held a nk expression having witnessed all of this before transferring into a beaming smile.

    "That was awesome!"

    "...Thanks!"

    Handling his desired target, Macheo burst into the air, springing off of the magical stepping stone manifested beneath his feet. The swiftness of this jump caught the airborne assant by surprise as it let out another skree in response, halting its path as it pped its wings towards the golden-haired human. A wide grin was present on Macheo''s face as he showcased his power, sending a spinning kick to the side of the creature''s head--sending it plummeting down against the ground with a rough impact.

    He''s ying with it, Iris sighed.

    That''s a teenager for you, Ren shook his head in agreement with Iris.

    As the creature shook off the attack, clearly groggy, it used the pointy fingers at the edge of its wings to stand itself up--only to be sent flying back against the rocky wall with another kick from Macheo.<novelnext></novelnext>

    While Macheo yed with his opponent, Aiko was swarmed by hers--this particr one of the creatures exhibiting aggression beyond its fallen kin.

    It thrust its spear-like beak towards her multiple times, failing to hit her as the girl was swift on her feet, spinning and twisting as its attempts to pierce flesh only met with the air.

    "Just call out if you need some help!"

    Cupping one hand around his mouth, Ren yelled out to Aiko, who was too focused on her own opponent to look at him, instead yelling back without turning towards him.

    "I can take care of myself!"

    The response she gave was sharp, making Ren instantly regret his words as he looked to Iris for some sort of exnation, only getting a shrug and a smile.

    Girls, he thought.

    Noticing the girl of simr age to him begin her brawl with the winged creature, Macheo seemed to take things more seriously--charging towards his selected opponent as he manifested magically-formed water above his palm.

    It seemed this same feeling came to Aiko, spurring on an unspokenpetition between the two, spectated by Ren and Iris--both of whom rooted for Aiko in their hearts. Throughout their time together so far, nobody had seen Aiko use magic--opting to only use her martial arts prowess to engage in battle with, which was effective nheless.

    Her blows were quick; leaving a dozen impacts across the scaly form of the beast within a moment--caving in its body with the bludgeoning blows of her gauntlets.

    "Wasser: Pressure de!"

    Macheo, using the ball of water he held in his palm, shaped it into the loose resemnce of a shortsword--formedpletely out of the azure liquid. Launching himself off of another pad, he guided himself towards the stunned brood with his de of water in hand.

    While opting for his sh finish, Aiko, on the other hand, doubled down on her eloquent fighting style--wrapping her body around the beast''s as she locked its limbs in ce, gaining a tight hold around its neck as she seized its movementspletely. Though likely weighing as much as a feather with her lean, short build, it made Aiko''s strength that much more surprising, easily handling the creature as the sounds of its bones being crushed became painstakingly audible.

    It was a close game--left to anyone at that moment.

    The moment the liquid sword met the stiff, scale-covered neck of the creature, cutting through its flesh, a snap resounded from Aiko''s opponent as well. By the time both instances were recognized, both creatures fell over--dead.

    "Who got it first?...You were watching, right?"

    Without even paying attention to his deceased target as its head was lopped off from its shoulders, Macheo immediately turned his focus to who was faster.

    "Urr...It looked to be a draw."

    Looking at Iris for further support of this, the girl nodded while meeting Ren''s gaze, "...Yeah. It was neck and neck between you two."

    "...Tsk."

    Hearing this, Macheo clicked his tongue, shooting his sharp re over to Aiko--who stood up from underneath the limp body of the fallen, gray beast, brushing dust from her robes.

    "Another night of bird meat, huh?"

    Lifting the headless body of the limp creature up, Ren held a disgusted, disappointed look as he sighed, dragging it over to the center of their temporary resting ce.

    "At this rate, I might end up using my wish on some grub��"

    Macheo muttered, taking a seat on a smooth rock while Aiko gathered bits of firewood, getting it ready as Iris kneeled down in front of it.

    "Feuer."

    The simple word invoked mes upon the chunks of wood, manifesting a healthy campfire that took the coldness away from the damp air of the cavern. It was a shoddy setup, but it worked--setting the carcass of the gray, scaly creature upon the sturdy stick above the mes, letting it cook slowly as they gathered around the fire.

    "How much water do we have left?"

    Ren asked, looking at Macheo, who was busy chomping down on the cooked leg of the creature, working his jaw to chew the stretchy meat.

    "...Not much. Give me a second."

    Finishing his serving of monster meat, Macheo popped the cap to the nearly empty canteen--muttering an incantation before filling the liquid storage up with mystically conjured water.

    "...Pretty handy."

    Renmented to himself quietly, taking a small bite out of the thigh he held in his hands. It was a terrain difficult to adjust to; the cavern was made up mostly of individual mountains, each holding a t summit with varying bridges connecting most of them.

    As he found out the hard way during his weing to the cavern, what awaited below was an unforgiving abyss that inhabited a plethora of unfriendly creatures.

    As they finished their less than savory serving of rough, dry bird meat, Macheo wrapped up the leftovers into a bundle of leaves, fitting it into the tattered pack on his back. The mood was quiet and dreary; bags hung under all of their eyes.

    Proper sleep is a no-go, a proper diet is aughable dream down here--we''re all constantly on our guard. We need to make some real progress soon or this group might just crack, Ren thought.

 Chapter 189 - Surprise Meeting

    Sitting down with his back against a sturdy, prickly tree that jabbed at his spine slightly, he held a wide view over the nearby cliffs.

    Hearing the two girls chatting and getting along, holding smiles despite the tedious environment, he was able to smile himself--keeping his watchful, yet rxed gaze forward.

    I want to master this ability of mine...That requires actually using it again. I can feel it--bubbling up inside of my stomach, churning up a mass of energy--but for some reason...I''m scared. For one, theck of control I had over myself against that minotaur...What''ll happen when they''re around me?...What about that darkness I saw in my dream? I have a bad feeling--but it''s something I need to get over. I hate to admit it, but that ability is my next step to bing a proper Ounder, Ren pondered.

    With his stomach full of tasteless, yet filling food, drowsiness set in--feeling his eyelids be heavier and heavier as soon, he fell asleep without even realizing it. Somehow, the hunched-over position he sat in wasfortable enough to set his body into total rxation, only opening his eyes once more to find out everyone else had already fallen into slumber themselves.

    It''s confusing as hell; no matter when you go to sleep, you open your eyes and it''s all the same--night and day isn''t a concept down here, Ren thought.

    Feeling a bit guilty for falling asleep while he was supposed to be the lookout, he perched himself on the stone ledge overlooking their camp, allowing one leg to dangle while keeping his other knee close to himself.

    "So damn boring��"

    Comining to himself in a whisper, he kept his sheath close to his chest, briefly looking down at the slumbering, azure-haired girl as she rested peacefully, wrapped in an old cloak as a makeshift nket.

    I guess it''s not so bad with a sight like this nearby, Ren smiled.

    Humming to himself as minutes passed like slugs against the asphalt, something caught his eye amidst the limitless boredom inflicted upon him.

    "...What the?"

    Squinting as hard as he could, he focused his reinforcement across his sclera, specifically honing it around his irises to further enhance his vision--beginning to make out the odd sight a few mountains away.

    It was still hard to make out from the distance between him and the obscured entities, seeing a fluffy, round creature dragging its feet before falling straight over. However, what caught his eye was the distinctly humanoid figure walking alongside the fluffy being--no doubt, it was a woman by the mountains that inhabited her chest--the first thing that caught his lecherous gaze.

    A person?...And some sort of animal? Is it a demi-human? It looks like they''re in trouble. Crap, what should I do? Ren thought.

    Knowing how tired the others were, he was hesitant to wake them, but the other option of leaving them unguarded while he investigated the odd sight was even worse.

    Shit...I know I shouldn''t try to run into others if I can avoid it; who knows if they''re like Leo...I just can''t help it. I know Iris would help them. I guess...I''d rather help them and regret, rather than not help them and regret it, Ren pondered.

    Hopping down from his post, he clipped his sheath back to his belt before quietly kneeling beside the slumbering Lucravian, gently shaking him by his shoulder.

    "...Huh?...The hell do you want? I''m trying to dream here...I was eating some good grub, finally��"

    "Sorry, that actually sounded like a nice dream...Anyway, I need to check something out, can you take over my watch for a bit? Just until I get back."

    Adjusting to his new state of consciousness, Macheo groggily sat himself up, running his fingers through his pristine, golden locks as hebed his bangs back temporarily.

    "...I don''t really mind, but the hell are you even checking out at a time like this?"

    "Urr...Well��"

    It wasn''t something he was sure he wanted to speak of, knowing the cautious, abrasive nature that belonged to the Lucravian prince. There was no avoiding it; those fearsome, crimson jewels embedded into his eye sockets coaxed any truth out.

    "I think I see a couple of people out there...They look like they''re in trouble."

    Spilling out the truth, he expected a harsh retaliation in the form of that loud, berating attitude Macheo usually held, but the boy simply looked at him for a moment before sighing quietly.

    "...I''ll cover your shift. Be careful out there."

    "You''re not against it?"

    "I won''t lie--my own instincts are screaming for you that this is a bad move, but...If we want to be better, this is the right path, isn''t it?...I''m choosing to trust you, got it?"

    Hearing that from Macheo felt like he was in a dream, pinching his own forearm and pping his cheek to make sure he really didn''t fall asleep from his boring role as the outlook.

    "Hey! Is it really that hard to believe?!"

    Somehow managing to strike a bnce between yelling and whispering, a red fluster came over Macheo''s cheeks born in the cold, now fully awake as he stood himself up.

    "No, you''repletely right...Thanks, Macheo. You''re not such a bad guy yourself."

    Giving the younger boy a wink, Ren gave him a slight wave before taking off quickly, keeping a cautious air around himself while maintaining an efficient swiftness to his movement. It wasn''t far by the standards of speed awarded to mages--giving a rough calction of several hundred meters for himself. The problem sat with what creatures might be lurking along the sides of the plethora of cliffs, especially what may intercept him while crossing a bridge.

    I''m prioritizing everything into my speed and senses; if those two really are in need of urgent care--I can''t waste a single moment, Ren thought, I didn''t build this strength just so I could ignore those who are in need of it!

    As many times as he''s had to cross the many bridges that make up the cavern, the ticklish sensation that spurred within his bowels never dulled; forcing himself to keep his eyes forward as he scaled the length of the windy pathway.

    Finding himself midway through the entirety of the narrow, creaking bridge--a gust came in, pushing it side to side as the nks jutted upwards.

    "I knew it!...This damn ce really does have a mind of its own sometimes!"

    The farther he got, the stronger the wind became, fluttering the bridge helplessly while Ren kept his stance low in hopes of gravity keeping him on the right path.

    "I''m definitely going to demand somepensation for this!...Heroic acts don''te cheap!"

    Jumping from nk to nk as they began to jutt out with the full intention of thwarting his path, Ren picked up his speed--finding the butterflies in his stomach to flutter wildly as he slid across the spinning bridge, running his hand along the rope for bnce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was now leftpletely upside down, hanging onto the rope as his feet dangled above the depths ofplete darkness, feeling the wind mock him as it scaled up his body. Naturally, he looked down--instantly feeling bile caress the rim of his throat as he forced his gaze back up.

    Crap. I don''t have any walls to grab onto if I fall this time...If I st on the ground, I''ll be revived a day''s walk away, Ren groaned.

    As he reached with one hand towards the next section of rope, the wind made its move again--shaking the bridge as his body swayed side to side violently, gritting his teeth as he was forced to focus all of his strength on holding himself up.

    Shit. Shit. Shit.

    Coming to realize thepse of judgment he made, the sound of wings pping met his ears--halting his thought process for a moment as he honed his ears on this sound.

    More of those damn gray things? This timing couldn''t be any worse! Ren thought.

    Preparing to fight in any way he could with only one hand free while the rest of his body dangled, the sound of heavy wings smacking against the air and defying gravity grew closer, unable to see the enigmatic creature as the upside-down bridge obscured his vision.

    "...Come on, birdy, you think one hand isn''t enough?"

    "I''m not a "birdy"--I''d caution you to hold your tongue with such insults."

    "Eh?--"

    It was a feminine voice, leaving no yfulness or weing tone to be had. Not expecting this sort of response, his brain short-circuited for a solid few seconds before he looked side-to-side in an attempt to see the source of this voice.

    Above where he hung from, he felt a weight settle down atop the flopped-over bridge, the distinct, unmistakable pressure of a person standing above the nks.

    "Give me a hand here, maybe?!"

    In an act of desperation, as he listened to the wooden floorboards of the bridge creak, watching as wooden shavings rained down against his face, he called out to the figure for help.

    "...And why should I help you? How do I know you won''t turn on me the moment I return you to safety?"

    "...Fair. That''s fair."

    "That spot you''re hanging above right now--you know what''s down there, right?"

    "Urr...A whole lot of darkness, from the looks of it."

    Ren responded, taking a peek down as he confirmed his own words--watching as his feet swayed above the pit of shadows.

    "Down there is the "Pit of Asamya", a tainted fire elemental. You may not stay dead, but I heard the pain she inflicts on people turns them insane."

    There was no kindness in her voice; it was clear she was leaving him no time to hang there and ponder as her words hastened his heart, throbbing with anxiety at this point."

    "...Lovely. A little help then?"

    "Tell me why I should trust you."

    It''s the woman I saw, isn''t it?...Doesn''t exin the sound of wings I heard, but it''s the only usible exnation. In that case...Ren thought.

    "You have a flurry..panion with you, right?"

    "...How do you know that?"

    Her words were much sharper now as he clearly hit home, once again feeling the wind intensity as the weight above him grew denser.

    "I came out here to help you! It''s the truth!"

    "You think I''d believe that? You''re like the rest of them--bandits, thieves, murderers--a coward, is all. There are no good ones left in this ce."

    "I...I have somebody I don''t want to disappoint."

    "Huh?"

    "If I didn''t try to help--I wouldn''t be able to look them in the eye anymore; I''d regret it."

    Telling the purest truth from his heart, the voice above him fell silent for a moment before suddenly--the wooden nk above him was pummeled right through, falling down towards the abyss as he clung together to the prickly rope.

    A hand reached down through the newly made hole through the bridge, extending directly towards him.

    "Grab on."

    He didn''t hesitate for a single moment, grabbing hold of the tan hand that exhibited crimson fingernails, being hoisted up as the soles of his feet reunited with solid ground once more. The bridge fellpletely still as he now stood on its flipped surface, catching his lost breath into his exasperated lungs before finally getting a look at the woman.

    A shadow cast itself over him, having to strain his neck to look up at her as she towered over him by a full head''s length. As outwardly tall as she was, her build didn''t lose any of its natural feminine charm--specifically, Ren battled against his own eyes that focused on the more, "voluptuous", aspects of her.

    Raining over her shoulders were voluminous, glossy locks of a fiery shade of vermilion, holding the very essence of fire within her fine crown. Though her luscious crown ran freely down her shoulders, some neatly formed braids were mixed in, matching the intertwined roses etched into her pristine, ivory and crimson armor.

    Woah. Woah. Woah! Do my eyes deceive me? Is this a trick of the darkness? This mature beauty--totally, one-hundred percent cute and sexy! Ren repeated in his head.

 Chapter 190 - The Vermillion Dragon And Crimson Panda

    Matching her natural, fierce beauty, her armor stood out in its regal, immacte form. It was clear that it wasn''t just any ordinary armor for any ordinary chump; the streaks of fine crimson that ran along the regal surface of the protective attire coalesced into the sigil she bore on her chest--the head of an eastern dragon, not roaring, but simply smiling calmly.

    It was underneath this splendid armor that she wore somewhat baggy, silky fabric of a reddish-orange shade, mimicking the scales that possessed in reality as a design of its own, apanied byvish ents.

    Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I thought Sora''s armor was cool, but this is something else! It''s like a legendary set you''d have a one-percent chance to find when beating an ultra-difficult raid boss! Ren thought.

    Her tan, almost goldenplexion was without blemish--although the silver scales that lined sections of her exposed skin almost seemed to be some sort of demerit to Ren at first. Noticing those scales; his eyes finally realized therge, broad wings that inhabited her back, further taking note of the spiky horns of the same shade that protruded from the top of her head.

    It seemed looking at her horns for too long caused a bit of fluster to the tall, abnormal beauty as a harsh thud mmed against the bridge a few times--finding the source of this impact to be the thick tail that swayed side to side, attached to what seemed to be her rear.

    "Are you a--a dragon girl?!"

    Without any tact, he stuttered out the question with pure, childlike excitement as a thrilled pink filled his cheeks.

    He failed to realize his less than polite wording made her peculiar eyes tremble with some level of embarrassment as she bit onto her lip to try and contain the obvious fluster overtaking her. Matching her gaze, he found himself even further immersed into the exotess about her--the irises she possessed held a mixture of royal magenta with a sprinkle of frost, caressing the vertical pupil that failed to properly disy its inherent ferocity.

    "You...you--what''s wrong with you?!"

    Finally finding words to part from her lips, her tone shook the bridge once more in unison with her thumping tail.

    What a tsundere! She''s going to bring this whole bridge down! Ren thought.

    Hiding her embarrassment, the woman with features resembling the fire-breathing reptile of myth, she turned herself around, her illustrious, silver cape fluttering in the wind behind her. Fluffy, wool-like material lined the edges of the thick cape, once again--he noticed the same eastern dragon on disy, this time in more detail.

    Its scales were green, wise whiskers trailing the surface of the woman''s cape--he could feel it in his gut; he made the right choiceing here.

    "For your information, I am a dignified royal knight of the Ningshiloong House! I am not some "dragon girl"--but a proud descendant of the Wyveria bloodline!"

    Proiming her title, her voice returned to its intensity, capturing Ren''s awe as the sigil on her cape took a new level in his eyes.

    "So, you are a demi-human?!"

    "What a humiliating term...Don''t lump me in with the rest of them, I''m a draconic warrior! But...Yes, I''m a demi-human."

    "Awesome!"

    Disying his boundless excitement at meeting a draconic woman, Ren''s eyes sparkled with excitement as her tough exterior couldn''tst.

    "Refer to me as Valerie Decimus Draig!"

    With utmost confidence, she gave her name as if presenting a royal figure--proiming it to the abyss itself as her voice fell upon his ears like a howling wind.

    "...Is Valerie fine?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''ll suffice��"

    "Well, I''m Ren Nakamura, nice to meet you!"

    Extending his hand towards the towering draconic warrior, she kept her hands at her sides as she nkly stared at his hand as if it were an exotic creature.

    "Oh, right...You probably don''t do this in your country, Uh, Vesta, right?"

    "I''m assuming this is some sort of gesture of meeting?"

    Answering her perplexing question as she investigated his still extended hand as if taking note of each thread woven through his ck, leather gloves, Ren simply nodded his head with a nervous chuckle.

    "I see! Nice to meet you too then, Ren!"

    Grasping his hand and squeezing it without any restraint, he felt his bones scream out as he returned the favor--garnering a satisfied smile as his strength impressed the woman.

    "Oh, crap--I totally forgot! Hongse needs help! I''m such a klutz..."

    "...Hongse?..."

    Before he could get an answer, his forearm was caught in her grasp as her far-spanning wings brought them into the air. The sudden shift from standing upon solid ground to floating like a princess in a magical fairytale made his stomach flutter for the dozenth time that day.

    "Woah! Woah Woah!--What the hell!"

    "Sorry, but--I didn''t really think before I grabbed you...I left my partner back there without thinking! I''m such a damn airhead!"

    As she whined and wallowed in self-deprecation mid-flight, her pouting face took away any stern, fierce beauty she had and reced it with an adorable sweetness that made her round, tan cheeks pinchable in his eyes.

    Picking up the speed, the brisk air hissed into his ears as his cheeks began to wobble helplessly to the whim of the g-force--not taking but a few seconds for them tond at the designated spot.

    "Hongse! Are you okay?!"

    Letting go of Ren''s arm once her silver, shining boots met the ground once more, Valerie rushed to the side of the fluffy figure. It was by some miracle that Ren stuck thending, feeling the impact travel through his knees as hended in a squat, tensing up for a moment before arriving at the side of the unknown entity.

    "...Hungry. Starving. Meat...I want meat."

    A deep, yet gentle voice came from the giant, fluffy figure covered in reddish-brown fur, wearing leather armor that seemed to barely fit its round form.

    "A...A panda! A talking panda!"

    Ren stammered out as he finally identified the creature''s form, pointing his finger at the enormous panda, presenting a red and ck coat.

 Chapter 191 - Hongse, The Gentle

    Unlike Valerie, the talking panda hardly bore any human features--seemingly only inhabiting the intellect and somewhat closer muscle shape, underneath all of that blubber.

    His antics were ignored as Valerie shot her majestic gaze back at Ren, "You wanted to help right? Do you have any food with you? Anything?"

    Thinking for a moment, a lightbulb shone over Ren''s head as he raised a finger to the air, "Actually, I do! It''s not the tastiest, but I still have some meat back where my group is."

    The look of relief and glowing gratitude that made itself known on her iridescent canvas was something that could not be replicated; her eyes smiling as she nodded fervently, "That''ll work!"

    "Urr, can you give me a lift? That bridge is kind of...yeah."

    Scratching his cheek, it wasn''t the manliest thing to ask a girl to fly him away, but she didn''t hesitate to agree with this.

    "I''ll be right back, Hongse...Just hold on, food is on the way!"

    Assuring the unconscious, snoring panda demi-human, Valerie ced her hands underneath Ren''s pits, hoisting him up as her powerful wings brought them back into the abyssal skies.

    As kind of humiliating as it may be--flying is pretty fun! Ren admitted to himself, unable to hold back his smile as he glided through the air.

    Something he didn''t consider-ing into view as he drew near the boundary of their humble campsite, the familiar, royal golden locks belonging to none other than Macheo. The absolutely bewildered, yet annoyed look that shined through his crimson jewels looked at Ren as if asking, "Really?"

    "Okay, we can drop here��"

    Holding a trembling smirk, Rennded on the ground, greeting Macheo as he nervously scratched his head--the golden-haired boy could only keep his gaze on the towering, draconic woman standing behind hispanion.

    "Right...This is Valerie, one of the people I saw. Turns out, her partner is suffering from a bit of starvation so��"

    "So, you''re giving our resources away to total strangers?"

    "...Yup."

    Averting his gaze, Ren couldn''t deny the hesitative, questioning nature Macheo put on disy as he kept his arms sternly crossed against his chest.

    "Hey! Don''t get the wrong idea! I don''t ept hand-outs; I''ll be sure to repay you in full!"

    Valerie, stepping past Ren, looked down at Macheo, who began to crack under the shadow of the demi-human, still holding his confident smile, "Oh, yeah?"

    "Yeah."

    Leaning down, their faces were so close that Ren actually feared a fist or spell might be flung; sliding himself between them as he broke up the tangible tension.

    "Calm it, calm it...Let''s not wake the sleeping beauties over there. Macheo, remember what you told me?"

    Allowing his voice to fall to a serious tone, Ren''s question caused Macheo to freeze for a moment before rxing his tense shoulders.

    "...Yeah."

    "Well, I''ve chosen to help them. Do you want to make that choice as well?"

    Asked this, Macheo took another look at Valerie, meeting gazes with her draconic eyes, letting out a sigh before fervently ruffling his own locks before looking back up at the snow-hairedpanion of his. It was rare to see such a gentle smile on the prince''s face, but it was a sight for sore eyes.

    Man, he is going to grow up to be a total ikemen, Ren thought.

    "Alright, I''ll grab the meat. You''re helping us gather more first thing when the new day starts."

    Pointing this condition directly at the demi-human, Valerie didn''t hesitate to ept it, giving him a simple, powerful nod, "Of course!"

    Retrieving the jumbled chunks of dehydrated meat wrapped in a cover of sparse green found within the cavern, Macheo ced it in Ren''s hand before seeing him off with a smile.

    As much as I hate it, it feels good to help someone do a bit of good, Macheo thought.

    "Help me open his mouth!"

    Returning to the unconscious, hunger-stricken panda''s side, Valerie was quick to return to her worried state.

    "Open it?��"

    "This is a two-person operation! Trust me, his jaw is heavy!"

    Begrudgingly, Ren knew he had no choice but to ept this unsavory role, kneeling down next to the fluffy, red-furred demi-human''s head as he gulped.

    The snoring sounded like a bellowing beast roaring out to mark its territory, generating a stream of hot breath that pelted against his face��specifically attacking his nostrils.

    Terrible! Ren thought.

    "Hurry up!"

    "This is vebor!��whatever, I''ve got this!"

    Psyching himself up, he ced his gloved fingers past Hongse''s lips, having to fit them through the tiny grasp of hisrge teeth.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Gross. Gross. Gross. It''s slimy��the smell is worse when I can attach it to a real feeling! Ren thought.

    He soon realized Valerie wasn''t exaggerating��using his baseline strength, he wasn''t able to budge the stone-solid maw of the crimson panda.

    "Okay, a little reinforcement never hurt anybody��Just a little, just a little��"

    Taking a deep breath after muttering silently to himself,plete focus was set on maintaining a bare minimum level of his magical enhanced strength.

    If I just let it flow as much as my brain is used to by now, I might snap his jaw right off, Ren thought.

    Using this amplified strength, he slowly parted the jaws of the panda��unleashing from his maw a foulest stench. The horrid stench that resided within the mouth of the unconscious panda coaxed tears out of his eyelids, coughing as he averted his gaze.

    "Does toothpaste not exist in this world?! Not even mints?!"

    "Stop talking nonsense and keep your hold!"

    Being told so sternly and vividly by Valerie, he simply nodded his head at her mature aura--watching as she fit the chunks of monster meat into the salivating maw of Hongse.

    "...Won''t he choke like that?"

    "I''ve seen him swallow entire lurgerfish whole. This is normal for him."

    Even if she said that, he felt anxious watching a piece of meat the size of his fist simply be swallowed whole--but there was definitely a size difference between him and the giant, red panda. A disgusting, almost gag-inducing swallowing sound unpleasantly met his ears, releasing his hold on the panda''s mouth as his eyes suddenly shot open.

    "Delicious!"

    Jumping up as if he were an acrobat, the round, colorfully-furred panda hopped onto his two feet as he regained consciousness with one-hundred percent energy.

    "Thanks, Val. I really thought I was going to kick it there."

    "Don''t thank me--thank him, idiot."

    Pointing past the panda, Valerie''s index finger guided his attention towards Ren, who was wiping the bit of saliva off on his pants with a displeased, twisted look across his lips.

    "Thanks! Urr��"

    Trailing his words off as he looked for the name of his supposed savior, Hongse extended his fluffy yet human hand, holding five fingers, including a working thumb.

    "Ren. You know what a handshake is?"

    epting the gesture, Ren took hold of the hand that overshadowed his a few times over, but it was a gentle,forting grip he found himself in. A chill ran through his entire body as he let out a rxed sigh, feeling his hand being shaken by the pillow of a hand.

    His fur is so damn soft!...I''d totally pet him, Ren thought.

    "Good to meet you, Ren! I''m Hongse Kuande!...Oh, I''m guessing Val didn''t know what a handshake was, huh? I''m an adventurer from Vesta myself, so I know my stuff. She''s a bit of a recluse, though."

    Leaning in close, Hongse quietly gave this information to Ren, who nodded his head a few times as if thinking, "Yeah, that totally makes sense."

    "No fancy title either?"

    "Mm, my family name is enough of a title for me! I''m not from a proud, famous house like Val."

    Giving a hearty, bellowingugh, the aura Hongse gave off was warm and enriching--as if just being near him cured any malicious feeling dwelling within him.

    "So, that''s how I acquired two new members of "Team Weltwanderer"! Not bad, right?"

    Sitting around the campfire, Ren earned a mixture of sleepy-eyed looks as well as utter confusion--not just from his original group, but from Valerie as well.

    Recounting the events that happened just a few minutes prior to his story, Ren smiled as if acquiring some grand tale of his. In truth, Iris and Aiko seemed transfixed by the giant panda standing besides Ren, outfitted in armor and fur as soft as the clouds of heaven.

    They totally want to pet him too, don''t they? That fur is the apple of Eve that must not be touched, Ren thought.

    "Weltwanda-what?..."

    Aiko yawned into her hand, rubbing her half-open eyes as she spoke drearily, swaying side to side subtly before resting her head on the shoulder of Iris.

    "Oh! "Weltwanderer"--that folktale, right? I heard a little bit about it from my travels."

    Hongse raised his fluffy finger as he pinpointed the source of Ren''s spontaneously decided name for their group of six.

    "Bingo!"

    Giving a high-five to Hongse, the others watched in even further confusion as Ren and the red panda shared a celebratoryugh.

    They''re totally in their own world, the others thought.

 Chapter 192 - Team Weltwanderer

    "Still, what does the Weltwanderer have to do with us?"

    Putting his hand to his chin, Hongse asked as his ck, beady eyes looked at Ren for an answer--who seemed more than happy to exin it to him.

    "Well, our group has people from everywhere. Macheo is from Lucrauv, Aikoes from Akitein, you and Valerie are from Vesta, Iris and I are from Earth--oh."

    Letting that slip, Renpletely froze as he once again forgot the sensitive state of such information--slowly turning his gaze towards Hongse and Valerie, who lookedpletely indifferent to this knowledge.

    "Oh, that makes sense! I like it! Ha-ha!"

    Each pat of the colossal paw against his back from Hongse as heughed out simultaneously felt like a boulder mming against his spine and a warm, fluffy pillowforting him.

    "I''ve got a question for you, both of you."

    Macheo''s low, serious tone instantly put a curtain over the mood, bringing the same look over the two demi-humans as they waited for whatever the golden-haired prince had for them.

    "Do you have any keys?"

    Asking this, the looks on Ren, Aiko, and Iris'' faces definitely told that they didn''t consider this possibility--drawing all of their eyes to the demi-human pair.

    Hongse looked at Valerie for a moment before they both gave a nod to each other. It was clear that for now, in this testing phase of their alliance, Hongse was the chosen representative of their two-person party.

    "We do."

    "How many?"

    "Two."

    Holding up two of his stout fingers, Hongse''s answer pulled a slight reaction from Macheo--causing the boy''s eyebrow to twitch.

    "...Two, huh? Then you both must be pretty strong yourselves. Why''re you agreeing to partner up with us then?"

    The look Aiko gave to Macheo as he continued to press the likely new members of their group was a concerned one; clearly not wanting to risk pushing them away. A loud, exaggerated breath left the maw of the panda as he was hunched over, plopping his furry rear down on a rock.

    "Why not?"

    "..."Why not"...?"

    With confusion inhabiting the air in a close to palpable fashion, Ren took hold of this vacuum, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

    "...Ren?"

    With everyone now looking at the white-haired young man dressed in ck, he folded his arms across his chest, standing tall as he was just barely at the same height as the sitting panda.

    "It''s a simple answer, really. There is strength in numbers; what direct benefit or motive do you need besides that one, simple thing?"

    The tired look in Macheo''s eyes as he listened to hispanions'' high-and-mighty exnation seemed as if he was going to doze off. It wasn''t a false statement, however, as Macheo quietly sighed before falling silent.

    "Completely right! Trust me, if we thought you were total scumbags--we wouldn''t be sitting here right now!"

    Giving a thumbs-up, Hongse held his bright, fluffy smile that shined past his dark eyes, surrounded with stygian fur.

    "Plus, you gave me food, that makes you a hero in my book, Ren! So, friends of yours are friends of mine!"

    Wow, I totally rolled a twenty on that decision, didn''t I? Ren thought.

    It was just the cog in the machine he felt they were missing; a bright, bubbly personality like Hongse lit a new fire under their group. Though, the constant, roaringughter that erupted from the bowels of the red-furred panda''s maw seemed to do more harm than good to the exhausted members, who were quick to find themselves back to slumber after the random meeting.

    "...They''re totally not going to remember this by morning."

    Ren muttered, shaking his head softly as he let out a soft sigh to himself. A shocking sweetness ran through his body in a chill as he felt the red clouds descend on his shoulder.

    "Don''t sweat it! Your friends seem reliable."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Standing behind Ren, Hongse assured him with a few pats to both of his shoulders--which was the equivalent of a world-ss massage to the young man, who sunk into thefort. Taking a seat on top of a two-meter high boulder, Valerie relieved Macheo of his watch duty with just a nod, looking back at Hongse and Ren--who were getting along like two peas in a pod.

    When did they get so friendly? Did I miss something? Valerie thought.

    "You''ve got this covered?"

    "Mm."

    Valerie nodded her head in response to Ren''s question, who epted it without any questioning--dropping his body onto the bed of evergreen.

    "Don''tcha'' worry, Val''s eyes are as sharp as theye. She can see beyond what we see--heat, more colors, you name it."

    "I trust her, I trust her...She seems pretty strong."

    The enormous panda took his spot of rest directly next to Ren, who was not unhappy at all having a living pillow next to him.

    "So, you two are from Vesta, right?"

    "That''s right. Why?"

    As he looked up towards the ck, dreary sky that held no visible limit to its height, Ren paused for a moment, getting further confirmation from Hongse, before proceeding.

    "You''re both part of this "annual candidate" thing, aren''t you?...Aiko and Macheo are too."

    "Mmm. Half-right."

    "...Half-right?"

    Turning his head to the side to look at the rxed panda next to him, he found himself once again bewitched by the heavenly, reddish-brown fur that he wanted to sink his body into. Somehow or another, Hongse had gotten his hands onto another chunk of the gray-scaled bird meat, swallowing it whole before finally responding.

    "Valerie was the elected representative of Vesta to challenge Purgatory."

    "I didn''t really think about that--I guess two representatives don''t make a whole lot of sense."

    Following where Hongse''s eyes traveled to, they both looked towards the draconic warrior who sat in the distance, watching over the scenery of darkness. It was only for a brief moment each time, but Ren began to take note of how Hongse''s beady, all-ck eyes sparkled over for just a second when he looked at Valerie.

    "As an adventurer, clearing Purgatory is one of the greatest honors of all. You''ll instantly be promoted to a Phantasm-rank adventurer--no questions asked."

    "Phantasm-rank, huh? I really don''t understand a single thing about adventurers, let alone this world."

    "Maybe adventuring is for you then. No better way to learn about Gaia than to explore her; at least, that''s my thought process."

    Hongse chuckled to himself as he spoke, releasing a high-pitched sneeze that looked as if it broke the sound barrier, lifting his upper half as if doing a sit-up. Watching this, Ren couldn''t help but wear a disgusted expression as he could see the tangible rain of mucus in the air above them.

    "...I don''t really think that''s an option for me. As an otherworlder and all."

    Adjusting his resting position with his arms under his head like a pillow, Ren let out his frustrations through a minuscule sigh.

    "That''s true. While most kingdoms could care less if you''re an otherworlder--Mastorn does. And what Mastorn thinks, the rest follow."

    It was the first time he started to hear a bit of frustration peek in through Hongse''s bubbly tone. A yawn escaped Ren''s lips, stopping the decline in the panda''s tone.

    "Get some rest. I''ll do the same."

    "Sounds like a n."

    Not even a minute after closing his eyelids, he sank deep into the ne of rest; feeling his body sink into the soft bed of naturalfort.

    Come tomorrow, it''s game time, Ren thought.

 Chapter 193 - The Dreams Of Aspiring Argonauts

    "Good news."

    The familiar voice came suddenly to his ears, forcing him to look up from the de he had been wiping clean with the rag that inherited its blemish. Though, the sudden existence of the voice filling the quiet void nearly made him jump, letting out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair.

    It was one of the few vain things he took special care in--his hair. A two-block hairstyle with the sides presenting the natural earthen feel of oak-brown, the top, messy part of his hair was naturally light-gray. This unorthodox hair earned him his fair share of nicknames, good and bad, throughout his childhood.

    "Huh?!...Can you knock first, Manfred?"

    "What? Scared I''m going to catch you with your pants around your ankles or something?"

    As the tall young man teased hisrade sitting on his bed, an embarrassed blush came over the seated man''s cheeks. A cheeky smile came over Manfred as he sessfully flustered his friend, chuckling to himself before ruffling his own pale-blonde hair.

    "...No, I''m just jumpy, alright?"

    "Whatever. Do you want the news or what, Leon?"

    "Hit me with it."

    Going back to cleaning his de carefully, slowly running the rag over the pristine steel of it, Leon waited as Manfred closed the door behind him, sitting down on the bed across from Leon''s own.

    "Our squad just got picked for a mission."

    "A mission?"

    "Mm. A pretty big one, at that."

    Removing the jet-ck leather armor that blended in seamlessly with their all-ck uniforms, Manfred let out a relieved sigh, freeing his neck from the tight cor gripping onto his throat.

    "Are you going to spill it or what? I''m not going to keep asking."

    Leon let out a soft sigh, looking up from his de to see the yful look on Manfred''s face. Despite the dreary, ck garments they wore, the bright smile stered on Manfred''s expression wasn''t dulled in the slightest.

    "Avdima hand-picked our squad."

    The simple, quietly spoken words from Manfredpletely seized Leon''s functions for a moment as he sat there with his mouth agape.

    "...Avdima?! That Avdima?!"

    "Mhm! Mhm!"

    By this point, both of the young men were standing up with sheer joy fueling their motor functions--the giddy, frivolous energy between them was unbing of the minimalist barracks they found themselves in.

    "A mission with Avdima...This is our chance to move up! Maybe even be Argonauts!"

    "Mhm! That means we''ve got to give it our best!"

    This is it. I came to the capital so I could be sessful and send money back to my family--this will definitely help me aplish that. I''ve always been naturally strong, he saw that in me--"Gunther Briggs", he trained me and gave the King himself a rmendation for me to join the Argonauts. I''m still just an Executioner, but with this...It''s on the horizon, Leon thought.

    "When is it?--We just got back yesterday so--"

    "Tonight."

    "...Tonight?..."

    Leon repeated the answer given to him quietly, looking at his friend nkly who still held his smile--this time packed with resolve, who gave him a few nods. It was the same, unchanging optimism and boundless energy he paired with Manfred.

    That unique magic of his sure does give him a crazy amount of vigor. Though, I''m thankful for it. That beaming smile has kept me going many times where I thought I was going to keel over and give up. I guess country bumpkins like us just naturally gravitate towards one another, Leon thought.

    "Oh, I forgot to mention: the real significance of this mission isn''t exactly Avdima himself."

    "What do you mean?"

    Being questioned, Manfred held a pleased smile as he possessed all of the power in this conversation.

    "Ounders."

    "Ounders?��"

    "We''ve finally found their base."

    Leon looked nkly at his friend as if he was questioning if his ears were properly working or not. In fact, the very news seemed to take hold of his soul as he looked at Manfred with such wide, shocked eyes.

    "...Really?"

    "Really."

    Any tiresome energy that found itself guing his body evaporated upon fully realizing what was told to him, his moss-green eyes illuminating with such excitement that matched his energeticrade.

    "We get to be the ones to take down the Ounders?!"

    "...Well, that''s mainly going to be the Argonauts, but yeah! You know this calls for a celebration, right?"

    Manfred''s sly words caught his friend''s ears like a delightful sweetness as the boy''s eyes lit up and his stomach rumbled as if responding for him.

    "Ha-ha! Sounds like your stomach is just as excited as you are!"

    "Yeah, yeah��"

    Muttering quietly as an embarrassed pink tinted his cheeks, Leon averted his gaze as he held his stomach.

    "Anyway--your choice, my treat! I happen to have my coin burning a hole in my pocket!"

    "Oh! Really?! My choice?!"

    "Yup!"

    When possessing an empty stomach and presented with such unlimited options inherit to being in the capital of Mastorn itself, a juggernaut of delicious food and prestigious restaurants--Leon could hardly whittle down his options.

    "Hey...before making any decisions--change into some casual clothes! We''re not dimming the mood around town with these edgy getups."

    "Aye, aye!"

    By the time all was said and done, between changing clothes and picking an outlet which to get their grub, the sun had already begun to set--shifting the sea of blue above into an array of warming, soft orange.

    "Milgy''s, huh?"

    It was in the bustling, ever-talking streets of the roaring capital that it became hard to listen to Manfred''s words as he stood right next to the blonde-haired friend of his.

    "Never been here?"

    Leon asked as Manfred scratched his cheek upon reading the rather entric sign that was decorated with the face of a cobalt tiger.

    "No, have you?"

    "Nope! I''ve heard rumors about it, though."

    Without any further hesitation, Leon guided the way by his stomach''s call, pushing past the light-brown, batwing doors. The moment the two young men stepped foot into the restaurant, their noses were introduced to a fragrance that would only be described as the utopia to one''s stomach; a sweet, tangy scent apanied by the fresh, straight out of the fire chicken smell that was iconic to the nasal senses.

    "How may I help you two today?"

    They were so distracted by the heavenly smell that they were shocked by the sudden presence of the waitress standing before them, wearing a sky-blue uniform, buttoned-up straight up the middle with a silver apron that matched her curly, silver locks.

    "Um...ur��"

    "A table for two please!"

    Manfred answered for his clearly stunned, pink-cheeked friend, holding up two fingers to the waitress.

    "Right this way!"

    With a smile, she guided them through the crowded restaurant--passing by many men who were clearly adventurers, either wearing second-rate armor, having scars, or simply just exhibiting the clear build of an adventurer.

    Compared to the average customer of Milgy''s, the two young men definitely stuck out like sore thumbs; Leon wore a simply, sable tunic with gray ents around the cor with soft, cotton sweatpants of a beige feel--these definitely weren''t clothes from his hometown, such fashionable garments could only be found in the capital.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Manfred, being the over-the-top person he is, wore a vest made of ck x linen with a ruffled, snow-white blouse underneath. The sable, tight pants he wore definitely seemed at least a bit ufortable by the awkward strides he took following behind Leon.

    Seriously, what do farm boys know about fashion?! Leon thought.

    "Right here."

    The freckled waitress came to a stop at one of the booths seated near one of the walls formed of wooden, refurbished nks, allowing the two young men to get seatedfortably.

    "Here you are; I''ll be back in just a bit!"

    With a dimpled smile thatpromised Leon''s heart, the woman nodded her head before disappearing into the bustling restaurant.

    "She''s cute, isn''t she?"

    "Huh? What? I mean��"

    Flustered by Manfred''s sudden question, he bashfully scratched his cheek with his index finger as he averted his eyes.

    "Anyway...how''s your sister?"

    Slithering his way out of the pressing subject, Leon''s question earned an inquisitive look from his friend sitting across from him before he gave in, taking a sip from the mugs of ice-cold water left behind by the waitress.

    "Couldn''t tell you."

    "Why not?"

    "Haven''t got to talk to her. She''s a big shot Argonaut, you know how it goes. Knights can''t handle crises outside of their cities, so that''s the jobs given to the Argonauts."

    As bountiful of vigor Manfred usually was, his gray irises regressed to a somber state as he spoke of his sister, fiddling with the fluffy cuff of his shirt.

    "Enough about that. The capital is amazing, isn''t it? You''d never find a ce like this in Heydren. A whole poption of eighty."

    Manfred chuckled as he took a swig of water, his voice having to be concentrated on amongst the constant chatter filling the dining establishment.

    "You can say that again��honestly, I don''t know how you''re so calm. Being around this many people��it makes me sweat."

    Keeping his eyes on the table as he spoke bashfully, Leon fiddled with the utensils ced on a neatly wrapped napkin. Meanwhile, Manfred''s eyes rapidly scoured the words stered on the menu.

    "That''s just you overthinking things as always! Ha-ha!"

    Manfred''s voice definitely didn''t adhere to the "inside volume" rule much to Leon''s dismay as he felt many eyes drawn to their table by his friend''s cacklingughter.

    "Yeah, yeah--"

    As Leon ruffled his own locks to deal with the sudden attention, he nearly jumped as the bright, bubbly waitress showed back up.

    "Did you two decide on what to order?"

    Asking with a smile that could cure the direst of illnesses, her words fell onto Leon''s cheeks in a cherry-red manner as he tried to find his words.

    "He''ll have the bilornie apple-spice steak, right?"

    "...Right."

    Though he didn''t so much as mention what it was he mentioned, his friend covered for him--something he had done on asion.

    "I''ll have...hmm, I''ll try the caltroo thighs in sweet sauce!"

    "Comin'' right up!"

    Retreating with her heart-churning smile, the verdant waitress once more left the view of Leon, who let out an exhale as his heart rate settled down.

    "You''ve got to man up, dude."

    "Shut up, would you?"

    I know I''m a mess. It''s just too big of a difference,ing from a vige where I knew everybody''s faces, names--we''re all practically family. Now it''s just a sea of strangers; a lot of that warmth of the small vige is lost here, he thought.

    Resting his head against his arms that sat on the golden-brown wooden table, he looked up at his friend--who was busy gawking at the other waitresses, flipping his smooth, blonde locks that Leon knew for a fact he spent an hour each morning preparing.

    At least I have him though, Leon smiled.

    "Here you are! Hot n'' ready!"

    Returning to their tableside once more, the silver-haired waitress with a field of endearing freckles set their individual dishes down in front of them--both of the young men drooling with their eyes at the sight of the grub.

    "Enjoy!"

    "T-thanks!"

    Leon called out to her, earning a hearty smile from the girl as she nodded her head, leaving the two customers to their meal.

    "Nice one."

    "Shut it!"

    With a face as red as the sauce-thered steak on his te, Leon mumbled as he began to cut up the prepared b of meat with a gluttonous intensity.

    "Is it really alright��?"

    Looking down at the fresh, steaming dish ced in front of him, Leon''s mncholic words earned the inquisitive look of his friend, who already had his cheeks stuffed with grub without any hesitation.

    "..Whuhft?"

    Manfred''s response came out slurred by his mouth full of food--disgusting the gray-brown-haired young man as particles of chicken fled from hispanion''s moving lips.

    "I just mean...in just a few hours, we''re going to be going on a mission--our biggest yet. I just think maybe we should be training, nning, or something��"

    As Leon''s concerned words cemented themselves in his wavering eyes, the blonde-haired man sitting across from him pped his own chest as he forced his mouthful of chicken down his avaricious pipes.

    "Phew...You''re a real worrywart, aren''t you?"

    "Manfred��"

    "I get it, I get it; I''m nervous too--look."

    cing his hands t on the table, Manfred gave his friend a smile. As Leon drew his eyes onto those hands, he noticed them shaking as if experiencing a biting cold, yet sweating as if resting near a warming fire.

    "You see now? I''m scared, nervous, frightened--you name it. But...I''m also more excited than I''ve ever been! When I just think back about what young me would think--that rowdy kid with dreams way too damn big--and how he''d look at me, where I am now...it gets my heart beating with the courage to fight."

    Those bright eyes he''s been on the receiving end of countless times, filled with pure, unbridled motivation--Manfred''s words struck him with a stride of vigor, but he still couldn''tpletely erase the doubt boiling up in his stomach.

    "...But, still...this is the Ounders we''re talking about; death is��"

    "That''s a risk we signed up for the moment we stepped foot down this path, Leon. That''s what it means to be a hero--an Argonaut; putting your life on the line for the kingdom. Am I right?"

    "...Yeah."

    "Then let''s eat!"

    The mood shifted in an instant; Manfred took those heartfelt words pouring from his heart then began recing them with chicken thered in sweet, bountiful sauce.

    I wish I could be like him--so epting of death as if it were just a potential side-effect of our ambitions. Then again, is that right? Do I really want to be like that? I want to be an Argonaut, just as much as him--but...I have my own reasons. If I die, I can''t support my family back home...so many mouths to feet, such little money.

    I took a big risk leaving the vige for this, if I died---I can''t think about that, Leon thought.

    "You made the right choice! This ce''s grub is magical! The sauce is so silky smooth, sweet but not too sweet!"

    "Ha-ha, yeah, it''s good��"

    Still, I came to this city knowing a path of hardship was waiting. If it means bing an Argonaut, I''ll sacrifice whatever blood, sweat, and tears I have to. That''s my resolve--the one I''ll hold onto with all of my heart, he resolved.

 Chapter 194 - Reality; Cruelty

    Sinking into the narrow maze of alleyways that formed through the cluster of shops within the main square of the town, Lucas could feel the repugnant, cold air of death hang densely around him. It took everything he had to withhold the urge to release bile; stepping through puddles of blood and entrails, missing appendages, being brought face-to-face with walls stained in these same innards.

    Focus. Focus. Remember where you heard the voice--keep that one thought in your mind. It...It wasn''t far from here. Find the building most likely holding survivors, Lucas thought.

    Like a sign from a higher power, his eyes met through the gap in the deathly alleway-nding on the presence of arge, barricaded home; it was clear basic Gaia magic was used as walls of stone made up the boundary of the house, as well as a weak barrier being set up.

    It''s powerful; strangely so. Magecraft of that level in a ce like this? I don''t know. From the usage of blood to inscribe the seal, it''s likely an anti-darkness barrier. Good--but what if by trying to help...I end up just bringing down their only defense? No...Don''t think like that--just do it! Lucas pumped himself up.

    Leaving them be wasn''t much of an option--while the barrier seemed to hold, it was clearly beginning to dry up and lose its power, with more and more husks gathering near it as their calls likely drew them near.

    Preparing a sharp, potent wind around his hand to slice up the surrounding, rotten bodies patrolling the house--Lucas stopped just as something caught his eye. The familiar, circr te of dense metal embedded into the cobblestone street.

    A sewer, Lucas thought.

    A disgusted, hesitant look came over him as he shook his head at the very idea, but deep inside--he knew it was the right move to make.

    "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this."

    Repeating this over and over to himself in a whisper, he removed the heavy lid aside before lowering himself into the unsavory pits. Even if he used a bit of wind magic to purify the stench crawling through the space of the sewer, the very aura of repugnance made his skin crawl with an itch.

    If I''m right, as I should be, only the houses of those in power have proper plumbing. It shouldn''t be difficult to find my way to...the sewage entrance to that manor, Lucas thought.

    As the soles of hisced, low-boots met the floor of the sewer, a chill ran through his body as he felt the moist, sickening sewage waters touch his form.

    Fidgeting as the aura of absolute vile, sickly, waste surrounded him, Lucas pped both of his cheeks hard enough to turn them red.

    Focus--this is about them, not you. This...This is what Sebastian would do, Lucas trembled.

    Traversing the watery, tainted depths of the sewers--the width of which was popted with grime and waste, it felt as if each step was shackled by a ball and chain around his ankle. Every hair on his body stood as the sound of water being parted by lumbering steps came to his ears; it was dark within the bowels of the stench-ridden tunnel, making the noise that much more rming to him.

    A husk--down here? Lucas thought.

    The familiar, drawn-out groans echoing off the acoustic walls of the abandoned sewer all but confirmed the identity of the enigmatic entity lurking in the depths. As soon as he manifested his mana into a tangible form, the unseen husk made itself known--throwing itself around the corner as it roared out towards him.

    Such a drastic change in demeanor momentarily caught Lucas off-guard, but it didn''t matter--it took nothing more than a swipe of his hand to unleash a visceral fit of condensed air,pletely crushing the husk''s head like a melon.

    Watching as fragments of its skull and tainted blood mixed in with the repugnant river of the sewer, he briefly examined the body of the slowly drifting husk, its inanimate body being carried off by the gently flowing, murky waters.

    It seemed the moment I amplified my magical energy, it went into fight mode, Lucas thought.

    Taking an active effort to suppress his flowing magical energy, he slowly traversed the dank depths of the repulsive tunnels; the walls were marked in grime and substances he didn''t dare think too hard about.

    Through checking the grime-covereddders, coated in rust, it seemed the ones in this section of the sewer system led to the town itself. Moving onward, he found theyout to be vexing--finding himself in an intersection of tunnels, six pathways to choose from with no inkling as to which was the one he was looking for.

    I thought it''d be simple to--"just go straight"--where the manor was, but this damn ce is confusing as all hell, Lucas thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Choosing to double down on his initial n, he pushed onwards through the path directly in front of him. This new tunnel held a series of smaller, narrow tunnels down its length, all of which led to their owndder.

    What a confusingyout--I don''t consider myself an expert on...sewers...but this ispletely different from the little I know. I guess that''s just something thates with being in a different world, with different engineers, Lucas pondered.

    Checking the one to his first left; he attempted to push the gate up--finding something to be weighing it down from atop.

    Did someone try blocking it off?--Maybe this is the right path then, Lucas thought.

    Using a bit of reinforcement this time, he pushed the cap to the sewer exit off, hearing the sound of something heavy slump over onto the ground above his head.

    From what he could see from the slight view awarded to his eyes, he found himself in a humble cottage; the standard, timber-built house gave this conclusion to him quickly. Without a doubt, it was the cer of the home--a conclusion easily discerned without seeing much as it was the only reasonable ce for him to find himself poking out of a sewer entrance.

    Listening to see if there were any nearby husks by their footsteps; Lucas lifted his head up to get a full look at the abode he found himself in--nearly dropping back down as his eyes met with the sight before him.

    What was weighing down the sewer gate was the corpse of a man; dyed red in his own arterial fluid as his eyes remained open, zed over with the veil of death.

    Immediately, Lucas ced his hand over his mouth and nose to prevent himself from gagging, unable to help himself as his eyes scoured the room for further details. The first question that popped into his mind was, "Why is there a body here?"

    After seeing the colossal husk gathering all of the corpses of the townspeople into the pile of decaying flesh in the center of the town, the question stuck in his mind for some reason. Getting a closer look as he hesitantly rolled the body of the man over with his trembling hand, he shot his hand back out of horror of what he revealed to himself.

    The corpse''s throat was torn open; the clean work of a de, no doubt. It was something he couldn''t exin--in the trance of horror and disgust, it was a herculean task to peel his eyes away from the sight of red.

    He...He did this to himself? Lucas thought.

    An answer came naturally as he saw the bloodied daggerying near the cold, pale fingertips of the brown-haired man. Brushing his fingers against the hilt of the crimson-stained de, he lifted his eyes to the wall, as the familiarbination of letters, written in blood, caught his eyes.

    "Forgive me...God��"

    Reading it out loud in a trembling whisper, something else came into his view finally, witnessing something that finally coaxed the tears to leave his eyes.

    "...No��"

    A small girl, likely no older than an elementary schooler, was slumped over against the wall. She held the same vacant look in her eyes, watching nothing but death. Drenched in a puddle of blood, her wound was different--a quick stab to the skull seemed to have done it.

    It felt as if he was disgracing their existence by standing on the extensive puddles of crimson that ran across the floor, slowly backing up as it stuck to his soles.

    The morbid curiosity natural to humans wasn''t enough to keep his gaze locked on the heart-stopping view. He couldn''t handle this sight any longer, covering his eyes as he squatted down, shaking his head as the conclusion of this depressing scenery came naturally to him.

    The husks...The father likely knew...Death by the husks would be far worse. I...I doubt the little girl even realized what was happening---awful. This is awful---I can''t do this. I can''t. I can''t. I''m not strong enough for this--my heart isn''t, Lucas thought.

    Being surrounded by such death, he couldn''t ce his resolve. It wasn''t his own mortal end that held his heart unsteady; just the thought--the possibility of encountering more sights such as this was enough to sway whatever fickle will he had left within.

    No...I''vee this far. I can do it. Just a little more. You can do this, Lucas, he thought.

 Chapter 195 - Pitiful Stronghold

    Crawling back down thedder from which he came, he moved on without looking back--burying that sight into the farthest reaches of his mind.

    "Grahh!"

    "Rrrughhh!"

    "Gyahh��"

    All at once, the groans, roars, and grumbles of husks--possessing a number greater than one, from what he could hear, came into earshot. Without sparing a moment, he pressed his back to the corner, knowing just how close those noises sounded.

    There were more lurking around down here?...How? Why''re they down here?! Lucas thought.

    He watched with caution in his verdant gaze the ripples in the water, listening as each step came down into a ssh as the groans continued. By the close proximity of the growls meeting his ears, he feared his own heavy, anxious breaths would give away his presence.

    It''s close...I have to be patient. I don''t know what their numbers are like. Think of them, Lucas. If you die, they will die. Prioritize your life. You''re the only one right now that can save them, he thought.

    Muffling his own ragged breathing, he kept his body to aplete still so as to not form any ripples within the sewage waters himself, keeping himself steady as he waited for the husks to pass by. By the width of the grimy, cobblestone sewer, it was hardly wider than three meters. It was almost a miracle for him to pray not to be discovered, but he prayed anyway.

    Dwindling his mana signature as low as he could possibly suppress it, he listened as the footsteps now reached his immediate area. Each shallow, yet hungering breath could be heard in such intricate detail that he could almost smell and taste it.

    He couldn''t help but look, having to sit idly while such a creature of malice passed by blindly would drive him into insanity. It must''ve been in the sewers for a prolonged amount of time; it''s flesh was bloated, its pale, bloodless skin bubbled up and scabbed off as it moved forward with its tongue flicking up and down beyond its lips.

    "Grahhhh��"

    It was truly a mindless drone; one cell within a greater body--dragging one foot in front of another without any stimuli. Watching as the rotten, reanimated corpse moved along, he didn''t free his breath--knowing more wereing.

    The booming, heavy stomps that came down from the next one approaching, moving along its linear path, sent a cold chill through Lucas'' body. Same as the first--their skin was bloated, decaying further from the constant exposure to the mmy elements. Just being within range to see them was enough for their orbiting stench to reach his nose.

    Having to obscure his presence by using absolutely no mana--he could do nothing to eradicate the stench now; feeling his eyes burn and water as if peeling a thousand onions.

    Awful!...It''s like my nose was stuck into a hellish stew of mildew, overwhelming sweetness, rotting meat, and eggs that have been spoiled since dinosaurs roamed the world! Lucas thought to himself.

    It took the will of fire and steel to hold himself as his stomach attempted to lurch out from his throat, wanting more than anything to gag or cough--listening to the passing, rotting bodies as they slowly marched onwards with their groaning presences.

    Even as their slow, heavy footsteps became distant enough to be nothing more than small sshes to his eardrums, he retained his utter stillness until dead silence was all that came to him. The first action he took oncepletely sure the area was hostile-free was dissipating the stench that invaded his nostrils, dry heaving as he spit residual bile into the already tainted waters flowing gently.

    "...It''s not like it can get any worse��"

    This isn''t like me...What am I doing? I''ve always been one of hubris; never caring much for anyone outside of my personal circle. This is your fault, Sirius...Why did you have to say all of that?...If I die, it''s your fault, Lucas thought.

    After a few more failed ventures through the narrow passages of the sewer, finding himself in the basements of homes abandoned by owners likely finding themselves in the bowels of the husks, he seemed to have found the very thing he was looking for--standing in in sight.

    A dirtied sigil was engraved into the cobblestone, it was a symbol he recognized--a bird, spreading its wings wide. The Mastorn badge for official mayors of towns; no doubt in his mind that the barricaded manor he saw on the surface was the mayor''s residence.

    Atst; I can rid myself of this cavern of waste, Lucas sighed.

    Climbing thedder, he somehow felt as if he was reaching the conclusion of his journey--but he came to remember it was only the start of a mission almost impossible. Pushing his hand up against the lid that separated the sewer from the manor, it hardly budged.

    Feeling such resistance on top of the dense cap brought back memories that were still fresh and gnawing at his mind; giving another, harder push.

    It doesn''t...feel like a body. It feels more like something is purposely blocking this gate. Perhaps the townspeople knew of the husks lurking in the sewers? Lucas thought.

    Giving it a few more pushes with his reserved, deteriorating natural strength, it refused to budge in the slightest.

    "...Grahhh��"

    A sound most vile and harrowing to his ears returned, seemingly at the worst possible time. As his mind processed the bellowing groan, he froze in ce as he gripped onto the rusted handles of thedder. Soon footsteps became chillingly heard, parting the murky swamp of waste with each step taken forward. It wasn''t just a singr source; from left and right--it was all around him.

    Shit, he thought.

    A desperate attempt to open the lid failed once more; trying to remain as silent as possible in hopes of not being discovered. As he was, his appearance was hidden within the vertical tunnel that scaled up thedder, but the reemergence of the husks didn''t do wonders for his confidence in this obscurity.

    Drawing near, the pained, gargling groans of the bloated husks sent his anxiety through the roof, pounding his fist against the lid as he desperately tried to open it now.

    Finally sumbing to using reinforcement, the usage of such magical energy instantly sent the husks into a drive of aggression--listening as they all let out disturbing screams from their foul bowels, beginning to traverse the excrement-filled tunnels in a sprint.

    "...Open up, dammit!"

    Clenching his teeth, there was no longer any point in attempting to be stealthy, unleashing a m of his knuckles as his reinforced strength knocked the lid up as if it were nothing more than a hollow lid made out of stic.

    Reaching the top, he crawled onto the cold, polished floor that awaited him beyond the reaches of the sewer, coughing as he threw the possessive stench of the horridbyrinth from his throat.

    "Who the hell are you?!"

    "Is he bit? Scratched?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Calm down!"

    "Look! He''s wearing some sort of bloodied covering; he likely got wounded by a husk! Throw him back down!"

    In his relief of reaching the desired destination, he didn''t notice the frightened, frantic people surrounding him--yelling out to him with eyes full of fear.

    "He removed the lid with a punch...With magic like that, he must be an adventurer!"

    The young man wearing the robes of a peasant; a light-brown tunic with patchwork pants that reached just above his ankles and loafers to boot, called out with some relief to his exasperated tone. He was still pointing the makeshift spear towards Lucas, crafted from the looks of it by tying a kitchen knife to the end of a broom.

    Too tired to even respond, Lucas sat up, catching his breath for a moment as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. By the looks of it, there was no doubt he was in the esteemed,rge manor he saw from the surface earlier. Even the basement was stalked full of shelves holding vials of brewings likely magical in nature, old, dust books--the floor was somewhat minty as well.

    Noticing his eyes scanning the nature of the room he found himself in before answering, one of the other men didn''t seem too happy by his silence.

    "Hey! Exin yourself--right now! Or this de is going into your skull!"

    "Abraham! He looks like he''s a kid--no older than Jonas!"

    Stepping in between the belligerent and Lucas was a woman, dressed better than the peasants--likely middle-ss from Lucas'' deduction, wearing a long, olive dress with an oak corset wrapped around her waist.

    Lucas half-expected the gori of a man to shove the girl aside, but even he briefly seemed calmed by her words before doubling down.

    "...That''s exactly why we can''t hesitate to handle him if he''s a problem! We''ve got kids to protect!"

    "If we start killing kids--we''re no different from those things out there!"

    "Yes we are; we''re still alive!"

    Brushing past the woman, the man named Abraham stomped towards Lucas with a de in hand, holding a reddenedplexion, contorted by confused and desperate anger. By his build, he definitely wasn''t a noble--standing just over two meters with broad shoulders and arms as thick as Lucas'' own torso.

    "Last chance, kid! Exin yourself before I do something that''ll make me lose sleep tonight!"

    "First, you should probably handle the sewer."

    Lucas'' calm response seemed to take the words from Abraham''s mouth, confused by the unconnected speech.

    "...The hell are you talking about?--"

    The answer to that question came just as fast as he asked; two figures birthing themselves from the opened entrance of the sewer. Their bloated, decaying flesh peeled as they roared out--bearing jagged, needle-like teeth.

    "I-it''s them!...They got in!"

    "Shit! Shit!...We''re going to die! We''re going to die!..."

    Just the sight of the rotting entities was enough to drive some of the townsfolk into utter despair, losing their grip on their shoddy weaponry as they backed away slowly.

    However, Abraham didn''t hesitate--rushing past Lucas with his de in hand as he began tobat the leftmost husk--covered in loose, soaked ck clothing that was worn baggily over its repugnant form.

    "Get back upstairs! I''ll handle things down here!"

    "But Abe--"

    "Just go!"

    He seems to be their leader, or at least has some respect amongst them. Impressive, for a normal human, Lucas thought.

    Listening to the footsteps of his people grow distant as they traversed up the stone staircase, Abraham held a vicious smile as heunched his fist against the jaw of the husk, stunning it for a moment before it unleashed a high-pitched roar towards him.

    "Make yourself useful and get that damn door shut!"

    Abraham called out to Lucas, who was still sitting down on the ground as he watched all of this transpire.

    I don''t like being ordered, but I guess such times call for it, he thought.

    Using a bit of his wind, he brought the lid of the sewer entrance back down, sealing it tightly shut before turning his gaze towards the other intruder.

    "You''re a mage, right? Then fight!"

    "Stop giving me orders!"

    Finding himself annoyed by the man''s bossy attitude, Lucas pushed the husk in front of him against the wall with a st of air, knocking it into the shelf.

    That was much weaker than I expected...I''m lower on mana than I thought, Lucas thought.

 Chapter 196 - The Last Sparks Of Hope

    As the bald husk shook off the st, the many books upying the shelf began to fall onto its body; knocking it in the head repeatedly as it didn''t seem to care much for the pain, only releasing an ear-trembling howl.

    Momentarily distracted by the disy of magic from the mysterious visitor, Abraham countered the iing strike from the husk, evading its grasp as he stuck the dagger he held into its jaw.

    Shit, I missed! The man thought.

    It seemed piercing any non-fatal section of the husk''s body resulted in zero damage done, the rotten ex-human lunging towards Abraham once again. Though it threw its fists through the air without any grace of form, it was clear that a single clean, direct hit would deal heavy damage to the man who had no assistance of magic for himself.

    The speed and ferocity it possessed got the better of the man in their brief exchange, wrapping its mmy fingers around his throat before shoving him back against the wall with a sharp dash--knocking the breath and saliva from his mouth.

    "Old man!"

    Lucas called out, turning his sight away from the opponent he was up against. Even in his precarious position, Abraham didn''t lose any of his hot-headed attitude, still just as beet-red as he grabbed onto the arm of the husk.

    "Focus on your own battle, kid! I''ve got this covered!"

    mming his balled-up fist against the arm of the rotten husk, it hardly budged in the slightest, baring its rows of sharpened teeth once again as a deathly air came from its maw. Despite the sheer difference in size between the tank of a man and the thin, decaying husk--the disparity in raw strength was an entirely different subject. It felt as if he was crashing his fist against unmoving steel, only serving to make the man-eating creature angrier.

    I mainly specialize in wide-area attacks...Not much of an option with him near me. I was trying not to destroy their furniture, but I don''t have much of a choice, Lucas thought.

    "Luft: Bore."

    The whispered incantation sent from the tip of his finger a ball of condensed air, flying through the husk''s skull as it charged towards him with its arms extended forward. Having its brain shredded by the malicious air, the charging reanimated creature crashed to the ground without any resistance.

    "...Now, onto the other--"

    As Lucas turned to help Abraham from his perilous situation, the sight was the opposite of what he had expected.

    "...Gyah!"

    Abraham had hisrge, bulky hands wrapped around the head of the husk, his iron-grip scraping the loose flesh from its skull as he squeezed as tightly as he could from both sides. The man''s entireplexion had shifted to crimson from the pure exertion, salivating as he strained himself beyond one-hundred percent.

    In response, the husk had tightened its grip around his neck, cutting off the man''s air as he continued to close his hands around its head. With the pressure continuing to increase, the zed-over eyes of the revived creature popped out of its socket, forcing a mixture of blood and pus to evacuate the many pores of its decaying form.

    "Rrrrah!"

    Onest exertion caused the husk''s skull to bepletely squashed, sending chunks of its brain to fly across the basement floor.

    "...You''re insane."

    Lucas caught Abraham as the man nearly fell over, likelypletely light-headed from the prolonged exposure to being choked. The man onlyughed weakly at this, standing himself back up as he caressed his neck--the clear handprint of the husk temporarily ingrained into his flesh.

    "...You''re still not off the hook, kid. Who the hell are you? I''ve never seen you around Lemasdale before."

    Asked this once again, Lucas paused for a moment as he swiped the chunk of brain matter off of his blouse.

    Well, I''m not about to tell him the truth...That''s an easy way to make things even more difficult than they already are, he thought.

    "A passing adventurer; nothing more nothing less."

    "Huh. Why the hell did youe in here then? You saw what it''s like out there, right?...No merit in a town like this now."

    Crossing its bulky arms across his just as muscr chest, Abraham seemed just fine despite the close-call battle fought with the husk. Despite the blood and matter staining his head of messy, ck hair--his appearance wasn''t all that frightening in spite of his build. He had kind, grayish-blue eyes and a beard as scruffy as theye.

    "To be honest...I don''t know the answer to that exactly��"

    Looking down at his own hands, they had be drenched in grime and blood--clenching them shut as he looked back up at the towering man.

    "Feh. Well, I''d be a real dumbass to send away someone with strength like yours...Honestly, we need all the help we can get."

    "I came here to get you all out of here."

    "Huh? I assumed you heard our call so you came here for shelter. You''re serious?...Huh."

    Abraham seemed honestly perplexed by this statement from Lucas, scratching his scruffy beard as he began to stomp up the staircase.

    "What exactly is your n here?"

    "What?"

    "You said you came here to "save us", so you had some sort of n, right?"

    Asked this, Lucas scratched his head as he followed close behind Abraham. Noticing this suspiciousck of an answer, the gori of a man let out a heavy sigh. A knock on the wooden door upying the summit of this staircase led to it quickly being swung open by the wide-eyed townsfolk, still shakily wielding their weapons.

    "You made it��"

    The young, broom-knife-wielding peasant let out a sigh of relief as his eyes, peeled-open by fear, finally settled to a calm.

    "All thanks to��"

    Abraham trailed off as he nced back at the short, lithe boy that he wasn''t evenpletely sure was a boy by the feminine features he possessed naturally.

    "Lucas. I didn''t do much; only as much as you did."

    "Well, be that as it may--you took out a husk without much trouble."

    "..He did?"

    Looking at the slim of build, almost malnutritioned looking boy, now wearing dirty clothes with a rag tied around his head--the surrounding townsfolk all held the same look of doubt and shock in their eyes. It was a look he was all too familiar with--the underestimation.

    "You''re wee."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Letting out a heated, perturbed sigh, Lucas'' cold, emerald gaze immediately caused the spear-wielding young man to slowly nod his head, "Thank you!...Oh, my name is Ben. I''m a cheesemaker."

    "...A cheesemaker, eh?"

    Lucas raised an eyebrow, looking at the extended hand of Ben, reaching out as his stomach let out a less than confident growl. Silence filled the room before Abraham let out a heartyugh--the rest soon followed as if waiting to see if it was appropriate tough with the new guest.

    "Ben, go get the boy something. He earned his keep tonight."

    "R-right!"

    Ben scurried off down thevish hallway; the sight of the luxurious but still modest abode was a weing scenery in contrast to the dreary, blood-soaked streets just beyond the walls.

    "How long has it been? Since the husks took Lemasdale."

    Asking this as he took a bite out of the aged cheddar; the potent richness of the cheese hit Lucas'' tongue like a firework of taste, swallowing it whole.

    "Husks? Is that what those damn things are called? Honestly, I''ve kind of lost count��"

    "...A few days now."

    The woman answered in ce of Abraham, sitting across from Lucas as they resided in one of the lounge rooms of the mayor''s manor.

    "Anna", huh? She seems like the anchor of this group. Level-headed, rational--human. Probably the only thing keeping Abraham from going haywire, Lucas thought as he looked at thedy.

    "Only a few?...It makes sense, but the damage done to the town out there��"

    Mentioning this, a guilt-ridden, pained look came over Ben, who ran his hand over his face as he leaned against the sturdy bookshelf behind him.

    "It''s that bad, is it?...Dammit��"

    "You don''t know?"

    Lucas asked genuinely, trying to get a firm understanding of the situation and what information the townspeople might have.

    "...Since those of us lucky enough to get in arrived, there hasn''t been a single peep from anyone outside...Nobody has dared leave, either. It''s just been...dark."

    As the cheese-maker spoke, it sounded as if any slip up in his voice would result in a fit of tears leaving his eyes.

    "Yeah, frankly--just seeing an outsider like you is quite relieving, Lucas."

    Anna ced her hands over her chest thoughtfully as her magenta irises came over with a slight bit of water. Looking down for a moment, Lucas began toment his earlier thoughts on the carriage ride over--the selfish thoughts of leaving behind Lemasdale.

    Suddenly, he felt the makeshift bandage wrapped around his heade loose, looking up to see Anna untying it.

    "Don''t worry; I''m just going to take a look at your wound. I imagine it''s not too wild of a guess to assume you didn''t treat it yourself yet, did you?"

    Shaking his head, Lucas responded quietly, "You''re a doctor?"

    "No, but my father...was."

    Not knowing how to respond to something like that, Lucas simply replied with a "Sorry", allowing the girl to check his head injury. It was something he had mainly forgotten about in his stupor of self-centered heroism; now that he was finally rxed, the throbbing in his head returned to maximum capacity--feeling as if a hammer was driving a nail through the wound.

    Her touch was gentle; still, as careful as her supple fingers were to examine his wound, the slightest touch sent through his nerves the fires of hell.

    "Agh!..."

    "...Sorry."

    Anna apologized, taking further caution as she parted his silky, hazel hair to get a better look at the wound. That isted section of his head was drenched in thickened crimson, seeing this, Anna quickly shot a nce to Abraham who had a pinky lodged up his nasal tunnel.

    "Sage''s Bosom--grab me a bottle of it."

    The sudden shift from a meek, kind tone to amanding, respect-earning voice from Anna was jarring; Abraham jumped up from his seat, stretching his arms as he began to head out of the lounge room before stopping in ce.

    "...And that is?"

    "Look for the vial with an orange liquid in it."

    "Gotcha."

    Given his task befit for a gori, Abraham''s booming footsteps could be heard traversing the steps back down to the basement. By the way Ben was shrinking, huddled up in the corner as he cleaned his spear with a rag for no particr reason other than to seem busy--he was trying to avoid Anna''s bossy attitude.

    "Ben."

    "Y-yes?"

    Jumping as if startled somehow, Ben adjusted his circr-rimmed sses before looking at Anna, standing himself up straight.

    "Grab a new set of bandages; they should be in the drawer over there."

    "Alright��"

    Ben nearly dropped his spear as he began to search the drawer at his side, catching it with zero elegance to his movements before rummaging through the cab--pulling out a roll of beige bandages as if retrieving the sword from the stone.

    "Thank you."

    Just in time, Abraham came back through the door with his massive frame barely squeezing through, holding a bottle so small inparison to his meaty hands that Lucas feared he''d shatter the ss with that monstrous grip of his.

 Chapter 197 - The Hateful Eyes Of Stagnation

    As Anna applied the Sage''s Bosom to his wound, a potent burning sensation ran through the cut on his head, allowing him to vividly feel each section of sensitive flesh be taken into the embrace of the concentrate.

    "I know it isn''t a pleasant feeling, but you''ll be thankful for it when your cut isn''t infected and leaking pus and maggots by next week."

    Obviously reading the grimace on Lucas'' expression as the vibrant burning of the liquid spread throughout his wound, Anna gave him words of advice while Abraham chuckled to himself.

    "...Thanks for the calming image."

    Being assured with a less than beautiful image to imagine, Lucas continued to wince quietly to himself before the orderly woman wrapped the new, fresh bandages around thepromised section of his crown.

    "All set."

    "Thank you--all of you."

    "Don''t sweat it, kid. You''re going to get us out of here, right? You need to be in tip-top condition, dont''cha?"

    Abraham released an unexpected, yful p on Lucas'' back that rang through his bones.

    "About that��The sooner the better for us to get down to the brass tax of this."

    "What good is rushing things going to do?��I mean, going back out there��"

    Replying to Lucas'' interest in getting the townsfolk to safety, Ben almost seemed against the idea entirely as his hands trembled at the thought of what lies outside. The other two didn''t seem exactly passionate either way, holding their silence before Lucas parted a sigh between his lips.

    "��When I was out there, I came across a boy."

    "A boy?"

    Anna asked quietly in a soft breath, keeping her hand near her lips.

    "Mm. I believe he told me his name was "Finn"��he''s out there right now, waiting. He''s likely so scared that he can feel his heart in his ears��Time is valuable."

    As he told them this, a visible twitch came from Abraham''s bushy eyebrow. It was the very reaction Lucas hoped for, looking at the gori-man as he could see he was about to speak.

    "Finn?...Damn, you''re not pulling my leg, are you? If you are��"

    "I''m not, but...I can''t guarantee he''s still safe. I didn''t have much time or rationale to fully secure him. Right now, he''s stoked away inside of a tree within the forest."

    Thest thing he wanted to do was get their hopes up of the boy''s safety. Even still, the short-on-brains Abraham took this as one-hundred-percent certainty.

    "Then what the hell are we waiting for?! If he''s out there, we''ve got to move now!"

    As if a fire was lit directly under his rear, Abraham shot up from his seat with his arms in the air. Immediately, Anna stood with him--to calm him down.

    "...I think Ben is right; we have to go about this carefully...Rushing out there is certain death."

    "Still!...He''s waiting out there for us."

    Anna''s kind eyes seemed to take the fight out of Abraham as he slumped his shoulders, looking down as his eyes held a unique mncholy to them. Watching all of this, Lucas felt more and more like an outsider looking in.

    "So, you know Finn?...If so, do you know where his dad is? Or if��"

    Choosing his words delicately, Lucas muttered out thest few before all eyes turned back to him. It was only now that he noticed the tired bags under all of their eyes, wearing the stress and terror in on their faces.

    They''ve been through a lot...Even so, they can still smile, Lucas thought.

    "He''s my nephew. Well, not by blood or anything, but...Me and his dad were like brothers."

    Abraham''s tone lost its usual rambunctiousness, sitting back down as he scratched the top of his head with a pained sigh.

    "Were", huh? Lucas frowned a bit.

    "If that kid really is still out there--I-I can''t just be sitting around here, twiddling my thumbs. Dammit��"

    "You''re in luck."

    Hearing the worried tonee over Abraham, Lucas'' somewhat confident words garnered the full attention of the other three.

    "I didn''te here alone. Well, notpletely. Twopanions of mine were with me until we got separated by some sort of weird fog that attacked us."

    "...By the sounds of it, you don''t sound too worried about them actually being alive."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Anna''s hesitant words only put on a bigger smile across Lucas'' lips, who began to feel his strength return to him after his nauseating headache dissipated.

    "That''s because they''re stronger than me; I am quite a proud person, so take that for what you will. When I say we need a n--what I really need to know from you all is the route of safety in all of this. That''s to say; once we escape, where is the safest route for you to take?"

    Ben, Anna, and Abraham all exchanged looks with one another before turning back to Lucas, who was now standing up as if already prepared for battle.

    "It would be best to ask Lina."

    "Lina?"

    Repeating the name given to him by Anna, he ced his hand against his chin as he waited for a further answer.

    "She''s part of the group here...A traveler that knows this region like the back of her hand."

    "Then what''re we doing waiting around?"

    "But your head--"

    "I''m fine."

    Brushing off Anna''s concern, Lucas followed the three townsfolk he had grown ustomed to down the hall of the mayor''s manor.

    It''s odd; I would''ve thought more of the survivors would''ve shown themselves by now. I guess I can''t me people for being apprehensive, but still, he thought.

    Coming to the center hall, it was clear as day the transformation such an event had on thevish manor; nkets were strewn about, people holding hopeless eyes and faces full of stress--the dreary mood was palpable.

    "And this is the boy I''ve heard about? The mage?"

    The stern, hollow voice came suddenly to Lucas'' ear--turning to see a towering, slender man dressed in all ck garments with the trademark clerical cor of a man of holiness.

    A priest? Lucas thought.

    Looking down at Lucas with his cold, soulless eyes, the stone expression of his held no frivolity in it; keeping his arms behind his back as he awaited his answer.

    "Father Karl!...Yes, this is Lucas. An adventurer that came to help us."

    "Help us?"

    Repeating what he heard in an almost mocking tone, not losing any of the cold, rigid sternness to his voice, Father Karl looked at Anna as her words seemed to be cut off just by his gaze.

    "Indeed; that''s why I''m here."

    Challenging the demeaning gaze of the pale, somber priest, Lucas stepped up to him with his arms folded across his chest.

    "A little, frail practitioner of magecraft. What good will bringing such practices into this shelter of ours be?"

    "��You have a problem with magecraft? What about that barrier I saw outside?"

    Lucas'' smart-mouthed reply seemed to make the prominent bulge in Father Karl''s forehead press against his skin in a stupor of irritation.

    "Do not mistake the teachings of the All-Father with your practices of avarice, boy."

    He became beet-red in the blink of an eye, leaning down to bring his fanatical eyes directly in front of the mage''s. Averting his gaze to garner the reaction of the townsfolk��they seemed to care little for the conversation, keeping to themselves as they seemed more focused on retaining their sanity.

    "So you made that barrier?"

    "I brought the All-Father''s will into this world, yes. Such is the work of true miracles; beyond the minuscule "grandeur" of a heathen''s magic squabbles."

    "Father Karl��Please, stop it."

    "Yeah, I''m with her on this one. I appreciate what you''ve done to keep everyone safe, but Lucas here is a good guy."

    Anna and Abraham stepped between the two, defending the new outsider as the priest held a more perplexed look than anything.

    "Hm. It''s your responsibility to watch out for this one then, Abraham."

    With the fanaticism in his eyes not faltering in the slightest, the priest ced his hand on Abraham''s shoulder before heading down the hall, disappearing behind the door at the end.

 Chapter 198 - A Harrowing Enlightenment

    "Sorry about that...Father Karl is a...taut man. But he''s kept us safe all this time with his miracles."

    Anna sounded guilty for something she had no part in, but Lucas wasn''t the least bit perturbed by the belittling attitude of the priest, instead finding himself interested by the origins of the barrier outside more than ever.

    "Miracles", he called it. The seals used were reminiscent of magecraft, but with this in mind--it was distinctly different in the glyphs used. Could it be some sort of variation of magic used by priests? Or... Lucas thought.

    "Lucas!"

    The sudden jolt of his shoulder snapped him from his lingering thoughts, looking up to see Anna''s worried gaze looking down at him.

    "...Right. Lina."

    Walking through the dreary halls of the mayor''s house, the survivors looked less than prosperous; dark bags of fear and exhaustion hung below their hollow, trembling eyes. By the numbers he saw in the marble lobby that likely held the bulk of the surviving townsfolk, it seemed that there were maybe two dozen left in total.

    "Is this...everyone?"

    Asking quietly, Lucas'' question stered the expected painful look across the three people''s faces. By the way Ben gripped his arm, closing his eyes as if not wanting to see the memories brought to the surface--Lucas felt like retracting the very words that left his mouth.

    "Sorry, bad question��"

    "No, it''s alright. This...this is all of us. Honestly, all we can do now is be grateful that we have those that are still here. It''s a miracle that this shelter was made as quickly as it was."

    Listening as Anna spoke with her soothing voice, he looked around at the resting townsfolk, noticing the stark difference between those sitting and the three that were helping him forward. Though Ben, Abraham, and Anna held those same, tired bags under their eyes, blemished by the same fears--they didn''t sumb to the horror.

    It took a moment after hearing it for the words to fully realize themselves in his head, but something about thest part of her utterances caught his attention.

    "You said the shelter was formed quickly? The barrier and all?"

    "That''s right, the miracle was already finished by the time I got here; Father Karl simply waited to activate it until he got as many people as he could inside."

    "I see. This Father Karl person seems to be in charge here. This is the home of the Mayor, right? Then where is he?"

    Anna looked back at Lucas as he continued to ask these questions while the group slowly walked down the finely furnished halls of the manor, passing by wooden stands that heldvish pottery.

    Taking it upon himself to send his fit of silence, Ben finally spoke up after adjusting his sses with a light cough.

    "I was the first to arrive here, actually. I was already nearby as I had nned to ask Mayor Paul for a loan to upgrade some of my cheese-making equipment--but the "husks", you call them, arrived. The first thought in my mind upon seeing those monsters was those big, sturdy walls of this ce...I got lucky, I suppose."

    Recounting this, the cheesemaker''s hold of his spear became shaky once more, calmed as Abraham ced a hand on the young man''s shoulder, giving him a calming nod.

    "And the barrier was already in ce when you showed up at the door?"

    "...Yes, I believe so."

    "I see."

    Lucas stopped in ce for a moment, looking down as he ced his hand over his chin. The others exchanged brief nces before Abraham took a step towards the boy.

    "What''re all these damn questions for, anyway? What''s this have to do with getting everyone the hell out of this fallen shithole?"

    "...More than you might think."

    Without turning his emeralds back up towards the man speaking to him, his calm wordspletely froze Abraham for a moment.

    It might be far-fetched, but the evidence is throwing itself right at me. I doubt the townsfolk would be able to recognize the oddities with something like this; this might be a more arduous task than I had originally thought, he thought.

    "Just what''re you getting at here?"

    Abraham scratched his head, his question came from a more curious ce than a frustrated one, looking at the boy for an answer. Looking side to side, Lucas made sure they were far enough from any others before finally speaking what had been lingering on his mind.

    "That Father Karl...I believe he may be up to something."

    Keeping his arms crossed against his chest, Lucas'' calmly spoken revtion caused the reaction he expected--shock and denial.

    I believe I can trust these three with this knowledge; they seem level-headed enough, which is likely why they naturally gravitated away from the others, he thought.

    "What?...I''ve known Father Karl since I was a little girl, what do you mean?"

    "I don''t know exactly myself, but things aren''t adding up around here."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lucas adjusted the cor of his blouse, feeling the humid air trapped within the enclosed manor take effect on his body; sweat left his pores, clinging to the underparts of his shirt.

    "Like what? You can''t make an usation like that then skim out the evidence!"

    "Quiet, I think you and I both know that talk such as this is best left parted from other ears. Anyway, the barrier used by that priest, it''s not something that can be made on a whim. Even if it''s something that can be done by an amateur--it requires time and effort."

    Pointing his index finger directly at the bridge of Abraham''s nose as he spoke, he made sure to drill the information straight through the thick skull of the burly man.

    "...That doesn''t mean--"

    "Anna, I think he''s right."

    "Ben?..."

    Finally speaking up, the look on Ben''s timid face seemed as if he had mustered up all of his strength to take this side; finally looking up at his soft eyes met with Anna and Abraham. Slowly, he raised his hand--showing to them just how much it trembled.

    "I...I left out one part of my side, Lucas. Up until just now, I chalked it up to just my mind ying tricks on me with the constant horrors around us, but I know for sure now. When Father Karl opened the doors to let me in--he had blood on his hands. It was only for a moment--the next moment his hands were clean. The mayor...I think he��"

    "No...You can''t really think��"

    Cupping her mouth as her head shook side to side slowly in denial, the cool-headed rationale of Anna was put to the test in the face of this.

    "So, you think he killed Mayor Paul then?"

    Abraham bluntly asked this without any tact��a nod in response from both Ben and Lucas.

    "Well, I don''t take you for a liar, Ben. Those eyes have saved my ass a few times, and I''m not going to doubt them now."

    "Abraham��"

    Left as the only one denying this concept, Anna seemed as if she was going to burst into tears at any point.

    "Anna��I know you and the Father have been close since you were little, but we have to look at every possibility here."

    "��.Every possibility?��It sounds like all of you have already decided��"

    As a bit of contempt ran over her magenta irises, Anna''s next words were promptly shut down as Lucas finally spoke once more.

    "��I didn''t say for sure that it was Father Karl, at least not the man you know."

    "Huh?��"

    "I wasn''t going to ry this information, but��I believe the source of this husk attack is from Belmon. Have you heard of it?"

    Asking the threemoners, Abraham and Anna shook their heads quickly while Ben gently nodded.

    "I''ve only briefly read about it in a book once��It sounds more like a folk tale than a real ce. A kingdom that exists yet doesn''t?��"

    "Well, Belmon is said to be a sort of theocracy��except it''s more of a cult than anything. Admittedly, I''m not familiar with it��but the magic they use is unique; possessing no elemental affinity but sin itself."

    "Sin?��What''re you getting at, Lucas?"

    "I think if we''re going down this road of thinking, it''s not far-fetched to believe Father Karl might be a Belmon cult��"

    As Lucas finally released the core of his gathered conclusion, an explosion shook the entirety of the manor. Dust glimmered down upon their heads, maintaining their bnce as they all looked around in utter confusion.

    "What the hell was that?!"

    "It looks like this realization might''vee toote--that spell outside, it''s not a barrier at all."

    "Huh?"

    While the others werepletely sent into a stupor of perplexion, Lucas'' eyes narrowed as the tremor finally confirmed his suspicions.

    "Just now--I felt it. Magical energy released from the seal around the shelter; dark and evil; there''s no mistaking it now--Father Karl is our enemy."

 Chapter 199 - Eve Of War

    While Sirius, Sora, and Lucas handled their mission gone awry -- things weren''t left so stale back at the Ounder''s base.

    "Hya! Fwoh! Shah!"

    Attacking the hanging punching bag as sweat bounced from his body to the squeaky, wooden floorboards below his feet, Fai didn''t shy away from expressing his fist-filled dance verbally.

    His room was specifically, and meticulously, crafted by his own personal design; the walls were painted over by a somber gray with running, high waves of the sea beautifully decorating said walls. Surrounded by this, the scenery helped him push his body further, even in the dead of night.

    I can''t shake it. My stomach is in knots; something just feels off in the air, he thought.

    Taking a break as the abused punching back swayed, still attempting to recover from the flurry of blows, Fai sat himself down on his bed. After a day of arduous training, the silken sheets designed in tigerprint weed his sweatyered, exhausted body.

    "...It''s quiet around here. Too quiet."

    Lounging on his bed as he looked at the stars sitting behind the window, Fai let out a sigh through his lips.

    Before he could relieve himself to a night''s rest, a knock came to his door.

    Tucked away in his room, scribbling away in a journal while a plethora of books were spread open on his dusk, Donatien took a swig of water as he felt dreariness engrain itself just a bit further into his body. The books opened on his desk that he fervently ran his eyes across were grimoires, specifically, grimoires that handled the teachings of the dark element.

    Any day now he''ll be back, I must prepare his curriculum to its fullest. I imagine he''s out there working his hardest. I''ll be damned if I let my student outwork me, Donatien thought.

    Adjusting his sses once more as they seemed to want to slide off of his face, a knock suddenly jolted his body.

    It was a rare sight; Beatrice stood in the well-lit lounge room of the tucked-away abode, waiting for the summoned Ounders left avable to seat themselves down.

    The formless, orange mes that inhabited the rectangr, clear boxes stationed on each wall were the work of Beatrice��who took some level of pride in this invention. Though the brightness of the magic-manifested lights were potent; it was seldom wee to the dreary eyes of the recently awakened Ounders.

    Left confused as to the reasoning of this meeting, Fai found himself counting in his head how many times he had seen the sage leave the threshold to her chambers.

    In the dead of night, the Ounders present were clearly disgruntled by the sudden call. Fai unleashed a loud, uncaring yawn as he pointed his maw towards the ceiling. This contagious gesture moved onto Donatien, who opted to contain his sleepy roar under the palm of his hand.

    Charlotte rubbed her fluttering eyes, swaying side to side as she battled to hold onto her fleeting consciousness.

    It''s been like this before, but honestly, I hate it. It''s so damn quiet, lonely...Donatien won''t drink or spar with me, always saying he''s "too valuable to be put himself in a vulnerable state"--what-damn-ever! Sheesh...Hurry up and get back already, Ren, Sirius, Sora, Brahmi--I''ll take any of ya'', Faiined to himself.

    Though they were all seated and waiting for some sort of inclination as to their meeting��Beatrice still seemed to be trying to organize her thoughts, pacing back and forth as the tip of her thumb rested between her cherry lips.

    "...What terrible timing this all is."

    Beatrice muttered as she scanned her eyes across the room organized forfort, counting each head before letting out a sigh, caressing her head as if a headache had spurred itself into existence.

    "What''s up?"

    Without a hint of urgency in his voice, Fai was stretched out across the fur-lined chair, wearing nothing besides a ck vest and some baggy pants of the same, sable shade.

    "We''ve been found."

    The concise response finally leaving the clearly stressed out sage immediately drew the concern of the present Ounders.

    Currently avable were only three members: Donatien, Fai, and Charlotte. It was something Beatrice tried to avoid, dwindling their numbers, but between the Purgatory escapade and the urgent mission with Getrude--they were left vulnerable.

    "Found? What do you mean, "Found"? You can''t mean��"

    Donatien stood himself onto his feet without a moment''s hesitation, meeting eye-to-eye with the tall, graceful, yet ominous woman.

    "It is indeed as you suspect; the Argonauts have found us. I don''t know how exactly, but I felt it--a vast recon spell found itself directly on top of our base. That wicked, disgusting energy...No doubt it belonged to them."

    "The hell do we do then?"

    Fai asked, leaning forward in his seat as his tone dropped, cracking his knuckles as this news seemed to flip the "fighting switch" in his head.

    "We''ll do what we''ve done before. A transport spell, right? You can move the house somewhere else. Primordia, maybe?"

    Already running through their options, Donatien began to pace back and forth through the room--interrupted as Beatrice snapped her fingers to regain his attention.

    "That only worked before because I had prepared it ahead of time."

    "Then you just need some time, right? How much?"

    As Fai ced himself back into the discussion, Charlotte remained silent, keeping the pillow she held in her arms close to her chest.

    "Two hours...One if I omit some "safety" precautions��Grandiose magic upying multiple elements such as this is intricate, even for myself."

    Beatrice answered, it was the first time they''d seen such uncertainty stered on her usual otherworldly stoess.

    "That''s perfect then; you can get started on that--I''ll keep watch outside."

    Quick to jump into action, Fai was already one step away from leaving through the front door before being stopped by a simple, "Listen,"ing from Beatrice.

    "Huh?"

    "Keep yourself on track, Fai; I haven''t finished speaking. They''re already well on their way here...Half an hour away, if I were to guess."

    "...Half--half an hour?...I heard that correctly, right? You heard it too, right?"

    In disbelief at the time pulled away from right under his feet, Fai looked over at the sses-wearing Ounder for confirmation, who held an exasperated expression himself, albeit holding it together calmly.

    "...Indeed, half an hour, Fai."<novelnext></novelnext>

    With his arms folded across his chest, Donatien responded with a calmness that masked the worry in his voice, letting out a sigh before swerving his gaze back to the sage.

    "You''re constantly monitoring the valley with your own recon magic, no? How did something like this slip through? All of those seals, barriers, all of that--this wasn''t supposed to happen, Beatrice."

    The room fell to an awkward silence as Donatien reprimanded their leader, pressing her for the reasoning of this predicament.

    Of all the Ounders, Donatien was the only one who ever dared to speak to Beatrice in such a way-manding answers and reprimanding her decisions. It was a privilege and respect earned through proving his own invaluable mind.

    Seeing him all heated like this reminds me...There is still contention between who the "leader" of the Ounders is. I mean, technically it''s Beatrice, but the one amongst us who takesmand is a different thing entirely, Fai thought, Some say Donatien''s pragmatic, smart thinking makes him the leader, while some think Sora''s charisma and general leadership vibes ces him at the top. If I had to choose...I''d say Donatien, no doubt. Fiery guys like me need an anchor, and someone to point our fists at the right target.

    "Everything you said is correct; I am at fault for this failure...I believe now would be an appropriate time as any to bepletely honest with you."

    "Still hiding things from us after all of this time? Why am I not surprised��"

    Donatien huffed, propping his back against the light-brown wall as he gave his ear to whatever the sage hading.

    "As it would seem, my power has recently begun to dwindle."

    "Dwindle? The hell do you mean "dwindle"--magic doesn''t just poof out of existence."

    Grabbing a stray stool, Fai ced it down near on the carpet before seating himself--letting out words coated with a bit of uneasy frustration.

    "I''m with him, magic doesn''t exactly just...vanish from one, at least not from what I''ve heard."

    "Normally, you''d two bepletely right, but you''re forgetting one thing--I''m not human."

    The embarrassed aversion of both Donatien and Fai''s eyes from Beatrice''s words confirmed they did indeed forget that one, small detail pertaining to the sage.

    "As a sage, my sole purpose is to act as a nurturer of this world; specifically, my very existence came to be sworn and bound to Mastorn itself. The flourishing of Mastorn and its people serves as the catalyst for my power--should the people''s faith in me fall, I will sumb to that rejection."

    "...Damn, that''s rough."

    Quite the exposition dump, Beatrice, Donatien thought.

    Fai scratched his head, letting out a sigh as Donatien followed suit with his own response, "Why didn''t you tell us sooner? Honestly, are you forgetting the debt you owe us all?"

    "Though your words are as prickly as ever, Donatien--you''re right,pletely so. It''s something...I''ve had a hard time myselfing to terms with. Being able to tangibly feel, both with my body and spirit, the dissolving faith the people of Mastorn have in me...Well, we should get back on topic."

    The saddened look that came over the sage''s neb-like eyes as she looked at her pale hand was vexing in its own right.

    "What I''ve gathered from all of this is--we just have to fight these guys until you''re done weaving this teleport spell of yours, right?"

    Fai mmed his knuckles into the palm of his hand with a fierce smile. That unbridled confident, fighting spirit of his forced a slight smirk on Donatien''s lips, who slid hisvish coat off of his torso.

    Underneath the zer he wore, an obsidian, skin-tight shirt clung to his body, revealing muscture that always came to a surprise for the others.

    "If it''s Argonautsing our way; it''s best to steal the element of surprise from them. They''re likely assuming we won''t see this attacking, no?"

    "Hard to say...If they really attacked under the pretense of our numbers being at their lowest, then who knows how far their intel reaches."

    "Well, you''ve reinforced the barriers now, right? I don''t want that pesky scout of theirs getting any more information on us."

    "Obviously."

    Beatrice seemed almost offended at Donatien''s words, but quickly hid that with a slight smile, making her way to the staircase. Wasting no time, she left the rest in the hands of the Ounders, already preparing the spell as she journeyed back to her chambers.

    Each wall she passed, she traced her fingers along the fine timber, chanting words spoken in such a speed it was simply impossible to mimic.

    "Charlotte, you don''t have to fight if you don''t want to."

    "Yeah, Donny and I have this on lockdown, don''t we?"

    As Fai let out a boisterousugh, he pped the sses-wearing man with no gentleness to his touch, causing a chill of stinging pain to run over Donatien''s back as he huffed.

    "Please refrain from calling me "Donny", Fai."

    "Why not? Donny actually makes you sound approachable. Your nasty re already works a bit too well to drive people away."

    Between the light-hearted bantering that came over the two, Charlotte kept trying to get a word in before finally forcing her thoughts out, "I-I''ll fight!"

    The sudden rise in volume and forwarded from the meek girl stunned the two men, who turned to her as if seeing a ghost.

    "��Well, alright then."

    "Hell yeah! Let''s kick some ass, Charlotte!"

    Extending his fist down towards the girl who was roughly half his height, she looked at his calloused, golden-brown knuckles before shyly returning the gesture.

    Giving a side nce to Donatien, Fai winked at him before the stoic man finally gave in and added his hand to the pile.

    "Team Kickass is a-go!"

    There he goes again; I doubt the severity of the situation has clicked in that pea-brain of his, Donatien thought.

    I''m done being treated like a helpless child, I''ll do my best this time! Charlotte resolved.

    My fists were itching for a real fight��this''ll be the perfect opportunity to try "that", Fai pondered.

 Chapter 200 - Argonaut V Outlander

    As they gathered around to prepare their defense n to handle the approaching assault--a world-shaking tremor shook the very core of their being. The sudden, vtile sensation sent all three of them into shock, momentarily freezing before another rumble came through; knocking paintings off of the walls and sliding furniture across the floor.

    The intense, ear-shattering boom that unleashed with the force threw bnce off, Fai pushed through the confusion and out through the front door as his blood rushed through his veins.

    "Hey, hey...Either my eyes are fucking with me or that''s a ship--floating in the air."

    As Fai looked up towards the sky just outside of the abode, his confused, slow words drew Donatien''s doubt as he approached the door as well.

    "What are you talking about--oh. That''s indeed...A flying ship."

    Both men werepletely bewildered by the unorthodox sight; staring up at the underbelly of the sea vessel that hovered in the azure sky. It looked to be formed of a stygian steel, holding the statue of an angelic figure melded into its bottom as if supporting the weight of the ship.

    Caught in this moment of utter confusion and curiosity--they were slow to realize the growing light that gathered at the exposed cannons at each side of the vessel.

    "That doesn''t look good��"

    "No, no it does not."

    Fai and Donatien stood there nkly as the verdant lights red up--unleashing a powerful wave of energy that collided with something in the air.

    Appearing only once staving off the iing st, therge, all-epassing barrier that surrounded their base made itself visible, cracking slightly under the immense strain of blocking the wave of energy unleashed by the mysterious ship.

    "Looks like things are getting started early--how many more sts do you think the barrier will hold for?"

    Fai asked, stepping fully outside onto the colossal leaves as he kept his gaze locked onto the airborne ship. His fists became engulfed in orange mes, running up his forearms as all yfulness left his tone.

    "I''d venture to guess--no more than three."

    "Then we have to take care of it before it reaches that point."

    They were quick on their feet, making judgments as a moment''s notice without any self-doubt hindering them. Watching this, Charlotte felt like nothing more than an anchor to the two men--finding herself still unable to fit herself into the equation.

    "I''llunch a volley of ice from here, support me with your firepower."

    "On it, chief."

    As the two men prepared tounch a counterattack against the ship, something amidst the night sky caught Charlotte''s eye.

    "...Something ising! In the air!"

    Finding the courage to speak up, her words halted Donatien and Fai''s iing attack as they squinted--seeing what the girl was mentioning; three figures were plummeting from the ship. It was impossible to discern what was being said, but one of the figures let out a joyful yell, cascading downwards to their ears.

    "That magical energy...You feel that right?"

    "Of course I do--no doubt; those are Argonauts."

    Just hearing the word sent a shiver through Charlotte, watching with her trembling eyes as the falling entities appeared closer and closer.

    "Rookie mistake by them! You can''t dodge in midair!"

    Fai reared his arm back, coiling it in a raging sea of mes that roared out into the night. The heat emanating from the newly formed fire radiated, manifesting itself through the fiery spirit of the Ounder before heunched his attack towards the approaching Argonauts.

    "Zhurong: Three-Prong Scorcher!"

    Throwing the me conjured from his arm up into the air, it extended into three pointed forms, harpooning directly towards the targets.

    Now I recognize it��there''s not much mistaking a flying pirate ship. It''s the "Vessel of Mncholy"��that means that Argonaut is here, "The Navigator". Shit, we''ve beenpletely outyed, Donatien thought.

    "You have it covered right, Avdima?"

    Falling through the air, the man with the quiver on his back asked, who held a bored, indifferent look in his eyes despite the adrenaline-fueled situation. Their ck overcoats fluttered in the high-velocity winds; yet their expressions were uncaring for the severity of the fall.

    "Yeah. Erebus: Center Form."

    A casual incantation left the lips of the pale, ghostly Argonaut, unleashing from its body a vast amount of shadowy mana. As soon as the dark magical energy had formed itself into existence, Avdima simply waved his hand, sending it down to intercept the path of the approaching mes--colliding directly with the orange matter, swallowing it whole.

    "I want the one with the sses; he looks fun! Fun! That''s Donatien, right? Right! Oh, I can''t wait!"

    The rightmost of the Argonauts spoke in a repulsive tone, his expression twisting with each word as his fingers wiggled with ecstasy just at the thought of battle.

    "I don''t care; just pull your own weight."

    Avdima spoke with a tonepletely opposite of his twistedpanion, watching as his spell continued to travel.

    "What the-- there''s no way!"

    Watching his spell bepletely overpowered by the enemies'' own, Fai called out in disbelief. Collecting a mass of mes in his palm once more, he prepared tounch another attack--interrupted by a desperate call from therade at his side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It''s stilling! That mass of darkness--it''s heading right for us! Charlotte, Fai--prepare to jump! Heighten your reinforcement!"

    There was hardly a moment to spare between his warning and the fastly-approaching assault of darkness, crashing directly in the spot they stood.

    It was swallowedpletely��their senses,pletely distorted by the brutal impact left behind by the dark spell.

    I can''t see a damn thing, the darkness is too thick! It feels like my entire body is being overwhelmed by dense water! Donatien thought.

    Everything was dark, resulting inplete panic before finally--he was snapped back into reality as soon as his backnded against the sturdy soil waiting below. Above him, he could still see the floating ship hovering above the Grandfather tree,rge chains running from its form, up into the clouds.

    This is a worst-case scenario; that ship, the Argonauts--we may very well be had here tonight. That''s if my strength fails me, which I have faith it will not, Donatien thought.

    As he slowly brought himself to his feet, brushing the dirt from his shoulders, something collided with the ground not more than a few meters in front of him.

    "Avdima wasn''t joking, you really are the real deal! You survived that fall from that tree without even being prepared? Amazing! Really amazing! You won''t break as easily as all the others."

    The voice was beyond sanity, twisted with such fervent passion; it wasn''t until the kicked up dust settled that he saw the opponent that chose him.

    Just my luck, looks like I''ve been stuck with a real tainted fellow, Donatien thought.

    "You''re Donatien, right? You''re famous around the Keep! Wait, "infamous" is the right term...I think. You use ice magic, right? Amazing! It''s a rare treat to fight with an ice mage; so rare!"

    Donatien chose not to y along with the depraved ramblings of the Argonaut,adjusting his footing and mana flow as he prepared for the inevitable sh.

    "Ah! It really is true! They say ice mages are usually quiet and shy! That icy re--you fit the stereotypepletely!"

    The appearance of the Argonaut was shrouded by the tattered, ck cloak he wore over his body, but it was obvious to tell he was of a slight build, his exposed hands trembling as they moved through the air. The only defining feature Donatien could make out was the unkempt, all-white locks that poured out from his hood.

    "Oh, how rude of me...I''ve been trying to practice my manners, but it''s really, really difficult! I''m Fleisch, it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance!---"

    Introducing himself, the twisted man dashed forward as his cloak unveiled his appearance--revealing a pathwork face, covered in stitches as an ear-to-ear smile perched itself on his tainted canvas.

    He''s fast! Donatien thought.

    The sudden switch from frivolity to aggression nearly took Donatien by surprise, countering the iing spear-hand attack with a knee to his opponent''s sternum. Colliding against his chest, it was surprisingly light; little resistance was felt from Flesich before he was flung back with a ferocious impact--sent flying against the background cedar.

    It caught me by surprise, but he''s not very strong, Donatien pondered.

    "Ah...That hurt, it really hurt; good, good! I want more, just like that--no, stronger! Put some more mana behind it!"

    Like a corpse revived, Fleisch rose up from the foliage, patting his chest as ifpletely unaffected by the attack--holding his unmoving smile as a shiver was sent through Donatien''s skin.

    Something isn''t right with this person, Donatien thought, I''d like to regroup with the others--at least know they''re okay, but it seems my hands are going to be quite full.

    Thoughts could only travel so fast; the gut-wrenching smile was just before his eyes before a gliding leaf could reach its destination. The initial reaction that came to him; raising his arms, without even recognizing the danger before his eyes, guarding himself from the fist his eyes did not see. It was apletely different level of power he first felt, having the soles of his leather shoes dig into the brittle dirt below, not fully sure if his arms were still attached to his body.

    The imprint of his fist was left so vividly on his forearms; feeling the throbbing pain blister through his reinforcement as if it were paper mache.

    "Surprised? Well, it takes a bit for me to get all warmed up--but I''m just so excited that I can''t hold it back any longer!"

    Standing with a pleased expression, Fleisch''s colorless hair blew in the wind generated by the impact, swaying side to side with picture-perfect frivolity.

    What power!...It isn''t that it was so vastly sharper than thest iing strike--the speed didn''t give me any time to strengthen my defense, Donatien huffed.

    It was only after regaining hisposure that he noticed it--something strange wrapped around his enemy''s arm, pulsating as if breathing.

    "Fleisch, right?"

    "Oh! So, you can talk! Yup, yup--that''s me! In the flesh!"

    Even though he was praying for an answer, exchanging words felt as if he was inhaling toxic air, scrunching his nose as just talking seemed to please the lunatic.

    "It might be a stretch, but can I inquire as to how you discovered we were at our lowest numbers?"

    "Low numbers? I didn''t hear anything about that--wow, Avdima really scored the jackpot! Taking care of that sage will be done-and-easy!"

    Hearing thatst part of Fleisch''s fervent rambling, Donatien''s eyes temporarily widened behind the ss frames he wore.

    "Oops, I said something I wasn''t supposed to again, didn''t I? I told them I''m bad at keeping secrets��"

    Fleisch frowned like a child who dropped his ice cream scoops, his vermilion irises never changing from their demented shade as his lips contorted.

    Their main goal is Beatrice, not us? I can''t say I''m surprised, but...It doesn''t matter--I have to take care of the enemy before me, Donatien resolved.

 Chapter 201 - The Flesh-Bound Argonaut

    The constant, looming threat of battle peeled his senses away from the overarching force hanging above his head; feeling the world rumble beneath his feet as another st of the ship''s cannons were thrown against the colossal barrier.

    Fleischughed heartily, spreading his arms wide as he embraced the ferocious impact that shook the winds and trees.

    "You hear that? That''s the melody of destruction! Beautiful, isn''t it? Navigator is talented, ah...So rxing."

    What the hell is rxing about this? I can feel the pressure of the st gnawing at my bones; the entire Grandfather tree is even trembling under its force! Donatien thought.

    The sky harboring the night was illuminated by the Vessel of Mncholy''s assault; a verdant light stretching itself across the horizon of the valley as the squeals and roars of the forest creatures rang through the domain.

    As soon as the continuous st dissipated, leaving a plethora of cracks and blemishes to scale the length of the magical barrier; a frown took over Fleisch''s mouth as he blew air through his lips.

    "The pretty song is over for now, I guess the only thing I can do now is hurt you...Don''t worry, you can hurt me too!"

    It was that same deceiving joyfulness to him; going from happy-go-lucky toplete bloodlust at the drop of a hat. The wicked Argonaut threw his body forward, revealing once again the mysterious substance unveiling itself from beneath his dark cloak.

    As Fleisch drew within striking distance, keeping his stance low to the ground--Donatien saw it; flesh sprouted from the man''s skin, wrapping around his form like ayer of armor.

    Muscle fibers? What kind of spell is that?--No, this can only be the result of an innate ability, Donatien concluded.

    "I''ll let you in on a little secret��"

    Talking while going in for an attack?--This guy is something else, stupid, strong, crazy; maybe stupidly, crazy strong, Donatien thought.

    Without any time to cast a spell of his own, Donatien conjured raw ice beneath the soles of his feet; sliding himself backwards as the iing strike to his abdomen smashed against the raw; manifesting a shockwave that shattered the nearby winds.

    That would''ve been bad if itnded; this guy has terrifying strength beneath that frail exterior, Donatien thought.

    "Ah, you evaded it...I guess I''ll tell you then...Me and the other guy, we were told to take just one Ounder on each."

    "...You said you didn''t know our numbers were dwindled though."

    "That''s right; Avdima...He came here prepared to take the rest of you on, all by himself."

    Letting go with this piece of information, Fleisch smiled wide, letting out a muffled cackle between his sealed lips. It was clearly meant to crack away at the cold-sealedposure of the navy-haired Ounder; such was obvious as Fleisch smiled with full cheeks as if trying to hide hisughter.

    "By himself?..."

    Although the information temporarily took hold of his better judgment, Donatien shook it off--preparing for his own counterattack.

    It''s a waste of time trying to make sense of a lunatic''s words; I''ll finish him quickly and assist the others, Donatien took in a calming breath.

    "You''re about to show me something cool, aren''t you? I want to see; show me! Show me!"

    Like an overthrilled child, the Argonaut waved his hands as if weing whatever Donatien had nned-pletely reading the fierceness now present in those hazel irises of his.

    "...Skadi: Ice Age."

    The air itself had no choice but to sumb to the drastic drop in temperature; a frosty wind pushed across the clearing--shifting the trees, soil, and wind into vessels of the cold.

    "That''s much better; I feel right at home now."

    Donatien cracked his neck side to side, flexing his entire body as his reinforcement seemed to bolster many times over within the heart of the frost.

    "Cold!...Cold!"

    Epassed in the ferocious winds harboring winds below zero, Fleisch''s teeth chattered uncontrobly--opting to bite down on his own tongue to prevent the motion from continuing. Blood squirted out from his tasting appendage as he bit down on it without any hesitation, holding an ted smile as his warm arterial fluid ran down his chin.

    "Ah...Warm, so warm��"

    Only a depraved mind would resort to that, Donatien watched.

    Grabbing onto his cloak, the frail-seeming Argonaut tore his cloak from his body--leaving his bare torso exposed to the harsh, biting elements. His body was anything but "normal"--covered in deep scars, so pale it seemed hecked any blood running through his veins--Donatien found himself disgusted at the sight, watching as strands of muscle began to leave his pores.

    Leaving his body like a series of tendrils, the unnatural muscle came together into an armor around the entirety of his upper body. The constant squelching of flesh apanied the ambience traveling winds; Fleisch let out twisted moans as he allowed his body to be caressed by theseyers of pure muscle.

    "��It''s always something new in this damn world."

    Donatien muttered to himself, witnessing the grotesque sight before him.

    Muscle maniption?��No, I''d venture to say it''s more than that, perhaps "Muscle Generation" is more fitting, Donatien thought.

    "Ah, so warm, so hot��when I''m like this, I can''t hold it back anymore! My chains are broken, shackles are shattered. It''s free! My bloodlust is free!"

    Only his mouth was left uncovered by the lively flesh, cackling with delight as his head was protected in a dome-like helmet of muscle. The scrawny form of Fleisch waspletely lost within the bulky, tanky build now inhabited with this fleshy ability.

    "This is your innate ability, is it?"

    "Did you say something?! It''s hard to hear, really hard to hear right now! The ringing, it''s growing--growing so much!"

    Beginning to lumber towards Donatien, the muscle-armored man was lost in his own world, clearly only driven by a thirst for blood now.

    It looks like he lost any sanity he had left, it''s do-or-die, Donatien thought.

    Not allowing the beast of flesh to strike first, Donatien swiped his hand, sending an array of spear-shaped icicles directly towards his opponent. Each of these deadly piercers matched the size of actual spears; dancing through the air at a rapid speed before plummeting against the Argonaut with a visceral impact.

    "Ah...Ah, that hurt��"

    Lodged into the living muscle, the icicles were stopped short of fully piercing through the organic armor, leaving Fleisch to let out a groan that shifted into a drawn-out moan. Extending out, strands of muscle plucked the icicles from his armor, allowing them to fall to the ground as they seemed to have already begun an expedited melting process.

    It''s a lot more durable than I expected--that''s not just normal muscle at all; he''s reinforcing all of it, Donatien thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My turn! My turn!"

    Suddenly spiking intoplete aggression once more, his thick, muscle-bound arms were thrown up into the air--preparing for his retaliation. Enacting caution before the twisted enemy of his, Donatien didn''t waste a moment squeezing his fist to silently manifest another spell.

    Before Fleisch could charge towards the man withughter guiding his step, his legs were already seized by frost.

    "Huh? I can''t move my legs...I can''t move my legs. No fair, no fair--it''s my turn to attack! My turn!"

    As the angered Argonaut attempted to shatter the ice epassing his walking appendages, the growing frost ran up the entirety of his body, covering him in ayer of pure ice as his movements were halted entirely.

    The cracking and splitting of the frosty material multiplying itself was audible, taking hold of every strand of muscle that made up the man''s body.

    Ice Coffin; once you''re covered, it''s already over, Donatien thought.

    "Ah...So cold, again...It''s not fun, I thought it''d be fun fighting an ice mage...Oh, well, I''ll just kill you��"

    He''s still talking?! The Ice Coffin should''vepletely taken hold of his body by now--how?! Donatien gasped.

    Steam began to fill the cold air, emanating from the icy statue that became of Fleisch as he groaned and moaned.

    His damn disgusting muscle-armor! It''s naturally hot! I didn''t ount for that, Donatien thought.

    "My turn...My turn��"

    As he spoke with his distant tone, the flesh-brute let his jaw hang, releasing a sharp gurgling sound as Donatien watched in disgust.

    It was impossible to tell at first nce that it was even an attack that Fleisch was cooking up, causing Donatien to reactte as he prepared his counter.

    A simple spell from Ice Age won''t do the trick��whatever he''s preparing is going to hit hard, Donatien thought.

    Raising his arms in a cross-guard, icy winds spiraled around the slender man.

    "Skadi: Majestic Gate!"

    Invoking the desired spell, the dancing particles of pure coldness coalesced in front of the Ounder, forming into a tall-standing wall of azure ice. It wasn''t just a b of manifested frost; an intricate design was made of the gate, grooves and designs etched into its form, meeting at the center to create a seal representing the head of a bearded warrior.

    "Here ites! Here it��"

    From the maw of Fleisch, concentrated crimson shot out in a powerful, pinpoint stream that instantly collided against the frost gate.

    Blood?! I didn''t hear an incantation��I doubt it''s blood magic��Is this also part of his ability? Just what is the true nature of it? Donatien thought

    The hissing that resulted from blistering cold and scorching heat meeting fell upon his ears, witnessing bountiful steam fill the surrounding air. While the beam of concentrated blood pressed itself against the cold shield, the grooves of the wall began to fill with an azure radiance.

    There is one advantage to fighting a lunatic--they don''t exactly think clearly. Even now, he probably hasn''t noticed yet, Donatien thought.

    Attempting to bruteforce his way past the thick, protective shield of frost, Fleisch''s jaw parted more, beginning to tear the edges of his lips as the release of crimson amplified.

    "Ahh-----!"

    His forced groan-yell filled the air as he shot this attack from his ursed bowels, causing the faint, blue lights to grow brighter.

    Now! Donatien concluded as his eyes widened.

    Pressing both of his palms together, something within the wall triggered; the bearded face present on the center of the wall had its mouth part--presenting the core of the azure light, growing more and more as the ground began to rumble.

    It is foolish to invest in a spell solely focused on defense--when against opponents possessing greater strength than yourself, putting a stagnant wall results in only depleting your own mana. That''s why--I learned this, Donatien thought.

    "Assimte and Release, Majestic Gate!"

    At hismand, the birthed light of beautiful blue filled the domain bitten by the cold reach of Donatien,pletely pushing back the beam of crimson with a st of its own.

    As his eyes rolled back into their normal state, finallying back to reality--Fleisch released his hold of the bloodburst, leaving chin dripping with the crimson essence.

    "Ah...So pretty, maybe ice mages are fun after all��"

    Smiling with blood running along the entirety of his mouth, he merely stood there and weed the embrace of the azure retaliation, spreading his wings as it soon enveloped him.

    Ravaging the soil as it tunneled forward, the cobalt crashed against Fleisch with enough force to crack the surrounding winds, temporarily shattering the sheet of ice covering the ground before it was quickly reced.

    "Rghh!��It burns, why does it burn?!"

    wing at the energy that pushed against his torso, the Argonaut wailed as his flesh armor was shredded by the visceral frost.

    Majestic Gate was able to absorb a high amount of power thanks to his blood beam. It retaliates with force and cold greatly amplified beyond that which it took in, Donatien watched.

    Even so, Donatien found himself both in shock and awe as Fleisch was able to hold his ground against the wave of raw magical energy, nting his muscle-wrapped soles against the soil. From the absurd amount of organic material being shredded, Fleisch generated more muscle strands as they were being eviscerated, mincemeat and steamy blood sprinkled through the frosty winds.

    "Raaaah!"

    Finally, the monstrous, flesh-bound Argonaut lost the match of strength against the st, being flung deep into the forest as the beam desecrated the evergreen in its path.

    "I was lucky my opponent was a fool��Now, I need to regroup with the others. If Avdima is half as strong as the rumors��It will be troublesome."

    Muttering quietly to himself as he pondered, Donatien wiped the lenses of his sses as they grew foggy from the icy air.

    It was only the beginning of the cold night; the grand Valley of Grandeueve--the ferociousnd humbled by the Ounders--was now under assault by the ones who stood as their greatest nemesis: Argonauts.

    An attackunched at their most vulnerable hour; it was the start of a rural war.

 Chapter 202 - Return To Form

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Cutting through the air, the circr de of dark magical energy made quick work of the airborne creature, plucking its head from its body as it plummeted straight to the ground.

    Macheo wasn''t kidding; the first thing he did when he woke up was shake me awake so we could go hunting, Ren thought, To be more clear--we''re moving forward AND hunting. It was my call--honestly, I want to make some real progress.

    "Nice! Nice kill, Ren!"

    Being cheered on by Hongse, who was clearly thrilled by another addition to their meal count, the panda walked alongside the others while Ren and Macheo continued their quick-paced scouting for more targets.

    The path they found themselves on was forged of moist soil, surrounded by silver des of grass that ran along the two slopes acting as walls for the trail. It seemed to not be a ce disturbed by challengers often, as they awoke many creatures from their slumber--fueling them with further aggression as they protected their homes.

    "...N-nice kill, Macheo!"

    Cupping her hands around her mouth, Aiko meekly called out to Macheo. Being the only one running along Macheo, Ren briefly saw the crimson tint of embarrassmente over his cheek before the boy hid his expression, propelling himself towards the next target.

    "Oh! A Bantabear! They''re tasty! Get it! Get it!"

    Motivated purely by gluttony, Hongse salivated as he called out the identity of the creature Macheo found himself moving towards. It didn''t matter how much game they seemed to capture and throw into the pack that the panda carried on his broad back, he was happy to carry more and more.

    Isn''t that cannibalism?! Ren thought.

    It was definitely a bear, or at least, part of that same family; it stood three times as tall as Macheo, covered in oak-brown fur with stripes of ck coalescing into a double circle on its stomach. A mix between a yawn and a ferocious roar left its salivating maw as its eyes locked onto the prey before it, lumbering forward as it walked on its hind legs.

    "Are we even going to have room for that thing?..."

    Watching as Macheo prepared to sh with the awakened bantabear, Iris looked back at Hongse, whose pack was already filled to the brim with resources. Even so, Hongse gave her a thumbs-up and a cheerful smile--clearly driven by the desire to eat that giant bear.

    "Don''t worry about that; Hongse will carry it. As long as it''s tasty, he won''t budge."

    Valerie shrugged her shoulders with a small smile as she assured Iris--turning their attention back towards the bantabear as a rise in magical energy was felt.

    What looked like a wild ssh of aqua was indeed an intricate spell, sending a dozen jagged, formless des of water against the carnivore''s thick hide.

    Damn, it''s tough--that fur is like armor, not to mention its hide is durable as hell, Macheo thought.

    As tough as it was, it was still a beast--helpless to the repetitive assault of the malicious water as dozens of cuts stacked up. With more and more shallow cuts opening it up, it left room for deeper, more visceral strikes tond, before finally--it fell.

    "Sheesh."

    Macheo wiped the sweat from his forehead, standing over the prize for his victory. Just standing near it gave off a sense of minisculeness; his entire foot was norger than its snout.

    "Hongse, it''s all yours."

    Giving the panda full-authority over the carcass of the fallen bantabear, Macheo moved on as Hongse pounced on the opportunity. It didn''t take any longer than five minutes for Hongse to skin and split the creature up into sizable chunks, somehow storing it in his pack before the group moved on once more.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Well, we''re probably good for another week or so...Even ounting for how much Hongse intakes."

    Ren swiped his de before turning it to its sheathe, looking back at Hongse who had a giddy, pleased smile on his face, bouncing with each step at the thought of the bantabear.

    "A week...How long until we reach the Butcher''s Locker, Macheo?"

    Fiddling with her fingers, Aiko looked up at the back of the young man walking ahead of her, his ck and crimson coat flowing behind him as he walked.

    "Hmm, well--look at that."

    Macheo pointed up at the horizon beyond their step; pointing out the massive carvings on two opposing walls of stone that resembled the faces of monstrous men.

    "...What about it? Those are some creepy-faces."

    A bit repulsed by the carvings, Iris looked back at Macheo for a further answer, who seemed slightly annoyed having to be the guide.

    "Beyond that is where the "real fun" starts, I guess. "Boundary of Bloodshed", it''s the second-half of this cavern--it''s where all the keys in this quadrant are located, and where all the real baddies are."

    "So, we really were just strolling through the tutorial, huh?"

    "Enough with your weird references."

    Macheo brushed off Ren''sment, who gave off a cheeky chuckle as he took the lead, marching forward with a new pep to his step.

    I''m ready to make some real progress, Ren thought.

    Feeling the gaze continue to loom on her like a seering pressure, Aiko finally looked up at the draconic woman who had been giving her a less than pleasant look.

    "...What is it?"

    "Nothing. I just can''t figure out how a weak girl like you has survived this long in a ce like this."

    "Weak?..."

    "Weak. Feeble. Whatever you want to call it. Powerless."

    Valerie''s words weren''t dull in the slightest, cutting deeply into Aiko as the two conversated behind the rest of the group. It only dug itself further into the wounds she already felt; she really did question how lucky she was to have gone this far in Purgatory.

    I...I can''t even fight back against those words. I believe them myself. Everytime I find myself pressed in a tough spot...I remember how helpless I was against them--those despiscable men, Aiko thought.

    cing her hand over her heart, Aiko frowned a bit as her beige fringes draped over her eyes. The fearsome gaze moved away from her as she listened to the powerful footsteps of Valerie move on ahead.

 Chapter 203 - Green Warfare

    "Gross. Gross. Gross!"

    Evading a projectile of repugnant, olive liquid, Ren rolled forward over the rocky ground as he watched the liquid melt away the stone itnded on.

    Turning his gaze back towards the enemy before him, its maw oozed out the same liquid, disying its dozens of rows of tiny, sharp teeth as its viny limbs stretched out in all directions. The main body of the creature was covered in stygian, pointed leaves, acting as a covering for its body that looked like a mass of the same viny tendrils, wrapped around a glowing, veiny core underneath.

    "This is what you meant by "fun", Macheo?!"

    Yelling out to the golden-haired boy, currently preupied with his own opponent of the same ss, Ren was forced to dodge a strike from one of the vine-like arms of the creature, countering by slicing the limb off with the dagger in his hand.

    "...I was being crass!"

    It was a game of tag between Macheo and the jet-ck vine-arms of the monster before him, bouncing from tform to tform as he evaded its thorny grasps.

    "...Anytime now, Valerie!"

    "Don''t rush me! I''m only taking as long as I am because I don''t want to hit you!"

    Responding to Ren''s impatient call-out as he took on the brunt of the creature''s aggression, Valerie held her amalgamation of a weapon to the air, an ivorynce formed of steel with many ridges, holding a second barrel that functions as a staff, keeping her eyes shut as she listened to the sounds of battle ring through the valley. The nt-like monster seemed to recognize the threat of Valerie''s prolonged spell weaving, attempting to thwart her by sending vines up through the ground beneath, reaching up with their skin-crawling, jiggly form.

    "Ho!---"

    Summoning a bright-copper hammer out of thin air, Hongse roared out as he smashed the approaching vines into wriggling bits of muk with a powerful m. As effective as the blow was, Hongse quickly regretted it as Valerie shot him a re; the shockwave emitted from the harsh impact nearly made her trip over, slurring the words she had been quietly chanting.

    "Sorry!"

    "Learn a little restraint!..."

    Hearing the two demi-humans bicker behind him, Ren couldn''t help but smile somewhat as he cut through an array of vines easily, spinning to rapidly dismember the thorny limbs with efficiency. Just as fast as he cut them, more grew back, stretching from the creature''s core.

    "Feuer: Ball!"

    From behind the overgrown vegetation that Ren faced, Iris sent out a ball of mes towards the back of the creature while its aggression was locked onto the young, white-haired man. Before it couldnd, a wall made up of a clump of ck vines pierced the ground, blocking the iing fireball before burning away.

    "Gah!...Really?!"

    "Focus, Iris!"

    Circling the abyssal nt, Ren ran up next to Iris as she followed alongside him, circling it as a wave of spiky, bloodthirsty vines chased after them. Another spit of acidic saliva wasunched towards the two as they raced around it to distract it from Valerie.

    "Dunkel: Veil!"

    "Wait!--That won''t!--"

    Watching as Ren cast the defensive spell, she reached out--fearing it wouldn''t be nearly enough to stop the iing acid. To her surprise, the dark, smooth shieldpletely repelled the attack--leaving her momentarily shocked as Ren grabbed her wrist for her to keep moving.

    "We need to open up its core so Valerie can take it out in one fell swoop. Got it?"

    "Got it."

    As Ren dashed forward towards the core of the multi-meter tall nt from hell, he put all of his trust in Iris'' assistance. All around him, vines burrowed upwards, piercing through the stone like it was fragile soil; surrounding him in all directions with dozens of the acidthered, spiky limbs of it as he aimed his sights at its main body.

    Focus on it;plete and utter darkness. The absence of sound, sight, touch, smell, and taste--you''re obscuredpletely in shadows. You''re a shadow. Move from one spot to another, dance from darkness to darkness. That''s--Shadowstep, Ren ingrained into his mind.

    Relieving himself only to this one process of thought; he didn''t flinch as the malicious arms of the nt neared his own body, only keeping his eyes on the spot ahead before--he was there. It was a seamless transition from one spot to the other, narrowly avoiding the iing grasps of the countless limbs as he rushed forward with greater intensity.

    "Iris!"

    Hearing the now distant call of Ren, muffled by the walls of vines trapping him within the territory of the monstrous nt, Iris nodded her head as she prepared her part of the n. As her magical energy surmounted her fears, the coalescence of light and fire burned away the few vines that attempted to seize her, shifting their vibrant, lively form into dust that danced off into the winds.

    I don''t have much experience in this yet, but I have to try! He''s giving it his best--I refuse to fall behind! Iris thought.

    "Helios: Grand Burning Dance!"

    Calling out the true name of the spell, Iris''mand gave birth to circr seals postured in the air, surrounding the enormous, stygian nt. From each of the five seals, a scorching light formed itself, spiraling around the grooves of the intricate symbols before the burning, golden me bounced between each seal rapidly. Exchanging mes, the five mystical firesbined at the center finallyunching directly towards the body of the nt.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It all happened within a singr moment, too fast for the nt to react as it was hit by the fearsomebination of light and fire.

    Directly in front of the mes, Ren felt none of its malice; only its calming warmth as he aided the assault on its sturdy, steel-like armor around its core.

    "Araphel: Condensed Detonation!"

    Triggering the many particles of darkness thatthered the steel of his sword, his words sparked a contained explosion that swept his de forward with maximum firepower.

    It''s a tricky one to handle, but it''s powerful. All of the advantages of Detonation without the drawback of hitting myself, he thought.

    With thebined force of their attacks, the nt-beast was left wide open as it screeched out with a ring that pierced their ears.

    "You might want to get back, Ren!"

    "On it!"

    Following Hongse''s call, Ren weaved his way through the maze of wreathing vines, cutting his way through as he watched a majestic me conjured around Valerie''snce-staff.

    It was a me nothing less than magical in origin; the distinct, blood-crimson tint of the me set it apart from anything else. Burning so brightly, the orb of inferno cast a light over the battlefield of vines and obsidian gunk.

    As the final few notches were being set for Valerie''s magic, Macheo and Aiko handled their part of the deal with the second of these nt beasts. With des of water running opposite of his arms, Macheo sped through the air, bouncing from tform to tform as he cut away at the sea of vines aiming towards him.

    "Light...Enhance!"

    Finding herself on the defense, constantly having to evade the plethora of conscious tendrils, Aiko embellished her gauntlets in a box of light, extending this mystical light into the form of astral gauntlets that ran up her arms.

    With a thrust of her magically-enhanced fist, a shock wave of light unleashed onward, bulldozing through the wall of vines--giving room for Macheo to expose the core of the beast as he readied his own magic.

    "Achelous: Antean!"

    Stopping himself with the assistance of one of his astral tforms, his incantation spun his conjured water into the form of an aquatic drill, spinning rapidly before it crashed against the thick, durable armor of the nt.

    More, More! Macheo gritted his teeth.

    Pouring further mana into the attack, the drill finally busted through the hide of the raging nt, leaving it exposed before he quickly retreated.

    With her chance being opened, atst, Valerie opened her eyes, holding her intricately crafted catalyst of destruction up to the air as its steel began to radiate from the gathered heat.

    "Kojin: Storm of Fire!"

    As she yelled out the true name of the great magic, atst, tworge seals appeared above both of the nt-formed monsters, formedpletely of radiant, crimson mes that breathed out embers. With onest swing of her metallic weapon, shemanded a pir of vicious mes to crash down from the seals, swallowing the vine-armed creatures whole in the melting embrace of her mes.

    Screeches that could shatter ss wailed from the nts as the spiraling mes consumed them, generating waves of embers that carried memories of the heat towards those watching.

    "I''m d I''m not them right now."

    Ren wiped the sweat from his chin with a slight chuckle, watching as the majestic disy of mystical mes reflected in his hazel irises.

    "That''s right! Valerie is one of the top fire mages in Vesta!"

    Boasting about hispanion, Hongse let out his usual, bellowingughter as he rested his plus-sized hammer against his shoulder as if it weighed nothing more than a twig.

    "Still, I''m surprised you were a dedicated mage at all. I mean, that fancy armor and all--I expected you to swing a sword around."

    Renmented as he watched Valerie shift her weapon into a small,pact form, fitting it into a specialpartment within her pristine gauntlets. By the sheer size and ferocity, she possessed with armor that would make any knight jealous--he still couldn''t imagine her to be the type to sit back and fling spells.

    "What sense does it make for a caster to wear anything less than the best armor? We''re constantly prioritized by the enemy."

    As if it was apletelymon line of thinking, Valerie responded with a raised eyebrow, looking down at the shorter male with her draconic irises that always made his blood run a little warmer.

    "You know, that actually makes a lot of sense."

    Renmented before ruffling his own hair, sheathing both of his des as he looked over at the other pair returning to the group. Celebrating their victory, Macheo and Aiko exchanged a gleeful high-five--a sight that still felt somewhat unorthodox to Ren''s eyes.

 Chapter 204 - Traversing The Untraversed

    "They really got friendly with each other, huh?"

    "Well, they have a lot inmon. And in a ce like this, that sort of thing...Well, it''s important, right?"

    Iris'' assuring words to Ren hit a spot that he didn''t know if she intended to poke, giving her a half-smile before nodding his head.

    "Right."

    "What about you two?"

    Popping into their conversation suddenly, Hongse''s fluffy face appeared between both of theirs--making both of them jump back.

    "Huh!?...What about us?"

    It didn''t take more than a moment for Ren''s cheeks to shift into a burning pink, darting his eyes between Hongse and Iris rapidly. The azure-haired girl was subject to the same fluster, though her entireplexion was dyed to a tomato-red.

    "...Y-yeah, what''re you talking about?"

    Iris stammered out, both of the Ounders were looking at the panda-man intently, who seemed to enjoy what he had stirred up.

    "Ho-ho-ho, nothing!"

    Satisfied with the reactions he garnered, Hongse stood himself up straight again, towering over the others as Macheo and Aiko returned to the group.

    "Getting used to that arm finally?"

    "Yeah; it''s still a bit difficult to adjust to the lightness of it--but it''s better than nothing."

    Macheo answered Ren''s smile-fueled question, rolling the shoulders of his wood-inhabiting limb a few times. Some adjustments had been made to its form; new slots were carved in, filled with small, spherical objects that contained magical energy.

    "Still, your tinkering is really something."

    Looking at Hongse, a smug look came over the panda''s face as he received hispliment from Macheo, bashfully rubbing his finger against his lip.

    "Yeah, no kidding. I didn''t take you for some sort of mechanic, Hongse."

    "Just a little something I picked up on my travels, that''s all."

    As Ren watched the group converse with one another, somehow finding it within them to share augh in the dreary, hellhole they were now forced to traverse, a single tear traveled down his cheek. He quickly hid this just in time as Iris looked back at him with a smile, sharing it with her.

    I was so close. An inch away, a second away, one wrong action, and I may have ended up down a path I could never stray from. My heart was surrounded by nothing but darkness and angst; constantly on the edge, I almost did it--I almost killed. If I truly found myself walking down that road, I might not have been able to live with the guilt any longer, Ren thought.

    Moving on, the group ventured into the bowels of the Boundary of Bloodshed, the air hanging around them grew thicker, smelling of a foul, sour sweetness that filled the atmosphere. It was the sickening aura that attached itself to such tainted mana; hanging around the repulsive creatures awaiting them. The deeper they traveled within this new sector of the cavern, the more twisted the environment became. Rocks began to jutt out in unorthodox ways; pointing outwards like the swords of forgotten, withered statues, the rocky terrain they had grown used to traversing began to shift into and of ck sand, sparsely encountering patches of dirt.

    "We need to find a fountain to check in at."

    Saying this to nobody specific, Ren''s eyes did indeed choose someone to say this to--looking directly at Macheo who let out a bit of a sigh.

    "I know. I wasn''t around here very long, my memory isn''t exactly perfect, alright?"

    It wasn''t as if there was exactly much to look for. The area they found themselves in was one that Macheo warned them was difficult to navigate.

    "The Obsidreen''s Frontier", a desert that upied the center of the Boundary of Bloodshed; filled with dark, moist sand that stings any uncovered skin.

    What''s really bothering me is what he warned us about--the "Obsidreen" itself, some sort of monster said to lurk within the sand, Ren thought.

    The scenery sucked away any hope; seeing only darkness in the beyond as they dragged their boots through the endless, shadowy ins of sand. Hongse began to fall behind, breathing heavily as he slumped his broad, fluffy shoulders.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...Want to take a break?"

    Ren finally stopped after listening to the panting from the giant, red panda for five minutes, looking back at the deste sight of the exhausted demi-human.

    "Hungry...I want to eat."

    The shallow words left the panda''s mouth in a whisper, his stomach roaring out in yearning for precious grub. Each sway Hongse made side to side looked as if the wind would carry him away at any passing moment.

    That''s the downside of a panda, even if they''re a demi-human: the amount of calories they need to intake per day is insane! In Purgatory, it''s not exactly like they serve you a buffet on a silver tter, Ren thought.

    "Do you see any good ces to rest at?"

    Ren asked the group, cing his hand over his brow as a visor as he scanned the area--seeing nothing but more and more obsidian sand in his view. Only the artificial winds that existed only by the whims of the gods of this realm carried over waves of the ck sediment, carrying it through the moist, ominous ins.

    "Nothing here."

    "...I don''t see anything."

    Macheo and Aiko returned their gaze with nothing found, putting them back to square one until Iris piped up, calling their attention.

    "I see a spot...Over there!"

    Pointing towards what she saw, it looked to be arge tree overlooking a section of sand-less soil, upying an isted section away from the sea of darkness.

    "Looks like as good as a spot as we''ll get��"

    Starting to take a step towards the isted, shade-covered area to prepare for lunch, Ren was stopped by the familia grip without any warmth. Turning to look at the wooden hand grabbing onto his bicep, Ren raised an eyebrow.

    "We can''t recklessly deviate from our path. We''ve been lucky so far because we''ve found this path, but that part out there��it''s no man''snd."

    Macheo clicked his boot against the stone ground ced slightly above the ck sand they were surrounded by.

    "Mm��We can''t really just stop here though, right?"

    In response to Ren''s question weaved with a sigh, Macheo nodded, "They''re constantly swimming through the sand, eventually, we''ll be found if we''re just sitting around on our asses."

    Posed with this dilemma, all eyes were set on the hungering panda who seemed to grow meek as his stomach continued roaring out.

    "There, there, big guy��"

    Attempting to appease his gluttonous abdomen, Hongse massaged his stomach while quietly mumbling.

    "You can eat and walk, right?��"

    Aiko asked, looking up at the gargantuan demi-human with her violet jewels. After a long inhale and heated exhale through his mouth, Hongse steadily nodded.

    "��It goes against everything I stand for; you''re supposed to eat while sitting andughing with yourrades, letting all of your worries be shunned by your tastebuds'' joyous celebrations."

    Going off on a tangent, Hongse was interrupted by the sudden existence of a b of meat stuck into his maw by Valerie.

    "Come on already, get a move on."

    "Y-yesh."

    Answering with his mouth full, Hongse began chewing the meat as he followed the group onward.

 Chapter 205 - In The Sands, Battle Awaits

    The path forward became anxious; swallowed by the horizon of dark tides of abyssal sediment left no room to turn back. Vibrations under the soles of their boots became more frequent, listening to sand being tossed at the movement of the surface.

    "It''s cold��"

    Aiko muttered, hugging herself as she tightened her white robes in an attempt to garner some warmth.

    "Akitein doesn''t get like this?"

    "��It does, but it''s mostly springy weather year-round."

    Speaking through the ufortable cold, Aiko replied to Ren, who seemed unbothered by the change in temperature.

    It was something he noticed not too long after entering Obsidreen''s Frontier: the region was almost like the pr opposite of a normal desert. The ck, somber sand that was damp and moist rather than dry, a totalck of any sunlight, a bitter cold that set in��a peculiar, charcoal smell filled the air.

    A sudden warmth embraced Aiko, touching her shoulders to feel the presence of a soft, smooth fabric covering her.

    "Huh?��"

    The ck and crimson design of the cloak around her shoulders rang a bell in her mind, looking up at the boy next to her to see a red tint on Macheo''s painfully stoic expression as he kept his eyes forward.

    "I��"

    "Goddamn hot! I''m used to the snow in Lucrauv, so the cloak was just making me too damn hot anyway."

    Quicklying up with his exnation for covering her with his cloak, Macheo bursted out his answer without so much as looking at her, the pink on his cheeks deepening into a crimson.

    "Hah. Such weaknesses are unknown to one with blood such as I; the true grace of one born with the blood of a dragon."

    The uncalled for smugness of Valerie as she touted her bloodline was not something new to their ears at all.

    "Is that so? Amazing as always, Valerie."

    Choosing to y along, Ren has other motives, knowing full well Valerie was only used to boasting and not receiving the same words.

    Just from his simplepliment, the draconic mage''s tail began to rapidly wag left and right as if she were a canine.

    She''s a total ss-cannon! Ren thought.

    Overlooking their path was a crossing of two rock formations, forming an overhead ring that looked too perfect to be the result of natural erosion.

    "I''ve been wondering��How the hell was this ce built?"

    "Huh? You really came here without knowing a single, damn thing, didn''t you?"

    Macheo matched Ren''s walking pace, holding the dour resting face that was expected of him.

    "Excuse me for not being very Gaia-suave, I''ve spent one year in this world either fighting for my life, training, or both."

    Folding his arms across his chest, Ren rebutted with a cheeky tone, looking at the younger, noble-blooded boy with a reprimansive gaze.

    "You do know what Purgatory is, right?"

    Giving a slightly concerned look to the snow-haired, somberly dressed young man, Aiko asked with a bit of hesitance to her voice.

    "Of course I know that much, it''s��"

    "Oh, me! Me!"

    Raising his hand if it were some sort of pop quiz in a ssroom, Hongse interrupted before Ren could even give his answer. It only took a nice serving of meat to set the panda back to full capacity, bubbling up with boundless energy.

    "�� Okay."

    Aiko hesitantly gave the panda full authority to answer, not knowing exactly how to respond.

    "It''s built by the Old Gods, after a world-shaking revolt led by all mortal races and the New Gods alike, they retreated into this realm, made by the King of the Old Gods!��I learned this all in my adventurer exams."

    "Sounds crazy. That exined absolutely nothing for me."

    Ren responded stoically to Hongse''s passionate exnation as he kept his gaze on the enormous ring of stone, making him feel miniscule in its size and grandeur.

    A feeling that came to coexist with his heart was finally noticed; the calmness, a sensation that, if anything were to go wrong, he had them by his side--it was something he didn''t realize he had lost; taken for granted.

    I''m finally starting to feel like I belong in this world. Not that I''m some ouw deemed to be a gue on the world, not some devil thought to want the destruction of it all--I''m just...me. They know me, they know who I am, yet they don''t mind at all. Smiling andughing in the face of this hellish trial; what more could I ask for? He thought.

    As they continued to traverse the many dunes piled up by the ethereal, cold winds, it began to pick up rapidly--the whispers of the desert liting the obsidian sands from their resting ce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh shit."

    "Why "Oh shit"? That doesn''t sound good."

    Ren looked back at Macheo, who held a worried look over his regal, fair face at the sight of the winds carrying sand in their passing. At the rising tension of the weather itself, a roar resounded from the bowels of the wind, increasing in intensity as the dark sand began to pelt against them.

    "...That. A sandstorm ising."

    "Coming? It looks like it''s already here!"

    Valerie remarked with a wide smile, unbothered by the shower of obsidian that now surrounded them. It wasn''t just that--the periodic vibrationsing from beneath seemed to spike up in intensity as if a tremor had suddenly conjured itself.

    "That doesn''t seem good��"

    Looking down, Irismented as the sand bounced up and down from the new vibrations cascading through the surface.

    "Nope, not at all!"

    Belus was quickly drawn from its sheath as Ren prepared for whatever wasing, unable to focus his attention on one spot as everything seemed to dissolve into utter chaos under the quickly-formed sandstorm.

    "Obsidian worms; they''re a pain in the ass!"

    "...Worms? Did I just hear him say worms? It wasn''t just me, right?"

    Hearing Macheo''s warning, Ren panicked, looking back and forth between hispanions as they all naturally formed into a circle; covering each other''s backs as they prepared for the supposed worms burrowed within the abyssal sand.

    "I heard it too."

    "Yup."

    Hongse and Iris both affirmed Ren''s fears, sending a disgusting itch over his body as he imagined the appearance of the enemy that lurked underneath his feet.

    Okay, focus, Ren, focus! We can''t afford to lose anyone right now--there hasn''t been a fountain in this desert yet and going back would be a trial in and of itself, he thought.

    "Macheo, support us from up above!"

    Calling out to the Lucrauv prince, Ren''smand temporarily confused Macheo before he slowly nodded his head, realizing what he wanted. Without wasting any time, Macheo was already in the air above them, standing on one of the tforms native to his ability.

    "In front of you, Ren!"

    Taking advantage of his bird''s eye view of the battlefield now, Macheo called out to Ren, drawing the snow-haired man''s gaze to the spot just in front of him. A section of the sand seemed to cave into a sort of small whirlpool before suddenly--the form of something made itself known.

    Its body blended in perfectly with the rasp material that made up the desert, wiggling around before it stood up with its limbless body. Arge, gaping maw was the only discernible part of its body, disying rows of sharp teeth with four,rge fangs upying each corner of its enormous mouth.

    Gross! Gross! Gross! He thought.

    Swallowing hisplete disgust, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword as he watched the obsidian worm propel itself towards him,pressing its body beforeunching like a spring. As it let out a high-pitched screech while its maw constricted at the sight of his flesh, Ren thrusted his de towards its body, scraping the side of it without prating.

    The force from the de thrust was still enough to send it back, letting him watch as it wiggled against the sand before fixing its position.

    "It''s tough! Felt like I hit solid rock!"

    "Do you have it covered?!"

    Aiko yelled out, having to overpower the roars of the powerful gusts carrying waves of sand throughout the series of dunes.

    "Of course! Focus on your area!"

    Preparing for the obsidian worm to strike once more, Ren assured the girl as he heightened his reinforcement, extending it through Belus. Watching it limblessly swim through the dark sand was unnerving, but he locked his nerves tight as the human child-sized worm lept at him once more.

    "...Got you!"

    Using an overhead strike, the sharpened swing bisected the monstrous inhabitant of the sand cleanly, spraying its bright, yellow interior fluids all over the sand. Seeing the two, separate pieces of its body convulse on the sand as it screeched out made him want to puke, but his priorities were set on the danger posed to his group.

    "Iris! Valerie!"

    Another call came from Macheo, turning the attention of the two mages to the newly appeared holes in the ground.

    "Come on, I''ve been itching to burn something up!"

    Letting hernce-staff manifest to its true form, Valerie slid her forearm under its metallic lid, gripping onto the handle as the underside-caliber began to radiate with a new heat. The same moment the worm breached the surface, a volley of acorn-sized fireballs began to fire from the barrel formed out of the underside of the ivorynce, exploding into miniature explosions of heat.

 Chapter 206 - Panda Is A Panda

    Is that thing also functioning as a damn gun?! Ren thought.

    As he narrowed his eyes to watch this barrage, there was just one issue with this form of brazen attack from the draconic warrior. Theunched fireballs sprayed out in no coherent direction, some spewing left, some right, some even shooting overhead.

    She''s missing every shot! The same thought came to everyone''s mind.

    At the very least, the rapidunch of fireballs worked as suppressive fire; the worm danced in the sand as it evaded the iing shots, finally being struck with one of the pint-sized balls of heat as it was blown back several meters.

    "I got it!"

    Holding a triumphant, smug smile across her face, Valerie pointed her ivory weapon up as if easily dismantling the enemy.

    "...No you didn''t! Watch out!"

    "Eh?"

    Macheo''s sudden yellpletely stole her glory as a confused, nk expression took over Valerie''s proud glow as she then noticed the obsidian worm slithering through the sand towards her all the same.

    "What the?!--A st like that should''ve turned it into gunk!"

    "Its skin is made out of some sort of stone-like material, fire probably isn''t as effective against it!"

    The call from Macheo from up above roared down below, his worried, exasperated tone came from a ce unknown to him.

    It was a feeling he wasn''t quite familiar with; hanging back and giving orders, not being on the frontlines.

    "S-still!..."

    Not wanting to admit her fire wasn''t enough, Valerie muttered quietly as she kicked back into gear, pointing the barrel of her amalgamation of weapon towards the creature.

    On the other side, Iris'' designated worm-opponent seemed to take a different approach; keeping itself buried underneath the thinnest area of sand as it slithered towards her under the guise of the dark sediment. It continued to fake her out, poking its tail up to draw in a thrown spell before quickly sinking back into the depths of the shadowy desert.

    It''s smart!...That''s a creature of Purgatory for you, Iris thought.

    "Do you need some help?"

    Ren called out from the front of the group, hearing the multiple light spells being flung without a conclusion to the battle. Hearing this, Iris could only register it in her mind as pity--striking a nerve in her looming sense of inferiority. It was the one thing she didn''t want the most--to have to rely on the power of the boy who she knew in her heart had surpassed her. Doing such would only cement in her mind just how weak she truly felt she was.

    "No!...No, I''ve got this��"

    Wiping the cold sweat from her cheek, she answered without removing her eyes from the scenery of darkness, watching the trembling surface of rough grain shake before her azure gaze.

    The answer isn''t always to go for the decisive blow right away, being able to expose the enemy to reach that ending--that''s what I need to do! She thought.

    "Helios: Exo-Bind!"

    Following her call, a pir of radiant light extended from her position through the sand. Once it reached a sufficient length, limbs of mystical luminescence sprouted from the original pir, forming six in total, three on each side.

    It was a spell the others had yet to see her use, especiallying as a surprise to Ren''s eyes as he couldn''t help but avert his eyes from his designated point for a moment.

    A rib-cage...It''s like ayed-down rib cage. Nice, Iris, Ren thought.

    The newly formed tendrils of light dug through the skin of the desert, wriggling about as they searched for the target of her intent. Under the pressure of the six, multi-meter long arms of flexible light, formless in nature yet powerful in reality, the worm was siphoned from the veil of sand, hoisted up into the air by a pair of light strings.

    Found you! She thought.

    "Licht: Judgment!"

    Finishing her short-lived battle with the oversized worm, the spell uttered from her lips altered the state of the bastion of light she had already manifested, shifting the tendrils that held onto the creature into an even more vibrant, radiant form as a divine heat radiated. It wasn''t just a change in temperature; the arms of divine brightness squeezed tightly around the worm, twisting and pulling until it was split into a rain of rocky chunks raining down onto the sand.

    Ah...That was a lot grosser than I intended, Iris thought.

    "Nice!"

    "Thanks!"

    Although sinct, the exchange she had with Ren filled her heart with a certain throbbing warmth as she couldn''t help but smile. Even though she found herself somewhat envious of herpanion''s growth, she respected his power all the same.

    I''m such an idiot. I shouldn''t be jealous--I shouldn''t. He worked hard; he bled for this strength. I...I just can''t help but feel this way, she thought.

    "Moreing!...A lot moreing!"

    The yell from the airborne boy up above their heads cemented in what they all saw before their eyes; dozens of spots within the sand geysered up into, tremors generating waves through the area at which they stood.

    "...That''s a whole lot."

    Aiko muttered loud enough for them all to hear, speaking out loud the thought they all shared at the sight of the army of obsidian worms approaching their position.

    "Bring as many as you want! I can take them!"

    After incinerating her opponent, Valerie resumed her usual, sky-high confidence as her vertical pupils glowed with a thirst for further glory, her tail thumping against the sand.

    Despite the open-air boastfulness of his draconicpanion, Ren wasn''t liking the number of enemies lurking within the sand; feeling tremors far more powerful than before. With the unorthodox minds of creatures within Purgatory, a group was always something to be wary of.

    Think, Ren, think, he thought.

    Looking around, he tried to find anything that might prove invaluable against the approaching herd of worms. Looking at the tall, round panda that stood by him, his eyes met with that oversized, exuberant hammer held in his fluffy hands.

    Bingo, he smiled.

    "Hongse!"

    "Mm?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hammer time."

    It took only those words apanied by a guiding smile from Ren for the panda demi-human to understand what was wanted from him.

    "O-K!"

    With an affirming nod, Hongse rose his dense hammer above his head, mustering all of his strength as the muscles lying underneath all of that obscuring fur showed itself; veins popping as his ck, beady eyes shined with an overwhelming radiance of luster.

    "What the hell is he nning?...Oh!"

    ? Muttering to himself as he watched from up above, Macheo couldn''t hear what was said between Ren and the crimson panda, however, from the stance Hongse took as if preparing to smite the desert itself--it was clear as day.

    I get it now; this is the perfect way to fish all of them out at once--no, this might even take some of them out! It''s easy to forget from that fluffy, carefree exterior of his...Hongse''s strength is no joke. Out of all of us, he likely holds the greatest raw physical power, Macheo thought.

    As a clean, refreshing aura ran along the form of the panda as he charged up all of his strength, vibrations began to emit from underneath his feet.

    "Macheo!"

    Realizing just how powerful this smash was going to be, Ren turned his attention to the boy still hovering in the air.

    "Yeah?!"

    "Get us up!"

    It didn''t take even a moment for Macheo to realize what was being asked of him, nodding his head as he snapped his fingers, manifesting a staircase of magical tforms for the others to ascend with.

    "I don''t need such parlor tricks; that''s the birthright of one of draconic blood."

    "Who cares! Just get into the air!"

    Shooting down Valerie''s predicted boast as she looked down at the tform near her feet, Ren''s anxious yell brought her head back into the game, her powerful wings guiding her body into the air. With the rest of the group now hovering in the air, there wasn''t anything holding the panda back from unleashing his full might.

    "...I can''t hold this for very long! This is much past my limit, Ren!..."

    Gritting his teeth, Macheo''splexion shifted to a strained crimson as veins pushed against his skin, holding the flickering tforms into their solid form.

    "Right!--Hongse, do your thing!"

    Given the go-ahead by Ren as he threw his fist to the air, the wide, toothy smile that put onto disy the array of both sharp and t teeth belonging to Hongse flourished as a wave of mystical energy propelled itself from his position.

    If calories really do have some corrtion to mana, then the tens of thousands of calories that Hongse takes in per day is put right into that hammer swing! That''s what makes him such a fearsome warrior--the blubberous nature of a panda! Ren thought.

    All around therge, red-furred panda, the ck sand shook and vibrated; trembling as the obscured worms tunneled towards him in droves.

    "Art of Zao Shen...Mallet of The Inner Hearth."

    The calm, yet mighty aura around Hongse shifted into a fiery essence that exemplified the raw power he conjured, stretching across the form of his precious hammer; scaling over each ridge. Watching this, Valerie narrowed her sharp eyes on the demi-humanpanion of hers.

    It''s a mystic art lost to time; the people of Vesta treat it like a joke now, a mysticism only used by cooks--an art passed down for generations. But I know, Hongse, I know that Zao Shen used to be one of the yers in the Great War of Immortals--those who used the art inhabited strength far surpassing any others. You were the one born with it once more; the original Zao Shen--unable to use the "modern" form of it to inherit your father''s restaurant, you were treated like an outcast. But in reality, you''re extraordinary! That''s why I epted you to join me on this quest, Hongse! I want to see it! Valerie grinned.

    "...Thanks for the meal!"

    Roaring out, Hongse reared the pristine hammer down as far back as he could before sending it back through the air with a swing that made the air howl out. As the t-end of the hammer reunited with the surface of the desert, a shock wave generated between the minuscule space between the material of the weapon and the grains of sand below.

    Stretching into existence, the new force traveled through the surrounding desert, kicking up a storm of ck sand that put the natural efforts of the wind to shame. Even from up above, they werepletely safe from the effects of the smash, feeling the generated winds pelt against them as if a storm had just arrived.

    "...Woah, woah!..."

    nting her feet down against the circr tform, Aiko had to focus as to not be blown back by the resulting wind.

    From thefort of their sand-filled pathways, the obsidian worms were plucked from hiding, most having their innardspletely turned to liquid by the force of the shock wave. Any residual worms found themselves put down by a simple drop of the hammer onto their wriggling forms.

    "Awesome! That was amazing!"

    "Heh. It was thanks to your quick thinking!"

    Exchanging a quick high-five, Ren met with the panda once more, both sharing victorious smiles as the others followed closely behind.

    "Damn, I can still feel it in my bones��"

    Macheo muttered, looking at his one organic arm, squeezing his fist a few times to make sure his nerves still existed.

    "I''m d you''re on our side."

    "Yeah! I''m just happy you took care of all those gross, wiggling worms��"

    Complimented further by Iris and Aiko, Hongse held his humble smile, resting the hammer on his shoulder as he watched the group of his continue onward on their path.

    All my life, my family treated my unnatural strength like some sort of curse.

    I couldn''t cook, I was too clumsy to clean or serve dishes--the only thing I could do was work they saw as "too low". If it wasn''t belittlement, it was fear. I couldn''t make any friends, after identally breaking someone''s arm when ying tag--I was treated like some sort of monster.

    But now, people are thanking me for my strength; I don''t think it''s a curse or a blessing--it''s just my own power, Hongse thought.

    "Youing or what?"

    Stopping together, the whole group looked back at Hongse as he was surrounded by his own thoughts as Valerie called back to the panda.

    "Yeah! I can go for a bite!"

 Chapter 207 - The Scourge Begins

    "...It looks like we''re toote."

    Coughing from the unique, repugnant stench that filled the passageway through the mountain, Sora covered both his nose and mouth as he looked upon the trampled sight resting within the bowels of the rocky path.

    Bodies found themselves strewn about the passage, mauled and torn apart beyond identification--flies hovering their form in their opportunistic nature.

    "Yeah. I know she''s usually pretty vague, but Beatrice really sent us in here blind...That or��"

    "Or?"

    Swatting a fly away from his ivory armor, Sora pushed Sirius for the answer he was keeping closely tucked behind his lips. Each step the man in heavy armor took, it sounded as if the stone beneath his heel was being reduced to sediment, taking care to avoid the puddles of crimson and flung flesh.

    "Or, Beatrice has grown dull in her senses��"

    "Hmm, what makes you say that?"

    Without a twitch of any of their eyelids as they spoke, beings obscured by the shadows revealed themselves, snarling as their purple, lifeless eyes locked onto their flesh.

    "This."

    Coiling his gloved fist in his trademark, purple lightning, Sirius snapped his fingers; a bolt of the erratic energy snapping itself onto one of the husk''s heads as it caved into the immense force, exploding instantaneously.

    "This?"

    Raising an eyebrow, Sora conjured his halberd into his grip, spinning it a few times as he watched the husk crawl across the stone wall rapidly with saliva trickling down its gluttonous jaws. As he stomped his boot into the ground below, the force kicked his vermilion hair up momentarily as he swung his weapon to the side, parting the creature''s head from its shoulders.

    "Yes; it wasn''t nearly this bad when she briefed us on our mission. She can be conniving and downright cold in her tactics, but she wouldn''t purposefully lead us into a less than good situation."

    "I don''t know, she sounded pretty dire to me when she exined it. You might be overthinking things, Sirius."

    By this point, Sirius'' frivolity had left his face; that fair expression of his became riddled with guilt and anxiety as he realized thepromised state of the deste region. As more of the straggler, thin husks scoured the walls in a ravenous thirst for his blood and flesh, Sora watched as hisrade handled them with a single swipe of his hand, the majestic lightning cutting through their rotten forms.

    It''s always a spectacle to see, but damn does it make me angry how good he is. Most people just write him off as talented, naturally gifted with a knack for magic--but that''s wrong. Well, it''s half-right.

    He worked harder than any of us; he sank his everything into the theory of magic and the practice of it. But, what he achieved isn''t something just born from hard work. That''s what Sirius is. He''s the ultimate culmination of talent and hard work, Sora thought.

    Distracted by the array of bright lights emanating from Sirius'' magic, by the time Sora snapped back into focus, all of the husks residing within the tunnel were wiped out by the ck-haired Ounder. The movements used by Sirius were so quick, yet efficient--words were not hard leaving from his lips, but lightning still left from him nheless.

    Halted not by speech, the formless element was unbound, its speed dismantling the hungering corpses without a hitch.

    "Wait!...No fair! I zoned out for a second!"

    "You snooze, you lose."

    Sirius shrugged at the armored man''sint, brushing the dust off of his exuberant uniform with a sly smile. Even if he indulged in Sora''s natural yfulness, the worry and intent in his azure irises didn''t waver in the slightest, keepest his eyes forward on the path ahead.

    "Oh, you''ve got to be kidding me."

    Letting out a groan through his teeth, Sora had to stop himself from punching away the stone threshold holding the entrance to the mountain-side path open.As they reached the otherside of the graveyard of a tunnel, the outside world awaiting was upied with the dreadful fog they attempted to escape.

    "I''m starting to think this isn''t something we can just sweep under the rug and pretend doesn''t exist anymore. Clearly, something is trying to impede us, or even kill."

    Already allowing sparks of purple, erratic mana to travel the surface of his clothing, Sirius stepped forward with his eyes scanning the scenery ahead, obscured by the thick, blinding white that hogged their vision.

    "I don''t think it''s just the fog we have to worry about right now...You feel it, right?"

    "I hear it."

    Sirius responded quietly to Sora, raising both of his hands as a current of vibrant, magenta electricity ran between each palm.

    Leaves cracked and crumbled, twigs snapped--all under the quick, impatient footsteps belonging to the creatures, growling and groaning within the veil of the fog. From the little that could be seen, a trail dyed in blood and ck powder sat ahead of them, while everything else was surrounded by stiff, gloomy trees.

    Again, they''re approaching from within the trees--a lot of them from the sound of it, Sirius thought.

    "I''ll cover you."

    Sirius took a few steps back as he kept his eyes peeled, cing himself behind his tall, bulkyrade who protected himself in even bulkier armor. Hearing this, Sora couldn''t help butugh boisterously as he manifested into his gauntlet the hilt belonging to his beloved greatsword, an unorthodox de that looked as if it could only be wielded by a giant or a madman.

    "Ha-ha-ha! That''s unlike you, leaving all the fun to me!"

    "Well, I''m simply looking at things logically. You do best when you''re given an open field to enact your dance of steel with."

    "That''s damn right."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Stepping into the center of the ustrophobic field that sat just beyond the exit of the mountainside tunnel, the vermilion-haired ex-football yer allowed his helmet to form itself around his head, listening to the many footsteps enclosing on their position.

    I hate to admit it, but it really is the right call. If I upy the battlefield at his side, we''re both going to be hampered by each other''s presence. The reach of his de and the destruction of my magic; it doesn''t exactly fit well together, mainly in the fog like this--one wrong judgment by our eyes and someone will get nicked. Just this once, I''ll spare you some of my spotlight, Sora, he thought.

    The moment the husks made themselves known to the eye, leaping out from the mirrors of mist as their disfigured jaws sat open, leaking pus, blood and other unholy substances--Sora was ready.

    "Prometheus: Link One."

    Filling the grooves of his armor, an orange light ran along the metallic, mystical material before shifting intoplete, radiant mes that ran across his body. It wasn''t an incantation meant to scour the fields in mes, but one to spark the me within himself; he could feel the surging heat run through his veins as his physicality ascended.

    A single press of his sole against the dirt crumbled whatid beneath his step, rearing his giant de back before sending the b of steel across the three gray-skinned bodies that bore their fangs at him. As always, they were a sore sight; being the corpses of humans reanimated, their flesh was scabbed and turned to a gray, lifelessplexion, veins glowing with a subtle purple visible underneath their thin, blistered hide.

    "Come on then!--I''m right here!"

    Taunting the man-eating creatures of depraved magic, Sora sent his me-enhanced greatsword through their midsections, sending back into the forests from which they came a shower of spoiled entrails. From the blindspot of the battle-fueled man, two more of the rotten entities sprinted forth from the cover of the fog, tumbling and nearly crawling on all-fours like wild beasts.

    "Not happening."

    From the tips of each index finger, two lightning bolts crashed onto the husks before they could attempt to get the jump on Sirius''rade. Blowing them apart with magic came at its own cost to his nose, sending the ungodly stench that hung about their forms through the air as their flesh was scattered across the field.

    "Thanks!"

    Yelling from the vanguard, Sora was more than thrilled as more husks crashed onto their position, swinging his de rapidly as the wind howled out under the sheer force generated, transforming the evergreen into a paradise of blood and innards.

    "...Just stay focused!"

    Calling back to hispanion, Sirius yelled out as he threw another thin strand of lightning at a trio of decrepit husks as they lurched towards the vermilion-haired man''s blindspot once again, this time using the singr bolt to strike all three in a chain of lightning.

    Something isn''t right about this, it''s different from before, Sirius thought.

    "Be careful!...I have a bad feeling! The way they''re approaching--it''s different, it''s smart!"

    "Whatever!"

    Hearing the uncaring response from the joyful man as he sent steel through the soft, rotten bodies of the repugnant creatures, Sirius felt his blood boil for a moment at theck of seriousness from his partner.

    "What?!--"

    "You''ve got my back, right?! Then I trust you to handle it!"

    Without turning back, Sora responded through a breath as he continued to guide the massive pir of steel that was the de between his hands through the fog-filled winds, scattering chunks of the husks as they continued to pour towards him. He almost felt like pping himself for thinking Sora meant what he initially thought was an abrasive response, smiling as he let out a yful sigh to himself.

    "...That''s right!"

    Zapping a few more husks that came from behind Sora, the uniform-wearing otherworlder reduced them to charred, inanimate bodies.

    "...Gruah!"

    As if an intangible hand pulled on his head, Sirius drew his head back as the growl came into earshot.

    From the tunnel?!...I thought we got every single one that was in there. Were there more on the other side that are just nowing through? He thought.

    Taking a deep breath, a simple solution came to mind as he guided his heart into a melodic beat, listening closely to it while the resonance of his life filled his eardrums.

    It''s all around you. Flowing, breathing, existing. It''s the origin of us all; the origin of creation itself--control it. Don''t let it control you. Focus it, make it yours! He gritted his teeth.

    An unnatural mana surfaced from his pores, vibrating the air around him as the pebbles at his feet hovered gently in the air.

    It''s been two years since I came to obtain my secondary affinity, and I still hardly have a grasp of it. The problem doesn''t exactly lie in being able to manifest it--actually, the opposite. Too much pours out, it''s unstable, I have to anchor it, Sirius thought.

    Letting a sharp, focused breath part through his teeth, he watched nkly as he could see from the dark bowels of the tunnel within the mountain the radiantly malicious eyes of the iing horde of husks. Only one thought began to fill his mind as he tuned it directly on controlling this alternative magic, repeating it over and over until he cemented it into reality.

    "Weltall: Bisect."

    Leaving his lips in a restrained whisper, he squeezed his gloves, the leather tightening as he watched the two walls of the tunnel instantaneously m shut as a rift in the middle pulled both sides together.

    Even a "simple" spatial spell like that puts my brain into damn knots. That should take care of those pests; I cut off the space between both walls so it turned into one, singr space filled only with stone, he sighed.

    Sessfully pulling this off, he let out a relieved, exasperated breath before turning his attention back to Sora--raising his hands to prepare for a fit of lightning, only to realize hispanion had it covered.

 Chapter 208 - Unseen Foe Within The Mist

    At moments like this, he remembered just how dexterous the brute of a man was, flipping as he spun his gargantuan de as if it were a dagger. The mes that he manifested didn''t push off a heat that turned the des of grass below into ash, but instead boiled his blood with a vigor surpassing his limits; each swing of his sword rattling the forest as it wailed out under his strength. Hulking strength wasn''t the only thing Sora relied on; moving his body fluidly and masterfully,nding on one hand and spinning as if shifting into a breakdance routine. Using the momentum of his own legs as the spun above him, he brought himself back to his feet, catching his greatsword that he had flung into the air.

    The frail husks that poured out in droves stood no chance against this strength, nevering close as the battle-loving, vermilion manughed out.

    "Weak! Weak! Weak!"

    Sirius couldn''t help but smile wryly at the sight familiar to him, the scattered, rotten innards of the decimated husks being vaporized by the lightning aura that passively stuck around the lightning mage.

    There he goes. This is why I wanted to do it this way; once he''s in the zone, he''s in there good. He''s an absolute, unstoppable tank once he uses his Prometheus magic, he thought.

    After another minute of the husks throwing themselves into nothing more than a quick return to whatever hell they crawled out from, all that remained of them was pieces of their tainted bodies strewn across the once pristine green of the field.

    "There''s a whole damn lot of these things, but they''re not exactly all that strong."

    Soramented as he finished off one that managed to survive a sh, bringing down the hunk of his de atop its exposed skull.

    "I wouldn''t get too cocky...We still have no clue what this fog is."

    "Right, it''s still bothering me. Husks don''t just...bring it with them, right?"

    "Don''t think so."

    As Sirius responded calmly, he walked over to Sora as he scrunched his nose being in the center of the bloodied field, the sour, sickeningly sweet smell hitting his nostrils like a freight train.

    Before a moment of reprieve could be found with the end of the husk attack, a low, raspy growl that sounded like the humming of an engine emanated from the depths of the fog. Without a single word being exchanged, the two men were already back to back, watching the mystifying fog as they awaited for the source of the noise to unveil itself.

    Like a wind being swept by the will of the world, the fog began to flow, spiraling around the perimeter of the field as the two men watched anxiously.

    "So...tiring��"

    The voice was unlike anything they had ever heard; the moment it met with their ears, it left a sickening tickle, dropping their stomachs while a cold, chilling sweat formed.

    That isn''t human, Sirius thought.

    What the fuck is that thing? Sora pondered.

    It sounded distorted, speaking as if not used to the concept of its own vocal cords as if mimicking the speech of humans. The cedar creaked beneath the movements of the entity obscured by the heavy, erratic fog.

    "I want...to sleep...but, I have...a job...to do."

    Trying to pinpoint the source of the voice, it was a futile effort--it resounded from all sides of the fog, Sirius realized this as he set his sights on defense instead.

    "Are you gonna use it? Your ability?"

    Feeling the intensifying aura radiate from the man behind him, Sora asked as his voice finally seemed to grasp the significance of their situation.

    "...No."

    I wouldn''t hesitate to use it in a situation like this, but the problem lies in my damn ability altogether. I just...can''t control it well, he thought.

    "Gotcha."

    Opting for a weapon better suited for the affair, the vermilion-haired man allowed his de to dissolve into magical particles before recing it with a more standard longsword. Two chains ran down from each side of the sword, meeting at the bottom of the stygian hilt to wrap around a featureless gem devoid of color extending from the pommel.

    Empyrean Armory: Mode Silver.

    Continuing the alteration of equipment, he shifted his heavy armor into a more sleek, tight-fitting, dark-steel that covered the entirety of his form.

    "Got my back?"

    Asking in a calm whisper, Sora''s voice was now that of a reliablerade rather than a ball of goofiness and frivolity.

    This guy...He''s shooting straight for the enemy despite not knowing a damn thing about it. I can''t say I''m very different, crazy bastard, Sirius smiled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yeah!"

    As soon as Sirius affirmed his assistance, the body-armored man set off like a bullet, cracking the sound barrier as the evergreen parted under his agility.

    Before Sora hadpletely disappeared within the innards of the fog, Sirius attached to him a thin, but resilient strand of lightning.

    I don''t know if he knew I was going to do this before running off. It''ll be easy to track him if he really does get lost now, Sirius thought.

    It didn''t take more than the blink of an eye for hispanion to sink into the enigmatic veil of the fog, the sounds of his footsteps being drowned out by its mysticism.

    "Prometheus: Link Two!"

    Emanating from the innards of his smooth, thin armor that covered his body like atex suit, Sora manifested a heat that extended from head to toe, increasing in speed as each step propelled him forward vastly.

    It has to be close, the fog is much thicker than before! Sora thought.

    As he sprinted over the grass that could only be recognized by feel and not sight, something trickled up his spine. His instincts yelled out at him in that moment, pivoting off of his right foot as he leapt to the side for no particr reason.

    The very moment his body left the ground, a force burrowed through the space which he once stood. Landing back down, he narrowed his vision to see that not only the grass had been vaporized, but the soil below had been swallowed up by that very force.

    "...The hell."

    Remarking to himself in a whisper, the air that met his ear felt slightly off. It was that same, dreadful tingle that crawled over his senses, forcing him to swerve his body as another st passed by him, missing by only an inch.

    That almost got me! It''s here--it''s close! He thought.

    Raising his guard, stayed on the tip of his toes, scanning his surroundings to no avail as the fog never lifted its obscuring nature. The limbs of the army of trees waved, the verdant feathers whistling as a sharp wind inhaled and exhaled.

    Another!

    Feeling this oneing earlier than before, Sora evaded it and quickly propelled his body towards the source of the st. As he drew deeper into the forest, another terrorizing assault of wind pressureunched at him, eating away at the tree trunk shielding him from its wrath as he evaded it once more. Using the body of the cedar behind him as footing, he kicked off of it, unrooting and tumbling the high-reaching tree as he held his sword tightly.

    He could feel it now; the despair-inducing, evil mana signature deriving from the entity within the fog. Continuing his sprint forward, he could hear it; the deep, sharp breaths that sounded as if they were whistling through teeth.

    I''ve got you! He yelled in his mind.

    "How...troublesome��"

    The voice was now much clearer as he drew near its form, hearing the bellowing, unstable voice find his ears before a chill ran over his body. Before anything could be seen, it felt as if the space around him simply caved in; an immense pressure hit him from all directions, feeling the air be trapped inside of his lungs before he was backwards violently.

    "...Uagh...Shit��"

    Landing roughly against the body of a tree, leaves cascaded down onto him in a verdant shower before he slowly brought himself back to his feet.

    Was that the same attack as before?...All four directions this time. Well, I don''t think anything is broken, but damn is my head going to hurt tomorrow, Sora chuckled.

    Smacking his head a few times to fix his fuzzy vision, he could sense a disturbance in the air again, raising his guard as he prepared to counter any st of the invisible force.

    "Bring it on! I''m getting used to this one!"

    Taunting whatever entity was responsible for this, his banter was quickly forced back behind his teeth as this time he saw for just a moment that the force was instead something tangible.

    Stepping inside, the impact of the unknown projectile met the trunk of the cedar with a stomach-turning squelch. A rain of ck blood sshed across the des of grass as he slowly turned his eyes to the tree.

    Seeing it temporarily halted his next breath; the gray-skinned body of a husk stuck to the tree as its head had been squashed into paste upon meeting the harsh bark of the oak. The stickiness of its own rotten material kept its body hanging from the side of the tree.

    It��threw a husk at me?��No, that doesn''t make any sense, he thought.

    The sheer absurdity of that concept didn''t seem possible even though he witnessed it before his eyes.

 Chapter 209 - A New Challenger

    "The fog��Maybe the fog is ying tricks with my eyes��"

    Pushing himself forward, he tightened his grip on his de as he bounced from spot to spot, now being on the receiving end of an array of the husk-cannonballs.

    Each flesh-projectileunched at him let out a repulsive squelch uponnding harshly from the massive speed at which it traveled through the air. Evading just the bodies wasn''t enough; a st of highly-pressurized fog collided against his torso, throwing him back as his metallic boots dug into the soil for bnce.

    "Shit��I was too focused on the husks, I forgot about those."

    Patting his chest a few times as the sound of steel shing echoed through the foggy forest, he coughed up the force stuck in his throat.

    Even in my Mode Silver, the fog-sts aren''t much of a threat. All it really does is blow me away and take the air out of my lungs for a bit. It feels more like it''s just a stall move��which means the suspect must not be very strong! He thought.

    It didn''t take much for him to sprint forth again with maximum vigor.

    Kicking up patches of grass and soil alike with each high-speed step, Sora pressed his palm forward as mama condensed in the space in front of his gauntlet.

    "Prometheus: Gift of Ash!"

    Sorry, forest, he thought.

    Launching from his hand, a wall of mes manifested from embers newly born into the misty winds, shifting the bountiful green into lifeless ck as the fire propelled onward. As it gained airtime, the conjured, formless mes coalesced into the head of the king of the jungle, unleashing a roar of cackling, burning orange that trembled the twigs around.

    Theunched bodies of balled-up husks intercepted the traveling, viscous me, being charred after meeting the warm embrace of its form.

    It wasn''t just some random offensive magic I decided to fling forward!��Roar of Ash targets the biggest source of mana in my immediate area. The fact it didn''t stop at the flung husks means it''s close! He smiled.

    Even if even the brightness of the roaring, prominent me became hidden by the thick, unnatural fog, he could still track the presence of his own mana signature as it burrowed past nature.

    "Ah��hot��want to dodge��but, troublesome��"

    The mncholic voice was heard once more, followed by the roar of the me meeting it''s desired targets dissolving into an explosive impact that unleashed a shock wave through the nearby area.

    "Found you!"

    Kicking forward with a triumphant smirk, Soraunched himself into the vicinity where the explosion urred.

    "��Found��I''ve been��"

    It was right above his head, the troublesome voice he''d endured within the fog all this time.

    Seeing it, he questioned whether or not he was really happy with the result his stubbornness brought him.

    Though it''s torso was simr to that of a human, covered in pale, it''s lower half resembled that of a serpent. As thick as two tree trunks put together, it''s sable, slimy-seeming serpentine lower half smacked against the ground as it was seen by eyes.

    Looking down at him, thepletely white head of the inhuman creature didn''t seem to possess any eyes, instead staring at him only with its lipless, wide-grin as it bore its ck gums. As it had no legs to stand on, it instead seemed to support its enormous body with its colossal arms, digging its obsidian ws into the dirt as a sharp breath left its maw.

    "I''ll��kill��then, sleep��"

    During this entire time adjusting his eyes to the odd features before them, Sora had not yet moved a single muscle.

    Move! Why��Am I so damn scared?��It''s this damn fog, it''s so much heavier around this thing! It''s intoxicating, I can feel it making my mind fuzzy! Sora thought.

    Puffing its chest out, the daunting entity took in an inhale of the fog, sucking it into its lungs like a powerful vacuum as the ground beneath rattled.

    I''m going to be hit��Shit! Shit!

    Unable to twitch a finger while standing directly in front of it, he could only watch as it then lowered its head down to his level, its cheeks puffed out as it held the malicious air within. Preparing to face the sheer, full-impact of the st of fog, Sora felt a force suddenly tug on his back.

    "Huh?"

    Another tug came before he was then flung backwards, narrowly avoiding trees not by his own dexterity. After a half-minute of the stomach-jolting way of travel, hended harshly on his rear.

    "What the hell?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wee back."

    Looking up at the source of the voice, a familiar gloved hand extended down towards him. Smiling down at him, Sirius'' blue eyes stood out within the dull atmosphere of the ground-level clouds.

    "I saw it. That damn thing isn''t normal."

    "Scared?"

    "Yeah��but that doesn''t mean I''m backing down!"

    Being hoisted back to his feet as Sirius held onto his forearm, the vermilion-crowned man turned his gaze back to the direction from which he came back from.

    "Yeah, that''s what I thought. So, what''re we dealing with here?"

    "It''s definitely a monster, but��it was speaking."

    Brushing the sediment from the shoulders of his otherwise pristine armor, Sora cracked his joints as he dismantled his helmet without the touch of his own fingertips.

    "That really was it talking earlier? Creepy."

    A rumbling could be heard in the distance, originating from within the maw of the forest from which Sora retreated from.

    "It also used the fog to hit me, sort of like sts of air. That and��"

    "And?"

    "Damn thing was throwing husks at me like it was dodgeball."

    The way Sora said it, he sounded as if he was half-expecting hispanion to immediately doubt the validity of his im, but Sirius only let out a quiet chuckle to himself. Tapping the toe of his boot against the ground below, Sirius stretched his arms above his head, swaying side to side before settling himself back to his two feet.

    "Oh, right!"

    "Huh?"

    Stopping mid-stretch, Sirius turned his gaze back to hispanion as he spoke up. Sora found it difficult for a moment to find the words hanging above his tongue as he saw the look in Sirius'' eyes--absolute focus, he was preparing for a real bout.

    "When I got close to it, the fog hanging around its body made it hard for me to move!"

    "Got it. I won''t stick around long enough for that to happen then."

    It was an expression every Ounder was painstakingly familiar with; an electric sparkle glimmered in his azure irises, a smirk that sent volts through the hearts of all--it was the pristine, indomitable confidence of the man who proimed himself the strongest--the shining radiance of Sirius Federov as he prepared for a real battle.

    "I think I''ve shared enough of the spotlight, it''s time to show-off a bit."

    As vexing as it was to be sidelined, the vermilion-haired man couldn''t help but smile at this development.

    It''s been awhile since I''ve seen him really in action. Even during the Monster Hunt, it was just a bit of roughhousing--when he''s intending to give it a serious effort, I don''t know what can stand against him, Sora thought.

    The booming, echoing sound of trees being uprooted and sent to the embrace of the soil traveled through the fog-covered forest. A low, reverberating groan could be heard as the pirs of the maze of evergreen were sent crashing.

    "It''sing. Sorry...I can''t really move well right now...That damn fog..."

    As Sora clenched his fist, even that small action required him to fight his rebellious nerves as they twitched against his will, giving hispanion a trembling smile.

    "Yeah. Just hang back."

    Tapping his foot against the ground once more, ayer of static formed in the small space between the sole of his boot and the soil below.

    If I can keep the fight within the forest, I won''t have to worry about friendly-fire. I''m sure the monstrous bastard won''t mind keeping the battle in its advantageous terrain, Sirius thought.

 Chapter 210 - Eve Of A Divine Battle

    Dropping his upper-half down, for a moment it seemed he was going to allow himself to fall over, only to kick his foot forward to unleash himself into a speed matching that of his own lightning. Behind this agility, the sound barrier shrieked multiple times over as a storm of soil was kicked up.

    Finding himself within the depths of the forest within a moment, he rapidly spun around each cedar as he searched for his opponent.

    "Another...human...Troublesome, how troublesome��"

    Hearing the unsettling voice, Sirius couldn''t help but smile as he found the creature within the fog, shifting his course to theplete reverse as he kicked himself off a tree,unching backwards at the speed of a bolt towards the voice.

    Differing pressures in the air were both felt and heard, listening to the subtle hisses within the fog-covered winds as he raised his guard for a moment.

    With his heightened reaction time, he was able to discern the identity of the projectilesunched at him, taking in the visual stimuli into his azure jewels.

    Husks...He wasn''t lying. Is this thing responsible for making the husks around here?...I doubt it, a high-level of magical knowledge is required, he thought.

    Extending two lines of straight, controlled lightning from each hand, he generated des of the erratic element before cutting apart the iing flesh cannonballs. Even as he countered the approaching projectiles, his movement wasn''t halted in the slightest, even using the peculiar footing awarded to his evasion as a ce in which tounch forward.

    Bouncing from tree to tree rapidly like a pinball, the array of sts ranging from fits of fog and rotten bodies began topletely miss, flying in directions opposite to his position. From all of the attacksunched, he gathered enough information to pinpoint its location, springing forward once more.

    Going by his own evaluation of the territory by his swift movements, he ended up exactly where he wanted to be: behind the enemy, staring right at its back formed of slimy-looking, snow-white skin.

    Found you! He smiled.

    "Fast...This human is...fast��"

    As he closed in on its position with a de of lightning still extending from his glove, the slow, uncaring words it spoke threw him off for a moment as his instincts sparked.

    From the left?...No, the right? Everywhere! He thought.

    From all sides, pirs of fog coalesced as they closed in on his position, spiraling and hurling forward with murderous force.

    I was too set on the prize that I wasn''t looking out for any attacks like this!--It''s way faster than any of the other attacks...Stronger, too. Bastard, he thought.

    The malicious forms of fog neared his body, gaining on him in the moment slowed by his riled up senses. Even still, he smiled--it wasn''t enough. Waiting until the veryst possible moment to dodge, he contorted his body around the iing strikes as he shifted into a string of lightning, crashing against the tree opposite of his position.

    Now brought in front of the monster, he looked upon its terrifying appearance, witnessing its grin carved across its lips as it slowly rose its head to meet his gaze.

    "You''re one ugly bastard, aren''t you?..."

    "Problematic...Fast...Must handle��"

    Forcing himself to ignore it''s daunting words spoken from its grime-covered teeth, Sirius jumped up as the thick, discolored fog emanating directly from the monster''s pores attempting topromise his position.

    "Handle this!"

    Generating an unstable surge of his magenta lightning around his hand, he reared his arm back beforeunching a bolt like a piston. As fast as the element traveled down, the creature still managed to make the first move as its long, troublesome tail pped against the soil, bringing its hands up as its ws mirrored each other.

    Before the bolt could meet its body, fog shot out from every pore of its body like steam from a train engine, quickly forming a cloud heavier than any other within the reach of the forest.

    "Interesting--you''ve got some tricks, don''t you?"

    Sirius smiled as he brought himself into the free winds above the reach of the pine, watching as the malicious fog scoured heavily through the depths of nature.

    "Well, I''ve got some of my own."

    Taking in a deep breath, he hovered above the forest as if standing on solidified air, interlocking his fingers before cracking them.

    "All of which stands beneath my own two feet; strike down that which wracks with malevity below heaven. Zeus: Prejudice Smiting!"

    Using the tip of his finger as the anchor of this spell, an array of enormous limbs of lightning poured down from the sky, striking down at the mass of the fog repeatedly. Trees were quickly burnt up, splitting up and tumbling if not explodingpletely as the volley of magical smites struck down towards the world.

    Each time the massive, potent bolts hammered down on the fog-filled forest, a shock wave echoed through its bowels. After a minute of these repeated strikes, a region of the forest could no longer be recognized as such; the oak-formed pirs were disintegrated, the bountiful, green locks of the soil were dested, left only with hollow dirt.

    "Did I get it?"

    Silence was the only response to his question that fell upon his ears as he gazed down at the result of his efforts. Not even the bones of the forest critters were left, only residual sparks of electricity left over by his spell filled the hollow, charred section of the forest.

    What caught his eye that didn''t before was the condensed ball of fog sheltered at one corner of this now barren section, watching as it began to move.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The fog--it used it as a shield of some sort?...It''s smart. I still don''t get it--just what the hell is this thing, and why is it here? If this is really the doing of Belmon, then could this be...

    "Damn-- tenacious, aren''t you?!"

    Without further hesitation, the sphere of gyrating fog shot up into the sky, making an effort to circle around to his position before the form of the creature was once more revealed, propelling itself into the air with a stream of its mystical mist.

    "Effort...I must...use effort��"

    Before it couldunch whatever attack it was nning as its maw spread wide enough, dislocating its jaw to do so, a strike of lightning stunned it for a moment. Another came, and another, the repeated strikes all came one after another in a singr moment.

    "That hide of yours is tough--but that''s all you are!"

    Breaking the distance between himself and the creature amidst the azure skies, he sent it crashing down with an axe kick to its pecs. Following up with a stream of violet electricity, a groan released from the enigmatic monster''s maw.

    Watching the dust settle, he finally realized why it was that his attacks didn''t seem to put it down. All of the marks ced on its flesh by the raze of the lightning quickly reverted, as if time itself rewound its wounds back to normal condition.

    I see, it''s regenerating. Annoying, he thought.

    "Hurts...It hurts!..."

    For the first time, real emotion exuded from its unnatural, booming voice as it wed at the wretched soil below, its tail pping against the ground as it cracked the soil.

    "Oh?"

    "Kill you...Hurt you...I''ll get...serious."

    As it brought its head up to face the man hovering in the sky, its wide grin had now flopped over into an unsettling frown as its teeth rapidly chattered at such a speed it seemed its teeth would shatter from the continued stress.

    "I''m waiting."

    It seemed to hear him despite the vast space between them, its teeth continuing to grind and chatter, clicking before it arched its back, shifting its jaw once more as a gathering mist formed in its exposed throat.

    "Brahhh!--"

    From its bowels, a condensed tunnel of fog unleashed directly towards him with a ferocious speed. He quickly thwarted this attempt at an attack, appearing next to the creature before it could even recognize he had moved.

    "Let''s see how you like this one!"

    Snapping his fingers near its ribcage, he unleashed an array of lightning bolts taking the shape of many gauntlets, all thrown against its side as a volley of shock waves unleashed from the impact.

    "Grahhh!..."

    The full force of the attack tumbled the creature over, seeming to anger it as it threw its fist to the ground in contention.

    "Annoying! Annoying!...Little man! Making me work so hard!..."

    As it roared out its maledictions to him, he started to put all of the clues together, scanning its appearance with his eyes once more, from its thick, ck tail the size of a tree and the pale, bumpy body it possessed.

    The uncaring,zy attitude it constantly whines with...Could it be? He thought.

    "You''re Sloth, aren''t you?"

    Asking this of the belligerent beast, its tantrum fell to aplete halt as its long, sturdy arms fell to its side as it looked at the gray-uniform wearing man with its non-existent eyes.

    "Know...me?..."

    "I mean, it''s not hard to put two-and-two together...Not many monsters can take a beating like that and stand up--that type of strength is reserved for the Beasts of Sin. Besides, you''rezy as hell."

    Exining his conclusion with a cocky smile, Sirius knew his guess was right as the frown on the beast''s face rose into a grin once more.

    "Ah...That''s correct...I am...Sloth."

    "Well, nice to meet you, Sloth. Today is your lucky day; you''ve earned the chance to meet the resident loud-mouthed, self-proimed big brother of the Ounders. Sirius Federov, burn the name into your memory, because that''s the name of the strongest Ounder!"

 Chapter 211 - Epilogue - Sky Dragon Conglomerate

    "Can''t you make this thing go any faster?"

    Kicking his feet up on the steel table locked into the floor, an array of messy, unorganized papers flustered off the sides as heined. Blowing between his lips a fit of air, he pushed the messy, low-hanging, light-brown fringes that nearly covered his eyes out of the way.

    "If you want to be the driver and pour your own damn mana into this thing, be my guest!"

    Yelling from the front of the armored vehicle, the man with pale, blonde hair replied sharply with his rough, unrefined voice.

    "Mm, I''ll pass. The captain always needs to stay at one-hundred percent."

    Speaking with a yawn carrying his voice, the rxed man held a smile that held a certain smugness to it that sent the blonde-haired driver into further frustration.

    "Then shut the hell up! I''m losing focus here��"

    It was a less than savory position--driving the unorthodox vehicle. Taking on that role, the blonde demi-human up front kept both of his forearms inside of steel tubesyered with magic seals; his veins pressing against his skin as the metallic limbs inhaled his magical energy as fuel to propel the vehicle.

    Crouching beside the table where the proimed captain of the magic-propelled vehicle propped his boots up, a young boy, likely no older than his early teens, began to pick up the papers which fell to the floor.

    "Please be more careful, Captain��"

    Carefully gathering the scattered parchment and neatly cing them back on the table formed of dark-gray steel, the boy looked at the man with concerned eyebrows.

    "Alright, alright."

    ? The captain said without looking at the boy, keeping his eyes on the roof of the vehicle as he rested the back of his head against his arms.

    "Give him a sincere answer, Nikko!"

    A sudden force smacked the back of the captain''s head, following the reprimansive, feminine voice from behind him. Holding a scrunched up map in her hand, shaped into the form of a blunt object, a woman with fearsome, crimson locks stared down at the man as he nced back without moving his head.

    "Keep acting like that, and you''ll never get married��Mary"

    Nikko sat up from his lounged position with a sly smile, casually evading another strike of the weaponized map as if never noticing iting in the first ce. Rolling up the sleeves of his long, sleek, ck-coat with a variety of pockets, he ced his hand over his mouth before yawning, adjusting his round-rimmed sses as the yellow lenses obscured the true color of his eyes.

    "Grr...Whatever. Just stop making trouble for Simon!"

    "It''s really not a problem��"

    The boy meekly butted in, making sure the papers were ced neatly back on the table before adjusting his formal, hazel head of hair from the view of his eyes, which held a light-blue tinge.

    "That''s your problem! If you don''t step up, you''ll always be walked over!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary''s overzealous nature seemed to be normal around the confines of the odd vehicle as both Nikko and the driver upfront chuckled to themselves. All four members of this group shared the same uniforms, at least in color--what they each individually wore waspletely distinct from one another.

    "And you��"

    Oh boy, Nikko thought.

    Hearing Mary''s voice shift to his position, Nikko let out an audible sigh that he immediately regretted, running his fingers through his bountiful head of hair.

    "This is a CLASS-S mission from the Hollow Order, are you in any position to be lounging around, Captain?"

    "I do my best with a free mind. Besides, all we''re doing is clearing out some husks. It''s not anything worth pulling a muscle in your brain over."

    The frivolity disyed by the captain didn''t please any of the other three as he quickly corrected his confident, rxed smile with a more serious expression, using his knuckles to reposition his sses on the bridge of his nose.

    "In reality, there really isn''t anything to worry about. Unbezwingbar is the perfect counter to husks; I mean, what''re they going to do? Scratch and bite at the magically-reinforced metal of it? It''ll be an easy bag of gold--right into our pockets."

    Nikko rubbed his index finger and thumb together, tilted his head back to look at the stern woman as she finally gave in, folding her arms before returning to her seat on the cushioned, ck-leather chairs firmly built into the mythical vehicle.

    "Acting like a bigshot when you were the one who put on that grand, over-the-top disy for Commissioner Veldroma?"

    A gruff, deep voice spoke out, apanied by the sound of footsteps against the metallic floor of the moving, insted vehicle. Walking into the main room of the mobile base, a tall, slender man stood at the doorway, fixing the many straps that ran along his baggy, sable uniform.

    Put on the spot, a nervous chuckle spawned from Nikko as he averted his gaze with a bit of fluster.

    "Oh, I remember! He really did put on quite the show for themissioner, didn''t he? "Where better to look than the ''Sky Dragon Conglomerate''! Together, we''ve taken down Phantasm after Phantasm--when we put our minds together, nothing can stop us!" Just like that, right?"

    Simon struck a pose, earning a small round of apuse from Mary while the gruff man with long, curly tufts of jet-ck hair chuckled dryly to himself.

    "Hey! I''m the reason our wallets are going to be full, a bit of gratitude here would be nice! Although...I guess there is a fair enough reason to use moderate effort."

    Finally standing up from his lounged position with a stretch, Nikko let out a sigh backed by a smile before turning his gaze back towards the otherpanions behind him.

    "And that is?"

    "He''s going to be there."

    "Who?"

    "Liam Reid, or otherwise known as--"The Wild Card". Or otherwise-otherwise known as, a pain in my ass. Whichever of our groups performs the best during this mission will likely be the deciding factor on which of our guilds is promoted to S-rank atst."

 Chapter 212 - Sirius Federov

    Fields of cold white, stretching as far as the eye could see, it was the scenery he found himself staring at for the past seventeen years of his life.

    As always, a shade of red overtook his nose as a breath of frost left his lips while staring out at the distant mountains, frosted over with the same white as everywhere else.

    It''s always felt like these mountains have kept us walled in here. As if constantly reminding us "This is where you''ll spend your entire life".

    "Sirius! Off day-dreaming again?"

    Running past him and looking back was the girl he was with, trudging through the thickyers of snow that inhabited the trail.

    "...I guess so."

    Returning her frivolity with a small smile of his own, he began to move forward once more after shuffling the firewood on his back into ce, moving one foot after another.

    Everything I do is for them. If I tell them that, I can forget the pain of my dreams. If I say it''s for my siblings, I won''t hate this snow so much. I won''t hate how suffocated I am in this remote environment. They can inherit my dreams bigger than myself, they can do it. I''ll entrust it all to them

    If it''s for them, I''ll be their strong, reliable big brother.

    "Strong...Too strong...He lied...To me��"

    Knocked back by an abrasive, quick bolt of lightning, Sloth''s enormous body was sent tumbling through the trees outlining the barren field.

    "What''s that? Crying already?--I haven''t even gotten serious yet!"

    I know I''m unbearable sometimes. But, this is just me being the best me I can. I''ve always believed with all of my heart--if you want to be strong, you have to act like it. Be the strongest, say you''re the strongest, yell it out until your throat is torn and bleeding, until the ears of all those around ache, he thought.

    With a harsh nt of his boot into the abdomen of thepromised monster bearing the title of sin, Sirius held a smile fueled by the thrill of battle. Sloth attempted to retaliate with a thrust of its long tail, hitting nothing but air as the man moved at a speed iprehensible to it.

    "I...wasn''t told...you''d be...this strong!..."

    "Oh? Sounds like I''ve been underestimated."

    Appearing directly in front of the beast''s face, Sirius nted his open palm against its massive canvas, harshly pushing it back down against the soil with a thunderous impact.

    It''s not...just magic...his raw strength...is too great, thought Sloth.

    Wreathing about in the soil as it, Sloth brought itsrge, unnatural body back up as it searched for its opponent. All across its gaze, Sirius vanished and reappeared in various spots; one moment, he was standing atop a tree branch, the next, he stood on a stone--then, he was directly in front of him.

    "Boo."

    Unleashing a strike of pure magical energy in such close proximity, the resulting explosion split Sloth''s head apart.

    "Augh...Rragh��"

    The sight was too unsettling for Sirius to part his eyes; despite the creature having its head peeled and stretching in every direction, flesh, and skin dangling like peeled wallpaper, its flesh continued to wrivel, stitching his head back together slowly as it continued to groan out.

    "You''re disgusting. You fit right into this damned world, don''t you?"

    "Grahh...Pay...You''ll...pay!.."

    With its head reformed within moments of being nearly obliterated, Sloth parted its mouth, salivating as its anger rose tangibly as its pale-white skin blistered, veins stretching across its entirety.

    "And who''s going to collect that payment? You?"

    Sirius was already behind Sloth before the beast could realize he even disappeared, sending directly into its thick, bulging spine a terrorizing shock thatpromised its movements.

    "Come on. I haven''t even really used any spells yet. Don''t tell me this is the power of one of the Beasts of Sin? How disappointing."

    I should probably hurry up and finish it off. I''m not so worried about Lucas anymore if this thing isn''t after him, but still...I need to be quick and stop ying, he thought.

    "Disappointing?...Oh...Ah��"

    A strange sensation arose from the creature''s body, instructing Sirius'' instincts to jump back as he witnessed a change oveing the unsightly beast. It spread its arms out like an eagle, vibrating as its skin moved unnaturally as if something beneath was bubbling up.

    "I...I was told I wouldn''t have to do much��.I''ve been saving it...for years��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Pained groans left its maw, echoing as its voice distorted further, scraping at its own flesh and peeling it away as fountains of a ck, thick substance oozed out like a fountain. Soon, it became covered in this dark substance, crawling over its torn apart flesh as if it were sentient.

    What the hell is going on? He thought.

    The sight itself was straight out of a nightmare, more of the mysterious, dark substance being exiled from its bowels as it poured from its maw, sitting in a constantly forming puddle of the ck bile.

    "...If you think I''m going to sit around and let you power up, then you''re mistaken!"

    Bringing his hand over his shoulder, Sirius prepared to unleash a lethal snap of his fingers towards the beast--only stopping as Sloth fell to a statue-like halt of his movements. Its skin began to crack, splitting up before a gray, rocky tinge came over its entire body.

    "...Just what am I looking at?"

    Before he could do anything further, the statue-turned beast began to peel its new skin once more, the ck liquid seeping through the cracks forming before the stone fell from its body. As the shed stone-hide fell to the ground below, it crumbled to ash.

    The reveal of its metamorphosed body came into view, its oncepletely white skin now took on a shade ofplete ck, the outline of its sturdy bones pressing against its skin was softly illuminated by a crimson hue.

    "Ah...Much better��"

    The ws it previously held were gone, foregoing the beast-like hands, reced by humanoid fists that seemed to possess extra joints, holding the same crimson glow on each exposed, spiral joint. Any residual fog was quickly sucked back through its pore, inhaling it like a long-winded breath, filling its lungs as it puffed its chest out.

    "Sirius...Sirius...It''s been a long time��"

    "Huh?"

    As the newly transformed Sloth turned to face the human, its unsettling face looked at him with a grin full of ckened teeth, crimson circles presenting the spots where its eyes should belong.

    "Since...I''ve had...fun��Stimte me...More..."

    Without hesitation, Sloth was stuck with a ferociouset of lightning directly to its dome. nting the underside of his boot against its grossly squishy face, he packed his kick with a further surge of lightning, knocking the creature back a few meters.

    However, it remained standing on its tail, its neck reared back from the force of the kick as steam and residual electricity flowed from the spot of impact.

    "Ah...Not...bad��"

    The moment he saw its smile turn to face him once more, the creature somehow was right in front of him with its enormous fist closing in towards his expression.

    It''s fast now!...Really fast! He thought.

    Caught off-guard by the sudden increase in speed, the strike nced by his head as he evaded it with his lightning-quick swiftness. It didn''t stop with just the one thrust of its fast; slithering towards him as it towered above him with its jarring height, it continued with an array of strikes, hammering down against the soil as each hit sent a tremor through the forest.

    Not just speed!--It''s aggressive now. Is this really "Sloth"?! What happened to that uncaring attitude? He thought.

    Vaulting over its arm with the length and width of a tree, he smoothly slid over it before countering with a swift kick to the beast''s jaw, spinning around beforeunching onto his feet.

    Brushing off the hit by shaking its head like a drenched dog, Sloth quickly resumed its storm of blows.

    Intercepting the flurry of attacks from the newly awakened beast, Sirius sent out a group of flexible lightning bolts, extending from web space between his fingers. As the dynamic fits of purple lightning reached the form of the enormous creature, they wrapped around it tightly, squeezing its massive arms to its sides,pletelypromising its movements.

    "...I''m sure you won''t mind being still for a minute, would you?!"

    Sucking in air between his teeth, Sirius leaped into the air, dragging with him the rope of lightning that held the creature in temporary captivity, looping it over his head with strength that seemed to capture the surprise of Sloth. Each movement Sloth attempted to make to escape its bindings was met with a violent shock, surging throughout its entire body as its movements were sent haywire by the electric stimuli.

    "Nice try, but these bindings are made for muscle-bound bastards like you!"

    Like a meteor crashing down into the world, Sirius plummeted the ck-hidded creature against the forest ground harshly, unleashing a geyser of dirt and dust. Wiping the sweat from his chin, Sirius witnessed the expected oue of the assault.

    "Augh...Pesky...chains��"

    Sloth brought itself back up from within the cloud of dust, seeming to now ignore the retaliatory shock from its bindings.

    It''s not working anymore?--Is it adapting to it? Sirius thought.

 Chapter 213 - Grand Magic

    Allowing the entrapment spell to fade away, Sirius swerved out of the way of a quick strikeing from the beast. The air pressure being sliced apart by the brutality of the strength behind its massive fist could be felt as it caused his ck tufts to flow in the upstarted winds.

    There was no technique or refinement to the way it threw its fists--clearly wanting nothing else but to destroy the confident man who stood before itself, holding the same, unchanging smile that irked it to its core.

    "This is how you throw a damned punch!"

    Responding in kind with a throw of his own fist, Sirius sent his fist directly against its chest as it narrowly missed him with its own attack, throwing the beast back against a series of trees its heavy body broke through.

    "So small...yet...strong��"

    "Who''re you calling small?"

    Sloth recovered almost instantaneously once again, slithering towards him as it abrasively broke through whatever trees obscured its path. As it raised its fist to the air, Sirius prepared to counter it--only for the creature to stop its attack midway as it used its long tail to swing its body around from one tree to the next.

    Nowing from behind Sirius, the creature opted to use its tail as a weapon, sending the massive appendage against the ground, shattering the soilpletely into a crater. Going into the air to evade the attack, the man returned the favor by sending a surge of lightning in the shape of a dragon head down towards the position of Sloth.

    The massive spell unleashed manifested from Sirius'' extended palm with a size dwarfing the tallest trees in the region, inhabiting a size not differing from that of a true dragon.

    That bastard seems to be warming up slowly. Or is it learning as it fights? Either way, it''s getting annoying, Sirius thought.

    Reaching Sloth, the purple dragon formed of strings of lightning didn''t dissolve into an attack upon contact, instead sweeping therge creature into its formless jaws and dragging it back into the air with it.

    I''ll end it right here, right now.

    Dissolving his physical form to that of lightning, he carried a speed matching the same element, meeting Sloth midair as the creature fruitlessly attempted to escape the jaws of the magically-formed dragon''s maw. Coming in at such a transcended speed, a simple collision of Sirius'' fist, which blended the line between solid matter and sma, thrust Sloth back at a violent speed as the impact carried with it a shock wave that brought the forest into apuse.

    Continuing to move at this vicious speed, unimaginable and untraceable, each impact against Sloth came unknowingly as the creature failed to track its opponent, the sound barrier being shattered relentlessly with every movement taken.

    Sloth remained airborne simply by the grace of Sirius'' onught of what were only simple meetings of his fist to the creature''s flesh. Each hitpletely shattered the bones beneath its hide, blowing chunks of its tainted flesh away as it regenerated just as fast.

    "Unfair...Unfair...This isn''t...Fair!"

    Whining out, Sloth was quickly silenced as for the first time during this attack, it saw him. Coming from above its gaze, descending upon it was a fist coiled in such potent mana it felt the air it breathed in shock its own lungs.

    The very moment the gloved knuckle brushed against the smallest particle belonging to its own head, the lightning shrieked out, unleashing a cascading shock wave that followed Sloth down as it was sent down at a speed breaking the sound barrier once more. Landing back down like a smiting from the heavens to the world below, Sirius witnessed Sloth once more wiggle back up.

    Most of its head had been vaporized by the previous impact, exposing only the few nerves remaining as only its bottom jaw remained, its tongue hanging out as it breathed heavily.

    "And somehow, you''re still alive...If the concept of death even belongs to a monster like you."

    Watching as the top of its jaw reformed from strands of its stygian flesh intertwining in a repulsive manner, Sirius himself once again disgusted yet curious by the process.

    "Monster?...Ah, that''s right--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Before it could finish speaking or regenerating, Sirius snapped himself back into focus, stomping his boot down as he swiped his hand violently through the air. Manifesting from the area in which he moved his hand, a massive outburst of pure, rampant lightning scaled through the bowels of the forest. The unchecked burst of magical energy not only carved through Sloth, but dug its potent reach far throughout the extensive valley of nature.

    The end result of such a quick, violent spell had turned the equivalent of an entire vige''s worth of the forest into a wastnd which would no longer give birth to verdancy. It wasn''t something he took any pleasure in; needlessly desecrating nature, but he began to grow impatient with the antics of Sloth. Though he managed to split its body into half a dozen pieces, he wasn''t surprised once the scattered chunks of flesh eachrger than a full-grown man began to meet back up together.

    "Can''t you just stay dead already?!"

    Flinging a pair of lightning bolts triggered by aggressive finger snaps, Sirius yelled out as he ignited a violent explosion of magenta energy, taking a deep breath as he watched the purple and ck clouds simmer, eventually fading.

    "Ah...So much...stimtion��"

    Once again, it disyed a sudden burst of aggression, springing forward with its unnatural body before unleashing a barrage of hits. Even though none of them connected, Sirius could feel it: the strength, speed, technique��it was all sharper than before.

    This thing��It''s likely beyond Phantasm-level. If it was anyone but me, it''d likely be too much, Sirius thought.

    It seemed the casual dodging Sirius indulged himself in, simply pivoting and using footwork to evade each strike, angered the beast as it pulled its fist back. Opting for another form of attack, it took in a deep inhale before the familiar fog began to deep from its pores; its cheeks and chest puffing out with the growing mist within.

    "More fog, huh? Didn''t I tell you I was sick of that one?"

    Taunting the creature, he slid under a low-hanging bunch of branches as the breath of rabid fog unleashed from Sloth''s maw.

    Evading the beam of condensed, highly-pressurized fog was easy enough for him, swinging from branch to branch with a heart throbbing with excitement as he could feel the fearsome winds pick up behind him. As the harsh breath met with the trees he bounced to and from, it dismantled thempletely, dissolving their form into nothing more than a rain of bark.

    It''s continuing to regenerate from everything I throw at it. Normally, I''d like to just go with the idea of there being a limit somewhere, but time is of the essence here. What I need to try ispletely vaporizing its entire body at once, he thought.

    Watching Sloth as it crawled forward like an overgrown infant, spewing the malicious mist from its bowels, Sirius continued to circle around it as a path of destruction was left in the wake of the fog. Finally, the assault of destructive breath ended as the beast simply slumped its shoulders for a moment as if regaining its stamina.

    I knew it--azy bastard like him can only go on the offense for so long without needing a hard recovery time. This is my chance; I''ll give it a hint of great magic, he inhaled.

    Gently falling onto his feet from atop the high-reaching limb of the tree down to the front of the immobile beast, he raised a single hand towards the sky.

    "Hear me, brother of the sun goddess, yer of the malevolent serpent. Mountains and rivers shake under your authority, just as the knees of the men who stand against you."

    "...What...are��"

    Starting to move slowly once more, Sloth''s flesh crawled over as a hum of magical energy generated from Sirius'' form, creating a gentle wind that soon picked up into one of higher ferocity. Keeping his hand towards the clouds, the travelers of the nightly winds coalesced into the center dictated by Sirius'' own fist.

    As the mana emanating from the human suddenly spiked, causing the newly brought winds to tug at the trees, threatening the roots which stayed embedded in the soil for decades, Sloth finally regained movement. However, even the malicious beast could recognize the threat posed before it, beginning to retreat in the opposite direction as it witnessed the sly smirk on Sirius'' lips.

    The somber, gray clouds spiraled around a growing light amidst the center of the mass gathering within the skies; streaks of lightning shed through the veil of nebulous formations, radiating with a foreboding magenta.

    "As I utter your revered name, bring your wild wrath down upon the world, ravage my enemies with might unseen. Susanoo-no-Mikoto: Rain Down Upon The World, Your Divine Cataclysm."

 Chapter 214 - Advent Of The Strongest

    Still feeling the effects of the fog that had infiltrated his lungs, Sora''s senses jumped as he recognized the mana signature, soon noticing the gathering of clouds in the sunless sky.

    That''s Sirius'' great magic!...It''s the same one he used against me--wait, no. It''s two...No, four times more powerful! He thought.

    Standing himself up to witness the divine sight, Sora forced a shaky smile across his lips as he held onto his limp arm. It was absolutely vexing for him nheless, feeling powerless as the fog infiltrated his body, seizing his functions as he fought against its hold.

    It''s not just my muscles it''s seizing...My damn mana feels like it''s going haywire. Just what the hell did I breathe?

    From the vacant center within the grouping of spiraling clouds, a light began to form, expanding its embrace throughout the rest of the clouds as just for a moment, it seemed as if daylight had returned to the forest.

    The divine mass of mana manifested continued to spiral, gathering its full force before finally, a massive array of energy shot down from the opening in the eventful skies. It was nearly impossible to discern the origin of the spell in its speed and massive quantities of magical energy, holding a shapeless form that traveled down directly towards Sloth.

    "Just...kidding��"

    "...Huh?!"

    At thest millisecond before impact, he heard it clearly, an almost mocking tone came from the bellowing vocal cords of the beast as it turned back, holding a wicked smile as it shook, presenting a harrowingugh.

    Before he could discover the meaning of Sloth''s abnormal reaction, the mass of light crashed down on their position, filling the territory with a blinding radiance that sent a tremor throughout the soil as if a fault line had acted up.

    What the hell was that about?--"Just kidding"...Worrying, he thought.

    As the radiance endless in its grandeur finally allowed the regr shade to fade back into the forest, the thick, almost ustrophobic section of the tree-filled territory had been obliterated by the spell. At that moment, he didn''t even register in his mind what had been done to the forest, only looking around for his enemy.

    To his eyes, the form of the sable-skinned creature came into view; his mouth falling agape for a moment, it was because Sloth stood there,pletely unharmed. In fact, it seemed rather than being hurt, the magical energy radiating from the creature had amplified massively.

    "How?!"

    Did it regenerate already?...No, not even it is that fast! He thought.

    "Thank...you��"

    It was the only response he received, enigmatic in nature as the creature embraced itself, its skin boiling up once more, splitting and spewing liquid from its newly-formed tears.

    It''s just like before...It''s undergoing a metamorphosis! He thought.

    "I won''t let you!"

    Snapping his fingers, the lightning bolt he threw at its chest tore away at its already dissolving flesh but had no real effect on it. It was apletely different sensation, that impact, and feeling it sent a chill through his body--a real, disheartening shiver for the first time throughout this encounter.

    This time, the ck gunk seemed to take on the nature of acid, melting away the creature''s hide as it simply stood there hugging itself, not letting out so much as a groan as the crimson circles on its head looked as if they were watching the human.

    I failed. I failed to recognize the severity of the situation--the severity of this creature itself. "Beasts of Sin" are considered to be some of the most dangerous entities in this world. I thought after knocking it around a bit, those were just overblown rumors. This is the strength of "Sloth", an ever-growing creature, thriving off of loss--and I''ve continued to feed it. Shit...I have to tell Sora, I have to save him! Sirius thought.

    While Sloth was busy undergoing its transformation, Sirius shot himself into the air, kicking off of the winds as if it were a tform as he traveled like a desperate bolt across the skies. It didn''t take long for him to find hispanion, hunched over against a tree.

    Crashing down, Sora looked at him with a smile before fading into a worried look as he saw the expression stered on Sirius'' own.

    "Not going well?"

    Sirius simply shook his head in response, "I underestimated it."

    Clenching his gloves tightly, the aching, harrowing feeling in his beating heart couldn''t be shaken away. Slowly, droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, trickling down on his gray uniform as it became damp.

    "Go on ahead."

    "Huh?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sora''s surprised response is exactly what he expected. The vermilion-hairedpanion of his was a man of confidence and more importantly, bravery.

    "This battle is going to take longer than I initially thought, and Lucas is still out there."

    "You can''t just expect me��"

    "Sora, please."

    Giving the man the only smile he could muster, Sirius'' words seemed to get through to some spot in the man''s heart.

    "I won''t lie...I can''t exactly be of much help if this thing is really strong enough to trouble you. I can hardly feel the left side of my body right now��"

    "No offense, but you''re right. Honestly, it would probably kill you within a minute."

    Being told this, Sora couldn''t help but chuckle, both out of fear and the absurdity of it all, running his hand through his vermilion locks as the rain helped slick it back a bit.

    "I''ve always trusted your judgment...I won''t stop now. Just, don''t die or else I''ll kill you myself, you got that?"

    "Yeah."

    Nodding his head, Sirius held his small smile as Soraid his hand on his shoulder, looking at his eyes for a moment before hurrying off in his speed-amplifying armor. Now with that weight off of his mind, Sirius took in a deep breath before he brought himself back into the daunting forest, feeling a massive buildup of mana surge.

    "Just you and me now, big guy."

    Listening to the now showers of rain pelt against the ceiling of leaves above his head, his boots traversed the mud as he could see it in the near distance now; the new metamorphosis that the monster was undergoing. It was something else entirely from what he had first witnessed, the simply shedding of its old skin it was not.

    From its massive tail it used to traverse the surface, mounds of flesh protruded, extending and contorting until the rough shape of legs were made, being refined into muscr, humanoid legs that allowed it to stand upright. Due to no longer using its enormous tail appendage to stand, its height took a decline, still dwarfing Sirius all the same.

    The acidic, ck ooze it generated from its pores hadpletely melted away its hide, leaving only its blood-soaked, exposed muscles before strands of a new armor began to be produced. Extending from each section of its shown flesh, the lines of ck, organic material weaved into one another, etching itself into his body like a sewing out of hell.

    Raising its hand, the creature watched as the newyer of flesh wrapped itself around the exposed bones that were its fingers, clenching its fist oncepletely formed.

    "Ah, amazing. It''s been far too long since I''ve reached this point."

    Looking up towards the moon, Sloth spoke, cracking its neck side to side as a couple of loud pops followed. There were no longer any oddities to its speaking, a fact which unsettled Sirius even further.

    "I must thank you for aiding me in my evolution. I am most grateful, Sirius."

    "...I don''t care about your gratitude. What the hell did you do?"

    Tightening his gloves over his wrists, Sirius kept his eyes keenly on the creature as he spoke, watching for any subtle changes in its form. Instead of the sea of bumps that previously ran over its skin, its protective hide was now smooth and without blemish; streaks of crimson ran over its sleek, stygianplexion, letting off a slight, subtle glow.

    "Hm? Oh, you mean with that spell of yours. You see, it is by the structure of my own body that I am able to absorb spells and convert them into original mana for myself."

    "Then why didn''t you��"

    "Do it before? Simply put, you were far too fast. I must preemptively set my body up to take in a spell, but your attacksunched much too quickly for me. However, thatst spell, while moving fast, was stagnant in its aim."

    Exining this, Sloth held up one of its long, bony fingers that ended in a sharp, obsidian nail.

    "I feel as if I should reintroduce myself; Beast of Sin, number five, Sloth. Until now, I was simply a feeble caterpir, awaiting nutrients to awaken to my true form."

    It was as if what was standing before him was apletely different entity to that of a few minutes ago, speaking with an eloquence unheard of previously.

    "...You already know my name, as I said, burn it into your memory, Sloth. I won''t repeat it again."

 Chapter 215 - Re:Birth

    Coiling his hand in lightning, the fearsome look exhibited in his azure irises seemed to bring the creature to an understanding as it finished its stretches in its new body. Taking the initiative, he didn''t want to give it the opportunity to strike first, dashing around the perimeter with speed pushing beyond the boundaries of what he disyed previously.

    Even so, Sloth remained standing in the same spot, its arms hanging near its sides as if presenting its new, evolved form to the world. Coming up on its back with a strand of lightning cutting through the rain, the creature swiftly turned its head back, looking at him with its wide, inhuman smile.

    It reacted to this speed?! He thought.

    Using its back as a tform, he kicked off of its hide, narrowly avoiding a swipe that appeared more as a blur. The raw, brute strength behind the simple swipe of its hand had halted the rain falling on that spot for a few seconds.

    If that would''ve hit, that would''ve been bad, he thought.

    Landing onto his feet, by the time his soles met with the moist, damp soil, Sloth had vanished from his sight. A chilling sensation drove over his back like a wave of utter despair, feeling the presence of the colossal monster directly behind him.

    The speed it exhibited was reminiscent of his own, but even that conclusion was quickly thrown to the wayside as Sirius saw past his own hanging pride.

    No, it''s faster!

    Attempting to evade the iing attack predicted only by his own instincts, he realized there was little time for such an action, instead turning and raising a single arm as a shield. As the harsh, crimson-d knuckles met his forearm, he could feel the integrity of his bones beingpromised.

    ...Strong! He thought.

    The force from the hit felt as if the gravity that held him to the world was seized, being thrown back weightlessly until his back collided with the unweing sharpness of bark.

    My arm is still attached?...Good, Sirius thought.

    Wincing from the throbbing of his bones in his forearm, there was no time to dwell on the pain as all of his hairs stood, moving his body simply by instinct as an impact thundered across the tree which he rested against.

    Close!--

    Before he could im safety from the attack, another one came just as quick, the imprint of the fistrger than his own head met against his face. It was a much sharper hit than the one he felt against his arm, or at least that was the impression he got from the potent warmth flowing underneath his skin as he was sent flying backward once more.

    Rolling across the moist grass, tumbling over jagged stones protruding from the now loosened soil, his consciousness flickered from the sheer brutality of thatst hit.

    As I thought...It was the right move to get Sora the hell out of here. This thing is far beyond Phantasm. The only saving grace here is this seems to be its final evolution, he thought, I can use this...I won''t use my ability...Heh, I''ll take a note out of your book, Sloth.

    "Does it hurt? I''m surprised you''re still in one piece. With the strength I have now, I could pulverize a mountain with my fists--yet you''re still breathing. Peculiar."

    It was hard to pinpoint if it was taunting or the irregr personality awarded to such an inhuman, incarnation of sin. Bringing himself up after having his face buried in the mud, Sirius coughed, watching as blood streamed from his nostrils to the mud below, mixing with the brown muddle into a less than savory mixture of crimson and mud.

    "You talk a lot."

    "Mm?"

    Standing up, Sirius let out a long exhale as he wiped the mixture of blood and mud that sat near his nose away, looking at the sentient beast with eyes that exhibited no fear.

    "Don''t get cocky just because you finally made me bleed. It wouldn''t be fun if you couldn''t do that much."

    When was it I became so serious?...Who knows.

    "I could say the same to you! Acting all high and mighty despite being covered in mud and blood! Meanwhile, I don''t have a scratch on me! Open your eyes to the situation, while I constantly regenerate, you only tire more and more. The victor has already been decided."

    "h, h, h...Sheesh, you sure do like the sound of your own voice, don''t you?"

    Angered by the calm, abrasive remarks of the human, Sloth burst forward with the speed natural to its new, evolved form, crashing its fist against the man''s skull once more as he bounced off of the floor from the sheer force.

    "See? Nothing but talk."

    Satisfied after relieving its anger, Sloth ran its long, slimy tongue across its knuckles that becamethered in the blood of its opponent.

    Once again, Sirius brought himself back to his feet, his eyelids halfway closed as he swayed side to side a bit.

    "Just a little more. Push me a bit more and I''ll show you��"

    "Ha-ha-ha! What a sight; groggy and bleeding! This is the so-called "strongest Ounder"--embarrassing, to say the least."

    Each step forward Sloth took was packed with such speed that it appeared as if the creature was simply bending space to warp from one position to another, bringing itself back in front of the human before picking the man up by his jet-ck locks.

    "Show me what? Are you still prattling on about having a "hidden power" up your sleeve?"

    No answer came from the busted lips of the man, resulting in Sloth having no qualms with unleashing a flurry of hits that shock the entire forest with each impact.

    Damn, he wasn''t kidding about being able to destroy mountains with these fists, was he? It feels like a building is being mmed against my cheekbones every time, even with my reinforcement, he thought groggily, If I had to guess, that evolution adapted directly from my own disyed strength, allowing it to adapt even to that��

    The punches didn''t stop, constantly mming against his skull as Slothughed like a gleeful child, carefree as it threw both of its enormous fists against every section of his head. As they continued in quantity, the speed in which they came increased, shooting towards his cranium like a machine gun, hammering down as each impact echoed through skin, flesh, skull, and brain.

    Ah, I feel iting...It''s close, he thought.

    Finally, it seemed the wrathful assault of Sloth came to a halt as he was mmed against a tree, hearing his own arterial fluid leaking from his busted skull stter against the bark of the tree.

    "After I''m done with you, I''ll go after that friend of yours. He was weak, but at least he''ll make a good way to pass the time for a bit."

    Looking back down at Sirius, the creature grinned at him with its ckened teeth, awaiting a response as the man sat there, hunched over silently.

    I can taste the blood in my mouth, so warm and thick. I guess I deserve this.

    "What a shame. The human condition; so feeble, so frail. I possess no such ego; I simply exist to hunt, kill, and feed."

    It all became ck for Sirius as thosest words full of disappointment from Sloth met his ears. There was still some level of consciousness as he listened to the droplets from the clouds pitter-patter against the damp soil, hearing the loud, heavy footsteps of the beast trample the mud.

    This happened once before. I was still a novice mage, green and scared of this world. Still, Beatrice sent me out on a quest without any warmth in her heart. "If he''s weak, he isn''t worth keeping around anyway", is what I convinced myself she thought.

    I was beaten within an inch of my life, no--I should''ve been dead; my skull was fractured, ribs shattered, arms twisted. That damn ogre really tore me up. At that point, all I could unleash were small sparks that only seemed to piss it off more.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Something...clicked. Put on the verge of death, I think my brain went into overdrive in an attempt to find a way to live. When I opened my eyes, all of the spells that I just couldn''t wrap my head around...just came naturally. It didn''t take more than a few seconds for me to demolish that ogre from there.

    I can feel it.

    That same feeling, once again. The tubes in my brain, the bridges connecting one experience from another, all coborating to bring me to a further level. I can see it all; everything I struggled to learn, what I should do, how I can do it. My fears are leaving, any doubt is vanishing again.

    Dimitri, Lada...Your big brother is doing this all for you both. The pain, the toil--I don''t mind any of it, if it means one day, I can see those joyful smiles once again. But...It''s not just that. I hated this world, I cursed it, despised it---I just wanted to go home. But things just aren''t that simple.

    I met some really great people, I want you to meet them someday--that resolve just gets my heart throbbing with a fiery will!

    That''s why for now, I''ll do whatever I can to win, I''ll rip and tear until it''s all done.

    When ites to a battle of survival, it''s not good or evil that wins, but the strongest. That''s who I am, Sirius Federov, the one who has to be the strongest.

    "Feeble?��Frail? Just who the hell are you talking about?"

    "Oh? You''re still--"

    Before Sloth could finish its sentence, a sh blew across its vision, sending it back violently as its body iled against the sea of trees it found itself flying back against. The familiar, unmistakable purple light that clung to the light instantly brought the beast to a conclusion to its origins, using its tail as a tool to halt its turbulent travel.

    As it turns out, I have so much to protect. In both this world and Earth.

    As it raised its head, another sh kicked in, blowing its arms offpletely as its inner fluids spilled out. Its teeth chattered rapidly from the anger, instantly regrowing its lost limbs as it watched the man who should be dead now on his feet, approaching him slowly.

    "What is the meaning of this?!--"

    "I told you, I wasn''t getting serious yet. You''re facing a grade-A stubborn asshole! I don''t expect you to understand the will, the desire, the fighting spirit of a human! Even if you can speak, it doesn''t mean you''re anything more than a bloodthirsty beast living only to kill!"

    Brushing his damp hair out of the way of his azure irises, Sirius looked up at the beast as crimson streamed down from his scalp, trickling down two sides of his face.

    "It was a fluke! A fluke!"

    Rearing its arm back to prepare for a thrust of its fist, Sloth found nothing in ce of its limb as it tried to throw a punch. It happened so fast that the pain didn''t even register; its arm had been blown off once more.

    It hade around full circle; once again, the monster found the speed of the man to simply be untraceable, surpassing the grace of lightning he previously possessed.

    "You��!"

    "That''s right, me; the self-proimed big brother of the Ounders!"

    The confident, radiance parting from Sirius'' lips sent the monster into a further stupor, watching as the Ounder raised his hand, regenerating its lost arm as it raised a guard in preparation of the iing assault of lightning.

    However, no such attack came, instead, it felt an immense pressure squeeze it from all directions; its ears ringing as it let out a gasp that left its maw in a whistle.

    "...What...is this?!..."

    "Spatial magic. You have my "gratitude" for helping me achieve this."

    As Sirius squeezed his fist tightly, thepressed space squeezing Sloth, as if four invisible walls enclosed on its form, popped the monster''s flesh like a bubble, releasing an explosion of its ck, interior fluids out.

    Reduced to a sack of mutted flesh and powdered bones, a squelch resounded from the squashed beast as the spatial spell was cut off.

    "Reform already. I know you can."

    Egging the beast on, Sirius uncaringly adjusted his gloves as droplets of crimson trickled down from his messy strands of hair.

    It seemed the creature hesitated to do such; attempting to feign its own death to avoid any further conflict with the man. Begrudgingly, it began to rebuild its torn apart body, inting its empty flesh like a balloon as its own mysterious fluids extended out to weave its body back together.

    It''s regenerating slower, Sirius thought.

    "Unfortunately for you, I don''t really know how to ept my own limits."

    Sirius exined with a confident smile as he ran his gloved fingers through his hair, tucking his bangs back with a mixture of rainwater and crimson blood.

    "I can feel it now. Space; it''s all around us, always persistently existing right at our sides, but we take such a thing for granted. Now, I can bring it into reality. What do you think will happen when I bring such a constant force that holds everything together into the palm of my own hand? I wonder."

    Speaking to the creature that now seemed wreaked with fear, Sirius looked at his open palm with eyes uncaring for the battle he participated in. Even the monster could deduce the meaning behind that absent look in those damp jewels. The very existence of those eyes of his was a bewitching sight; the previous azure radiance seemed to slowly shift in hue as they vacantly looked onward.

    Simply, Sirius recognized no threat in front of him.

    Theck of animosity emanating from the man caused Sloth to notice a moment toote that magic was being woven from his lips and will.

    "Brahma: Horizon Rendezvous."

    As the simple incantation calmly left his bleeding lips, the small, minuscule orb of refracted light above the tip of his index finger expanded. Soon, a gentle tremor traveled through the sea of mud, a feeling of weightlessness oveing Sloth.

    Trees parted from their roots, ancient boulders took flight, patches of dirt and grass alike ventured to the sky. The monster attempted to halt his part of this journey, wing at the ground only for it to be brought with him on the trail towards the sky.

    It all began to coalesce into one, singr point in the nightly skies, forming a sphere formed of cedar, rock, and soil all meshed into one form, trapping Sloth in the center of it all. The powerful force of gravity enacting an all-mighty pulling force seized the futile attempts at escape of the monster, finding the center point, the origin of the magic itself, to possess a force strong enough to turn coal into diamonds hundredfold.

    "Think of it as a badge of honor. I doubt many beings would be able to survive in the center of the Horizon Rendezvous as long as you have; I imagine it would turn most into a paste the moment they breached the boundary."

    With the conclusion of the spell being reached, what was left was a massive formation resembling a small world of its own, hanging in the navy skies by way of its own source of gravity.

    "��Not enough! Not enough!"

    An explosion blew through one side of the spherical collection of the forest''s contents, the ck, abyssal hand of Sloth reaching out as its voice bellowed from the depths of the small moon.

 Chapter 216 - Sirius Federov, The Strongest

    "You act so uppity as if you''re some sort of creature above us feeble humans. You''re the incarnation of a sloth itself, right? Then in reality, you''re born from our worst qualities. Not something I''d exactly be proud of."

    Watching the result of his own magecraft hanging just below the clouds, his words were spoken softly. The leakage of blood seemed to halt, that which was running now dried upon his skin as he once more raised his hand to the air.

    "Kill you! Eat you! I''ll kill you!����"

    "I guess you''re not listening anymore. Guess you only like talking when you''re in control. Anyway, I didn''t expect that spell to finish you, so I prepared something else."

    The belligerent monster fell silent not by hearing those words leave the man''s lips, but by the change in the surrounding winds. A constant downpour had filled the nightly skies until that point, but suddenly��it came to a halt, the raindrops froze amidst the vacant winds.

    Through the unnatural sense of sight it possessed, Sloth focused this sense on the droplet of precipitation just before its sight. In its glossy, clear form, tiny, yet prominent lines of magenta electricity bounced around the interior of the droplet.

    His mana��it''s running through the rain, what''s the meaning of this��? Sloth thought.

    "By "prepared", I mean "made up on the spot", so it''s rough work at best."

    Desperately trying to escape from the confines of the unrelenting center of unnatural gravity, Sloth wed at the sphere that attempted to cage it in, finding more matter soon recing whatever it managed to knock away.

    Pushed to such lengths, the mind which ascended into true sentience began to rapidly devolve back to its primal roots as the looming threat of death set in.

    Focus. Feel it. Bend it to your will, your desires.

    Letting a cold breath escape from his slightly parted, light-pink lips, Sirius turned his hand slightly as the winds far above him cracked. A singr point, sitting amidst the ck, rain-filled clouds secluded itself from the grasps of the gaseous entities.

    Point one.

    The small section amidst the clouds contorted the space around it, spinning and turning the emptiness around itself. The point sat above the airborne mass of rock, soil, tree, and Sloth, emitting from it a crescendoing hum.

    With the initial point set into space and reality, birthing itself into existence under the hand of the enlightened man, the next ones seemed toe as smooth as butter. Like an array of stars forming a constetion, these obscure, enigmatic points connected their forces, contorting and spinning the absent, stagnant space into a rapid whirlpool.

    Amazing. Pushing my mind to these new limits, stretching out the cylinders of my brain as I weave into existence, birth into this world anew, grand magic--I feel on top of the world. It''s just like the first time; I feel like I''m drowning in utter tion, the world is mine to spin at this very moment, my enemy is nothing but a testing ground for this new level I''ve reached.

    With this, there''s no stopping us now--Argonauts, adventurers, knights, the whole damn nine-years--we''ll take Mastorn back from that clown of a king!

    "What the?!...What is this?!"

    Sloth was even more helpless to itspromised position, holding on with all of its strength to the brittle edges of the torn open exterior of the sphere it inhabited, watching as the space around it violently spun. On all ounts, it looked like a tornado without the obscurity of the clouds giving it form, simply space itself violently spinning.

    "Phew. Step oneplete. Step two should be a bit easier��"

    Muttering to himself with a sly smile, Sirius snapped his fingers as a sh of purple radiated from each point. Within a moment, lines of the same tinted lightning shot out, spreading across the length and width of the space imed by the points.

    What now sat in the skies would be nothing sort of a cataclysmic force by the eyes of any others; the messily-crafted masterpiece of the ascended mage. The hum it produced shook the fabric of space, emitting a vibration that felt as if the heart of the world was beating with crescendoing anxiety.

    "I''ll call this: "The Principle Spear of Heaven and Earth". Kind of a mouthful, but it fits doesn''t it?"

    Looking up at his new creation, the radiance of his outstretched lightning gave a visual form to the spell; resembling more of a rapidly spinning drill than a spear, the size it possessed was nothing short of a mountain, hanging in the skies alongside the stagnant raindrops.

    Even the beast itself, posed with certain death, couldn''t help but look upon its radiant, grandiose form in utter awe.

    "...You''re no different than me! You...You''re a monster yourself!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "There''s a reason for that."

    "...Huh?"

    The calm response from Sirius amidst the formation of utter destruction crafting itself into the space of the once vacant, nightly skies, took the creature''s attention.

    "You''re the incarnation of sin, no? Humanities'' sin, that is. We went over this before; we''re really not so different, you and I. Give it another few evolutions, and I''m sure you''d develop into a real human. Unfortunately for you, I''m not going to see that through to the end."

    "...Wait! Wait! Please, I don''t want to die! I don''t want to--"

    I hate to admit it, but even as I am now, I still fear you, Sloth. More exactly...I''m afraid of what you might be. Just in this short time, you evolved from being helpless against me to surpassing my previous magecraft. If I don''t kill you now, who knows if I will be able to in the next hour. It''s not just power--you''re evolving as a being, growing smarter, more sentient. It''s horrifying, really.

    As it pleaded for its own life, desperately wing at the walls of bunched together material that imprisoned it, its hands bled as its flesh was scraped off from the adrenaline-fueled plight for its life. In those fleeting moments, it finally noticed something--such a small, useless piece of information that stuck out in its mind.

    Ah...his eyes, they''ve changed. The same shade of that damn lightning of his; the majestic magenta. A perfect bnce resides within those jewels; a harmony of emotions all working in unison to achieve the ultimate melody.

    Frivolity, contempt, mercy, judgment, those are the eyes of Sirius Federov; how spectacr.

    "Principle Spear of Heaven and Earth: Spin and Pierce, Rip and Tear."

    The spear without a true, physical form contested as such as it picked up in rotation, spinning with such intensity that the force it generated caused all of the existing rain in the atmosphere to orbit its condition. Serving as the core of the spell, the foundation of lightning discharged a cataclysmic amount of energy, just the frequent, minuscule flickers it unleashed set destruction to the forest below.

    "...Be it as it may that you''re a beast born of sin, the incarnation of what we humans hate most about one another and ourselves--you''re no different from us in the end. Even if you''ve frolicked through this world, feeding on whatever you desire without a care, I''m sure you''ve learned you''re just as susceptible to death as the rest of us feeble, weak humans. Die and remember...the only thing you feared in this life was me."

    "Sirius----!"

    Farewell, Sloth. Even if I admonish your nature, power, and evolution--I respect it all the same. We both fueled each other''s growth, and for that, I am grateful. In the end, your undoing was your very sin; not finishing the job while I was down.

    I guess we''re both guilty of that.

    How every slothful we both are. Yet, we fight so hard to exist in a world that we don''t belong in, don''t we?

    Unleashing into a final disy of grandeur, the spear built from the genius of the awakened mage elerated even further, pushing past what was thought to be its established limits. Holding a size dwarfing that of any mountains that looked upon its form, the magenta drill of rampant energy tore apart the winds, unleashing a storm upon the forest below.

    "Though...That''s not quite right, is it? I''d say, as you evolved and shed your skin, you abandoned the very sin that you originated from. I guess you really are human at your core, aren''t you?"

    The torque of the spell became so great that the scales of Sloth began to peel away, disintegrating into nothingness the moment its matter parted from its flesh as it sat within the core of the maximum magecraft. Woven into it were the utterances of annihtion; a spell in which only destruction sat as its core intent. Abination of space warped and twisted, lighting stretched and abundant--such a force sat before him.

    I created this. My own two hands. Look at this and tell me you would not believe this to be the work of a god. If I chose to point the spear towards the world, utter destruction would befall its surface. At the very least, this entire mountain range would be annihted. Maybe with this power, nobody else will have to fight. I can be the one to do it all, save everyone, save them from this damn fate of bloodshed. That''s why I was chosen to sit beneath the heavens. Hah...This is no good, I can feel myself being twisted with pride. I guess power really does corrupt all, huh?

    Not me. I don''t give a damn about it. If I need to discard it to save them, to see them, I''ll do it in a heartbeat.

    He watched with his magenta irises the hallmark creation of his as it spawned tremors below his feet, winds that breathed maledictions against the forest, and such radiance that it was as if a star was born before his eyes. It didn''t take long before the intensity of such a spell reduced the monster of sin into nothingness, leaving no matter left within its boundary.

    A rain of magenta particles dances down the star-filled skies, allowing once again the showers to resume as the royal purple illuminated further through the reflective guise of the raindrops. The constant cracks and pops that apanied the dazzling glow looked as if an array of fireworks had been set off.

    Concluding the hard-fought battle, he swayed side-to-side groggily before finally copsing face-first into the soil--returning to the slumber he should''ve resolved to long ago.

    Monster, human--none such things mattered under the impartial watch of the moon''s light. It was a limit-breaking fight not only for survival but for growth between two foes, witnessed by none. The blood and sweat shed was not to be a spectacle by the eyes of the many, but for the sake of one''s own ascension.

 Chapter 217 - A Long Journey Ahead

    "This is it, huh? After all of this damn time, this is it��"

    Pinching his nose, Ren mumbled as he stood at the entrance of the secluded valley within the cavern. The threshold of the doorway leading to whatever sat inside the domain was formed of some sort of flesh, oozing out a putrid stench that had everyone in the group scrunching their noses.

    "Does anybody have some sort of spell to erase bad smells? A perfume spell at least?"

    Looking back to ask the others behind and beside him, he only received head shakes if notplete silence.

    "If you think that''s bad, I have an enhanced nose!"

    Hongseined as if trying to assure the group, keeping his nostrils shut tightly as he held a less than pleased expression.

    I''ve got a bad feeling, Ren thought.

    It was just something knotting up his stomach, a feeling he couldn''t really pinpoint. Something past the horrid spell dipping out from the threshold of formed flesh and veins, a sinister, ominous aura that resided on the boundary of superstition and reality. Still, he decided not to stir up any ill feelings between the ground, taking the first step forward.

    "Onwards we go, right?..."

    He muttered to himself as he scrunched his nose up from being thrown into the bowels of the wicked smell. Bringing the sole of his boot down upon the staircase that descending down the putridir, a squelch came beneath his step as a shiver ran over his skin.

    Looking down, even the stars themselves were formed, or at least, wrapped in the same reddish-pink, fleshy substance.

    "Not chickening out, are ya'', Leader?"

    Hands were ced on Ren''s shoulders as Macheo''s yful voice came from behind him. By watching him throughout their journey together thus far, he knew the boy wasn''t averse to more gruesome sceneries, but his indifference to this terrain was somewhat surprising. All the same, it only made Ren feel a bitpetitive.

    "Of course not! I am A-O-K!"

    Putting on a smile that trembled beneath the sour, lukewarm smell of sewage and death, Ren marched down the staircase to hell. A chilly air inhabited the new domain, which helped him be further grateful for the thick gambeson coat and sable cloak that kept every inch of his body warm.

    "You okay, Iris?"

    Looking back, Ren''s eyes that became watery from the horrific smell shot back at Iris, who walked in the center of the group. Although her fair face had be twisted with an utter repulsion to the almost miasmic stench, she nodded her head fervently.

    "Yes!..."

    They didn''t exactly move in an orderly, organized fashion; almost squashed together, shoulder-by-shoulder, descending the stairs to the Butcher''s Locker. Kept close together, Ren and Macheo were practically attached to the hip as they took the vanguard, looking down at the far distant goal waiting at the bottom of the towering flight of stairs.

    "Stop pushing!"

    "...I''m not!"

    As Ren retorted, he pressed his shoulder against the blonde youth''s own, causing a bit of ruckus before eventually--their feet tripped over one another.

    "Ahh!--"

    In unison, the two young men yelled out as they began to tumble down the stairs. It was a disgusting feeling; the skin of his cheek just grazing across the organic substance of the stairs made him want to puke.

    Reaching the t bottom of the stairs, the two managed to expedite the process of traversing the slopeddder altogether.

    "Damn, that smarts��"

    "You alright?"

    Asking this, Ren slowly stood himself up, extending his hand down towards Macheo. The crimson-eyed Lucrauvian stared at his glove for a moment before epting the assistance, being hoisted up as the two turned their gazes towards the open section of the fleshy domain that led to the staircase.

    "Are you two alright?!"

    "Yeah!"

    Ren answered for the both of them in response to Valerie''s call. However, just as his voice left his exasperated lips, the open space that connected the room which he and Macheo stood with the staircase suddenly closed off--the walls of flesh pulling together, sealing off the passagewaypletely.

    "Eh?"

    "Eh?"

    Sharing utter confusion between one another, both Ren and Macheo stared nkly at where the passageway should''ve been.

    "What the hell?!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Immediately taking action, Ren burst over to the sealed-off wall, mming his fist against it without any recognition of the disgusting substance he allowed his body to meet with.

    "Hey! Can you hear me?! Iris! Aiko!...If you''re there, stand back!"

    Continuing to pummel his fist against the wall of mutted tissue, a mixture of repulsive fluids poured out from the pores of the wall as he desperately called out.

    "Macheo!"

    Turning back to look at the golden-locked boy with him, the young man seemed to instantly understand what it was that Ren wanted from him. It was the obvious action to take, but the one most effective nheless. All it took was a single look at the fiery, passionate look in the eyes of the white-haired otherworlder to tell Macheo what was needed was "destruction."

    "Yeah."

    Standing together, the two built up their mana, coalescing their mystical energy towards the blocked-off passageway. From Ren came a deathly aura, the culmination of potent, dark magical energy that thrived from his heated emotions, coiling itself around him as it wrapped around his extended arm.

    As the Lucrauvian prince stood close to the wielder of dark magic, his own magic took form as rampant, yet controlled water built from beneath his soles.

    "Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    "Achelous: Antean Bore!"

    Together, spells of a simr heritage manifested from both of the two mages. From Ren''s form, the darkness shaped and solidified itself into that of a wicked rtive of thence, a tool which was born to drill through the world--a drill empowered by mana.

    The water from Macheo''s own inner well of mana brought itself into a center in front of his extended palm, bending and contorting until a drill of water brought itself into reality. It was a spell weaved from watching Ren battle, magic born from closeted admiration and thirst for growth.

    Together, bothpanions held these modern spears of both the lively essence of the sea and the shadows which sat at the origin point of creation.

    Almost molding together in their loose forms, the two drills of differing elements crashed against the wall with a thunderous impact. The resounding collision of the two drills against the wall of flesh sent a tremor through the room which they upied, continuing as an explosion of crimson and yellow liquid poured out from the heart of the wall.

    To their dismay, nothing seemed to make the seal of flesh budge, quickly reforming itself just as quickly as it had been destroyed. Seeing this, Macheo released his hold of the spell, turning to Ren in an attempt to reassure the young man. However, the blistering rage upying the young man''s eyes stopped any words from leaving Macheo''s lips.

    "Dammit��! Not again!"

    Yelling out with a voice that sounded as if it had to be squeezed through a reluctant throat, Ren dropped to his knees, mming his fists down against the repugnant, crimson ground as a small tremor echoed through the floor.

    "I''m still so fucking weak!...Damn it all!"

    "Ren--"

    Attempting to console the young man undergoing a spectrum of destructive emotions, Macheo''s extended hand was pulled back as the white-hairedpanion of his stood himself back up. A deep inhale of air was sucked in through his barely parted lips, momentarily closing his eyes before revealing a clean te over his hazel irises.

    "I''m fine. Let''s go."

    All of that emotion simply tucked away in an instant. It was just as unnerving as witnessing the sheer sea of rage and regret stered on his face; that stoic, quiet demeanor. Even if he wanted to say something, Macheo couldn''t find the will to talk.

    "Are you sure you''re okay?", "Maybe we should think this over for a bit.", these were the things Macheo wanted to say, but the aura around Ren felt almost suffocating. Begrudgingly, he followed behind the snow-crowned, ck-cloak-wearing otherworlder.

    I need to keep an eye out for him. He might be a danger to himself. Just the slightest thing...The littlest change and he might set off, Macheo thought.

    "Have you been here?"

    Asking in a calm voice, even though Ren spoke like that, his eyes didn''t match his tone at all. So wide as if staring into a light, it was a question if he would even blink.

    "No, I don''t recognize this at all. Judging by how that section closed off, this ce might shift itself around on its own."

    "On its own? Are you sure about that?"

    "Huh?"

    Having his conclusion questioned, Macheo watched as Ren slid the tip of his ck-gloved index finger across the form of the sickeningly gross wall, the loose, slimy substance resembling skin peeling off as he touched it.

    "It sounds like you''re implying this ce is alive. I think it''s not. Something is controlling these walls. The "Butcher", right?"

    "...Right."

    "We have to find him. Before he finds them."

    Clenching his glove tightly, a bit of harshness coiled itself around Ren''s otherwise static tone.

 Chapter 218 - A Pair Matched In Hell

    The room they found themselves in was rather vacant of any actual features, other than the grotesque walls that made up the seeming entirety of the ursed domain. All that was left for them was to push onwards through the corridor of flesh.

    "Got my back?"

    "Yeah."

    As Macheo confirmed this for Ren, the young man unsheathed his longsword from the scabbard on his hip, also removing the obsidian dagger from the small hold on his belt as the grips were squeezed so tightly between his fingers he felt he might shatter them.

    Not again. I''m not losing you again, Iris. I''m not losing anyone today. I can''t, I won''t.

    At first, Macheo found Ren''s quick, readiness for battle perplexing as even though they found themselves in a malicious territory, nothing seemed immediately dangerous. That falsity was quickly corrected as his crimson irises witnessed entities emerge from the lively walls. Jumping back to prepare forbat, he hesitated as he watched the white-hairedpanion of his simply continue walking forward as if he expected this.

    The entities took humanoid forms, devoid of any facial features, made uppletely of stretched, patched together pale skin that wrapped itself around the red and pink form of flesh underneath. They stood tall, lumbering forward with arms that ended in tendrils as substances oozed from their rotten existence.

    "Watch out! We don''t know what the hell these things are yet, idiot!"

    Attempting to warn hispanion, his words of caution met only deaf ears as no sense of strategy seemed to inhabit those rxed, slumped-down shoulders that carried the two des.

    "Just watch my back."

    Before Ren couldunch his first strike on the unknown monsters formed of patched-together flesh, a sudden force pulled on the cor of his coat from behind, yanking him backward.

    "Macheo!--What the hell are you doing?!"

    Stumbling backwards to find his footing, Ren looked at hispanion,pletely bewildered by the action.

    "Get it together! I''m not going to let you get yourself killed!...We''rerades; so start relying on me, you idiot!"

    Yelling this so fervently, Macheo''s voice reached a new high as he expressed more raw emotion than witnessed throughout their time together so far. Backing up such words, the golden-haired noble threw des of water through the approaching entities, repelling them before looking back at hispanion.

    Ren''s eyes had returned from their vacancy, that hollow, stubborn veil shattered as he found himself perplexed.

    "...Right!"

    He''s the only one I can trust right now to tell it to me like it is. Whether for better or worse, Macheo doesn''t have a filter, Ren slowly smiled, When I get too crazy, he''s my anchor. When he gets too crazy, I''m his anchor.

    "I''ve got the left one, you''ve got the nasty-fucker on the right!?"

    "Yeah!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Standing side-by-side, the two then set forward to tackle the foes intercepting their path.

    As if it was the natural action, unspoken and without warning, Ren''s sprint forward was propelled byunching himself forward by kicking off of a tform manifested by the golden-haired boy.

    Gliding through the air beside Ren as he sprinted forward were a tri-set of water tendrils, following closely beside the snow-haired man before diverging upon reaching the two enemies before them.

    Without hesitation, Ren evaded the meat-sentinel''s hooks by kicking himself off the wall, sending his boot against the side of its head, which caved in without resistance. Aplete imprint of his kick was left in its soft, squishy crown, temporarily stunning it before it reinted like a balloon.

    "Nasty��"

    Before Ren could have time toment the disgusting sight, he parted from the iing danger as the tendrils extending from its arms grew in length, attempting to pierce him.

    While he handled his designated foe, the ws of aquatic magic missed their target as the other sentinel of flesh contorted its body, caving in its own form to narrowly avoid the iing fits of highly-pressurized water sts.

    With Ren being the closest one to both of the entities, the two creatures set their sights on him together. Before the other one could third-party Ren, a small but impactful shot of water sted against its head, forcing it to turn its eye-less sockets towards the direction of the attack.

    "Yeah! I''m your opponent, you gross bastard!"

    Fighting at a range wasn''t Macheo''s preferred style, letting his fiery self propel him forward as he coated his forearms in des of water, rapidly approaching the living, walking, bag of meat. Spinning himself around the iing tendril of stitched-up skin, he spun himself like a top, severing the malicious rope into a dozen pieces before reaching the sluggish foe.

    There was no hesitation; cutting it apart with the rapidly spinning aquatic saws, causing it to lose its form as it slumped over into a pile of mincemeat.

    Ren wasn''t having any trouble of his own either, foregoing the same visceral speed that Macheo exhibited and instead unleashing few, but powerful strikes of Belus that reduced the sentinel of flesh into chunks against the wall.

    Without thinking a thought about it, the two exchanged victorious smiles as well as a celebratory high-five.

    It wasn''t a friendship born from an immediate spark between one another nor the sharing ofmon interests. In a way, it was something even more natural to that, an unspoken bond formed, a kindled friendship unmentioned. One who valued strength above all else, and one who sought to perfect such strength. In a world recognized as nothing less than hell itself, a cruel, unforgiving realm of torment and hardship, even those who found themselves at odds outside of these boundaries naturally gravitated closer.

    Reliance. That''s all there was to it. To be able to settle the constant anxiety that drove those in the bowels of Purgatory towards insanity, to be able to set aside some of that burden onto the strength of another.

    That''s the friendship of Macheo and Ren. One born not from a special link, but one required by two, aching, yearning souls.

    "Fighting distracted me from the smell...Now it''s back."

    "If you keep talking about the stink, your nose won''t stop focusing on it!"

 Chapter 219 - Reckless Abandon

    As they traversed the corridors of repugnant flesh, their bickering was the only thing keeping their minds off of the horror around them and the looming anxiety that flooded Ren''s mind. All he could think about was reuniting with the rest of the group, worrying about their safety.

    Each step onto the non-firm, squelching ground beneath made his stomach twist, feeling the vibrant warmth of the living, organic floor press against his soles. It slowly began to turn itself into a maze, the texture remaining painfully the same as multiple pathways made themselves known.

    "Left or right?"

    "Does it really matter if we have nothing to go off of?"

    The two came to a halt when presented with the options before them. Trying to find anything to go off of to sway his decision, Ren simply bounced his finger to and from each pathway.

    "Left!"

    Announcing his decision with some level of confidence, the choice took Macheo back who looked at hispanion with his puzzled, vermilion jewels.

    "Don''t look at me for an answer. I just went with my gut."

    Shrugging his shoulders, Ren''s exnation didn''t seem to really satisfy the blonde noble, but s, he followed him into the chosen pathway of repugnant flesh. Continuing on, it was damp with the blood that seeped into the fleshy ground, squelching beneath their boots before something caught both of their eyes at the end of the hall.

    "What the...Is that?..."

    "A person?"

    Both of them spoke only fragmented utterances, looking forward at the peculiar, chilling sight. Slumped over against the farthest wall was clearly a human; an adventurer and challenger of Purgatory by the leather armor with verdant clothing.

    "Should we?..."

    "I don''t know, he looks kind of too far gone to me."

    Macheo''s answer to Ren caught the white-haired man by surprise; it wasn''t what he had meant as his hand was readied on his de. It was easy to see even from the little light afforded to them in the repulsive domain--the unmoving adventurer was missing an arm and both legs.

    "Shit...I mean, if he dies, he''ll just be revived, right?"

    Keeping his gloves close to the hilt of Belus, Ren kept his eyes peeled on the ck-haired adventurer slumped over against the far wall.

    "Not necessarily."

    Macheo''s answer came quickly, a response that surprised Ren who thought his conclusion was an unbreakable truth.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Just--not for certain, that''s all. If he''s like this, giving up and not trying to fight as he slowly withers away then his chances might not be great."

    Hearing this, Ren couldn''t ce what he wanted to do. It was a saddening sight for him, seeing the adventurer, looking to be around his age, in such miserable condition. However, he felt his heart only had room for so much care at this point.

    I don''t have time to help you, I''m sorry. I have others that I need to save right now.

    Resolving himself to move past the near-death challenger, he found himself frozen as it was Macheo who began to approach the mutted man. Such an action seemed to hold no weight on the destiny of that single person as the moment Macheo stepped towards him, something else made itself known in the intersection of corridors.

    From the wall which the unconscious adventurer sat against, two arms protruded unnaturally. Though they looked to be humanoid, muscr, and covered in stitches, the arms were anything but natural to the eyes of the two young men.

    "Hold on!...Wake up, you fool!"

    Attempting to warn the adventurer to move, Macheo''s desperate yell managed to wake the youthful challenger from his pained slumber.

    Just as he opened his dreary, cobalt eyes, tears left from their boundaries. All hope was already lost within those irises; so pained and miserable, vacant of will and resolve.

    "Run...If you can still move, then run."

    Those words left his dry throat quietly, but they were powerful to those who watched this. The enigmatic arms met with the blood-soaked adventurer, the hand wrapping itself around his face as he began to be pulled back into the wall itself.

    "Wait! Achelous: Azure Bind!"

    In a desperate attempt, Macheo threw out ropes of water toward the adventurer, wrapping the tendrils of liquid around the half-existent legs protruding from the boy''s broken body. Tugging tightly, Macheo''s strength didn''t seem to have any effect on what was happening before his eyes as the arms continued to slowly drag the entire form of the young man into the fleshy bounds of the domain.

    "Ren! Come on!"

    The entire time, Ren had stood there vacantly watching this unfold before his eyes. Even as hispanion yelled with such visceral emotion, his throat tightening as did his grip on the bindings of water he conjured, Ren did nothing but watch.

    "He''s dead."

    "Huh?...No, he''s not! Not yet, Ren! So, help me save him!"

    "He''s dead."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As Macheo looked at the snow-hairedrade of his, his expression plummeted as what met his ears was only a quiet, calm repetition. Slowly, his grip opened, releasing his hold on his watery binds as his will fell all the same.

    It was a chilling sight, watching the poor, helpless adventurer be sucked into the harrowing walls.

    "What the hell was that?"

    Macheo asked quietly between his teeth as he fell to his knees, looking at his own two hands that were wrapped by the stygian leather of his gloves.

    "I don''t know, maybe it was the Butcher--"

    "Not that! You! Why didn''t you help?!"

    It was a sharpness forged by raw emotion that roared out from Macheo''s throat, yelling so unnaturally to himself that it sounded as if he was tearing his throat. Such vibrant, pure emotion from the crimson-eyes boy took Ren by surprise, who could really only feel confused by this sudden outburst.

    "...Since when do you care about the others within this ce?"

    "Since I was saved by one! Since we both vowed to change! Did you just forget about that?"

    By this point, Macheo was already close to Ren, his eyes never wavering from contact as his words bulldozed right through Ren. Silence fell between the two for a moment as only the sound of trickling fluids met their ears.

    "I didn''t. But sometimes, choices have to be made. Say we did manage to pry him from those arms, even if we miraculously found Iris in time, her healing can''t save wounds like that. He was already dead, Macheo."

    "...You still have to try."

    There was a certain sense of fragility in those vermilion irises of his, a sense of uncertainty and regret already present. Whatever the case, Ren didn''t feel like staying stationary within the depths of the hellhole they found themselves in.

    I thought he was tougher than this. He''s still just a kid at the end of the day. Maybe I said too much, Ren thought.

    "Maybe you''re right. It''s probably in our best interest to stay away from these walls, in case whatever the hell is lurking within them intends to take us as well."

    "Yeah."

    Replying quietly, Macheo straightened himself out, fixing the cor of his dark coat as he walked alongside Ren down the deathly corridor.

    Finding themselves naturally gravitating towards the leftmost path once again, the terrain seemed to shift itself, taking on a differing form from the abundance of shaped flesh. Making up the floor was a snow-white, solid substance, stretching itself thin across the walls around them.

    "Is this��"

    "Bone."

    Ren affirmed what he knew hispanion would say, knocking his knuckles gently against the material as a hollow echo resounded. Momentarily finding themselves distracted by the change in the material around them, something caught Ren''s eye at the end of the corridor.

    It seemed to lead to apletely new chamber instead of continuing to run through the maze of flesh. Macheo discovered this as well as he pointed his eyes towards the same direction as hispanion''s own.

    "I''ve got a feeling; don''t really know if it''s good or bad."

    Unsheathing his longsword, Ren slowly began to make his way to this awaiting territory as the Lucrauvian followed closely behind him. It was beginning to get all too tiring for Ren, blindly navigating through territories designed to either break him down or kill him. A feeling of frustration bubbled up within his core.

    "If it''s in this ce, I''d trust whatever is in your gut to be a bad feeling."

    "I agree. That''s why I''m going to do something pretty damn stupid."

    Holding a troublesome smile on his face, Ren marched forward until reaching this enigmatic chamber ahead of his eyes, dropping himself into its boundaries as the youngerpanion of his followed next to him.

    Like the rest of the sinful, nightmarish territory, the walls were all formed of what looked to be living flesh. This time, however, pirs of bone stood, holding the high-standing roof above their heads as a sense of a grand scale surrounded them.

    "...What''re you nning?"

    "Well, if I''m being honest--I don''t really feel like moving on the path chosen by this ce. You''ve felt it too, right?"

    Being asked this, Macheo slowly nodded as he gulped, "Yeah, it feels like the damn ce is changing itself to try and box us in, or guide us somewhere. Still...What does this have to do with what you''re going to do?"

    "Frankly, I''m tired of it. This ce--Purgatory--and all of its damn shenanigans. More so than that, I want to find our friends before anything cany a damn finger on them. Just that thought alone is making my blood boil; not knowing where they are, if they''re alright, wondering if something is after them. I''m not ying by the rules any longer--this ce can go to hell. That''s why...I''m going to blow this damn shithole to kingdome."

    As he vented his feelings, speaking without frivolity or jest, a sense of bubbling up magical energy could be felt radiating from Ren''s body. Raising a hand to the air, the rising energy massively amplified itself, condensing into the spot above his palm.

    "You might want to get back and use a barrier for this one."

    "...What? I don''t get it."

    "This is how we''ll find them. They''re in here somewhere--I''m certain of it. If I make enough damn noise, enough ruckus, destroy enough, they''ll find it."

 Chapter 220 - Butcher

    Even if he found himself perplexed by this sudden development, Macheo slowly retreated himself back into the corridor, watching as hispanion weaved into existence a powerful gathering of magical energy.

    "Come out, you gross bastard."

    Whispering to himself, Ren kept his eyes keenly focused on the spacious domain around him, keeping his hand up as the generated mana bore itself into existence, taking the form of a rampant sphere of stygian energy above his palm.

    Around him gathered an intense wind, gathered by the force generated by his fearsome mana. Fluttering in the unnatural gusts, his colorless locks of snow ran across the hazel veil of his irises.

    Come on. I know you''re watching, he thought.

    Doubling down on his gamble, he amplified his raw magical output further, sending a tremor through the domain as it shook violently under the pressure of his building mana. Standing tall, he watched as something finally caught his eyes.

    Got you, he smiled.

    It was the same arms he witnessed take hold of the adventurer, slowly protruding from the wall as if it were a spectral spirit. Soon, it became known it wasn''t just disembodied arms--but a full-fledged entity as a face emerged as well.

    The moment his eyesid on that face, he felt his resolve be challenged by a most daunting wave of despair.

    That''s...No, Ren thought.

    The entity''s face was patchwork; the skin wrapped over its own was sewn together, wearing a face that clearly wasn''t its own, holes cut open for its own mouth and eyes to be revealed. Both eyes it possessed werepletely different from one another, one verdant and the other an icy blue.

    Leaving the boundaries of the wall unnaturally, its leg jutted out from the surface of the flesh-gate, slowly stepping onto the ground as it quietly looked at him with a smile. As it crept out from its ce within the walls, its full-form looked human--unnaturally so.

    "Macheo!"

    Though it was natural for him to call for hispanion, it wasn''t something done out of a tactical mindset, but theplete fear of facing this being alone.

    I feel sick. I want to throw up, just looking at that thing--imagining its disgusting presence alone makes me want to puke, Ren thought.

    "What the hell is that?!..."

    Returning to Ren''s side, the question left Macheo''s lips naturally in horror as his eyes met with the same entity.

    "I think that''s the "Butcher"...in all of its abhorrent glory."

    As the entity stood both of its bare feet on the ground below, it stretched its body as if it were attempting to snap all of its bones, twisting its neck side-to-side as well as bringing its arms behind its back as its bones loudly cracked before a sigh left its maw.

    "That''s right; I''m the Butcher."

    "...?!"

    It came to a haunting surprise to both of them--the human-seeming, monstrous entity spoke to them. Even if it did truly look human, it clearly was not. Standing well over the height of even the tallest athletes, it possessed a bodyyered in scars and stitches, its skin covered in patches of differentplexions. Even its own hair seemed to be stitched into its scalp, holding a mix of beige and gray.

    "Ah, you two look strong...I want you. I want you. Such smooth skin...Healthy bodies...What a gift this day has be."

    Reveling in its own twisted desires, the Butcher licked its lips, its unnaturally long tongue running along its chin before retreating back into its mouth. Watching this, both boys suffered from a chill running over their bodies. Still, Ren forced himself to speak up as he gripped his de.

    "Where are the others?! There were four others with us, you were the one who separated us, weren''t you?"

    "...Others? Ah...Yes, the others. The others. Mm...they''re here, yes."

    As he spoke, the Butcher''s lifeless irises rolled around as his tongue slipped out once more, running his hands along his overtly muscr body as if enjoying the feel of his own skin.

    "Tell me where!"

    Demanding an answer, Ren seemed ready to strike as he pointed his de towards the entity standing near the wall opposite to his position.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha! What good does it do me to indulge your desires? Maybe if you show me a nice ecstasy, my lips will be unsealed."

    Even if Butcher wasn''t making any movements that entailed malice, the shaky, excited tone that coated his words as he leaned forward sent Ren''s instincts into alert.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Was this thing supposed to be...human?!"

    "I don''t know!"

    "Doesn''t matter now, I guess--cover me!"

    "Obviously!"

    Exchanging words quickly, Ren took the vanguard as he sprinted just as Butcher took the first step, flipping Belus between his fingers as he kept his eyes locked on the tall, unnatural entity. As he ran, stomping his feet forward as his arms dangled behind him, Butcherughed like an ecstatic child as he drew close to the middle of therge, spacious chamber.

    "What''s so funny, huh?!"

    Swiping his de towards Butcher''s chest, Ren yelled out as his attack was avoided by an unorthodox dodge, watching as it looked like the monstrous man fell backwards, only tounch himself back up with his hands into a dropkick.

    Despite its size and muscle mass, the monstrous human-like entity moved fluidly as if gravity didn''t treat it as harshly as the rest. Avoiding the iing kick using its full mass, Ren slid beneath Butcher as itunched past him.

    "I''m just enjoying myself, that''s all! Ha-ha! Mm...maybe the other one is just as delicious."

    Setting its sights on Macheo, it licked its lips with a devilish grin as it sprinted towards the golden-haired mage dressed in ck and crimson.

    "B-bring it on then!"

    "Yes! Yes! I love bold people, especially when they''re trying to hide their trembling bodies!"

    Each time Butcher''s sprinting feet smacked against the ground, a loud, heavy stomp resounded through the acoustic chamber. Holding its wicked, frivolous smile, it neared the position of the young Lucrauvian, clenching its fist as it prepared for contact.

    "Macheo!"

    Trying to catch up with the intense speed possessed by the entity, Ren called out from just behind Butcher, tightening his grip on Belus.

    "Don''t you dare worry about me! I''m not backing down!"

    "Show me!"

    Butcher leaped into the air, spinning itself as it finally began to crash down into a mighty kick, descending towards the golden crown below.

    "Wasser: Geyser!"

    mming his palm against the ground, a short tremor birthed itself before a rumbling began--ascending into a burst of water that burst through the crimson flooring.

    "Oh?"

    Butcher seemed more intrigued than worried as the pir of steaming, high-pressured water crashed into it with ferocious force. The summoned geyser propelled itself against the roof of the rotten domain, running strong as Macheo kept his hand pressed against the floor.

    "More...more!"

    An obvious vein protruded against his forehead as he muttered to himself, biting onto his lip as he increased the output of the geyser.

    "That''s enough!"

    Arriving at Macheo''s side, Ren grabbed his arm to halt the rampant mana output. The look on Macheo''s face remained as intense but shifting to utter fear as he looked past hispanion. Following the frightened gaze, Ren experienced the same dread, witnessing the patchwork form of the creaturend perfectly on its two feet.

    "Mm, that really was fun. You both are quite strong; I''ve really been blessed with such quality material."

    "Material?..."

    Ren muttered as he brought himself back to his feet, helping his partner stand as well as they kept close to each other. It only continued to escte; the primal fear that exuded from Butcher. It was something that should''ve been obvious at first nce, but he finally realized.

    That patchwork body, this entire ce, I mean--it''s right in its damn name--"Butcher". It''s using the parts of people as its "material"...That exins why it looks human, but it''s the farthest thing from it, Ren thought.

 Chapter 221 - Break Through It

    Expecting the entric entity to continue talking, Ren reacted half a moment toote to the iing attack at a blinding speed from Butcher, narrowly guarding against it with the edge of his de. Though the sharpness of Belus sank into the flesh of Butcher''s forearm, it only smiled gleefully, pushing its arm deeper into the de as an abhorrent squelch birthed itself.

    "More. More. More! I want to taste it; that precious, pure resolve behind those eyes of yours! You''re holding on so desperately to it, aren''t you? Your humanity. He-he-he. Sorry, it''s both my job and hobby to tease you; I want you to break...I want to break your soft body between my fingers. Oh...Just thinking about it��"

    Monster doesn''t even begin to describe this thing! He thought.

    As Butcher brought its face close to Ren''s, pressing close to him as it allowed the de to sink deeper into its arm, a closer view of its ursed canvas was awarded. Beneath the mask of skin stered on the surface, hints of its true flesh could be seen; barren of any skin of its own, its bare, ckened fleshid beneath.

    The stench emanating from it was worse than anything he had smelled up until this point; it was a walking pile of corpses, smiling with its wide teeth tinted in a shallow crimson, decayed with a grimy substance.

    "Achelous: Wave Hammer!"

    Saving Ren from the awful sight and stench came a st of condensed water, melded into a tight form as it crashed against the side of Butcher harshly, sending the rotten entity flying off to the side. Falling back to hisrade''s position, Ren slid his de back into its sheath.

    "The n is still to make a lot of noise."

    "Huh? Why?"

    "That bastard confirmed it--they''re in here somewhere. I don''t think it''s that big of a ce, if we make amotion, I''m sure they''ll get the idea. Once we''re grouped up, this''ll be cake."

    Exining the n to Macheo, Ren slid the sleeves of his coat up to reveal his bare arms, rushing towards the battle once more as Butcher stood itself back up unnaturally;pressing its legs like a spring as its torso pulled itself up as if a string lifted it.

    "Scheming? Go ahead!"

    Without a care in the world, Butcher met the white-haired mage halfway, wildly throwing its fist directly down towards his skull.

    ? Gracefully, the blow was redirected and countered with an elbow directly to Butcher''s nose, knocking the entity back with the force behind the attack.

    If my theory is correct, then this thing has probably adapted to fighting against weapons primarily. There aren''t many bastards crazy enough to use their fists against a beast like this, but I''m one of them, Ren thought.

    Backing his fist with a bountiful aura of darkness, Ren threw a punch against Butcher''s chest, sending a shock wave vibrating through the chamber. Although it exhibited sharp instincts, it was clear to him that itcked any real martial arts skills, simply iling its body around and contorting it to fit its needs at each moment.

    As I am right now, I''d bet on myself to win against Asterius eight times out of ten. I doubt this random "field boss" on this floor is as strong as that monstrous minotaur. I''ve felt despair, I''ve been through hell--this isn''t it. I can feel it; this thing is some immovable, all-powerful wall I must ovee. It''s just an obstacle blocking my way, Ren thought.

    Dropping his stance down, he opted for a leg sweep, focusing his reinforcement on his leg as he managed to shatter Butcher''s shin with a resounding, stomach-churning crack. Even this wasn''t enough to lessen the glee from the monstrous entity as it simplyughed, iling itspromised leg around before being interrupted by a flurry of fists thrown against its body.

    Supporting Ren in his closebat endeavor, arrows of water flung around and jabbed into Butcher''s body, locking it down for a moment before another elbow fell down against its forehead like a meteor. Feeling the impact, Butcher''s eyes rolled around in its head as it smiled, giggling happily.

    That''s right...I''m not alone. I haverades now--and all of them can kick some ass!

    "Ho--interesting! Interesting! Show me more!"

    It''s not that tough; I''ll take care of this in a snap! He thought.

    Seeming to be barely affected by the attack, Butcher received another impact in the form of a knee directly against its chin. Sending off the tall creature''s form with a kick, Ren followed up by throwing a few darknces, lodging them into its flesh.

    "Oh? Ah..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Butcher looked at its body curiously, attempting to touch thences as its fingers were rejected by the darkness, recoiling from the vtile force.

    "Araphel: Detonation!"

    With a snap of his fingers, he copsed the form of all the spears into pure vtility, releasing a massive explosion of dark energy as the shock wave sent him flying back, onlynding by the grace of Macheo''s extended hand.

    "Did you get it?"

    "...Way to trigger the ssic trope. I hope so."

    By the time the smoke and dust had settled, there was nothing to be seen where the monster once stood.

    Did I��? Ren thought.

    "Over there!"

    Macheo called out, pointing towards a far wall. Turning his eyes towards the appointed direction, he saw it--Butcher was mangled and burnt, still holding its frivolous, chilling smile as it began to sink itself into the bounds of the wall.

    "...You''re really quite strong. I''ll have to retreat for now."

    "Wait! Tell me where the others are!"

    It was a desperate ask, but he knew he had to try. As the question was heard by Butcher, its smile faded into a stoic expression.

    "I suppose I should keep my promises, hm? It''s not like you can leave here unless I will it or die. There."

    Snapping his fingers of differentplexions, Butcher caused a hole to birth itself in the rightmost wall, opening like a sphincter. Although it was a disgusting sight, Ren could focus on rushing towards this new pathway.

    "Wait--hold on, Ren!"

    Barely able to stop hispanion, Macheo grabbed hold of the sleeve of his coat with a cautious expression worn.

    "Oh, don''t you worry. I''m not a very deceitful person outside ofbat; I rather enjoy doing things with my own two hands. Try not to die on your way to me, alright?...Especially you, white-hair. I want to enjoy your flesh with my own tongue."

    Butcher seemed to read the problem present on Macheo''s worried face, smiling before fully sinking away into the wall. Freeing his coat from the blonde adventurer''s grasp, Ren continued to move towards the newly opened passage.

    "Creepy bastard."

    Ren muttered with a disgusted look stered on his face, shaking his head to rid himself of the sight of Butcher''s lengthy tongue.

    "Let''s go."

    "...Alright. Don''t regret this."

 Chapter 222 - Re:Awakening

    The hole in the wall led to a sectionpletely different, but still the same at its core. Pirs that took the form of spines ran from the ground to the roof, the walls coated in veins and bones--it was repulsive all the same.

    "This all feels like a fever dream."

    "If only it was something we could just wake up from, huh?"

    I knew it from the random encounters with monsters up until now, but he''s strong. That Butcher guy honestly instilled some real fear into me...I''m not sure what would''ve happened if I was alone, but he handled it almost like it was easy, Macheo thought.

    It was a thought guing his mind now as he looked at Ren in a slightly new light.

    Walking cautiously through the quiet, organic domain, a sudden tremor unleashed itself,ing from beyond therge, open door at the end of the chamber of bones.

    "Was that��?"

    "It''s them! I know that mana signature! Come on!"

    Without any caution or second thoughts, Ren grabbed Macheo''s arm before pulling him forth at a speed he wasn''t prepared for.

    "...Wait, wait, wait!"

    Dashing forward, the agility which Ren brought them both through was enough for the boy to feel his cheeks be numb, being pulled forward blindly until they came to a sudden halt. It was directly beyond the darkness veiling that which stood behind the enormous door. The fourpanions they had been separated from, however, something else was there with them. In fact, they were amidst abat of their own--fighting a harrowing beast resembling the form of a dragon, molded together by the repugnant, familiar patchwork style of flesh.

    "Iris!"

    Calling out happily despite the presence of the enormous beast ravaging therge hall, Ren smiled brightly.

    "Wha--? Ren?! Macheo?"

    Iris stopped after flinging a de of light against the flesh dragon''s hide, her eyes widening with disbelief at the familiar sight of white, snowy hair.

    "In the flesh!"

    Filled with unstoppable determination upon finding her once more, Ren released his hold on Macheo''s arm, who stumbled forward dizzily.

    Removing Belus from its sheath, the radiant sharpness felt as if it could cut through anything in this moment.

    All of it. Those dark, dull feelings inside my heart--they disappear the moment I see you, Iris, he thought.

    "Give me a boost!"

    Calling out without hesitation to run forward, Ren sprinted as tforms carried him into the air by the merit of Macheo''spliance.

    "Stop bossing me around! I''ve got you covered without you telling me what to do!"

    "Yeah, yeah!"

    Feeling like a million dors, Ren leaped freely with full trust in his blonde, sharp-tonguedpanion as tforms manifested beneath his soles, bouncing from spot to spot within the air, upying it alongside the enormous beast of stitched-together flesh.

    "Watch out! It uses blood breath!"

    Calling out from below, Aiko''s warning came just in time as Renunched himself from the midair tform before a crimson beam propelled itself towards the spot which he once stood. Instantly, the tform was reduced to nothing but particles under the acidic aspect of the blood breath.

    "Breath?! That''s more like blood vomit!"

    "Sorry I didn''te up with an adequate name for you, mister nitpick!"

    "Oh, spicy today, are we?"

    Inhabiting a new frivolity, Rennded beside Aiko, flipping his de between his fingers as he watched Hongse send a massive swing of his hammer into the meat dragon''s kneecap, blowing it into smithereens.

    Closing his eyes for a moment, once he parted his eyelids once more--it felt like he had washed away all of the stress clinging to his shoulders.

    Man, I''m feeling ted right about now. Honestly, it''s kind of weird. I don''t feel like myself--I feel so damn good, Ren smiled.

    "Uh, Ren?"

    "Yeah?"

    Turning to look down at Aiko, she had a curious, confused look in her amethyst irises--the same expression amplifying as his eyes met with hers.

    "What''s up with your eyes?..."

    Running his digit around his eyebrow, he casually repelled the iing swipe of the fleshy, patchwork dragon''s paw with a smooth roundhouse kick, turning his attention back to the girl. The force from the simple kick was as if a cannon had just blown against the beast''s arm, sending its ws blowing off into chunks of scattered meat, raining down upon the ivory chamber.

    The exhibited power sent Aiko into further confusion, feeling the shock wave generated from the kick ignite a tremor within the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What''s wrong with them?"

    "They''re...golden. And shapes like wheels."

    Hearing this, he felt everything freeze for a moment before a smile began to naturally take ce across his lips, running his fingers through his snowy locks as his heart began throbbing with such excitement he feared it might explode if he didn''t move.

    "Ah...I see. That exins it."

    So, that''s how it is, huh? Justing and going whenever you please, what a troublesome ability...Still, I''m d, Ren smiled.

    "...Exins what?"

    "I''m enlightened."

    It was as if recognizing it fully awakened it; feeling a weightless sensation run over his body before a warmth followed, a strength not previously known flowing through his veins with a readied heat.

    "Manjushri."

    Calmly uttering the word, his held de became engulfed in a majestic me. Though Aiko stood close to the vibrant fire, only a gentle warmth was felt against her skin as she watched, bewitched by the new sight before her.

    I''m in control this time. I can do it. I can take this power for my own. It''s mine. Mine! Ren thought.

    The illuminating me that engulfed the chamber in its golden radiance drew the attention of the lifeless, dragon-shaped pile of meat towards him.

    "...Ren? What''s going on? Are you alright?..."

    "Better than ever. Just watch me."

    It''s flickering; this power isn''t going tost long. Unfortunate, but it''s a miracle it even came to be right now, he thought.

    As he reared his sword-wielding arm back, the me intensified even further as a tremendous wind generated around his form.

    "Swing and turn the defiled to ash, Manjushri."

    Silently whispering these words, swinging the de enchanted by his own mysticism forward unleashed a massive, daunting wave of energy that directly found itself pressing against the lumbering beast, pushing it back against the wall as the tangible inferno of retribution held it tightly.

    "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

    Standing near the point of impact, the warrior panda retreated, sprinting without any elegance as the warmth brushing against its rear propelled it forward.

    "Get over here, idiot!"

    Lending a hand to herpanion, Valerie assisted Hongse in getting to a safe distance, managing to lift the round, dense demi-human and ce him near Iris, who was watching Ren with eyes full of questions.

    "Ren...Is this your ability?"

    He wasn''t lying...It really is something transformative. This heat, the confidence radiating from him, it almost feels like a different person that I''m looking at, Iris thought.

    Whispering to herself, the smile she saw stered across his lips was more worrying than assuring. The initial strike managed to gravely injure the put-together dragon, leaving it stumbling and groggy as its body ofbined flesh began to dissolve under the damage. Its acidic blood seeped out from its pores and torn open sections, leaving a puddle of the steaming liquid of crimson beneath its step.

    "Grahhhh--!"

    A massive, harrowing roar unleashed from its barely stitched together maw, directing its booming yell towards the white-haired, golden-eyed young man.

    "Did I make you mad? Sorry, but not all are born equal. That''s just how it is; I''m too strong--way too strong for you."

    Hearing the toxic confidence spewed from the radiant, light-infused man''s lips, Aiko still found herself confused by the sight; she questioned if who was standing beside her was the man who saved her.

    "Hey, take a few steps back. I''m going to put this thing down right now."

    Issuing a warning to the girl beside him, Ren''s exuberant irises slowly turned, the wheels spinning themselves slowly but surely. It was a gaze of divinity, one that didn''t leave room for her to argue as she found herself stepping back.

    Giving the beige-haired Akitein girl a smile, Ren turned back to face the franken-dragon as the pure mes continued to coil the length of his de.

    "I don''t know whether or not I respect or despise this about beasts like you. Fighting on-- even against overwhelming strength--it''s either brave or stupid, I can''t decide which. Either way, this is the end of the line for you."

    Going for an underhand swing, the de seamlessly cut into the ground beneath as if there was no resistance beneath its reach, carrying with it the heavy, suffocating weight of the divine mes of judgment.

    Burn away.

    The reach of his de was nowhere close to the form of the towering flesh-dragon, yet its sharpness reached it all the same as the heat coated the spatial rend, bisecting it straight down the middle before it exploded into a mass of the divine mes.

    He mentioned it a bit to me, but this is way different than what I had in mind. Where the hell was this? Macheo thought.

 Chapter 223 - Terror In Grandeuve

    Returning to thepromised home of the Ounders, the heat of battle nestled its way into the quiet Valley of Grandeuve during the darkness of the night.

    Dashing towards his enemy, Fai unleashed a volley of blows that quickly pierced the winds, missing his target each and every time. He hadn''t even got a good look at his face yet, devolving into full, cold-blooded brutality as he sought to kill then ask questions.

    Though, that initial n wasing harder than he had wished or expected. The Argonaut he found himself attacking possessed a finesse of his own, elegantly evading each attack, deflecting blows before they could reach.

    He''s good. Fast as hell! Fai thought.

    There wasn''t much time for an exchange of introductions, the two quickly began fighting the moment they were within sight of one another. It seemed they both knew who the other was as the exchange of blows continued. Fai found his fists returned by a hit from his enemy, blocking it only to be sent flying back several meters.

    Strong! Really, really strong! So, this is "Avdima", huh? Beatrice warned us all about this Argonaut. There''s no mistaking it. Those hollow eyes, pale skin, and spiky hair--not to mention the aura of dark mana around him, Fai thought.

    The outfit Avdima wore differed from the standard, almost business-like attire most wore. His sable robes sat baggily over his torso; akin to that a cleric would wear, thevish fabric intertwined to create an intricate design that helped to tighten the loose robes over his chest.

    Though, his choice of trousers was just the same--baggy enough that he looked like a kid trying his father''s clothes on.

    "If you''re going to attack me, you''d better stop holding back. It''s a real bore."

    The pale Argonaut spoke calmly, exhibiting such boredom that it looked as if he was one step away from yawning as he caught the iing fist thrown at him, squeezing it tightly. Fai let out a sharp gasp from the pressure enclosing around his fist, feeling itpromise the very integrity of his bones.

    "If that''s what you want, I''ll be happy to oblige, bastard!"

    With a pained smile, Fai manifested his magical energy in the form of a coat of mes, causing Avdima to relinquish his hold on the man''s fist.

    "I''ll show it to you then...The Tales From My World: J?rmungandr."

    Following Fai''s words as he shook his fist, a puddle of pure darkness manifested from his feet, consuming the soil around him rapidly as it expanded forth, pushing Avdima further back from his position as the Argonaut watched with eyes of caution.

    As soon as the sea of shadows made contact with the evergreen, the des of grass dissolved and crumbled into a state of death before being swallowed.

    "Fai Meng...Threat Priority: SS-ss. Show me why you were given such honor."

    "With pleasure. Wake up, you big,zy serpent! Dinner is waiting!"

    pping his hands together, Fai smiled from ear-to-ear as the abyssal puddle began to ripple, a tremor whispering through the ground before an entity rose from the depths of the ck sea around the otherworlder.

    A body d in stone-like scales; it continued to propel itself up and unearth its gargantuan form from the bowels of the darkness. Avdima watched curiously, looking to the sky as it seemed the awakened serpent sought the moon hanging near the clouds.

    While the summoned serpent unraveled itself into the world, another shock waveing from the ship floating in the sky resounded, crashing against the barrier harshly.

    I almost forgot about that. I doubt the others are free to handle that if the Argonauts came this prepared...I''ll leave this one to you, Fai thought.

    "Sun Wukong, arise."

    This one''s a bit troublesome, but I can''t deny his strength...Especially in a situation like this, he''s worth his weight in gold, Fai thought.

    Quietly uttering its name, he kept it away from Avdima''s ears as another entity rose from the sable sea, a monkey possessing human features withvish, crimson garments. It stood no higher than Fai''s waist but possessed a muscr build all the same as its golden fur was brushed by the passing winds.

    "Take care of that ship in the sky."

    "Mm. Looks fun. I guess I''ll y along, boss-man."

    Spinning the exuberant pole between his hand, Sun Wukong held a frivolous smile as he set his fiery gaze on the airborne boat.

    With a single leap, the tiger-kilt-wearing monkey set off into the sky, taking Avdima''s attention a moment toote.

    "You''ve got your own problems to handle; I wouldn''t worry about that ship."

    "Summoner-types are a real drag. Always hiding behind other creatures to do their own bidding...It''s not much fun."

    "..Is that right?"

    Thatstment stung Fai, having him hold a bothered smile as he ran his fist against his palm while the serpent behind him seemed to finally finish its birth into the world, hovering high above the surrounding trees as its breath ran across the forest like a storm.

    Near the base of the towering tree itself, Donatien took notice of the rising world serpent, letting out a disgruntled sigh before adjusting the sleeves of his jacket.

    No doubt, that is Fai''s Jormungandr, he thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Taking off in a sprint towards the location of the newly summoned serpent in an effort to rendezvous with hisrades, something in his body suddenly urged him to dodge. Following the instructions of his instincts, he twisted his body into a circr leap, avoiding a beam of blood that would''ve likely carved right through him.

    "Strong...You''re a strong one��"

    This bastard is still alive?!

    Before he could confirm as such with his own eyes, he was forced to evade a whip of flesh that violently flung itself around the field, mming into the ground multiple times and shattering the ice that sat over the soil.

    "I should''ve known it wouldn''t have been that easy with an Argonaut��"

    Huffing as he adjusted his sses with a knuckle, Donatien readied himself forbat once more as he watched the man wrapped in an armor of flesh unveil himself from the obscurity of the trees, each step he took shaking the ground beneath.

    He managed to disable my Ice Age with that barrage just now. I wonder if it''s even worth it to cast with such a brute iling around, he spected.

    "Skadi: Wild Frost Shower!"

    Greeting the returned Argonaut with a spell of his own making the moment his eyes met with his repugnant form once more, Donatien manifested an array of minuscule, sharp bullets of ice into the frosty air.

    Sending the weaponized snowkes towards the lumbering juggernaut of flesh, he watched as the man didn''t so much as flinch as they crashed against his thick hide of pure muscle, instead letting out satisfied moans as his flesh was stimted.

    The only damage done was superficial at best; only small cuts left over the fleshy hide before beingpletely undone by the armor simply rebuilding itself.

    "I see...You do live up to your title as an Argonaut. This won''t be easy."

    Ripping his tie away from his cor, Donatien''s coat immediately opened itself before he tore that away as well. Beneath the garments that rested over his torso was a body chiseled by battle, unfitting of the calcting, slender person he seemed to be prior to.

    Rolling his shoulders and moving his neck side-to-side, satisfying cracks reverberated through the secluded battlefield before the man followed through by cracking his knuckles.

    "Show me! Show me!"

    "Don''t worry; I n to."

    As soon as the utterance left his lips in a frosty breath, he was already in front of the flesh goliath, wrapping his arms around the waist of the Argonaut into a tight hold. Feeling the radiant heat emanate against his skin from the texture of the raw flesh that protected Fleisch, he expedited his hold on the being, bringing the muchrger being into the air temporarily.

    "Huh?"

    Fleisch for the first time seemed to be brought out of his stupor of violence, left puzzled as the smaller figure lifted him up. Leaning back, Donatien sent the maddened opponent of his directly into the ground behind his back, finishing into a suplex.

    Standing himself back up, fixing the position of his sses, he looked back at the man who was now nted into the soil behind him with an indifferent look.

    "Freeze and be silent; Skadi: Benevolence of the Queen."

    Casting the spell without so much as an urgency to his tone, Donatien unleashed a frosty aura that wrapped itself around thepromised being, quickly forming ayer of thick, magical ice around his enormous form.

    The formed frost spread itself across the field, rising from Fleisch''s position into the shape of a tree of translucent ice, glistening with fallen snowkes.

    Watching carefully, his suspicions were met as despite being enveloped in dense ice, Fleisch began vigorously contorting his body, kicking his legs about as the heat radiating from his flesh armor made it easy to flick the ice from his body. A rumble resounded from the ground as the monstrous Argonaut unearthed himself, resurfacing his torso as only a smile showed itself past his helmet of muscle.

    "Ah! Fun! Fun!"

    I thought this might happen, Donatien thought.

    "Skadi: Malevolence of the Queen."

    With a snap of his fingers, the mist of the frost that surrounded Fleisch began to radiate with a pristine, azure glow as the cold grew thicker and suffocating, recing the air itself with the essence of the cold.

    "...Oh? Oh?"

    Looking around, Fleisch was ignorant to the rising danger before being swallowed by the subsequent detonation of the ice all around him, unleashing into a cobalt radiance.

    Removing his sses for a moment, he let out a frosted breath before wiping the buildup of ice on the lenses.

    When was it...that I began to take joy in battle? Even now, I purposefully held back just a bit just out of curiosity to see my opponent''s strength. How vexing; maybe I am bing too much like you, Sora.

 Chapter 224 - Persevere, Donatien

    Sliding his sses back in ce, he watched as the argonaut lumbered out from the cloud of frost, still holding his wicked smile as blood seeped out from all over his flesh armor.

    "My turn...My turn��!"

    Suddenly, the grin belonging to Fleisch bent itself into a trembling frown as he unleashed himself forward with agility unbing of hisrge form, taking Donatien byplete surprise as he wasn''t able to so much as raise his arms.

    The enormous fist d by strands of muscle overtook his entire vision before crashing against him, bulldozing its way against his face as all he could focus on was the crunching of his sses, being thrown back violently.

    Even now...I''m not worried. I''m not mad that I''ve been had or fearful. I''m just a slight bit relieved that this won''t be so boring.

    The body of a tree broke his tumble,nding harshly against it with his back before attempting to adjust his sses, only for them to split in half, crumbling away onto the ground beneath him. Letting out a quiet sigh, he wiped the flowing stream of crimson from his nose before watching the lumbering flesh-d man with his lensless, hazel eyes.

    "It would seem you''re quite impatient to meet your end. I don''t have many spares of these."

    As the eyes of the frost-wielding Ounder locked onto the form of the approaching Fleisch, the man wrapped inyers of protective flesh began to move at a snail''s pace, slowly but surelying to aplete halt.

    "What''s this?...Eyes--your eyes."

    "I''ll let you in on a bit of a secret: the moment I arrived in this world, my problematic eyesight was fixed. There is a different reason I keep lenses in front of my eyes."

    In ce of his rather standard hazel irises that once sat behind his sses now were diamond-shaped irises that held a white and azure frost to them.

    "Don''t care! I don''t care! Fight me!"

    "As expected, you aren''t much for conversation after all, are you? All you want is a good fight."

    Interrupting his words, Fleisch dashed towards the man of a much smaller build than himself, his flesh-d feet stomping through the ground beneath as he tunneled towards Donatien like a cannonball.

    A flurry of heavy-handed swings came from the Argonaut''s fists that resembled more so clubs at this point, narrowly missing the body of his target as he seemed to grow more and more angered by the elusiveness of the man.

    "Stay...still!"

    Almostplete...Just a bit more, Donatien thought.

    Throughout this game of cat and mouse, he never allowed his eyes to leave Fleisch''s abhorrent form while using the ice manifested beneath his step to slip around the battlefield while at the same time disrupting the movements of the lumbering juggernaut.

    "Annoying!...So...annoying��!"

    Venting his frustrations through his maw, the simple-minded Argonaut released a swarm of pressurized blood from his lips, carving away at the surrounding trees as the beam chased after the man sliding about on the new field of ice.

    Complete...Lace''s Demon is now in full effect. What a damn headache it is.

    All the requirements had been met for his innate ability to be activated, and what came with it was a fit of inner frustration as his own sight was altered temporarily. He could see it all; every potential movement that his opponent could take.

    As a wild whip of a flesh tendril swung towards Donatien, he put little effort into his dodge, seamlessly avoiding the attack as he gently leaned back.

    "I hate to break it to you, but you won''t be able to hit me anymore."

    Another flurry of muscle-formed whips came at the frost-wielding man, who smoothly guided his body out of harm''s way of the strikes, avoiding the dozen tendrils that violently swung at him, shattering the ground beneath with each miss.

    "Nnghh��!"

    Fleisch gritted his teeth with such fervor that they chattered violently under the burning frustration he seemed to fall under, finally stopping his rampage as he withdrew the extended ropes of flesh back into his forearms.

    "Would you like an exnation? I don''t mind giving the details away, it won''t really change the oue of this battle. Oh, I forgot you aren''t really one partial to calm exchanges, are you?"

    "Shut up!...ytime is over!"

    Spitting out his angered words, Fleisch''s rage seemed to manifest itself physically as theyers uponyers of flesh around his body began to bubble up and vibrate.

    Just what on Earth does this ursed ability have up its sleeve now? Donatien thought.

    "I may have given you the wrong impression; I won''t sit around and let you power yourself up. At the end of the day, this is a fight to the death."

    His words fell upon deaf ears as he raised his hands to the air, bringing with his pale palms a coalescence of potent frost.

    "Skadi: Coffin of Zugspitze."

    pping his hands together to meld the formed winds of frost, Donatien invoked a spell that formed itself around the convulsing Argonaut, generating a ring of ice that surrounded the goliath.

    "I think it''s time you rest your wicked self."

    Extending his hand forward, the clench of his fist caused the formed ring of ice to shoot itself up, walling in Fleisch by a barrier of jagged frost.

    Before he could finish weaving the spell into its full form, one of the walls containing the twisted man was shattered by an abrupt impact from within. There was a change to the nowughing man''s form, but there wasn''t much time to gawk at the ravenous sight of the Argonaut as Donatien was forced to evade the iing tackle.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Without any elegance or even control over his movements, Fleisch continued to stampede forward before crashing through a tree, finallying to a stop as he left a tunnel through the soil in his wake.

    "I see...What a disgusting evolution you''ve taken on."

    Looking upon the growth that Fleisch had taken on, he felt repulsed by this new adaptation; a material unmistakably formed of bone had protruded from beneath the bountiful flesh, wrapping it around his form as a newyer of further armor. Running down both of his club-like arms, the ivory substance ended in a series of ws.

    "The itch...It''s starting to fade away...Just a bit."

    "Itch?"

    Before he could receive any further exnation, the flesh, and bone goliath was in front of his face with speed that had blown away the surrounding debris of ice and twigs, bringing with him a powerful thrust of his fist that was just barely countered by a pir of ice risen by a whisper, "Eis: Arm!"

    It was hardly enough to halt the iing blow as thick as it was; as tough as steel itself, the pir of ice also presented a simr thickness to a tree trunk. Still, the bone-ws running down Fleisch''s arm pierced through it as if it was nothing but paper.

    "Close! You saw it, right? Right? The threshold of death!"

    "Silence, you!"

    Not allowing the attempted piercing to go unpunished, Donatien swiped his hand to shift the form of the pir that held the bone-ws in ce, causing it to imprison the man''s hand entirely.

    I''ve learned my lesson; this freak of nature won''t stay held in anything for very long. At the very least, I can return the favor with my own malice!

    Listening to the battles between the others spark forth in the distance, he felt a surge of urgency press him further as he epted the stakes of this battle with his all.

    Jumping up and using the summit of his own pir of ice as a foothold, heunched himself just above the erratic, twisted individual.

    "Skadi: Saber--!"

    Generating a de formed of his reinforced ice directly into his cold, pale fingers, he plummeted down atop the beastly man of flesh, digging the frost-formed sword directly into the chest of Fleisch, feeling the length of the de pierce through multipleyers of the muscle-armor.

    An attempt at a retaliatory strike found nothing as Donatien was quick to put distance between himself and the pierced goliath.

    "Your only chance at victory is my own negligence. My "Lace''s Demon" allows me to see every possible move you''ll make and my optimal approach. Simply put; nothing you can do will ever reach me."

    Once again, he found himself questioning why he ever bothered trying to part any words to the mindless manic, watching Fleisch il. The de of ice lodged into his torso had spread through his body with roots of frost, furtherpromising his movements.

    "Hurts��hurts��hurts��"

    It looks like he''s finally settling down. Not surprising, I felt the de reach his deepest parts, Donatien thought.

    Reaching to his face to adjust his sses, he remembered that they were gone, letting out a sigh before something caught his eye once more from Fleisch.

    Out of all the possibilities the maddened Argonaut could take, one suddenly cemented itself as his chosen move��something seen toote by the French mage.

    Fleisch''s chest puffed out as did his cheeks, boiling blood beginning to pour out from all over his body.

    Reaching out to try and manipte the ice that surrounded the beastly man, he was unable to take control of so much as a shard as the boiling blood melted away the surrounding frost.

    "Braaaah��-!"

    Pointing his maw towards the sky, a massive stream of this acidic crimson propelled directly into the nightly sky.

    It was an action that simply seemed illogical to Donatien as he watched it be performed.

    I should''ve learned by now��there''s no merit in trying to find logic in the actions of a mad man.

    "Like I said��only my negligence will be your light at the end of the temple. Skadi: Court of The Mountains!"

    Shouting it with utmost fervor, the birthed magecraft immediately took hold of the fountain of burning blood by the merit of a shock wave of frost, freezing it over easily as Donatien put his all into lowering the temperature of the ice.

    Spreading quickly, the explosion of ice shifted the geyser of blood into a frosted statue resembling an overbearing tree, reaching down as the ice froze that which was still inside Fleisch''s body.

    Not leaving any room for failure, he brought himself before the being, standing atop his shoulders as he shoved his own hand down his freezing throat.

    "Return to silence, fiend."

    There was little sympathy in the words that left in a cold breath as Donatien allowed the unstoppable ice to freeze the Argonaut from the inside out.

    It was hard to believe at first that the unstoppable juggernaut finally epted his mortality, but he confirmed by his own frost that the man had been shifted into the cold substance down to the molecr level.

    "I doubt anything can recover from a fate such as yours. You were strong, I''ll give you that. But strong is all you were."

 Chapter 225 - Persevere, Donatien

    Sliding his sses back in ce, he watched as the argonaut lumbered out from the cloud of frost, still holding his wicked smile as blood seeped out from all over his flesh armor.

    "My turn...My turn��!"

    Suddenly, the grin belonging to Fleisch bent itself into a trembling frown as he unleashed himself forward with agility unbing of hisrge form, taking Donatien byplete surprise as he wasn''t able to so much as raise his arms.

    The enormous fist d by strands of muscle overtook his entire vision before crashing against him, bulldozing its way against his face as all he could focus on was the crunching of his sses, being thrown back violently.

    Even now...I''m not worried. I''m not mad that I''ve been had or fearful. I''m just a slight bit relieved that this won''t be so boring.

    The body of a tree broke his tumble,nding harshly against it with his back before attempting to adjust his sses, only for them to split in half, crumbling away onto the ground beneath him. Letting out a quiet sigh, he wiped the flowing stream of crimson from his nose before watching the lumbering flesh-d man with his lensless, hazel eyes.

    "It would seem you''re quite impatient to meet your end. I don''t have many spares of these."

    As the eyes of the frost-wielding Ounder locked onto the form of the approaching Fleisch, the man wrapped inyers of protective flesh began to move at a snail''s pace, slowly but surelying to aplete halt.

    "What''s this?...Eyes--your eyes."

    "I''ll let you in on a bit of a secret: the moment I arrived in this world, my problematic eyesight was fixed. There is a different reason I keep lenses in front of my eyes."

    In ce of his rather standard hazel irises that once sat behind his sses now were diamond-shaped irises that held a white and azure frost to them.

    "Don''t care! I don''t care! Fight me!"

    "As expected, you aren''t much for conversation after all, are you? All you want is a good fight."

    Interrupting his words, Fleisch dashed towards the man of a much smaller build than himself, his flesh-d feet stomping through the ground beneath as he tunneled towards Donatien like a cannonball.

    A flurry of heavy-handed swings came from the Argonaut''s fists that resembled more so clubs at this point, narrowly missing the body of his target as he seemed to grow more and more angered by the elusiveness of the man.

    "Stay...still!"

    Almostplete...Just a bit more, Donatien thought.

    Throughout this game of cat and mouse, he never allowed his eyes to leave Fleisch''s abhorrent form while using the ice manifested beneath his step to slip around the battlefield while at the same time disrupting the movements of the lumbering juggernaut.

    "Annoying!...So...annoying��!"

    Venting his frustrations through his maw, the simple-minded Argonaut released a swarm of pressurized blood from his lips, carving away at the surrounding trees as the beam chased after the man sliding about on the new field of ice.

    Complete...Lace''s Demon is now in full effect. What a damn headache it is.

    All the requirements had been met for his innate ability to be activated, and what came with it was a fit of inner frustration as his own sight was altered temporarily. He could see it all; every potential movement that his opponent could take.

    As a wild whip of a flesh tendril swung towards Donatien, he put little effort into his dodge, seamlessly avoiding the attack as he gently leaned back.

    "I hate to break it to you, but you won''t be able to hit me anymore."

    Another flurry of muscle-formed whips came at the frost-wielding man, who smoothly guided his body out of harm''s way of the strikes, avoiding the dozen tendrils that violently swung at him, shattering the ground beneath with each miss.

    "Nnghh��!"

    Fleisch gritted his teeth with such fervor that they chattered violently under the burning frustration he seemed to fall under, finally stopping his rampage as he withdrew the extended ropes of flesh back into his forearms.

    "Would you like an exnation? I don''t mind giving the details away, it won''t really change the oue of this battle. Oh, I forgot you aren''t really one partial to calm exchanges, are you?"

    "Shut up!...ytime is over!"

    Spitting out his angered words, Fleisch''s rage seemed to manifest itself physically as theyers uponyers of flesh around his body began to bubble up and vibrate.

    Just what on Earth does this ursed ability have up its sleeve now? Donatien thought.

    "I may have given you the wrong impression; I won''t sit around and let you power yourself up. At the end of the day, this is a fight to the death."

    His words fell upon deaf ears as he raised his hands to the air, bringing with his pale palms a coalescence of potent frost.

    "Skadi: Coffin of Zugspitze."

    pping his hands together to meld the formed winds of frost, Donatien invoked a spell that formed itself around the convulsing Argonaut, generating a ring of ice that surrounded the goliath.

    "I think it''s time you rest your wicked self."

    Extending his hand forward, the clench of his fist caused the formed ring of ice to shoot itself up, walling in Fleisch by a barrier of jagged frost.

    Before he could finish weaving the spell into its full form, one of the walls containing the twisted man was shattered by an abrupt impact from within. There was a change to the nowughing man''s form, but there wasn''t much time to gawk at the ravenous sight of the Argonaut as Donatien was forced to evade the iing tackle.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Without any elegance or even control over his movements, Fleisch continued to stampede forward before crashing through a tree, finallying to a stop as he left a tunnel through the soil in his wake.

    "I see...What a disgusting evolution you''ve taken on."

    Looking upon the growth that Fleisch had taken on, he felt repulsed by this new adaptation; a material unmistakably formed of bone had protruded from beneath the bountiful flesh, wrapping it around his form as a newyer of further armor. Running down both of his club-like arms, the ivory substance ended in a series of ws.

    "The itch...It''s starting to fade away...Just a bit."

    "Itch?"

    Before he could receive any further exnation, the flesh, and bone goliath was in front of his face with speed that had blown away the surrounding debris of ice and twigs, bringing with him a powerful thrust of his fist that was just barely countered by a pir of ice risen by a whisper, "Eis: Arm!"

    It was hardly enough to halt the iing blow as thick as it was; as tough as steel itself, the pir of ice also presented a simr thickness to a tree trunk. Still, the bone-ws running down Fleisch''s arm pierced through it as if it was nothing but paper.

    "Close! You saw it, right? Right? The threshold of death!"

    "Silence, you!"

    Not allowing the attempted piercing to go unpunished, Donatien swiped his hand to shift the form of the pir that held the bone-ws in ce, causing it to imprison the man''s hand entirely.

    I''ve learned my lesson; this freak of nature won''t stay held in anything for very long. At the very least, I can return the favor with my own malice!

    Listening to the battles between the others spark forth in the distance, he felt a surge of urgency press him further as he epted the stakes of this battle with his all.

    Jumping up and using the summit of his own pir of ice as a foothold, heunched himself just above the erratic, twisted individual.

    "Skadi: Saber--!"

    Generating a de formed of his reinforced ice directly into his cold, pale fingers, he plummeted down atop the beastly man of flesh, digging the frost-formed sword directly into the chest of Fleisch, feeling the length of the de pierce through multipleyers of the muscle-armor.

    An attempt at a retaliatory strike found nothing as Donatien was quick to put distance between himself and the pierced goliath.

    "Your only chance at victory is my own negligence. My "Lace''s Demon" allows me to see every possible move you''ll make and my optimal approach. Simply put; nothing you can do will ever reach me."

    Once again, he found himself questioning why he ever bothered trying to part any words to the mindless manic, watching Fleisch il. The de of ice lodged into his torso had spread through his body with roots of frost, furtherpromising his movements.

    "Hurts��hurts��hurts��"

    It looks like he''s finally settling down. Not surprising, I felt the de reach his deepest parts, Donatien thought.

    Reaching to his face to adjust his sses, he remembered that they were gone, letting out a sigh before something caught his eye once more from Fleisch.

    Out of all the possibilities the maddened Argonaut could take, one suddenly cemented itself as his chosen move��something seen toote by the French mage.

    Fleisch''s chest puffed out as did his cheeks, boiling blood beginning to pour out from all over his body.

    Reaching out to try and manipte the ice that surrounded the beastly man, he was unable to take control of so much as a shard as the boiling blood melted away the surrounding frost.

    "Braaaah��-!"

    Pointing his maw towards the sky, a massive stream of this acidic crimson propelled directly into the nightly sky.

    It was an action that simply seemed illogical to Donatien as he watched it be performed.

    I should''ve learned by now��there''s no merit in trying to find logic in the actions of a mad man.

    "Like I said��only my negligence will be your light at the end of the temple. Skadi: Court of The Mountains!"

    Shouting it with utmost fervor, the birthed magecraft immediately took hold of the fountain of burning blood by the merit of a shock wave of frost, freezing it over easily as Donatien put his all into lowering the temperature of the ice.

    Spreading quickly, the explosion of ice shifted the geyser of blood into a frosted statue resembling an overbearing tree, reaching down as the ice froze that which was still inside Fleisch''s body.

    Not leaving any room for failure, he brought himself before the being, standing atop his shoulders as he shoved his own hand down his freezing throat.

    "Return to silence, fiend."

    There was little sympathy in the words that left in a cold breath as Donatien allowed the unstoppable ice to freeze the Argonaut from the inside out.

    It was hard to believe at first that the unstoppable juggernaut finally epted his mortality, but he confirmed by his own frost that the man had been shifted into the cold substance down to the molecr level.

    "I doubt anything can recover from a fate such as yours. You were strong, I''ll give you that. But strong is all you were."

 Chapter 226 - Lemasdale; Burning

    "Where is he?!"

    Finding himself back into the main hall of the Mayor''s manor, Lucas scanned the area for the slender, elder man, calling out for an answer.

    "..W-who?"

    "Father Karl."

    Answering the question of the frightened, trembling mother who held her child close to her, Anna spoke softly, holding a smile to calm the woman.

    Even if she''s trying her best to hide it, I can see it clear as day--she''s hurting inside. I''m going to give that old bastard hiseuppance, Lucas thought.

    "He left to the head chamber a few minutes ago...What was that tremor? Was there an earthquake?...Or was it them?"

    A man with soft, brown hair approached Lucas and Anna to give them the answer they sought, fiddling with his beige tunic as he looked sickly with his sunken cheeks and dark bags under his eyes.

    "Don''t worry! Everything is fine!"

    With his unshakeable, boisterous voice, Abraham swooped away the lingering fears of the townsfolk, pping his chest like a gori.

    "Really?...That''s good."

    It''s only temporary, but he''s calmed them. It seems this gori is more than just a tank, Lucas smiled.

    "Main chambers...Lead the way."

    Lucas looked at Abraham, Anna, and Ben, cing his hands on his hips as he waited for them to continue on their set path. They didn''t move, only looking at him with worried gazes as they remained silent.

    "Hm? What is it?"

    "Listen...What''re you nning to do when you find the Father?"

    Asking meekly, Ben kept his arms nervously folded, tapping his fingers against his bicep as he couldn''t seem to keep his eyes on Lucas for more than a moment. Hearing this, the hazel-haired otherworlder let out an exasperated sigh to their surprise.

    "I''m not going to kill him, if that''s what you''re worried about."

    "Really?"

    "What do you take me for? Some sort of cold-blooded murderer?"

    Seeing the questioning looks on their faces, Lucas sighed once more and softly shook his head, "Don''t answer that."

    His answer was satisfactory for the worried trio as they gave in and began to lead him to the sought-after main chamber that once belonged to thete mayor. As he grew closer to the timber,vish door that sat at the end of the hall, a thick, bountiful energy became almost tangible.

    That sinister energy from before--no doubt, this is the source of it. It''s so dense I can actually taste it; stale and sour, Lucas thought.

    "Stay back, I''ll handle it from here."

    Pushing past those who guided him until this point, Lucas put his foot down, knowing full well what was at stake here.

    "Huh? This is our problem too, you know!"

    As predicted, Abraham wasn''t one to kindly sit something like this out, his veins popping out at the slightest hindrance to his desires.

    "This isn''t up for debate. None of you are mages; you''ll simply be in the way if ites down to a battle of magic."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lucas'' words were sharp, stinging them deep as even Abraham''s reddened expression fell to a slump. The cold, emerald thatid behind the short, feminine boy''s gaze wasn''t one they could deny; it was clear just from his eyes the sort of mage he truly was.

    "...If that''s what you think is best."

    "Anna?!"

    "I agree with Anna, Abe...If Father Karl is really what Lucas is saying he is...then we don''t have any ce getting involved."

    Ben seemed to muster up all of his courage to speak up to the loud-mouthed gori, nervously fiddling with his fingers as he gulped, feeling the frustration from Abraham almost be tangible at that moment.

    Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, Abraham looked like he was one needle poke away from exploding before a powerful sigh escaped his lips.

    "...You''re right. You better give him hell if he is a treacherous bastard, Lucas."

    "Oh, you can bet I will."

    Giving them onest confident smile, Lucas only approached the door once he made sure the three had moved clear of the hall, slowly cing his hand against the cold material of the copper handle.

    The coldness it inhabited was unnatural; just touching it for a moment met his skin like ice. Being so close to the source of the daunting energy, the previous heat shifted into aplete chill.

    Even being just in front of this door, I can feel it; my body is screaming at me to back away, to leave. It''s something that shouldn''t be felt, seen, or touched--it''s different from reading about it in the books or hearing it from Beatrice--this is true dark arts, born from a ce without love, Lucas thought.

    His fingers trembling as they met with the frosty handle, finally affirming his resolve as he gripped it tightly. Swinging the door open so that his own doubts couldn''t dull his conviction, the cultivated aura of pure despair pelted full force against him as the room behind the door was revealed.

    The first thing his eyes caught onto was the seal inscribed onto the wooden floorboards; it was messy work, but the symbols of an unknownnguage were clear. In the center of the seal were four separate six-pointed stars, emanating with a slight glow.

    What birthed itself before his gaze instantly burned itself into his memories and heart--the materials used for the sacred, dark magecraft was on disy near the seal; corpses missing their heads and limbs were strewn about the floor.

    Standing just beyond the seal was the slender, harrowing figure of a man most sinister.

    "...Father Karl��!"

    Lucas'' utter horror was quickly reced with rage at the sight of the fake priest''s workings.

    "I knew it the moment I saw you, mage. You would discover the truth--but it mattered not. Everything was ready by the time you arrived."

    "...What''s ready?! Are you nning on sacrificing everyone here? Releasing the barrier around the manor?!"

    The elder man''s expression didn''t change in the slightest when being pressed so aggressively by Lucas'' sharp words, merely looking at him with his wrinkled, uncaring eyes.

    "How childish. This is no "sacrificial" spell nor is it meant to delete whatever barrier you think there is. What you saw outside of the manor was simply a further machination of this craft."

    "But the husks--"

    "--Simply following theirmand. I suppose you are right to some degree though--there will be a sacrifice."

    Telling him this, the false priest did hold a slight smile as the text he held in his hands was brought back under his gaze.

    "You think I''ll let you just continue?!"

    Preparing a spell, Lucas reared his hand back before sending a de of ferocious wind towards the harrowing man, only for his attack to bepletely stopped by a newly manifested, crimson shield that surrounded both the seal and the man.

    "As I said...Everything has already been prepared. Now, I suppose since you''re going to stick around, I should introduce myself: I am Kalda, Hand of the Second Bishop of the Belmon Empire."

 Chapter 227 - True Malice Is Born

    "I don''t care about who you are!...Just tell me what the hell you''re nning here?!"

    Attempting to throw another fit of air towards the man desperately, his efforts were thwarted by the pesky barrier protecting him.

    "I merely think it is a thoughtful gesture to give one''s name to his victim. It is a sad thought for one to be killed by a nameless entity. Mm...I don''t know if there is any point in telling rather than showing, but I suppose some don''t care much for surprises. I guess the dead have the right to be impatient."

    This guy is cocky as hell despite his dead-pan tone! If only this damn barrier wasn''t in the way, I''d--ugh, Lucas thought.

    Staying quiet, his silence seemed to coax the stern, yet talkative greyed, old cultist as he kept his hollow eyes on the boy.

    "A summoning ritual is being performed; the opposite of a sacrifice, isn''t it?"

    "Summoning?...Just what''re you trying to conjure?"

    Asking this to the gravelly-voiced man of few hairs, Lucas watched Kalda as he narrowed his eyes before finally answering.

    "I suppose you will learn the name of the promised spirit soon enough--it seems the time of reckoning is now upon us. Hear me, those who sit on a horizon above malevolence and benevolence!"

    As his voice suddenly rose to a new high, the seal''s subtle glow vastly brightened as the stagnant cold air within the ursed room became ferocious.

    "What''s going on?!"

    From behind Lucas, the familiar voice belonging to the kind-hearted woman called out. Turning around, the three had returned, looking into the room from within the corridor.

    "Get away! Get everyone else into the cer!...Now!"

    Lucas'' high, throat-tearing yell pushed the worried trio to hesitantly follow hismand as they retreated back into the manor.

    "You cannot save them, mage of Mastorn. You cannot save even yourself from the fate you sealed once you entered this estate."

    "Oh, yeah?"

    I''ve got to do something about this barrier. I hate to admit it...But I don''t feel very confident about handling whatever is being summoned, he thought.

    Taking in a long, shaky inhale into his lungs, he filled his chest with forced determination as he allowed his mana to rapidly flow through every section of his body.

    "...All around us, you exist. Your will, your breath, your wisdom--the four winds that coalesce into this world. Winds that have seen all, heard all; whisper into the world this unmatched wisdom and chatter the corruption before my eyes! Anemoi: Winds of Judgment!"

    Invoking the great magic from the bowels of his spirit, Lucas manifested a powerful fit of wind that began to naturally peel away at the wooden constitution of the manor.

    "Try as you might, no magic will pierce this barrier!--"

    "Shut up and watch me!"

    As his emerald jewels shone with an angered resolve, Lucas pointed his digits towards Kalda as the newly formed winds followed his direction; manifesting into an almost tangible form as the winds took on a verdant sheen.

    Bringing the divine, wise winds against the crimson barrier, the manifested breath of the heavenly began to weaken the constitution of the shield around the cultist. For the first time, he showed true emotion as his wrinkled face twisted up with a variety of emotions: disgust, horror, shock--he immediately ced all of his efforts on his held texts.

    "...Seas of crimson, vermilion skies, this is the paradise you seek. It is the paradise we''ve diligently prepared for you for centuries toe. It is yours--yours for the taking."

    As he continued his chants, invoking the seal into further amplification as it radiated with an almost blinding light, the winds continued to attack the barrier, violently shaking it as cracks began to form across it.

    "All of the wickedness in this world, conjured by those who breathe in its air, drink its water, eat its crop; make it your new utopia of death and brimstone."

    "No!..."

    Lucas could feel it from Kalda''s words--the summoning was nearingpletion; the entire manor began to violently rumble under the nefarious energy manifesting itself into the realm. Pushing with all of his might, the winds of magic dissolvement finally began to tear away at the barrier--but it was toote.

    "O'' great Count of Destruction, birth yourself into this wanting realm; nt your seed into its soil and arise from it a new world under your infinite wisdom and power. Take it and make it yours, Halphas!"

    With thosest words, the seal set offpletely; the crimson glow unleashing a blinding light as a massive force generated. The winds formed by Lucas'' great magic crashed against Kalda, tearing his robes to shreds and leaving him covered incerations--but the pain didn''t seem to even faze him as he held a wicked smile in awe of his efforts meeting their end.

    Shit!...I was toote!<novelnext></novelnext>

    Raising his arms, he could barely maintain his footing as the release of such bountiful energy propelled itself into existence.

    "Yes...Yes! Arise! Arise! It''s all been for you! All of this bloodshed, the massacre!"

    Kalda cackled like a madman, spreading his arms open into a weing embrace as both he and Lucasid eyes on the mass that began to form in the center of the chamber. Just looking at its obscure form, Lucas could feel its origin--absolute evil, dread, and despair.

    "I have prepared a feast most bountiful, Halphas!...Consume it all until it is done!"

    The light began to simmer down as the manifested figure seemed to be forming itself; birthing into the realm as arms and legs sprouted forth from its body. It was hard to see exactly, mainly because the sight before his eyes was so unnatural; unmistakably, the bald head of the figure sprouted forth a long, sharp beak.

    "Ah��"

    "O'' great Halphas! You''re here!"

    Kalda held his hands together as if praying, holding a tearful smile as if meeting the very pinnacle of his own life. Watching this happen, Lucas waspletely frozen by the peculiar situation--finding himself looking upon the form of the summoned entity.

    It was covered in stygian skin with the body of a genderless, thin human, standing mighty in height as it stood a full two heads taller than thenky cultist. Though its body was humanoid, its head was that of a stork no doubt with its lengthy beak; its pupilless crimson eyes holding an era of malevolence within them.

    The more he looked at it, the less human it seemed to be; its thin arms ending in wretched ws as did its feet. It was slightly hunched over, simply standing there as it seemed to adjust to its new existence in this world.

    "...So."

    "Halphas?..."

    As it finally spoke with a hoarse voice, the cultist watched in earnest, looking up at the enigmatic entity as it looked down at the seal it was brought in from.

    "I suppose this is what is responsible for bringing me into this world. This is the work of your craft, Belmon believer?"

    "...Yes! Yes! It was I, Kalda, who did the honor of bringing you into this realm!"

    Proiming his aplishment, Kalda fervently bowed down to the dark entity, nodding his head so fiercely it seemed it may fall off his shoulders.

    "You used such a pitiful seal to summon me?"

    "Huh?..."

    "It''s messily drawn, the blood is scarce...It is all too small. I will require many sacrifices to fully manifest myself. Such imperfection...Disappointing."

    The being named Halphas turned its beady, crimson eyes to the fake priest, who seemed to age ten years under the primordial gaze of the malevolent entity.

    "P-p-please forgive me, Lord Halphas!"

    "Such things must be perfect; I''ll handle the sacrifice myself. Begone."

    With a single swipe of its hand, the stork-humanoid parted Kalda''s head from his body, holding in his ws the disembodied head as he parted his beak wide, sliding the dripping head into his maw and swallowing it whole.

    Lucas found himself gagging at the sight, having to cover his mouth to prevent spilling his disgust out in a tangible, liquid form as Halphas finally turned to face him.

    "A magus? A bountiful meal."

    As it began to step toward the hazel-haired boy with malice guiding its movement, it suddenly came to a stop before raising its head toward the ceiling.

    "Ah...A stronger magical energy is close by. Such a meal will surely bring about my full manifestation."

    A stronger energy than myself?...Could it be? Lucas thought.

    Just as the possibilities brought themselves into his mind, Lucas flinched as a thunderous force impacted the roof of thepromised manor. Dust and wood shavings showered down atop him before another impact came--this time shattering the roofpletely as a figure fell into the room,nding between Halphas and Lucas.

    A man dressed in armor bulky enough to be worn only by himself, wielding a greatsword that he held so carelessly over his shoulder--such familiar vermilion locks that had ck roots sitting at the core of his crown. The sight of the figure immediately eased the aching despair in Lucas'' heart as he finally found the will to smile once more.

    "Sora!"

 Chapter 228 - Born From Hell

    "Sora!"

    "That''s me--the resident roof-crasher."

    "But how?!"

    Even if he was grateful to whatever gods existed in the skies for the man showing up when he did, he couldn''t help but be utterly puzzled as to how he arrived at his exact position.

    The only answer he got from Sora was a silent point of his index finger towards the newly formed hole in the roof. Looking up, Lucas found his answer; directly above the estate, upying the clouds, a crimson mass spiraled itself, casting down a gentle rain of red particles down upon the territory of the summoned entity.

    "This ce stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn''t really know for sure you were going to be in here, but it was my best guess."

    "...I see...Thank you."

    "Thank me once we get the hell out of here alive."

    Lifting his dense sword, a tool of death and bloodshed, yet holding a beautiful array of roses etched into its pristine silver, he didn''t hold his usual confident smile in the face of the unknown enemy before him, only staring fiercely at its crimson eyes.

    "Are you the one responsible for this damn outbreak of husks, birdy?"

    "...Husks? Ah, the tools of the believers. That wouldn''t be myself."

    Halphas answered with his hoarse, ethereal voice that carried with it silent maledictions; just hearing his voice felt as if they were being transfixed with curses. The calm manner that the dark entity disyed itself in was only more vexing for the two as they kept their guard raised.

    "Where''s Sirius?"

    Asking quietly, Lucas readied himself for battle as he stood close behind his sword-wieldingrade.

    "We ran into another troublesome bastard in the forest, he''s taking care of it right now."

    Telling this, Lucas could see Sora wasn''t exactly happy with the way things must''ve turned out back there as he tightly squeezed the hilt of his greatsword between his gauntlet. His frustration immediately subsided as something squelched beneath his heavy, ivory boots. Looking down, he quickly stepped back out of disgust as he finally saw the pile of death that resided in the ursed room.

    "...What the hell?! Did it do this?!"

    Pointing his usation at the stork-like entity who now hunched over and reaching down to grab the headless corpse of the Belmon summoner, Sora''s voice came out in a tremble, backed with anger. Halphas quietly ignored the words of the vermilion-haired man as he effortlessly lifted the body between hisrge, w-like fingers and opened his beak wide once more. Residing behind the veil of its pristine, beige break were dozens of rows of obsidian teeth, a long, snow-white tongue slithering about between in its maw.

    "No, it was...the guy he''s holding right now. That thing was summoned by him��"Halphas", I believe he called it."

    "Halphas��?"

    They both gasped as the tainted being managed to fit the entire body of the summoner into its maw, swallowing it whole as its long, thin neck bulged out while it swallowed. As the body reached its abdomen, it seemed to quickly dissolve.

    Move, body, move! Soramanded himself.

    My body is so scared--it feels like my pores are being frozen! Lucas thought.

    "Ah��"

    A satisfied breath left Halphas as it shivered in ecstasy, a bountiful array of mana emanating from its form before it finally returned its attention to the two humans spectating its horrific existence.

    "It''s always the same with you humans. When witnessing something beyond your own simple imaginations, you freeze like scared little prey. Shaking and whimpering until you be sustenance for me."

    "If you see me shaking, it''s because I''m just ovee with excitement!"

    Forcing himself to move, Sora finally took his sword between both of his hands and charged forward, stomping his foot down as a wave of pure force echoed through the chamber, scattering parchment into a rain of paper as he took the first swing.

    The length of his greatsword left little chance for the chamber toe out of this exchange unscathed as the sword cut through the cabs and drawers alike before finding itself in reach of Halphas'' form as the entity simply stood there.

    Something Sora felt made him retrace his movements, pulling his de backst second as he spun around, reversing his swing and going for the entity''s right side this time. Just before the heavy steel could meet with its enigmatic flesh, it bent itself backwards so unnaturally as if snapping its own spine to go through with the effort--avoiding the sh altogether.

    What the--that movement was insane! Sora thought.

    "I apud your ability to move in my presence, however, do not forget your fragile existence--if you intend to strike me, you''d best end me with that first blow."

    Contorting its body, the sable-skinned creature twisted itself back up as it grabbed hold of the de, pushing Sora back with monstrous strength unseemly of its thin, bony arms.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It''s strong! Sora thought.

    "Not that it''s possible for you to aplish such."

    "...Luft: Bore!"

    From the side, a condensed st of air shot itself against the side of Halphas'' bald head, twisting its neck to the side only for it to adjust its gaze as ifpletely unaffected.

    "...Were you not listening, little magus?"

    Turning his crimson, lifeless gaze to the short, hazel-haired mage whounched the mystical air, Halphas spoke with his ursed, hoarse voice in a threatening tone. As it took a single step towards Lucas with its ws, dripping with thick, vibrant crimson, it was halted in its path as fingers wrapped in ivory armor wrapped around its thin neck.

    "Where the hell do you think you''re going? Your opponent is right here."

    Squeezing the demonic entity by its throat tightly, Sora swung itsrge body against the wall with a powerful impact, shaking the entirety of the manor. In the face of such a foe, Sora began to smile shakily once more as mes naturally emanated from his body, holding Halphas by the neck even tighter.

    "Lucas."

    "Y-yeah?"

    "You might want to stay clear for a bit--I''m going to get serious."

    Lucas knew best what Sora meant, slowly nodding his head before he hesitantly removed himself from the room, feeling a wave of heat radiate from his red-hairedrade. As Halphas went for a swipe that came at an untraceable speed towards Sora''s neck, the man intercepted the attack, gripping its bony wrist tightly between his iron grip.

    "You know, your patronizing stunt really pissed me off. Treating humans like their just feeble creatures is real smarting from a frail shit like you. I''ve got a lot of steam to blow off right now, I''m real thankful I found a nice outlet for it right here."

    It waspletelypromised by the disy of strength from the vermilion-haired human, struggling against his grip as it remained unmoving.

    "...This strength--from where did ite?"

    Sora seemed pleased by the demon''s confusion at the raw strength it was held back with as it was looking up at the radiant, blue jewels that looked back down at it.

    "Pushups, situps, and a lot of juice!"

    ring up his fiery magical energy into a ze, the chamber was set aze, helpless to the intense mes that birthed themselves from Sora''s radiance. Holding it against the wall, he continued to let out as many mes as he could, gritting his teeth as he was ced into a contest of strength with the bird-like humanoid.

    The unleashed ze seemed to have a null effect on the entity as he attempted to drown it in a sea of mes.

    Hotter! I need to make the mes hotter!

    "I live in the mes of hell, human! Do not think you can burn me with your weak embers!"

    "Oh, yeah? Then try this!"

    Holding a trembling smile at the challenge issued to him, Sora strained himself until the crimson mes spiraled further into their maddening heat, shifting into a bright azure. Pushing himself so high, it was hard to ce his mind on the brakes as the mes continued to pour out, gritting his teeth before finally--an explosion released itself from his mana.

    The entire chamber had been blown away along with half of the manor, leaving it exposed to the outer elements. As the smoke cleared, the vermilion-haired man stood there, panting as he looked around. They all stood there, still as trees, watching him with their hollow, purple eyes. Rows of husks sat along the boundary of the manor, simply watching him.

    "...You want some too?..."

    Sora''s words came out in an exasperated breath, hoisting the body of the afflicted demon into the air. The resulting explosion of azure mes he unleashed had vaporized half of Halphas'' body, leaving only its unmoving head, arm, and torso hanging in his grip.

    As he thought, his words weren''t perceived by the still husks, still watching him with their unnerving gazes.

    "...Talk about creepy."

    Frantic footsteps returned to his ringing eardrums from behind, turning to see Lucas rush into the room--their eyes widening at the sight of the desecrated safehouse, now torn open by Sora''s magecraft.

    "You beat it?!"

    Lucas asked, surprised and clearly fell of anxiety as he saw the inanimate body held in Sora''s gauntlet. Raising it to the air again, Sora nodded his head as he continued panting, following up with a half-victorious smile.

 Chapter 229 - Re:Born

    "Now, it''s just clean-up time for the bastards out there. Though...they''re acting strange."

    "You''re right--why''re they just standing there like that?"

    "Beats me. It''ll make them sitting ducks though--easy targets."

    As Sora conjured a me in his free hand and took a step outside to confront the still husks, he felt something move in his hand. He couldn''t decipher what his own two eyes were showing him, the mutted, torn body of the demon began to contort and convulse, its crimson eyes returning their deathly glow.

    "...This bastard is still alive?!"

    Disgusted by the slimy sensation of it wriggling in his grip, he tosses Halphas onto the ground, summoning his greatsword back into his hand as Lucas stood by him, prepared to resumebat.

    "How vexing...To be reduced to this state before a human. I must...replenish."

    The hoarse words came out in a rasp as the legless torso began to contort violently before its body began to hover in the air.

    "Agh...Gurgh��"

    It was a repulsive sight; saliva foamed from its break as sable blood ran from its crimson jewels, the same tint of lively fluid flowing from its open wounds. A crimson tint took hold of the sky, bringing the two Ounder''s gazes to the clouds as their hearts began to sink.

    The clouds held the faces of wailing men, humming as they coalesced into a center above where the demon sat in the air, contorting itself as it groaned.

    "...What''s going on?"

    "I don''t know, but it feels like my damn heart is trying to run out of my chest��"

    As the two became distracted by the crimson sky, the sound of bodies hitting the ground brought their gazes back down as they noticed the inanimate husks begin to fall over. From the fallen husks, stygian energy of a harrowing nature, holding the shape of crying faces, traveled directly into Halphas.

    "It''s...eating them?"

    ''That''s what it looks like to me."

    It wasn''t long before a dozen had fallen over, acting as nutrients for the fallen demon as it continued to groan out, its voice echoing many times over as the humming in the skies grew louder.

    "...What am I doing?! I''m not going to sit around and let it recover!"

    "I''m with you��!"

    Taking the lead, Sora rushed towards Halphas as it continued to gather the essence of the husks, rearing his enormous de of roses back as Lucas assisted with a powerful tunnel of wind. As both the de and windunched against Halphas, their attacks were repelled by the tainted energy surrounding the harrowing entity.

    "...God dammit! No!"

    Sora continued to swing his de against the sphere of dark energy, putting more and more mana into reinforcement as each hit thundered out--resulting in the same, null effect. Watching thepanion he held utmost admiration for in his strength be able to aplish nothing in this situation, Lucas fell to his knees as his extended hand shook, attempting to find the will to cast another spell, only for his eyes to be veiled in desperate tears.

    I don''t know what it is, but everything in my body, my soul--it''s telling me I can''t let it recover! My gut is burning up, eating itself--the fear inside me just won''t stop growing! Sora thought.

    It was the same for Lucas; once the skies turned themselves into a tainted crimson, when the clouds began to sing hymns of death--their spirit was challenged by an almighty despair.

    As he felt his resolve be diminished under the hopeless atmosphere, Lucas realized something, looking down at his hands.

    I get it now...It''s trying to forcibly take our souls, but our reinforcement is preventing it. We''re still feeling some effect though...Then that means��

    Turning his gaze back towards the main section of the manor, he felt his stomach sink as the same harrowing energy traveled towards Halphas from behind him.

    "No...Anna...Abraham...Ben��"

    Attempting to reach out and take hold of the fleeting souls, his fingers simply went through the cluster of energy as tears fled his eyes.

    "Lucas! Get your head in the game--I need you right now!"

    Sora yelled out desperately with a shaky voice, not stopping his ceaseless barrage as he struck the shield of ck mysticism over and over again.

    "...Right...Right��!"

    Pushing past his bubbling up emotions as tears continued to flow out and obscure his sight, Lucas held his trembling hand forward.

    "Boreas: Hasten!"

    Instead of assaulting Halphas directly, Lucas used his mystic winds to wrap around Sora, aiding him with their supportive grace as his speed and ferocity picked up even further.

    "We can stop him!...We will!"

    The words that Sora yelled out seemingly at the cost of his throat''s integrity felt more for him rather than therade of his knelt behind him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Soon, all that met the vermilion-haired man''s ears was the ominous humming, watching his sword silently il against the unmoving barrier as his arms felt as if they were set aze themselves, pushing himself past his limit.

    After a minute of this fruitless endeavor, all of the husks had fallen. Bringing the plethora of souls into itself, the entity unleashed a wave that blew the tired Ounder back, gratefully being caught by the gentle winds of hisrade just before crashing against the tattered wall.

    "...Thanks."

    "Thank me when we make it out of here--alive."

    Hearing that line from Lucas, who held such a weak smile behind his tattered and worn appearance, Sora couldn''t help but weakly chuckle.

    "I think the bird bastard is done recovering...Time for round two."

    Still feeling the residual effects of the st in the marrow of his bones, he coughed as he stood himself up, using his sword as a cane before slowly resting it on the thick steel of his shoulder pad.

    Strings of flesh protruded from Halphas'' torn form, stretching out and ovepping as bones formed themselves through newly birthed, ivory particles. It was a sickening sight for them both, watching the demon rebuild itself before its feet once more met the ground.

    I can''t move, I can''t move, Lucas thought.

    Watching Halphas, an aura of suffocating terror pulsated from it as its lifeless eyes watched him silently and intently.

    "Hyaaah!"

    Charging in without hesitation, Sora burst forward with his greatsword held in front of him like ance.

    How can you still move, Sora? Don''t you feel it--this chilling, stifling aura? Lucas thought.

    To his surprise, however, his crimson-hairedpanion managed to drive his de through the chest of the demon, driving it in deep as the sable essence of the creature seeped out from its new wound, coating the silver de in its tainted fluids.

    "I got you this time, bastard. There''s no more life for you to steal."

    Twisting his de as it was lodged in the sternum of Halphas, Sora whispered his resolved words with utter resolve holding itself within his eyes. Even as he witnessed the de be plunged through the creature''s body, the ominous, throbbing fear that continued to make Lucas'' heartbeat rapidly didn''t lessen in the slightest.

    Why?...Why am I so afraid? I don''t understand, Lucas thought.

    "What the��"

    Before Sora could free his de from the bowels of the demon, it fell lifeless, yet its beak parted as if yelling out, but no sound came out. Looking up, Lucas'' fears continued to be further cemented as the humming, crying clouds still spiraled in the blood sky.

    From the dark depths of the creature, two hands suddenly stretched out from its maw, grabbing hold of each side of its sturdy beak.

    "...Ahh��"

    The chilling breath came not from the stork-entity but what was within it. Driven by fear and abhorrent disgust, Sora attempted to retrieve his de--finding himself unable to budge it before allowing it to dissolve before jumping back.

    "It''s just one thing after another with this damn thing."

    Muttering to himself and hisrade, Sora helped Lucas stand himself up, looking down to see the boy''s knees shaking like trees on a windy day.

    He''s not in any condition to fight...Shit...Where the hell is Sirius? Sora thought.

    Opting to switch things up, he summoned a halberd into his grip, running his fingers along its length to get a feel for its style once more.

    The body of Halphas fell limp, but began to convulse--not on its own but by the merit of what sat inside of it, the enigmatic hands slowly parting the beaks further as the repulsive sound of cracking bones rang out. Emerging from the maw of the demonic entity, a head finally peered out; sable hair in a neat bowl-cut, followed by crimson eyes already opened and locked onto the two awaiting the threat.

    It was a person, at least it looked that way to Sora''s eyes.

    "Can you fight?"

    Sora whispered as he didn''t move his eyes away from the abhorrent spectacle before him, receiving a small, "Yes," from Lucas, who brushed the dirt and blood from his garments.

    Birthing itself from the mouth of the demon, the unknown, pale-skinned entity crawled out from its maw, covered in a ck sludge that slid off of its skin as itpletely unraveled itself, stepping onto the bloodied floor. The body of Halphas was left as no more than a sack of skin, mangled on the ground behind the naked, human-seeming entity.

    "Who the hell are you?"

    Keeping his halberd wielded between his two hands, Sora asked with no hint of weakness to be shown in his voice. The crimson-eyed, thin man stared nkly at him for a moment before stretching his shoulders out.

    While Sora did recognize the entity to be a human male by his appearance, his nude, clothless body revealed no genitals of any sort inhabiting its groin.

    "Thirty-eighth of GOETIA, Earl of Hell, Count of Death and Destruction, Halphas."

 Chapter 230 - Loss

    "Thirty-eighth of GOETIA, Earl of Hell, Count of Death and Destruction, Halphas."

    Introducing himself, the ck substance that his pale, malnourished-looking body was coated in seemed to coalesce into a single spot on his chest--etching into his right pectoral the number thirty-eight. Sora intended to part his lips to question this answer given, but he found a vacancy in his throat, soon recognized to be reced with fear as he finally felt the aura that resided with the entity before him.

    It was different from mana, but still the same at its core. The true differenceid in its thickness and potency; it felt akin to the essence of divine mana--an existence meant to exceed mortal limitations, but the harrowing, corrupted nature of it was theplete antithesis of that very concept.

    Punching himself directly against his own cheekbone, Sora smiled as he drove the suffocating fear out from his throat.

    "Halphas, huh? So this is your true form then? You went from a creepy bastard to a creepy bastard."

    "I suppose it could be called that. I was merely here in spirit before consuming all of the souls in this pitiful town--all except yours. Now, I have fully manifested--there is little merit in you resisting me now."

    Halphas spoke with the same hoarseness to his voice as before, but it was definitely more human-like. Yet, his crimson eyes were just as lifeless as ever, staring nkly as if suffering from a millennia without stimtion.

    "h, h, h. I''m sick of your cocky bullshit, Half-ass! You''re not stepping one foot outside of Lemasdale."

    Moving this time with greater speed than before, Sora''s bulky form graced the harrowing, desecrated town grounds as he vanished from spot to spot before swiping his lengthy halberd towards the neck of the manifested demon.

    The de came to an absolute halt; caught between the fingers of Halphas as his expression remained unmoved, casually turning his gaze to Sora before he lifted his other hand, intertwining his index and middle fingers.

    "Rise, my dark battalions."

    Beneath the wailing skies, sable pirs suddenly burst forth from the ground, rupturing the form of the town as the hellish towers rose about just from the subtlemand.

    "Huh?! Shit!"

    Witnessing the arrival of the ominous, high-reaching pirs, Sora retreated along with his halberd, jumping back before flinging a fireball directly towards the pale, hollow entity.

    "Helios: Ashen Teller!"

    Watching therge, seething fireball quickly approach his position, Halphas raised his hand without any urgency.

    "Didn''t I tell you? I bathe within the mes of hell itself."

    The sphere of raging mes collided with the demon''s pale, human hand, caught like a stray ball as Halphas simply stared at Sora, who fell into disbelief at the fruitlessness of his attack.

    Without any hesitance, Halphas parted his jaw, releasing the fireball into his mouth as he consumed it, letting out a sigh of smoke.

    "No way��"

    In his time of shock, he was unable to react as Halphas disappeared from his vision. It was only by virtue of the dreadful chill that ran over his back that he turned around with certainty that the demonic royalty had gone behind him.

    "Lucas!"

    It was toote, what he saw before his eyes was a sight most harrowing: Halphas hand protruded itself through the chest of the hazel-haired Ounder, coated in a freshyer of his crimson essence. Coughing up blood, Lucas could only let out a groan apanied by spits of crimson.

    The hit was meant for him; Lucas had stepped between the two in the veryst moment, tracing his hands along the back of the vermilion -haired man weakly.

    "S-sora��"

    His voice came out so weakly, the emerald irises of his glistening with tears, bing bloodshot from the strain inflicted onto his body. Reaching out towards hisrade with his trembling hand, the effort was seized as Halphas retreated his blood-soaked arm from the chest cavity of the young mage, allowing him to drop down onto the floor,ying in a forming puddle of crimson.

    Despair isn''t what took hold of his heart in that moment--seeing the vacant emotion on Halphas'' face, he only saw a twisted, smug expression in his bubbling rage. Soon, crimson set into his view as he felt his blood boil like never before.

    There wasn''t time to check on hisrade, his family--he knew what had to be done in that moment if there was any chance of reprieve in the night of scarlet.

    "Halphaaaaas!---"

    An immediate tremor sent out from the unchained magical energy that unraveled itself from Sora''s raw, unhinged rage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes...That''s what I yearn to see, to experience--the pure, untampered human emotion."

    "I''m going to fucking kill you! You hear me!"

    Even Halphas, in all of his stoic glory, widened his eyes at the unnatural speed exorbitant by the enraged, vermilion -haired man as he bursted forward. By some miracle of his own, the demon evaded the overheard strike of the halberd, an impact that sent a violent tremor throughout the entirety of the town.

    Looking upon the expression of the armored-man, Halphas bore witness to the pure emotion he desired to see; Sora''s pupils had vanished beneath the seething, boiling rage, only the white of his sclera was visible as veins pressed against his skin.

    "...Empyrean Armory: Mode Berserk��"

    Hearing these words, Halphas watched curiously as the ivory armory covering the man''s body vanished before quickly being reced by ayer of glowing particles that soon became solid. A new armor coiled itself around his form; a stygian steel, intricate andyered with many grooves scaled itself across his body.

    The gauntlets resembled the ws of a beast, the shoulderpads frailed and spikey like the horns of a great dragon. Even the helmet resembled something more beast than man; though obscure in nature, it seemed to be the maw of an obsidian dragon. Attached to his shoulders came a tattered, ck cape that hung down to his high-boots.

    Silently, he allowed his halberd to disappear before recing it instantly with a new weapon.

    It''s happening again. Anotherrade dying on my ount. I have nothing else to me except my own ipetence. It''s a cruel joke--first Sebastian, now Lucas.

    Into the grip of his stygian steel gauntlets which had been etched to resemble the scales of a dragon, a weapon bore itself into existence. It was nothing like he previously used; a tool of unrefined malice, the very concept of his rage and contempt forced into the form of a weapon.

    All I can do now is kill the scum responsible. That''s all I''m good for--destruction.

    Unlike a standard de, the abyssal hilt was held horizontally between his fingers with two separate des running parallel to one another connected to this handle. Each of these des of pristine, ckened steel matched the length of a greatsword, disying silver designs that ran along the length of their sharpness. As Halphas ran his gaze along the form of this peculiar weapon, he noticed the edges didn''t follow a straight, sharp line but were almost a separate entity from the main hulk of the de, cutting into a plethora of jagged saws.

    "Quite the de you have there."

    No response came to Halphas''ment as the man shrouded in sable armor lowered his stance like that of a beast preparing to strike.

    So that''s what I''ll be--nothing more than a weapon of destruction; destroying whatever enemiese my way. It''s the only thing I can do, so that''s what I''ll give the entirety of my being doing.

    "Take it. As much as you want."

    Whispering to himself, his words invoked a reaction from the enigmatic armor that wrapped itself around his form, wincing as a squelch came from beneath the metal ting. From the pain, he dug his gauntlets into the dirt beneath before looking up at the pale figure in front of him.

    Just seeing him standing there with that nk expression sent him forward, clearly taking Halphas by surprise as in that singr moment, in the dozens of fractions that inhabited a second, he closed the distance between them.

    Before his fingersced with sable steel could wrap around the face of the being he hated with his everything, his grasp was evaded.

    "Close."

    Halphas'' remark of safety was challenged as a fist suddenly appeared just in front of his eyes. There was no avoiding this strike as it collided directly against the bridge of his nose, digging into his face as the knuckles d in scales of stygian packed the might of deities behind its force.

    Just in the moment of impact that in the space between milliseconds, the Count of Death could feel the force reverberate through both flesh and bone, tearing each fiber of muscle andpromising the marrow of its bones. Through his gist, all of that rage could be felt, condensed into that singr blow.

    As the concept of flowing time resumed to Halphas'' brain, he was already sent flying back, crashing through home after home beforeing to a stop as his backnded harshly against the wall that once protected the town.

    All my bones were broken, my body was torn apart from the inside. Even my brain was reduced to a liquid. If it wasn''t for my regeneration, I would''ve died from that once punch. How intriguing, Halphas thought.

    Standing himself up with only the usage of his legs, his entire body contorted itself, correcting the bones that protruded from his torn flesh before he was back to normal condition. Shaking his head a few times in an attempt to reduce the ring ringing, brain matter poured out from his ears.

    "You''re strong. I was wrong to think you were a normal human. Tell me, what is your name?"

    As Halphas attempted to converse with the man d in sable armor, his words were seemingly ignored as Sora continued to march forward like a dark force of nature.

    "I am Halphas, Count of--"

    Before the demon could reintroduce himself, his words were cut off by the presence of the man now directly before him, his elbow already jabbed into his nose.

 Chapter 231 - Insurmountable Feelings

    This time, he kept himself in ce by digging the heels of his bare feet into the dirt below, allowing his back to arch back from the elbow pressing against his nose. Slowly, Sora felt his arm be gripped onto by the hands of the pale demon who bore the appearance of a human.

    "I was under the impression humans were social creatures. It seems that is not the case for all."

    Using his own tremendous strength, Halphas contested the elbow pressed against his face, pushing it away as a fountain of ck blood poured from his twisted nose.

    "..."

    No words came from Sora as he watched the demon behind his dragon-head helmet, feeling his arm bepromised by the vice-grip of Halphas.

    Twisting his body around unnaturally, the man bathed in a silent rage flung himself around into a brutal kick that disced the demon''s jaw, allowing his arm to be released as he followed up with a deep sh against his torso.

    As the abyssal blood of the count from hell sprayed from its newly cut-open wound, an emotion finally showed itself on Halphas'' expression as he looked down at the twin cuts on his chest, running his thin, bony fingers along the mutted section.

    "...It''s not healing. Why is it not healing?"

    Rubbing his own blood between his fingers, the demon slowly turned his crimson gaze up to the man in ck armor with a daunting expression.

    "That de...It negates regeneration, doesn''t it?"

    As expected, only silence was met in return of the question delivered, clearly to the frustration of the demon as its paleplexion suffered a slight tinge of angered scarlet.

    To Sora''s surprise, the demon began to break out into an unnatural fit ofughter, roaring out in joy as if it had nevermitted the same action before.

    "You think you''ve cornered me, but you''ve failed to recognize what stands before you! I am one of the seventy-two; you''re nothing to me, human!"

    Following his maddened promation, Halphas suddenly jabbed four fingers from each hand into his chest. A sickening mixture of squelching and cracking filled the man''s ears as he watched the gut-wrenching sight; Halphas began to tear open his own sternum, parting skin, flesh, and bone before finallypletely revealing his chest cavity.

    This thing...Just what the fuck is this unholy abomination up to now? Sora thought.

    From the depths of its inhuman body came a mysterious figure drenched in the demon''s ck blood, crawling out from its chest and leaving the pale-skinned body behind as nothing more than a husk. As the sludge fell from the body of the newly-birthed entity, it revealed itself to be the same, bowl-cut, crimson-eyed demon.

    "Good as new."

    Halphas was now smiling in his fresh form, unveiling his abnormally long, almost serpentine tongue from his lips as he licked the abyssal blood from his fingers.

    "It doesn''t change a damn thing��"

    "Oh, he speaks?"

    "...All I have to do is continue tearing you apart until you return to whatever hole in hell you belong to."

    "Go ahead and try--see how that works out for you."

    With the challenge issued, Sora epted it as he moved with a ferocious speed, inhabiting an animalistic nature to his form as he lowered himself temporarily, sending himself forward with his arm before spiraling into a spinning sh that was stopped by another force.

    Looking up, his de was halted by the existence of a ck mirror that held no reflection. These small, hovering mirrors circled around the demon as he stood there with a hand on his hip as if he was untouchable; this only made the man angrier.

    Use whatever tricks you want--it''ll only make your end that much more painful once I get my hands on you.

    "Should you really be so focused on just me?"

    Asking this, Halphas bent over backward, tilted his head upside down to look directly at the man who attempted to get past the persistent mirror barriers by striking from behind, failing as hetched onto these words for a moment. It was then that he suddenly focused on the presence of the sable towers that had risen from the ground; they were too enormous to miss, yet in his blind rage, they fell from his focus.

    "My twenty-six legions; show this world hell--show the mortal who dares strike me hell."

    Following the hoarse words from the demon''s throat, the towers began to rumble, the ring sound of footsteps pattering and thundering down against metallic holds filled the entire town.

    Sounds like the cavalry''s here, he thought.

    There were no windows inhabiting the smooth, obsidian of the ominous towers, only allowing sound to be the determining factor of the approaching malice from all sides.

    "What will you do, I wonder? In this hopeless situation, surrounded by enemies on all sides...And a dearrade left mortally wounded. Truly, I wonder what choice you will make."

    The more Halphas spoke, the more twisted his deep, grating voice became as he held an inhuman smile that looked possible only by tearing away at one''s own lips.

    It was true; Sora knew there were many options and only one could be answered at a time. The rage continued to boil his blood, seething with such contempt that he ground his teeth almost to powder before finally making his call.

    With a single movement, he propelled himself back towards the origin of this madness, finding hispromisedrade whoy unconscious in a pool of his own blood. Listening to the many, frantic footsteps continue from every direction, anxiety filled his heart and fueled his movements as he hoisted Lucas up, carrying him in one arm.

    "...I''ve got you, buddy."

    "Sora?..."

    Lucas'' voice came out in more of a weak gasp of air, slightly parting his heavy-seeming eyelids as he looked up at the man who held him, dressed in his sable armor.

    "Don''t speak. Save your strength--I''m getting you out of here."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can see him...calling me��"

    "Huh?"

    Attempting to retreat with hispanion in his hold, held close to his chest, he watched for a moment as Lucas weakly reached towards the sky, speaking softly with a small smile. His attention was contested as he avoided the rumbling towers, hearing the footsteps draw closer and closer to the ground level as the soil beneath his boots began to vibrate from the rampant marching.

    "Sebastian...He''s waiting for me��"

    "No!...Don''t give in to that crap! You''re right here, damn it! Right here with me, still alive and kicking, you hear?!"

    He couldn''t even tell if his words were reaching the ears of hisrade, looking at the boy''s fair face as he continued to softly smile, looking up at the crimson skies as if seeing some hidden beauty kept tucked away within it.

    Allowing his helmet to disappear, Sora revealed to Lucas his face once more, caressing the boy''s cheek as he watched his consciousness flee before his eyes.

    "You''re strong! You''re an Ounder! Don''t you dare fucking give up!"

    Tears fled Sora''s sky-like irises as he felt helpless holding the young mage in his arm, running without any sense of direction.

    "Sora...It''s okay...He''s waiting. He''s there."

    This time, Lucas turned his glistening emeralds to the man who held him, slowly raising his shaky hand before running it through the sorrow-driven Ounder''s locks of vermilion and ck, continuing to smile softly.

    "I��"

    He couldn''t find the words to contest this wish from hispanion; the look on his face was far too peaceful as if epting this fate. Sora wanted so badly to reject these words, knowing full well it was simply a haze--but he couldn''t bring himself to force his will onto him anymore.

    Falling to his knees, he clutched Lucas close to his chest, listening to the boy''s breathing be more rugged, weaker, and with more pauses in between.

    Completely dissolving his armor, his only desire in that moment was to hold his friend onest time, and follow through with that wish in the reverse; to allow his dear friend to experience the warmth of another in these final moments.

    Running his fingers through the fluffy, hazel locks belonging to the boy, Sora no longer listened to the constant rumbling around him, only to the shallow breathing of Lucas.

    "You did good. I''d say...a rest is well-deserved for you, my friend. You''re right...Sebastian is waiting up there."

    Looking up at the harrowing faces of the unnatural clouds and the blood-red sky, Sora could only smile vicariously through his held friend. Slowly, he felt his own hand be held--looking down to see Lucas holding his weak smile as he gently grasped the muchrger hand of Sora''s.

    "So big...You were always so reliable, Sora��Like the big brother I never had..."

    "Yeah."

    Sniffling up from these words, he forced a shaky smile onto his face as he looked down at hisrade, his own tears falling down onto the cheek of the emerald-eyed boy, who didn''t seem to mind.

    "...It''s raining today."

    "Yeah."

    I can''t. I can''t fight anymore. I don''t have it in me. All of that rage...It''s gone just looking at your gentle smile.

    Tightly holding Lucas'' hand in his own, Sora looked up to the dreadful skies in search of some sign to keep him going, feeling the slender fingers he held so fervently begin to grow cold.

    It''s okay if I stop, right? After all of this, it''s fine if I give up now, right?...Isn''t it?

    "Sora��"

    "Yeah?"

    There was nothing more he wanted to do than listen to the wordsing from the mouth of hisrade who teetered on death''s door. He had never listened so fervently, holding so tightly the hand that meant everything to him in that moment.

    "I failed...I wasn''t able to save... anyone. I tried--I did...but, I was too weak��I wanted to try...try being like him. I''m not a hero...I never was...but still, I wanted to try to see why it made him smile so much."

    The absent expression shifted to sadness as tears strolled down his pale cheeks, locking his verdant gaze onto the man looking down at him.

    "...You didn''t fail anybody, you hear me? Sebastian...He''ll be damn proud when you see him."

    Reassuring his friend, whose warmth fleeted in his very arms, Sora struggled more than anything to hold his smile as it trembled beneath his waterworks.

    "Idiot��"

    "Huh?"

    "I''m the one leaving...not you. Fight...That''s what you''re best at. Protecting everyone."

    With thosest words, he could feel the other hand holding his be limp, the emerald eyes that glistened with vigor losing their shine as they stared off into the beyond. Feeling what little warmth resided in the boy''s body fall to a cold, he wanted so badly to deny what he knew deep inside, with all of his being.

 Chapter 232 - This Is Hell

    This is it for me. What a hypocrite I am. If I didn''t try and force myself to be a hero like the rest of you, maybe...I wouldn''t have died in a world that hates me. Still, somehow...I can''t help but ept it. This is the way it goes; life, so fleeting. So cruel...why am I having all of these regrets now of all times? How cold I was, but that''s the person I was to all of you, so I won''t scorn it...That''s me, Lucas Schon; the boy too foolish to express himself, but somehow...you all cared for me nheless.

    That''s...the final sentiment I''ll carry with me into the great unknown.

    Saying that at a time like this, how...Shit...Sora thought.

    All he could do was sit there silently, looking down at his beloved friend as he gently ced a kiss on his hand, closing his eyelids for him as he carefully set him down on the ground before turning back around to face the constant rumbling behind him of the obsidian towers.

    "To hell with it all!----"

    Yelling out with everything he had in his vocal cords without any regard for their integrity, his booming yell packed with tearful rage echoed through the town as his sable armor instantly returned, veiling his tear-covered, rage-driven expression.

    I''ve been cursed. Cursed to continue living on, to continue fighting. Damn it all. Damn it all!

    Weing the oing battle, he watched as creatures began to pour out in droves from the entrances of the enigmatic towers. As he thought, they were all creatures original to the realm of sin itself; most of them holding nightmarish qualities, holding nothing but pure malice.

    "Bring it on then!...It doesn''t matter how many of you there are, I''ll tear you all apart!"

    Manifested twin des for each hand, the newly manifested weapons held a unique, pearly-white to their mystical steel. Though they were single-handed swords, the des extended their reach further than most greatswords.

    I can''t even feel the tips of my fingers or my toes; my body''s be set aze by this eternal rage burning inside me. There''s nothing crueler. Nothing at all.

    Watching as the spawn of hell sprinted towards him in a most ferocious mob, he prepared for the ughter--rearing both des back, patiently waiting until they reached close enough. The moment the horde of hellish spawn stepped within reach of his des, they set out in a blinding speed-pletely eviscerating the creatures of malice, reducing each and every one that approached into mincemeat.

    Taking the life of such a boy with so much left ahead of him in life, with so many years left to live and smile...I can''t think of a greater sin at this moment. There is only one punishment I can give to these rotten-hearted bastards now.

    "Die!--Die!---Die!"

    Repeating this one word he drove from the deepest depths of his gut out from his throat and into the ears of all those around him, he continued the merciless ughter of the legions of demon-spawn.

    From far beyond the piles of bodies waiting to meet his des, he could hear it--a cackle most grating to his ears, causing his blood to boil fervently with hatred. Beyond the legions, Halphasughed with his unnatural voice, sending it throughout the entire town as he belittled the very essence of life.

    With a single swipe of his de, he carved through dozens of hungering spawn, the wind pressure alone eviscerating the masses into a reddened mist in the air.

    The vanguard of the horde from hell was made up of pig-like brutes that stood head and shoulders above the human, their skin taking a grayishplexion as obsidian husks protruded from beneath their snouts. As powerful as they looked, they were nothing but fodder to the endless shes of the twin des.

    As an endless downpour of crimson showers fell upon the now damp soil of the desecrated town, the des themselves never found themselves tainted by the fluids of their resulting sharpness, remaining pristine.

    From within the horde, arrows coated in nefarious, verdant mesunched into the sky, crashing down without any care for the hell-spawn that were near Sora as he defended against the volley; rapidly swinging his des with utmost agility and dexterity, repelling and shattering the arrows.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "A natural-born bane of demons, huh? It seems my lower legions are just cannon fodder to your rage."

    As Halphas raised his arm toward the man in the distance, harboring a malicious, dark energy around his hand--his limb was suddenly lobbed from his body. He couldn''t even witness what had happened, merely watching as his arm was flung from his body by way of a sh possessing utmost sharpness.

    Somehow in that infinitely small moment, Sora had gone from being amidst the horde of hell-spawn to being directly in front of Halphas'' very eyes.

    "...Get him!"

    Calling out to his legions who found themselves dumbfounded by the human''s speed, Halphasmanded the hordes of demons to turn their hungering gazes back and begin ravenously stampeding towards Sora once more.

    Going for another strike, aiming to part Halphas'' head from his shoulders, Sora''s de was once again interrupted by the stygian mirror--following up with another strike with the twin-de that met the same obstacle.

    Expecting more droves of weak spawn, he was put on high alert as the towers began violently rumbling--more so than ever before.

    There''s moreing.

    Attempting to halt this process, he leaped into the air with a violent burst, shing his des against one of the obsidian towers, only for not even a scratch of damage to be left on its pristine, immacte form. From therge doors of the tower, enormous creatures coated in a ck-hide poured out, having to squeeze past the exit much too small for their lumbering bodies.

    Dozens of smiling mouths covered their bodies, allowing for just as many tongues to unravel and wiggle in the air like a mass of tendrils protruding from their hide. As they lumbered towards Sora, their massive arms dragged against the ground likeically-proportioned goris, their forearms looking more like blunt weapons in the form of boulders.

    "I''ve decided now; you will be my favored sacrifice. The spirit you possess is magnificent; the emotions, mana, everything. Devouring you will make for a most bountiful feast."

    Halphas took the air before perching himself atop one of his manifested towers of ck, watching the human from up above. His words were promptly ignored as the man focused his attention on the approaching giants from Hell.

    Fear was thest thing to take any hold of Sora''s mind, however, as he was quick to take the initiative; jumping into the air to meet the first of these giant hell-spawn on equal footing, unleashing a devastating sh that caused the air to hiss violently.

    To his surprise, the sharp strike didn''t split the creature right down the middle, only realizing itself as a shallow cut on its hide as it let out a bellowing, distortedugh from its many mouths. Taken aback by the durability of the towering, malevolent creature, he was toote to react to its blinding speed as it managed to send him back down to the ground with a ferocious thrust of its boulder of a fist.

    Damn, fast and strong...I can''t catch a break today.

    Standing himself up slowly, he was now surrounded by the same entities, allughing at them with their twisted, nefarious mouths.

    It was no different in the scarlet skies above; the ck, contorted clouds looked down at him now with their belittling, barely-formed faces that echoed out in a brokenughter.

    "So...This is Hell."

 Chapter 233 - Potent Death

    "...I can''t believe you actually did it. You truly are a different breed, aren''t you? All twenty-six legions--gone, just like that."

    Commenting from above his obsidian tower, Halphas looked down at the bloodbath that took hold of the surface of the town. There the man in sable armor stood, standing atop the endless bodies of creatures from Hell itself.

    Panting heavily, he could barely see past his blurry gaze, feeling his muscles ache and scream for him to stop moving; the sensation of endless knives digging into each nerve almost made himply with the desires of his body.

    "All that''s left...is you��"

    "That''s right, human. You''re so close now. The final stretch."

    Removing himself from his elevated position, Halphas dropped back down onto the ground, still holding his subtle, yet confident expression as his crimson irises seemed overjoyed at the scenery before him.

    "Though...It is a real waste of all the good materialid out for me."

    Putting his hand on his chin, Halphas'' sly gaze turned to the fallen, inanimate bodies of the husks. Even if he knew the demonic count was nning something, Sora remained still, keeping his trembling hands on the pommel of the singr greatsword he used to pierce the bodies beneath him.

    If he''s nning on talking...I''d better take advantage of it and recover whatever stamina I can, he thought.

    Raising a single digit to the air, Halphas'' will brought the scattered bodies of the lifeless husks slowly into the air in a reverse downpour of corpses.

    Without any dy, the seemingly hundreds of husk bodies suddenly began to merge into one another, coalescing into a single spot as their flesh meshed together, being reshaped and melded into something else entirely by will of the demon.

    "Oh...A splendid, diabolical thought has just risen into my mind."

    Smiling from ear-to-ear, Halphas wicked expression drew concern from the man who watched the rotten corpses continue to gather under the gaze of theughing neb above.

    It began to shape itself wretchedly; violently shaking and trembling before thebined flesh of the hundred-fold husks etched itself into a singr, gargantuan entity. Its head took on a peculiar form; hollow through the center and holding a single, glowing radiance of purple as its ocr device.

    "Husks are in a way a magecraft born from Hell itself; so with that in mind...I believe they can be used as proper vessels to summon this! Revere it, fear it--face the Watcher of The Pit!"

    Landing on its two, towering feet, the amalgamated creationnded with a tremor that sent itself through the entirety of the town.

    "Enough of these games."

    "What was that? I can''t hear you if you mutter under your breath."

    "I said enough!"

    Launching himself into the air, propelled by sheer rage pumping through his veins, the proimed Watcher of The Pit was eviscerated by the de that had tasted the blood of many hells-spawn that night. Even Halphas was left agape as he watched his creation be reduced to a storm of mincemeat, raining down on the ground below as Soranded back down as well.

    "...I guess I''ll have to do it myself then."

    Halphas'' hoarse voice became dreadfully serious as he honed his eyes on the man approaching him slowly, unfolding his arms from his chest as he seemed to finally acknowledge the threat of the single human.

    "Come then, human. I''ll show you the difference between you and I; the stark contrast of one bathed in the unholy and one recognized by neither."

    "Stop talking."

    Dissolving his held de into nothingness, the weapon of choice that reced their existence were two, massive gauntlets that neatly wrapped themselves around his arms. Each gauntlet bore resemnce to the head of a sable behemoth, bulky and heavy in nature.

    A departure from the standard sharp instruments he used; blunt weapons that coiled arms, dripping with overwhelming malice.

    "You''re not the only one with a plethora of weapons at your disposal. I happen to be quite the connoisseur myself."<novelnext></novelnext>

    With a snap of his fingers, Halphas brought forth from the standing, silent towers two separate weapons that came to him by his calling, flying directly into his grip.

    In his left he gripped a tool of stygian steel that resembled the unholybination of a bow and de; a lengthy weapon with a long, curved form. Sealed between the fingers of his right hand, a double-ended de ending in three w-like ends bore the length of a greatsword.

    "I can''t say I''m much of a fighter, but I am a perfectionist. Come, human. If you consider yourself a hero, then you should know I am the greatest evil in this world."

    Pointing one end of the dual-ended sword toward the human in stygian armor, Halphas issued his challenge with his usual sternness returning to his expression.

    "��I''m not a hero."

    "Hmm?"

    Raising an eyebrow, the demon pretended not to hear what was muttered behind the draconic helm belonging to Sora.

    "I really can''t give two shits about this world. But��Myrades, my friends��my family. That''s all I have here."

    "If you''re so angered by me killing that weak runt, show me the iridescent shade of your anger."

    Running his tongue along his lips, Halphas couldn''t seem to care in the slightest for the bubbling frustration beneath the armor he watched.

    "I was going to kill you anyways, but you went ahead and made it personal."

    He couldn''t even feel the weight of the dense gauntlets hanging from his forearms down; all of the boiling emotions that etched themselves into his veins set his mind into one track.

    Before he knew it, he was face-to-face once more with the red-eyes demon.

    Alone beneath the crimson skies, the two began theirbat once more.

    The m of his cestus was guarded by Halphas''s circr de, still bearing down on the world below as the dirt cracked and split beneath the feet of the demon.

    "Good! Good! This is what I''d strive for from my destined rival in this world, the one man to stand against me before my conquest begins!"

    Flinging Sora back with a push of his de, Halphas followed up with a lightning-fast sprint forward, carving up the nearby cottages without a single care as he moved.

    "Why won''t you shut the hell up?!"

    Just barely making it in time to stop the iing strike with his own heavy behemoth-headed cestus, Sora poured the words from his mouth angrily as the voice of the demonic man came to his ears like nails on a chalkboard.

    From the maw of the behemoth-shaped gauntlets, the de used by Halphas became trapped. Attempting to retrieve his de, he struggled to move it not a single inch.

    "What in the..?!"

    This is one of the special abilities of my Behemoth Hammers: "Bite-Lock", anything that finds itself between the open ends of the cestus will be trapped within it until I say so, Sora thought.

    Taking advantage of the bowl-cut humanoid''s confusion, he threw his other, bulky cestus towards his skull--failing to split it open as once again, the sable mirrors blocked his path.

    A slight smile came over Halphas'' lips as he watched the attack against him fail, slowly raising two fingers before uttering something with utmost malice.

    "Ars Azrael."

 Chapter 234 - Bane Of Demons

    "Ars Azrael."

    The single utterance conjured forth a mystical force that felt separated from magic--a step beyond the norm, or an entirely different branch altogether. Whatever it was, Sora had no clue what wasing as he released his bite-lock, jumping back.

    Trying to discern the location of any iing projectiles, nothing came. All he could see was the wicked, static smile perched on Halphas'' lips before he finally checked his own body.

    Etched into his armor was an azure glow, bubbling up with an exotic heat. Releasing his cestus into non-existence as he attempted to do away with the manifesting blue energy, watching as it began to travel through each groove of his armor.

    "This is��?!"

    "The pinnacle of dark arts. What I released upon you is the very concept of death. Be honored that I decided it was a necessary force against you; stand proud, human."

    Before he could try anything else to free himself of the gathering, mystical azure, the entirety of the radiant energy consumed his vision, feeling his entire body be enveloped in it as an explosion and implosion urred simultaneously.

    The massive release of energy of a higher-level condensed itself and expanded multiple times over, an immense pressure feeling as if it was crushing him from all sides while etching into him a deathly me that froze his veins.

    I''m dying. I''m really going to die. Shit...I really wanted to see...her again.

    Halphas watched the manifested mysticism birth itself into existence with utmost vtility, sending an array of tremors throughout the entire town as the sapphire glow radiated like a second star in the air.

    All he could hear was a high-pitch ringing in his ears along with his thumping heart, running his fingers along the dry dirt below as he slowly brought his chest off of the ground, coughing up dust from his lungs.

    "You''re truly a one-in-a-million warrior. Tell me your name."

    Unable to even discern the words spoken to him through all the ringing, Sora continued to cough as he groggily brought himself to his feet.

    Like shattered ss, his sable armor crumbled up and began to fall from his body,nding onto the ground before breaking into dust.

    "I see; your armor protected you from certain death. Well, notpletely."

    Looking down at his body now that his protectiveyer of stygian steel left his form, his shirt underneath was nothing but tattered fabric. Throughout his body, cuts and bruises had already formed, his own blood smeared all over himself.

    He could feel it from his head as well; the warm, crimson essence slowly trickling down from atop his head and down his face, some of which found its way into his mouth, tasting the bitter substance.

    I''m alive...Not for long, it seems.

    Trying to stare at his own hands, his blurry, shaky vision made it seem as if he had four hands, lowering them before he looked up at the demonic foe before him.

    "What a shame, it would''ve been much more of a satisfying finish to have killed you when you were at your best. Now you''re nothing more than a tumbling child."

    "A child��?"

    He simply repeated the words that managed to make it past the barrier of obscene ringing; swaying back and forth as he tried his hardest to stay conscious.

    That''s right...I''m supposed to live. For everyone else. I have to live.

    Finding his footing, he firmly ced his boots down against the soil beneath him to halt his constant stumbling.

    I can feel my ribs prodding against my lungs. Every breathes in and out like knives.

    "What''s this? Still intending to fight?"

    All this time, I''ve forgotten...I do my best when I''m smiling. I''m not the brooding type, that''s just not me. When I win this, I want him to watch me win with a bright smile--I want to tell him that I got the job done and that he can rest easy.

    Watch me, Lucas.

    Struggling with his twitching, cramping muscles, he slowly forced a smile across his busted, blood-covered lips before raising his hand to the air. Between his fingers that he could hardly feel at this point, a gathering of silver particles formed, coalescing before a de manifested into his shaky grip.

    It was a simple de; something that looked like a single coin would buy from a small-town cksmith. Yet, it was all he could muster at this point.

    "Prometheus:...Link Origin."

    No mes bore themselves into existence; nothing could be seen manifesting from the pained utterances of the vermilion -haired man.

    "Oh? Out of mana? I''ll make things quick; I''m not the kind of demon who particrly enjoys ying with his food."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Pointing his long, bony index finger towards the man who seemed to be standing on his two feet only by the work of a miracle, Halphas smiled smally as a small orb of darkness began to form in front of his extended digit.

    Launching a small, condensed beam of absolute darkness towards the blood-soaked human, Halphas witnessed his attack misspletely. His eyes were locked onto the man from the very start, yet somehow he escaped his vision.

    "Wha-?!"

    Turning around, he found the human to already be behind him, rearing his de back as he nearly fell over backwards to evade the attack.

    Missing his strike, Sora continued to hold his trembling, ear-to-ear smile as his fringes obscured his bloodshot eyes, soaked with his own thick, crimson essence.

    "I was starting to wonder...Do demons experience fear like the rest of us? Despair? Hopelessness?"

    He looked one moment away from total copse, using his own de as a crutch before suddenly bursting forth with agility that was nothing more than a blur to the crimson eyes of the demon, who frantically turned from direction to the next in search of the man.

    "Right here."

    The voice led itself directly into Halphas'' ear as Sora swiped his de down, sending through the demon a sense of utter dread--resolving himself to death before finding that the de was miraculously halted in its path by his trusty mirrors.

    "How are you this fast?! I thought you were out of mana by now! You shouldn''t even be walking, let alone breathing or fighting!"

    "Who said I was out of gas? That was just a wrong assumption on your part."

    Spitting out blood onto the soil below, Sora smiled brightly as he pointed his sharp steel towards the disgruntled demon.

    "Prometheus: Link Origin"--It''s ast resort. Truth be told, I am out of mana. Everything I''m using right now is directly from my own life essence. Every second I hold Link Origin, a year is taken off my life. Let''s make this quick.

    Casting his body forward with ferocious speed, Sora flung himself into the air, crashing down upon the demon with a harsh, wheel-kick that collided against one of the mirrors.

    Just what I wanted.

    Using the moment of stillness to his advantage, he brought the de down like a smite from the heavens, digging it deep into the frail-seeming shoulder of Halphas, burying it as deep as he could.

    It isn''t exactly shy, but Link Origin grants my physical prowess far beyond my normal limits. In addition...It''s like a shot of some super-adrenaline; I can hardly feel the pain anymore, I''m wide awake now. I can keep fighting--I can win, Sora thought.

    Retrieving his de from the demon''s abnormal body, he evaded the retialtory swipe of frustration from Halphas; a three-pronged strike of ck energy that surely would''ve carved right through his flesh.

    Blood poured out like a fountain from the new wound on the demon''s body, the ck essence shooting out rapidly as Halphas'' eyes grew wide, putting his hand over it in an attempt to halt the downpour.

    "It isn''t stopping...That de--it halts healing as well. Very well then, I''ll just rebi--"

    Before Halphas could finish his utterances to himself, the human granted physicality beyond any other was directly in front of him again, propelling the sharp steel through the jugr of the humanoid entity.

    "I''ve learned my lesson. You''re not doing that shit anymore!"

    It was a smile from Hell itself; the man''s own teeth were dyed in his own blood, his azure eyes widened and bloodshot, holding a smile so wide it looked as if his cheeks would tear open.

    That''s the thing about Link Origin. It''s not a me that wraps around me, it''s a me lit aze in my soul. The first me given from a god to a man. For just this small period of time, I''ve got the authority of a deity!

    A hell-spawn like you can''t recover from injuries inflicted by a god, can you?! I''ll show it to you in yourst moments on the soil of this world; the horror of human will. Cross us the wrong way, take from us what we love, push us to this brink--you''ll find that we''re far worse than you, demon, Sora thought.

    Grabbing hold of Halphas'' bristly hair, tightly gripping it with everything he had, Sora used the leverage to carve his de through the rest of the being''s throat as little resistance was met. Even with the dull de being lodged deep into the folds of the demon''s flesh, each slight bit of progress felt like having to sever steelyered on steel as he used every ounce of strength to guide the sharpness through Halphas'' neck.

    Even with the steel buried in the demon''s jugr, he could feel no warmth touch the de''s surface--only a coldness that escaped through its thick, stygian blood that stretched itself across the dull sword.

    With every ounce of my soul, I hate you, Halphas! Even if what I''m doing etches itself into my nightmares forevermore, I''ll be d I sent you back from whence you came, hell-spawn! He thought.

    Tears flowed out of his eyes as he did it; gripping the jet-ck locks of the demonic humanoid with such angered fervor that he began to separate its scalp, gritting his teeth and yelling out as Halphas looked at him in silent horror.

    This is all I can do; destroy. I failed once more to save someone close to me. But for now...I''ll gratefully show you what I''m so good at, he thought.

    Atst, with a final push, the head of the malevolent entity was torn straight from its shoulders as the sound of ripping flesh was apanied by the now acute, but brief screams, screeches, and wails of the inhuman entity. In a geyser of sable blood, spewing from the headless body of Halphas, the downpour of darkness signaled the end of Sora''s job.

 Chapter 235 - A Mission Completed

    Panting heavily, he finally released Link Origin, falling down to his knees as his body cramped up and twitched on all sides, dropping the head as both the crown and body of the demon dissolved into sable dust, carrying off into the wind.

    Looking up with a throbbing neck that didn''t want to follow along, he watched the harrowing clouds return to their normal, formless selves as the crimson skies relieved themselves to the ckness of the night, inhabiting the glow of the stars.

    The downside to such a great spell is...Human bodies aren''t really meant to inhabit the direct authority of a deity. If my body was hurting before, well, now it''s a shit-show.

    "...I did it, Lucas��though it hardly feels like I won. What the hell am I going to tell the others��?"

    Left alone in the devastated, crimson-painted town filled alone with death, his reward was nothing but a broken body, drenched in the blood of his own, demons, and a dear friend. The celebratory roars he would''ve liked to yell out were only cries of anguish,ing deep from within a wounded heart.

    It was a victory coated in nothing but pain, despair, and loss.

    On this day, the Ounders tasted the bitterness of defeat.

    Allowing his eyelids to finally shut, they were immediately opened once more as he heard a cry belonging to a child resound from within the surrounding forest.

    "...Huh?"

    Slowly bringing himself to his feet with a wince, he began to drag himself towards the source of the crying, holding his limp arm.

    Just breathing hurts; it''s like inhaling mes right into my lungs. Pretty damn sure my shoulder is dislocated, my bones feel broken all over...Man, this day sucks.

    It wasn''t a fast process, but he eventually found himself in the depths of the forest where the sounds originated from, seeing a small boy pressing himself frighteningly against the trunk of a tree as the rotten form of a husk lumbered towards him, releasing groans as it held its decaying hands out towards the child.

    "Hyah��!"

    Using what little strength left he had in his tank, Sora threw his fist against the husk''s fragile skull, blowing it apart as it fell over without a hitch.

    Turning towards the boy, he gave him a half-smile, as he couldn''t feel the other half of his face.

    "You okay? I''m Sora, what''s your name?"

    Kneeling down in front of the boy carefully so as to not tumble over pathetically, Sora tried to assure him with whatever trembling smile he could muster.

    The boy seemed understandably frightened by the appearance of therge, blood-soaked man, but slowly swallowed his fears and answered him, approaching him cautiously.

    "...Finn��"

    Returning to the deste town that had been nearlypletely leveled in the battle, Sora carried the small boy close to his chest while retrieving the lifeless body of the lost friend, hoisting him up over his shoulder as he returned to the forest.

    "...He...He''s the one that saved me��"

    Hearing this from the boy, Sora stopped for a moment--feeling his heart bepletelypromised by this revtion as he looked at Lucas. Watching the hazel locks that still remained neatly kept even after the harshness of the ursed day, he felt his cheeks grow numb as he battled with his own tear ducts.

    "Idiot, you did save someone��"

    Fighting his tears back, he continued to march forward with his head held high. Carrying both bodies in his arms, each step was a triumph for him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Is he okay?..."

    "Yeah."

    There was no hesitance in his lie, but saying it didn''te any easier as he could feel his face grow heated with bubbling up tears.

    "Where are we doing?"

    "I have a friend who''s still out here. I think you''ll like him."

    Trudging through the bountiful forests weakly, he could hear the scattered footsteps belonging without a doubt to the rotten,promised human corpses.

    "What''s that noise?"

    "Nothing."

    Sora assured the boy, giving him a big smile before returning his sights on the path ahead, keeping his eyes and ears peeled.

    It sounds like we''re being stalked from all sides. I thought killing that bastard would have solved this husk issue, but it seems he wasn''t linked to them. The summoner was dead too, but the husks didn''t fall then so it wasn''t him either. Shit...I thought our mission was over.

    He was in no shape to fight, he knew that well. Hearing the footsteps draw close enough for the snarls of the decrepit creatures to be heard, he limped forward with caution.

    I don''t know if I''ll be able to protect myself, let alone the kid. This isn''t good.

    Stopping in ce as the scattered footsteps now grew more frequent and intense, it sounded as if the entities were sprinting all around them now, hiding within the obscurity of the thick foliage. Finn hid his face against the man''s shoulder, whimpering as Sora kept his eyes peeled.

    "I''ve got you, kid, I''ve got you��"

    Keeping the body of his fallenrade propped on his shoulder, he had only one, bare fist to defend himself with.

    Preparing to sh with the first husk that dared to take a bite out of him, another, much louder sound reverberated from within the forest, drawing closer at an intense rate.

    It sounds like...a vehicle?

    As one husk revealed itself to him, snarling at him with half of its face missing, the trees behind it suddenly parted in way of a steel object crashing through the husk,nding on top of it beforeing to a screeching halt.

    "What the--!"

    A car? A tank?...No, there''s no way those exist in this world. Those are definitely wheels, but still primitive in design like a carriage, but made of steel. What the hell is this thing?!

    Looking at the pristine, sleek surface of the tank-like vehicle, a door on the side of its bulky form opened by sliding itself down into its threshold. Standing in the entrance of this enigmatic vehicle was a young man holding a bright smile tucked behind round-rimmed, yellow-tinted sses. The style of his garments first and foremost reminded him of his electric-wieldingrade; an overlyplicated uniform that inhabited ck as its main color.

    "Sora, right? Wow, you look like you''ve seen better days."

    His ck zer was left unbuttoned, showing his crimson tie and white undershirt that was covered in straps holding a variety of knives.

 Chapter 236 - Bittersweet Rendezvous

    "Who the hell are you?!..."

    "I think exnations can wait, get in."

    Dismissing the question, the mysterious man with fluffy, light-brown hair turned his gaze toward the husks filling into the small area, pointing his eyes back at Sora.

    "...Grrn...Fine."

    Hopping into the unorthodox vehicle, the steel door quickly shut itself just as the flesh-hungering entities on the outside lunged at it, doing nothing to the sturdy frame of the vehicle.

    "Woah��"

    It was the only utterance that could leave his lips upon seeing the inside of the transportation tool. Before he could part his lips to speak, the man interrupted him.

    "Before you ask--no, you''re not crazy. The inside is definitelyrger than what it appears from the outside. That''s the ability unique to the Unbezwingbar, a mouthful, I know."

    "Ability?...This thing is?..."

    "That''s right--it''s a magical artifact itself. The name''s Nikko by the way, I''m an adventurer contracted by the Hollow Order, just like yourself."

    Still holding the two bodies in each arm, Sora looked down at the extended hand then back at the man who looked probably a few years younger than himself, who awkwardly withdrew his hand with a nervousugh.

    "Oh, right."

    Slowly setting both the boy and the body of his friend down on the ck leathered couch that looked built into one of the walls of the gargantuan interior, Sora smiled softly to himself.

    "So, why''re you here?"

    "What kind of question is that? I don''t think you''d be in a very good ce if it wasn''t for us."

    "Us?"

    "Oh, that''s right. I forgot to mention--we''re the Sky Dragon Conglomerate, a full-fledged guild. Anywho, I believe we''re here for the same reason: clean up the husk issue. Though, it seems the situation has changed."

    As Nikko exined this, Sora looked side to side, not seeing anyone besides the man of a slight build standing before him.

    "Everyone else is in the main control room--oh, there is someone you should probably see."

    "Huh?"

    Being ushered forth by Nikko, who was walking and talking and directing the blood-soaked man with his finger, he was brought into another section of the interior of a seemingly endless size. Inhabiting this room was a full-stock of potions of all sorts, as well as less than pleasant looking tools of medicine.

    Sitting in this room was a half-asleep-looking young man, who greeted the entrants with a yawn.

    "This is Graymore, he''s the designated medic of our guild. Graymore, I leave him to you!"

    And just like that, the entric, sses-wearing man was out of the room in a jiffy, leaving Sora alone with the yawning healer.

    Nikko suddenly came back through the door with a finger raised, looking directly at the vermilion-haired man who looked like a walking corpse at this point.

    "Your friend out there, he looks like he could use a bit of treatment as well--want me to bring him in?"

    Being asked this, Sora''s expression came over with a bit of pain as he bit down on his lip, slowly shaking his head.

    "He''s, uh, well...He didn''t make it."

    "Oh��Sorry."

    "Just keep an eye on the kid for me, alright?"

    "You''ve got it!"

    Nikko''s entricity came out in a choke as he gave a thumbs-up to the man before leaving the room once more.

    Taking a seat across from the medic wearing a long, white coat, the boy''s messy, curly locks of a moss-green covered one of his half-opened, amethyst eyes.

    At first, he believed it to be a standard coat that a doctor would wear, but such a concept didn''t exist in this world. He recognized the same sigil that was present on Nikko''s sable coat, ced on the left sleeve. It was wide-spread dragon winds with the head of a smiling dragon in the center.

    Man, people in this world sure do love dragons...

    "Here, drink this before I start��"

    His words came out gently through his tired, smiling lips as he seemed to struggle to reach the highest shelf, barely retrieving the vial containing a clear, verdant liquid and handing it to the man.

    "What''s it?"

    "Concentrated dragon mucus."

    "What the--?! Do I have to?"

    Looking back up at the short medic of a paleplexion with a repulsed expression, his nose scrunching up just watching the substance bounce around in the ss container, Sora received the same, aloof smile from the boy as before.

    "Well...It''s a miracle you''re still even talking--so it''s going to take another miracle to patch you up without that."

    "I see��"

    Hesitantly, he removed the cap from the vial as a repugnant stench met his nostrils, burning away his nose hairs instantly.

    You can do this. You can do this.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Swallowing his disgust, he downed the entire vial, feeling the potent, slimy substance travel down his throat that vigorously tried to reject it. Finishing with a disgusted gasp, leaving his tongue outside his lips, he gagged a few times.

    "Alright, nowy back and rx. The concentrate will allow you to rest and let your mana synergize with my own while I tend to your wounds."

    Following the guide of the dreary, smiling medic, Sora ced hisrge, muscle-bound body down on the pristine table. His legs dangled off the edge of the table, fitting onto it like the giant of a man he was.

    It was only once his eyelids began to flicker did he realize something his mind had wandered from.

    "Wait--I still need to look for Sirius!"

    The thought came toote; before he knew it, his eyelids had imed victory over his will, fully shutting as he soon dipped into unconsciousness. All of that adrenaline surging through his veins came to null, unable to move a single inch as his body took its rightful, deserved rest.

    Damn, even if I can''t feel the pain, the warmth and pressure are still there. I don''t think there''s an inch of my body that wasn''t targeted. Heh...That smarts.

    Slowly opening his eyes once more and blinking a few times, he instinctively sat up, only to meet the limits of his incredibly sore body as he winced.

    "...Agh...Damn."

    "Don''t move too much yet; you''ll open up your wounds."

    Sitting beside the treatment station was the aloof medic, who miraculously still seemed to be conscious. Looking down at his own body, Sora found himself covered in bandages, letting out a silent sigh between his lips.

    "I''m halfway to being a mummy at this point��"

    "Well, that''s the price of being so reckless."

    "Reckless, huh?"

    Standing up from the table, he nearly fell instantly as his legs didn''t seem ready to carry him so soon, grabbing onto the table close by for leverage.

    "Woah--I told you not to move yet!"

    Though he was clearly raising his tone, Graymore''s voice didn''t amplify much past his quiet, gentle self.

    "I''m fine. Thanks for treating me."

    Lumbering forward, he knocked his fist against the door leading beyond the medical room a few times, finally opening it somehow as he walked into the steel interior of the vehicle. He forgot just how massive it was inside--looking around to try and regain his sense of direction.

    Somehow, he managed to find the ce he was looking for, stumbling into the control room where the bulk of the guild members were, all wearing matching uniforms of a sable shade.

    "Oh? Awake already?"

    Nikko was the first one to notice him, hopping up from his lounged position and greeting the man.

    "Damn, you''re a tough bastard. I''d be out for a few days at least."

    The gruff man leaned against the leftmost wallmented, scratching his scruffy beard as he looked the vermilion-haired guest up and down. All he received from the others present in the room were odd nces or worried looks.

    In the very forefront of the proimed control room was a disy of magical, azure lines that were reminiscent in his mind of technological holograms from his world. Seeing something so close to that was somewhat surreal to him.

    "None of that matters--I have a friend out there still! We have to find him!"

    "Sirius, right?"

    "Yeah--wait, how do you know that?"

    Leftpletely puzzled, a sly chuckle left the slender man''s lips as he adjusted his sses, moving past Sora as he gestured for him to follow.

    "How do you think I knew who you were?"

    Perplexed and looking for answers, Sora begrudgingly went along with the adventurer''s whims and followed him through the door, traversing a corridor that stretched much further than he imagined before stopping in front of one of the many doors lining each wall.

    "Knock yourself out."

    Without pressing any further, Nikko left the man on his own, giving him a pat on the shoulder before disappearing back down the hall.

    "What the hell? Talk about annoying��"

    Sighing quietly to himself, the tall, bulky man opened the door before him, revealing the in, minimalist room to his eyes.

    Sitting on the neatly-made bed with silky, gray sheets was a man most familiar to his eyes; the fair-faced, gray-uniform wearing Ounder.

    "Sirius!"

    Caughtpletely off-guard, the man on the bed was immediately brought into a tight embrace by the vermilion-haired man. They both winced at the same time, separating from each other before exchanging chuckles.

    "Woah, what''s up with your eyes?"

    "Huh?...Oh, right. Kind of hard to exin. What''s up with...your entire body? You got roughed up pretty bad."

    "Like you can talk."

    The tworades shared anotherugh before it fell silent. Reading the dreadful expression that hung like a somber shadow over the man''s face, Sirius was puzzled.

    "...Talk to me. Something happened, right? I mean, besides the messed up shit that''s been happening."

    "Yeah, well...I don''t really know how to say this��"

 Chapter 237 - Warp Speed Ahead

    "Yeah, well...I don''t really know how to say this��"

    Leaning against the cold steel of the magical vehicle''s interior, Sora slowly lowered himself onto the ground, ruffling his locks as he searched for the right words. Silence filled the room as the two sat there without any words before Sora finally sucked in the air between his teeth.

    "Lucas is dead."

    Letting the words out in one, sharp breath, just saying those words cemented it in for himself as well, looking down as he could see his own tears raining down on the sleek steel below.

    "What��? You''re kidding, right?"

    Looking at the red-haired man sitting across the room, Sirius found the words to be true as nothing was said in return.

    "Goddammit��!"

    mming his fist against the wall beside him, the room shook as he bit down on his lip until blood was drawn. The slew of raw emotions that flooded his expression came immediately, his lip quivering as his eyes watered, glistening with a sea of sorrow.

    Running his hands over his face and through his locks, it was like his entire face shifted from being clear to being drenched in tears.

    "This is my fault!...If I wasn''t such an idiot, if I took the fight seriously from the start, then��! I''m such a miserable, useless idiot!"

    Listening to Sirius'' choked-up words, Sora couldn''t even bring himself to speak up. The same guilt was just as potent in his aching heart, biting down on his hand as he tried to fight the tears back.

    Silence once again sat between the two men as reality sank its teeth into their pained hearts. It was a surreal feeling; Sirius could feel his body run into a cold sweat as the sheets beneath his fingers felt like ice.

    "That''s another one��And for what?"

    "It never gets any easier, does it?...He told me he saw him--Sebastian."

    "Heh��"

    It was a wry smile at best shared between them, though their eyes were anything but smiling, running bloodshot from the flow of tears.

    "Sebastian is going to give us an earful when it''s our time��"

    "Probably."

    "...On the topic of earfuls, I think that sage needs one when we get back��"

    "Yeah."

    Sora wasn''t very plentiful with his words, having to force them past his tightening throat as he nodded his head in agreement with his maroon-eyed friend.

    "This isn''t eptable. The mission she gave us--it was much worse than she exined. If we just knew, if we really understood--he would still be here. I can''t ept that...I just can''t. Honestly, if she was right here, right now--I might just kill her."

    "Sirius��"

    "Yeah, those are just my emotions talking, don''t worry."

    Though he said that, the calmness in his voice was tantly forced as his eyes were anything but tranquil; vibrant with a deep-seated contempt.

    "...I''ve got to change something, I don''t know what, but I do. As it is, I don''t know if I can wield a sword anymore...I''m just...sick of this game of cat and mouse with death. Ever since I came here, it''s been the same thing. Over and over. I''ve started to wonder if it''ll truly end when our mission is done."

    Sora muttered as he looked disgusted at the sight of his own two hands, scoffing before slumping his shoulders again.

    I can''t me you, Sora. If you can''t fight anymore, I''ll fight for you. I''m the opposite right now--I''m burning up with rage like never before; I''ll unleash all of that on our enemies, Sirius thought.

    Throwing off the brooding mood in the silver-steel room, a feeling ofplete weightlessness took both of the men over as it seemed gravity was churning itself.

    "What the?!..."

    "Damn, now is not the time for this kind of shit...I''m light-headed as it is��"

    Grabbing his own head, Sora groaned and stood himself up, venturing out of the room alongside Sirius as they made their way toward the control room to check on what the source of this newck of gravity was.

    Entering the control room, once again, Nikko was the first to greet the guests upon the magical vehicle.

    "Ah, up and about, you two?"

    "The hell is going on? It feels like my stomach is in my throat��"

    Sora groaned, cing his hand over his abdomen as he pressed his back against the wall--on the other hand, Sirius wasn''t too bothered by it.

    "Oh, we''ve just taken to the air!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The air��? You''re telling me this big-ass hunk of steel is flying?"

    "Yup! Pretty awesome, ain''t she?"

    "Awesome, my ass! It''s only because this thing is sucking my mana dry!"

    From the forefront seat just in front of the disy that showed that was just in front of the ship, the man with blonde locksined with his rough, abrasive tone. Seeing what was on disy via the magical tool confirmed to both men that they were indeed amongst the clouds, witnessing the swimming, fluffy forms through the azure skies.

    "Anyway, you two up for a trip to Old Treyna?"

    "...Why the hell would we want to go there?"

    Sora asked groggily, still keeping a tight hold on his shifting stomach as he worked up a sweat from the feather-like sensation.

    "The Hollow Order, right?"

    Figuring it out quickly, Sirius'' guess was confirmed from a nod by the captain of the strange guild, who took a seat on one of the metallic structures ced in the room.

    "Bingo! We only saw a bit of it, but things got really out of hand back there. I bet you two know that more than anyone. This is definitely something they''ll want to hear."

    Hearing this, Sirius and Sora nced at each other before they both shrugged in unison. Turning back to face the smiling, entric captain, Sirius let out a sigh while ruffling his own locks.

    Suddenly, something clicked in his brain as he froze, his eyes slowly widening to a full moon.

    "That''s probably not a bad idea��Oh, shit."

    "Oh, crap."

    Sirius and Sora both came to the same realization at the same time--much to the confusion of everyone else in the room.

    "Our damn mission! We have to find Getrude! We didn''t do all of this for nothing...He didn''t die just so we could forget our entire fucking mission!"

    "Getrude��? The Princess Getrude?"

    "Yes! She was supposed to be en route to Lemasdale,ing in from the capital! Shit, we might be toote!"

    Beginning to understand the direness of the situation, Nikko began nodding slowly before turning towards the man guiding the vehicle.

    "Sai, get on that route, A.S.A.P! Pronto!"

    "...Shit. I''m going to need a mana potion!"

    Pushing both of his arms forward that were lodged in some sort of tubr device connected to the vehicle, the steel object burst forth with a speed that seemedpletely impossible for its size.

    "Take my damn mana if you need it, just get us there--and fast!"

    Putting his hand on the shoulder of the demi-human pilot, Sirius directly fed him a chunk of his own magical energy, bringing the vehicle into even further speed as it carved its way through the air in a blitz.

    "I''m going to hurl��!"

    Feeling the gravitational pull of such speeds, Sora held on for dear life onto one of the metal bars, sucking in any feelings of vomit.

    Rushing over, the boy who looked hardly old enough to be part of a guild popped the cap off of a ss vial containing a sparkling, azure liquid. Pressing the open container to Sai''s lips, the man with shark teeth held it up with just his mouth alone, chugging its contents.

    "Oh, yeah! That''s the good stuff! Full-speed ahead----!"

    "Is this warp speed?!"

    Sora groaned out, relieving himself to the forces of gravity as he pressed his cheek against the cold steel, allowing his saliva to fly out.

    "Ha-ha! This is quite fast, isn''t it?"

    Hanging on for dear life to a railing as the rest of his body iled helplessly against gravity, Nikkoughed frivolously.

    "Are you in any position to beughing?!"

    The woman with crimson locks scolded the man as she kept herself strapped to her seat, feeling the effects all the same.

    I''ll add a kick of my own, Sirius thought.

    Focusing on his surroundings, he guided the airborne vehicle to even greater heights of travel speed with the assistance of his own spatial magic, hurling it through the clouds.

 Chapter 238 - Advent Of An Alliance; Born

    After a few minutes of the sickening speed, figures appeared on the magical monitor that disyed what sat directly below the vehicle.

    "I see...a carriage and a few on horseback going down the trail. Oh! That''s her, no doubt!"

    Without any hesitancy, Sai reared the handles guiding the metallic device down, bringing the entire thing down to the ground in a hurry.

    "I''ll handle this--it''s my mission after all...and he''s not exactly capable right now."

    ? Calling dibs on greeting the princess and her group, passing by the vermilion-hairedpanion of his who was sprawled out on the ground, Sirius brought himself to the exit of the vehicle as itnded.

    "What in the world is that��?"

    Peeking her head from the window of thevish carriage, Getrude witnessed the sleek, steel vehiclend in front of her desired path.

    The side door opened itself, soon revealing Sirius who was breathing heavily from the entire ordeal that transpired within minutes.

    "G-getrude��! It''s me, Sirius, we''re here to escort you!"

    "Escort? I wasn''t told of anything like that��"

    Muttering to herself, the knight stepped outside of the carriage, ignoring Damien who attempted to halt her from stepping towards the unknown vehicle.

    He was less than an inconspicuous looking figure at this point; covered in bandages of his own, though not nearly as gaugeden as his red-haired friend.

    "What''s the meaning of this? Why didn''t I hear anything about it?"

    Before Sirius could answer the question of the stern, hard-boiled woman, his eyes lingered to the tall, muscr man sitting atop a horse he looked far too big to ride. The golden, long-hanging locks and bored-looking eyes were too much to ignore.

    "Noah!"

    "Oh...Sirius? Long time."

    The man didn''t seem all too excited, simply scratching his head as he stayed atop the horse''s back before yawning.

    Well, he hasn''t changed in the slightest, Sirius thought.

    "Answer the question."

    With her hands on her hips, Getrude further pressed the man for answers as her indomitable, royal irises didn''t leave much in the room for excuses. It was different from what he expected from someone who was supposed to be a princess.

    "Beatrice sent us. I thought she sent you a letter?"

    "...She did not."

    Hearing the answer given, Getrude ced her gauntlet-covered fingers against her chin before letting out a sigh.

    "Anywho, we''re not in need of any assistance. We''ve taken preparations to make sure nobody knew where we were going--"

    "That''s not the problem. Lemasdale was attacked."

    "Attacked?"

    Curious as to what he meant, Getrude looked at Sirius carefully as Damien finally caught up to her, standing beside her and adjusting his hair in an attempt to look proper.

    "Yeah, we think--no, we know it was Belmon."

    "Belmon?! You mean--"

    "Mm. The "Forgotten Kingdom". That Belmon. They used husks to attack Lemasdale...I''m afraid they seeded in that regard. We''ve handled the brunt of it all, but there''s still more out there."

    Finishing Damien''s thought for him, Sirius nodded his head with words spoken close to his chest. It was obvious that such words sounded like a far-reach at best to any sane person, but he pushed the truth as best he could.

    "We already lost someone today. Please, just ept our help."

    Bowing his head down to Getrude, he was stopped as she ced a hand on his shoulder, bringing his gaze up as she gave him a slight, reassuring smile. The sincerity from the man''s voice was crystal clear, that much was enough for the knight captain.

    "I...I think I understand the situation. Well, not really, but I trust the judgment of an Ounder."

    It was a mystical sight in and of itself to him; the proimed ally of the Ounders was a much different person than he had expected. While she was hard-boiled and cautious, she was also almost to discern the truth seamlessly--making her judgment impable.

    "What about our horses?"

    Damien asked nervously, looking back at the equestrian creatures waiting patiently behind them. As if hearing their existence be mentioned, one of the stationary horses with beige locks neighed out, shaking its head as its nostrils red up.

    "They''ll fit onboard."

    "How��?"

    "Just trust me."

    It went much smoother than he expected, leading the party that had been riding alongside the princess aboard the mystical ship.

    Knocking on the hunk of the vehicle, Sirius'' signal gave Sai the go-ahead to take off once more.

    "You''ll get used to that."

    Sirius assured them as he witnessed them all hold their stomachs from the vehicle rising back into the air, lifting itself into the domain of the clouds.

    "Shit...They really got him��"

    For the first time to the knights, Noah showed genuine emotion as he knelt beside theid-over body of the lost Ounder, running his fingers through the boy''s soft locks of hazel.

    "Yeah��"

    "Did the bastard who did this pay? Did he?"

    "Well, Sora told me he ripped his head off so...Not enough."

    "That piece of shit should count his blessings that I wasn''t there then."<novelnext></novelnext>

    It wasn''t an idle threat made from just pure emotion, Sirius knew full-well that the tall, aloof man at his core was a beast of his own.

    Even if he is a bit absent-minded, he''s an Ounder. Losing one of his own is an unforgivable crime, Sirius thought.

    Sirius couldn''t bear to look at the lifeless body of hisrade, keeping his arms folded against his chest as he kept his gaze on the steel flooring below. Even in all of his aloofness, Noah took notice of that pained silence from the usual frivolous man, wrapping the body of their fallenrade in his jacket and taking him into a different room.

    "Shouldn''t be so many eyes on you when you''re like this, kid��"

    Noah whispered to the now cold body of his lostrade, his obsidian irises glistening over with the prospect of tears, but never leaving.

    Approaching the quietly sulking man, Getrude ced her hand over her heart before speaking.

    "I''m sorry for your loss, truly. It''s because of me that��"

    "Don''t. If anyone is at fault here, it''s me. Just...Yeah."

    Her words of reassurement only pained him further as he shook his head, finding no outlet for the contempt burning up inside him.

    "By the way, who are these guys with you?"

    Sirius lifted his gaze, trying to distract himself from the very concept of the grief that gued him, looking at the two who stuck out like sore thumbs from the knights and Noah.

    From their garments, he could at least decipher that they were adventurers--and by the peculiar animal ears atop their heads, they were demi-humans.

    Hearing her existence finally be recognized, the short, vibrant-looking girl with pink and blue hair that stood out incredibly bounced in ce, her fluffy, cat-like ears twitching as she smiled brightly through her sparkling irises.

    "Member of the Cat''s Paw guild and loyal subordinate of the Tersndel family, Luna, the Nekomancer is here!"

    Doing a peace sign over one eye, the girl presented herself with utmost radiance, much to the dismay of every other single person standing in the room who looked at her as if she were aplete maniac. A fist smacked her in the back of the head, belonging to the stoic-looking man with simr cat ears belonging to a head of bright, crimson locks that ended in a ponytail.

    "Read the damn room, idiot."

    Muttering through his teeth, the man drove the words into Luna''s head as she teared up, sniffling and nodding her head as she caressed the spot that had been bonked.

    "Forgive her--like Luna, I am of the Cat''s Paw guild and an ally of the Ternsdel family; I am Malune Paleon, at your service."

    cing his hand covered with a dark-brown glove over his chest, the crimson-haired demi-human bowed politely.

    "...It''s fine. I needed that, really."

    Sirius smiled small, cing his hands on his sides before forcing a powerful exhale through his lips--then pping his own cheeks.

    "Alright, get it together, you!"

    Now all of their eyes locked onto Sirius as if he was the odd man out, who was now smiling with red cheeks bearing the imprints of his hands.

    "Sirius Federov, at your service!"

    "Where''s the kid?"

    Feeling his stomach return to its rightful ce, Sora asked quietly as he seated himself down on one of the seats imnted into the room of the cockpit.

    "I put him in one of the guest rooms. He went straight to sleep, kid passed out like a behemoth."

    Nikko answered with a smile, fixing his hair that had been frizzled up from the zing speed previously.

    "So, I''m guessing we''re not heading to the Hollow Order anymore, right? I mean, the princess being on board and everything."

    "You''re the captain, right? It''s your call at the end of the day."

    Leaning back in his seat, Sora kept his eyes shut as he rxed his bandage-covered body, letting out a sigh along with his less than pleasing words to Nikko''s ears.

    "...It''s a different story when we''re talking about the princess of god-damn-Mastorn here, you know? Straight to Grandeuve we go, Sai. I''ve always wanted to see those sky-high trees myself, anyway."

    "Aye, aye, Cap''n!"

    Running off of an overflowing mana now, Sai was happy to find an excuse to further expend the plentiful resource from his body.

    However, something suddenly made itself known in front of the mana-disy before Sai''s eyes, "Urr...Hey, Cap''n, you might want to see this."

    "A bird?...It''s got a letter in its mouth."

    As Nikko squinted his eyes to inspect the enigmatic creature hovering in ce purposefully in front of the vehicle, Sora pressed himself up against the monitor formed of magical energy with wide eyes.

    "That''s Hopwoffle!"

    "...Hopwoffle?"

    Sai and Nikko repeated in unison, puzzled by the peculiar name that left Sora''s lips, let alone the fact that he recognized the pale feathered creature.

    "That''s Beatrice''s familiar!...Why the hell is it here now of all times? Bring it in!"

    Sora jabbed his finger against the pilot''s arm a few times, causing the sharp-toothed man to wince before swatting the Ounder''s hand away.

    "Alright, alright!"

    Controlling the magical mechanics of the mystical device by some movement of his hands within the tubr controls, Sai opened up an entrance on the ceiling of the control room, watching as Hopwoffle disappeared from the view of the front disy before entering through the ceiling entrance. Landing on Sora''s shoulder, the tall avian dug its talons into the man''s skin a bit too rough.

    "Gah! Dammit, just give me that damn thing!"

    Snatching the letter tucked between the bird''s beak, he unraveled the parchment before cing his eyes over the neatly-written text.

    "What''s it say?"

    "...Shit. Looks like we''re going to the Hollow Order after all."

 Chapter 239 - Quadrant Of Flesh

    "Looks like we found it; the Butcher bastard''s bedroom door."

    Macheomented as he looked at the door formed of what seemed to be pure bone, kicking his boot against it as he looked back at the rest of the group. Through enough traversing of the deathly biome of flesh architecture, the sight began to sink itself into somewhat normalcy as did the ever-present stench.

    Holding his hands over his eyes, Ren was still wincing quietly as the azure-haired girl attempted tofort the pained young man, running her hand up and down his back.

    "I thought that ability of yours seemed unfair, but this is the price of it, huh?"

    "...Yeah."

    Answering Macheo between sharp, painful breaths, Ren followed up with a yelp before dropping to his knees as the fiery sensation in his eyes amplified.

    "Ren!"

    Iris, Aiko, and Hongse surrounded him, trying tofort him as they felt helpless to assist the white-hairedpanion of theirs.

    It was such a short time that I used it for...I thought that the pain would be less extreme from that first time, but it''s even worse now, Ren winced.

    "I''m fine��"

    "No--we have to retreat, or at least wait!"

    "I agree...You don''t look like you''re in any condition to fight."

    Aiko assisted Iris in her thought process, getting a short, thankful smile from the girl with blue, silken locks before cing her worried eyes back on Ren.

    Keeping her hands firmly on his shoulders, Iris'' worried sapphires were met with Ren''s hazel eyes that had be bloodshot from the strain. Weakly, he gave her a smile that didn''t fit his sweatyered, encumbered expression.

    "You know...when I think about where I started, and how much I''ve grown, I feel like I can do anything."

    "Ren��"

    "So this is nothing...I''ll be fine, really."

    Even if he said that, he didn''t deny Hongse''s gracious offer to be helped up to his feet, being hoisted up as if he was weightless by the grip of the sturdy panda-man. Rubbing the sleeve of his coat against his eyes for a moment, he looked forward at Macheo with a nod; all that was needed to tell the golden-haired mage to open the bone door.

    "Besides, with all of us--this''ll be a walk in the park. Right, Macheo?"

    "Yeah, that gross bastard wasn''t all that tough."

    Taking the lead as he walked past Macheo, who was adjusting the fluffy material that made up the cuffs of his coat, Ren''s sable cape flowed behind his step, unsheathing Belus and his dagger as he forced the residual pain to withdraw itself to the depths of his mind.

    Walking in with his eyes closed for a moment, it wasn''t until the shutters to his eyes parted once more that he realized just the type of chamber he had walked into. The moment his irises witnessed the scenery around him, he felt his stomach churn, finding itself in his throat before turning back to warn the others.

    "...Don''t look!"

    It was toote, speaking such a thing into existence naturally brought their eyes to what inhabited the personal domain of Butcher.

    Hanging from the ceiling, attached to meat hooks, an endless array of bodies presented themselves lifelessly.

    "...Wee, wee��"

    Rising from the floor itself like a spirit of the astral ne, the monstrous entity itself made an entrance, bringing itself up with its unnatural form as it smiled behind its mask of false skin.

    "Is it to your liking? My workshop?"

    "...You sick freak."

    Valerie responded to the twisted question, covering her mouth and nose as did everyone else within the bowels of the ghastly domain.

    "Macheo��"

    "Huh? What is it?"

    Replying with his voice muffled by his hand, Macheo looked at the back of the white-hairedpanion who said his name.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That creep looks different, right? I''m not going crazy or anything, am I?"

    "Now that you mention it��"

    Squinting at the form of Butcher, there were indeed some alterations to his body that stuck out right away.

    Without a doubt, the build belonging to Butcher''s patchwork body was bulkier; putting on what looked to be twice his previous muscle mass.

    "Ah, you''ve noticed, right? Our little skirmish earlier inspired me to make some��adjustments��to my body."

    Gyrating his arm unnaturally, Butcher''s words were skewed with his own twisted nature, presenting his newly crafted body as if it were a gift to the world.

    "How about I smash this creep into paste?"

    It was a rare sight; Hongse''s teeth were snarled as his physique puffed out past his obscuring coat of fur, manifesting his massive hammer into his grip.

    "I''ll burn him to ash."

    Valerie unraveled hernce-staff, revving it up as a radiant me began to coil it.

    "I''ll follow your lead, Ren."

    Stepping beside the man dressed in a stygian gambeson coat, Aiko adjusted her gauntlets as a fire seemed to finally take ce in her amethyst irises.

    "Got it. Macheo, you with me too?"

    "Do I have a choice? You''ll just get in my way otherwise."

    "Good to hear it, partner. Iris?"

    Giving a thumbs-up to the prickly noble, Ren then turned his attention to the cherishedpanion of his who has yet to speak up.

    How are they all so��strong? It''s not their physical or magical strength, but their mindset. How can they see this room, that monster��and be so quick to make a n. Ren, just how did you be like this? Iris thought.

    "I''ll��"

    All eyes were on her, further burdening her mind to make a decision.

    Looking at Butcher, her knees shook just at the sight of just a vile creature.

    Every part of me is telling me to stay as far away as I can from that thing. Which is why��I should do the opposite.

    "Hongse, can you follow my lead?"

    After a deep inhale, her words came out without any hesitance. Slowly, the crimson panda nodded his head, clearly a bit puzzled.

    "��Yeah."

    "Alright, let''s do this!"

    Iris put on a smile that required melding her lips as she stood tall.

    "Yeah, let''s."

    Coating his des in his extended reinforcement, Ren took the first step forward.

    Keep your eyes on him. Just him. Only him.

    He urged himself, begged to keep his attention solely on Butcher. As haunting as his appearance was, it was nothing inparison to the scenery of death and flesh.

    "Yes! You! You! You! I want those determined, scalding eyes of yours!"

    Wiggling his arms, Butcher almost looked as if he was going to let the snow-haired fighter attack him for free, only to counter before Ren could draw near.

 Chapter 240 - A Ravenous Fiend; Plentiful And Disgusting

    The ground itself gave birth to a shield of flesh, rising into a wall to separate him from Butcher. It happened so quickly that he didn''t realize he had beenpletely walled in.

    "Ren!"

    "Keep going! I''ll handle this!"

    Urging Iris forward, he began to cut away at the barrier of crimson, organic material.

    "��Right!"

    Pushing forward, she swallowed her worries and put her trust in him as she quickly approached Butcher, who stood silently with a smile.

    What is he up to? Iris thought.

    "Hongse!"

    "Coming right up!"

    Without any further words needing to be said, Iris flipped back,nding on top of the panda''s heavy hammer before he catapulted her forward.

    "Helios: Divine Rend!"

    Approaching the monstrous entity quickly from above, she watched as he finally made his move, reaching his fingers inside of his own chest in a disgusting fashion.

    From the bowels of his own body, he retrieved a blood-soaked cleaver before his body closed back up, slowly raising his sinister gaze to Iris.

    Scarlet veins ran along the surface of its reddened silver, raising it as Butcher''s lengthy tongue fell from his maw, caressing the blood as a sickened smile came over his lips.

    Something is wrong��That weapon in his hand��It''s soaked in such malice��, Iris thought.

    "Blutesser: Slice, Cut, and Tear!"

    As a crimson glow emanated from the cleaver, Butcher''s attempted malice towards Iris was interrupted by a vicious fireball colliding against his body.

    "Go! Now!"

    Valerie called out, her weapon releasing a thick smoke from the released st.

    Pushing past the vtile uproar of heat, Iris released the des of condensed light that extended from her arms, tossing them at the enigma within the mes.

    The raging ze of crimson was parted by the purified des as they crashed down upon their target, revealing Butcher to have his chest eviscerated by the spell.

    "Ah! Another��strong one!"

    Not caring in the slightest for his very visible wounds, Butcher cackled before having his fit of joy silenced by another strike across the chest��this time originating from Ren''s de.

    "��How?!"

    "Did you really think some walls could contain me?"

    While the fiend was distracted by his existence, Ren shoved the obsidian dagger he held deep into the killer''s sternum.

    "Release."

    Just that singr word manifested a powerful st that birthed itself directly inside Butcher, sting him back against the wall of flesh.

    I''m d Hongse helped me figure out the true ability of this dagger. "Store and Release"; it absorbs any residual mana and lets me unleash it all at once, Ren thought.

    "Time for the real start to shine! Achelous: Three-Pronged Hurricane!"

    Launching a series of water-sts taking the loose shape of tridents, Macheo wasn''t alone in his assault.

    Moving at a heightened speed with no sound to her footsteps, Aiko reinforced her gauntlets in ws of light.

    "Hey��! This is my turn!"

    Ignoring the golden-haired noble''s call, she pushed on, running alongside the tunneling Aqua as she attempted to outpace them.

    Launching herself with a swift kick, her boot sank into the mushy surface of Butcher''s chest, flipping off of him before letting loose an impact from her enhanced gauntlet.

    Though she raised it only once, four of the same hits crashed against the monster in unison with her initial impact.

    "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

    There was no time for Butcher to react to the next attack as all of the tridents of magical aqua met their destination on his form.

    "And��here��hees��!"

    Ending the united assault, the red-furred panda spun in the air, violently generating an immense amount of force with his held weapon of bludgeoning.

    Thebination of pure magical energy and raw, unrefined strength bent the space around the head of the hammer just before it came down, a resulting tremorpromising the stagnancy of the chamber as it shook vigorously.

    "Did you get it?!"

    Standing alongside Aiko, Ren kept his arm raised as the generated winds pelted against his coat.

    As if answering his question, Hongse was suddenly flung back by an unknown force.

    "Hongse!"

    "I''ve got him! Wasser: Sphere!"

    Acting in haste while Valerie yelled out worriedly, Macheo spawned a sphere of gentle aqua behind the flung demi-human, catching him inside its benevolent form.

    While the others remained taken aback by this, Ren pressed forward with both des in hand, watching as Butcher lifted himself from the ground with his permanent, contorted smile.

    "I always wanted to give this one a try."

    Ren only noticed what the fiend was talking about once he turned to face him; the right arm of Butcher had been morphed into a gargantuan form, a limb that looked like it belonged to a giant.

    "Give it a shot then."

    Taking thement from the snow-haired human to heart, Butcher let out a cackle as he lifted his enormous appendage back before thrusting it forward as it carved through the air.

    Sliding across the ground and ducking beneath the iing mass of flesh, Ren spun his des around its form before jumping back up to watch the limb fall over limply at Butcher''s shoulder.

    "Ah, I can''t move it��"

    I guess now might be a good opportunity to try it out against a real target, Ren thought.

    While Butcher was hindered by his stagnant arm and overall distracted by itsck of movement, flopping it around like a dumbfounded child, Ren took in a deep breath. The others looked ready to st the fiend with an array of attacks, but Ren gave them a simple "O-K" sign with his fingers and a smile.

    Though he didn''t outright say it, they all understood what he meant: "cover me".

    "Really? Fine...Have it your way."

    Macheo scoffed, but still respected the decision of the snow-haired man all the same as he let out a disgruntled sigh.

    Sheathing both of his des and standing tall as he looked the bloodthirsty fiend down with eyes that held no fear, he began the incantation.

    "Hear me...Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night...Destruction."

    Just from the very start of the utterances of magecraft, a bountiful, rich darkness ignited around his body, flowing with a strong wave of cold shadows.

    "Oh?...Coming to me on a tter, are you��?"

    Butcher suddenly squinted his eyes at the sight of the great magic being woven, lifting his cleaver to the air before in an act of fervor striking his own disabled arm with it.

    "Gah! Gah! Gah!"

    Repeating the repulsive strikes over and over in quick session, Butcher managed to amputate his arm, allowing it to fall to the ground with a smile before licking his own blood from the tool of muttion.

    "Disgusting��"

    Aiko''sment was the same thought, everyone, witnessing the act had thought, all freezing for a moment at the abhorrent sight. Even so, Ren stood there with utmost focus present in his eyes as the magical energy around him gathered.

    "Let me taste your blood---!"

    As Butcher dashed towards Ren, his speed put him face-to-face with the man in that one instant.

    I''m leaving all of my trust in you guys. All of you, Ren thought.

    Before so much as a finger from the cleaver-wielding fiend could be lifted towards Ren, strands of powerful water wrapped around Butcher''s form, resembling that of an aquatic ribcage.

    "Achelous: Forgotten Locker!"

    A knee came to Butcher''s nose before he could even process that he had beenpromised, watching as the beige-haired girl in eastern clothing was in the air before him, having hopped over Ren effortlessly.

    "Light Enhance: Form Three: Slumbering Tiger!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    As per her words, the gauntlets that looked a size too big for her arms were engulfed in light, running along her arms in a form that resembled fur-covered ws. The blunt attacks she used as she pummeled Butcher''s chest with a flurry of blows weren''t just that; each strike also came with a three-wed sh across his chest.

    "Ah��! That one really, really hurt! Bad girl, bad girl!"

    Speaking as if experiencing a high, Butcher''s twisted words sent a chill through Aiko as she jumped back in defense.

    "Blutesser: Hell''s Kitchen!"

    Finally, Butcher had managed to find his opportune moment to strike as his cleaver became engulfed in a scarlet glow, swiping it forward with its aim directed at the young girl.

    "Aiko!"

    Macheo yelled out, but it was toote. Even though she was far from the reach of the de, scarlet lines appeared all across her body. She fell still to this attack, staring nkly forward before the lines released themselves into deep, merciless eviscerations on her body.

    "Aiko---!"

    Yelling out again, Macheo was the first one to be at her side, catching her before she fell over as her white robes quickly became dyed in her own blood. The boy with crimson eyes seemed to forget he was on the battlefield; a fact that Butchertched onto with a smirk as he looked to prepare to introduce the same fate to the boy.

    "Art of Zao Shen: tten!"

    Interrupting the tall, patchwork fiend, Hongse barged in, spinning dangerously with his hammer carrying the generated force.

    Spinning as fast as he was, the panda looked almost like a blur as he moved his unnatural, vtile self towards Butcher who smiled at the sight. Throughout this, Ren had fallen silent during his incantation having watched the girl he yearned to protect be cut up like so.

    Not again...Why is it always because of me? If I wasn''t so arrogant, if she wasn''t trying to protect me, then��

    Sinking into these negative thoughts, he was brought from the depths of his cloudy mind as the sensation of his cheeks being held between two hands came to him.

    "...Huh?"

    Looking up, his eyes met with the pearly blues of a being most precious to him; a face that struck the perfect bnce between beautiful and adorable for him. The way her azure locks cascaded down her shoulders was so perfect yet natural.

    "Focus!"

    "Huh?"

    Still left bbergasted by being in such an intimate position with Iris, all Ren could muster was the default, puzzled word of humanity.

    "Focus!"

    Pausing for a moment as he got lost in those determined azures of hers, he finally nodded before recing his worried expression with a smile. Getting her desired result, Iris gave him a smile and returned his nod before turning her attention toward Butcher.

    "Hear me...Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night...Destruction!"

    Pronounced with such vigor, this time the magical energy that gathered around Ren was much thicker with a powerful wind fluttering by his side.

    "...I can still fight��"

    To the surprise of Macho, the girl with neatly-kempt, beige hair sat herself up, wincing as one eye seemed to refuse to open.

    "No way! You''re not in any shape--"

    "I said I can still fight!"

    Yelling so fervently, Aiko clenched her fists as the words Valerie told her stuck themselves deep into her mind.

    Weak, weak, weak. That''s all I see myself as, and that''s what others see. I''m sick of it. I''m tired of it, Aiko thought.

    Standing herself up, the golden-haired Lucrauvian was left agape at the peculiar, fiery resolve present in the usually silent girl.

    Her resolve was apanied by Iris, who stood by her side as their sights were set on Butcher.

    Moving together, Aiko and Iris both pressed onward towards the madded fiend, each step they took was in unison with the other. It was something he overheard them discussing during one of the cold nights camping in the darkness.

    It''s harder than I thought; standing still while all of my friends fight for me. All I can do now is ce my trust in them, he thought.

    It was hardly a sight he could get used to; watching the girl he deemed as a precious flower fight so fervently with her fists with such determined eyes. Through her tight-knit stance and straight punches, it was clear she was trained by Brahmi just as he was. Even so, she didn''t have anywhere near the same smooth, natural flow as the abrasive ounder, that much was obvious watching her next to Aiko, who moved like a feather dancing in the winds.

    "Kojin: Disaster Falls!"

    The spell called out by Valerie from the backline of the battle was cast with pinpoint precision, manifesting itself directly above the head of Butcher as he was helplessly on the receiving end of the two girl''s flurry of attacks.

    A pir of condensed mes descended upon the form of Butcher, wrapping itself carefully around his body as not a single ember found itself on either girl''s skin. Even being swallowed by the element of crimson destruction, Butcher cackled maniacally, swinging his cleaver blindly as it reached nothing.

    "Inside and out, the aspect of the night holds true to my soul, in honor of you and your overwhelming power. With this, grant me reprieve from the dangers before me."

    Coming close to the release of his building great magic, Ren''s mana amplified even further, shrouding his body in a vibrating sea of shadows as he kept his eyes tightly shut, only listening to the sounds of battle.

    Feeling the rising mana signature reach its peak, the others separated themselves from Butcher''s position, watching Ren as he finally opened his eyes with a smile.

    "Be sent into the never-ending night forevermore! Nyx: Ultima Darkness!"

    cing the soles of his boots firmly against the mushy, flesh-formed ground beneath him, Ren''s words unleashed the true form of the gathered great magic into existence as shadows engulfed the entire chamber.

    Every inch of the ursed domain had its unsightly appearance veiled behind the absolute, immutable darkness as it coiled itself, spiraling about in its newly formed void.

    "What? What? What?! My masterpiece! What have you done with it?!"

    Watching the room be swallowed by utter darkness, Butcher shook his head so vigorously it seemed his head might fly right off.

    A melodic, harrowing hum of multiple, disembodied feminine voices filled the shadowy chamber as the brunt of the darkness coalesced around the fiend.

    "I can''t see a damn thing��"

    Macheoined quietly, rubbing his eyes as if trying to cure himself of the loss of sight in such a domain.

    "This is giving me the creeps."

    The panda demi-human shivered as he listened to the humse from all directions, being promptlyforted by a p on the back by the draconic mage.

    Soon the darkness that had swallowed the surrounding light began to copse into a singr point, returning the domain to its previous state as it gathered into a sphere that enclosed around Butcher. With a snap of his fingers, Renmanded the spell to reach its climax.

    A silence filled the deathly chamber, the absence of noise and visual stimtion was just as daunting before finally--it released. The disembodied voices howled out as the sphere of darkness condensed itself further, the sounds of flesh squelching and bones shattering within it resounded.

    "Nngh! Such pain, such delicious pain! Ha-ha!"

    Butcher''s voice rang out from within the shrinking mass of raw darkness before being abruptly silenced by theplete copse of the orb, leaving nothing behind.

    In ce of the once existing fiend, four keys dropped down onto the ground.

    "Holy--four?!"

    Before Ren could rx after unleashing such an exhausting spell, Macheo pushed past him, retrieving the keys and presenting them to the rest of the group. Even amidst the brutal depths of the domain, glee was found in such a thing.

    "Only two more to go!"

    "Hell yeah!"

    Macheo and Valerie exchanged a celebratory high-five while Ren slumped over,pletely exhausted as he smiled weakly.

    "This is��"

    Bending down, the beige and crimson-haired girl retrieved something before Iris curiously checked what she held. As soon as her eyes met with it, they widened as her expression fell agape.

    "...Crimson coins; a lot of them!"

    "Almost as dyed red as you are, Aiko, you need to recover."

    "That''s right, rx so I can help you!"

    Affirming Macheo''s words, Iris ced her hands on the young girl''s shoulders who almost didn''t seem to understand the gravity of her wounds.

    "I''ve got you, bud."

    Hoisting the snow-haired man up, Hongse helped him stand and walk, holding the young man close to his silky, bountiful fur and warm, soft body.

    Ah, this is heaven, he thought.

    With the battle concluding, both Iris and Macheo worked in unison to heal the various wounds that scaled Aiko''s body. Once her treatment was mostlyplete, Hongse took the burden of carrying her on his back, which was hardly a strain for him.

    "Another day, another step closer to beating this damn thing."

    "You''ve got that right."

    Valerie nodded her head in agreement with Ren, who led the group forward with his less-than-inspiring, lumbering steps.

 Chapter 241 - One Surprise After Another

    Finding themselves back on the resolve-testing proving grounds that is the never-ending hiking, the group dragged their feet forward through the new terrain. It was a field of tall, gray grass that wasthered in a sticky substance, making it arduous to push through in its bountiful nature.

    It was the "gimmick" of the quadrant that Macheo had told them about in a passing conversation during their travels; the terrain was constantly changing from ce to ce, leaving little room for adjustment and constantly keeping them on their toes.

    All around them, the sounds of sly, slithering creatures periodically met their ears as the unnerving area inched away at their will.

    "...Rest. I need rest. And food; lots of food."

    "For the hundredth time, Hongse, there is no damn way we''re stopping in this field. We can''t see anything here."

    Ren let out a groan at the panda''s continuedints. Stomping each foot forward in an effort to keep himself going, he raised his head only for his eyes to meet with a peculiar structure in the near distance.

    "Hey, there''s something up ahead."

    "Huh? What is it?"

    Pushing the foliage blocking his path aside, Macheo brought himself next to Ren as he set his eyes in the same general direction.

    "Looks like...a cottage?"

    "Out here?...Suspicious."

    "Food!"

    Without any hesitance, the towering panda came stomping forward, pushing past the others as he set his hungering stomach on the timber-built structure up ahead.

    "Hongse!...Shit, this idiot!"

    Following the demi-human driven thoughtlessly forward by the call of his own bottomless stomach, the rest of the group pushed past the overbearing foliage. Not taking note of where he was stepping, Macheo''s ck leather boot came down on a squishy, warm substance that moved beneath his step.

    Looking down, his eyes widened as he began to realize what it was he had so rudely stepped on; a limbless body that looked to be as thick as a tree trunk with slimy, diamond-shaped scales that inhabited a verdant and sableplexion.

    "Oh shi--"

    Before he could react further, the end of the creature lurking within the tall grass wrapped around his leg, hoisting him up into the air as he dangled upside down.

    "What the--Macheo!"

    Coming to a halt, Ren stopped and turned around to see the crimson-eyed boy being held in the air by the tail of the serpentine.

    "I''ve got this...covered!"

    Holding his usual pride, Macheo called out from the top of his lungs, halting Ren from drawing his de with his amped words.

    "That idiot...Why does he have to be like this?..."

    Aiko muttered, her words being heard by Iris who was more focused on the threat at hand.

    "Valerie, follow that damn, furry idiot! We''ve got this!"

    Calling out to the vermilion-haired draconic mage, Ren''s words met her ears as she nodded, following behind Hongse who was driven into a hungered stupor.

    Standing in watch, waiting for Macheo to make his move as he so fervently proimed, they witnessed the head of the serpentine reveal itself, hissing out as its jaw parted in four sections. Seeing this, Macheo''s unequaled confidence was humbled.

    "I take it back! Help me! I can''t focus my magic like this!"

    Supporting his words, Macheo was only able to release unrefined sts of water that didn''te close to hitting the mark as his body was flung about in the air.

    "...I''ve got this, stand back!"

    Putting his arm out to stop Iris and Aiko, Ren slid his trusty longsword from its sheath as he watched the gargantuan serpentine near its saliva-coated maw to the human snack it held.

    These two are far more worn out than I am. Between the wounds Aiko''s body had to recover from and how much mana Iris used to heal her, it''s only reasonable that I take it from here, he thought.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Swiping his de cleanly through the foliage, a de of darkness parted from the steel, flying directly towards the snake as only a shallow cut appeared on its neck.

    "Huh? That wasn''t enough?!"

    "Dammit! Kill this thing already!"

    Macheo''s voice grew higher and more desperate as he could clearly see down the snake''s slimy, constricting throat.

    "I''ve got it!"

    "...Aiko, wait!"

    Before he could try and stop her, Ren watched as the short, beige-haired girl zipped past him, sprinting up the serpentine''s body as if it were a normal pathway. Looking as graceful as a dancer, such eloquent footwork was shot down as she tripped over, falling from the lengthy body of the rising serpentine.

    "I told you to wait, idiot!"

    Huffing, Ren shadow stepped into the air to retrieve the girl before she could fall helplessly to the unnatural soil below.

    Crap, she''s totally out of it. It was only a few seconds...Has she been like this since we left Butcher''s Locker? He thought.

    "You don''t have to keep trying to prove yourself, jeez��"

    Muttering quietly, he wasn''t sure if his words met the ears of the Akitein girl as her eyelids seemed to be halfway to closing. Setting her down beside Iris, he sighed as he retrieved his de from its hilt once more.

    "I think she''s sick, get her to the cottage, alright?"

    "But--"

    "I''ve got this covered."

    Ren''s assuring smile left no room for Iris to contest his decision as she nodded, carrying Aiko on her back up the somewhat steep slope that led to the mysterious abode.

    "Hurry up already, all my damn blood is going to my head!"

    "Whining is pretty unlike you, Macheo."

    "This...is...different!"

    Flipping his de between his fingers with a bit of braggadocious finesse, Ren smiled as he nodded his head a few times.

    "Right, right, I''ll get right on it."

    During this time, Macheo managed to avoid being gobbled up by the hungry, oversized serpentine by scaring away its wide maw with frantic sts of water spheres that had little chance of actually hitting anything.

    Taking in a deep breath lined with a calming focus, Ren ced one foot forward before bringing himself atop the serpent''s back in an instant.

    Sess. Another Shadowstep done without an incantation, Ren smiled.

    "Now for you, scaly."

    Pointing the tip of Belus downwards, Ren drove the de through the thick neck of the creature, seamlessly piercing both its scales and flesh as it hissed out in pain, its massive tail iling against the ground frantically.

    Being smacked against the ground a few times, Macheo grunted before escaping its unraveled hold, coughing out.

    "Here."

    Jumping down from the rampant snake, Ren extended his hand down to Macheo, who looked at it for a moment before refusing it, standing himself up on his own as he caressed his throat.

    "I don''t need it."

    "Huh? Acting like that after I just saved your life?"

    Beingpletely ignored, Ren sighed as he watched the golden-haired boy march towards the cottage. The verdant serpentine had fallen over dead within a minute, being stepped over as he swiped the blood from his de before returning it to its rest of leather.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Still, I wonder what that ce really is, he thought.

    Falling behind the rest of his group, his caution was put to rest as he heard their casual voices speaking from within the confines of the peculiar cottage.

    Stopping right outside of the opened door, he took the opportunity to take his tightlyced boots off, emptying the sediment that gathered during the tireless journeys through the depths of the hellish realm.

    Damn, my feet are sore as hell, he sighed.

    Slipping his boots back on, he entered the premises. Stepping inside of the open door--everything shifted. The air that he breathed in, the cold, stagnancy to it--gone. What looked like a somber, decaying cottage was something else entirely different on the inside.

    It was a refurbished, immacte interior that expanded itself to the length of a glorious mansion,pletely breaking thews of physics in their entirety.

    "What...the...hell."

    The immactely polished timber walls were lit by orange torches held in decorative, silver devices.

    "How may I help you, Sir Ren?"

    A calm, eloquent voice spoke to him, drawing his perplexed eyes to the center of the lobby where stood a tan-skinned man, slender and tall, well-dressed above all else. It was easy to tell from one look what the true nature of the man was for him.

    No doubt, he''s a demon, like Bifrons, he thought.

    "You''re a demon, right?"

    "That I am."

    For some reason, he expected his usation to be rejected, but the man dressed in a wrinkle-free butler outfit answered calmly with a smile.

    Is this a host club or something?...Seriously, what''s up with all the morous dudes?! He thought.

    Just as the true form of Bifrons was, the seemingly benevolent demon standing behind the desk was just as mboyant, with perfectly polished, icy blue nails that matched his peculiar irises.

    "What is this ce?"

    A slightly puzzled look came over the attendant''s expression as he corrected it with a smile, extending his arm as the fluffy, sable cuffs of his matching suit bounced with his slightest movements. It was an odd movement but it ended in a bow, leaning his tall frame down before setting himself straight once more as his plentiful, light-gold locks slightly obscured his radiant eyes.

    "Allow me to exin, Ren Nakamura: you''ve qualified to participate in the Champion''s Culling."

    "��"Champion''s Culling"? Mind exining what the hell that is?"

    Still on edge, the attendant seemed to notice this as his warm, weing smile persisted.

    "With pleasure!"

    As usual, the entricity of the demon race was too much for his cautious, perplexed self to handle, letting out a sigh as he prepared for the mboyant exnationing his way.

    "You and your group, The Weltwanderers, collected at least five keys; that is the requirement to participate in this pinnacle event!"

    "Hey, where is my group anyway��"

    Before he could even get a full sentence in, he was promptly interrupted by the blonde demon''s continued, unstoppable guidance.

    Spinning in ce, the slender, well-dressed entity hummed before continuing.

    "All who have collected at least five of this floor''s keys have been brought here, the Keep of Asmodeus, to battle for the remaining keys needed to challenge the guardian of this floor! Or better yet...direct ess to the third, and final floor of Purgatory."

    Finally, something significant caught Ren''s ears as the prospect of obtaining the final keys was embedded in him.

    "Oh, are we interested now?"

    "Just keep talking."

    "Of course. This contest of the worthy is determined in the most appropriate setting: a tournament!"

    Eximing this with fervent excitement, the handsome demon pointed his index finger straight to the pristine ceiling, his own one-man show releasing a fit of sparks.

    How the hell did he do that?! Ren thought.

    "What''s the catch?"

    Knowing the way Purgatory was run, and knowing that demons were likely the ones that ran this ce, it was the most appropriate question he could find to ask.

    Being asked this, the tan-skinned inhuman settled down his high-energy performance, settling his ethereal gaze on the young man.

    "My, you''re just as he warned; quite the cautious fellow. That''s not a bad thing��not at all, not here that is."

    Leaving the bounds of his polished, mahogany desk, the demon slowly approached the snow-haired mage as his pointed, ck leather dress shoes cked against the spotless flooring. Coming close to Ren, he leaned his slender, towering figure down until he was face to face with the defensive human.

    "Yes, yes��so conflicted; those eyes of yours. You''re every bit as intriguing as I thought."

    Stunned by the close proximity, he could feel the cold breath of the enigmatic entity as his long, colored fingernail trailed his chin.

    "��Stop that!"

    pping the hand away, Ren''s eyes were now passionate with contempt, which only seemed to intrigue the demon further.

    "My apologies. Here, you''ll need this."

    Lightly tapping his sharp nail against the back of the young man''s obsidian glove on his left hand, a brief sting caused Ren to pull his hand back.

    "What the hell was that?!"

    "Your proof of Championhood."

    The demon''s eyes trailed down to the afflicted hand, prompting Ren to hesitantly slide his glove from his fingers as he revealed to himself the new five-pointed star seal embedded on the back of his hand.

    "When that glows, make your way to the waiting room."

    "��Okay? Anyway, where are my friends?"

    "Oh, of course. They''ve settled into their rooms already. Impy will show you to your dorm."

    Settled in already? That doesn''t make any sense��I was only a minute behind at most. Dorm? This sounds like it might be a long endeavor��Still, sounds kind of rxing, he thought.

    Responding to a snap of his fingers, a short, bulbous entity manifested by the attendant''s will.

    "Impy, show him where the waiting room is, then the bazaar��then his dorm. Understood?"

    "You got it, master!"

    The creature was no higher than Ren''s knee, with arms and legs that sprouted from its round, circr bodyyered with crimson, scale-riddled skin.

    "Please, follow him. Impy will give you the basics of the domain."

    "...Alright."

    "That includes showing you where your friends are at."

    Knowing that small tidbit would drive his feet forward, the demon''s sly smile was met with a quiet scoff from the young man as he began walking down the pristine hallway, stopping in ce for a moment before turning around.

    "Just one more thing: what''s your name?"

    "Orias."

    Finally giving his name, the pale-haired demon bowed once more with his hand over his chest, presenting the same, unwavering smile.

    With that, Ren followed the stumpy, tiny creature by the name of Impy down thevish halls; something he didn''t expect to find himself in within the bowels of Purgatory.

 Chapter 242 - Inherited Fists

    "Seriously, he''s still at it?"

    "What a nutcase."

    "Ha-ha! What good does he think it''s going to do? Does he think learning some martial arts is going to make him rich or something?"

    The hecklers spoke without any care of their words reaching the ears of the man as he sparred with the vacant air before him. Drenched from head-to-toe in sweat, his entire body had felt like it had been on fire for hours at this point, begging him to stop.

    But stopping is thest thing he had in mind. That wasn''t quite right; there were hardly any meaningful thoughts flowing through his mind. He simply allowed himself to be swallowed in the process of throwing one fist after another, perfecting the grace of such a maneuver through to be simple into a refined gem.

    Even the sound of each droplet of his body''s exuded exhaustion hitting the wooden floorboards beneath his feet. The belittling voices drew him out of this zone as he suddenly stopped, causing the heckling teenagers to fall to silence at the man''s abrupt stop.

    "Hey! Looking to learn some moves?!"

    As exhausted as his conditioned, sweatthered body looked to be, the man spoke to them with gleeful fervor, smiling with his pearly whites as his hazel locks tied into a ponytail swung behind him. Without so much as a word, the teens scurried off as the man was left silent.

    Just when I thought I found some students. Not even my sick moves were enough to reel them in, he smiled.

    Falling down onto his rear, he finally allowed himself to rest as he took in plentiful breaths into his lungs.

    The brief reprieve from training was just that as he heard frantic footsteps approaching the thin door of his training venue.

    "Fai!"

    The sliding, pale white door to his spacious training area was suddenly pulled open.

    "Qui��?"

    Using a rag to wipe the sweat from his cheek, he looked at the familiar woman as he caught his breath just as she did.

    "It''s��its Grandma!"

    As the words left the girl''s lips paired with her pained, hazel irises, Fai fell silent. Any attempt at trying to form a response only came out as quenched air as he couldn''t feel his own body.

    Sprinting through the bustling town, he didn''t care for anything in his way, moving with such fervent speed that he was inplete auto-pilot until he reached the cottage.

    Staring at the humble home of weathered timber, he huffed as he felt some sort of unknown hesitance keeping him from stepping through the door.

    "I��I��told you to wait��for me."

    Finally catching up to Fai, Qui huffed and puffed heavily as he held onto her knees. The man wearing only his worn shoes and baggy, ck pants didn''t so much as turn back to look at her.

    "Come on, she doesn''t have long left��"

    Taking Fai''s hand, the girl with long, brown hair running down her shoulders led the man inside of the cottage.

    He felt like his soul wasn''t in control of his body anymore, walking only out of instinct as Qiu guided him to the bedroom of their grandmother.

    Sitting by the bedside of the sickly elder woman was a man in a white coat.

    "Doctor��He''s here��"

    "Good. Fai, she doesn''t have��"

    "Bastard!"

    Fai suddenly marched over to the doctor, lifting him by the cor of his coat.

    "Fai?!"

    "You were supposed to save her! The hell do we pay you for?! Huh? Huh?!"

    I can''t help it. All this anger, resentment...guilt. I don''t know where to put it. I don''t know if I''m even mad at the man before my eyes or myself, Fai thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the reflection of the doctor''s startled, olive irises, he could see his own hurt eyes looking back at him, slowly releasing his hold on the man as a hand reached out, grazing the fabric of his pants.

    I never got to meet my parents. Sis'' Qiu, gran and old man were all I had. It was more than enough, more than I could ever ask for. So...Why? Why did they have to be taken away from me? Does everything in this world need to be so fleeting?

    "...Fai, my boy, please��"

    Spoken so weakly it could be mistaken for the wind, the words from his sickly, pale grandmother halted his rage in its entirety.

    His sister had already wrapped her fingers around his arm to try and free his grip from the doctor, but he never felt it in his moment of emotion.

    It''s something I''ll never forget: her eyes seemed to look straight past me, clouded over and dazed. Still, all I could do was hold her wrinkled, cold hand as she whispered so faintly thosest words to me.

    "Never stop fighting."

    The words were so cliche I almost felt likeughing, but more than that, I cried and I cried. I knew quickly what she really meant; it wasn''t to tell me to just continue perfecting the martial arts my grandfather, her husband, had started--but to strive to be better.

    After that day, I fought and never stopped.

    "Get him, Jormungandr!"

    Riding atop the back of the sky-reaching serpentine of myth, Fai felt the wind brush against his shirtless torso as his eyes were kept locked on the Argonaut below.

    I lost everything and everyone. All I had left were my memories, convictions, and my fists. Was I made when I was brought to this unknown world? No.

    Did I scorn Beatrice for giving me a reason to continue fighting? No.

    How could I ever reject that which gave me reason again, that which gave me the will to carry on the will of the dread?

    Here, I''ve made new friends, new family--our bonds as thick as blood. I wouldn''t trade it for anything, I wouldn''t pray my life went a different way, that would be the greatest disrespect to those who care for me now.

    Even if it means discarding myfort, my blood, flesh, and bones--even if it means losing all of that, I''ll fight to protect them, I''ll fight to bring a future where they don''t have to fight anymore! A future where I''m not thest one standing, living and seeping in guilt!

    It was hard to see the man from such soaring heights as he rode the world serpent across the forest, making it that much more jarring when Jormungandr was sliced into a dozen pieces, discarding by an array of sable bursts of magic condensed into sharp forms.

    What the--so damn fast, I could hardly see it, Fai thought.

    Even with his heightened reinforcement amplifying his senses, he didn''t hear any incantations part from the ck-haired man''s mouth nor did he see his lips moved. Just at the simple wave of his hand, a dozen, building-sized des of circr darkness had already cut through the serpent which he rode.

    "Stop wasting my time."

    Avdima waited on the ground below as the entrails of the cloud-reaching serpent rained down upon the forest, showers of its crimson essence dying the evergreen in its deathly glow.

    He''s strong. Too strong. This man--he has to be stopped; right here, right now, Fai thought.

    Falling from the great heights of the star-filled sky, Fai remained calm as he pped his hands together, keeping his eyes locked on the foe far below him.

    "Roc!"

    Following his voice that was carried by the fervent winds, therge avian manifested from the shadows formed around him, catching him amidst the wild airs. Avoiding the many parts of the slewn serpent was as if trying to escape a copsing building, keeping his bnce steady as the Roc spun with finesse through the chunks parted by Avdima''s magic fell down to the world.

    I know just how much of a threat you are. That''s why I can''t risk holding back, he thought.

    Standing tall on the back of the amber-feathered bird as it pped its powerful wings, Fai stretched his arms out as he took in a deep inhale of the pale winds, pping his palms together.

    "Zhurong!"

    Stating just the prefix of his mastered magecraft, a colossal seal manifested itself in the skies directly above the blood-drenched section of the forest, glowing with a vermilion eminence.

    Waiting below, Avdima didn''t so much as move a muscle in retaliation, simply watching with his idle eyes as the magical seal took to the air above him, lighting the darkness of the night with its fiery radiance.

    "Show me something interesting, Fai Meng of the Ounders. That''s the reason I came here; hopefully, you of all people can cure my boredom."

 Chapter 243 - Will Of The Mighty

    Being so close to the source of the overwhelming heat brought into existence simply by the virtue of such a powerful seal being manifested, Jormungandr''s shattered, lifeless corpse was whisked away into ash, reduced back into the shadows which it came.

    "I''m going to pay you back double for doing that to Jormy, you bastard!"

    Holding a confident smile as he turned his wrist, Fai''s subtle movement began the activation of therge-scale spell as a distorted, humming rang out underneath its massive power.

    In this boring, weak world, there is nothing more I can ask for than a stimting battle. A fight where I can feel my heart beating inside my eardrums, my blood boiling so passionately in my veins, and the pain dulled by my own excitement, my fervor to stand victorious. Show it to me, Fai, a reason worth remaining in this stagnant world, Avdima thought, Even if I should be felled by this magic, I''ll ept it with open arms.

    "Show me!"

    Calling out as he felt the great magic being generated alongside the clouds, Avdima''s sudden passion reached the ears of the Ounder.

    In regards to Fai, it was almost an insult to ce such a spell in the category of great magic. Nheless, he carried through with the desired will of his fervent opponent with a smile on his face.

    In fact, there is a proper ssification for a spell like this; "Grandiose Magic". It''s the one thing I have over that blue-eyed bastard, the skill I''ve perfected, that I alone among the Ounders have achieved. It''s a mistake to think I''m just some brawler, above all, magic is the extension of my fists, so with that in mind--! He thought.

    "Thousand-Fists Cataclysm of the Malevolent Ruler!"

    Bringing himself above the colossal seal as he screamed out the true name of the spell from atop the avian''s back, the magecraft was atst set in motion.

    Emerging from the boundless depths of the intricate, immacte crimson seal, countless, enormous arms formed of fortified mes,yered in flowing fur, descended down upon the Argonaut.

    "I''ll respond in kind, Fai. I''ll show you the strength that has cursed me with such endless, tiresome boredom."

    Stretching his arms out, the loose, sable sleeves of his uniformed robes fell to his shoulders as the tattoos scaling his limbs were on full disy.

    "Erebus."

    Like Fai, just the utterance of his designated magic emerged from the depths of the unseen ins, shrouding his fists from his forearms in a mask of true, divine darkness.

    Each of the fur-d fists born of grand mes bore the size of buildings, slowly descending upon Avdima like a refined meteor shower. Watching from above, Fai knew more than anything the power of his grandiose magic, but a feeling of anxiety stirred in his stomach watching the man simply stand there in wait for the fists to meet him.

    What is that guy thinking?! Does he have a death wish or something?--Even so, that uncaring, stoic confidence of his...It''s making me start to doubt even the Thousand Fists will do the job, even if he lets them hit, Fai thought.

    Lowering his stance to almost a crouch, Avdima positioned both of his dark-d fists at each side, watching as the leviathan-sized fists were finally in reach of him after seconds that felt like minutes. Just the pressure that came as a result of such descending force cracked the soil, rumbling the forest as the trees shook in horror.

    "Come."

    With the first of these gori fists of immacte mes meeting his position, Avdima responded with his own knuckles, not only halting the descent of the hand but sending it back violently.

    "What the?! How!?"

    Fai gasped in disbelief at the sight, feeling the shock wave from the Argonaut''s simple thrust of his arm backed with simple magecraft graze his own sky-high position.

    "Not bad."

    Even though Avdima repelled the first fist, it wasn''t a perfect counter; the incredible heat that existed by merit of the grandiose arms had burned away the initialyer of skin on his knuckles.

    "I''ll have to increase my output."

    Following his own softly spoken words that only he could hear, Avdima further reinforced his fists in the coating of darkness, flowing like stagnant, cold mes before he was forced to go blow-for-blow with the now rapidly descending fists.

    The exchange of blows left the ground beneath Avdima''s soles shattered and desecrated by the immense strength and heat.

    With every fist Avdima threw, Fai could feel the impact from his position halfway to the heavens, focusing his hold on the grandiose magic further as he felt the me-born fists being pushed back by the tired-looking man''s rapid, fearsome blows.

    This guy...I heard rumors--and warnings from Beatrice, but this is beyond that! He might even be as strong as Sirius--no, stronger! He thought.

    Each exchanged hit rang through the forest like a vtile explosion, the surrounding foliage being ever burned away into ashes carried by the ferocious winds or those very howling winds pulling them away. The once dark, calming nightshade was reced by the vermilion haze of the grandiose magic, the crisp air being reced by suffocating mes that filled the domain of sky-reaching trees.

    As he threw fist after fist against the gargantuan fists that encroached on his very life, Avdima smiled with a grin that seemed as if he never used those very cheek muscles, repelling the heat-bringing hands. After minutes of this exchange, Fai released his hold on the magical seal as it was clear it was a futile attempt.

    "Oh, that''s it?"

    Looking up, Avdimamented with little emotion as steam rose from his knuckles, the flesh having been charred a dozen times over.

    What a damn monster, Fai thought.

    The bountiful, supreme darkness that gathered at the Argonaut''s fists dissipated as the man looked at Fai, who still hovered stagnant atop his avian familiar in the skies.

    Holding a bored expression like that, in a time like this...Man, I''ve got chills, Fai smiled.

    Alone in the charred remains of the bountiful quadrant of the forest, Avdima stood, with only slight blemishes as a result of such magic. It was a perfect boundaryid out as a result of the grandiose spell; an immacte circle lined the barren soil devoid of life, the surrounding cedar having been either lit aze or reduced to ash.

    "What''s with that disappointed look--I''m just getting started!"

    Foregoing the wings of his familiar and yelling out fervently, Fai dissolved Roc''s form to nothingness as he began to descend through the skies, allowing a heat to burn through each strand of his flesh as he d his fists in radiant mes.

    "Disappointed?...Apologies. I''m bad at disying my inner excitement."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Seeing that magical disy with his fists, I have to experience it firsthand! I can''t call myself a martial artist if I stray away and cower in fear! With my own two fists, I''ll greet yours, Avdima! Fai thought.

    As Fai descended like a fleeting meteor, his right fist enveloped itself in dense, raging mes that contorted the space around his hand. Landing fist-first into the world below, the collision between his viciously rising mana and physical strength unleashed a nuclear strike unto the desecratednd, absorbing it in an explosion that parted the winds once more.

    Raising his arms into a swift guard out of surprise of the unexpected vtility of thending, Avdima smiled ear-to-ear as the blistering, melting heat pelted against him, the raging, howling winds and pressure releasing from thending attempting to push him back.

    "I knew it! You''re not like everyone else! You can do it! You can cure my boredom!"

    "You''re an Argonaut all right. A crazy bastard, through and through."

    With the dust settling itself alongside the mes as embers danced in the air like droplets of snow, Fai cracked his knuckles with a fiery smile present across his lips.

    "And you''re any different? Obtaining this level of power is something only those with inhuman minds can achieve."

    "Is that right? I guess I can''t disagree."

    Hopping in ce on the tips of his slippers, Fai shook his arms to warm his body up topletion.

    I''ve never put much stock into where I was born. In my heart, I knew I wanted to journey across the world, experiencing everything it had to offer. Thing is, my family wasn''t exactly well off. I was stuck, all I could do was dream.

    When Gran became sick, I just couldn''t bear to look at her. Seeing her like that, growing weaker and more frail, her eyes and cheeks sunk in...I locked myself away in that kwoon, day in and day out. When she finally left, I was so ashamed,

    No matter how much I trained my body, my mind was as frail as a bird''s feather. My sister didn''t look at me the same way, hardly speaking to me. When I found her in her room, having slit her wrists like that, bleeding everywhere...

    I froze. And because I did, she died. Just like everyone else in my life. I had no idea how she felt, just what depths of despair she had sunk into, all because I was too much of a coward to reach out to her--as her big brother, I failed her.

    That''s why...I''m so grateful to be here now. I''ve been given another chance at life, to walk down a new road, to die before those I care about. My survival doesn''t matter in the grand scheme of things. I''ve lived and failed; with thisst chance, I''ll cement a proper legacy.

    How great life is, he thought.

    "Sorry, but I can''t indulge you."

    "Hm?"

    Avdima raised an eyebrow at the otherworlder''s words spoken behind a smile. Opening his eyes once more, Fai set his gaze on the ship hanging airborne in the wild skies, its attacks having fallen stagnant--a fact Avdima only noticed once turning to look at it himself.

    Peculiar. Why did the barrage against the barrier stop? Did something happen to Navigator? That''s right...Fai sent one of his familiars up to the ship, but even so...One familiar shouldn''t cause this, Avdima thought.

    "Zhurong: Pride of The Mighty!"

    Allowing the crimson and golden mes to embrace his body, Fai smiled as the amplification spell gave a sense of strength branching off from the norm.

    "Oh? A buff spell? Interesting."

    Sensing that their battle was about to begin once more, Avdima took a stance that was hardly different from his usual form, simply raising his fists up with little care in his obsidian pupils.

    Damn right. With this, projectiles bounce right off of me. Trying to hit me from behind is just as futile. That''s the pride of a warrior, birthed into a tangible form! Fai smiled wide.

    "Guess I''ll start things off!"

    Launching off of the heel of his foot, Fai cut the space between his fist and his opponent in a moment, being blockedpletely by the sturdy, tattooed forearm of Avdima. Though the pale, bored-looking man guarded each fist through his way, as swift as they may be, the damage wasn''tpletely negated.

    Each of these sharp blows rang out like a gunshot through the deste section of the nightly forest, crashing against Avdima''s arm as the force reverberated through skin, muscle, and bone.

    These hits--they aren''t normal. It isn''t just that the power backing them up is fierce, something altogether is altering the function of each blow, Avdima thought.

    "That puzzled look on your face; you''re starting to figure it out, aren''t you?!"

    Sending the Argonaut back with a spinning kick, Fai came to a stop as did the scroungy-haired man, who held his throbbing arms up as his forearms were reddened from the repeated blows.

    "I believe so...as unorthodox as it is, it seems your strikes carry over three times in a single moment. I doubt your innate ability is ying a hand in this."

    "You''re right, it''s something forged by my own blood, sweat, and tears. Something you won''t be able to replicate even with all of that talent!"

    Continuing the battle, Fai''s freely flowing movements continued to circumvent Avdima''s monstrous reaction times,nding a few sharp blows on the man''s body. Using an open palm strike, Fai pushed the Argonaut back with a force that triggered three times in session, sending Avdima flying back as his vacant expression was reced with a medium amount of shock.

    I have to finish this before he adjusts to it. My "Qi" acts as a different set of reinforcement. Taking advantage of that, I''ve perfected the ability to strike with my own fist and my coating of mana, allowing for three strikes to hit with a single blow. Even a monster like him will have trouble handling it, Fai thought.

    "So--tell me: how did you find our base?"

    Speaking between the sharp breath that apanied each eloquent blow he threw towards his opponent, Fai''s question seemed to sink the man''s face back into stoicism.

    "Ah, who can say?"

    "Don''t y dumb with me!"

 Chapter 244 - The Terror Of The Monkey King

    "Navigator was...defeated?"

    "No way��"

    Held in the grip of the golden-furred monkey, the Argonaut dressed in sable pirate attire was limp and unconscious. Backing up from the half-man half-monkey entity, the executioners, the footsoldiers of the Argonaut division, were overwhelmed by fear.

    "...Stand!"

    Holding his ground and stepping at the forefront of hisrades, a young man dressed in the same all-ck uniform wrapped in many straps and reinforced leather yelled out. Standing at such a high altitude on the airborne ship, the fiery young man''s two-block hair was subject to the wind, his light-gray locks blowing rapidly.

    "Leon?!"

    From behind him, the usual confident voice of his friend now coated in fear called out his name, but he couldn''t move his eyes from the enemy before him.

    "Manfred! Get your sword ready--stand with me!"

    I don''t know what''sing over me. I''m not usually this confident or bossy, but in the face of an enemy like this...this is my only option. Grow or die. A trial by fire.

    The monkey with the expressions of a man smiled before dropping the unconscious Argonaut onto the floorboards of the flying pirate ship, cracking his knuckles before boisterously yelling out to the air.

    "Come, if you should be brave enough to challenge the Monkey King, Sun Wukong! If any of you can defeat me, I''ll spare your lives! Come, all at once if you prefer!"

    His voice was anything but human, shaking the integrity of the ship with his booming cords as the executioners all grabbed their ears out of pain.

    Even if he ced himself on the vanguard, he wasn''t fearless. Feeling the power in just the Monkey King''s voice alone as it went through his body like a tremor, his grip on the hilt of his sword trembled.

    "What the hell do we do, Leon?!"

    "...Against pure, raw strength like that? All we can do is fight, even if it''s in vain, we''ll fight."

    Wrapping his fingers wrapped in ck leather tightly around the handle of his de, Leon took in a deep inhale after answering Manfred.

    "You''re right...you''re right, Leon. Sorry, I don''t know what''sing over me��"

    "Just stand by me. Cover my back and I''ll cover yours."

    "Right!"

    Standing side-to-side, Leon and Manfred both drew their des toward the smiling, self-proimed Monkey King.

    As it stands, there is practically a zero chance that we can win this fight. Though, it isn''t zero, is it? That''s enough, Leon thought.

    Before they could even take a step forward tounch their assault, the enigmatic, golden-furred monkey had vanished from their sight.

    "Huh?"

    "Behind us!"

    Leon figured out before hisrade could, prompting both of them to swiftly throw their attention behind them. The sight before them sent chills throughout both of their bodies, a cold sweat exuding from their pores.

    "No way��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    While Manfred spoke a slight utterance, no words left Leon''s lips as fear took hold of his body in that moment. In that instant, every single executioner standing with them had been defeated by Sun Wukong, each and every one of them having been knocked unconscious, or seemingly worse.

    "You were the only two to stand up and fight, so I got these cowards out of the way."

    Bouncing the sable rod he held in his hand against his shoulder casually, Sun Wukong smiled with his devilish smile as he imed instant victory over the dozen executioners.

    "...Go!"

    Against all of his instincts, Leon forced the signal out to hisrade as he himself rushed forward as well, reinforcing his body in as much reinforcement as he could muster.

    When it came to just reinforcement, Manfred was a step above him, reaching Sun Wukong before he could as he attempted to swipe his de for the fur-d being''s achille''s heel. Such an attempt was thwarted by a swift, unseen kick from the frivolous monkey as Manfred was sent flying back against the ship''s tough exterior.

    Shit! Leon thought.

    Now it was his turn to dance with the Monkey King, feeling doubt fill his veins as thick as his blood. Under the moonlight, the golden irises belonging to Sun Wukong glistened fervently with a ferocious desire for battle.

    Even as he drew within de''s reach of the stout creature, it stood perfectly still with its confident smile still present. All he could focus on in that moment was awaiting the golden-furred monkey''s next move, hesitating as he felt every part of his body call for caution.

    Just as he prepared to swing the edge of his longsword towards the throat of the monkey, he stopped midway through and pulled his de back into a defensive stance.

    I don''t know why, but everything in me is screaming out to protect myself! Leon thought.

    As a sharp impact collided against the surface of his de, trusting his instincts proved to be the right call, being sent back as the air was knocked straight out of his lungs, but he was still conscious.

    I couldn''t even see that kick beingunched, from such a short distance as well...I need to find a way to send for backup, he thought.

    Taking in a breath, it came in sharply as he winced, caressing his side as it seemed a rib or two must''ve been fractured from defending against such a blow.

    "Impressive, you actually managed to defend against that one. You might be a bit of a warmup afterall."

    "Is that...so?"

    Even speaking was a task in and of itself, feeling his lungs press against the prickly sensation of his shattered ribs.

    "Are you going to heal yourself or what, kid?"

    "Huh��?"

    Confused by the knowing words of Sun Wukong, Leon stumbled a bit as he retrained his grip on his sword, never wavering his gaze from the swift monkey.

    "You''re a water mage, right? You guys are experts on healing magic. If you can heal those ribs of yours, this fight might be even more fun!"

    "How do you��?"

    "Know? Nothing is shrouded in enigma before my eyes; it''s as simple as that! Ha-ha!"

    Sun Wukongughed out with his tremor-inducing voice, shaking the entirety of the airborne ship as Leon winced once more, holding onto his side as the voice alonepromised his bones. It was a less than insightful answer he had received, but he was just d he was given time to breath.

 Chapter 245 - Sun Wukong, I Am!

    If he charged at me right now, I don''t know if I''d be able to guard against another attack. Just the air pressure alone fractured my ribsst time...What would a more precise blow do? Leon thought.

    Looking back towards the scenery of unconscious bodies strewn across the pale wooden nks, he felt his strength waver as the sight of the flowing blonde locks of his closestrade came into view; Manfred was knocked unconscious by that single kick, slumped against the back of the ship.

    "Keep your eyes on the battle, kid."

    The unnatural quietness to the familiar, fiendish voice of Sun Wukong met with his ear directly, turning just in time to witness the Monkey King standing directly before him.

    Abandon: First Stage! Hemanded his body.

    As his veins pressed against his skin, his muscles were filled out as his paleplexion was tanned by the ferocity of his heating blood. Lifting his sword, he was able to guard against the blow perceived not by sight, but pure instinct.

    "Oh? What''s this? Got something up your sleeve, I see."

    Pulling away, Sun Wukong looked at the young man with his perceptive, golden eyes as his fur fluttered in the nightly winds.

    I didn''t want to use it...not so soon after the previous job, but here I am--a hopeless fool, Leon smiled.

    "I guess innate abilities are veiled to me until presented, that''s what this is right? Mm��"

    Looking at the form of the young executioner, the Monkey King scratched his chin with his long, sable nail. Going from his spective stance, the golden-furred monkey instantly returned himself to Leon''s position with his fist already reared back.

    Fast! Too fast! Leon thought, But I can see it!

    Using his de once more as a shield, he blocked the iing strike, feeling the impact be sent throughout his body, but this time without longsting inflictions.

    "I get it now, I get it!"

    Casually pulling his fist covered in crimson, fingerless gloves back, Sun Wukong smiled in glee as he proimed his insight.

    "Your ability allows you to push your body''s physical capabilities beyond their limits. That''s why you''ve gotten stronger, but you look like a tomato that''s about to pop!"

    He figured it out right away...Those eyes are no joke, he thought.

    It was vexing to be deciphered so swiftly and casually by the frivolous monkey, but he retained his focus on surviving this encounter--once more tightening his hold on his sword as he set his foot down, this time preparing to take the initiative.

    "Thaumas: Unbridled Wonder!"

    Manifesting the spell from the deepest pits of his being, Leon''s call summoned forth streaks of glistening water that cascaded forth, coiling the shape of the ship in a territory of mystical waters. Patting the soles of his furry feet against the newly brought in water, Sun Wukong looked down curiously.

    In unison with the aquatic magecraft being called into the world, the clouds parted with their own watery essence as rain began to fall.

    "Water magic, huh? Never seen this type of spell before."

    While the Monkey King was distracted by his boundless curiosity, the silver and brown-haired executioner was quick to take advantage of this, surfing forward along the water he held authority over, gliding solely on the soles of his sable boots.

    Returning his attention to the young fighter, Sun Wukong smiled at the prospect of fighting as always, attempting to take a step forward, only to find that action being thwarted.

    "Oh?"

    Looking down, the water he found himself in had wrapped itself tightly around his ankles, locking him in ce as Leon rapidly approached his position.

    "Interesting!"

    Yelling out fervently, Wukong finally opted to use the obsidian pole, decorated with golden trinkets along its length, meeting the young man''s assault halfway as he swung the mystical pole across the length of the airborne sea vessel.

    As it was finally swung with the fervor of the golden-haired monkey behind it, its length seemed to increase a few times over, spanning the width of the ship''s main deck. Using reinforcement to keep his reaction time up to par with the enemy before him, Leon watched in his heightened perception as thevish, divine pole carved through the descending droplets of rain, tunneling towards him with a monstrous force propelling it.

    I can''t block this, and from this distance--dodging is hardly an option, he thought.

    Drawing near his neck, the wind pressure being pressed and parted by the rod wielded by the Monkey King brushed against his form. Manipting the domain of water he manifested into the battlefield, Leon gripped his own legs with the unnatural, azure aqua, pulling his body down as the pole zipped past him, cutting through the winds with a violent force.

    Moving so abruptly, he gasped sharply through his lips as the prickly, sharp pain returned to his abdomen. Witnessing the attack that likely would''ve done him in on the spot, it looked and felt as if it released a natural disaster into the star-filled night.

    "More! More! Show me the tenacity of a human, in all of its glory!"

    Smiling with his pearly whites with his canines on full disy, Sun Wukong didn''t let up with just that single swing, pulling the extended pole back for another strike just as ferocious.

    Crap! I didn''t expect another, and so fast! Leon thought.

    Using his de as a cover, he ducked beneath the iing strike by just a hair, feeling the entire ship rumble under the strength presented. Once more, aplete surprise came to his eyes, Sun Wukong was right before his eyes with that untraceable speed of his, bringing the pole overhead.

    How?! My Unbridled Miracle was holding him--Leon pondered.

    Looking down, he finally realized what had happened: from the sheer wind pressure generated by the Monkey King''s swings, the territory spell had been cast away, the water dispelledpletely by brute strength.

    Knowing this, Leon''s hesitant heart couldn''t find the brazen will to move out of the way or so much as lift his de in defense.

    "Get your head in the game, you idiot��!"

    Coming from behind him, the lively voice was like music to his ears, watching as the voice was backed by the existence of the pale, golden locks of his friend. Lifting his silver de with a sable hilt to the air, Manfred prepared to block the iing strike.

    "Right��!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Raising his sword as well, Leon aided his friend in defending against the powerful overhead strike, feeling ite down against his de like a falling mountain. Beneath their firmly nted boots, the hulk of the ship trembled under the weight of the blow.

    Resisting such unreserved, brutal strength, he could hardly draw a breath in without nearly copsing from the stinging, acute pain.

    In a way, Manfred and I are two peas in a pod. My ability pushes my body past its physical limit, but a toll is set on me. His rare form of magic, "Life", allows him to manipte his own vigor and body in ways simr to mine, without the drawbacks.

    With theirbined effort, they managed to push the lengthy pole back with a united roar, much to the surprise of the Monkey King who smiled in glee, stumbling back a few steps.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Not bad, not bad! Come on, show me everything you''ve got!"

    "This one sure is noisy��"

    Manfred mumbled, lowering his stance as he kept close to hisrade. Nodding in agreement, Leon winced as he chuckled, grabbing hold of his side, an act noticed by hispanion.

    "Let me see that."

    cing his hand gently on thepromised section of Leon''s body, Manfred''s touch emitted a gentle, verdant glow.

    "There. Better?"

    "Perfect."

    Smiling at the loss of the constant pain guing his movements, Leon stood himself straight with a newfound vigor as he focused his gaze on the awaiting foe.

    "All set? Then bring it on."

    Resting on his own gilded tail, Sun Wukong had his muscr arms crossed against his chest as he egged the only conscious fighters left aboard on. The smug look perched on his carefree face was all the more vexing to the two that were now fighting for their lives.

    Beingrades for some time now, all it took was an exchange of nces between the two to formte their n of action, dashing in two opposing directions. Taking the left side of the Monkey King, Manfred set out, raising his de over his shoulder; taking the right side, Leon dashed forth with his sword trailing behind him.

    "Interesting."

    Sitting still with his arms still folded, the golden-eyed divinity watched both approaching foes without losing any of his frivolity.

    Crossing the distance to the Monkey King in unison, both Manfred and Leon drew their silver, rain-coated des back with pure resolve straining across their expressions. However, as the monkey d in shining, flowing locks smiled in anticipation, both of the executioners drew back beforeing into striking range.

    A fake-out? Sun Wukong thought.

    Driven by instinct, the Monkey King didn''t realize he had already taken a step forward, lunging for a strike that was canceled by only air being in his striking range now.

    "Thaumas: Whirlpool Prison!"

    "Sekhmet: Vigor of The Rulers!"

    Manfred''s own spell cast on his ally amplified him with a verdant aura, coiling across his body and embracing it as his manifested spell came out with increased potency.

    There''s no better ally to fight with than him; his supportive ability is amazing. Even now, I can feel it running through my veins like raw, purified will supercharging my body and magic. With this, we can do it! Leon thought.

    The aqua he conjured formed itself in the shape of a bubble, trapping within its domain the golden-furred Monkey King himself.

    "Huh. Not bad."

    Tapping the end of his gilded, sable pole against the prison of water, Sun Wukong watched as the object was rejected by its flowing, yet sturdy form.

    Not just a simple sealing spell, is it? Sun Wukong thought.

    "This isn''t a barrier meant to just contain physical entities, right?"

    Leon hesitated to answer Sun Wukong''s answer, but slowly nodded his head as he wiped the sweat from his chin.

    "I figured--no, I know for a fact you''re a high spirit that was summoned. Whirlpool Prison specializes in containing magical properties, a spirit is formed of mana itself so...it''s only natural it would be most effective against a beast like you."

    After exining the nature of the spell to the man-faced, golden-furred monkey that resembled that of a demi-human, the very creature trapped within the spell let out a fit of roaringughter.

    "...What''s so funny?"

    Before he could get an answer from the Monkey King himself, he turned his attention to hisrade, who looked just as worried as he felt despite their advantageous position.

    "We need to find a way to contact the other Argonauts...It pains me to admit it, but I don''t like our chances at actually subduing this thingpletely."

    If Manfred is actually doubtful, the situation is probably direr than I thought. It''s true though, even if we have him sealed for now--it''s only a temporary hold at best. I''d say we have at max twenty minutes, Leon thought.

    "I guess I should correct you on something, both of you."

    Suddenly, the Monkey King spoke once more from the holds of the flowing sphere of imprisoning aqua, standing without any stress present on his tan face.

    "Huh?..."

    "I''m not a high spirit! I am a divine spirit!"

    Hearing this promation backed by the tangible, cloud-splitting words of the golden-furred warrior, both of the executioners readied their des shakily while feeling the immense strain of being within Sun Wukong''s overwhelming aura.

 Chapter 246 - Clash Of Divinity

    "I''m not a high spirit! I am a divine spirit!"

    Hearing this promation backed by the tangible, cloud-splitting words of the golden-furred warrior, both of the executioners readied their des shakily while feeling the immense strain of being within Sun Wukong''s overwhelming aura.

    "Heaven itself could not hold me! So tell me; what good do you think your puny sshes of water will do? What can they aplish that the golden clouds could not? Nothing!"

    mming the bottom of his wielded pole against the ground, the world-shaking impact dispersed the cage of water into a rain of failed tears. With the malevolence of the divine spirit came a whirlwind that inhabited the main deck, making it a herculean task just for the two to not slip away into the winds.

    All of this wind...just from a simple movement like that?! So, this is a divine spirit, Leon thought.

    "It seems I''ve squeezed all the fun I could out of you weaklings. Still, I willmend you for fighting, even if in vain, that much is admirable. Now then, feast your eyes! The true might of the Monkey King himself, The Handsome, The Beautiful, Heaven''s Equal, The Victorious Buddha, Sun Wukong himself, in the flesh!"

    Calling out his true name and titles, his voice alonemanded the winds to apud his very existence, spiraling violently around the vessel. A golden, heavenly aura emanated from his form as he raised his trusty pole to the air, his kilt made of a tiger''s hide danced in the howling winds.

    Extending up into the unseen heights of the sable, star-filled sky, the celestial rod too released a seraphic light as the gathering power shook the airborne territory.

    "Run, idiot!"

    Falling to utter awe in the face of such overwhelming divinity, Leon was suddenly tugged to the side by hisrade''s grip, stumbling alongside him as they began to ride toward the side of the ship.

    "Thirty-Three Layers of Destruction!"

    Shouting out with his utmost, the divine Monkey King pulled the towering pole downwards, slowly descending upon the ship''s frame as each moment brought upon it a new level of spiritual energy coiling its form.

    "Where are we going?!"

    "Right off the side of this damned ship!"

    Manfred answered as he grabbed Leon by the cor of his uniform, pulling him forward and against the ck steel that made up the exterior armor of the vessel.

    "From this height?...Crap."

    Looking over the side, it looked hardly as weing on the surface of the grand forest; mes crawled through the endless sea of trees, portions were wiped out, and the sounds of battle roared out from beneath.

    "Suck it up and jump!"

    Grabbing hold of the silver-haired young man''s arm, Manfred guided him off the side of the sky-high ship as they were now enveloped in the vacant, cold winds together.

    "...Woah!"

    Not ready for this, Leon iled for a bit before regaining hisposure, looking over at his blondepanion whose light-hazel eyes were glowing with adrenaline.

    "Ha-ha-ha! This is what living in the capital is all about!"

    "We''re not in the capital...idiot!"

    Finding it hard to speak as the rampant winds stole his voice from his throat, Leon watched as Manfredughed like aplete madman, embracing the fall. Swiping his arms through the air and spreading them wide, the hazel-eyed young man continued tough out, flipping through the air.

    "I couldn''t imagine doing anything else! This is the proper way to live! You agree, right?"

    Looking over at Leon, who seemed a bit more focused on surviving than enjoying the peruse through the winds, the silver and brown-haired executioner ignored the question, keeping his eyes on the quickly approaching ground.

    "...We can talk after we don''t die!"

    "Calm down! We just survived an encounter with a divine spirit! They''re going to be singing about us in taverns for the next year!"

    Manfred has always been like this. You''d think I''d be used to it by now, but how could I? His unique magic directly boosts his vigor--his life energy in general. So when he uses it, this is sort of a side-effect; pure, boundless energy and excitement, Leon sighed.

    Looking back as an all-epassing hum called out from the location of the Vessel of Mncholy, they both witnessed as the attack the Monkey King had manifestedid waste to the ship,pletely destroying it with that singr swing as an explosion inhabiting the palette of a rainbow took ce in the sky.

    "Holy...that monkey wasn''t kidding around! Do you think he''s going to follow us down?!"

    "He doesn''t really have anywhere else to go but down, and we''re right in his path!"

    Leon answered as his heart throbbed in his chest from witnessing such a fantastical, horrifying disy of raw power.

    "Well, we should use that then!"

    "Is that even authorized?! We''re still just Exec--"

    Before he could even finish his response, his words were halted by the determined, vitality-filled eyes of his most trustedrade as they both fell through the wild skies.

    "Are you kidding me?...Look at the situation, Leon! Nothing is off-limits now; it''s a battle of life or death, and we''re not losing, you hear me?!"

    "...I hear you!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Finally nearing the surface of the forest, the two braced for impact as they sank into the depths of the towering trees native to Grandueve, branch after branch smacking against their arms and somehow tagging their faces despite their raised guards.

    With a less than pleasantnding that reverberated through their bones, they sessfullynded on their feet. Giving his partner a thumbs-up and a smile, Manfred only received a slight nod and a hesitant smile from the silver-haired young man.

    "Alright...well, we''re not exactly rich on time here, so let''s get to it!"

    pping his hands together, the mess of leaves sticking to his sable garments parted from his form as a mass of magical energy gathered around him.

    "Right!"

    Following his partner''s actions, Leon pressed the palms of his two hands, covered in ck gloves, together as his magical output matched Manfred''s own.

    In perfect unison, the will and mana of the tworades manifested a spiraling magic seal in the space between them, taking a cosmicplexion of an ominous abyssal void filled with sparklings glows.

    "By our authority, blood, and magic, that which is bound to us, the hunters, the Argonauts, heed our call!"

    It''s a miracle. in and simple. It was onlyst week that we received the authority to ess the Vault of Jason; I just hope this works...if we lose a valuable spirit, we''ll never hear the end of it, he thought.

    With both of their chants being called out in synchronization, the seal emanated with a vibrant pulse, unleashing an ear-filling hum as the trees swayed under the new pressure.

    I can feel it...the mana is being sucked straight out of my body. I hope Manfred knows what he''s doing--he''s the man I chose to follow, I won''t doubt him now! Leon thought.

    All he could do was trust in hisrade as he felt his energy be inhaled by the summoning circle, coalescing into a pit of purified mana that embedded itself into the hieroglyphics that ran along the length of the seal.

    "Defiler of thends, enemy of the great powers of the world...Take which you wish to hold!"

    As the chant continued, the two felt sweat leave their pores forcibly as a supernatural heat set into the atmosphere; the surrounding evergreen decayed into a lifeless silver, withering away into the winds as the trees began to copse as the soil rotted under the rising presence.

    "Destroy and desfile: Vritra!"

    A pir of the gathering mana rose from the circr seal, unleashing a set of vibrations that let loose howls into the wind; the dense, dark clouds which released their held waters spectated the event. Both of the youthful men fell to their knees as the summoning reachedpletion, huffing as sweat coated their stressed exterior, watching as the veil of forming magic finally dispersed, revealing the entity which they anchored to the world.

    Standing taller than their heightsbined, the being resembled a human only in appearance, its long, spike-covered tail of a deep blue fell to the ground as the entity stood there with their muscr arms of a golden tan folded across their chest.

    "...You two."

    His voice was as deep as the depths of a canyon, powerful and solidified. Messy locks of the sameplexion as his tail nearly reached his shoulders, standing tall with his bodyyered in tattoos.

    "Y-Yes?"

    Manfred was the only one of them that managed to stammer out a single word within the suffocating presence of Vritra, gawking at the simple, yetvish garments of a silken ck, decorated with golden ents that wrapped around his bulky form.

    That''s really him��"Vritra of The Drought", one of the most powerful spirits in possession of the Argonauts. Out of all our options, this was the best choice...Good thinking, Manfred. Vritra possesses an anti-divine nature; against a divine spirit like Sun Wukong, this might just work! Leon thought.

    "You''re my masters, correct?"

    "...That''s right."

    Nodding his head, Manfred managed to stand to his feet, while Leon only frantically stood himself after receiving a side nce from the diamond, divine irises of the mighty being.

    "Then stay out of my way. That one smells of trouble��"

    ? Squinting his eyes towards the sky, Vritra remained unmoving as he spoke with hismanding tone, prompting the two Argonaut underlings to exchange puzzled nces with one another. The subtlest movement of the summoned divinity''s head caused his sable, hooped earrings to jingle, decorated with minuscule, but shining sapphires.

    "That one��?"

    Leon asked for both him and hispanion, but the answer became obvious as a golden light filled the already vtile skies, soon apanied by a boisterous, will-bendingugh that challenged the will of self-proimed warriors.

    Without any further words exchanged, Vritra took in a deep inhale that sent the dormant, decayed leaves into a flurry, puffing his chest that was lightly covered in somber scales out. Just from the intake of air, the hollow soil rumbled beneath them.

    "What is he��?"

    Quietly muttering his puzzled words, Leon''s confusion was only met with the same unknowing shrug of his blondepanion. Once more, he learned that the summoned personification of the drought was a being of actions, not words as an azure haze gathered near the draconic man''s maw.

    "Rraaah---!"

    Unleashing a skull-shattering roar that instantly brought both young men''s hands to their ears, Vritra''s yell released a wild tunnel of ck and azure mes thatunched directly into the air towards the Monkey King as he descended.

    "Well, well, looks like an interesting foe has issued a challenge to yours truly!"

    Descending the skies inhabited by the battles of the Argonauts and Ounders, the Monkey King watched with his golden eyes as the roar of mes greeted him amidst the air.

    "Let''s reenact a battle of legend; divinity versus divinity!"

 Chapter 247 - The Personification Of Drought

    "Let''s reenact a battle of legend; divinity versus divinity!"

    Using his pole that switched length at his own whim, Sun Wukong extended the divine weapon downwards, allowing it to plunge itself into the soil far below,nding atop its thin form without any sway to his bnce.

    Standing atop his colossal tool, the Monkey King took in a breath that filled his lungs with bountiful air, puffing his chest out to unnatural levels before exhaling all at once towards the iing projectile of mes. With his sheer breath alone, parted from his maw, the released exhale scattered the approaching azure inferno, dispersing it back to the winds.

    "No way��!"

    Watching in shock and awe, Leon could feel the pressure of the unleashed breath even from the surface of the forest, his hair being blown by the unnatural breeze.

    "With just his breath?..."

    Manfred fell just as shocked, unable to help but feel his knees quiver from the otherworldly power. Looking upon the radiant divine spirit that perched himself atop the thin, yet sky-reaching pole as his golden locks flowed in the nightly breeze, it became more and more clear just the type of foe that was before them.

    Even so, the spirit which they had summoned themselves simply smirked to himself with his arms still folded.

    "Interesting. This one truly is an opponent worthy of exerting myself for."

    Finally spreading his bulky, lengthy arms out to the open air, Vritra wore a smile that stretched across his tan, hardened face; an expression most unnatural for his steel-etched te. From his form unleashed a splendid aura, not of bubbling mana, but the pure essence of such a pinnacle spirit bathed in seraphic energy.

    "Come, Victorious Buddha, let us show this world deprived of divinity the dance of Heaven''s equals!"

    Hearing the fervent promation of Vritra''s booming voice as it resonated through the mana-filled air, the Monkey King perched his own wicked, excited smile, epting the challenge with nothing more than his tangible excitement.

    The words from the entity embodying drought were not empty; manifesting into the surrounding area of the colossal, draconic humanoid were dozens of des made of his fiery, azure essence, ented with sable embers.

    It was clear as day what type of battle was about to unfold as the trees quaked and the soil shook; Manfred grabbed onto his friend''s arm, retreating into the forest, as fragile as it was beneath the presence of the divine spirits, out of instinctual fear of such radiant power.

    "Don''t disappoint me!"

    Launching from his immacte pole stuck into the soil, Sun Wukong journeyed through the air like aet towards the unmoving, ck-haired divinity.

    "I shall repeat the same to you! Don''t you dare fall to these des, rebel of Heaven!"

    Without instructing amand with his own body, Vritra''s words sent the flurry of des shooting directly towards the Monkey King.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Insulting!"

    Returning to his hand reaching upward, the pole magically unearthed itself, finding itself back into the iron-grip of Sun Wukong as he found himself warring against the slew of ming weaponry that filled the sky with a vibrant me.

    Responding to the approaching spears, swords, daggers, and arrows birthed of Vritra''s own me, he swung the rod that could kiss the clouds through the boisterous space, throwing it through the projectiles as if swatting flies. It was obvious the type of strength needed to wield such a weapon, one which could surmount the tallest of Grandeuve''s trees.

    That necessary power became even more clear by the amount of wind generated under its swing, just the force alone tearing the limbs from trees, foliage from the soil, and decimating any of the missed projectilesunched by the opposing divinity.

    "I''m ready for the next course!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Holding a confident smile that put his canines on full disy, Wukong continued to dive through the air as he returned his trusty weapon to its original size which merely stood at twice his normal height. Landing on his own two feet onto the surface of the forest, the ground beneath him cratered under the immense strain, yet he stood with his gleeful smile still present.

    "Letting me get close is a mistake."

    Brushing the dirt from his fur, Sun Wukong smiled at the bulky, towering entity that stood across the battlefield, who wore a subtle smile of his own.

    "Perhaps you misjudged me; I prefer a battle one with my own body, not by des. A death by a flurry of des is one fit for an army; not for a worthy opponent."

    "Is that so? You know who I am, yet you still want to bring this to a fight of fists? I don''t know whether that ismendable orughable, but you have my respect! Ha-ha-ha-!"

    Unleashing his howlingughter into the air, Wukong''s belittlement was met with no sharp response in the form of words, but in aura. Just from a simple flex of his body, Vritra issued a quick preview of his inner aura that sent a tremor through the territory, quickly hushing the Monkey King''s taunting as he settled into a smile.

    All at once, the booming presences were distinctly recognized by the othersmitting themselves to the war within Grandueve.

    Two divine spirits��? One of them is unmistakably one of Fai''s, but the other? This can''t bode well, Donatien though.

    Another divine spirit was summoned? Is there really one in their possession that can rival Wukong? Just the thought of that gives me chills! Fai thought.

    "Who said anything about this just being a fight of fists? As I said; this is a battle between divinities; not men! Let us embed into this world the memory of this battle, let it never forget what transpired on her soil--that is all I wish for!"

    His fervent, passionate words were backed by his immense, divine aura that seeped its way into the soil beneath his step, shattering and splitting it as his tail mmed against the surface repeatedly. Reaching to the cor of his robes with his burly hands that could epass a melon easily, Vritra ripped the garments covering his torso off into shreds that quickly reduced themselves into embers, then ashes.

    Layering his body were tattoos that wrapped from his arms and around his torso, his conditioned, yet overtly muscr body covered in deep scars.

    "It''s not verymon to see a divinity with scars like that."

    Preparing for the approaching battle, Sun Wukongmented as he took a fighting stance with his sable pole, his golden tail flipping through the air behind him with growing excitement.

    "You should understand why better than anybody else--that''s just the kind of spirits we are. The ones who bare their fangs at the pinnacle of heaven!"

    Squeezing his fist tightly, Vritra leaned his head back as his forearms became d in midnight blue scales, extending down and embracing his hands in the same armor.

    "Hoh, don''t mistake me, I know it well! It is proof of a celestial unafraid--no, one who wees battle rather than growing fat in a castle amongst the gilded clouds!"

    The time for words had dispersed itself under the now bubbling tension between the two; Wukong and Vritra both watched each other with their eyes that saw beyond the mortal ne. Even the most subtle, minute movements; a single hair swaying, a batting of an eyelid, the flex of a muscle--such were the triggers of battle.

    Honestly, I don''t give half a damn about what Fai wants. The only reason I put up with that snot-nosed brat is because he brings me things like this; experiences I yearn for with everything. That alone...is enough reason for me to follow him, that alone is why I will defend you and yourrades, Fai! Sun Wukong smiled.

    Just the movement of his lips was enough to spark the battle as the two divinitiesunched towards one another, kicking themselves from the dirt as they approached the other. Watching from what they hoped was a safe distance, Leon and Manfred tucked themselves neatly in foliage, keeping their eyes peeled on the newborn spectacle.

    From the difference in sizes alone, someone would think this is the battle of David vs Goliath, with Vritra towering over the monkey three times over...but I can''t help but see it the other way. After standing in his aura, witnessing and feeling his power--I can''t help but feel that Vritra is the underdog here, Leon thought.

 Chapter 248 - A Battle To Shake The World

    As Vritra reared his scale-d fist back with utmost ferocity, the weight he packed into the building attack caused him to stand only on one foot as his fist carried his upper body back slightly. His fiery, midnight aura embraced his fist before he threw it towards the Monkey King, who responded with a swing of his seraphic pole.

    As the unbreakable object met the unstoppable fist, the sh of such forces split the air down the middle of the territory, sharply flinging through the trees and parting the cedar casually as the two pulled back from one another before approaching once more.

    The same exchange repeated once more, then twice more as the forest groaned beneath the two spirit''s tremendous power. With another collision on the cusp of birthing itself into tangible force, this time the ck-haired divinity threw his fist not at the golden-furred monkey but towards the world itself, mming his attack into its crust.

    Digging into the soil, the impact sent an unmatched tremor through the ground, causing the closest trees to tumble over, causing further quakes from their gargantuan forms reuniting with the soil in full.

    "Asura: Burning Lake!"

    Following his splendid roar, Vritra''s call caused the surrounding soil to protrude unnaturally in over a dozen spots.

    "Oh!"

    It was difficult for the frivolous monkey to recognize the rising sensation of heat emanating from beneath the ground as it ran across his soles, only noticing it as steam rose through the cracks in Gaia, hopping from spot to spot while watching the bubbling spots of the soil intently with his golden eyes.

    Only a second after his realization did the maledictions birthed from Vritra''s scarred lips make itself known as pirs of midnight mes rose from the rising spots on the ground, unleashing their divine heat throughout the already long desecrated valley.

    Though sharp-tongued and brazen, the movements the Monkey King exhibited, hopping to and from and gliding along the length of his pir of a weapon, were of utmost grace, evading direct contact with the numerous geysers of anti-divinity mes.

    Just dodging them isn''t quite enough though, it seems, Sun Wukong thought.

    The heat found itself into his lungs, making it harder to breathe as he moved swiftly nheless. Even if not directly grazing his form, the radiating energy could be felt, epassing the area in a boundless temperature.

    "If you were anything less than Heaven''s Equal, you would be nothing more than cinder to the wind just standing within proximity of my mes."

    Landing on his feet as he evaded all of the risen pirs of midnight ze, Sun Wukong frantically caught his breath--at the cost of inhaling more of the mystical, malevolent air produced by the presence of Vritra''s inferno.

    As expected of a rebel of the heavens...these mes are imbued with anti-divinity; breathing in the air coiled with its heat, its smoke--it''s a poison, Sun Wukong thought, Even so��

    "This is nothing to me; I survived and thrived in a cauldron of unspeakable heat for forty-seven days! Such fire is a mere campfire warmth!"

    Caressing his throat as he could feel the ursed smoke of the drought entity''s fire dry out the liquids from within him, Sun Wukong smiled nheless as the loose ends of his vermilion headband swayed in the fiery winds.

    "If you fell to my first assault, I''d never live down the disappointment of this day, Victorious Buddha!"

    "Then try not to fall to mine, Serpent of Drought!"

    With his golden irises releasing a vibrant sheen under the prospect of such celestial warfare, Sun Wukong flipped his sable rod between his fingers as the golden ring at the end of its length jingled before he stopped, lowering it as he gripped it with both hands.

    "Ruyi Jingu Bang: The Compliant Golden-Hooped Rod!"

    Following his call of its name, a puff of smoke birthed itself into the air, slowly dispersing as Vritra watched with curious eyes as Sun Wukong now held two of the same rods, one in each hand. As the Monkey King, dressed in garmentsvish, yet fit for a warrior, took to the air, he glided upon the smoke formed by the towering pirs of somber mes.

    "Extend!"

    Allowing the magical weapon to flow behind his back, both forms of it grew in length and width, matching the thickness of a barrel and the length of mighty trees.

    "Show me, Honored Warrior!"

    Vritra''s passionate, thrilled roar drew his human appearance closer to that of a dragon as his pearly whites sharpened, his serpentine, forked tongue leaving his maw as he puffed his chest out and threw his arms to the air in anticipation.

    Surfing amongst the floor of ck smoke that stood just above the battlefield of fire, Sun Wukong raised both of his held, obsidian poles to the air as his magnificent, golden aura parted the dry, suffocating air from him, the shining particles separating him from the deathly scenery.

    "Replicate!"

    Commanding his weapon once more, the dense, enormous poles duplicated themselves at his call, manifesting another set of two, hanging amidst the air without the hold of the Monkey King.

    Let''s witness if you live up to your title of a Divine yer, Serpent of Drought! This is my gift to you, to mark the start of an event most glorious--the four-pronged cataclysm of Ruyi Jingu Bang: fifty-four thousand catties! He thought.

    The pressure exuded from the descent of the mystical pirs folded the charred, lifeless trees that spectated the battle, squashing the howling mes as they lowered their unbreakable,vish form down upon Vritra.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Stepping further away from his human appearance, Vritra sprouted from his sides two more arms, extending his armor of draconic, divine scalespletely over his limbs as he caught the first two pirs. Stopping the falling weight packed with the golden radiance of the Monkey King, Vritra''s feet sank into the brittle soil beneath him before catching the next two rods as they mmed against the halted original pair, using his newly sprouted arms to further brace his hold.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Not too shabby, not too shabby at all!"

    A wave of force cascaded throughout the territory as the two strengths collided, sinking through the forest as the two young executioners held on tightly to the nearby trees for support under the immense gathering of energy.

    "...I''m starting to think surviving is a hopeful dream!"

    "Just keep your eyes ahead!"

    Smiling, though still trembling, Manfred couldn''t keep his eyes away from the spectacle while Leon slowly grew to appreciate the sh alongside his friend.

    Never did I think in all my years as a boy, sprinting through fields of crop and swinging a wooden sword that I''d witness something like this, Leon thought.

    Buried under the immense, radiating pressure, Vritra''s skin took a reddened, stressed hue as his earrings shook.

    "...If you should fall to this attack, my masters, I shall be gravely disappointed��I will ept my failure as being the familiar of such weaklings if that should happen; so try not to die!"

    Muttering as he leaned forward under the incredible weight of Sun Wukong''s divine poles, Vritra clenched his teeth as an azure de began to ride from around his feet, rising up into a grandiose me that swallowed the space beneath the colossal rods.

    "Asura: Pledge of War to The Heavenly!"

    Even beneath the hum of the golden aura belonging to the Monkey King shrouding the poles, buried under the vibrations of the sh of strength, Vritra''s yell met Sun Wukong''s ears without fail as his all-seeing eyes quickly met with the specs of spherical darkness rising from the ground.

    They ranged in size from a grain of rice to the size of pebbles, slowly rising from the decayed soil and into the air, birthing themselves seemingly from the desecrated battlefield into the depths of the forest itself.

    "A counterattack? Interesting!"

    As if seeking to solidify his approval, the dozens, if not hundreds of sable dots spread themselves throughout the surrounding space before releasing their forms into vtile, raging darkness before the Monkey King''s watchful, shining eyes.

    "Show me not a paltry attack!"

    Through all of my travels, my journey through the world--this is what I sought! Boredom awaits the strong, only cured until they reunite! Wukong thought.

    Shouting out, he watched as the replicated forms of his pole were decimated by the resulting explosions that filled thend, retrieving the original rod as it returned to his hand. It was a show of fireworks presenting a malevolent sable; explosions releasing masses of darkness that did away with anything unfortunate enough to be in range of the sts.

    Little space was left untouched, resulting in the Monkey King swiftly bouncing to and from as he twisted his body around to avoid the ck mass releasing from the vtile orbs, spinning his rod to redirect himself if need be.

    "Don''t trick yourself into believing I''ll simply watch as you dance around the battlefield!"

    Meeting Sun Wukong amidst the abyssal air, Vritra leaped up with all four of his arms readied forbat as his serpentine irises locked onto the golden-haired monkey--and vice versa.

    "Trick myself? That''s what you should be worrying yourself over!"

    The words backed withughter from the Monkey King found Vritra puzzled as he sent his fist directly against his opponent, harshly parting the winds as his fist connected, only for the golden-furred, smiling monkey to dissipate into a cloud of divine dust before his eyes.

    "...What is this?!"

    Just as Vritra turned around at the call of his instincts, his back was met harshly with the force of Sun Wukong''s magical weapon, sending him crashing down against the ground.

    "Deceitful li--!"

    Before Vritra could part his harsh words through his gritting teeth as he picked himself up slowly, he was interrupted by a wave of the Monkey King''s finger.

    "Forget not who you''re fighting! I am a trickster god, it''s a fool''s errand to expect only what your eyes show you!"

    "If that''s how it shall be...I''ll be the one to y my hand! I desire nothing less than an all-out battle, bringing us both to the brink of oblivion; if you shall fall to my true strength, you never were a worthy opponent in the first ce, Sun Wukong!"

    With suchbative words expressed from the bowels of his divine essence, Vritra''s body unleashed a storm of mes, spiraling around himself as his muscles further filled out and bulked.

 Chapter 249 - A Return To The Noble Path

    Hot! The mes of the personification of drought are no joke!...They almostpletely bypass my own resistance, Sun Wukong thought.

    Hopping away from the gathering spiral of midnight mes, Sun Wukong watched with his curious, celestial gaze the growing spectacle.

    Vritra''s tattoos extended themselves across his body as did his scales; his tail lengthening as his yells grew deeper and higher in intensity. A gnawing pressure exuded itself upon the lifeless soil, crushing and cratering it as the roars continued to unleash.

    "What is he doing��?!"

    "I don''t know, but I can''t even feel my cheeks anymore!"

    Barely able to get his words out as the ferocious winds pelted against his cheeks, Manfred responded as he wrapped his arms around the trunk of a tree as an anchor.

    "Shouldn''t we try to find Avdima?...We have to tell him what happened to Navigator��!"

    "You think he didn''t notice the ship getting destroyed in the air?! We have to stay put or we''re toast!"

    Manfred''s words made sense to Leon, but he could hardly find it in his heart to stay still amidst the battle--even knowing the powers present before him.

    I know I''m just an ant present among warriors that rival deities, but I can''t just be a sitting duck��! I have to fight! Leon thought.

    That thought was sent to the back of his mind as both he and his friend witnessed the breathtaking spectacle birthed from Vritra''s gathering mes.

    Every inch of the divine spirit of drought''s body was sealed in an armor of his somber, blue scales, mimicking that of a knight''s armor twisted into a form sitting between the threshold of divine and demonic.

    No, that''s not quite right. It''s not that his scales have extendedpletely over his body like armor...That''s his new skin! Sun Wukong deciphered.

    Upon looking upon Vritra''s new form with his knowledgeable eyes, it was confirmed for him. The body of Vritra had shifted, his arms growing longer with his fingers ending in ws, while his body followed the same pattern; his bulkiness settling into a more conditioned, refined mass fit forbat.

    Without being able to see Vritra''s face sitting behind his scales, it was an unsettling, but exciting development for the Monkey King.

    Looking upon the form of Vritra, Sun Wukong watched as the figure disappeared from the holds of the sky within an instant--feeling the presence now distinctly and directly behind him.

    "Extend!"

    Without any time to turn around, his call caused the pole he held behind him to grow in width, shielding him from the iing attack that thrust itself violently against the rod. The force alone knocked the Monkey King into the depths of the forest, who watched and heard as Vritra insisted on following the momentum.

    Grabbing the pole and piercing its form into the ground beneath, he halted himself, just in time to witness the divinity shrouded in scales stampeding through rows of trees as his feet sent tremors through the boundaries of disturbed nature.

    "If you''re so inclined to go all-out, I might just have to follow that same resolve!"

    Smiling ear-to-ear, Sun Wukong elegantly evaded the iing flurry of blows from the gargantuan foe of his, each missed fist sending its force through the vacant air before the wind pressure cut through the evergreen.

    "Raaah!"

    Apletely unexpected development came to Sun Wukong''s eyes as he witnessed what looked like a helmet wrapped around Vritra''s head, part its maw to reveal rows of sharp teeth as plentiful as grass in a in. Birthing itself from this almighty maw, the midnight mes belonging to Vritra poured out directly towards the Monkey King, who kicked himself off the ground to avoid the initial brunt of the fiery assault.

    Beneath the direct presence of both Vritra and his mes, the forest withered rapidly; once more the soil left its healthy brown to a decrepit gray, the bark of trees peeling as they slumped over, and the insects and forest dwellers falling over dead as the moisture in their body was dried out.

    Witnessing the destruction that followed Vritra''s step; the domain of once bountiful evergreen now being reduced to nothingness before the rapidly spreading mes of the drought divinity, Wukong''s yfulness halted as hended on the decaying surface of the forest once more.

    I think it''s about time I return the favor to that boy. This indifferent, yet all-epassing destruction is something I can''t let happen any longer, he thought.

    Turning his trusty pole into a size norger than that of a needle, he tucked it behind his ear before cing his hands in prayer, slowly closing his eyes as he listened to the rampage of Vritra draw closer; the divine spirit having lost all of his self-control as he let loose destruction upon the surrounding territory.

    "Warding Palms of the Great Divine!"

    Pressing one palm forward, Sun Wukong''s roaring incantation unleashed what looked like a dozen, enormous palms formed of a golden radiance, rapidly thrusted against Vritra''s form as the entity was knocked back through the trees.

    Letting out a hoarse cough after releasing the mysticism, Wukong caressed his throat as he huffed, fixing his crooked expression with his usual, confident smile.

    Even if his attacks don''tnd, just being near him is enough to do some real damage to me. All the moisture in my body ispromised by the absolute drought that is ced by his very existence. The environment itself is a pain to fight in! Wukong thought.

    The air was thin and hot as moisture was vaporized the moment it attempted to exist in the vicinity of Vritra.

    Until this point, I fought only for myself and for my own desire; that is not the noble path. You taught me as much, Sanzang, my friend. Now, I''d like to inherit what was and is mine; the teachings I''ve learned and the path I inherited! Sun Wukong thought.

    A sublime aura of a celestial radiance emanated from him as he kept his eyes shut, unleashing a gentle, but forceful tremor only affected the rampaging asura, sending Vritra stumbling back before he could assault the Monkey King.

    Vritra, you were a warrior, through and through. I shall cherish the memory of our battle forevermore, but our fight was then and this is now. I relinquish my desires and take only one upon my shoulders; vanquish the evil before me, he thought.

    All at once, every one of the monkey''s golden, pristine hairs that ran across his body flowed not by the wind''s pull, but by his own merit.

    I''ll borrow this form, I believe you''ll understand, Honored One. With all eighty-two thousand hairs on my body, I will be you! Sun Wukong thought.

    As his eyelids parted to reveal his golden irises, taking the shape of a wheel now, his tens of thousands of needles of hair radiated with a blinding glow. The celestial glow filled the decaying portion of the forest, blinding even the divine, maddened sight of Vritra as a hum released unto thend.

    With the light diminishing, the destruction craving spirit of drought looked forward to see that there was no golden-furred monkey before him. Looking to the left and to the right, then behind himself--Sun Wukong was unseen.

    It was only once recognizing the catastrophically seraphic aura hanging far above his head that he finally looked up, feeling dread fill the pits of his stomach as he finally saw it.

    The form looked down upon him didn''t seem to inhabit the world, instead looking down directly at him from above the clouds, hanging above the stratosphere itself with a body that rivaled the world itself in size.

    "The Great Buddha��!"

    It was an impossible sight, even for a deity. A body that resembled that of a statue, a head with an indifferent expression and low-hanging ears that despite holding closed eyelids, clearly set its sights on him.

    Slowly, but with immeasurable power, the form of Buddha taken by Sun Wukong raised his palm, descending upon the world as it first parted the clouds, overshadowing the entirety of the great valley.

    "What the��?"

    In the process of healing his bruises umted in the fight against the maniacal argonaut withyers of ice, Donatien looked up to see the impossiblyrge hand descend through the clouds.

    Avdima and Fai found themselves too engulfed in an exchange of blows to realize even the grandiose conclusion coalescing behind them.

    "Run! Run! Run��!"

    Sprinting side-by-side, Leo and Manfred could feel the air they breathed in growing heated by the distant, yet everpresent palm descending.

    "But, Vritra��!"

    "If you haven''t been paying attention, there isn''t a damn thing we can do now but run! So run--!"

    Keeping Leon focused on their grand retreat, Manfred tugged on his friend''s arm as they ran with everything they had.

    "Monkey King��!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Roaring out with a voice twisted and distorted by unrefined rage, Vritra nted his feet against the ground and raised his arms in preparation to defy the gigantic hand.

    I can''t hold a form like this for very long. This size, the presence, the weight--I''m using my own spirit as fuel! You wanted everything, right, Vritra?! The Monkey King thought.

    The area epassed by the hand of the transformed Monkey King set aze from the friction of air, unleashing a pressure that caved in thend which Vritra stood as even his scales birthed in heat and dryness were tested by the energy of the almighty hand. Gaia trembled beneath the encroaching palm, the world itself feeling the iprehensible weight of the divine judgment descending upon Vritra as rumbles reverberated throughout the forest.

    "I won''t let you��!"

    Attempting to thwart the descent of the almighty hand, Vritra parted his maw as a sea of ck mes drove into the sky. Just before they could reach the stone skin of the pristine statue''s hand, the fire dispersed itself as if an unseen barrier protected the palm.

    "...Ngh?!"

    Putting all four of his hands up to contest thending of the palm, Vritra found his strength quickly thwarted as his body began to fold beneath the unbearable strength. Still, there was no animosity or regret present in such power that would surely be deemed unfair.

    He couldn''t help but grin with his shaking, trembling lips as his arms experienced the same shakiness beneath such boundless strength, barely able to look up as the exuded force beared down on his neck.

    A battle of divinities is what I asked for, and you came through, Victorious Buddha. You truly lived up to your name...I admit it while I still stand tall and draw breath--

    "You''re the victor, Sun Wukong!"

    It was a fact that even the prideful divinity could recognize; the status of being a celestial didn''t make the two equal. Even if both happened to share a spot amongst the heavens, there was a world of difference between the two--such was the simple, immutable truth.

    Yelling it out as his lungs werepromised by the otherworldly pressure and heat, Vritra''s words found their path to the Monkey King''s ears.

    With that, the battle was decided as the almighty palm of the Victorious Buddha descended on the surface of the forest, ttening the chunk ofnd which the battle between divine spirits took ce, marking its ce in the world''s history.

    A battle such as this could only transpire in the vast, mystical forest within Grandeuve; and of trees as high as the clouds and as sturdy as the most bulwark of walls--in its vastness, such devastation still held its ill, longsting consequences, however.

    Returning to his natural,fortable form, the Monkey King gently glided down as light as a feather upon the top of one of thest surviving trees of the forest''s quadrant, seating himself as he let out a huff. Across his body, cracks formed, seeping out from within him his seraphic, golden essence as droplets of blood poured from both his nose and ears.

    Taking the form of Buddha wasn''t just an illusion; I manifested it into reality. Such is why...I find myself in this miserable state. Heh...If it wasn''t for that divinity-killing fire of yours, Vritra, I may have walked away from this battle, he thought.

    Still, he remembered the words he clearly heard even as he stood above the clouds--the boundaries of the world itself. The promation was delivered to his soul by the final words of the divine drought himself.

    "...That''s not quite right, Vritra. You''re selling yourself short, you foolish serpent. I am the victor only because I am drawing breath but a minute longer than yourself...soon, I too shall return to those clouds as a memory."

    Looking up at the valley of stars hanging in the midnight sky, Sun Wukong smiled as his skin continued to form cracks like an eroding stone, his body peeling as more of his spiritual essence seeped out as golden dust, carried by the winds.

    "I''ve done my part. The rest is up to you, Fai Meng."

    With those utterances parting from the Monkey King''s lips, he finally relieved himself to his awaiting fate.

    EPILOGUE:

    Smoke rose to the sky as azure mes razed the pastures, turning that which was already dead to ash as the stench of the already decrepit bodies ascended. Adjusting his pristine, white gloves, the man looked down at the scenery of the sea of blue fire as it ate away at the valley abandoned by life.

    "Looks like we''re left with clean up now."

    Muttering to himself, his hazel eyes stared nkly at the burnt away fields as the unnatural mes devoured the husks below the precipice he stood over.

    "That''s a good thing! None of the credit will be shared with that stupid guilt!"

    Speaking cheerfully despite brutally parting a husk''s head from its shoulders with a circr-curved de, the slender, snow-haired boy held a wide smile. On the back of his cape which matched the umber, professional uniforms they all wore, he shared as well the sigil of the stoic lion.

    "Charles is right, for once, Boss. The Hollow council is probably shaking in their boots to have this whole mess cleaned up, they''ll be happy topensate us well."

    A tall, broad man with a thick, bristly beard of a fiery orange spoke with his gruff, carefree voice, standing over a half dozen husk corpses as he scratched his head of shoulder-length locks set into braids.

    "Less talking, more moving; I want to be out of this pit of miasma as soon as possible. You got that, Charles, Gerard?"

    Sending undiscerning mes towards a group of approaching husks as he gave his stoic order, the young, fair-faced man reduced the putrid entities to charred bodies. Setting themselves straight and focusing, the two men apanying him nodded their heads in unison.

    "Right, Leader!"

    With his boots nted on the precipice of the short hill which he stood in the smoke-filled, deathly forest that surrounded Lemasdale, Liam watched as his guild-mates cleanly dealt with the lumbering husks.

    Sitting beside him, imnted into the moss-covered rock of the hill, was a pale, silver stone embedded into a gilded container. It released a far-reaching wave that seemed to sink into the farthest reaches of the evergreen domain.

    Looks like the reports were right. These things are drawn to mana like moths to a me. Bringing this mana-psuner to lure them in was a good idea, Liam thought.

    The n he had in mind worked perfectly; the efforts of his two guild-mates drew in a plethora of husks, all attracted to the luscious quantity of mana vibrantly filling the air of the deste quadrant of the forest.

    "Looks like our part is done,e on, Charles."

    "Get ''em, Boss!"

    Giving a thumbs-up to the unmoving stoic leader, Charles was promptly pulled away by Gerard as a bountiful stream of mana emanated from the guild leader; his umber cape ented with crimson details fluttering behind the building energy.

    Droves of the mindless, flesh-eating husks crawled in from the boundaries of the forest, some crawling from their lost limbs while some broke out in a light sprint.

    "Amaterasu: in of High Heaven."

    With the wave of his snow-white glove, the miasmic, smokey atmosphere was reced by a deep blue, filling the surrounding area with a growing heat as the winds hummed with a bubbling intensity. Raising his hand to the air, a snap of his fingers unleashed the spell''s true nature unto thend; the air itself was ignited, burning away anything that came into range of the devouring, azure mes.

    The moment the divine fire met with the form of a husk, they were reduced to ash, then even the minute sediment left of their form was whisked away into nothingness.

    By the spell''s end, the entirety of the surrounding territory was left simply as nothing but barrennd, devoid of any life besides the caster and hisrades.

    "Well, that''s that��"

    Returning to the side of Liam, the ginger-haired, burly man coughed from the suffocating, smokey airs now heavily present in the domain.

    "Holy smokes, you wiped them all out! Did you see that Gerry?! It was like--FWOOM!"

    "Yeah, yeah, kid."

    yfully knocking his knuckles against the top of Charle''s head, Gerard watched as their stoic, fair-faced leader watched the desecrated field before moving down slowly, adjusting his gloves as his cape fluttered behind his step.

    "We''re heading back to the Order. I have questions that need answers."

    "Sure thing, Boss!"

 Chapter 250 - My Name

    "It is futile��!"

    Following behind the young otherworlder, the elf drew another arrow along the string of his bow before releasing it into the moist depths of the forest.

    Feeling the wind brush off the malicious arrow, Charlotte knew this time--it wasing straight for her, there was no avoiding it.

    "Nodens: Breath of Protection!"

    As the barrier formed only halfway, it mostly halted the guidance of the arrow, though it still grazed her arm, cutting away at the fluffed sleeve of the white dress she wore--leaving a cut along her forearm.

    "...Ah!"

    She winced at the evisceration, holding her arm before throwing herself deeper into the woods before another arrow could seek her out.

    If I can just draw him in close...I can do it, she thought.

    It was a task easier said than done; the elf Argonaut seemed perfectly content unleashing his arrows from the safety of his distanced position. Beyond that--she simply wasn''t prepared for a fight--not that she ever really was.

    Wearing her nightgown, still exhausted from the previous day, plunged into a sudden battle of life or death--she found herself unable to grasp what needed to be done.

    As her magenta irises shook from the prospect of battle, she watched as the rain sttered against the evergreen surrounding her, slowly settling her eyes as something finally came to mind. Moving her hands to her cheeks, she caressed them slowly to seemingly ease her mind before straightening herself up, gulping and nodding her head.

    I can do this, she thought, in a straight fight, I''m useless...I know that. But in a fight, things aren''t always fought evenly or fairly.

    sping her hands together as she intertwined her fingers, she closed her eyes as if indulging in prayer amidst the nightly rainfall.

    "Hear me, great divinity of the sea, healing, and hunting��"

    As her words were whispered but spoken calmly, an array of arrows shot out against the many trees, that much was felt from the brief shock waves that released from each impact. Keeping her eyes closed, she kept her cool despite the looming danger.

    "It is by your grace that our waters exist; as healthy, as bountiful--such aquatic blessings are yours by nature."

    "Show yourself��!"

    Sounding frustrated by the game of cat and mouse, the argonaut unleashed a stronger array of arrows this time, shooting directly through a few trees as they slumped over onto the forest''s surface, sending tremors throughout thend of nature.

    However, it was toote, the gambles the elf had taken proved to fail.

    "Nodens: The Raging Storm of Hearts!"

    As Charlotte called out with utmost confidence in her usual meek voice, her shout birthed the great magic into reality as the droplets of rain still falling through the air glistened with a shining azure.

    Noticing this change in the showers of precipitation, the argonaut was toote to deduct in the slightest what was happening as the rain radiated brilliantly before suddenly--it stopped.

    What is this? He thought.

    It was quiet--harrowingly so.

    Nodens is a type of water magic that little is known about--the only thing that''s known is it tends to fall in the hands of reserved, gentle beings. So...just what is it she unleashed? It was certainly great magic, he thought.

    Standing still with his guard readied as he kept an arrow resting against the string of his bow, he kept his golden-hazel irises narrowed on his still surroundings. Suddenly, the rain that had vanished began to coalesce into differing forms before his eyes.

    Shooting an arrow against these forming masses of water, nothing came of his assault as the arrows simply pierced through the aquatic substance.

    As the thousands, if not tens of thousands of rain droplets finished their formation, stretching out into humanoid forms, they also shifted theirplexion to match the color of the beings they took the form of. Once the elf recognized these figures before him, his eyes began to shake as his trusty, string-pulling fingers quivered.

    "...No��"

    They were men in all-ck robes, ented with crimson details that outlined the length of the shrouding garments, bearing the symbol of an eye on the center of the outfit. Wearing ck gloves and sable boots, their appearances were enigmatic at best--but all too familiar for the argonaut.

    "Stay away from me��!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Finding his strength once again, he unleashed an arrow that merely disrupted the form of one of these robed, mask-wearing beings only for a moment as their aquatic nature reformed their illusionary bodies.

    Lifelessly, the figures approached him, lumbering--but their slow, aimless movements apanied by their nk, voidable gazes hidden behind the eyeholes of their masks frightened the man all the more as he slowly backed up.

    Faced with the mysterious entities of his past, the elf tripped backward inelegantly as he watched in horror as the robed men continued to drag their feet toward him.

    "...No. Leave me alone! You...you already took everything away from me! My name, my home��! What else could you want?!"

    ? No matter how much he shouted or how loud he did, nothing seemed to reach the ears of the enigmatic figures as they continued to slowly but surely move towards him. Falling to absolute despair, the elf tucked himself away in fear as he sat on the ground with his arms over his head and his knees close to his chest--wishing somehow if he didn''t see them, they could simply leave.

    "Got you��!"

    It was a young, feminine voice that met his ears just before something had grabbed onto his head. The hold wasn''t malicious or harmful in the least, in fact; it was quite gentle. Her soft, smooth hands gently caressed his head.

    Everything...is washing away? My fear, anxiety...what is this? He wondered.

    Opening his eyes once more, the figures were gone, the rain resumed as if it never stopped.

    "Please, open your heart."

    Though it sounded like a request, the words from the girl were nothing less than supreme mysticism--something even in his hazed mindset he recognized as the result of an innate ability. Seamlessly, the nightly forest covered in a ceiling of tall trees and dreary, crying clouds shifted into an environment of bright, warm light all around him.

    The girl''s arms moved down, wrapping around the shoulders of the argonaut as if embracing him from behind, feeling her warmth pressed against his back as he sat motionlessly.

    "...What is this?"

    "I believe...defeating your opponent isn''t the only way to win a fight. It doesn''t always have to be so violent, grim, and merciless...this world can be kind as well."

    Her answer came softly to his ears likevender. The calm, benevolence to her voice wasn''t something of a frightened girl he chased with his arrows, but a kind, tranquil entity.

    "Tell me, what is your name?"

    From how gently it was asked, he could feel it wasn''t a question that came out of an avarice for information, but simple, kind curiosity. A part of him wanted to turn around to see the girl in this void of warmth light, but he was far toofortable to move.

    "...I...I don''t know��"

    It was the truth, as simple as that.

    "Why?"

    Being pressed further, he expected himself to choke up when finding the words within him, but none of those feelings of anxiety crept over him.

    "I was taken from my family when I was a child...I wasn''t old enough yet to even read, write, or speak. Honestly, I wasn''t old enough to be able to engrain the memories of my own family''s faces into my memory��"

    "That''s cruel."

    He nodded slowly in response to her words, feeling naturally inclined to continue speaking. It felt good; being able to speak freely of the burdens that sat on his shoulders since his childhood.

    "It was because of my eyes...Apparently, it is a rare gift my people are sometimes born with--"Eyes of the Hunter", it gives us supreme vision, usually making us expert bowmen."

    "So they took you away because of your eyes?"

    "...That''s right."

    This is my ability--"The Bridge of Flowers"...It''spletely useless for battle. But...I don''t want something used to hurt people.

    That''s what I''m d...I got to be the one to confront him rather than any of the others. They don''t even consider the possibility of peaceful resolution. It''s simply a war for them...I can''t necessarily me them, but I''ll still do things my way.

    He''s hurt, confused, and alone...I can feel it as if it''s my own pain. The memories of his past, although faint, I can see them as if it was me they happened to, she thought, Let''s find out together--your name, your past.

 Chapter 251 - Strife

    The cottage was unlike anything found in Mastorn; small and humble, built of a fine, golden-brown wood that took on a unique architectural design with the entrance of the house looking into a kitchen. Standing there, the sweet aroma that lifted itself into the pristine kitchen was something so familiar yet unknown to him.

    This is��?! He thought.

    Though she could hear his thoughts as they both spectated this memory, she chose not to interfere. Looking at his own two hands, it was a hazy memory, but just the very existence of it sent a spectrum of emotions through the man as he lived out his own tucked-away memories through his young body.

    "I��"

    Though he spoke, his words came out so soft, as if not used to using that function yet. Moving forward he walked towards the wooden stepping stool that sat near one of the counters, lumbering forward with his short, unresponsive legs.

    This scent...Why is it so familiar?...I have to find out what it is, he thought.

    Climbing the stool, he ced his hands on the smooth surface of the timber counter, being brought much closer to the source of the warming, tart aroma.

    It was sitting there on the counter, neatly ced on a white fabric that held its golden-crust in ce as the warmth of its freshness could be seen from the rising steam.

    Lbin...I remember this��! He thought.

    As he opted to take a sample of the dessert to fully embrace this memory, his movement was halted by hands suddenly grabbing both of his sides, lifting him up.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Caught you again! You just can''t wait until your mother cuts it up into slices, can you, ---?"

    The voice belonging to a frivolous man sounded as if it was about to speak his name, but something seemed to ovep with the word to prevent it from meeting his ears. Being set down on the counter by the hands of the unknown man, the moment his eyes finally set on the appearance of him, he felt a warmth run through his body.

    "Father��!"

    "Yeah, surprised you got caught by your old man once again?"

    Cheekily taunting the boy, the man with short, blonde hair rubbed his finger against the space between his lip and nose with a slight chuckle. By his emerald eyes and twitching, pointy ears, it was an unforgettable appearance to him--his own father.

    The memories were tantly obvious but were lodged into the deepest depths of his mind all this time.

    How could I forget��? As a child, I always asked him about that small scar on his lip...He loved that colorful, sea-blue tunic; Grandma sewed it for him before she passed. How could I forget? How could I forget?! He thought.

    "Come on, you''re all dirty from ying outside--let your mother clean you up a bit, or you can kiss thatlabin goodbye! Ha-ha!"

    Outside? He thought.

    Turning around atst, his gaze met with what sat outside of the clear, translucent form of the window. The moment his eyes saw it--it felt as if his own blood had been validated; the beautiful city that upied thend--ivory towers reaching into the sky, apanied by the magnificent, ancient trees full of wisdom.

    It really does exist...My homnd...This is it; my origin, my birthce��! He smiled.

    Tears strolled down his cheeks as they burned up with a plentiful warmth, tracing his fingers along the ss as he took in the scenery.

    "Come on, ---, wait--you''re crying?! Oh crap...did I do something?"

    As his father seemed less than capable of handling the situation, he softly shook his head with a smile to dilute his father''s worries.

    "...I''m just happy."

    "Heh. Had me worried there for a second. You''re an odd kid."

    Letting his hair be ruffled by the rough hand of his parent, he smiled as he felt like he was enveloped in a bed of clouds; it was afort he didn''t want to wake up from.

    He''s an affable man; not once did he ever scold me. I''ve never seen him get mad at all, really, he thought.

    "Go on upstairs and clean yourself up, ��-."

    Being in the presence of the father he didn''t realize just how much he missed, leaving his side was something he didn''t wish for, but nheless��there were other things he knew he needed to see.

    The feeling of the squeaky clean wooden floors, so smooth, always having just a smallyer of water from how fervently his mother kept the house clean��the familiarity of it returned with each small step he took.

    Leading to the second story of the humble, but weing cottage, a spiral staircase designed with railings that resembled a wall of trees led up. The more he looked around, taking in the subtle, yet significant details of the home, the less of a blur it became: the freshly used broom leaning against the corner, his father''s less than savory work boots that sat by the front door, the way the sunlight gently cascaded into the kitchen with its warmth.

    Giving one more look to his father, who was taking in a whiff of the dessert''s aroma, the frivolous man gave him a wide smile.

    Returning the smile, he began to make his way up the stairs.

    Traversing the steps, he found it again��a circr window that looked over the city beyond his home. From the vantage point, it was clear that his house upied an elevated portion of the region, looking over the bustling market that was as lively as ever.

    As he pressed himself close to the window, he wanted to see it, explore all of it��but the familiar presence of someone dear to him called his steps up the stairs once more.

    This entire time, Charlotte simply spectated quietly as the man who should be her enemy strolled through his repressed memories.

    The flower pots that hung on the walls like springnterns, holding star-shaped, blue-petal flowers with stripes of pink running across their petals��the soft scent they gave off further weed him up the staircase.

    I remember now; Mother loves these kinds of flowers��what''re they called again? He thought.

    Finding himself atop the stairs, he was now in the hallway that presented a few doors to him.

    Though only one truly stood out to him��opening it, it led to his bedroom. Inside his room, a woman with silver hair stood in the center of the chamber, rearranging and cleaning the messily left room.

    "Oh, ��-, you''re back. Just in time! I just finished baking your favorite dessert, it''s cooling off right now."

    She turned to him with a smile, leaning down to meet his eye level as her vibrant, verdant irises met him kindly.

    "Mother?"

    "Yes, ��-?"

    It was unnerving to hear; the name he yearned so fervently for was distorted, briefly breaking his immersion in this realm of memories as a headache crawled in.

    "��What''s my name?"

    "That''s a silly question��I just said it. Is this some sort of new game you kids made up? Hmm��"

    His mother tapped her finger against her chin as if trying to figure out if it was some sort of trick. From the soft rays of golden light that seeped in from his bedroom window, the sunlight caused the woman''s simple, but graceful, gray dress to glisten.

    "It''s not��!"

    "Is something wrong, ��-? You''re not usually like this��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Seemingly worried about her son''s behavior, the woman knelt down in front of him, running her fingers through his locks that he inherited from her with a reassuring smile.

    "It''s just��I can''t��"

    He couldn''t find the words; it was all so unreal to him, yet he couldn''t help but feel like his brain was in knots trying to find his name.

    "Calm, kind, confident, and as easy going as the wind."

    "Huh��?"

    "That''s what my favorite flowers represent, "Strife flowers"��-mhm."

    Hearing this, something about what she said had struck him, but he couldn''t pinpoint it. It all became so clear in front of him; his mother''s soft, blemish-free skin with a smile as warm as the noon sun.

    "That''s why I named you after them��my most precious flower."

    As she spoke those words, it felt as if his time had finally resumed.

    The hold on his heart, the identity that slipped between his fingers��it all awakened. With this revtion, the realm of memories began to fade away into the earlier void of warm light.

    "Wait��! Not yet! I��I still have so many��"

    Before he could continue, his words were halted as both his hands were held by his mother as she too began to fade away into the scenery of light.

    "You''re strong�� so be kind to others, Strife. Your father and I will always be watching over you."

    With those parting utterances from her silky, warm voice, the woman faded into the light as the elf now found himself returned to his normal body, sitting in the light just as he was, with the warmth of the girl behind him.

    Returning from the illusionary world, something fundamental was returned to him. The memories sealed away by trauma and abuse of his captors resurfaced, and with them, returned the values he was taught as a child.

    "That was��"

    "Your past."

    "I��I��"

    Looking at his hands, they trembled for a reason he couldn''t ce.

    "Strife. That''s my name."

    "Mhm."

    "Thank you."

    He smiled as tears unconsciously trickled down his cheeks.

    "��I still don''t understand; why help me? I was trying to kill you��I''m an Argonaut, your natural enemy."

    Charlotte slowly shook her head to Strife''s perplexed question.

    "If you were trying to hurt me, I would''ve been far worse off. You don''t miss unless you want to, don''t you?"

    "��"

    "Besides that��I could tell��you aren''t the same as the other Argonauts. Your eyes aren''t that of a killer; there is a certain kindness to your eyes."

    Charlotte''s softly spoken words were powerful enough to find their way to the man''s heart as his eyes widened at those words, raising his glove as he traced his finger around his brow.

    Kindness��? These eyes of mine? All I''ve been told my entire life��is that these eyes were an invaluable weapon; a tool for killing, he thought.

    "The��people that took me away from home, they sold me off the Argonauts as a child. I was trained day and night to be a perfect warrior��a killer. I was guided by false promises of one day returning home. Those promises of going home were soon reced by lured by knowledge of my homnd."

    "What will you do now, Strife?"

    Her question drew silence from the silver-haired elf as he looked into the void offorting light with his golden irises.

    "I owe it to you; everything. There isn''t a price I can put on the memories you''ve returned to me. If only for a moment, a single time once more��I reunited with the warmth of my parents."

    "I''m d I could help."

    "��Tell me, what is your name?"

    It was a question he needed answered most at this moment.

    I know it now; for elves, the bond of family stands paramount. It is simply the most important thing of all��the core of one and who they are.

    I am Strife. I''m not the "Golden-eyed Argonaut", or a weapon of destruction anymore. Today, I was reborn. There is no excuse for me if I cower away from the proper side now. With my own two hands, my resolve, my bow--I can choose for myself what I want to do.

    To return that to me, one who tried to kill her��this girl is a soul that must be protected. Beyond that, the debt I owe to her is immeasurable.

    Honor��it is something I had forgotten. A value my father taught me early on, he thought.

    "Charlotte."

    "A beautiful name for a beautiful soul."

    Slowly, Strife stood himself up before turning to face Charlotte, who remained knelt on the ground of light.

    It was the first time she saw it, and the first time he genuinely did it since as long as he could remember��Strife smiled, cing his right hand over his heart as he took a knee before the girl with his sable cape fluttering behind him.

    "Madame Charlotte, I hereby proim to you myplete, and undying loyalty��I, Strife, will be your knight."

    I have no right to stand by your side. Even if it was not by my own will��these hands are dirtied with blood. All these years, I was but a doll, following the orders etched into my flesh--was it because I feared my captors?

    That would be a lie; soon enough, I didn''t hold much value in my own life. I believe I behaved as an Argonaut simply because I believed it was the only thing I could do. Fighting, hunting, killing--it was the only thing left in my hollow mind. It was a childish hope that I''d be rewarded one day and return to my homnd.

    But it was you--you''re the one who gave me a reprieve. You returned to me everything when I had nothing only because you wanted to.

    I''m choosing with my name, my life returned to me��to be just a bit selfish. If this is the side you fight for, a soul as soft as a bed of flowers, then it is undeniably the right side, that''s what I choose to believe, he smiled.

 Chapter 252 - Reconcile Under The Rain

    The light around them cracked, beginning to dissipate as the sable sky filled with stars and rain returned, but Strife stayed on his single knee until Charlotte finally picked herself up, brushing the dirt that stuck out vibrantly on her otherwise pristine gown.

    With a smile indifferent to the past, she extended her hand down, cing it softly on the man''s crown of silver hair.

    "You can do whatever you want, you''re free now so you can return to your--"

    "What I want is to be by your side, Madam Charlotte."

    Strife''s words were concise; there was little room to sway his mind. It was clear that the once brooding, distant man was now one of conviction with his memories returned.

    "...If that''s truly what you want, I won''t try to deny you. But...are you really willing to fight against your former allies��?"

    Standing himself up, Strife smiled as his silver locks damped beneath the rainfall, standing radiant despite his somber uniform that held the colors of the Argonauts. He shook his head slowly, looking at the girl with his kind, golden irises.

    "They were never anything more than reluctant colleagues of mine. In fact, I think I might actually enjoy battling for the first time--if my bow is drawn against them."

    "Then let''s go!...I saw a lot of explosions that way, it must be Fai...We have to help him."

    "I recognized the mana signature shing against his; it''s no doubt Avdima. I don''t know much about Fai, but he will likely need our assistance against that man."

    Without any hesitation, Strife swooped Charlotte up in one arm as he began sprinting--much to the confusion of the girl as they took off at high speeds.

    "...Eh?!"

    "Forgive me, but this is our fastest route, Madame Charlotte."

    Holding on tightly to the damp fabric of Strife''s sable cloak, Charlotte shook her head before recing her perplexed look with a determined gaze, "No, keep going! Also--it''s just Charlotte!"

    Strife nodded his head slowly with a smile before continuing off in a sprint with the girl held with one arm, swiftly evading jutted-out branches and stones as he moved elegantly yet swiftly through the dense forest.

    Keeping him on his path was the potent gathering and mixture of mana in the distance; the sh of two powerful magical energies belonging to the most powerful mages within the entire valley--without a doubt, it was Avdima and Fai.

    As Strife traveled with his new maiden in his hold, something tingled his instincts--jumping back suddenly as an object flew by him.

    "...Hm."

    "What was that?"

    With both of them turning their heads in near unison at the tree by their side, a sharpened ice projectile was lodged into the core of the tall-standing cedar.

    "Ice��? Donatien?"

    "Unhand her, fiend!"

    Before any words could properly be exchanged, the voice familiar to Charlotte''s ears called out as the muddy ground beneath Strife''s feet shifted into a frosty essence.

    "It seems your friend is the type to kill then ask questionster."

    Jumping up, the elven man managed to evade the grasp of the newly formed ice while still holding the girl in one arm. Atst, the two men met each other''s gazes; Donatien looked as if he had been through a war of his own--his shirt missing along with his sses, blood staining various portions of his face.

    Still, he doesn''t look gravely hurt...I''m d, Charlotte thought.

    "Wait...what is the meaning of this, Charlotte?"

    Now with a better view, the way Charlotte stayed rxed in the hold of the ex-argonaut put into question Donatien''s preconceived notions.

    "Maybe try talking first before throwing magic around, dummy��!"

    Being scolded by the usually sweet as candy girl sent even the stoic Donatien into silence for a moment as he attempted to adjust his non-existent sses.

    "...That man is without a doubt an Argonaut, no? Forgive my hesitance for small talk, but we''re not on very talkative terms."

    Donatien narrowed his eyes on the elven man, who didn''t shy away from the cold gaze of the blue-haired man before sighing.

    "I''m not an Argonaut. Not anymore, at least."

    "Oh? Charlotte, is this--"

    Before Donatien could get his question out, the girl fervently shook her head, knowing what he meant to ask, "This is by his own volition!...He didn''t have any choice to be an Argo--"

    Charlotte''s words were cut short as Strife raised his hand to stop her with a smile, his simple look telling her, "it''s okay".

    "Up until just an hour ago...I didn''t know my own name or the faces of my own parents. She gave--she returned that to me. I promise you that I wish for nothing else than to repay Charlotte; I will stay by her side and protect her until the very end."

    It was before those eyes of the pragmatic, seasoned mage from Earth that deception held no foundation to exist.

    "...Mm."

    Donatien''s eyes didn''t waver in the slightest, bringing himself face-to-face with the elven, silver-haired man as his presence alone sent a cold chill over Strife''s body.

    "I understand the value of such things to your people, I also know that elves typically are quite shit liars. It''s not my decision to make--so for now, you''ll help us out��?"

    "Strife."

    "Right. Strife. Assist us during this battle and I might just give you my favor when we decide your fate after all of this."

    Even if Charlotte tried to contest Donatien''s pragmatic resolution, she was stopped before a single utterance could leave her lips as once again, Strife stopped her with a raise of his hand, gently shaking his head.

    "He''s kind. Honestly, I wouldn''t expect anyone to believe something like this. What he said is more than fair."

    Now moving alongside one another, Donatien and Strife, with Charlotte tucked close to his chest, ventured towards the source of the battle that raged on with the raw destruction of raging divinities, feeling tremors echo throughout the ground as they stepped forward.

    "Still...I have to wonder."

    "Donatien?"

    Charlotte muttered his name as the man spoke, unknown if he was referring to her or simply speaking his thoughts as he normally did.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Strife, you know the nature of this mission, don''t you?"

    "...I know what I was told."

    "Then tell me this: was the main goal here to exterminate the present Ounders, or to eliminate Beatrice herself?"

    With this question, the two men came to a halt as Charlotte stayed rather confused at the nature of this conversation. It was impossible to avoid Donatien''s gaze; Strife didn''t attempt to tuck his words or truths away before the discerning man.

    "Both, but...you''re correct. While it was in our mission to eliminate all the Ounders here--our initial task was more so to separate all of you and stall you."

    "...!"

    Hearing this, Donatien''s eyes widened slightly before turning to their natural state as he ced his hand against his chin, "You struck when it was clear we were at our weakest, didn''t you?"

    "...I honestly don''t know anything about that. Avdima isn''t the type to really divulge many details--that''s why he picked Fleisch and I. We aren''t the type to ask many questions."

    "I can see that. Then I can assume...there is still one more Argonaut here--one who set their sights directly on Beatrice?"

    "...Yeah."

    As the rain continued to fall against the muddied ground of the forest floor, the three stood there in silence as Donatien''s mind seemed to be running at full capacity.

    Should we go back and assist Beatrice? Should we help Fai? Should we split up? I''ve got it, Donatien thought.

    "I''ll--"

    "It''s toote."

    The moment Donatien chose to speak of his new n, Strife interrupted him with words coated in absolute confidence. Even without further rification, Donatien realized the man was likely to tell the truth.

    "What do you mean?"

    "Strife?"

    Donatien and Charlotte both looked at the elven man for rification of his im as he briefly shut his eyes, opening them once more as their golden sheen rested on the form of the sses-less man.

    "The Argonaut that was sent to deal with Beatrice...their ability was factored in. In fact, they were recruited first and foremost for this raid before even Avdima."

    "Before Avdima��? What does that entail, exactly?"

    "That person''s ability--it is an absolute, imprable barrier that can''t be entered or exited until they die or shut it off."

    Rain pelted against Strife''s silver locks as he spoke, his calm voice further solidifying these words into the harsh reality before them.

    "The n was for them to set this barrier once you Ounders were separated; then they alone would seal off that great tree and handle Beatrice alone. I''m sorry��"

    A guilty look came over the man''s expression as his lips quivered for a moment, biting down on his bottom lip in an attempt to halt this.

    "...It''ll be fine."

    "Huh? How can you be sure?"

    "Beatrice is a tenacious witch; a greedy woman who won''t roll over into a grave until her dream is seen through to the end. Pain, failure, emotions--human concepts like those won''t stop her. Am I right, Charlotte?"

    Nodding her head in response to Donatien''s unusually confident, smiling words, the vermillion-haired girl returned his smile slowly with her own.

    "Well...there''s just one more thing."

    Despite the lift in the dreadful atmosphere, Strife once more seemed to have words that sought to dampen the mood once more.

    "...The Argonauts--no, King Held himself alongside his council made sure failure was the slimmest possibility it could be on this mission. I''m sure you''re both more than well aware of the desire Mastorn has to squash the Ounders."

    Around them, the trees croaked beneath the growing winds, the quiet rain shifting into a howling storm as the limbs of the great cedar that inhabited the valley swayed.

    "Spit it out, Strife. What''re you getting at here?"

    "As powerful as Avdima is, he is not insurmountable--they''re well aware of his entricities and made efforts to even it out with a third party. The scenario in which even Avdima is unable to win was factored into this mission--in which case, "n C"...or "n Cataclysm" would be enacted. I don''t know the details--but there is some sort of failsafe that will ensure Grandeuve is annihted in the scenario in which the Argonauts fail."

    It was news as bitter as chalk; Charlotte merely stared nkly at Strife as Donatien clenched his fists tightly, staring up at the sky upied by rain-filled clouds.

    "...Petty bastards. They want us dead that badly, do they? Even winning will result in a loss...I expected nothing less from that pig of a king."

    Donatien huffed, cing his hands on his sides as rain coated his shirtless torso like ayer of sweat.

    "I believe the only thing we can do now is find Fai and assist him."

    "Yeah...also, I believe I already know the answer, but you handled Fleisch, didn''t you?"

    "That I did; he was a crazy bastard, but not anything I couldn''t handle."

    Hearing this answer from the confident, navy-haired Ounder, Strife smiled as his shoulder-length, silver locks flowed in the stormy winds.

    ? "What''s with that smile? It''s a bit weird to be jovial after hearing yourr--exrade be dismantled."

    Donatien teased as he stretched his arms, holding his biceps close to his pectorals before doing a few swift squats to warm his legs up once more.

    "I''m just relieved to have such a powerfulrade."

    "Temporaryrade. Don''t getfortable yet, Strife. First, we''ll have to all live through this mess. I, however, like our chances; if there is one constant in this world, it is that Ounders are quite proficient at kicking the teeth in of Argonauts."

    "Right."

    "Right!"

    Charlotte chipped in alongside Strife--the mood packed with moonlight resolve returned to the unlikely trio as they set out towards the remaining twobatants.

 Chapter 253 - The Severer

    It was a room off-limits even to the most seasoned of the Ounders; the attic of Beatrice''s mystical home. Though, to simply refer to it as an "attic" would diminish the primordial knowledge that etched itself into the walls.

    Painted in arcane dust, blood of exotic creatures, even her own blood--seals lined the walls reinforced by a special metal known as--"Muni", a material that not only preserves residual mana, but amplifies magic in its entirety.

    Standing In the center of this expansive room filled with magic and nothing else, the sage dressed in her somber, ck dress had her arms raised up as she weaved the phantasmagoric magecraft. It stretched across the length of the magic attic; strings of a nebulous magic that bore uncountable seals, most of which would be unintelligible to even the most knowledgeable mages.

    Coalescing into the center just in front of the sage, the many strings that resembled a rope of photographic film spiraled around a mass of gathering, grandiose magic that birthed gentle tremors.

    "...How long do you n to watch? If you''re waiting for the perfect moment to strike, surely such opportune moments have already presented themselves?"

    Beatrice suddenly spoke out as she opened her eyes once more, not turning her attention away from the spell even while speaking.

    "Oh, you''re as inhuman as they say! "Great Sage Beatrice"--the most wanted woman in the world."

    It was a feminine voiceced with malicious intent, it came as cruel and sharp as a de.

    "I take it the barrier around this tree is of your doing?"

    Ignoring the words of the enigmatic woman, Beatrice spoke with her voice as indifferent as the winter winds.

    "Indeed! Antote Kraus, at your service!"

    Bowing down as she finally left the shadowy corner of the attic, the Argonaut maiden revealed her curly, brownish blonde locks that assisted her fantastically vibrant, gray eyes. It was usually a somberplexion to one''s irises, but her fervent energy denied such concepts as she smiled brightly with her naturally glossy lips.

    "...Antote Kraus? Ah, I remember. "The Severer", how relieving to know the Argonauts are now recruiting actual murderers."

    "You know of my name? I''m honored, truly."

    It was a slight deviation from the standard Argonaut attire; inhabiting a silver ent instead of the standard crimson that apanied the infamous stygian shade of their neatly woven uniforms. Instead of opting for the default, professional suit most of her colleagues tend to wear, her attire resembled more of a butler, wearing gloves as bright as snow with a swallowtail-coat.

    Finally, Beatrice halted her creation of the spell, turning to face the mouthy Argonaut as her dress followed suit.

    "Oh! The rumors were true! You''re as old as this world, yet you look like you''re barely older than me! Wow, keeping your skin that smooth all this time--you''ll have to tell me your skincare routine!"

    "Kids these days...so crass; I''ll have to discipline you properly."

    As Beatrice elegantly raised a single arm, taking a side stance, it took the Argonaut by surprise as she watched the woman dressed in avish, immacte gown take a stance befit for a brawler. It wasn''t so much intimidating as it was perplexing.

    "Don''t think you can fool me!...I know you sages can''t harm a human!"

    Smiling confidently, Antote reached behind her back, unveiling two, curved des that had been tucked away behind her sable zer, disying their pristine sharpness as they shined under the presence of the magical radiance set in the attic.

    Those are definitely not des native to Mastorn...Those are used by certain Derjun warriors. "Kasha des", specializing in the removal of limbs of their opponents--most notably their heads. A savage weapon for even more devilish wielders, Beatrice thought.

    Even so, the two des held were specifically unique; two streaks of a magenta design running parallel along each de''s steel with a sable handle decorated with small, but shining gems of the same shade of purple.

    "Is that so? Find out for yourself, child."

    Although she held an indifference to her expression, the ancient magical aura that radiated from Beatrice seemed to please Antote as her smile contorted into a wicked grin.

    "I''m going to take those star-filled eyes of yours as souvenirs, Old Hag��"

    Whispering to herself, the curly-haired Argonaut ran her tongue across her bottom lip in a less than savory manner.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "O''Gaia: Barrier."

    A simple incantation that seemed to require little exertion from the tinum-haired sage as she smiled with her maidenly beauty at the Argonaut, a circr barrier formed of a translucent, verdant energy encasing her.

    "So, that''s your big n, is it? If you can''t fight back, just tuck yourself away in a barrier? Heh��"

    Antote took a low, unorthodox stance, crouching so low to the ground that she resembled an animal that walked on four legs, dashing forward from this peculiar form with a speed that kicked up the residual dust inhabiting the attic.

    Using such speed and physical power, the Argonaut struck the barrier with her circr de to no real consequence as it remained pristine.

    "It seems the magic of sages isn''t all fairytales. Maybe this''ll be a worthwhile hunt��"

    Antote held her sinister grin as she posed, leaning her torso back slightly as one of her knees jutted out.

    She''s quite the fast one. It doesn''t matter anyway--the spell doesn''t require my direct coddling to reach its conclusion--it''ll only be a matter of more time being required before it can be cast, Beatrice thought.

    Still, a single failure didn''t stop the de-wielding woman from trying again as she took an unorthodox action--taking the opposite stance as before as she bent over backwards, kicking herself backwards as she contorted her body into a proper form.

    This time, Antote struck with both of her malicious des against the mana-formed wall between her and the sage. However, this next strike left a small, but daunting crack on the form of the barrier, to the surprise of the caster herself and the glee of Antote.

    "How do you like it? My "Feline style"; quite the thing, isn''t it?"

    Antote boasted with a smug smirk as she twirled her des between her fingers, lowering her stance once more as one hand rested close to her hip while the other stayed no more than a few centimeters above the metallic floor.

    "...I see. You didn''t earn your infamy or your position as an Argonaut for nothing. "Feline style"--that is a practice originating from Derjun. I wonder...how a little doll like yourself came across such an art exotic to Mastorn?"

    The sage''s seemingck of care about her barrier being cracked took away the frivolous grin from Antote for a moment as she frowned, narrowing her thin, yet expressive eyebrows at the pale-skinned woman.

    "Keep that act up while you can; you won''t be so detached when I''m removing your limbs one-by-one..or wait, you literally will!"

    Beyond that seemingly ill-minded, hedonistic attitude, there was an undeniable resolve that sharpened the Argonaut''s gray irises as her pupils seemed to tighten like a feline''s own. It was the conviction of a murderer who was a perfectionist in their craft; one who didn''t leave room for mercy.

    She''s quite the infamous one, that Antote. As rumors would have it, "The Severer" never once has let a victim escape her grasp. Though, I stand to reason such a feat is skewed by the fact she earned her name only hunting those who couldn''t defend themselves, Beatrice thought.

    As the sharp-dressed woman propelled forward at a ludicrous speed, there was little time that sat between the moment the tip of her shoe left the ground and the impact of her kasha des against the spherical barrier.

    The small crack spread itself out further, multiplying like a spider''s web as a pleased look came over Antote. She was truly a creature in her own right; one moment she was disying her des like a bloodthirsty child then the next she began stretching her body, pulling her arms behind her back as audible pops let out as she returned to her normal stance.

    "I''m starting to finally warm up, Gran-Gran...Only a few more hits--then your barrier will go pop."

    Once again, her taunts fell dull on the ears of the primordial sage, who held her uncaring, slight smile all the same.

    ? Even a wise, old sage like her doesn''t know everything. Isted in these backwoods with her power and authority diminishing by the day...The world is changing, Gran-Gran. That''s why you''re so blissfully ignorant as to the nature of my des! Antote smiled.

    Going in for another assault on the barrier, the swift strike of her kasha des against the magical shield this time impacted with a greater effect--the cracks feathering across the barrier as particles of verdant mana seeped out from its exposed portions.

    "O''Gaia: Barrier."

    Beatrice casually repeated the incantation as anotheryer of the barrier ovepped thepromised original.

    "Hah, seriously?...This is really all you can do, isn''t it? And here I thought killing a sage might actually be kind of fun."

 Chapter 254 - Emperor Of Mages

    "Hah, seriously?...This is really all you can do, isn''t it? And here I thought killing a sage might actually be kind of fun."

    Even without any feedback, Antote''s taunts didn''t cease as she yfully ran her des through the gathering bridges of mana that built the weaving spell, slowly approaching the barrier before kicking off into another dash of steel.

    With a single strike this time, the fresh barrier was put into worse condition than the brittle first, much to the joy of the Argonaut as sheughed jovially.

    "After I bring your head to the king, I''ll be treated like royalty myself. I''ll probably have my ownnd, a castle...a healthy supply of war prisoners and peasants to cut up. Doesn''t it sound fantastic? I can''t wait!"

    The immensely effective strike to the protective spell cast by the sage seemed to further solidify the murderous Argonaut''s confidence as she boasted, tapping her cleanly-furbished dress shoe against the barrier with a wide smile.

    "You truly are a fiend."

    "Aren''t I?"

    Antoteughed out in response as she twirled the handle of one of her des between her fingers before pointing the sharp, glistening tip of the steel toward the sage tucked away inside the see-through barrier.

    Still, she is a troublesome one. It seems either by nature of her innate ability or those des that with each strike, the next bes more effective. Does she simply be stronger with each consecutive attack? Or is it something else?...Troublesome, indeed, Beatrice thought, I''d like to avoid casting spells if I can help it; each cast further chips away at our already brittle time.

    Witnessing the curly-haired maiden of bloodlust swoop in for another strike, this time leaping into the air as swiftly and quietly as a cat, Beatrice this time realized the nature of the peculiar strikes as another one shed against her barrier.

    As the caster of her own spell, she could feel the distinct feeling of the potency of the mana embroidered into the barrier be dulled; as if the burning mes igniting it began to dampen under rainfall.

    "I see...I think I understand now."

    "Oh? Do you now?"

    Devilish as always, Antote possesses little doubt in her own victory as the barrier looked as brittle as an eggshell by this point.

    "Those des of yours--they weaken the constitution of magic. That''s not quite right, though, is it? Normally, such an ability would only affect the spell it hits, but what you''re doing is different."

    As the tinum-haired sage of a nebulous beauty exined her findings, Antote seemed pleased as she listened with her twisted grin.

    "Just by attacking a source of a caster''s mana, you''re able to weaken the potency of their magic."

    "Bingo!"

    The Argonaut eximed joyfully as she pointed one of her des at the sage, her curly locks bouncing as she jumped just slightly.

    With that confirmed, Beatrice finally seemed to acknowledge the girl as she turned to face her in full, snapping her fingers while the attention of Antote was grabbed fully by this gesture. Following the sage''s snap of her fingers, an orb appeared directly in front of her.

    "...nning something? I should have you know--by now, your magic has beenpletely trampled, anything you cast now will be novice-level at best!"

    "I know; that''s why I must act ordingly--because, truly, you''re a threat that must be extinguished. Both to the people of Mastorn and my dream, you, Antote us, are an enemy I must not underestimate further."

    The serious, steel-wrought words from the sage were chilling even to the woman who indulged in the deepest of sin. It was the first time since she arrived that the curly-haired Argonaut who loved to taunt her victims finally fell at a loss for words as her lips only slightly moved, trying to find something from the void in her throat.

    Those eyes...The eyes that have seen thousands, tens of thousands, if not more of this world''s history--civilizations falling, genocide, gods--someone like that...is getting serious against me?! Antote thought.

    "Mer, are you ready?"

    "Always, but the question is: are you ready, Bea?"

    The voice that came from the orb hovering just in front of the sage''s own face shocked Antote further, who remained still in this moment. In this moment of harrowing realization, something further was realized by the murderous woman.

    Since Beatrice''s promation, a cold, ungodly aura of magical energy refined by thousands of years of mastery had emanated from her position. However, upon further nce, deepened focus--Antote realized something daunting.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The bountiful, suffocating air of mana formed not from the sage, but the talking orb.

    "It''s quite an ufortable experience, but I will put up with it. Just see to it that you take care of that girl; she''s quite the troublesome one."

    "I noticed. Well then, let''s get this thing started--!"

    As the orb shouted out joyfully, it slowly began to levitate towards the sage''s chest, gravitating closer to the exposed section of her pale chest uncovered by her dress''s sable fabric.

    "I, Beatrice of the Great Sages, offer this vessel to you, Merlin."

    "I ept."

    Hearing this exchange between the sage and the orb, Antote thought she had heard it all until hearing of that name that once more made her limbs rigid and her skin cold.

    "...Merlin��?"

    This is a joke, right? A bluff, a fake, a lie��! There''s no way she means that Merlin--the "Emperor of Mages" himself! He was killed by the Founders of Magic, there''s no way! Antote thought.

    Even if she tried to convince herself of the impossibility of it all, the magical energy she felt splendidly exploring across the attic evaporated her doubt as the air shifted from a still cold to an exhausting, suffocating heat.

    Slowly, the orb began to enter the sage''s bosom as the tinum-haired woman kept her eyes closed as she epted the magically-inclined sphere into her body. As it merged with her body, an intense, blinding light filled the room, originating from the sage''s body.

    "...Ugh��!"

    Antote shielded herself from the intrusive radiance as she raised her arms in front of her face, still feeling something persuade her to watch the direction of the phantasmic scene.

    Before the building pressure of the bubbling mana, the barrier shatteredpletely, dissolving into nothing more than droplets of absolved magical energy. Destroying a barrier from within wasn''t a feat worth putting much stock into, but that isn''t what held Antote''s fear in ce.

    It was trying to understand the rising, mixing, and release of mana before her--between the primordial energy of the sage herself and the divinely refined mana of the proimed Emperor of Mages himself, it was simply something humans weren''t ready to perceive.

    Sweat trickled down Antote''s body as her knees quivered; not out of absolute fear, but the battle between her mind and body--every cell of her body, her sharpened instincts, instructed her to run, but she refused with her pride of a killer on the line.

    Slowly, the array of magical energy flowing and coalescing, shining vibrantly like a rainbow amidst a rainy day, finally began to settle down. Standing in ce of the sage wasn''t the tinum-haired, celestial-eyed woman, but the clear figure of a man.

    "...It''s been a long time since I actually breathed in the air of this world��"

    Taking in a deep inhale, the man let out a satisfied breath as the radiance faded outpletely--revealing inpletion the figure before the Argonaut.

    Tattered, discarded pieces of sable fabric sat by his feet; something Antote immediately deduced to be Beatrice''s dress, having been discarded by the appearance of the enigmatic male.

    His hair was long and flowing like a waterfall cascading down his shoulders and reaching as far as his lower back, possessing a peculiar shade of white that inhabited a looseplexion of sapphire if looked at from a certain angle.

    Though his face was feminine, like a noble prince who had done nothing but indulge in books and the luxuries of life, his body was unmistakably a man''s own,yered in the perfect amount of functional muscle as if that too was a schrly concept.

    His bare feet stood not on the ground, but air; hovering just slightly, but enough to invoke a sense of supremacy as his hair flowed gently amidst his own magical presence.

    Even if it might be a fake...this man is no doubt powerful. I can''t afford to y with my food anymore, Antote thought.

    "Ah, let me cover that thing up!"

    With a chuckle, the man snapped his fingers as a piece of cloth was manifest solely to protect his groin from the eye''s of the Argonaut--who had no intention of looking near that region, instead reading the man with her cold intensity.

    "So, "Antote", right? I''m sure you heard already, but I''m Merlin, at your service!"

 Chapter 255 - Blessed By This World; I Am Merlin

    "So, "Antote", right? I''m sure you heard already, but I''m Merlin, at your service!"

    "...Cease your lies! I won''t be taken for a fool!"

    "Eh?"

    Merlin looked at her with a hint of confusion in his celestial irises, tilting his head as he folded his arms across his bare chest.

    "It''s not possible! Merlin was proimed dead by the hands of the Founders!...Even he wouldn''t be able to survive being hunted by them!"

    "Ah, I guess that makes sense--I should be dead, shouldn''t I? But here I am, in the flesh, in front of you. Tell me, just who do you think I am then?"

    Challenging her suspicions, the half-nude, mysterious mage exuded a powerful, pressuring wind just by squinting his inhuman eyes as he stared at the girl, causing her to be pushed backward as she nted her shoes against the metallic floor in an effort to halt herself as if being dragged by the abrasive hands of a storm.

    As the mana-guided winds ceased abruptly, Antote stumbled before gritting her teeth, tightening her hold on her des as she pointed one at the long-haired man.

    "Parlor tricks...won''t convince me of anything!"

    "You''re a stubborn one, aren''t you? What happened to that sharp tongue of yours you had against Bea, huh? I happen to enjoy girls who can breathe a bit of fire, you know."

    Hisments dug right beneath his skin; whether it was the way his words came out in such a sly, silver manner or the taunting, amused smile he held--the Argonaut didn''t seem inclined to be on the receiving end of her very own manner.

    "...I''m going to cut that tongue of yours."

    "Now that''s more like it!"

    With Merlin''sst taunt, it pulled the Argonaut into battle once more as she dashed directly for the man who hovered in the magical attic, wielding both of her kasha des with a sharp, beast-like resolve to kill in her eyes.

    Just as she came within reach of the man with her des, he remained perfectly still as if he was unable to react to her swiftness, but that wasn''t quite right; his eyes traced her perfectly. Being watched by those inhuman eyes of his caused her to hesitate for a moment--that hesitation leading to her instincts screaming at her of somethinging.

    Opting not to attack, Antote leaped back in a defensive position with her des acting as guards, now covered in sweat.

    "Oh? Your reaction is quitemendable; you truly have embodied a felinepletely. If you opted to actually strike...well, you can see what would''ve happened."

    As he exined this, he had yet to move a single inch from his starting position, but Antote brought her eyes to what the man was alluding to. Just in front of Merlin''s position, where the curly-haired murderer was preparing her strike, the floor had been charredpletely, a fresh steam rising from the ckened spot.

    What��? Did he cast a spell? I didn''t hear anything--let alone sense anything, she thought.

    "My mistake; that was too fast for you, wasn''t it? I''m a bit out of practice, so you''ll have to forgive me."

    "Don''t mock me��!"

    Screaming out with a sharpness that took the yful mage by surprise, Antote this time opted for a more deceptive tactic, using one of the walls as footing before jumping from that tform to the next wall, gathering speed and momentum that set her as nothing more than a blur to even the eyes of a seasoned warrior.

    Still, Merlin sat still with his arms folded, holding his pleased, carefree smile despite her growing efforts.

    "Fall."

    It wasn''t an incantation, just a simple word that left the man''s glossy lips, the only difference being it parted as more of amand rather than a yful taunt. What was truly perplexing is that the curly-haired woman now found herself pressed against the floor despite having just been leaping frantically across the room--despite no casted magic being heard. It was just an instantaneous shift that it took a moment for her brain to process the change.

    Why am I on the floor��? Why can''t I move��? She thought.

    There was an overwhelming pressure being applied to every square inch of her body, locking her against the ground as if the weight of a mountain pressed itself against her form.

    "What...is this?"

    Even speaking was a feat in and of itself as she felt her chest tightening and her lungs struggling to take in any new oxygen.

    "Spatial magic--ah, she is really nagging at me to hurry up...sheesh, having a voice in your head is vexing. She does have a point; we can''t hold this for very long. I guess I should hurry."

    Hearing the very inclination that the mage before her might be serious sent a cold sweat through Antote''s pores as she desperately tried to move herself, to no avail, until--a simple snap of Merlin''s fingers did away with the ungodly pressure holding her down.

    The exact moment she was freed from the hold of gravity, she vanished from that very spot, jumping up as her feet unnaturally held onto the ceiling by some mystic art.

    "Come; let us finish this charade, girl."

    Atst, Merlin seemed to actually indulge in the concept of a fight; holding a stance of his own without his feet touching the ground as of yet.

    Launching herself like a spring with her feline eyes set on the jugr of the mage, Antote''s ferocious kick-off of the ceiling caved in the steel, traveling forth as the sound barrier cracked as if a whip was thrown.

    Once more, she found herself puzzled by the man she faced off against; though she moved at a speed that she had never been caught with--there she was; the arm which she used to strike had been caught in the grasp of Merlin.

    Veins protruded from his fist as he squeezed her arm, the crunching of bones beingpromised sounding out within the room.

    "Oh? Not even a peep from you. I guess it''s wrong to call you a simple girl; you truly are a specimen in your own right, Severer. However--"

    As he spoke, the Argonaut held no weight to the conversation as she twisted her body around, allowing her arm to snap and twist in order to gain leverage in the dire situation. Using the man''s arm like a pole, she swung her body around as she went in for a strike with her good arm.

    "Twist."

    It was that simple word once more, coated with an unavoidablemand from Merlin. The moment the utterance met her ears, the hand which she attempted to strike the mage with did just that as her de fell from her hold; it twisted. First, her fingers gyrated from each joint, then her wrist spun like a drill against her will as a harrowing, continuous array of cracks and pops resounded as the squelching and tearing of flesh apanied it.

    The effect reached up the length of her arm, twisting it unnaturally as her skin tore like parchment, her ivory skeleton piercing through herpromised limb before the twisting halted at her elbow.

    "This is the true form of magecraft; theplete mastery of magic itself--a simple word evokes what is needed, the simple inclination of what I said had a desired effect behind it. Do you understand, Antote?"

    Like a banshee, she cried out her anguished screams in response to Merlin as her limb was left mangled beyond recognition; fragments of bone protruding like the hairs of a porcupine, her crimson essence covering whatever was left in ce of her pale skin.

    "It seems we''ve discovered the limits of your tolerance for pain, at least."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Releasing his hold of her rtively intact arm, the woman dropped down to the ground as she writhed on the floor, screaming out and iling as she flung her blood across the previously pristine flooring. It was then that the mage of a frivolous, daunting nature solidified a ce in the killer''s mind as she gasped out in pain on the ground like an injured animal.

    "The Scariest."

    It was a simple title in her mind, but most fitting for the inhuman mage. He simply watched with a curious, spective gaze as if learning something from watching the Argonaut convulse in agony on the floor, watching with absent empathy in his celestial irises.

    "Silence."

    His nextmand quenched the ear-ringing howls of the woman. Still, her mouth moved as if trying to scream but only releasing weak, miniscule fits of air from her maw. She wanted nothing more in that moment to vent her unmatched pain out through her yells, but nothing coulde out. It wasn''t a hesitance or fear to do so, but she simply couldn''t.

    "Now, how should I take care of this��? I can''t disturb the spell Beatrice is weaving. Hmm��"

    While Antote held her shattered and mangled arm while writhing in pain, Merlin ced his hand on his chin as he scoured his mind for a solution.

    With a snap of his fingers, Merlin''s expression lit up as his eyes sparkled, "I''ve got it!"

    Waving his hand, he lifted thepromised, silently grimacing Argonaut with an unseen force before bringing her close, holding her by her cor as he smiled subtly with an inhuman victory perched across his lips.

    "Open: Endless Castle!"

    With his boisterous,manding call, both Merlin and the woman he held without care now existed in apletely different scenery; one of flowing, vibrant matter as a violent hum filled the space around them, carrying with it that which felt like a wind belonging to the most ferocious of storms, but such winds couldn''t exist in a space such as this.

    Stars sat at their sides, a sea of endless, far-stretching darkness matched only by the abyss itself surrounding them--it was a ce beyond humanprehension.

    "Be honored, Severer. Many schrs, mages, and adventurers worth their name spend their life in search of this ce--I can count on one hand how many have actually found it, though."

    With the tremendous, flowing forces of contant, raging energy, Antote struggled to so much as move her own two eyeballs to inspect the enigmatic domain she was held inside. It was as if doing so resulted in countless, impably small cuts on the white of her eyes.

    "Perhaps you''ve heard of it?"

    Of course, Antote was unable to respond to the man that held her with one arm. Realizing this as his opalescent, white hair flowed in the otherworldly forces within the celestial domain, Merlin let out a sigh.

    "...That''s right, I forgot you can''t answer. The Endless Castle is something not formed by magecraft; in fact, not even the Founders themselves truly know its origins. It acts as a corridor, boundless in length, limitless in possibility--here, you can find passageways to any number of worlds, differing realities...it is a concept that quite honestly frightens me a bit."

    This knowledge superseded the absolute anguish the woman found herself in, as if existing in such a grandiose territory made her mind realize just how miniscule she was before the scale of the Endless Castle.

    "It is found only by reaching the pinnacle of many fields, but most importantly--it is the perfection of spatial magic. What do you think would happen if I released my hold of your cor?...An amusing question, no?"

    Fear struck itself into Antote''s heart at this pose, but most of all, anxiety caused that very muscle to thump wildly as she iled.

    "Oh? Are you that anxious to be flung into the holds of the castle? If you were to fall, you would find yourself dragged into apletely random, foreign world. Who knows what you might find? Beasts asrge as kingdoms, flesh-eating men as plentiful as grains of sand, or perhaps simply a world ravaged by nothing but mes? Curious."

    He looked into her eyes as if spectating every shift in emotion, studying the spectrum of the feelings that sprout in the face of such overwhelming power--it was with those eyes that resembled the very stars they neighbored that true monstrosity was found.

    The intense stare he burned into her irises broke as he let out a sigh of his own.

    "...Unfortunately for you, my time in this form is running out. Let''s hope you find yourself in a world most kind, Severer."

    Releasing his hold on the woman''s cor, she reached out frantically to grab onto him, to no avail as the pull of the Endless Castletched onto her with the strength of a million hands, pulling her away into the depths of the boundless torrent.

    With the next breath he exhaled, Merlin was returned to the rtive quietness of Beatrice''s attic. Allowing his soles to meet the surface of the ground, he let out a confused, "Mm?", before looking down, realizing he was stepping in the puddle of blood left from the Argonaut''s arm.

    "Agh! Disgusting!"

    He raised his foot, stepping back as he let out a disgruntled breath, closing his eyes briefly before they shot back open.

    "Crap, I forgot to release my silencingmand on her. Oh, well. I''m done here, Beatrice."

    Scratching his head as he finished his duties, he folded his arms across his chest as once more a blinding light filled the attic, the departure of two, forcibly conjoined mana signatures releasing a splendid array of magic into the room.

    The orb left from Beatrice''s bosom as the radiance faded, leaving the primordial sage back in her body as she gave a small, grateful kiss to the orb, "Thank you, Merlin."

    "Ah, don''t mention it!"

    With its job done, the orb returned itself into a non-material, spiritual form as Beatrice made her way back to the center of the room as if nothing had transpired, returning her attention to the meticulous spell demanding her attention.

    Even I find the personality of this man troublesome, yet that is what draws me to him. There are not many born like him, and even fewer who retain such a fondness for the history, virtues, and mysteries of this world.

    Despite possessing the blood of a true demon, flowing through his veins; the very race that finds themselves the antithesis of mankind,cking their same morals or empathy--he tries his best to embrace his human side, the one in which he inherited from his mother''s side.

    Still...this troublesome man has quite some ways to go before he can call himself a human. He doesn''t understand their fragility, pain, love, hate--for now, he simply sees them as subjects, a vessel of research in which to grow from.

    Though I consider him my one and onlypanion in this world, I don''t believe the choice the Founders made to execute him was wrong. With the talent he was born with, as a Herrscher, and the detachment he holds, it is simply the most reasonable decision.

    Any inclination of emotion is simply his way of mimicking what he has seen. As he is right now, he is a true monster, through and through.

    But...I''ve decided to take him under my wing so that one day, Merlin can be an asset to mankind rather than its enemy.

    These were the thoughts of Beatrice, one who seeks only the best for mankind.

    Standing in the gentle illumination of the gathering, intricate mysticism of her own actively crafting spell, the sage stood in full nude, feeling no warmth or chill brush against her pale, smooth skin as she continued on with her role without a single care.

    Continue fighting hard, my children. This assault is a trial to test the mettle of our ambitions; show the Argonauts that the Ounders are a force to be reckoned with.

    Fai, Donatien, even you, Charlotte��it is do-or-die, failure is not an option. The same goes for me.

 Chapter 256 - Valley Of War

    While the confines of the tree found themselves drenched in troubles of its own with Beatrice, the unlikely grouping of the two Ounders and former Argonaut continued to race through the raging forest that trembled beneath the might of the warring fighters.

    Even the malicious creatures that inhabited the evergreen didn''t daree from their domains out of the primal instinct to live.

    Coming to a screeching halt, Strife dug the heels of his boots into the soil as his sharp, precise eyes turned to the west.

    "What is it?"

    As Donatien asked this, he found his answer as he sensed the two, distinct mana signatures off in the distance west of their position.

    "Judging by the fact we can so tantly sense them...they''re novices, likely executioners."

    "Yeah."

    Without any words, Strife suddenly relinquished his hold of the vermillion-haired girl to Donatien, who blinked a few times, holding the girl as if she were a dog that just got passed off to him.

    "Take her; I''ll confront those two--judging by their movements, they''re headed for where we are. I''d like to prevent them from interfering with whoever is battling Avdima."

    "...Right."

    Even Donatien found himself shocked at the judgment of Strife, who quickly parted as he sprinted through the forest in pursuit of the two unknowns.

    He could sense their movements? Not even I could see something like that, Donatien thought.

    "Listen, Charlotte."

    "Mm?"

    The girl looked up at the man with a puzzled, nk look--still being held like a puppy before being set down onto the ground. Though they were allies, it was rare that they ever interacted--that much was amon connection most had with Donatien, the man who usually stayed within the boundaries of his own room.

    "That battlefield--it is not a forgiving ce."

    "...?"

    "What I mean to say is--the level of the two men fighting there, Avdima, Fai--I doubt you will find yourself of much use there. Frankly. I believe you will only get in the way."

    Donatien stood himself up, averting his gaze as his harsh words fell upon the young girl''s ears. Contesting the words from the man recognized as the mind of the Ounders, alongside Beatrice, was something she knew she had no ce to do, but still--she felt she had to.

    "Then what do you want me to do��?"

    "Wait right here. When everything is over, I''lle get--"

    "I''m not a kid!"

    It was something just as simple as suggesting he''d retrieve her like a grade-school child that made the meek girl shout out. Though it wasn''t that that slight implication alone set her off, but the building, bubbling feeling of uselessness and belittlement reaching its boiling point.

    "...I''m an Ounder, too! I was summoned here for a reason! I--"

    "That''s right! You were summoned here because Beatrice is a heartless, inhuman witch who is indifferent to which tools she takes and breaks! Is that it?! Is that the guidance you''d like to follow?!"

    "I...I��"

    The yells from Donatien were no different from that of a reprimansive teacher or a scolding, angered parent. It wasn''t the authority he held by his strength or status as a core Ounder that made his words as sharp as knives to her, but simply as an adult she respected and idolized.

    "You''re a child, Charlotte. I will not have you fall in this world for that woman''s goals; I am damned enough as it is you even had to confront an Argonaut."

    "...I can handle myself!"

    Persisting despite the tears that welled up, Charlotte yelled out in protest as she kept her hands close to her chest.

    "Hm?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I won--I won my own way! Strife is on our side now because of what I did! I''m not just a kid, or a healer--I can fight too! In my own way!"

    Charlotte''s words were coiled in the tears she held back; she knew well that showing such fragility to the pragmatic Ounder would diminish her chances of him listening to her own words. Falling to silence for a few moments, Donatien raised his hands to the bridge of his nose as Charlotte watched with confusion, it seemed as if the man was attempting once again to push up his non-existent sses.

    "Eis."

    Whispering the name of the element, Donatien gathered a frost in front of his face before it stretched itself and solidified, forming makeshift sses formed of clear ice that he adjusted with a slight, satisfied smile.

    "Fine then."

    "...Really?!"

    "I can''t deny that what you aplished with that elf is a victory--no, a resolution far more valuable than the simple destruction of another. I have my doubts about him still, but if he pulls through--we''ve gained an invaluable ally."

    "Seriously...how are we still alive, Manfred?"

    "Ask me that after we leave this ce and I''ll dly answer that! Still...we have to support Avdima. That is, if we want any chance at bing Argonauts--this is our chance!"

    Running alongside one another, the two dearrades moved through the forest with bodies d in sweat, fear, and adrenaline. Even as low-hanging branches smacked against his feet, their bristly form colliding with his skin, he could hardly feel the sensation as he ran and ran alongside Manfred.

    "Look out---!"

    Suddenly, he was pulled aside by his friend as they fell behind a tree; no questions left his lips as he witnessed the reasoning for such an abrupt action being taken by his own vision. An arrow moving at a blurred speed flew through the air, the wind hissing at such precise, sharp speeds.

    "An arrow��? Don''t tell me��"

    Standing himself up, Leon brushed the leaves and dirt from his uniform before unveiling himself from his hidden position, spreading his arms out and waving as his eyes confirmed it for him.

    The unmistakable, sable and crimson cloak belonged to the elven Argonaut, who slowly approached him from roughly ten meters away.

    "Hey, Golden-Eye! I''m so d to see you--how is it going--"

    Leon''s relief diminished into a harrowing realization as he watched the elven man draw the string of his bow back, being on the receiving end of a sight most daunting. It was something any who aspired to be an Argonaut knew well--the infamous uracy of Golden-Eye, the bow-wielding Argonaut.

    "That was a warning shot just a moment ago. You know very well that I won''t miss my next arrow."

    "What��?"

    "I''m paying forward the kindness shown to me; I know you two aren''t bad people--you''re just kids. Leave here and never show your faces to the Ounders again."

    As Strife spoke calmly, Leon was still left puzzled--the blonde-haired, livelyrade of his stepped out from his position behind the tree with a tinge of redness to his paleplexion.

    "You betrayed us--?!"

    "Manfred?!"

    "I knew we couldn''t trust a no-name, elvish bastard like yourself��! The first chance you get to run, you take it, huh?! Well, we aren''t cowards! We''re going to be Argonauts!"

    If it wasn''t boundless optimism, then it was ming anger from Manfred, who believed just as fervently as Leon in the prestige of the Argonauts.

    "Right, Leon?!"

    "...Yeah!"

    Nodding his head in affirmation of hisrade''s resolve, Leon looked forward now with a confidence that could only exist when standing beside a man he considered his own brother.

    Still, Strife looked less than impressed as his eyes squinted, further drawing the string of his bow back as sweat poured down both of the executioner''s foreheads.

    "I do have a name; it''s Strife. The Argonauts are the ones who stripped me of it. It wasn''t just that--my family, my homnd, my childhood--all taken away from me so that I could be a weapon for them."

 Chapter 257 - Vanquish And Anguish

    "I...I don''t buy your bullshit one bit!"

    Doubling down, Manfred swiped his hand as he rejected the words of the calm, bow-wielding elf. Though, Leon himself found the words to be genuine; in a situation like this, it was really the only exnation for the sudden betrayal--but he knew Manfred was too hot-headed for reason right now.

    Even if that''s the case...He betrayed the Argonauts. I can''t stand idly and let someone like him go, Leon thought.

    Stillness sat in the forest plunged into war and rain as the two opposing forces stared each other down. It was Manfred who took the initiative, swiftly grabbing the hilt of his de to unsheath it--only for a sharpness to halt the endeavor.

    Both Leon and Manfred slowly checked in unison, bringing their gazes to the hand of the blonde-haired, vigorous young man.

    That unseen, swift strike was the arrowunched by Strife; Manfred''s thumb and index finger had been cleanly shot from his dominant, sword-wielding hand with utmost precision.

    "Gaah��!"

    Letting out a pained scream, Manfred grabbed hispromised hand as arterial fluid squirted out from the open ends of his lost digits, falling to his knees.

    "You bastard��!"

    Without thinking, Leon''s hand instinctively went for his de, but stopped as he recognized what had just urred with hisrade--freezingpletely as he felt he just backed away from a threshold that must not be crossed.

    "Good. It seems you understand."

    Strife said calmly; he already had another arrow pulled back alongside the magnificent string of his bow, pointed directly at the aspiring Argonaut.

    "With your thumb and index finger gone, you won''t be able to wield your sword. That makes only one of you capable of fighting, but you know that is a futile effort. I will say it once more; go. Fighting in vain for the sake of such an organization...the Argonauts aren''t worthy of such loyalty."

    Even if the silver-haired elf standing before them, drawing arrows with the cobalt string of his infamous bow, was one they recognized as an enemy--he was still one powerful enough to earn the status of an Argonaut.

    If it wasn''t respect for his values, it was an admiration of his strength that made them listen to his voice more than the fall of rain.

    "You''ll let us go��?"

    "Leon---?!"

    Even in his injured, bleeding state, Manfred wasn''t pleased with the feeling he felt from hisrade, looking at him with his trembling, hazel eyes.

    "That''s right. Manfred, is it? I know of your rare magic affinity, life, right?"

    "...?!"

    Leon turned to his friend, who averted his gaze from the knowing, golden irises of Strife as if something had been uncovered.

    "I recognize it is rather potent in its regenerative abilities; that''s why the arrow I used on you wasced with a special ointment--the liquidized form of a special nt only found in Akitein, "Nyxia". It negates healing properties and expedites blood loss, which I''m sure you''ve noticed."

    "You��!"

    "Leon, stop!"

    As he took a single step, cing his hand on the handle of his de out of rising anger, he wasn''t stopped out of fear of his own life this time, but the shaky call of hisrade.

    "He''s right��"

    Taking a good look at Manfred, the lively friend of his had grown pale in just the short time since being inflicted with his injury.

    "It''s not meant to kill you; I''d say you have a good few hours--however, it is a long run from here to any nearby towns, if they have the proper remedies. If you try to stand against me, I assure you even if by some miracle you win, it won''t be swift."

    "You sneaky bastard��!"

    It was Leon''s choice, and he realized this very well. As he turned his concerned eyes to Manfred, the dear friend of his was hunched over as he held his bleeding hand, huffing as sweat escaped his pores in droves.

    "Alright, we''ll go��"

    "Amendable decision."

    Strife lowered his bow as well as his head for a moment, watching as the young executioner with gray and brown hair helped his injuredrade walk, holding his arm around his shoulder as they turned their backs to him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Leon��"

    The whisper was as faint as one of his breaths, it was purposefully released alongside one of his breaths so that it would meet only Leon''s ears.

    "Huh?"

    "On my mark, we''ll attack."

    "But��!"

    "Shh."

    It was a look he''d seen only a few times in Manfred''s eyes; a concerning, chilling gaze that saw nothing but the promise of victory. Those eyes that usually shined bright with boundless vigor and confidence--they were now the absolute form of that very figure; holding the raw, untampered conviction of a man who truly believed he was in the right.

    There''s no way I can stop him. When he''s like this...he''d attack me before admitting defeat. That''s the kind of guy Manfred is, and why he rose up the ranks of executioners so swiftly. Once he truly believes something, once he is set that one is deemed evil--he will enact justice, Leon thought.

    Being so close to his friend, having his arm over his shoulder, he could feel the heartbeat of Manfred, pumping with a rising intensity; so loud he suspected it was merely his ears listening in from the outside. Besides that, his body was incredibly hot, his pale skin mixing in with a cherryplexion like a deathly fever--however, it was the opposite.

    Manfred''s life magic was kicking into overdrive; as he was now, his adrenaline was magnified beyond normal limitations.

    Gulping, Leon nodded his head in agreement with the leader of his executioner squad''s n.

    If I can''t stop him, then I''ll follow him--even if we''re walking into an early grave. An Argonaut doesn''t retreat, once they sink their teeth into something, they swallow whole! Leon thought.

    "...Go!"

    The two young men then dashed in opposite directions, making it impossible in that split second for Strife to choose his target.

    Fools, Strife thought.

    Looking down at the des of grass, slick with the fresh rainfall, he pulled the ivory arrow back along the sublime string once more as he raised his gaze, listening to the frantic footsteps of the young men that attempted to obscure themselves in the thickness of the night-shrouded foliage.

    Right now, I don''t know if I''m a good or bad person. More than being returned to my original self, it feels as if I was simply born today.

    All I know is that such things are fickle; changing with each person you ask. So, if you choose to be enemies of Charlotte, who is a good person, then to me--you''re bad. If I kill you, I will be a good person to her since I''ve taken care of her enemies.

    That is all I know; I am a child in a man''s body as I am right now. I am not mature enough to do everything I can to spare you, Leon, Manfred--I''m sorry, he thought.

    Dashing out from the trees in exaggerated leaps that briefly parted the path of the rainfall, the two executioners held their glistening, silver des to the air with faces packed with the resolve to fight. Their eyes looked at him withplete contempt, a fact that somewhat saddened the heart of the ignorant elf as he stood there with his bow drawn.

    I just hope that you won''t condemn me simply because we''re enemies, he thought.

    Releasing his hold of the arrow, it flung through the air with such fervor, parting the showers of the cloud''s essence before swiftly meeting its target. Deep it plunged into the chest of the blonde-haired young man as his brief time in the air came to a close as his assault was thwarted by the arrow.

    To Leon, time had never felt so slow; watching with a body that wouldn''t respond to such minuscule, passing fragments of time as the projectile struck his dearest friend. Needless to say, the resolve to fight he wrapped so tightly around his sword shifted into a spectrum of softened emotions as he didn''t follow through with his attack.

    "Manfred!"

    As if forgetting he was in a battle, Leon dropped his sword as he rushed over to the side of his friend, who wasid out on his back with the long, exotic arrow lodged directly into his chest. Taking a closer look with his eyes blurred by building tears, Leon could only release a pained, strained gasp.

    "No...no...no��"

    He wanted to pluck that arrow out of his friend, extending his shaky hand--but he knew.

    "I aimed directly for his heart. There isn''t much you can--"

    "Shut up!"

    I know dammit...I know I can''t do anything, Leon thought.

    Even with that angered yell, Leon didn''t turn to so much as look at the man who released the lethal arrow, leaving his eyes only on hisrade, who seemed to look right past him--directly at the stars. Sitting there by his side, he watched as that vibrant, endless energy that inhabited the eyes of his friend began to dull as moments passed.

 Chapter 258 - A Burden Carried Forth

    The elf simply stood there, witnessing something he felt was necessary for him to watch--and only watch.

    If I dared do something now...I''d win, but I''d lose something much more important, Strife thought.

    "...Leon��"

    "Yeah?...Manfred?!"

    Weakly, with a hand that held nothing, Manfred reached out to those sulking clouds as if seeing the glistening stars that sat above them in the faraway celestial ne.

    "Were our dreams...too big for us?"

    As his hand swayed in the air without anything to hold onto, his fingers subtly moving as if trying to touch anything, even the falling raindrops, his hand was grabbed tightly with Leon''s own, who squeezed it fervently.

    "Hell no! Don''t you dare say that--if those were yourst words, I''d punch you, dammit!"

    Those passionate words from Leon earned a chuckle from hispromised friend, who gasped sharply as even that small expression of reprieve brought on further pain.

    "Now you sound like me...I don''t know if that''s good...or bad��"

    "Manfred!"

    Leon could feel the hand he held weaken its side of the hold, the hazel eyes of his friend losing their shine in nearpletion.

    "Leon��"

    "Yeah��?"

    "Do it for me...kick this guy''s ass and be an Argonaut. Even if it ends up being corrupt...change it from the inside. Be...a hero, a champion...show the world why you lived and I didn''t��"

    The rain was indifferent to the somber scene; falling upon the two young men as utterances ceased and Leon''s own tears mixed in with that of the showers.

    "I will."

    As I held his hand, so warm and thriving with vigor, I didn''t realize it immediately. That boundless warmth that in reality was a scalding heat that surely would''ve burnt the skin right off my hand if it weren''t for my gloves, was a gathering of life mana.

    That verdant, potent warmth flowed straight from my fingertips and through my veins, running so naturally through my body as if it were my own blood.

    "Life", it''s a rare magical ability, but just because it''s rare doesn''t mean it''s especially powerful. In fact, most people look down on wielders of the unique magic. You can''t throw fireballs, move nature, or summon great tides like the other affinities.

    It''s not shy and it won''t win you fights. It supplies you with heft stamina and exorbitant will, can increase your defensive reinforcement, and even heal you. But...despite itsvish name, "Life" is a selfish magic.

    With the lively essence it provides its wielder, their life expectancy will rise--they''ll likely outlive their friends and family.

    With its regenerative properties--they''ll likely survive battles theirrades won''t.

    All you can do really is protect yourself, for the most part, the tiny bit of healing it can do for others is vastly outshined bymon light or water healing spells.

    Still, Manfred didn''t let it stop him.

    I learned--there is a secret ability unique only to life magic--something sopletely useless for the wielder that it''sughable. But in a moment like this, it was anything but useless.

    The transfer of one''s magic to another.

    As we touched hands, exchanged nces and words--acts that cemented themselves into the end of the man I called my friend,rade, and brother--a gift was parted to me.

    The most selfish magic of all was for once--selfless.

    With the departure of magic from one to another, what came with it wasn''t simply the usage of the verdant mysticism itself.

    Leon felt it immediately, he recognized it in that moment--it was something theorized about, talked about with such certainty amongst the world that nobody questioned its existence, yet there was no definitive proof of it.

    The soul. That precious, unreachable concept of a profound value transferred itself into Leon;bining itself with the presence already inhabiting his body, melding together into something new. That was the essence of life magic; an all-in-one aspect of the caster themselves.

    Inheriting such an affinity meant also inheriting Manfred as well.

    I ept, he said without any hesitation.

    Graciously weing this, the fusing of the two souls--two, individual, yet intertwined lives, memories, experiences, consciousnesses--the young man that opened his eyes once more with verdant irises now wasn''t simply Leon, at least, he wasn''t the boy that once stood before Strife.

    I never realized it until that moment--the two of our abilities were like two pieces of arger part; nearly useless on their own...but when put together--something greater came of it. They were a perfect match.

    My own ability; "Abandon", grants my body greatly amplified strength, but it isn''t something without a price of its own. The strain is too much to bear even for the minimum use of the ability tost more than a few minutes; my blood boils up like water in a kettle, my muscles inte and tear from the stress, my heart beats to the tempo of sprinting feet--I get so nauseous that I puke my guts out, not long after that is when things get really dangerous.

    However, with something like life magic, that demerit isn''t even a factor anymore.

    Something''s different; that boy...his mana signature--it''s amplified greatly. This feeling...it''s the same as his friend--is something like that even possible?...The transference of one''s own magic to another? Strife thought.

    He watched curiously with a shocked suspicion as the silver-haired young man stood himself back up--the strength he stood with was not the fleeting, trembling vigor of a man taken by emotion.

    In fact, it seemed the passing of hisrade revitalized him--a new shine inhabiting his changed eyes they met with Strife''s.

    "All of these memories, experiences, emotions...they''re yours, aren''t they, Manfred?"

    Leon spoke quietly to himself as he looked at his hand, clenching his fist tightly shut as the sable leather of his glove squelched.

    I can feel it--even without invoking it; Manfred''s life magic didn''t simply be another asset, it merged with my own magic. Is this the true nature of life magic��? Something that must be cultivated, nurtured, and passed along like this? But the cost of such a thing...Manfred, Leon thought.

    "You''ve changed, haven''t you? It would be a silly question if it weren''t something I''ve witnessed with my own two eyes��they aren''t inclined to deceive me."

    Strife spoke with his bow resting in his hands, but still ready to attack at any given moment if need be.

    "A bit ago, you looked at me with eyes resolved to fight��a resolve born from a fear of death, nothing else��a coward''s conviction. Now, those eyes you look at me��vibrant, not sad, but mourning. It''s as if you epted the loss of your friend despite weeping just a moment ago. Those tears are still clinging to your cheeks, but your expression is indifferent to me��when you should be bubbling with a vengeful rage."

    The way Strife spoke, it wasn''t anything meant with malice��the man recently born anew simply found himself gued by puzzlement at the development before him.

    Rain continued to spill atop the sable cloth of Leon''s uniform as he looked down for a moment, watching as the blood of his friend washed from his garments.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yeah��you''re right. It''s strange, isn''t it?"

    Looking up directly at the source of the continuous downpour, he didn''t know where exactly to ce the feeling in his heart.

    I''m calm. My heart is gently beating, my breath is smooth��yet, it feels like something is wrong, he thought.

    Tracing his finger along his cheek drenched in the cold grace of the rain, he found his answer through deeper realization.

    That''s right��this is what life magic is like, isn''t it? I can feel it; the vibrant, verdant mana of rejuvenation pumping through my body solely to rid these thoughts. I can''t even be upset, he thought.

    "I imagine you won''t deny your friend''s final request."

    "Yeah. That''s right."

    With a new finesse as he picked up the sword that sat against the moist soil, Leon flipped the handle between his fingers as his eyes stayed on the elvish bowman.

    "I believe in a situation like this��it is most respectful if I don''t hold back."

    The moment Strife''s finger twitched to entail his raise of the bow, Leon dashed forward with a speed that momentarily took the elf by surprise. It was due only to his unique eyes that he was able to track his foe and adjust his attention, jumping back as he swiftly unleashed an arrow in a single movement.

    Abandon: Stage Two, Leon thought.

    It was painful, but nothing his improved self couldn''t handle as his heightened physicality allowed him to deflect the casual arrow.

    "You said you wouldn''t hold back. I know that isn''t an arrow shot by an Argonaut."

    "I suppose what I meant is that I''d face you in a proper fight; this is how I battle��I don''t blindly throw in my maximum strength. I would advise bing overconfident."

    It was clear that the emerald-eyed young man didn''t want to listen to the elf''s words as he sprinted once more with his new speed, kicking off a tree as a tform to bring himself closer to Strife, who chose to upy a tree branch as his vantage point.

    "Even if you''ve gained strength--your movements are far too novice."

    Without attempting to dodge the iing sword strike, Strife simply retrieved another arrow from his boundless bow, calmly and elegantly drawing it back as a sapphire glow emanated from its form. Leon could see it; with the new eyes afforded to him by virtue of his new magical energy.

    He''s moving as if time runs differently for him--the way he grabs an arrow from his quiver, brings his bow up, and draws the string back--all as if it''s one action. This is the level of an Argonaut, Leon thought.

    Knowing his strike will fail, he changed his form halfway into the air, using his de as if it were a shield as the impact of the arrow came a moment sooner than he expected--crashing against the steel he held in front of his chest yet still sending him crashing against the ground.

    All of the air was sucked right out of his lungs, breathing in the nothingness of the absent winds as he gasped for air.

    ...This is the point I have to reach. He hasn''t even used magic on me yet. I don''t care what he says--the bastard is still holding back! Leon thought.

    Abandon: Stage Four!

    It was arge jump, feeling his muscles tighten as his veins pressed against his skin--but the difort granted him physical prowess like never before. Using just the kick of his legs, he brought himself back to his feet and ran in one action.

    "Thaumas: Mountain Eroder!"

    Yelling out fervently the name of the spell, Leon coated the de he held tightly in his hands with the essence of flowing water, dragging it behind him as he leaped towards Strife, this time opting for a spinning maneuver as the water acted as an abrasive wheel.

    The baseline arrowunched by the golden-eyed elf was thwarted by the torrent of the magically-conjured water, being deflected with ease.

    "...Take this seriously, dammit!"

    Finishing his attack, Leon mmed his de towards the elvish man as the attached water followed, piercing the soil beneath in a whirlpool of physical and magical energy being released.

    As the geyser of water resulting from his attack dissipated while he huffed, once more he watched as Strife proved to be unreachable for him, having more than dodged the attack by arge margin.

    "As I said--your movements are too obvious."

    All he could do was listen to the words in hope that his opponent would allow him to gather his breath. Wiping the sweat from his lip, he checked his hand to see blood had sat on the edge of his mouth.

    Even with life magic, I''m not used to the strain of level four yet. There''s no way I thought I was going to defeat an Argonaut as I am, right��? Manfred, I�� Leon thought.

    "...Why didn''t you attack?"

    Leon''s question came out sharply as he slowly stood back up, looking at the silver-haired elf that stood a good ten meters away.

    "..."

    "You''re still trying to spare me, aren''t you? After you killed--"

    "Just because he fell--doesn''t mean you have to as well. I doubt he would''ve wanted you to die."

    Strife''s words only served to further send Leon into a fit of anger as he clenched his fists tightly shut, digging his boots into the mud below.

    "Shut up��! You don''t know a damn thing about him! His...hisst request--I''m supposed to beat you!"

    "And did he specify that it had to be on this night?"

    As calm as ever, the words from Strife''s lips trapped the contempt-filled words of the silver and brown-haired boy into his throat as he bit down on his lip, dropping to his knees right into the loose, freshly formed mud beneath him.

    Even as I am now...I can''t fight, Manfred. Even with your power, I''m still too weak, he thought.

    "...I''d like to think I am someone that tries my best not to kill children. Maybe once you be a man, I''ll indulge your friend''s final request."

    Though those words from the elf met his ringing ears, by the time Leon looked up, Strife was already far gone from his sight, leaving him alone in the war-torn forest amidst the rainy, somber night.

    Sitting there on his knees, looking at the formless mud as small waves formed beneath the fall of the constant rain, he didn''t know how long he sat there, just staring aimlessly without any thoughts rinsing through his mind.

    He didn''t know what it was that brought him back to his feet, but he slowly lumbered towards the body of the fallenpanion of his; hoisting him up into his arms with the smallest of smiles, one brimming with sadness, but a slight relief at the familiar face.

    "Let''s go home, Manfred."

 Chapter 259 - Amidst The Dark Rain

    It was a simple thrust of his fist, an action any man could take at any moment, but the difference was felt by the ck-haired, pale Argonaut as he defended against it with his bare arms. The impact didn''t stop at just the body of Avdima, shattering the ground behind the man from the sheer force alone.

    All the same, Fai smiled wide as he sank into the sacred dance--a performance so rare, a precious thing to him that he held close to his heart.

    This guy--I can go all-out against him! My heart is beating so rapidly with excitement!...Avdima! Fai thought.

    Caressing his form, a subtle, but existing, golden aura ran along the edges of Fai''s body as he continued throwing his fists in a variety of ways towards the defending Argonaut. Even while defending against the flurry of attacks, Avdima''s eyes never left Fai himself, watching him carefully with those somber, inhuman, sable gems.

    Strange, it seems the Vessel of Mncholy was taken down by that familiar of his. As I thought; everyone they gave me for this mission was useless, Avdima thought.

    Each throw of a fist felt immacte steel, being flung against the arms of the Argonaut with such ferocious, untampered force that the force traveled throughout every inch of his body. The next solid punch sent Avdima sliding back on his feet before his back collided against a tree, looking at his arms with his bored eyes as steam emanated from his forearms.

    "Starting to regret it? Meeting me in a dance of fists?"

    Still hopping in ce with seemingly boundless energy, Fai confidently smiled as his words seemed to egg his opponent on--as subtle as Avdima''s reactions may be.

    "...I just don''t understand."

    "Hm?"

    Avdima''s words were so softly spoken that it was impossible to tell if he was angered or simply speaking calmly, brushing the fallen sediment of the tree off from his shoulders as he stood himself up straight.

    "How can you be so cocky when I haven''t even so much as revealed my ability to you yet?"

    Despite all of the attacks he endured on his arms, Avdima couldn''t seem less phased as he spoke calmly.

    This guy; he''s something else, Fai thought.

    "Show me then!"

    "Make me use it."

    In that fraction of a second, the Argonaut who wore his hair in two, spiky buns, was directly in front of Fai, rearing back a fist shrouded in dense, cold darkness.

    Being a practitioner of martial arts for most of his life, he could tell--Avdima''s form was wild and unrefined as if simply throwing his fist at him without any semnce of style at all. Still, it was all he needed.

    The moment that fist covered in such abundant dark mana collided against Fai''s raised guard, the impact sent a howl of energy through the field.

    Before Fai could even register the gnawing pain that was sent through the aching bone of his arm, his hair had been clenched tightly in that all-powerful hand of Avdima''s. All he saw was that bored, pale face before being mmed down, face-first into the ground below with tremendous, unstoppable force.

    "I thought you''d at least be able to stimte my boredom for just a bit, but you''re hardly different from the rest. All talk and little bite; I guess that''s the legacy of Fai Meng."

    Kneeling in front of the face-down man, Avdima retained his grip on the man''s hair, lifting him up from the caved-in portion of the soil. With a nose dripping with blood, it was an unexpected expression from the tan-skinned man--he simply smiled at Avdima as his eyes shot open.

    From that unorthodox position, being almostpletely horizontal to the ground, Fai pressed the toes down against the ground as the most minute level of footing afforded to him before unleashing a vicious, unseen uppercut directly on the chin of the Argonaut.

    Though the force of the surprise uppercut didn''tunch the man back, it gave Fai enough time to free himself from the iron-grip of Avdima, leaping to his feet as brushed the dirt from his face with a heavy-breathed smile.

    "I''ll have you know--I''m just getting started here!"

    Still squatting down, Avdima looked nkly at the ground before caressing his chin that received the harsh impact, rising slowly as he set his ck irises on the boisterous opponent.

    "...That''s good to know. I guess I''ll indulge that confidence of yours a bit."

    cing his hands forward in an odd gesture, Avdima intertwined his index and middle fingers as a malevolent aura rose from his form.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A spell? Fai thought.

    Waiting to hear an incantation, none came to Fai''s ears as he was unprepared for the rapid burst of violent darkness that tunneled towards him, eating up the soil in its path before colliding against his body.

    Shit, shit, shit! He thought.

    There was no choice but to be swallowed by the dark assault, feeling it envelop him in a storm of rabid darkness that pelted against his skin, pulling on it, and grinding against it. He watched as the particles of transfigured darkness ran across his skin--it set into his body an unimaginable pain, but didn''t seem focused on leaving him injured.

    This is...great magic. It came without any incantations...I really got stuck with a monster of an opponent, didn''t I? Fai thought.

    Simultaneously, all across his body, the shadows worked in unison to torture his skin with only superficial damage. It was a herculean task in itself to attempt to think or focus in the painful storm of darkness, his entire body twitching and convulsing beneath the hold of the powerful torrent.

    Fighting against its hold only quickened the evaporation of his stamina, feeling his arms fall limp as the countless particles pressed against his body with ungodly pressure. The minuscule, countless swarms of darkness acted like locusts, gathering around him as the dark-filled airs filled his lungs with bitter, unbreathable air.

    It was excruciating; a pain that tested the resolve of a warrior. Digging his pores, pressing his flesh against his bone, and grinding relentlessly, he wanted to scream out--but even that act brought hesitation.

    "Dammit...all!"

    With his eyes bloodshot from the fast-setting pain, Fai yelled out with such exertion, not caring if his vocal cords ripped in the process--all while unleashing an unprejudiced burst of mes from his body, allowing their radiant, crimson fury to free him from the hold of the suffocating darkness.

    It all happened within just a few seconds, but the result left his limbs throbbing and aching, his muscles feeling as if they had just been worked for a week straight as he huffed out, exuding his stress through heavy breaths.

    "...You''re a real piece of work, aren''t you?"

    Fai asked in between huffs, lifting his arm that wished to remain limp as he wiped ayer of sweat from his chin, looking up with eyes that yearned to close.

    "If you fell to a single spell, I''d never forgive the disappointment you bestowed upon me."

    "Yeah, yeah...Let''s get on with it."

    I can barely move. No, that''s a lie...I can''t move, heh. That''s a hell of a spell--it wasn''t meant to injure me, I think, but it drew me toplete exhaustion in such a short time, Fai thought.

    He could only watch as Avdima walked towards him with that dull look in his eyes, carrying fists packed with plentiful darkness and power behind him. Taking in a breath then releasing it; it was the only thing he was able to let his body do as sweat dripped from his body as bountiful as the rain.

    "Survive this one--if you can still move."

    Avdima stopped in ce as he brought his hands together once more, parting them to reveal a mass of growing, splendid darkness between his palms. Just staring at it, Fai felt its cold, indifferent nature--an energy utilized for nothing more than destruction.

    This is it, huh? The Great Fai Meng, a young, cocky bastard with nothing to his name...his end. Done in by two spells. Heh...I guess I might as well ept it, he thought.

    Forcing himself to stand tall despite his body''s depletion of stamina, he trembled but nheless brought his stance proper; standing tall as he raised his chin, looking directly at the Argonaut with his resolved eyes.

    "Come. I''m ready, Avdima."

    Seeing that look in his exhausted, but prepared eyes, Avdima returned his gaze--amplifying the spell he manifested between his palms.

    "Fai Meng, though you may be an enemy of mine, I admire your strength and resolve. If you weren''t an otherworlder then maybe��"

    "Get on with it! Don''t pity me now, Avdima!"

    Using whatever strength he had left, Fai pped his own chest harshly as he yelled out. It was the first time he saw vulnerability in the man who seemed detached from human emotion--but he''d be damned if that was thest look he received.

 Chapter 260 - The Grace Of A Comrade

    The Argonaut simply nodded his head as he raised his hands, weaving the enigmatic spell into furtherpletion as it revealed its daunting form; gathering into a spiral of darkness, spinning with such ferocity and power--it was something Fai knew well spelled the end of him.

    Closing his eyes, he continued to draw in rough breaths.

    Is this really it? Dying alone--the only person beside me being my own enemy. It''s a sad end. I wouldn''t wish it on anyone.

    Qiu...are you watching me right now? You don''t have any right to judge how I go out...but, still��

    There''s still so much I haven''t done yet--is it normal to face your end with so many regrets? I haven''t defeated Sirius once yet, ate some of that new cake recipe Charlotte is learning, I have yet to see Ren be a proper man yet--I don''t know if he is even still alive.

    Am I really fine with this? Going out like this?

    Clenching his fists tightly as sweat coated seemingly every inch of his body, he opened his eyes once more--this time, they burned with a reignited passion, a second ze.

    "The hell I am!"

    From the pits of his stomach, he ignited it--the fiery essence of his magic that constantlyid within him. Coaxing that me, he allowed it to spread throughout him. To Avdima''s surprise, the tan, ponytailed man moved--bringing his hand together in what looked like a prayer.

    It hurts like hell--feels like a damn fire is lit just beneath my skin. But, if I want to live, this is the price! He thought.

    Even with this passion for life born anew, this momentary second stand came a moment toote as Avdima''s spell cemented itself as a full-product. There it sat above his hand that pointed towards the stars; a spiral of dark energy that inhabited an even greater, denser darkness in its center.

    "I''m d you could die fighting, Fai. Now--die and fall to ruin!"

    With a wave of his hand, Avdima unleashed the true nature of the spell as its ever-spiraling form opened to reveal a gateway of absolute darkness; looking into an abyss melded of nothingness, bearing dread, death, and absence of life.

    From it unleashed a gathered, condensed force of this abyss-unching out as a pir of that which stood as the antithesis of life itself--directly towards Fai.

    Move, body, move! We''re really going to die!...Shit! He thought.

    Despite his best efforts, any movements he managed to incur came far too slow for the fastly approaching mass of abyssal darkness.

    "This isn''t very like you, Fai."

    It wasn''t Avdima''s voice to speak to him; it was familiar, but from its abrupt appearance, the man on the threshold of death couldn''t ce it. Before he realized it, a sheet of ice stretched out beneath his feet, rising into a ramp that caused him to fall backward, sliding down it rapidly and helplessly.

    "Woah--crap!"

    With a harsh impact, he stopped as his head hit the wall of the newly-formed frost. Wincing and rubbing his head, he looked up to see a sight he didn''t expect.

    "Donatien!?"

    "The very one and only."

    Their reunion was interrupted as both of them turned to look at the ramp of thick, durable ice begin to crack before the spiraling assault of darkness blew away its form; sending a powerful gust carrying with it chunks of ice against the two men.

    "...I''m right to believe that monster is Avdima?"

    "Yeah."

    "You don''t like to be hurt...why is it you''re so badly fatigued?"

    Donatien observed the rapid breaths the exhaustedrade of his took in as he helped the man stand to his feet.

    "He used some sort of stamina-draining spell before I had the chance to get serious! Really, he ims to want a good fight then pulls that��"

    "Don''t get distracted; keep your head in the battle."

    Reliable; that was the one word that came to Fai''s mind as he looked at Donatien''s back as the lean, yet muscr man stepped in front of him. It was clear he had been through a battle already himself, but he didn''t hesitate to step into another one.<novelnext></novelnext>

    That''s just the kind of guy he is. If something needs to be done, he''ll make sure it gets done--no matter the state he''s in. He''s the unspoken backbone of the Ounders, the leader nobody refers to--Donatien! Fai smiled.

    Letting out a cold breath through his lips as he puffed his chest out with his arms held up at his sides, Donatien prepared himself.

    "I''m going to buy you some time to recover--so get some rest."

    "Huh?!...There''s no damn way I''m sitting back while--"

    "Fai! This is our best route to victory. Put your trust in me; I''ve got things handled."

    It was an arduous task to argue with the tactician of the Ounders himself as he adjusted his sses as he always did. Though it felt wrong, Fai begrudgingly nodded his head as he stayed back, watching as Donatien slowly made his way to the battlefield.

    The residual winds left by the impact of Avdima''s spell and Donatien''s wall of ice had been upying the field with a dance of ice and darkness, only now dissipating as the twobatants met each other with their eyes.

    "You''re the one Fleisch was supposed to handle. I can assume that means he failed?"

    "That''s right."

    Donatien answered with his ever-present calmness to his voice as his navy hair flowed in the rainy winds, maintaining eye contact with the bleak mirrors of the sable Argonaut.

    Looking at the appearance of the man standing across the field, Avdima squinted his eyes as he slowly took a loose stance.

    He appears to have only a slight shortness of breath, but there are no visible injuries besides a few scratches and a bloody nose. If he can handle that brute with little trouble, he might be a bit of fun, after all, Avdima thought.

    "I was informed you came here with the intention of handling every present threat alone."

    "...?"

    Avdima simply looked at the man as he spoke, watching as he cracked his knuckles. Though the sses made the man with neatlybed-over hair seem like a schr, his hands possessed the calluses of a fighter who trained them diligently. His knuckles were swollen and bulbous; clearly having seen a fair bit of action in their time.

    "Let''s see if you can handle just one."

    Despite these signs of experience, there were no visible blemishes on Donatien''s body--a form without scars or simple bruising.

    This very fact excited Avdima, who reinforced his stance, dding his hands with the same abundant darkness he faced Fai with.

    Against an opponent like this, who can push even Fai to a swift defeat, I can''t afford to take things cautiously as I normally do. I''ll have to go all-out; one-hundred-percent from the start, Donatien thought.

    Drawing a breath in between his slightly parted lips, the same breath left in a frost guidance as Donatien stopped in ce, lowering himself slightly as he crossed his arms, tucking his hands out behind him.

    I can feel it from here; this man could kill me if I hesitate for even a moment. It''ll be over before I even realize what happened, so I only have one approach, he thought.

    It was Avdima who waited for the first move to be made, the courtesy of the strong--or the arrogance of the confidence. This fact was one that Donatien clung to greatly as he gathered his mana to each hand, shifting the air around him to a biting cold.

    In a sudden, aggressive jerk of his arms, he spread them wide like a hawk pping its wings with a vibrant conviction in his hazel eyes.

    "Skadi: Territory of Frost!"

    Releasing the most rampant of storms, snowy winds birthed into existence from Donatien''s call; sheets of ice both ran over the dirt and through it, shifting the integrity of the soil into ice itself as snow caked thisyer of frost.

    The falling rain soon transformed into hail, apanied by gentle, plentiful snowkes. Within moments, the verdant field surrounded by the thick forest was transformed into a howling tundra matched only by the bowels of Primordia.

    Sight waspromised in the abundant storm of white being flung to and from, frosty mist coiling the winds. Movements were brought to a crawl by the quickly rising, entrapping snow formed by the very resolve to burden.

    It''s the very definition of a mage''s "home field advantage"--unless you''re an ice wielder yourself, this environment will be most disadvantageous. The snow will cling to your legs like a whirlpool of quicksand, the bitter, indomitable cold will chip away at your body. It doesn''t matter what kind of powerhouse you are--the cold is inescapable, Donatien thought.

 Chapter 261 - Against You, It Must Be Endless

    "Cold��!"

    Fai hugged himself as he tucked himself into the boundaries of the trees, standing just outside of the perimeter of frost.

    He nearly jumped as a hand suddenly grabbed his trousers, tugging on them as he looked down to see a familiar head of vermillion hair. For a moment, he thought his exhaustion was providing him with hallucinations as he scrubbed his eyes with his forearm before checking again.

    "Charlotte��?! What''re you doing here?"

    "Donatien told me...I''m going to help you recover."

    "Still, you shouldn''t be--"

    "Sit down, there isn''t time for this!"

    Charlotte''s forward words were so unlike her that Fai found himself at a loss, hesitantly sitting down with his back against the tree--still holding his doubts.

    "...nning to dull my movements with this harsh weather? Not a bad n."

    Though he spoke, his quietly spoken words were overthrown by the raging, howling winds of the manifested storm of frost as he ruffled his head of jet-ck, bunned locks.

    Looking up towards the sky, it was tant where the boundaries of the spell-conjured storm lied--like a tube walled in by frost that didn''t dare set out an inch from its designated path, reaching high up into the sky.

    Avdima''s aloof discernment of the spell was punished as spikes of solid ice suddenly protruded from the ground around him, jutting out towards him with vicious intent. A simple knock of the back of his hand shattered one of the approaching spikes while he lifted his knee; the durability of his reinforcement overpowered the material of the steel-like frost, breaking it down into bits and pieces of hail.

    "Impressive utility, but it isn''t exactly much to write home about in offensive power."

    Commenting to himself as he dealt with the spikes without stepping from his spot, Avdima brushed a gathered mound of snow from the shoulder of his somber robes.

    "There is a simple counter-strategy to territorial spells like this��"

    Avdima muttered as he brought his hands together, looking nkly forward at the blinding scenery of raging white as darkness manifested around him.

    This gathering, potent mana was felt as clear as day by Donatien as he remained cautious within the obscuring nature of his territory. The aura exertion of mana that was normal for mages when gathering the proper magical energy for a spell was suffocating as if the air tightened around Donatien''s chest; such a simple concept was transcended by the boundless reservoir within Avdima.

    "Erebus: Between Gaia and Hades."

    With those quietly spoken words, their meaning was found in the screaming, wailing curtains of darkness that swallowed the domain of frost in its entirety; all seemed indifferent to the walls of rapidly stretching darkness, enclosing both Avdima and Donatien in the harrowing, abyssal domain.

    What is this? I can''t see anything, or feel anything for that matter--the constant particles of snow pelting against me, the softness of the white snow beneath my step...it''s gone, Donatien thought.

    It wasplete and utter darkness, all around him. The sounds of powerful winds werepletely absent from one moment to the next, only a daunting hum filling his ears.

    "This is the pinnacle of territorial spells; rather than the manifestation of elements into the open world, this is the innate world of the spell''s nature. What you''re standing in is unequivocal darkness; an isted abyss offset from the real world."

    Avdima''s emotionless, dull voice met Donatien''s ears as if spoken right next to him, but he could see no sign of the dreary-eyed man.

    What the sses-wearing man didn''t know is that Avdima''s hand was right on his shoulder and his lips close to his ear.

    "This domain inhabits the concept of sensory deprivation. In it, you''ll feel nothing, smell nothing, taste nothing, see nothing, and--hear nothing. The only reason my voice meets your ears right now is because I allow it to. By now, you''ve realized it, haven''t you? You can''t move."

    It was correct; as Donatien tried anything, just the most minute action such as twitching his pinky--no sensation was met. All he could do was stand there, existing amongst the abundant darkness.

    He''s a smart guy, so I can''t disclose everything about this territory to him, but still, Avdima thought.

    "It''s not just that...your sense of time will slow to a snail''s pace, your ears will ring and ring until you''re driven mad. It''s regrettable to have to subject one to this, I respect your strength; wielding territory magic is something that usually takes decades of grueling work, but you''ve achieved it. I hope that factforts you within the hold of this abyss, Donatien."

    The Argonaut with tired, ck bags beneath his eyes seemed almost disappointed to be using such magecraft.

    From outside, Fai could see it as his body was being mended by the touch of Charlotte''s gentle water magic; an enormous sphere upied the center of the field, encased in a still, pure darkness.

    "A territory spell��? This guy is always full of surprises--YAUGH!"

    Fai suddenly winced as a sharp pain came to the shoulder that the vermillion-haired girl kept her hands over, utilizing a gentle water that caressed hispromised section.

    "Keep still...it''s only going to take longer if you move so much."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Easy for you to say��"

    A countless number of ck dots scoured the man''s tanned, sweatyered body like chickenpox; it was clear to be the result of Avdima''s great magic, but the nature of the dots was something Charlotte couldn''t figure out.

    Just a gentle poke of her slender finger against one of the freckle-like dots shot a visible jolt of pain through Fai as he grimaced. Though, that brief pain was quickly reced by a harrowing sight--both Fai and the girl healing him looked at the sphere of perfect darkness as a single boot of a ck leather stepped out.

    As if leaving the boundaries of unseen water, Avdima stepped out from the holds of the spherical abyss with his usual stoic, tired look, not so much as lifting his gaze to look at the other two as he slowly approached them.

    "It''s my turn again already, is it��? Heh��"

    Standing himself up slowly with his body still scaled in bruises, Fai chuckled as he cracked his shoulders. His return to his feet wasn''t approved by Charlotte, who reached out to him--to no effect.

    "But you''re still--"

    "I''m fine. It''s not like this guy is going to sit around and wait for me to be fresh for him. It''s your turn to get some rest."

    "Huh��?"

    Charlotte was perplexed by those words that came with a smile from the man, who chuckled a bit as his ponytail swayed in the wind. His hand descended on her head softly, giving her a single pat before he stepped forward.

    "You did good, Charlotte. I feel ready to rumble again! So, sit back and let me handle this!"

    Saying this, Fai stared down Avdima, who walked slowly with no urgency to his step, looking down towards the frosted grass below.

    Putting his hands together, Fai stood tall as ake of stretching, abyssal liquid formed around and beneath his feet, keeping his eyes locked on the Argonaut. Without having to tell the girl a word, Fai could sense Charlotte distance herself from the reach of the pool of shadows.

    Good girl; just sit back and watch me handle this! He thought.

    "I know damn well if I just throw a simple beast at you, you''ll send it back to me in five times as many pieces! That''s why...I''ll do this!"

    Fau gritted his teeth as sweat evacuated his pores in droves; rumbling came from theke of darkness around him as Avdima came to a stop, halting just at the edge of the abrasive pool of abyssal fluids as tremors pushed through the forest.

    "Humbaba!"

    What rose from the depths of the darkness was anything but a simple beast; the face of a lion, baring horns and obsidian scales across its body with ws that more so resembled viscous, refined talons. Standing on all four of its feet, the beast stood taller than its summoner, with a length that resembled an elephant--the thunderous stomps of its casual steps further cemented this size. Its tail was unmistakably sentient; baring fangs of its own at the end as it slithered like a serpent.

    The growl that left its fiery maw reverberated through the forest like a roar, leaving the trees apuding its overwhelming presence.

    "Interesting."

    Avdima muttered as he raised his gaze towards the malevolent beast of a lion waiting at Fai''s side, keeping its emerald, sharpened, feline irises on the Argonaut as growls continued to release from its daunting maw.

    "I''m not done yet��! Rise, Cath Palug!"

    This second call brought on a devastating tremor throughout the pool of shadows as another beast slowly rose from its depths; the sable goo cascaded down its snow-white fur like rain slicking down the back of a coat.

    Its beady eyes carried a blood-red shade, glistening with malice as it set its hungering gaze on the Argonaut as it slowly stepped forward with its massive paws, exhibiting a size simr to the Humbaba.

    You didn''t give me the chance earlier to show you so much as a hint of my true strength--I''ll give you that honor now, Avdima! He thought.

    Inplete honesty, Fai felt he had a bone to pick with the Argonaut now--for a more personal, petty reason. Being nearly done in by the spell he deemed in his mind as "cheap", he felt there was a lot he had to prove at this point.

    I''m really feeling it by now; summoning all of these creatures...it feels like my muscles are set on fire. I owe you one, Wukong...you really saved my ass--no, all of our asses back there. I don''t know what kind of enemy drove you to those lengths, but you were strong enough to get it done. Now--we''ll handle things from here, Fai thought.

    "Fai Meng."

    Without so much as a reaction to the enormous behemoths of feline creatures encircling him now, Avdima calmly spoke out the name of the man who faced him down. All Fai could do was raise a questioning eyebrow at the call from the dreary-looking, youthful man.

    "Don''t dull the memory of the strong warrior I have in my mind; fighting meaninglessly despite the odds...isn''t graceful. Show me that you subverting the death I nned to give you was the right choice."

    "You''re pretty cocky, you know that? Fighting meaninglessly, with only a miracle fueling my chances, that''s when I do my best! Let''s go---!"

    Thest words yelled energetically from the shirtless martial artist''s mouth weren''t for Avdima, but for the mythical felines that patiently encircled the Argonaut with their salivating, hungering maws as they finally began to charge at the pale-skinned man.

 Chapter 262 - Behind The Destroyer

    Each downfall of their heavy paws brought down to the world a daunting tremor, the simultaneous sprint of both creatures releasing an orchestra of savagery in their step.

    The two behemoth-sized felines came at Avdima from both sides, causing the man to take a stance topensate for this; spreading his feet and extending both arms out straight.

    "Hmh!"

    With but a grunt and a flex of his body, the tiresome Argonaut unleashed from both palms a powerful st of vtile darkness; releasing with a form simr to a fiery explosion, only inhibiting the darkness of the shadows he wielded masterfully. The two, separately released sts of matter-destroying darkness reached to each edge of the field--the reach of these attacks easily consuming both beasts.

    Settling his animosity that spiked in that moment of casting, Avdima rxed his arms as he returned his eyes to Fai--feeling an itchy, cold sensation that was no different from his instincts yelling at him as that look in the confident, unwavering irises of the otherworlder revealed something to him.

    "Huh--?!"

    Aplete surprise even to the all-powerful Argonaut; the sts of flesh-decaying, deathly magic did not so much as hinder the summoned beasts in their hungering path as they continued to charge at him indifferently.

    That''s your first mistake, Avdima. Humbaba and Cath Palug aren''t just some brutish beasts; they''re legendary creatures that challenged those of divinity, beings imprinted as legendary heroes in history. A dull, half-assed st like that doesn''t even suffice as breakfast for the likes of them! Fai thought.

    Above their heads, the daunting, ck orb of Avdima''s creation still stood like the antithesis of the Sun itself.

    Pressed with little time to react with the beasts being brought so close to him he could feel their hot, gluttonous breath pelt against him, Avdima raised his arms, manifesting shields of reinforced, durable darkness at each of his sides.

    While Humbaba, with its gaping maw, amplified by terrifying fangs, went in for a bite against the shield in its path, Cath Palug raised itsrge paw, swinging it with strength and ferocity backed by its muscr arm hidden by its thick hide of fur.

    The ws, each the length of broadswords, with even greater sharpness, swiped cleanly against the sable barrer--effortlessly cutting through its magical protecting as the visceral weapons met against Avdima''s arm.

    "Gh��!"

    The fabric of his sleeve, the skin of his arm, and the flesh protected underneath--it was all paper mache to the great, white beast''s paw as clear w marks from the swipe were left bloodily engraved in the Argonaut''s right arm.

    If there was any reprieve in this moment ofpse, it was that Humbaba''s fangs, coated in hungering fluids, were halted by the shield, piercing through it quite easily but its harrowing head being stopped as its ckened mane flowed in the resulting wind.

    Being subjected to the sharpness of Cath Palug''s ws didn''t stop Avdima as he was quick to respond, releasing his hold of the barriers as he twisted his body, putting his weight into a punch strengthened by rotation and magical energy as it crashed against the nightmarish face of Humababa, sending the beast tumbling like a loose weed.

    Before the white-furred feline of an elephant''s size could bring its paw down for another strike, Avdima flipped himself, unleashing a spinning kick to Cath Palug''s chin--knocking the creature away as well as he bought himself some space with a huff,nding back on his feet.

    "Forget about me?"

    As the voice registered to Avdima''s ears, the fist was already pressed deep against his gut, backed by the ming essence of the man''s mana.

    That''s right--this man isn''t a traditional summoner by any means! At his core, he''s a fighter--these creatures aren''t familiars or servants, butrades in which he fights with! Avdima thought.

    It was the first time a clean, solid hit was gifted from Fai to Avdima, and it was an overwhelming first impression the callused, trained fist of the chinese warrior gave.

    Spit left the lips of the Argonaut as the dreadful impact of the blow settled into his body, being doubled up by the unique force which Fai utilized. As Fai pressed his foot to the soil below, digging his shoulder into fullpletion of the punch, he sent the deathly-pale man flying back like a pebble to ake.

    When was it, Avdima thought, that it all became so boring?

    "Your hair has gotten so long, Avy."

    "Yeah."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sitting on the steps of his home, he sat still as the woman behind him brushed his hair, gently bringing the tool through his locks to straighten them out--to no avail as the moment his hair was out of her grasp, it returned to its curly, spiky state.

    It was a narrow street; the width of which was filled only with cracked, uncared for cobblestone and the discarded trash of others. The smell that hung in the air of the unsavory sector was just that; putrid and repulsive, but soon enough any resident became indifferent to the stench.

    I was born with horrible luck. A life in the dreadful slums of the capital--"born here, die here", is the saying around here. I never realized what that meant until I got a bit older. It''s simply; those of us born with the misfortune of being in the slums are looked down upon by others are nothing more than rodents--so they do everything in their power to keep us here, Avdima thought.

    All he did was stare nkly at the exposed gutters across the thin street, running across it was the repugnant, vile liquid of the slum''s gathered waste. The source of the abhorrent smell that lingered throughout the discarded sector.

    It was an environment nobody wished to exist in, but it wasn''t much of a choice for any. Still, he found himself wanting nothing more than to escape its hold.

    "Sister."

    "Yeah, Avy?"

    "I want to learn magic."

    We weren''t exactly overflowing with riches, I knew this--yet my selfish, childish self still asked this of my sister--knowing what kind of person she was.

    Selfless and caring; she did anything she could to make me happy, every action she took was as if she actively tried to work against the gnawing environment of the slums on me. I took advantage of that kindness.

    I figured that if I could learn a bit of magic, I could take us out of that wretched slum.

    I didn''t know how at the time, but she managed to scrounge up the coin needed by the next week, hiring an instructor to teach me, some sewer rat, the basics of magecraft.

    Standing in the tattered, bare minimum kitchen of his home, Avdima looked up at the visitor who entered--a man dressed in garments sovish he looked like royalty to his sheltered eyes; the intricate,yered verdant designs that ran across thefortable looking fabric of his robes.

    It was his first time seeing one, a certified mage; never did someone with a silver to their name dare enter the slums, yet coin called for it this time around.

    "So, you''re thed, are you?"

    The mage looked down at the short, thin boy with skin so pale and arms thin that he looked malnourished. Though, the certified, paid mage possessed a burly build himself, running his fingers decorated with rings along the length of his ginger beard.

    "...Yeah��"

    Avdima spoke quietly, nodding his head as he felt his chest tighten in the presence of a man like this. The dreary, hollow eyes belonging to the boy weren''t umon in the boundaries of the slums; it was almost a defining feature those of higher privilege used to discern if one was from the bowels of filth and stagnancy.

    The ginger-haired mage instructor recognized it, at least, he affiliated those eyes with those he saw watch him as he walked through the slums that day.

    It was the usual, boundless, dreamful vigor that was natural to children, or rather--the absence of it. Whisked away by the holds of their birth; the suffocating stagnation of the slum winds and the vice-grip of its walls. Those were the eyes of a child that realized their dreams had no merit which to hold onto in an unequal world that bestowed equal misfortune to those born in that sector. It was a simple reality he had to ept as a child; he was simply birthed into this world below others.

    Pathetic, that was the single thought that came to the man''s mind when looking down at the child with such messy, dirty hair and empty eyes.

    I knew just looking at him--the man was aplete waste of a human. Still, his expertise in the theory of magic wasn''t diminished.

    ...To this day, I regret it. I regret not tearing him apart; limb from limb--if there was one wish of mine that could be granted...I''d wish to have the opportunity to do it. It''s these thoughts that make me itch, an itch that makes me want to destroy.

 Chapter 263 - Aspirations Of The Lowest

    The fact was, the boy didn''t know how to read at all--as such, extra lessons were needed--more money that shouldn''t exist was spent for the sleazy instructor to teach the boy what should be the bare minimum teachings of the nation.

    As the days passed, a glimmer returned to his eyes as the stimtion of learning did its work, but rarely did his sister ever watch over him as the man instructed him. In fact, she never stood in the same room as the highborn mage.

    It was a fact he brushed off, but still, it somewhat bothered him.

    "Karsten...that''s your name?"

    Avdima asked as he sounded out the symbols dyed in ink across the parchment.

    "Yes; very good, Avdima."

    Though the praise came from the man''s dry lips, the ginger-bearded mage was distracted by something else; leaning back in the fragile wooden chair as his sleazy, blue eyes watched the door to the sister of Avdima''s room.

    I should have realized it sooner. I''d like to think I was a smart kid; able to pick up on things. But I didn''t. My own selfish desire that I masked as something selfless was paid with a price I would never ept.

    It was only by his continuous and elerated growth that Avdima chose to overlook the daunting signs around him. Not long after learning how to read and write did he begin his lessons in magic--it was obvious that he was a natural or even something beyond that.

    "Masterful! Are you sure you aren''t a bastard? Such talent...it really is something only fit for one of noble birth."

    As backhanded as it was, Avdima happily epted thepliment as the ginger-haired teacher apuded his usage of dark magic, having obliterated a chunk of wood into bits of sawdust.

    Part of me thought that after seeing how good I was, Karsten would ostracize me out of envy or simple, blind arrogance in his own blood. When he seemed genuinely happy to see my growth, my fears subsided.

    I was an idiot for thinking such benevolence existed in this kingdom.

    Months passed as soon did years; after the two years that Avdima learned under the guidance of Karsten, the mage of noble birth did the unthinkable--he brought the boy into the heart of the capital, a wondend of dreams and opportunities he never thought he''d see.

    As good of news as it was, there was only one thing he could think about as he rode in that pristine carriage through the streets like a revered prince.

    She looked sad, he thought.

    Though she shared in his excitement for this opportunity, Avdima could see it in the eyes of his sister before leaving--they were full of a deep-seated pain. Even so, he chose not to squander the path set before him.

    "Where are we going?"

    "Hoh, what fun is it to relinquish the joy of surprise?"

    Karsten yed with his exaggerated mustache, twirling one end of its ginger essence between his fingers as he sat across from the boy in the velvet carriage.

    It was on that day I realized why Karsten had been so kind to me since discovering my talent. Bringing me into that somber keep, filled with figures d in garments just as dreary. As they walked past me, I noticed a recurring element in their eyes--sharp, yet rxed, as if experiencing death and returning on numerous asions.

    I didn''t realize that day it was those marble floors of a sable sea of ivory stars that I''d be looking at for years toe.

    "Voyager Keep!"

    Presenting the identity of therge, mostly empty lobby of the enigmatic domain which the boy was brought to, Karsten spread one arm out as if pointing out itsvish features.

    Still, Avdima was taken in by the scale and cleanliness of the building, looking around in awe before his eyes met with a single figure that stood separate from him and his instructor--a man dressed inyers of ck, simr to that of a bishop that had been dyed by the darkness of death.

    Between his bald head and dark eyes with little emotion to them, Avdima was hesitant to approach the man, but had to.

    "Gona!"

    "This is the boy?"

    Though Karsten approached the bald man in a friendly demeanor, the figure d in ck with his hands formally tucked behind his back shut such friendliness down with his quick, unconcerned response.

    "...Yeah, this is him--Avdima."

    As soon as Karsten confirmed this for the mysterious man, Gona knelt down in front of the boy without moving his hands from his back, his wide, deathly eyes staring into the boy''s own.

    "...Nice to meet you--"

    Avdima''s attempt at manners was thwarted by the indifferent actions of Gona, who unveiled his hands, using his fingers to part the boy''s eyelids, inspecting every cell of his white sclera.

    "Mm. Yes. This boy certainly does possess it; such rich, bountiful magical energy. A fine specimen. To think one was born in the slums. As per the agreement, here is your pay."

    Retrieving a sack filled to the brim with the chime of rich silver and gold within its hold, Gona handed to the mage the package without turning his gaze to him.

    "Ah, yes, thank you!"

    "There is more where that came from if he truly matches your words."

    I was too confused by the situation to even piece it together at the time, but I guess my instincts were good enough--somehow, my respect for the man I called Teacher diminished instantly without putting it together in my head.

    In truth, Iter learned this wasn''t an all too rare urrence��children with talent being sold to the Argonauts to be trained dogs for the kingdom��or should I say, killers. Though, most ended in failure and death quickly.

    It was during this time a decade ago that the Ounders were making moves; rumors spread and voices talked��Mastorn became restless with fear and anxiety. It was no different for the King.

    They wanted powerful, famous Argonauts who could act as beacons of light for Mastorn and the sunset of life for others.

    "Come, boy, there is much to do."

    Avdima had little say as Gona guides him away with a hand against his back, bringing him past the ck, pearly door that sat at the end of the hall.

    Looking back once more at his teacher with puzzled, worried eyes��the man was gawking at the coin he had rued, not a single ounce of worry in that avarice-born grin on his lips.

    I was clueless as to what was going on; giving in to whatever was asked of me simply because I was just a boy from the slums��I couldn''t toss whatever opportunity this was��not for my sister.

    Brought into an ivory room, the floor was slick with ayer of water.

    "Strip."

    The deep,manding voice wasn''t from the bald-headed man but a burly, scar-covered giant of a human who followed them at Gona''smand.

    All Avdima could presume about the man was that he was an Argonaut��which meant his orders were absolute.

    Without any resistance, the scroungy boy removed his hole-filled, beige tunic along with his patched-together trousers.

    "All of it."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was hesitant, but there was no arguing with that mountain of a man. The young Avdima followed the orders, seating himself as therge man dumped a bucket of lukewarm water on the boy''s body.

    It wasn''t a pleasant experience, difort aside; the burly man took it upon himself to thoroughly, and rigorously wash the body of the boy.

    "Filthy. If you''re to walk among us, you have to wash away the slums from your body."

    The gruff voice of the man spoke out as he ran the cloth against the boy''s back as if trying to scrape his skin off.

    "��Right��"

    After that ufortable experience, he was given a change of clothes��a jet-ck uniform in the form of a long-sleeved, padded tunic and heavy, but warm trousers along with proper boots.

    "Comfortable, I assume?"

    "��Yeah. Thanks."

    Avdima replied to Gona as patted the soft fabric, looking up at the enigmatic man as they now stood in what seemed to be the man''s office.

    "Despite the perplexing situation before you, you haven''t asked a single question. That is exactly what we''re looking for. Karsten, foolish as he may be, was right about you."

    "��"

    "If you''re as magically inclined as he told us, then you''ll be an Argonaut in no time. King Held will be ecstatic��"

    Gona smiled with deep dimples in his cheeks as he sat down at his desk, watching Avdima with wicked eyes as they sat in the somber office.

    "Still no questions?"

    The man seemed almost disappointed now, for a reason unknown to the quiet boy who simply shook his head.

    "I see. Bulsteighn, show him to his quarters. Come dawn, your testing will begin."

    With those words, Avdima was sent off into the bowels of the unknown once more.

    "Alright, kid, let''s go."

    Although I was easy-going as they said, I could hardly sleep that night. Despite how soft and plump that mattress waspared to the nket that was my bed at home, it was ufortable. The quiet hum that filled the emptiness and darkness of the room��it rang against my ears like the buzzing wings of a fly.

    Still, I was content.

    All I kept telling myself is it was for my sister.

    With the dawn of the next day came the enigmatic tests prepared for the slum-born boy; taking part in a vast, metallic chamber that carried the subtlest of sounds into an echo. Looking around, he could see there were many symbols and designs engraved into the silver material, emanating from itself a slight mystical aura.

    It was clear to be some sort of chamber of magecraft, but it was soaked in enigma. Though, he stood alone on the t arena, looking up to see elevated far and safely above him were men who wore the same immactely somber robes simr to Gona--all watching him with eyes as bleak as a day of grey clouds.

    "Avdima, inheritor of no family name or fortunes, do you ept the trial of the Argonauts?"

    The way it was worded from Gona, who stood amongst the somber, dull-faced men up above, it didn''t sound merely like a test to examine his abilities.

    "...I do."

    Answering with confidence, the boy with eyes even more detached than theirs replied back.

    "Then may Jason bless you. Let the trial begin."

    Slowly, Gona raised his hand as his appearance was nothing more than a shadow to the eyes of Avdima in the chamber filled with the embrace of darkness. With a snap of the bald man''s fingers, the sound of chains being pulled as well as a heavy, dormant object being raised filled the arena with a rumble.

    Spinning around to find the origin of this abundantly loud sound, the boy''s eyes met with a colossal door that was slowly being parted from its rest against the ground, its dense, solid form releasing a fit of dust in its wake.

    Stomps fell upon the metal beyond that heart-thumping door, then a low, unrecognizable growl released from the veil of the slowly raising door. Even though the monstrosity sat unknown behind that gate fit for a castle, its breaths traveled far enough to brush against the boy''s legs as he raised his guard in anticipation.

    Is this what they meant by a test��? Avdima thought.

    Before the gate reinforced by multipleyers of steel could be fully raised, massive hands reached out from beneath, gripping the form of the barrier as the monstrous grip belonging to the scabbed, hairy fingers caved in the metal.

    "Graah!"

    With an ear-busting roar, the beast threw the door into its hold, opening the entrance that sealed it away as its form was revealed to the eyes of the young, inexperienced mage.

    As it stood there, huffing and puffing visibly steamy breaths from its maw that inhabited a massive underbite, the beast rested its weight on its two oversized hands that were covered in the same abundant, dark-brown locks of fur.

    Fangs that resembled the tusks of a mammoth protruded from its underbite, the fuzzy beast looked at the young boy despite its eyes being covered by a veil of its own fur as saliva dripped heavily onto the ground below.

    Even in the sparse light that danced amongst the shadows, the contents of the beast''sir could be seen: chewed bones, strings of flesh constricted and intertwined. Some of these human remainsid present on the creature''s thick fur,thering it in the garments of death.

    It''s huge...am I only as tall as its knees? Hard to tell with the way it''s hunched over like that, Avdima thought.

    Without any warning, the giant, shaggy beast began to charge directly at the boy, using its fists like legs as it mmed them down with each step--sending disrupting tremors through the metallic flooring as Avdima held his bnce by some miracle.

    "Erebus: Dark Embrace."

    Extending his hand up towards the form of the towering creature, Avdima released ropes of intertwined darkness that spread out like a around the hefty width of the gori-like monster. As theced bindings of sable, magic mass tightened around the salivating beast into a full-hold, Avdima nted his feet down and gritted his teeth, swinging his arm back as the massive entity was flung into one of the far walls; the resulting quake retrieving an audible array of gasps from the spectators.

    It was an odd thing; he wasn''t nervous or afraid in the least. A stable, all-epassing array of calmness embraced him like the embrace of a mother��all worries washed away.

    "Impossible��"

    "This boy was born of peasant blood?!"

    "Astounding!"

    The spectating councilmen of the Argonauts spoke their words of awe at the rich, boundless well of mana that was felt from Avdima.

    Across the body of the flung beast,cerations and burns were left where the darkness embraced its flesh, leaving spots of its thick, curly fur empty in patches.

    I was twelve years old. A beast known as a "Gurunda-Maja"; a beast that has ate countless who''ve tried the trial of the Argonauts.

    I wasn''t the first kid to do it or the youngest, but it was rare enough that the disy of power was irrefutable enough that my low-birth and slum origins didn''t stop me from being inducted as an Argonaut that very day.

 Chapter 264 - From The Bottom

    It was rare that I ever saw my sister from then on, a few years passed as missions brushed by as did time.

    Before long, I was hailed as some sort of legend among killers; I didn''t care. All I cared about was the money I made��sending it back home to my sister.

    There didn''t seem to be an end to it; I continued to grow and grow in strength��soon, the tender excitement of what sat beyond the walls of the capital was reced by a desire, a plead for something to give me a challenge.

    But it was only when I finally had time off did I realize the results of my own ignorance.

    Returning to those slums, his nose wasn''t ustomed to that overwhelmingly toxic, repugnant stench��but he didn''t mind.

    Wearing the trademark, sable, and crimson uniform of the Argonauts, the width of the somber slums was absent of anybody��none dared perturb one of his rank.

    It was a feeling he didn''t quite know how to ce; a detachment from the ce he was born and disdained��but a disconnect nheless.

    "I''m home."

    Avdima spoke quietly as he reached the raggedy front door of his home. Living in the marble base of the Argonauts, the blemishes of the low-born sector stood out like a sore thumb now.

    There was a hesitance that halted him as he extended his hand to that same old, shaky, rusted handle.

    Something doesn''t feel right. I guess I''ve just been away for too long, he thought.

    Subsiding his foggy mind with a sigh, the ck-haired young man pulled the door open��immediately being greeted by a horrid stench.

    Even with a nose hardened by the dread of the slum''s natural ghast, the deathly winds caused him to take a step back as his arm was brought over his nostrils.

    "Illya!"

    Pushing past the stench that held his stomach tightly, twisting it as he stepped into the ragged cottage, Avdima called out with a fervor shown to none other.

    As his eyes swept the interior of his home, he found chairs lying on their side, drops of unmistakable, crimson liquid staining the floor��things that held his heart and lungs captive in that moment.

    "��Sis��"

    She probably just hurt herself while cooking, right? He thought.

    Slowly, he lifted one foot in front of the other as his shoulders slumped��though he tried reasoning with himself, his eyes held defeat in their darkness.

    Illya can be clumsy sometimes. She probably bumped into the chairs after burning herself while making supper, right? He thought.

    Lumbering forward as his head began to feel as light as a feather, as feeble as parchment being carried in the wind, he found himself in the narrow corridor of his house.

    The door sitting at the end of the hall��his sister''s room��was cracked open just slightly.

    Ah, I remember now. It was when I lost her that this world became gray.

    Growing in intensity, the putrid smell grew stronger as he approached the door, cing his palm against the form wood before pushing it open slowly as it released a long-winded croak.

    The worst fears that gued his mind didn''t hold a candle to what met his eyes; there was she; the jet-ck hair belonging to the older sister he revered most in this world--lifeless with skin as pale and hollow as the snow of winter.

    He fellpletely still as his lips trembled. The clear prints of hands were on her neck; reddened, bruised, and bleeding--her eyes swollen and red with tears and stress-ying on the bed in nude without any life left in those eyes.

    I was never very emotional to begin with. I had no pride, no anger flowing through my blood, even sadness was a passing miracle to stimte my dull heart.

    But when I saw her, like that--her fingernails drenched in crimson, bruises scaling her arms that she always hid under sleeves, even in the deathly heat of summer--I lost it.

    "Illya----!"

    With a scream that reached into the deepest depths of his being, a rage born from his gut, Avdima unleashed that spectrum of bottled emotions into harrowing reality as his magical energy was unbound for the first time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    All at once, the magnificent disy of raw, untampered energy consumed the boundaries of the repugnant sector--the darkness swallowed the stained streets, decrepit buildings, and the people of the slums alike--all consumed by the unfettered rage of a single man.

    There wasn''t a single drop of blood in the massacre thatsted all but ten seconds, but by the time Avdima settled the pinnacle of this saddened anger, he stood in a t section of rubble--only ash, dust, and dirt existing beneath his feet.

    Not even the body of his beloved sister was exempt from the annihtion; leaving the man overtaken by emotions he''d never experienced, falling to his knees in the rain of sediment.

    Since I was an Argonaut, they didn''t want to risk tarnishing the reputation of the hounds of the King--they pinned the destruction of the slums on a poor adventurer who was a country away at the time.

    If it was for you, I could do anything. I could put up with it all--the pain, the sins Imit as an Argonaut, if it was for you, Illya.

    I didn''t realize that you were just the same as me though.

    The rumors were something I didn''t believe, or rather--I chose not to believe them besides the signs.

    Naive executioners didn''t think I''d hear them as they gossiped, "Avdima''s sister sold her body to get him here". It infuriated me more than nothing else, I may have unleashed those frustrations a few times on those young, idiotic executioners--not that I regret it.

    After what happened, I was temporarily suspended from any missions until my mental health recovered--I guess they feared an explosion of emotion like that consuming myrades.

    I didn''t sit still though.

    Sitting in his personal chambers within Voyager''s Keep, he stared nkly at the wall made of sable steel, looking at it for countless hours as not even the concept of hunger or thirst moved him.

    If it wasn''tplete detachment, it was harm.

    mming his head against the metallic, unmoving wall over and over again, blood ran across his cut-open forehead, staining the reflective material he bashed his head against as well.

    Once he felt too dizzy to stand, it was his fingernails that came next--chewing on them before eventually ripping them right off altogether.

    I didn''t know what to do with all of these emotions that surfaced for the first time. Harming myself felt like the only outlet for them. Part of me just wanted to feel something, anything besides the pain that lodged itself into my chest.

    The culmination of all of that bubbling, seething darkness that gued my heart--I tried that which can''t be undone.

    Holding a knife up to his throat, wielding it with bony, trembling fingers that held only ckened blood in ce of nails, he ran its sharp edge across the surface of his skin with a violent tug. To his vacant, disappointed eyes, the de snapped in half like a fragile twig against his durable skin.

    I didn''t want to live; it was a resolve I wasn''t quick to give up on.

    If a de didn''t work, he tried using his own magic to part his flesh, but it declined as if holding a will of its own--it avoided directly touching his skin.

    Somehow, that stuck out to me. Magic at its core is the will of its wielder--so maybe deep down, I wanted to live. Even if I chose to painfully exist in this world, my contempt didn''t fade in the least.

    I knew what I saw--those handprints on her neck, the purple, ck, and blue bruises on her body...I knew who did it; it took me all of that time to realize it--but it was right in front of my eyes.

    "Karsten."

    The name of the man left Avdima''s lips as if muttering a malediction, clenching his fists so tightly that his magical energy naturally showed its dark form around his appendages.

    It was now a hunt; the very thing he exceeded in as an Argonaut.

    In that heart deemed by empty as others, behind those eyes holding nothing in their gaze, a boundless, burning rage was born within him as he learned of the one he must hunt down. Everything was simple to him; all he needed to do was kill Karsten.

    The existence of morality, ethics,w--it all meant nothing to him. Such concepts were only suggestions in his haze of rage.

    I don''t care if I get locked away for the rest of my life in some grimy cell, or get executed; I''ll kill him. I''ll destroy everything he has right before his eyes, Avdima thought.

    There was only one thing in this lonely world that Avdima had, the one thing that upied his heart--and it was snuffed out like a me.

 Chapter 265 - Endless, Boundless, Continuous

    I don''t put much stock into what''s good or bad. The world is too gray andplex for that.

    But even so, I knew above all else my sister was good. Even as our so-called parents abandoned us in the hellhole of the slums, she never once abandoned me.

    Illya ced me above all else, and I wanted to do the same for once. I wanted to be rich enough to buy her a ticket to a nice life.

    Even with all of this proimed talent, all of his power, what good is it if I can''t achieve the one thing in this world I desire?

    Well, there was at least one thing I desired at that time.

    As he walked through the rowdy streets of the capital, the width of the nearlyyered cobblestone streets of the market that was filled with people was parted for him as he walked. It wasn''t because of his status as an Argonaut that the people stayed out of his way.

    A boundless, suffocating aura clung to his body, even someone ignorant to magic in totality could recognize the pressure that topped their chest when standing in the presence of the dark-eyed man. He didn''t even attempt to hide the bloodlust that gued him; simply moving forward with a known destination.

    It didn''t take long for him to reach the front of the destined estate; grabbing onto therge, obsidian handles of the gate and tearing the structure down seamlessly as he moved in without any hesitation.

    A carriage sat at the ready in the circr way in front of the manor itself, a pair ofrge, fast-looking horses waiting in front of the vehicle of scarlet-painted wood and refurbished, golden decorations.

    "I''ll be back soon, I just have to get out of town for a bi--"

    The man who left the security of his front doors stopped mid-sentence as he first felt the approaching, dark presence before looking up to confirm it was his eyes.

    "...Avdima��!"

    The ginger-bearded man stammered as he dropped his suitcase, trembling before adjusting his rigid form--already coated in sweat.

    No words came from the Argonaut, whose sable eyes spiraled with a deep-seated contempt for the man he looked at.

    "What''re you doing here��? I was just about to head out, I have some urgent business--meetings with some very important people��!"

    Karsten''s words left his sweatyered lips with null confidence, not sufficing for the Argonaut as with a flick of a wrist, the carriage was annihted, being blown away into a storm of shattered timber.

    "You did it."

    "Huh��?"

    It was a miracle that Karsten was able to respond; his knees buckling and trembling at the witness of the man''s cold wrath. From the force alone of the simple, minimal movement of Avdima''s hand, the resulting winds mangled the horses, sending a wind that carried their blood across the pristine garden belonging to the noble.

    "Admit it. You killed her. My sister."

    "I...I don''t know what you''re talking about��! Please!"

    "Don''t you fucking lie to me, you sleazy bastard!"

    Avdima''s scream came from such depths that Karsten was brought to his knees; the yell was apanied by the harrowing force that belonged exclusively to the Argonaut--a darkness that shook the foundation of the estate.

    He''s a monster...if I just never took that dead-eyed boy under my wing that day��! Karsten thought.

    "Whose in there? Your wife? Kids? What if I settled the score? Huh?!"

    The threats were nothing less than tangible, pouring from the lips of the Argonaut as his anger ran rampantly through a rainbow of all shades of red.

    "They have nothing to do with this��!"

    "So you do?!"

    It was all the confirmation that Avdima needed; anything that wasn''t outright rejection was absolute confirmation--to his ears, Karsten''s words were confirmation. With a single step drawn forward, Avdima''s wake left the noble-blooded mage falling backward, scooting back as his harrowed expression yearned for mercy.

    "...All I did was what was agreed to in our deal! I promise!"

    "Deal��?"

    Avdima stopped as he surmounted the first step of the light-gray stairs, looking down at the man who prostrated himself before him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "In exchange for your lessons...she paid me with her body. Please..! I didn''t suggest it, I sweat! It was the only way she could afford me��!"

    As the pleas left Karsten''s lips that submitted so fervently that they kissed the ground below, the columns which supported the structure of the immacte, umber home of the noble began to crack within the vicinity of Avdima''s malevolent aura.

    "Admit it."

    "B-but I did��!"

    "Admit. It."

    This time, the ck-haired Argonaut with skin as pale and cold as shores of salt, further pressed the man by cing his foot atop Karsten''s hand, shattering what sounded like every bone with a simple press of his boot.

    "Augh---!"

    Karsten cried out in pain as his hand was left mangled and unsettled like a line of overgrown foliage, his fingers twisted and pointing in various directions.

    "Okay��okay!"

    As the noble, left as a mess of snot and tears, cried out��the unswayed in his wrath Argonaut moved his foot away as he looked down at the sniveling man with those swirling eyes.

    "��"

    "Spill it."

    "��She��that vermin bitch got full of herself! Trying to tell me to stop? I owned her! She was mine! It''s the same for you��I gave you everything! Everything!"

    Reducing himself to a yelling, snot-oozing mess as he yelled out with a twisted smile, Karsten''s maddened words didn''t invoke any visible reaction from the young man.

    "Thank you."

    Those simple, quiet words silenced the noble before a swipe of Avdima''s hand parted the man''s head from his neck, allowing it to fall to the ground as a fountain of crimson spilled from the beheaded neck.

    To the King, I was an invaluable weapon. He didn''t care in the least that I killed Karsten.

    I was even rewarded; Illya was given a spot in the Meadow of The Brave, a graveyard for those of higher ss within Mastorn.

    Standing atop that verdant hill, Avdima stook out like a sore thumb in the beautiful spring of the field, dressed in his somber robes.

    "Illya��"

    Looking at the headstone made for her, a swirling pool of emotions still upied his heart.

    There was nobody else present at the funeral; a fact that he expected, but found himself aching over.

    I''ll live in this cruel world. Rolling over into a grave would just tarnish what you did for me, Illya. Besides, someone needs to remember you.

    That''s why I''ll keep going; I''ll be the one to carry your memory, Illya. The memory of a sister too good for this shitty world. I''ll do my best to find happiness somewhere, to find stimtion to this dullness in my heart--with the future you gave me, I''ll make the best of it, Illya.

    When someday I reunite with you in the afterlife, I''ll have cemented my name in history--so that you too can be remembered forevermore. To do that, I''ll have to be the undisputed strongest, a force recognized by name, power, and appearance--someone children will aspire to be, a man chefs will name dishes after, a person that bards will sing about. With my own two hands, I''ll embed our names into this world.

    I''ll make sure they sing about the woman who cultivated such a destructive boy; Illya, the kindest girl in all of Mastorn.

    Even someone like me can do that; a boy from the slums, a man-child who can''t control his own emotions--a murderer. I can be some kind of selfless hero that does it all for his sister. That''s all I want, Illya. I want you to be recognized; that goodness of heart I don''t possess--I want it to be known that people like you exist.

    What a disastrous pair of siblings we are.

    All of this...it''s why I can''t fall here. I can feel it again--pain. A numbing warmth running down my arm, a heat inhabiting my chest that makes breathing aborious activity...I haven''t felt it in so long.

    If I start trying, don''t break within the first minute, okay, Fai Meng?

    You and you alone are the reason why my fists are warm with a building thirst for excitement. Distract me from it all, give me a battle thrilling enough that just for a moment--I can be human.

 Chapter 266 - Raid Boss, Avdima

    "What''re you zoning out about, huh?!"

    Backed by that ferocious, ear-piercing yell from the energetic, shirtless man was a fist thatunched itself against Avdima''s cheek as he sat hunched over against the tree. The raw impact was enough to shake the oak by its roots, but Avdima only slowly parted his eyelids as the callused knuckles belonging to Fai pressed against his pale cheek.

    With one hand, the Argonaut clenched onto the wrist of his foe, squeezing tightly the ckband that covered Fai''s wrist--the grip strength he exuded was enough to drive all of Fai''s veins against his skin as Avdima slowly stood himself. It was like a man holding his dog by its leash, getting up at his own pace as he held the tan-skinned man''s arm hostage.

    Even if Avdima wasn''t outwardly tall or built like a bulwark mountain of muscle, the pressure he gave with those unmoving eyes of his alone was enough to make Fai regret bringing himself to such intimate proximity to the shaggy-haired man.

    It''s like I''m standing in front of death itself; those indifferent eyes wouldn''t lose any sleep over my own departure, Fai thought.

    Though he was stuck in a precarious position, Fai kept his cool even as the monstrous grip was felt against his ivory bones. He listened as the footsteps of the two feline behemoths neared their position--their thunderous steps filling him with resolve.

    Still, Avdima remained perfectly still with his same, nk expression as the frantic, wild beasts charging towards him was tantly obvious.

    What is he doing? Is he spacing out or something?! Fai thought.

    "Erebus: Annihtion."

    It was spoken directly to Fai, but at the same time, the words weren''t meant for him. Avdima didn''t so much as move a muscle as the incantation left his lips, but a stale air suddenly reced the natural winds of the forest in that moment--ayer of darkness setting itself as countless grains of darkness danced in the air like an inverse snowfall.

    In that small window of time, he focused on the nature of the bits of darkness--they were vibrating at such a frequency that a hum met his ears.

    Was he holding me still and waiting for those two to draw near so he could��? No! Fai thought.

    "No��! Humbaba! Cath Palug! Get back!"

    Fai''s warnings to his beastly familiars came toote as suddenly a violent, vtile fit of darkness erupted, originating from Avdima''s position. It was unleashed at the very moment Humbaba and Cath Palug threw their gargantuan bodies at the Argonaut--being weed into the destructive darkness belonging to Avdima.

    "Fai��!"

    Charlotte yelled out as she attempted to run towards the pir of intertwining, convulsing darkness--unable to bring herself anywhere near it as the aftershock of its existence dragged her back into the holds of the great oak.

    Stratifications of ck windspressed and released,shing out towards the surrounding territory as anything within its circr reach was met with erasure.

    "You''re better than I thought."

    Avdima''s eyes took a slight widening as the storm of dislocating darkness dissipated as quick as it came, still holding onto the wrist of Fai. The summoned beasts fell inanimate; dissolving into particles of mana.

    The man had taken a knee, huffing as his next drawn breath was exhaled through a bloody cough.

    "You inhaled matter-erasing darkness. The fact you''re not a red mist by now is testament to your strength."

    "...Didn''t anyone teach you not to talk so much in a fight?"

    In an unexpected burst of vigor, Fai brought himself to his feet with an uppercut that flung his temple of sweat and blood against the chin of the Argonaut. There was no mercy in the fantastic hit; Avdima''s grip was released in full as his body crashed against the surviving, decayed oak.

    How is it possible��? Charlotte thought as she watched the two men, Fai is second only to Sirius...I''ve never, ever seen him lose in a real fight! Is this the type of enemy that awaits us in this world��?

    Spitting out a loogie of blood from his mouth, the oval-eyed man wiped the taste of the crimson essence from his lips.

    I can''t do anything against him, not like this. Physical resistance, no matter what arts I use...it doesn''t seem to do a damn thing to him. I''m used to this though; he gives off the same feeling as that bastard, Sirius. Am I going to be the underdog forever? Fai chuckled to himself.

    "Fai!"

    This time, Charlotte''s call of her voice as soft as springtime leaves was coated in relief as she saw the Ounder still in one piece--by some miracle.

    I really felt that one. Good thing I was able to maximize my reinforcement just in time or it''d be just like he said, Fai thought.

    Before he knew it, Avdima was already back in front of him with his ghostly, yet overwhelming self, returning the uppercut with a palm strike directly against Fai''s face.

    It was an unrefined move at best, but the power behind it cemented it as something daunting.

    The soft, cold soil beneath Fai''s feet disappeared as his body felt as if thousands of ants were crawling over his skin.

    Using the brutal p to knock the Ounder against the holds of the withered grass violently.

    I struck him in the chin with a full-force uppercut. His brain should''ve bounced around his skull like a ping pong ball��but somehow he''s fine and dandy, Fai remarked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There wasn''t even any mana behind it, just a simple attack backed by the brute force of Avdima''s unparalleled reinforcement.

    That bored look belonging to the prickly-haired man that watched him from above sent a jolt of revived anger through Fai as he picked himself up with a full-body kick towards Avdima.

    Though it missed the swift Argonaut, Fai followed up with what he nned to do��cupping his hands around his mouth as his cheeks puffed up like a squirrel.

    Zhurong: God Breath Hold! He thought.

    Unleashing in the form of an almighty breath from his fiery lungs, a tunnel of bright mes roared out at the somber Argonaut.

    The abundance of the mes varied on the exhale released; Fai''s trained lungs that adapted to harsh, prolonged training allowed him to surround Avdima in a wall of mes. It was then that the nature of the spell began to unveil itself.

    Although wild and formless like the seas, the mes enclosed around the Argonaut into a cube-like imprisonment.

    "Now, Charlotte!"

    "Huh��?"

    The girl didn''t expect to be called out so suddenly as she watched the battle, met with the battle-driven eyes of the sweat-d man.

    "Break that sphere holding Donatien!"

    "But��"

    "I don''t care how, just hurry!"

    Hesitance held Charlotte as her eyes quivered at this sudden responsibility plunged onto her shoulders. It wasn''t a fear of stepping into the battlefield inhabited by the destructive, insurmountable Argonaut himself, but the doubtful, guing thoughts of failure. A weight pressed against her chest as it felt as if her ankles were anchored to the muddy, rain-beaten ground below.

    "You want to be treated like one of us, right?! Earn it!"

    Fai''s words drove into her harshly, but were needed as she gulped her doubts into the bowels of her knotted stomach.

    "Leave it to me��!"

    As Charlotte ran over to the sable, spherical object that imprisoned Donatien amidst the battle, Fai chuckled to himself dryly before smiling, setting his focus on maintaining the fiery container.

    "Child''s y."

    Avdima muttered as he extended his hand, releasing a st of ovepped, hissing darkness--only for his arm to be sent back as if being rejected by an unseen force. Raising his hand to check it, it was left steaming as if having touched the inside of a boiling pot.

    What was that? I didn''t touch or see anything, Avdima thought.

    "That confused look on your face right now is priceless."

    "...?"

    "God Breath Hold isn''t just a st of fire or a prison that catches you off guard; when you''re within its hold, any spells you use are met with harsh feedback instead! In short, trying to use spells will result in your ass hairs being singed!"

    The exnation came with its fair share of brazen as Fai pped one of his own biceps with a smile that almost reached smug territory. Keeping himself standing tall, he kept his eyes locked tightly on Avdima even while the man was within the ming, anti-spell prison.

    This spell doesn''t chunk away at just my mana, it also draws air straight from my lungs. It''s a quick way to gas out if you''re not careful--let''s hope our friend here doesn''t notice, Fai thought.

    "Hey, you said it was just spells it negated, right?"

    "Eh?"

    Fai watched closer now as Avdima spoke; the man softly ced his hand against the solidified mes as his dreary looking eyes watched the me-wielding fighter.

    With a small exertion of force, Avdima weaved into the integrity of the imprisonment spell an array of weaknesses; cracks that spread out like a cobweb. It was nothing more than a quick flex of his muscles, but that alone was enough to challenge the durability of the radiant, orange cube that surrounded him with a scorching heat.

    "Fai. Don''t insult me."

    The muscr, exhausted otherworlder could only watch as Avdima curled his digit before unleashing a flick against the wall of solid fire, shattering itpletely.

 Chapter 267 - Starry Night

    "Fai. Don''t insult me."

    The muscr, exhausted otherworlder could only watch as Avdima curled his digit before unleashing a flick against the wall of solid fire, shattering itpletely.

    "...Is it insulting to expect you to follow the rules of normal people?! You''re too strong!"

    Though Fai was trying to joke around to alleviate his thumping heart, he wasn''t lying. Before the Argonaut revered as a prodigy among prodigies, resistance felt like an exercise in futility.

    I can''t let him get to Charlotte. Summoning all of those creatures has been taking a toll on me...Besides that, I''m still feeling the effects of his attacks. I might have to use that. With that, I can for sure get him away from her, Fai thought.

    Taking a stance as he spread his feet evenly apart, he dropped his arms limp at his shoulders as releasing the rigid tension of his body for the first time brought the aches to the forefront of his mind; wincing as he pulled himself into focus.

    I was saving this for a rematch with that lightning bastard--is what I''d like to say. Truth is, it''s still iplete, and more importantly--a danger to myself. Still, there''s no chance in hell I''m going to be able to stand up to Avdima unless I put everything on the line, he thought.

    The breath he drew into his lungs was transformed into fire the moment it entered his throat. Guiding this natural me through his body, it ignited within his bowels like a roaring engine.

    "Show me something exciting, Fai."

    With pleasure! This is my ultimate magic; the peak of me-wielding! The pinnacle of strength! The summit of Zhurong! He thought.

    Steam fled from his pores in ce of sweat as his body reached a rising heat, his skin shifting into a me-born crimson as the hot winds began to leave even his eyes, ears, and nose in abundance. It was a slow, methodical movement; raising his arms in a circr motion before cing his palms together as if praying.

    In the world of magecraft, it is a feat that stands above all. Lifetimes can be spent in an attempt to gain it, but for most��it''d be a life wasted, he remarked.

    His hazel locks erupted into mes, but it was a natural urrence��it was as if his tied-up hair had been transformed into the burning element itself. The same effect scaled over his figure; mes guided themselves around his body, pouring from his pores, before it becameplete.

    "Zhurong: Apex."

    As he spoke, his words left as mes, his eyes now harboring the chaotic nature of fire itself as the burned brightly like the sun. Even as the orange, hissing inferno scales his body, his baggy, sable pants remained in tip-top shape.

    The air surrounding Fai became distorted by the heat waves emanating from his form; raising those zing irises to meet with Avdima''s own��who patiently waited for his opponent.

    "Come��"

    Before the challenge could fully part from Avdima''s dry, scarred lips��a fiery elbow found itself lodged against his nose. An endless, boundless power concentrated itself on his face, a blow so sharp that the pain followed far after the impact.

    Such speed, Avdima thought, something about it��I couldn''t follow him.

    The harsh, steaming and ming elbow sent Avdima back as his nose became warm and numb. It was a much different level of strength than expected; the speed that carried the Argonaut through the woods flung his body through oak and stone alike without fail��as if he was shot from a cannon.

    Watching the ceiling of leaves up above with only brief nces of the stars��he saw it; the reason he couldn''t track the movements of the otherworlder.

    By all means, his form wasn''t physical; Fai traveled along the length of the tree in pursuit of his foe��moving as a sentient me.

    If my body itself bes fire, I can exceed my limits! Without any real mass, it''s only up to how much mana I can release! Fai thought, it''s a pain like nothing else--I feel it in every cell of my body; burning, aching, throbbing. It''s the price of temporarily bing an element itself!

    Spinning in the air rapidly with his weightless, ted form of controlled ze, his me-formed foot was brought down on Avdima''s chest while the man was still in midair, crashing down with a violent, high-reaching axe kick that brought the Argonaut down in an explosion of brilliant fireworks.

    The world croaked beneath the fervent, rampant power, trembling as the soil caved in, if not burnt away into ash within the fiery radiance of Fai.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Still, even with a foot lodged against the sternum of the ck-haired, pale Argonaut--Fai watched as the man still held eyes that inhabited no fear. It was in those eyes that he found his inclination to dodge, just before a retaliatory spell wasunched in his direction.

    Despite his looks, he''s a damn tank! I''m hitting him with the intent to kill, yet he makes it look like we''re just sparring; I''d never live this down if I brought any pride with me into this bout, Fai thought.

    Evading the unrefined st of darkness, Fai charged at the man once more with his body formed of des, watching as Avdima kicked himself up from the crater formed in the forest''s meddled soil--cracking his neck both ways with little difference in his obsidian eyes.

    That kick seemed to do something, at least, Fai remarked.

    The portion of Avdima''s figure that his ming boot met with had the somber fabric of his uniform burnt away��beyond that, there were clear marks present on the Argonaut''s previewed chest from the impact.

    He''s not invincible. That much is certain now! He thought.

    Dashing forward with his form that held onto no single shape; his body of mes constantly shifting itself, the abnormality of this form seemed to throw Avdima off who responded at thest moment with a straight jab of his own.

    To the rare surprise of the sleepless-looking man, his hand didn''t meet with any solid surface, instead passing right through the fiery essence of Fai, who grinned wide as this was revealed to his opponent.

    You''re mine! Fai thought.

    For the first time in the daunting battle, the advantage was in the zing hands of the Ounder, who spun his entire body weight into a high-kick that had every intention of beheading the opponent before him. Even in the precarious situation with little time left to react, Avdima managed to raise his arms in a guard in an attempt to guard against the iing kick--once again learning that fire itself can''t be blocked as the ming shin of Fai collided against the side of his head.

    With a kickunched so passionately backed with such rigorously obtained power, the resulting collision roared through the thick bounds of the forest before the Argonaut was flung once more. Though this time, it seemed Avdima had enough of letting his foe have his way: as he traveled backwards through the air, he nted his foot down harshly as it cemented itself into the soil,pletely halting his travel as he came to a stop.

    "Nice kick."

    Avdima muttered as he wiped his cheek with his thumb, flicking the steaming, crimson essence from his digit as his eyes seemed to hold some level of quiet rage within them.

    This time, it was the man as pale as snow who took the initiative, even catching Fai off-guard with the movements that looked like a shadow danced around each corner, groove, and inch of the forest--appearing directly in front of him as he sprouted forth from the somber darkness.

    "You''re not the only one who can embody their element."

    With those stoically spoken words, Avdima managed to grip onto the forearm of Fai--to the surprise of the zing man.

    Huh? It feels like he''s grabbing my actual body, but how?! He thought.

    "Any mage worth anything knows how to counter this; otherwise it''d be an invincible spell. All it takes is an abundance of mana to interfere with the element."

    As if disying this reality to the man, Avdima raised Fai by the arm before mming him down harshly with an impact fueled by the dark-boosted strength of the Argonaut. Before Fai could counterattack, Avdima followed up once more, flicking from his fingers as he stood away from Fai a murky, lightless energy before it began unleashing what looked like a six-pointed star of darkness. It extended each point into pir-like legs, etching itself into the ground as it encaged the fiery Ounder with a form that resembled a birdcage.

    Fighting against a mage who was capable of casting spells without an incantation was a grandeur task for Fai, unable to properly react before being enclosed within the boundaries of the abyssal cage.

    "What is��?"

    Fai stood himself up quickly, attempting to break free from the hold of the shadowy cage with a kick that aplished nothing.

    "Erebus: Starless Night. Anything caught in there will die within one minute; simple but powerful.. It''s not a poison or curse you can defend against; it enacts the concept of death on whoever is caught in its bounds."

 Chapter 268 - Behemoth

    "Erebus: Starless Night. Anything caught in there will die within one minute; simple but powerful. It''s not a poison or curse you can defend against; it enacts the concept of death on whoever is caught in its bounds."

    No kidding, what the hell kind of spell is this?! It''s obviously great magic, but he used it without an incantation again, Fai thought.

    He tried once more to break free from the holds of the quickly-formed cage, throwing a rapid flurry of fists against it, a few kicks, and even a st of fire--nothing.

    "It''s no use. Once you''re caught in it, you can''t break it."

    "Oh, yeah?"

    Fai only smiled as if those words from Avdima came as a challenge, only hearing from him "try to break it, if you can", cing his hands together. Even if those eyes still held that same, eternal boredom in their gloomy depths--Fai could tell, whether it be by the instinct of a fellow fighter or his intuition--Avdima wanted him to find a way out.

    If I''m right, then there is a ring weakness with this spell. Something that entraps its victim quickly with unbreaking bars and kills them within a minute? Spells with this level of potency need to have a drawback to exist. I''m putting everything on this guess! Fai thought.

    Sprouting from beneath his feet, the puddle of gooey, thick darkness extended out, stretching from beyond the holds of the cage.

    "Huh?"

    Avdima watched, jumping back to avoid stepping in the puddle bearing an unknown depth to its dark nature.

    Using this is going to hurt, but it''s either this or death! Fai thought.

    "Rise, Behemoth��!"

    The strained call sounded as if the words came out of his throat coated with des, ripping his vocal cords as he fell to his knees the moment he uttered the name of the familiar.

    "More of this��? When will you figure out that you''re just throwing fodder to the wind��"

    Avdima seemed disappointed at this seemingly futile effort from the man as he ran his hand through his hair to slick bang his few hanging, curled bangs from his forehead. That indifference that was hardly different from confidence itself was tested as an aura like none other suddenly burst forth from the bounds of the abyssalke around Fai''s feet.

    "...I haven''t been able to tame this one yet, so it''s a gamble, but against you--I need to y with my odds."

    Fai breathed heavily as he released his me-born form, looking up with only one eye open at Avdima, who was no on full-guard with instincts now as sharp as a feline''s--witnessing a figure drenched in the sable substance of the puddle rise and rise; a height that surpassed his expectations and continued to do so.

    It felt as if the entirety of the valley shook beneath the presence alone of the beast being birthed from the abyss; the soil split and the creatures that dwelled in the luxurious evergreen fled as the breath of the enigmatic beast was as heavy as a storm, and as warm as a pit of mes.

    The aura felt from its boundless hide as bulwark as a mountain wasn''t magical, but the pinnacle of one''s instincts being driven--it was an air of death and destruction that came from its unnatural existence; a creature that should not walk upon the crust of this world.

    "This is��"

    Avdima watched with eyes that didn''t know what they were perceiving, witnessing the ck muk fall from the beast''s hide as it stood on two, club-like fists that dwarfed the size of a cottage multiple times over, hunching over like a gori.

    With its form being unveiled by the fall of the sludge, its fur was thick and obscuring, inhabiting an orangish-brown hue that scaled over every inch of its enormous body. A steamy breath left from its unseen maw, tucked behind its shaggy fur; two husks protruded from the sides of its head, holding a length simr to that of the nearby trees.

    Taking on such arge form with fur that had never been graced by soap, the natural stench from the creature rivaled that of the slums Avdima originated from; igniting a nostalgic feeling from the man as he had to strain his neck to look up at the beast.

    With its full form on disy, it struck a mix between a mammoth and a gori--a cross that inhabited the maximum proficiency for destruction, an unnaturally born entity that was in itself a natural disaster upon the world. In every right, it was the absolute embodiment of "Behemoth", a term used to describe manyrge creatures on Gaia--but this was the progenitor of that title, the very origin of a beast toorge to belong naturally.

    The Behemoth stood dormant between the two, crushing the trees that impeded its path as an entire section of the forest was folded by its oversized existence. In contrast to its body the size of a vige and its fist as mighty as steel pirs, the feet it stood on were rather small--the same going for its legs, likely the reason why it chose to walk on those clubs of its.

    "Go, Behemoth��!"

    Reaching those sky-high ears, tucked behind such curly, intertwinedyers of fur, Fai had to yell at the top of his lungs to grab the attention of the colossal entity. As it slightly turned its head with eyes veiled by abundant fur, looking down at the summoner whomanded it--Fai felt a chill trickle down his spine, a coldness running along his skin as his words became stuck in his throat.

    One of the four Chaos-Monsters I can summon...but good luck controlling them. Once it begins its rampage, it will only be stopped by death. I just need it to break me out of this cage--which shoulde even if it doesn''t intend to listen to me, Fai thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The crystallization of absolute, raw strength, a being that has devoured countless before.

    Its movements came slowly, but with the significance of a great mountain; it raised its massive, unrivaled fists which it leaned against into the air--relieving a burden upon the soil of Gaia as it did.

    When ites to a certain point, the exact height of something stops being sought out, reaching a definition that is simply "far toorge"--bing hard for one to perceive with their own eyes.

    That was Behemoth, the one who stood amongst the gigantic forest sprouted healthily from Gaia to stand tall, yet the trees were merely des of grass to its stride.

    "Gh��!"

    Avdima had been too caught up in the spectacle of such a dark, harrowing entity that he only realized once those boulders of fist were in the air what Behemoth intended to do.

    Even breathing in the toxic fear exuded from the enemy of humanity itself, Avdima''s instincts as a fighter weren''t for naught; raising his hand to the air, he produced a that exhibited a size great enough to cast a shadow over the field he stood in.

    Laced with refined magical energy into a multiyered protective form that maximized defense, the shield formed of gloomy, dusk mana was fittingly sized for the likes of Behemoth, who finally began to bring its fur-d, boundless hands down as the air whistled and hissed beneath such weight.

    A bellowing roar that engrained itself in the foundation of the valley released from the maw of Behemoth, releasing leaves from the limbs of the oak and generating a wind just by its own call as it mmed its massive hands against the dark shield--cracking it with ease. It was by the fury of those gargantuan fists that the world beneath shook, crying out beneath the power of such an indomitable force.

    That''s right, just like that, you big, hairy bastard! Fai smiled weakly.

    Just from the aftershock alone, the sh of Avdima''s refined shield and the fists of Behemoth was enough to shatter the imprisoning, deathly spell that held the Ounders.

    As I guessed...a spell as unfair as that had one, absolute weakness: it was brittle from the outside, he thought.

    As he straightened himself to his feet, now being free from the hold of the imprisoning magecraft, he found himself standing near the clubbed feet of Behemoth that rivaled the size of most cottages alone.

    I''m starting to wonder if I was safer inside that cage, he thought.

    All five senses were privy to Behemoth''s monstrous, savage beat of his fists against the shield that stood between his hands and the flesh of the Argonaut. Being such a high-caliber beast, the harder the hunt for his food became, the more Behemoth became enraged--sinking into a rampage that Fai knew well spelled disaster for the already devastated forest.

    "This is certainly a rowdy one."

    Avdima squinted his eyes a bit as he stood beneath the obsidian shield that hung over him like a somber roof; each impact from the otherside of thepromised barrier sounded like a mighty explosion engulfing his ears abrasively.

    With one hand focused on stabilizing the airborne bulwark, Avdima manifested a sphere in his other; a mixture of utter darkness with particles of a magenta shade gyrating in its building form.

    It''s strong; I can admit that. A shield specializing in shock absorption--a counter to brutes like itself, yet it is still able to damage it? Fai, I hope you have more where this came from, Avdima thought.

    The roars that echoed from the boundless depths of Behemoth''s gut didn''t stop as it enacted its rampage of fists it brought down like heavenly cannons, causing even Fai to plug his ears with his fingers as he winced, tucking himself against a tree in hopes that the beast didn''t turn that savage anger towards its summoner.

    After the patience disyed by the Argonaut paid off as he timed his counter perfectly; turning the massive, horizontal shield into formless particles as his eyes set on the towering, mountain of fur and rage looking down at him with its fleshy clubs raised to the stars.

    "Erebus: Absolute Night."

    As if chucking a baseball, Avdima tossed the sphere of intertwined, brilliant darkness up to Behemoth as its form crashed against the beast''s blubbery stomach.

    Fai thought his eyes deceived him; with an object that minuscule, especially against the scale of Behemoth, it seemed like something straight out of his worst nightmares: Behemoth was lifted into the air by the force behind the sable sphere.

    Possessing unseen wings, the unmatched in size and fur beast was carried straight into the air by the spiraling, aggressive ball--iling its limbs as it roared out inplete confusion, its saliva raining down on the forest below in a repugnant shower.

    "If you''re as tough as you are big--survive this."

 Chapter 269 - To The Brink

    "If you''re as tough as you are big--survive this."

    Muttering to himself as he guided the trajectory of the highly powerful sphere with his hand, Avdima watched the Behemoth as it was brought up into the boundaries of the high, gray, swollen clouds, which wasn''t a long journey for an entity of such magnitude. Being brought to such heights above the newly formed battlefield within the forest, Behemoth''s vexing size stretched a shadow over those who stood below it.

    I should take advantage of this chance while he''s focused on that, but...I need to regain whatever stamina I can. Besides, I feel like a monster like him is expecting a surprise attack! Fai thought.

    Keeping himself out of sight with his bare back tucked against the rough, sharp edges of the oak, Fai took in long, deep inhales to his lungs that felt as if they were both on fire, each breath feeling as if he inhaled dozens of tiny, prickly knives.

    "Burst into darkness."

    Avdima''s words shattered the condensed form of the tiny, but powerful sphere that buried itself against Behemoth''s hide.

    It was clear to Fai why the Argonaut opted for such an unorthodox approach; the full release of the spell stretched itself across the horizon into a vtile release--dding the clouds in its violent, celestial essence as even Behemoth''s unmissable form became hidden within the st that could be felt from the forest grounds.

    In the center of the repeating sts, where Behemoth unfortunately was, the ck mass of dazzling magenta like the sparkles of distant stars took the shape of a perfect sphere, causing the surrounding clouds to part in the wake of such power.

    "...Even I have to feel bad for Behemoth...I wouldn''t want to be on the receiving end of that."

    Fai muttered to himself as he watched the grandeur of Avdima''s magic in its full spectacle. It was a rare thing for dark magic to be an eye-grabbing, beauty to behold--but when it was, it was a theatre of delight and horror. Each st that erupted from the many traveled down to the surface to extend their grace to the forest below; the shock waves repeatedly tormented the oak, causing the winds to hum and cry out.

    Something like that--just that spell alone trivializes any modern weaponry back on Earth, nukes be damned...It''s moments like these that I feel so alive--so thankful that I''ve been brought here! A world where the efforts of one person can create things like this; it''s a world weing to big dreamers, Fai thought.

    "...I was wrong. You''re even tougher than you are big."

    These whispers meant topliment the beast that could not hear him came from Avdima''s surprised lips, watching as Behemoth began to plummet from the smoky, starlit hold of the sky-shaking explosion--still in one piece.

    "Oh no��"

    "That''s not good."

    It seemed both Avdima and Fai came to the same gut-wrenching conclusion as they looked up to watch the beast of unparalleled size rapidly descend upon the forest, steam and sable smoke running from its fur. At that speed, with its weight--it was clear as day what the resulting impact would be on the forest.

    With its tusk flopping in the wind as it hung outside of its mouth, its limbs iling in the wind without resistance, Behemoth was tantly knocked unconscious from the powerful sts unleashed previously, even if having been in one piece.

    "Return, Behemoth��!"

    pping his hands together, Fai yelled out as his call shifted Behemoth''s form into that of weightless, shapeless particles of discarded mana--returning it to the depths of his ability.

    "Looking out for the forest?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Looking out for all of us."

    Fai responded with a huff as he left his ce within the veil of trees, wiping the sweat thatthered his chin as his eyes met with the Argonaut once more.

    "That was your best chance yet, without that monster you can''t--"

    Before Avdima could let his slow, bored words travel from his lips to Fai''s ears, the otherworlder once more pped his palms together with a resounding boom as the abyssalke returned, "Return, Behemoth!"

    This time, Fai smiled at the prospect of summoning the belligerent, rampaging beast of chaos as it pulled itself out from the unseen depths of the summoning liquid, emerging like a great leviathan out of a sea of utter darkness as it let out a harrowing roar that caused the forest to quiver.

    Though Avdima was quick to raise his guard, pulling both of his arms up as they became shrouded in his refined, dark magic--he couldn''t help but smile in his own small way with the second round against the mountain-sized beast.

    "Up until now...I''ve been throwing half-baked spells at you without any intent to kill. I''m sure you won''tin if I turn it up a notch, right?"

    "Are you asking me or the big guy here? Either way, give it your best shot, ghosty!"

    Fai egged the Argonaut on with a boisterous smile, standing near the cedar-sized leg of Behemoth as it stood itself up, shaking the ck substance off of its hide as it breathed its steamy, repugnant breath.

    "...I''m grateful. For the first time in a long time, someone has survived my initial strikes. Fai...you really are someone who stands at the top of this world."

    It was unnatural, but despite how daunting it should be in contrast to his usual expression--Avdima''s smile was as gentle as the weing softness of a feather pillow.

    When joyful smiles like that are shared, pride is set aside as well as personal contempt; at that point, it is simply an all-out battle between two who recognize the other as their equal. Avdima''s words weren''t coated in falsities in the least; a chilling release of his innermost mana shook even Behemoth itself as the muddy ground trembled beneath the ck stratifications that filled the air.

    "Zhurong: Apex!"

    If I''m not willing to sacrifice tomorrow to win here today, there is no way I''m oveing a man like him--that''s why even if it tears me apart--flesh, bones, whole limbs in all--I have to push myself beyond my maximum! Fai thought.

    Once more he returned his body to the element of fire, feeling its unrelenting heat wrap itself around the foundation of his very being as the full output of his magical energy surged through him--locking eyes with Avdima, who stood surrounded enveloped in his thick,yered mana.

    None of my spells have had any effect on him, my Qi is hardly aiding me to keep up with his immense reinforcement...It''s going toe down to sheer will, isn''t it? He thought.

    "Let''s go, Behemoth!"

    To his surprise, the gargantuan beast heeded hismand as it set out like a raging bull towards the Argonaut alongside him. It was only when running side-to-side with the beast that dwarfed him as if he were an ent did he feel the true tion that came with the summit ofbat.

    Right now, I actually feel it--I feel that I can win! Fai thought.

 Chapter 270 - In Sight; The Finish Line

    Using Apex to transform his physical form into that of his own almighty, near-divine mes, he was able to battle alongside Behemoth without any fear of being caught in the beast''s ravaging attacks. Testing this concept, Fai watched as the fur-d giant swung one of its fists where Avdima stood--only for that same enormous club of flesh to be deflected by the pale-skinned man''s returning punch.

    He canbat Behemoth''s raw power?! Hoh, testing my resolve already, are you? Fai smiled.

    Behemoth let out a low growl that came out of its confused core as it found itself nearly tumbling backward from such weight be sent flying back, after this, Avdima turned his attention to the fastly approaching Ounder--who moved with a speed that exceeded the limitations of his physical form as he inhabited energy itself.

    Even so--don''t think just because you redirected a hit from Behemoth, that you can do the same to me! There is a reason I''m the one whomands that beast! He thought.

    It was like brisk me flowing through the wind, Fai carried himself with his weightless form into a kick--stopping halfway before switching the momentum into a spear hand strike aimed at the Argonaut''s exposed jugr.

    His fingertips, as sharp and ready as a knight''snce, came less than a cat''s hair away from the parchment-colored skin of Avdima''s before being abruptly swatted by the man''s own hand in an incredibly fast movement.

    0.0000001...that was the amount of seconds afforded to the Argonaut of a simr age to the youthful Ounder to counter his spear hand. Even with that time as lengthy as a grain of rice is filling to a stomach, Avdima responded as if having more than enough space to react.

    Faster, he thought.

    Turning on the intensity of the mes he embodied, Fai minimized his thinking to prioritize sheer speed--following up with another strike just as quickly as his was deflected--using the momentum from Avdima''s own p of his hand to spin around into a kick,unching the heel of his feet towards the man''s chin.

    Their eyes met; Avdima''s irises followed the movement of Fai''s kick as he leaned back to evade it--returning with his own blow as he threw his fist towards the fiery-bodied Ounder.

    Faster, he repeated.

    In this exchange that existed in the span of a fraction of a second, Fai found his instincts rocketing to levels never found before when pressed by such a daunting wall before him.

    By the time they parted, a dozen attacks were thrown between the two men, but nonended. There wasn''t any time of reprieve for Avdima--not that he wanted any--as Behemoth followed through once more with a rampage of wild ms of its fists without any restraint, tools coated in utmost candor.

    The ground was caved in, thrown around, and split by the repeated downfall of such force, leaving many of the surrounding oak to fall to the surface of the forest as their roots were left with nothing to cling to.

    "No mercy, huh��?"

    Avdima used his arms to guard against the storm of rubble as he hopped from spot to spot, evading the rampant strikes from up above that hardly seemed calcted.

    "I promised to take things more serious here...so don''t me me for what happens next."

    The animosity that came with Avdima''s works caused Fai to jump back while Behemoth didn''t halt its wrath in the least; continuing its meteoric shower of blows before suddenly stopping at the suffocatingly potent aura of death emanating from the man who by all means should be nothing more than an ant to the beast.

    "Erebus: Age of Terror."

    Letting his arm hang low, Avdima dragged his hand towards the space in front of him before pping the winds--bringing with his hand a wave of bleak magenta and stygian energy, rising from the surrounding soil and rising into a slope that sought to engulf the mountain-rivaling beast.

    While Fai was able to move fast enough to move out of the zone of the spell''s reach, Behemoth wasn''t so fortunate.

    The tidal wave of all-epassing, humming darkness reached a summit above the head of Behemoth--who likely for the first time, found itself overshadowed. As it met the form of the wide, burly beast of chaos, it wasn''t a collision, but a feast for the darkness that swallowed Behemoth in its boundless inner-depth. There was no resistance that could be had; the moment the potent darkness made contact with Behemoth, it was entirely enveloped in its destructive hold before being able to react.

    Such a destructive spell didn''t stop at just simply bringing the beast into its hold, washing over the quadrant of the treasured forest like the raging tides of the mighty sea. Landing atop the trees which stood for centuries, the ever-stretching, malicious darkness toppled thend in its path.

    "This is him being serious��? Just what did I get myself into?"

    Fai couldn''t help but chuckle as a way to perceive the magecraft before his eyes; the singr spell alone would be enough to be ssified and remembered as a terrorizing natural disaster.

    "Be proud, you were strong."

    The words weren''t a faux, pityingpliment--to the man who valued those who could challenge his boundless strength, Avdima respected the inhuman beast.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As the abyssal, roaring sea of shadows dissipated, no such beast was left in its wake as the entire section of the forest in that general direction had been cleaved away so cleanly like a razor running through a head of verdant hair.

    Taking out a Chaos-Monster in just a single attack is something that honestly would make my pants stink of piss if I didn''t already know how big of a problem he was. It feels like anything I throw his way is subsided with an action twice as powerful--how infuriating, Fai thought.

    "...Unreal, you really are a piece of work man."

    Ruffling his own disheveled locks, Fai approached the Argonaut who slowly turned to face the man, revealing that his right arm hung limp at his side. Without the presence of the salivating, stench-emanating beast, it was just the two of them in the grandiose forest that met its greatest trial on this rainy night.

    Besides that, his forearms are bloody and bruised...I guess even he couldn''t defend against Behemoth''s attacks unscathed, Fai thought.

    Before Avdima could catch his breath after his exchange with Behemoth, the ponytailed man brought himself directly in front of the Argonaut with unseen swiftness.

    Don''t get me mistaken; I''m not just going to sit around and let you dismantle my partners like that! I was waiting, watching, studying you��it was for that reason Behemoth fought for me! Even a one-in-ten-million monster like yourself isn''t protected from human anatomy! Fai thought.

    With his arms hanging limply, swollen and bruised, Avdima was helpless to the aggressive speed of his foe.

    In an instant, Fai used both his index fingers and thumbs like soul-piercingnces; spearing an array of specific spots across the Argonaut''s body.

    I spent years perfecting this; not only the normal pressure points of a body, but the magical pressure points of a mage��it doesn''t matter what kind of beast you are��you''ll feel this, Fai thought.

    The barrage of precise, sharp jabs with his fingers was finished off with a blow to Avdima''s neck, digging his thumb into his jugr as he could feel the warmth of the man who was as detached as a spirit, feeling his heartbeat through his neck before pulling away.

    Each hit was backed by hisplete, unrestrained strength--thrown forth with full intent to kill. It wasn''t enough--it was the fear of retaliation, of failing, that drew Fai back into another flurry of these lethal, harsh blows.

    They wereunched as fast as lightning, if not surpassing such lengths, hitting with a greater intensity than the wild element itself--throwing them against his chest, repeatedly striking that which his heart sat, beating so fervently. Ruthless; it was the one thing Fai could embody in that moment before finally pulling back before his foe could retaliate.

    It''s an easy weakness of yours I''ve found, Avdima. That bored arrogance of yours--every attack you do, you truly believe it is enough to finish anything. It''s that false certainty that causes you to hesitate! He thought.

    It was a sight not even the man who fought the bulwark Argonaut thought he''d see; Avdima fell to one knee as he spat out a mix of blood and saliva, huffing as it seemed his lungs didn''t respond to him.

    Though, such vulnerabilitysted only a few moments before the man found himself back to his feet, wiping the spots of crimson liquid from the edges of his lips.

    "Fai��"

    Avdima spoke softly with a heavy breath, his arms trembling��a sign Fai knew clearly.

    As I thought; he''s just as vulnerable to the weaknesses of us all. I hit over a dozen of his pressure points��physical and magical. It''s a paralyzing, painful sensation that can''t be ovee with sheer will��that is, if you''re a normal person, Fai thought.

    "Mm?"

    As Fai raised an inquisitive eyebrow without lowering his defense; Avdima held a pleased smile as he caressed his neck as if satisfied with the pain.

    "Amazing! I almost died! Ha-ha!"

    pping his chest enough for it to be heard loud and clear, Avdima held an unnatural excitement.

    "You stopped my heart with those hits! If I didn''t pump it manually with my magic, I''d be a goner!"

    Avdima raised his hands as heughed, his sclera showing wider than ever before��ted and filled with the ecstasy of near-death.. It was an unnerving sight to see for Fai.

 Chapter 271 - Inverse World

    "I''ll be honest with you, Fai."

    "Huh?"

    "I don''t care about this mission. Though I''m an Argonaut, I don''t share their values...the only reason I''m standing here right now as your enemy is because I want to. This power I''ve been born with��is nothing more than a curse. I''ve been so bored; nothing has challenged me, stimted me��I''ve been frozen in this stagnant world for so long. That''s why I took this mission: I knew I''d find a worthy opponent; someone that could make my dull world just a bit brighter. It''s my own personal desire; not born of hatred or malice. Do you understand?"

    Without hesitation, as he spoke, Avdima grabbed his right arm--tugging on it with an abrupt force as a pop sounded out, fixing his dislocated shoulder as his breaths came out sharp and slurred, clearly feeling the effects of his critical points being taken advantage of.

    "...You''re fighting because you want to?"

    "Yeah...it probably sounds remarkably stupid from an Argonaut, but--you''re a proper rival. If I should be thest face you see, I don''t want you to hate me or think you were killed out of contempt. You should have a proper death."

    "How sweet of you."

    Fai sarcastically responded as he raised his hands into a stance ready for battle once more, the glimmer in his eyes was one that his foe recognized--the same resolve for a good fight he held.

    "Ah...you''re not one of many words, are you? I guess that makes two of us."

    Even now, this is the most I''ve spoken to someone of my own volition in...I can''t even remember whenst. That''s the kind of man you are, Fai Meng! Avdima thought.

    I don''t n on dying, but if I fall against the almighty Argonaut of Destruction himself--I don''t think I''ll be too unhappy about that. I chose the path of a warrior, but foremost...I''m the guardian of the Ounders. If it''s not my fists that''ll protect them, it''ll be my body, if it''s not my body, it''ll be my life.

    I''m content with what I''ve experienced in this lifetime. If my death earns them another day breathing, I can''tin. My life on Earth was a failure; I was nothing, I aplished nothing, and I destroyed the life given to me.

    This second chance to be someone remembered as a "good person" to those I care about--I cherish it with all of my being.

    That''s the resolve you''re fighting against, Avdima. I''m prepared to die, but I don''t doubt you are too, Fai thought.

    Even if there was some level of courtesy born between the two warring fighters; the intent to kill wasn''t diminished--as much was ever-hauntingly present in those hazy, chaotic spirals born into Avdima''s eyes as suddenly, the surviving evergreen fell to rot in his presence.

    "I''ll use it��"

    "Huh?"

    "I haven''t been this happy in so long��! You brought me down to a knee; I felt that pain so sharply, ingrained in my flesh��I thought I was really going to bite it! You''ve earned the right to see it, Fai Meng! Please, bring me closer to death''s threshold again!"

    To hear Avdima yell so passionately was enough to kick Fai''s defensive instincts into high gear as his stance was raised in preparation. Embracing himself, Avdima''s head slumped down as his tied-up hair came loose--his jet-ck locks draping down as an aura of boundless malevolence sprouted forth from the pale figure.

    All of the emotions I keep bottled up inside me; all of that burning, freezing contempt! Avdima thought.

    Distracted by the sight of the harrowing Argonaut as he rapidly muttered unintelligible words, Fai looked up to see the true source of theyer of horror coating the air: veiling the full moon that inhabited the stars, a sable entity masked it.

    Sprouted from the unseen boundaries of the sky, a murky, sable stygian substance spilled over as if spreading itself across an invisible barrier that surrounded the Valley of Grandeuve, epassing the outskirts of the grandiose domain made up of a wall of mountains and ancient oak--the sable sphere that reced the moon acted as the anchor of this chilling curtain.

    The sound of the sickening sludge which had no right to birth itself into this world filled Fai''s ears as all he could was watch as a biting cold took hold of his body.

    "Devour The Moonlight and Emerge, Inverse World.."

    Discernible words finally sprouted from a grin perched on Avdima''s lips as he finally looked up--meeting Fai''s horrified, fear-frozen self with his unstable, spiraling eyes.

    It''s like a barrier has been ced all around Grandueve...but why? This is his ability? Fai thought.

    It was only when the drapes of a ck, enigmatic quality settledpletely did the harrowing reality set in--the space apparent to Fai''s eyes suddenly shifted; every tree in sight was withered and coated in an ivory powder, the soil beneath had dried up to a deathly state.

    "...This world sits just beneath the veil of our own reality, I can simply coax it forth��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Huh? What did you do?! Tell me!"

    "What exists here are the antithesis of humans; creatures of utter malevolence with no ce on Gaia--born of our fears, hatred, and transgressions. It''s that which humans are too scared to see, even if it sits just under their noses."

    In ce of the leaves that hung onto the lifeless oak, sable limbs, arms and legs both, protruded from the many limbs of each tree, swaying in the passing, chilling winds. It was a nightmare that superseded the reality just before Fai in a single moment; such a jarring shift was enough tog his brain as he took it all in.

    "...Here theye. Those birthed by the malice of mankind. Can you hear their hunger?"

    Laughs; deep, high, rough, and ear-piercing. Groans; pained and full of sorrow. Screams; harrowful and in pain, ted with the prospect of bloodshed.

    Seems like releasing his innate ability also released his repressed emotions...I''d prefer it if he didn''t smile at me like that, Fai thought.

    It was the wicked ambiance of the Inverse World, and those who inhabited its nightmarish bounds.

    "��You should know, nobody has ever seen my ability and lived."

    If I should be the one to kill the Ounders--those recognized by Mastorn as devils, even if I don''t see them as such...I''ll be a hero. Illya, your brother will be a hero! Together, we can revel in this legacy! Avdima thought.

    In the face of the unknown, standing before the dread-seeping manifestations of human fear, a single, long and sharp breath was brought through the Ounder''s lips before he reced his shocked expression with a smile.

    "...Huh?"

    Avdima questioned that look in such a ce as his released, unkempt hair veiled his pale face. Adjusting the bands that wrapped around his wrists, Fai rolled his shoulders before turning that radiant smile of his straight to his foe.

    "Didn''t I tell you? It''s in times like these with impossible odds stacked against me that I do my best. That''s what it means to be the main character in my story--if this is the tailend of my epic, I''ll make it one hell of a climax!"

    "You��"

    "Prepare yourself, Avdima! I''ll show you what one-hundred and ten percent of The Self-Proimed King of Divine mes, Fai Meng, looks like!"

    As I said, even if it costs me my blood, flesh, and life--I''ll win! That''s my resolve--I''ll use it all, right here, right now! If it''s the one task I was born for, the center of the story of Fai Meng, then I''ll be the one to stop you, Avdima--your fangs, your ws--they won''t reach my precious friends! Old Man, I''ll finally make use of those martial arts you taught me, even as you coughed up blood, even when you could hardly stand upright! I''ll engrave into this bastard''s brain the sight of Meng-Style! He thought.

    Fai flexed his entire body all at once as the golden veil of his natural qi coated his body; pressing his veins to his skin as his steel-forged muscles bulged out.

    "Embody the Tales of My World: Sun Wukong!"

    Just then, Fai''s gray eyes shifted into a seraphic gold; irises that discerned evil. Bountiful, golden locks of flowing, flourishing fur sprouted from his pores; raising his hand to the air, an obsidian pole decorated in many gifts of many tall figures manifested into his grip.

    I hate to admit it, but he''s too much for me. Even if I reached the supposed summit of mortal strength--he''s reached into something beyond that. A pit of darkness, or into the reaches of the heavenly domains--I don''t know, demon or god, he''s achieved something beyond human. But, I''m not alone. That''s why I''m the record keeper, the ambassador of Earth in this world. Let''s finish this together, Sun Wukong.

    Even though their eyes held such opposing shines, one of a celestial benevolence and one of an abyssal madness--the same, honest desire was shared between their smiling irises. The same thought and resolve flowed through their minds and hearts in unison, "I''ll win, even if it costs my life!"

    For you, Illya, I''ll win and crown you the sister of the greatest! I''ll die for that legacy to be born, Avdima shouted with his heart.

    Are you watching, Gramps, Granny...Qui? The wildest Meng is about to set off! I''ll do what I failed to do for you all--this time, I''ll be the first one to fall. Even if I can''t die surrounded by them, I can still remember all of their stupid smiles! Fai screamed with his heart.

    Between the raging, golden coated mes that cheered the fur-d man on in his smiling glory and the endless darkness that shouted out from the unseen, abyssal depths of the Argonaut''s soul, the world awaited the conclusion between the two who stood at the pinnacle.

    It was only for the strongest that the threshold of death existed as their greatest adrenaline; only the will of such people could push beyond the grasps of the horizon beyond life and continue on. When it came to men like this, words didn''t suffice--or at least, they didn''t need to. It was by the callused fists they threw with their beating hearts throbbing with passion that they understood and respected one another. A bond that couldn''t be forged by words, and one strengthened only by departure.

    The duel of two maniacs with little regard for their own lives neared its riveting conclusion.

 Chapter 272 - In The Veil Of Spirits

    "...What do I do?"

    Charlotte muttered this to herself repeatedly as she hesitantly ran the skin of her pale, soft fingers across the smooth form of the ball of darkness.

    It was asrge as a boulder, though upon touching it, the integrity of its form felt almost weightless, as if it was simply a gathering of shadows. Attempting to use a purifying spell, "Nodens: Proper Flowing River!".

    Clear, purified water of a magical origin sprouted from before her extended hands, wrapping itself around the spherical shape of the enigmatic ball of gloomy energy.

    "...Huh?"

    Suddenly, her amethyst eyes as sweet as dessert looked up to see the curtain that epassed the entirety of the valley ce itself down, anchoring into the world before everything suddenly shifted--the bountiful nature around her dying instantly.

    ...What is this feeling? It got so...cold, so fast. It feels like there are eyes all over me--what''s going on? Charlotte thought.

    The fear was nearly enough to paralyze her, fervently shaking her head as she reeled her resolve back in while focusing on the discerning spell around the orb.

    In essence, the spell was simple; its natural, purifying nature was enough to dissolve malevolent spells--the antithesis of benevolent spells like Proper Flowing River. By swallowing the width of the ck sphere in the gentle, pure waters, its form was challenged.

    Even so, the quality and refinement of her magic was multitudes lower than Avdima''s--that much was felt as she fought against the integrity of the imprisoning spell.

    It''s like trying to chip away at the towering gates of Mastorn with a wooden spoon...How is it so dense? She thought.

    Pushing her attention to this task, she realized toote that she wasn''t alone in the discarded field within the war-torn forest. A sickening growl mixed with childlikeughter met her ears--forcing her to swiftly turn her head as her vermillion curtains followed.

    "Gyah-ha-ha!"

    It stood upon one of the rotten trees, its scabbed, obsidian talons wrapped around the branches that resembled limbs.

    Though most of its body held a humanoid shape, its arms, if they could be called that, were made up of razor-sharp whips that hung at the sides of its sable and hole-filled body. Itughed through a maw that stretched so wide its jaw didn''t seem to exist; exposing its dangerous teeth as plentiful as grass in a prairie.

    Those unnatural, weaponized limbs it possessed lodged themselves into her focus; they swayed in the harrowing winds as it smiled wickedly.

    "...What...what are you��?"

    Seeing such a disturbed figure, Charlotte began to step backwards, keeping her eyes locked on the creature''s form even though she wanted nothing more than to tuck herself into a ball.

    "Gah!"

    It seemed pleased with her frightful reaction as it chuckled with its distorted voice, hopping down from its spot amongst the deathly trees, standing upright with a height that dwarfed hers by at least two times--hunched over with its slim, but muscr body.

    With its brought closer to her, dragging its chain-whip limbs behind it, the creature''s form became clearer--exhibiting stripes of crimson along its unnatural body filled with see-through holes that would spell death for any normal organism.

    Though its feet resembled the talons of a mighty avian, its legs bore a curved shape like a wild stallion, giving it veiny, muscr legs that stood outpared to its rtively thin upper body.

    "Stay...away��"

    Charlotte shook her head as tears lined her eyes, keeping her hands tucked against her heated chest as cobalt, acidic saliva dripped from the fiend''s salivating maw, raining down upon the dried up soil below. Such words only fueled its wicked avarice for blood as its chilling giggles continued, settling its swirling, crimson eyes on the small girl--locking its star-like, ckened pupils on her as it reared its array of ded whips back.

    "No��!"

    Though she raised her hands in an attempt to rebut this attack with a spell of her own making, she tripped over a small pebble protruding from the soil,nding on her rear as she watched the fiend grow closer.

    I...I can''t move...just staring at it is tightening my chest--my head is on fire, swaying...I can''t, Charlotte thought.

    With a violent toss backward, its tri-whip limbs seemed to extend greatly, swatting at the trees far behind them and eviscerating them with ease before pulling with a swing of its body to bring these malevolent edges towards the girl.

    I tried, but I still couldn''t...be strong. I''m still just a frightened child! I''m useless! Weak! I''m pathetic...this is how...this is how I die! She shut her eyes.

    "Perish, fiend."

    It was a man''s voice; one that took Charlotte from the holds of such fear momentarily as she watched a blure into view before that same, untraceable swiftness lodged itself into the bumpy, spike-covered forehead of the sable-skinned entity.

    "Strife?!"

    "Apologies, Miss��Charlotte."

    Standing a few strides behind her was the heart-relieving sight of the silver, pristine locks of the elven archer. That somber cloak that covered his just as dark, gloomy uniform was somehow a sight as bright as the warm grace of the morning star.

    "What''s going on��?!"

    Charlotte was quick to her feet while the fiend was standing dormant with its head reared back, having the ivory arrow lodged deep into its brain matter. Making her way to the side of the golden-eyed elf, her question was met with a worrying look in the eyes of Strife.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''ve only heard of it through rumors and hearsay, but there''s no mistaking it; this is the ability of Avdima."

    "His ability?"

    "That''s right--to be perfectly honest, nobody has any concrete information on it--anyone that has seen it has died--without exception."

    This revtion from the truthful, blunt lips of the hooded elf conjured a gulp from the girl as her bottom lip quivered; feeling the gnawing chill of the harrowing domain settle deeper into her body.

    "That''s right!...Donatien is trapped in that!"

    Remembering the task entrusted to her, Charlotte''s words were guided by the finger she used to point the man''s eyes to the unmissable abyssal sphere that inhabited the center of the lifeless field.

    "...Hm. I see. Can you handle it, Charlotte?"

    "I think so��"

    Though her answer didn''t seem to please the man, who kept his radiant, gilded irises locked on the girl as she kept her hands close to the soft fabric of her nightgown. The elusive, haunting airs brushed past her attire meant for times of rest, notbat, feeling the coldness of the wind wrap around her gently as she made her decision.

    "I can!"

    "Good to hear; I''ll cover you then with my utmost, Charlotte."

    Strife gave her a closed-eye smile as he reached his sable glove-covered hand to the quiver on his back--a perplexing action in that moment as she presumed they were in the clear.

    "Cover��?"

    Thinking the enemy had been defeated, Charlotte bridged the action of Strife retrieving another arrow to the return of the fiend''s movements as it convulsed and chuckled, letting its head drop back down with the arrow still piercing its crown.

    "It seems our guest here is quite a tenacious one. Go!"

    Clearing Charlotte''s path by sending a high-powered arrow coated in an aura of gyrating wind against the chest of the ferocious,ughing fiend as it was sent backwards, Strife''s yell was enough to get the girl''s trembling legs moving with fervor.

    "You''re facing me, vile one."

    Strife''s words, though quiet, incited the murderous eyes that possessed no lids of the creature as it contorted its body, spilling out its toxic saliva as itughed with a bubbling echo.

    Without any hesitation to its hungering malice, the towering beast sprinted forward with its ded arms trailing behind it--leaping towards Strife with its razor-sharp maw parted wide with its eyes set right on the elf''s jugr.

    0.01 seconds; that''s the time required for Strife to reach into his quiver, retrieve one of his magically-enchanted arrows, raise his sable and sapphire bow, then draw the projectile along the radiant string. It''s a feat acquired by well over a decade of grueling training and experience, but also one born of unrivaled talent.

    To the fiend''s eyes, it likely witnessed Strife go from a still position to holding the ivory, sharp arrow along the string before finding that same arrow shot against it.

    Even with such swiftness, his perfect form was not lost nor was any power; once again, the unnatural entity found itself flung back by the force of the arrow,nding harshly against the ground as it quickly shot itself back up with only its legs.

    Troublesome. It seems to be quite the resilient beast, he thought.

    The very tip of the arrow managed to pierce the firstyer of the sable viin''s skin, but no deeper than that, being flung from its form by a flex of the creature''s body.

    Hanging its head to the side, the spiky-headed entity let out its distortedugh as its long, slimy tongue slid from its maw, swaying side to side in its cobalt, repugnant glory.

    "A bit confident, are we?"

    Holding his hand free of his bow in front of him, Strife narrowed his eyes at the challengingugh of the foe before him, manifesting something above the palm of his hand as a verdant wind gathered, gyrating and pulsating as an object formed.

    "Let''s see how you handle a real attack."

    Finishing its formation from nothingness, a lengthy arrow with a different thickness to the normal, needle-thin projectiles was strung along his bow. Grooves spiraled around its mossy and metallic form, looking as if it were a treasure found within the depths of a grove.

    "Grah--?"

    Finishing its mocking howls ofughter, the creature''s full-view eyes, bloodshot and without veils, spun a bit before it leaned forward as if enamored by what he saw from the elf.

    "You are no doubt born of depravity; a creature with no holds to the beauties or grace of the world. As such...I believe an arrow slicked with the benevolent magic of the druid''s should do."

    This time, drawing the arrow along the mystical, glowing string brought on an aura of natural verdancy; a nce into the bountiful, refreshing domain of a proper forest--an existence seemingly unwee to this twisted, reverse world as the fiend suddenly unleashed a roar that vibrated the surrounding space.

    "Come then, fiend.. I won''t miss."

 Chapter 273 - The Trial Of The New Ally

    Setting off with a violent burst, the fiend''s calf muscles bulged with such great intensity that they looked close to implosion; charging at the elf as Charlotte found herself momentarilypromised from her magecraft amidst such rampant power.

    Waiting a moment longer than any sane man would, Strife''s patience paid off as the unorthodox fiend dashed to the side then into the air with its powerful legs guiding it high.

    "Return to nothingness."

    Strife''s softly spoken words guided the release of his evergreen arrow,unching it with an intense swiftness as it neared the creature''s parted jaw.

    However, it did the unthinkable; with a sudden snap of its powerful, razor-sharp jaw, the beast bisected the iing arrow with its devilish teeth.

    What?! It made the decision to ept the hit, for a lesser amount of damage just to continue on its warpath towards me? Strife thought.

    Taken aback by the unexpected finesse of such a savage creature, he found himself watching as it drew its lengthy, ded whips back before tossing them his way at a violent speed; causing the air to hiss and howl.

    Quickly retrieving an arrow from his boundless quiver, Strife intercepted the iing attack by wielding his projectile like a de, swinging and deflecting the many sections of the fiend''s whip. With the beast throwing its other set of these brutal, multi-sectioned limbs of ded-whips towards the archer, he wielded both his durable arrow and stygian bow in masterlike unison tobat the flurry of sharp edges aiming for his flesh.

    Its strength is nothing to diminish; if those whips make just the slightest contact, they''ll carve through me like butter, he thought.

    Digging the heels of his cleated, ck boots into the dry, white soil beneath him, he kept his seraphic, golden eyes on the storm of desing his way as he flipped between their reach, pushing them back with his dual-wielded, unlikely melee weapons.

    As the fiend squealed out with such a pitch that the elf''s heightened hearing brought with it a sharp pain, the speed at which it attacked increased. Even so, the ex-Argonaut elf was far from being cornered by such rampant, savage attacks.

    Though they are quite swift, this one''s movements are easy to predict; I doubt my eyes are needed for the likes of this, he thought.

    Spinning his body around like a giant top, Strife countered the whips that seemed to move almost like sentient creatures of their own.

    "...Aeolus: Pierce."

    Amidst the dance of steel, Strife''s words rolled off his tongue elegantly and without slowness; manifesting from this incantation was an unseen bolt of air sent right against the neck of the sable blood-hunting creature. With its inhuman, steel-like physiology, it managed to resist the impartial lethality of the wind bing finally sumbing--the hidden wind blowing its neck into chunks as its head was parted from its body.

    As expected from the universally lethal wound, the creature fell lifelessly backward onto the pale soil with its whips falling limp as well.

    "Good job!"

    "...Please focus on freeing Donatien, Charlotte."

    "R-right!"

    Still, Strife smiled at the girl''s praise as he flipped his arrow between his fingers, watching as clear water flowing with magical minerals swallowed the sphere in its totality; causing bits and pieces of its form to crack and fade away.

    "...Mm?"

    His unique senses caught onto something, checking once more to verify the death of the sable fiend; it was no doubt dead.

    Bringing those golden eyes of his up--he found the source of his tingling senses: more creatures of the same, malevolent aura came from the hollow trees, though possessing a simr savagery about them, they all remained unique.

    What caught his eye was therge, broad one of these beasts with a rectangr head formed like an axe, lumbering forward with a pale-white body as translucent as snow, guiding its massive, thick ws beside it.

    "Strife��!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Stay focused, Charlotte. I have this covered."

    Stepping between the area where the red-haired girl practiced her magecraft and the approaching fiends, Strife prepared himself.

    One of them is hiding amongst the dried foliage--is it waiting to strike? Odd...I''ll have to keep my guard up, Strife thought.

    With a mouth stretching across the length of its axe-shaped head, the burly, pale fiend disyed a row of tongues as numerous as its teeth.

    "I suppose you want the first taste, don''t you?"

    Strife muttered as he locked his eyes on the tank of a creature, watching as it began charging towards him with its pale-hooved feet, digging into the decaying soil with each step.

    It doesn''t matter how many of youe; I will not fail to protect her. That''s my one conviction, he thought.

    Swiping his bow against the air, the object clicked as a silver de that stretched along the length of the obsidian bow was pulled into view; once the unseen sharpness of the weapon revealed itself, he began to charge forward--meeting the pale giant halfway.

    The muscr, monstrous creature with a head as peculiar as its existence revealed in this development, chuckling with a voice as deep as a chasm before lifting its massive ws to strike at the elf. Holding onto a handle embedded in the belly of the bow, he swiftly brought himself over the fiend''s head, using the bow as a de as he shed at its back.

    "One shouldn''t make the mistake of believing an archer to just simply be that; in situations like these, a bit of swordsmanship calls."

    An explosion of slimy, verdant blood protruded from the newly opened sh on the fiend''s back, resulting in it howling out before twisting itself backward in an unnatural retaliation--nearly catching the elf who was half its size with its lengthy digits.

    As a result of its failed hold, all of its fingers were severed from its torso-sized hand in an unseen attack from the man.

    Just as quick as the meaty, pale-white digits belonging to the burly fiend were lobbed off, its bright, green blood shot out in excess.

    "Aeolus: Repulse!"

    Without turning his gaze away, Strife''s sharply yelled out incantation generated a brief, but overwhelming fit of wind that pushed the two approaching fiends from each side away.

    "You''ll be the first to go."

    Taking advantage of the short period of time where the fiends were stunned, the nimble elf ran along the bulwark body of the axe-headed creature, drawing an arrow and pulling it back--taking aim directly above the head of the sluggish foe below his soles.

    Releasing his hold of the projectile, itunched itself with a burst of translucent mana, piercing the rigid head of the fiend into a burst of verdant blood. Hopping off of its shoulders, Strife didn''t so much as look back as the pale monster fell to the soil with its life taken.

    "Now, for the two of you��"

    Though they were less aggressive than the one he had just taken care of, their hesitancy and caution in engaging him was more worrying than the brute strength of the fallen fiend.

    To his left, he kept himself wary of the fiend that walked on all fours, despite appearing to be a bipedal creature--exhibiting smooth, jet-ck skin that coexisted with circr, crimson markings across its body. It possessed a snout like a canine, baring outward teeth that clung to the exterior of its maw, but its face was unmistakably human in essence.

    On his right, was likely theplete opposite of the animalistic fiend--standing on pole-like legs that dwarfed its torso, the towering,nky fiend possessed an eerie smile etched into its face, stered on its sable form. Its arms hung down to its knees--making them just as harrowingly lengthy as its legs, ending in jagged ws as sizable as broadswords.

    I suppose it''s time to use my ability. This isn''t the time to do the bare minimum--both Charlotte''s life and the Ounder''s are at stake.. I''ll use it--"Multi-Vnt", he thought.

 Chapter 274 - DE-MON

    The moment he seized an arrow from his ck leather quiver designed with gilded feathers, the opposing fiends began to approach him.

    "Strife��!"

    Focus, Charlotte. If there is one thing I can attest to about my time with the Argonauts--it''s that it made me strong. I am strong enough to make my own decisions and follow them through; that''s why I chose to stand by you! Strife thought.

    By his own conscious choice, the arrow given to him by the quiver held an orange form, subtly glowing like a reclusive sun. The head of the projectile held the same star-like shape of the morning entity, sliding it back along the shining, azure string as the fiends drew closer from his east and west.

    Anything Iunch, I''m able to multiply--the number depending on the size, weight, and mana signature of the object. Creating duplicates takes its toll in the form of my own mana, and the integrity of the cloned objects onlysts a brief amount of time, Strife thought.

    Turning to face the savage fiend that sprinted at him on all fours, digging up the soil with its rabid ws, he remained calm as his golden irises took a special glow, reflecting in their gilded, refined essence his steel-like concentration.

    I canunch the replicated object to any of my cardinal directions; north, south, east, and west of my current position, though if I''m notunching from directly in front of myself, my aim bes rather rigid, he thought.

    Steadying his aim, the elvish archer unleashed the vibrant, heated arrow from the strained bow as it fled from his position with a powerful roar.

    Approaching from behind him, the lengthy pir of a fiend raised its arm to strike the elf--only to stop as an arrow manifested from behind the still man,unching itself towards the colossal fiend in the same, sun-like radiance.

    "Multi-Vnt: Morning''s End."

    In perfect unison, both arrows shot in opposite directions met their targets--unleashing into a fiery, majestic explosion that inhabited the loose shape of a ten-pointed star, filling the gloomy, inversend of Avdima''s will with a much-missed glow.

    As the vtile orange settled, nothing was left in ce of Strife''s foes as he let out a soft sigh, lowering his bow. Almost in perfect synch of his victory, the ck sphere finally dissolved inpletion--cracking apart before disappearingpletely.

    "...I did it!"

    Distracted by her sess, Charlotte was toote to notice the navy-haired man that was held within its imprisonment start to fall over--being caught by the swift elf who rushed over.

    "Are you alright?"

    "...Ngh."

    Slowly raising his head, Donatien caressed the side of his own shoulder as he stood on his own two feet--grimacing as his eyes seemed worn with a dozen sleepless nights.

    "How long was I in there?"

    "Not long; half an hour, tops."

    Strife answered the man who seemed unusually groggy--especially one of such intellectual caliber. He didn''t seem to possess visible injuries beyond what he had before being captured, but suffered an unseen wound--clear by his strained expression.

    "Impossible. It felt like..weeks. Damn that Avdima...where is he?"

    "Fai is still fighting him��"

    "We have problems of our own right now."

    Apanying Charlotte''s answer, Strife''s words brought the worn-out strategist of the Ounders to finally take in the dreary, nightmarish scenery that enveloped Grandeuve.

    "This is��?"

    Adjusting his sses formed of his own ice, Donatien forced a sharp breath through his nose to supply himself with enough energy to fight against the exhaustion guing him.

    "Avdima''s ability--it seems to have brought us into an inverse world...what lies in it, well, I believe you''re about to see."

    Strife''s words and abrupt change from a calm aura to one prepared for battle surprised both Charlotte and Donatien as they matched the direction of his gaze--witnessing something standing just beyond the boundary of deathly, hellborne oak.

    I almost forgot about that one...it hid the entire time and watched as I yed its kin--if they even consider each other kin, Strife thought.

    "Gehehehe��"

    Laughing with a voice distorted by both high and low pitches, the skin-crawling fiend stepped out from the lifeless foliage to finally reveal itself.

    A most peculiar, fever-dream-born form; walking on feet that resembled nothing but t, thin poles, its body was formed of sleek, rubbery material that seemed to be sable, inted leather. Two, massive horns curved out from its head and behind its neck, inhabiting a thickness greater than its own torso as it stared at them behind a face that took the guise of a mask.

    "...Did I crawl from one hell to another?"

    Donatien muttered in disgust at the sight of the abhorrent, nightmare-manifested fiend. It was something both he and Strife recognized, but didn''t dare mention to the young girl standing beside them in utter puzzlement.

    Is that...a gimp suit?! Donatien thought.

    A devilish fiend...how repulsive for the eyes, Strife thought.

    "...DE-MON Manifestation: Twelve Principle Apparitions: Embodiment of Sexual Depravity: GIMP!"

    Unlike the others before it, much to the dismay of those standing before it, the fiend spoke with a voice as unnatural as its existence, sounding out from like a snapped violin being yed.

    I see��it''s a sort of spirit, likely formed by collective human emotions��in this case��ugh, Donatien sighed.

    "Can you fight?"

    "...It''s not a question if I can; I will."

    Answering Strife''s quietly spoken question, Donatien seemed less than joyful to be plunged straight back into the heated glory that is the act of battle.

    "...Charlotte."

    "Yes��?"

    Under the gaze of the cold-eyed man, Charlotte felt a shiver run over her skin just from the residual aura emanating from him.

    "I''ll leave the support to you."

    They were simple words, but enough to ignite the engine within the girl''s heart as she fervently nodded her head--finding the courage to stand before such a powerful entity with these two men at her side.

    "Strife, you''re with me. I''m an ice-user as I''m sure you''re aware."

    "Indeed; wind is my specialty--I''m an archer, but don''t let that misguide you into thinking I can''t join you on the vanguard."<novelnext></novelnext>

    With his sable bow in hand, Strife stood side-by-side with Donatien as they eyed their unorthodox, obscene enemy.

    "Ready?"

    "Whenever you are."

    Answering Donatien''s question with a narrowing of his eyes--the group of three froze as GIMP had disappeared from their frontal view; feeling in that moment of frosted limbs the presence now lingering behind them.

    "Ge-he!"

    It''s fast! Donatien thought.

    Even my eyes couldn''t��? Strife processed.

    As the two men of once opposing forces threw themselves around to face their agile foe--it was toote. With a speed that gave little room to counter, it dug two of itstex-formed fists of sable destruction deep into both of their guts.

    With a push that looked as strainless as a single stride, GIMP sent the two men flying back with a stomach-bursting force, shattering the dirt in their path as they flew at a monstrous velocity. Now left alone, the vermillion-haired girl stood behind the malevolent manifestation with her resolve being quickly tested.

    "Young��"

    "...Huh?"

    Charlotte could barely muster anything that sounded more like a passing breath from her lips as she listened to GIMP speak in its distorted voice, muffled by its unorthodox physiology.

    "Smooth...young...so much to break down! Ge-he-he!"

    Without using its own two, sable, bulbous legs to turn itself around, the corrupted apparition twisted its limbs backwards before contorting its neck in the same manner-pletely seamlessly as its hollow eyes now looked down upon the young girl.

    Fingers, arms, legs, even her breath--they all trembled alike when standing in the unnerving, malicious presence of a being formedpletely out of malevolence itself.

    No...I''m sick of this! Being helpless, waiting for others to save me--I can''t be afraid my entire life. I won''t be a burden...I won''t be a child that needs to be coddled! Charlotte thought.

    "...Nodens: Purifying Whirlpool!"

    Raising her hand and yelling out with her quivering heart words born of sudden courage and resolve, from her will she manifested a whirlpool of clear, rejuvenating water beneath the feet of the approaching spirit--catching it in the tight grasp of the raging waters.

    If it really is an evil spirit--then it should be weak to something like this��! I can do this��! She thought.

    "Oh...Augh��"

    As its moans and groans unleashed in a series of high and low pitches, Charlotte felt her heart thump with a victorious cheer at these sounds of approaching victory.

    "It hurts...so good!"

    Those painful sounding groans were nowced inplete ecstasy as that sense of victory now washed away before the girl''s eyes as she witnessed GIMP moving seamlessly from within the binding of the swirling pir of aqua.

    Bringing its sable arms and knees close to its body, GIMP curled up before expanding its limbs out ferociously with heinousughter-pletely dismantling the spell in that single action.

    "No way��"

    As it escaped the holds of the fallen magecraft, GIMP stepped towards the girl with its pole-like feet, its rubbery body supplying a hefty amount of ear-wrenching noise as it moved.

    "Thanks for the assist, Charlotte."

    "...!?"

    From behind the approaching spirit, the voice of a certain ice-wielding man reached the girl''s ears before an icy wind wrapped itself around GIMP''s unsightly form.

    "Geh?!"

    Before it could react to the birth of frosty air, its body--thered in water--was subject to the fingertips of the forming ice as it stretched across its sable, inted body, wrapping it nicely into a statue of frosty azure within moments. It was no less of a frightening sight having been sealed within an encasing of Donatien''s steel-like ice; falling to her knees, Charlotte attempted to catch her fleeting breath as the danger as sharp as a katana seemed to dissipate.

    "That one''s speed caught me by surprise...but speed is all it had."

    Donatien remarked as he stepped around the frosted apparition, approaching the girl as his bare abs were reddened from the fearsome blow.

    "...Just speed? It''s strength wasn''t anything to scoff at either��"

    Caressing his affected abdomen, the elven archer stepped over with a cough as the three turned their gaze to the frozen form of GIMP.

    "It only felt that way because it caught us off of our guard. Still...that pressure I felt from it earlier; I felt none of that here."

    Adjusting his sses with a subtle push of his fingertips, Donatien looked up at the tall, unsettling fiend encapsted in ice.

    "Is it really over��?"

    Charlotte''s question apanied her shifting, amethyst irises as she looked at the sealed fiend. Even motionless and bound, the harrowing aura it emitted wasn''t dulled.

    "I''d like to believe my ice isn''t so fragile as to be escapable in a situation like our friend finds itself in right now."

    "...Still, I wasn''t able to do anything."

    Holding a guilty look on his face, Strife returned the arrow he held between his fingers back to his quiver.

    "Don''t worry about such things. I was simply the one who reached the enemy first; the result would''ve been no different if you found yourself before it."

    "Thank you, Donatien, I don''t deserve such kind--"

    Before the elven archer could finish his words meant for the sses-wearing otherworlder, a daunting, fear-inducing orchestra of cracks resounded; the sound of a brittle, solid object being parted across its surface.

    "Impossible--!"

    In a violent burst of unorthodox strength, the encasement of ice shattered and blew away into particles of frost--freeing GIMP from its bindings.

 Chapter 275 - Unlikely Duo; Spectrums Opposite

    "Get back!"

    Acting quickly, Strife grabbed hold of the red-haired girl, quickly dashing to the other side of the barren field to avoid the reach of the reawakened monstrosity.

    Good decision, Strife, Donatienmended.

    Left as the nearest body to the fiend, the mage of french origin was the first to find himself in the empty sights of GIMP.

    "Did you enjoy your slumber? I''ll be sure to reunite you with it soon enough."

    With it being free from its statuesque fate of ice, an aura as sable and deathly as its own body d itself to its form; vein-like formations glowing with a sapphire hue pressed against its rubbery, inted sections of its form as if experiencing some sort of immense stress--yet it wasughing in a mix of joy and utter ecstasy.

    "Charlotte��"

    "Yes?"

    Tucked near the wall of trees that outlined the deathly field, Strife''s call of the girl''s name didn''t pull either of their eyes away from the form of GIMP nor the mage he stood before him.

    "Would it work on that thing? The ability you used against me?"

    It was a question that brought a somber expression to the young girl''s face as she paused for a moment before gently shaking her head, keeping her hands tucked close to her chest.

    "It won''t...a spirit like that--it''s life is something flowing in all directions, malice pointing every way...it doesn''t have the capacity to feel or remember things specifically. Against an enemy like that--I''m useless��"

    "...I''d have to disagree with thatst part, Charlotte. You''re strong--you just don''t believe it well enough."

    Strife''s words didn''t sound like he was just trying to lift her spirits--delivered with the stoic tone he usually spoke with, Charlotte could only find this to be the truth, to some degree. Even if she believed him not to be lying purposefully, doubt wasn''t erased so easily.

    "Please support us both."

    "I''ll do my best��!"

    Watching as the archer parted from the safety of the treeline, Charlotte felt her heart throw itself against her chest as the two men squared off once more against the unnatural entity.

    Why does my heart feel like this��? They''re strong--yet for some reason, I can''t help but fear for their lives, she thought.

    "An Ounder and an Argonaut fighting together��what kind of twisted reality have I found myself in?"

    With muscles swelled and thered in perspiration from battle, Donatien smiled slightly at the concept of the ally beside him.

    "That''s what you find odd? Not the dastardly foe strapped in the garments of the depraved before us?"

    "��I won''t deny that."

    Adjusting his ice-formed sses at Strife''s words, Donatien responded calmly while his unlikelyrade retrieved an arrow for his weapon.

    "Also--ex-Argonaut."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Duly noted."

    At the moment of theirst words being exchanged, the enemy before them��towering over them with a bulked form��began the second round of their bout with a smash of its rubbery fist to the ground between them.

    As fast as it came, the two men managed to evade it as it was heavily telegraphed. Digging into the brittle soil, the tremendous impact drilled through the ground with a vibration.

    Surprise attacks won''t work anymore, abhorrent spirit, Donatien thought.

    Taking the brunt of GIMP''s attention, the ice-wielding mage sprinted at him--but not without a n; manifesting into each of his hands at the call of the proper incantation were two sabers formed of frost. When taking into ount the battles he had already faced, Donatien''s clean, swift moments became even more impressive to Charlotte in spite of the man''s exhausted self--dashing forward with a burst of speed as he swung the icy edges of his weapons against the apparition of malice.

    Following the double-sh were a quicklyunched set of arrows--piercing GIMP without any seeming resistance.

    "Did we��?"

    Donatien muttered before looking back, witnessing the abomination of lust pop like a balloon from thebined attack--its form turning into nothing more than scattered pieces of ck rubber.

    "Donatien!"

    Strife''s yell came with a sharp caution, turning the navy-haired man''s head back once more as another pop resoundined; coalescing into a tangible form, sable rubber intertwined andbined--reforming GIMP into existence.

    How? I know for a fact we killed it!...This is the second time it''s avoided the grasp of death, Donatien thought.

    The moment it reconstituted itself, the malevolent spiritughed in a roar of giggles and chuckles before spinning around into a harsh kick; only a split-second was awarded to the man to raise a wall of ice to guard against the swift attack.

    Without any care for the barrier of frost in the path of its thin pole of a leg, GIMP kicked straight through the ice with ease as its foot crashed against the man''s forearm.

    This power--it''s without a doubt higher than before! It feels like it''s trying to bore a hole right through my arm! He winced.

    Defending against the kick, the sses-wearing mage found himself relieved from further pressure of the kick by way of a volley of arrows being brought down on the spirit in a malicious hail.

    Using the brief window tounch his own counterattack, Donatien chose to attempt another binding of the spirit--"Skadi: Law of Frost!"

    Rushing over to aid in this maneuver, the elven archer brought himself into the wind''s care with a single leap--retrieving from his quiver of a boundless depth a rather in-looking, umber arrow formed of a rough, grainy material.

    "Ga-ha-ha-ha!"

    Laughing hysterically for a reason unbeknownst to them, GIMP simply watched as it became surrounded by dancing particles of ice before the arrow Strife held was sent his way--twisting and turning itself as it shifted into a rope of sorts, wrapping around GIMP tightly.

    "Now, do it!"

    With Strife''s call, Donatien followed through without a single word, only adjusting his sses once more before clenching his fist to send the spell into its final rotation. It was a beautiful array of the frozen, azure element that glistened with its translucent form.

    I will not fail here today, evil one, Donatien thought.

 Chapter 276 - Unaccounted For

    One of the rotating formations of ice took on the shape of a butterfly, pping its azure wings before the frosted dust from its wings rained down upon the bound apparition. As each of these icy particles descended on its sable form, they expanded and etched themselves into its rubbery hide.

    It may not be today, nor will it be tomorrow--but I will return home. It''s not just me; we all will see the future we desire, the dreams we yearn for--that''s why we fight in this cruel world, he thought.

    Another one of these frosted formations, bearing the shape of feathery avian, covered in icicles, blew a pale fit of translucent snow onto GIMP, further cementing its frosted aspect as itsugh continued--growing colder and more rugged.

    I''ll be able to save you, Celeste. I don''t care if you''ve already moved on from me, or if you hate me by now--but I will save you. Even if it''s not tomorrow or the year after--I will return. If it means having to fight in these endless battles, I will do it all to obtain that cure--just hold up your end of the bargain, Beatrice, Donatien thought.

    Witnessing this spell continue to twine itself around GIMP, Strife kept an arrow ready by his string in the event of the worst-case scenario--though, he found himself enamored by the beauty of the ice magic on disy.

    I''ve never seen him use that one...did he just recently develop it? It''s...pretty, Charlotte remarked to herself.

    "Paltry."

    Before the magecraft could reach its conclusion, GIMP spoke a single, clear word as the stretching ice seemed to halt itself.

    In a violent burst of speed, the figure broke free from its half-formed bindings--disappearing from sight with such agility as it rammed against Donatien with a harsh force.

    "Donatien��!"

    Witnessing this, Charlotte screamed out as she watched the man be flung into the air with a trail of blood following.

    It happened too fast for the other two to so much as move in response as it still hadn''t processed in their minds; following up the shoulder bash, GIMP brought himself into the air after Donatien, grabbing hold of the man''s face before plummeting back down to the ground in a brutal m.

    "Ge-ge-ge-ge-ge!"

    Overwhelmed with excitement from delivering such brutality, GIMPughed hysterically as he continued to m Donatien into the ground while gripping tightly onto his face--each m further caving in the nearby ground as a tremor resounded.

    "Stop it��"

    Charlotte could only let out such weak pleas as she watched the horrifying scene, gripping tightly onto her gown as tears strolled down her cheeks.

    "Let him go!"

    Regaining his lost focus, Strife yelled out as he sent an arrow coated in heavy amounts of sapphire mana toward GIMP--only for the projectile to bounce right off the fiend''s shoulder as it continued its hysterical rampage.

    Each m resulted in a ssh of sticky, crimson liquid being released from thepromised man.

    What am I doing��? Why is my body so cold and rigid?...Is this fear? Nonsense! Strife thought.

    As Strife began to manifest a unique arrow into the palm of his hand, forming it from an array of verdant, cobalt, and vermillion mana--something else was felt.

    "Aughhhh--!"

    With a scream apanied by a gurgle of blood and muffled by a foreign force--it was so unnatural that the other two recognized only a moment after it began that it resounded from Donatien.

    It wasn''t a wail of pain and agony, but one of pure, unfiltered force--a scream solely meant to give strength to his limbs.

    Losing to the fiend in pure physicality, Donatien pushed against the overwhelming grip around his head by manifesting ice from beneath his back--pushing upwards as he let out his bloodied roar.

    "Ge--?"

    Unprepared for this counter, GIMP fell static for a moment before the bloodied man swiped his hand towards the fiend; a wave of malicious ice instantly manifested itself, charging towards the depraved entity with its spiky essence.

    As the monstrous, abhorrent spirit jumped back to avoid the prickly frost, Donatien slowly stood himself up like a reanimated corpse; in head-to-toe, his own bloodthered his form. The makeshift sses he had formed were shattered, seemingly having stabbed into his own skin as he huffed out a frosted breath with hair unnaturally unkempt for him.

    However--his eyes had changed.

    "Lace''s Demon...but how?"

    Charlotte asked herself as she saw those unmistakable eyes; as cold as ice and as celestial as the Sage''s own. Noticing the abundance of dark crimson that seeped from his eyes, forming beneath his eyelids like the bags of sleep depravity, she gasped.

    No...he kept his eyes open during that entire attack so he could activate it?! She thought.

    "...Stay out of my way. I''ve got it from here."

    Donatien''s words didn''t fall to any one specific ear, but to any who looked from the outside into this battle; now it was simply the facing off between two.

    "In the shape you''re in...I can''t--"

    "Strife, no��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Stopping the elven archer from interfering, Charlotte''s words halted the silver-haired man in his step. With no knowledge of the ability at the navy-haired man''s disposal, Strife saw only a half-dead man standing there in futility.

    Just what are you nning, Donatien��? What kind of man are you to be able to stand against odds like this? Strife thought.

    The patience of GIMP came to an end as it threw a swipe of its bulbous arm towards the man, who casually ducked beneath the swing before standing back up.

    "...You were simply too fast for me to witness your movements. So--I had to get creative."

    Looking at the fiend with eyes dyed in his own crimson essence, Donatien spoke calmly despite the bubbling rage building within the spirit as it missed its attack.

    I don''t know how much longer I can stay conscious at this point, Donatien thought.

    As a flurry of blows came from the bulbous fists of GIMP, shattering the winds around as they tunneled towards Donatien, the man kept his peculiar, diamond-shaped eyes on the fiend while avoiding the strikes with perfect precision.

    My body is onplete fire; I can only move right now because I''m pumping abhorrent amounts of mana throughout my entire body just to keep myself going, he thought.

    Each movement he made caused more blood to spill from his body and onto the hollow ground, feeling his cut-open lip and busted chin seep out this warm, crimson liquid in surplus. Unable to hit the battered foe before it, GIMP let out anger-fueled squeals as its rubbery, inted form further bulked up--throwing its body rapidly into unnatural attacks.

    It doesn''t matter what you do--I can see it all. Call it a fair trade; you were able to inflict such devastating damage onto me, but I was able to activate my trump card. I still need to find a way to actually put you down, Donatien thought.

    "You two--get back!"

    Suddenly yelling with such vigor to make sure his voice reached the ears of both Charlotte and Strife, Donatien''smand made little sense to them as they watched him continue to fight on the defensive against the raging spirit.

    The look Donatien gave to Charlotte was enough to help her reach a conclusion on what the man nned to do--bringing herself over to Strife to pull the man away into a temporary retreat.

    "We can''t leave him alone here--"

    "We''ll only get in his way for this...trust me, Strife."

    Hearing his name spoken by such a gentle voice he respected above all else, the elven archer nodded as his silver hair cascaded down his shoulders, following the girl into the depths of the hollow, gloomy forest.

    "Good job, Charlotte. You will make a fine mage."

    Smiling softly to himself as blood coated his soft, pink lips, Donatien''s demeanor brought a halt to the bulky, sable-rubber apparition.

    "That monster of an Argonaut didn''t give me the opportunity to use my trump card; I guess you''ll do."

    Speaking with a calmness unfitting of his bloodied, battered state--standing there without so much as a shirt clinging to his bruised, crimson-stained chest chiseled in years of training, Donatien''s words seemed to draw forth a caution from the rampant manifestation.

    "Geh...How?"

    It seemed just the act of forming together human speech was a herculean task for the fiend as it stayed on its feet, watching the man as a coalescence of frosted air gathered around Donatien.

    I only finally perfected this one recently. Days, months, years--it''s taken a long time to get this one down, but it''s truly powerful. The absolute form of magic, the pinnacle of magecraft--it''s close now. Rapid-Incantation great magic, He thought.

    "Skadi: Rebirth of Jotunn."

    Filling the stagnant, deathly biome of the inverse world''s essence, Donatien''s great magic birthed into the dreary territory a storm of pale white snow, quickly settling into a rage with little eleration--going into full-drive from the get-go.

    In essence, it''s simr to abination of Territory of Frost and Ice Age--a union of both spells into a heightened output of magecraft, he thought.

    "Cold, cold, cold! Ge-ge-ge!"

    With a shiverfulugh, GIMP swung his rubbery limbs about as if dancing in the forming, awakening domain of frost.

    At times like this, I have to thank my past self for the egregious training regime. Without a reservoir of mana like this, this spell alone would take me out of the fight, he thought.

    "So, you can experience temperature with that odd body of yours?"

    However, before the climactic round of the devilish bout could reach its conclusion; something caught the eye of Donatien.

    The stygian veil that presented a curtain around the valley began to dissolve before a far-stretching glow spread its reach across the very same region. Epassing Donatien himself, the glow seemed to ignore GIMP.

    What the? Is this the work of that pesky sage? He thought.

    It wasn''t any different for Charlotte, who spread the embrace of this glow to Strife by coincidence as she held onto his arm.

 Chapter 277 - Flaming Darkness; Approaching The Climax

    That dark aura clinging to him; it''s much thicker than before--dense and cold, intertwined with a hell of a lot of power. I think he omitted some details from his ability...obviously being in this "Inverse World" gave him some sort of amplification, Fai thought.

    Keeping his guard up in such terrifying odds, Fai couldn''t help but share in his enemy''s smile at the prospect of the all-out battle on the horizon.

    Flipping the sable pole between his fingers, it felt natural even if he had never wielded it before; smiling brightly with new irises tracing over his own.

    I feel it Wukong; this is your fighting spirit--embodying it feels like embedding mes into my flesh, but I''m used to that. Let''s do this your way--and take the initiative! He thought.

    Kicking off the ground in a speed that threw his golden, fur-d body forward in a speed unlike anything previously, Fai spun himself around before swiping the divine rod towards the ck-haired, pale Argonaut.

    Blocking the strike with an arm coated in an abundance of shadowy mana, Avdima smiled from ear-to-ear as if never experiencing such emotions before--pushing the pole away with his pale, muscr forearm before responding with his own attack.

    Not anymore--I can see you, Avdima. These eyes can follow you! Fai thought.

    With a fist that could bore through a mountain of melded steel, Avdima''s straight punch was defended against by the unbreakable rod wielded by the Ounder. For the first time, he blocked an attack from the overwhelming Argonaut without feeling as if his arms had been blown off, or that it was simply a miracle he managed to react to the attack.

    It was now excitingly clear to both men--they now faced each other as equals.

    "...You''re perfect!"

    Though heplimented Fai, it cameced with a flurry of dark-infused punches--a series of hits that met with the decorated pole each time as the otherworlder matched the skyrocketing intensity of Avdima.

    It goes against everything taught to me, everything I''ve drilled into my body--but the part of me that''s him is screaming at me to do this! Fai thought.

    Amidst the defense of blows, Fai countered with a sharp headbutt; rearing his head back andunching the thick, durable skull of his against Avdima''s own as a gnawing thud unleashed into the battlefield--both men being knocked back by the harsh recoil.

    Though with the essence of the Monkey King running through him, the divine adrenaline tore any crippling pain away and reced it with an overwhelming excitement as Fai recovered faster than his opponent, extending his mystical pole and spinning it rapidly in the air above his head.

    Gathering a powerful wind that was subject to his might, he infused these rampant, howling winds with his own mes of a seraphic quality--conjuring a majestic storm of bright orange around himself as Avdima finally shook off the blow to his head.

    "Don''t disappoint me now!"

    Somehow, those words escaped Fai''s lips naturally as if spoken from the depths of his being--luring a perplexed look from the gloomy, long-haired Argonaut before the man reced it with an extensive smile.

    "Don''t get cocky just because you''re ying on the same level as me now--I''m just getting started!"

    Responding in kind, Avdima birthed from his being a plethora of magical energy--a never-ending fountain that stretched itself into the world, reaching out with its bleak darkness.

    Without an incantation to be heard of, Avdima suddenly swiped his hands through the air--spinning and weaving the abundant darkness into whatever magecraft he had run through his mind. Taking neat, organized forms, the darknessyered itself into far-reaching strips of sable essence, extending towards Fai rapidly.

    "Hyuh!"

    Swinging the pole that had been gaining a momentum seeping in mes, the fire-d rod crashed against the iing strips of precise darkness, burning the closest pair before the others began to encroach on his position.

    I don''t really n to figure out what these do if they touch me! He thought.

    Leaping into the air with a strength in his legs natural to the Monkey King, he watched as the lines of abyssal magic shot straight up after him.

    "...Extend!"

    There was little hesitation in releasing the action he had never done before; forcing the pole into a heightened, unorthodox length as hebated the malicious, sable trails with swings that pushed the winds to the west and east.

    Clearing away the dark magecraft, Fai began to plummet back down towards the inverse forest, tucking the rod away as it scaled down to a minuscule form.

    Sorry, Wukong--but weapons aren''t really my style afterall, Fai thought.

    Reaching the surface of the world, he greeted his opponent with aet of an axe kick, embracing his leg in his fearsome mes as his heel met with the raised guard of Avdima--two arms that felt more like an insurmountable bulwark beneath him.

    Even if not directly colliding against the ground, the aftershock of the kick disrupted the dried up, lifeless soil beneath the Argonaut''s feet as it cracked and caved in.

    Still, the ecstatic smile perched on Avdima''s lips didn''t so much as fade as he suddenly gripped Fai''s ankle, taking hold of the fur-d man with his exhrating, overwhelming strength as he flung the otherworlder towards the trees.

    Finding himself traveling through the winds, Fai looked up to find Avdima now directly above him, crashing his dark-d fist down against his chest with a brutal impact.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "A fist-to-fist battle; anything goes--that''s my kind of fight! That''s why you''re perfect, Fai!"

    "...Didn''t you say you weren''t much of a talker?!"

    Without a response, Avdima continued his onught, throwing fist after fist towards the golden-eyed Ounder--plummeting down upon the man''s arms like raining meteors, shaking the forest around them intensely with each strike.

    Damn, even with my guard up--I''m taking a helluva beating! He thought.

    Finding the minuscule moment existing between attacks, Fai swiftly jabbed his thumb against the back of the man''s heel, causing the man to suddenly fall to one knee as his rampage was interrupted.

    I''m running on fumes, I barely have enough mana to sustain my own strength, he thought.

    "Don''t get cocky!"

    Using this opportune time, Fai continued to beid down on his back--raising his legs as he wrapped them around Avdima''s neck tightly and left arm, spinning around and bringing the man into a deathly hold.

    Putting every ounce of his mana into reinforcement, his legs bulked up--bursting with thick veins as he squeezed around the man''s neck with his utmost.

    "...Ghn��!"

    With a face as red as a tomato and eyes just as bloodshot, Avdima grunted between his teeth as he gripped onto the martial artist''s legs.

    Fai could hardly feel surprised by what he witnessed next, but it was still just as harrowing; slowly, while holding onto the legs wrapped around his head with his single, free hand, Avdima stood himself up from hispromised position with the otherworlder perched atop his head.

    What the��? From that position?! Fai thought.

    "...Not...yet! I won''t fall...yet!"

    Yelling out with a strained, veinyered body, the iron-grip of the Argonaut began to slowly but surely loosen the tight hold of the bulky, strengthened legs around his neck.

    "Give it up, will you?!"

    Finding the unending resilience of the Argonaut to be borderline madness at this point, Fai began to hammer his fist down upon the man''s head rapidly--causing damage but not fast enough as an aura suddenly spiked from beneath him.

    "Erebus: Primordial End!"

    As the incantation shot himself from the bleeding, swollen lips of Avdima--the spell immediately followed, much too soon for the otherworlder to remove himself from the man''s position.

    From this distance?! He thought.

    Within a moment, an explosion of vtile darkness filled the surrounding forest of the inverse world--swallowing it in its destructive path with little hesitation to its indifferent onught. It onlysted ten seconds at most, but by the time the spell cleared itself from the forest--it took its toll.

    Managing to somehow be still standing on his own two feet, with his slippers torn and tattered, his sable, baggy pants just as beaten--Fai coughed out a hefty amount of blood as he swayed.

    "...You''re insane."

    It was the only thing Fai could say in that moment as he looked at the man standing across from him--covered in bruises and a mixture of his and Fai''s blood. By no surprise, every hollow tree within three-hundred paces was disintegrated by the eruption of destructive magical energy.

    "Heh."

    Spitting out his own share of blood, Avdima smiled with rows of teeth now painted in deathly crimson. Even in the battered, three-quarters dead state they both found their bodies in--their will to fight wasn''t diminished in the slightest.

    "This isn''t a battle that can''t be won without being willing to lose your life."

    Parting his lengthy drapes of jet-ck locks from his eyes, Avdima spoke with his bloodied smile before returning to a stance readied for battle.

    "I agree."

    From here on out, it''s me and my body--let''s put these years of training to use. Even using Wukong''s essence, I''m outmatched in pure physical prowess. However--Avdima fights solely with brute strength, there''s no grace or technique to his movements. Targeting his pressure points earlier paid off; his mana flow ispletely disrupted to the point of him barely being able to cast anything at this point.

    That''s my one chance here--my ticket to seeing tomorrow, Fai thought.

 Chapter 278 - Art Of Perpetual Death

    Taking the first strike for himself, Avdimaunched forward, throwing a punch directly towards his opponent''s nose.

    Got you! Fai thought.

    Turning and ducking around the fist, Fai smiled as he used the unrefined momentum behind the punch to manipte the Argonaut--holding the man''s arm and throwing him over his shoulder and onto the ground with a thunderous impact, sending a web of cracks through the boundless soil.

    Before the golden-eyed otherworlder could take advantage of his foe''s vulnerable position and take full-mount, Avdima jumped up with a kick of his legs, spinning himself as his limbs acted like bludgeoning weapons.

    Misjudging the reach of Avdima''s legs, he found his left arm on the receiving end of one of these swiftly spinning kicks--feeling his bone bepromised by just a simple contact.

    Jumping back to escape the flurry of defensive kicks, Fai caressed his forearm as it swelled up quickly--having little time to do so as once more he found himself evading a sudden flurry of attacks from Avdima.

    I can''t defend against any of these blows; dodging is my only option--his strikes are far too sharp as they are now, he thought.

    Keeping his focused gaze on each of the man''s fists, he weaved his head to and from as each strike just barely missed his cranium.

    Even if I''m inferior physically, I can close that gap for small moments--perfect moments...like this! He thought.

    Evading a straight jab that came towards his chin, Fai brought himself close enough to exchange breaths with the Argonaut before sweeping the man''s leg--causing him to lose his footing and be vulnerable to the next move.

    Using his spear hand as sharp as a de, Fai aimed its devastation directly at the man''s chest--piercing through his sternum as he aimed for Avdima''s heart, only being stopped midway through this momentary action as an unorthodox kick came his way, hitting him in the back of his head.

    Catching himself on his hands before he couldpletely fall, the ck-haired Argonaut pushed himself back while huffing, leaking a dangerous amount of blood from the wound inflicted on his flesh.

    "...That''s the third time you''ve almost killed me."

    "Well, it''s been more times than I''d care to count the other way around."

    Fai responded with a heavy-breathed smile, caressing his throbbing head as the kick felt like a pir of steel being flung at his skull.

    Letting out a genuineugh from his gut, Avdima''s joyful attitude was still something uncanny for his foe--who found himself worried by this frivolity in the face of death.

    "I believe for the second time in my life, I''m backed against a corner, Fai Meng. How should I respond?"

    Looking up towards the sky inhabited only by darkness of his own creation, Avdima smiled with his lips covered in crimson and sable fluid.

    Illya, this might be it for me--I''m giving it my all, though. I found him...someone who could reignite my passion for life atst. How ironic is it that ites only when my life may very well be at its end?

    ...Did I fulfill my promise to you? Is it already if I finally rest? I don''t know. I doubt...we''ll see each other in the afterlife.

    You were a good person--someone who deserved everything in life, a sister any brother would be lucky to have. I''m not like that; I know I''m evil, I''ve done things that can''t be forgiven or atoned for--all while using your name as my excuse.

    If I should die here and burn in the mes of hell for eternity, I ept it, Avdima thought.

    Distracted by these fleeting thoughts, he found knuckles pressed against his chin that were backed by desperate strength--a burning heat burrowed through that fist and straight through his chin as he felt his brain bounce around the interior of his ivory walls a few times.

    You''re so strong, Fai. I can feel it in your fists; you''re fighting to protect something living. That''s the difference between the two of us, Avdima thought.

    As Avdima regained his focus after having his vision grow briefly blurry from the strike to his chin, he responded with a hammer fist towards Fai''s skull--being countered by a strike of the callused fighter''s palm that once more hit his bruised chin.

    By all means, I''m stronger than you--yet here we are. Where I hesitated, you struck. All I fight for is a memory, while you strive to protect that continuation of those memories dear to you. That fiery inclination to not perish...if only I could find it as well, he thought.

    Once more, his brain bounced like a pinball around his skull as his eyes spun around--finding himselfpletely stunned by the precise, devastating attacks.

    That''s right...I am stronger than you! Even if I should fall--it''ll be a battle you''ll remember for the rest of your life; a memory you''ll protect just like this! Avdima thought.

    Before the next strike coulde for his jugr, the bloodied and bruised Argonaut caught Fai by his forearm, clenching it tightly with a monstrous grip that condensed the man''s flesh--reeling in a gasp of agony from the Ounder.

    Bringing his elbow up as if preparing a swing of a hammer, he brought his pale, cut-up limb down as his elbow crashed against the held arm-pletely breaking Fai''s arm with a repulsive crack and snap.

    Following up with the moment awarded by Fai''s grimace to this limb breakage, Avdima mmed his crimson-soaked forehead against the bridge of the man''s nose, breaking it all the same and further cementing it with two, quick repeats of the same forehead assault.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This is it; the pinnacle of being human! This excitement--the reason why life is so beautiful--because death exists, so close to us! Which of us will fall, Fai Meng?! Avdima smiled.

    With blood inhabiting and obscuring his eyes, Fai felt any hesitation burn away in the wind, the acute pain falling numb under sense heart-racing adrenaline; with his limp arm at his side, he swiped his leg beneath the Argonaut''s own, causing the man to trip over.

    I only just noticed it--Wukong''s essence disappeared...I guess I couldn''t hold on long enough. I guess it''s just me, myself, and I left! Fai thought.

    Gaining full mount of the dropped Ounder, Fai sat on top of him--looming over him with a face drenched in blood, fueled by endless adrenaline pumping through his visible veins, exposed on his swollen, sweat-coated muscles.

    Bringing his fist down against the man''s nose, it wasn''t a hit with any refinement or technique--simply an attack thrown with the intent to destroy.

    Even with just a single usable fist at his disposal, each strike came down quickly and just as fearsome as thest--hitting Avdima''s nose, cheeks, and chin over and over again.

    A normal person would be put down by a broken arm and nose, let alone still fighting at full capacity, Fai! I couldn''t ask for a better rival! Avdima thought.

    Suddenly lifting his torso, Avdima''s forehead met with the next strike--though it seemed to have little effect on the man as his sable eyes didn''t waver in the least.

    Huh--? He mitigated the damage of the strike by meeting it half way to stop its momentum? Was it on purpose or just a fluke?! Fai reacted.

    "My turn��!"

    With a voice that seeped out throughout his bloodied maw, Avdima grabbed hold of the man''s fist-clenching it tightly with his overwhelming grip strength.

    Relyingpletely on his instincts as a fighter, Fai threw his forehead against Avdima''s as the grip on his hand loosened--jumping off from the man and onto his feet.

    I''m feeling it return to me; it''s beening back slowly but surely throughout this fight, he thought.

    Spitting out a swab of blood from his mouth, the brown-haired man wiped the mixture of blood and sweat from his chin as he watched the Argonaut rise to his feet as well.

    That forbidden art you drilled into me as a kid, Old Man...I thought I''d forgotten them--but ever since my mana became more and more sparse, I''ve had no choice but to rely on them: the art of the "Perpetual Death", Fai thought, being brought so close to death, having little options afforded to me--it''s bringing my focus to two-hundred percent--right now, I''m in my peak condition.

    It was those eyes as keen and sharp as an apex predator''s that Avdima recognized; a change in Fai, though subtle, was tant to the Argonaut who wasn''t unknown to murder as well.

    You didn''t want me to be like you, but you taught me it anyway for my own protection. I guess now is about the time I''ll thank you for that, Old man, Fai thought.

    Manipting the qi he had, unbeknownst to his foe, Fai managed to focus it on hispromised arm--mending the shattered bone the best he could as he raised his arm, swinging it a few times much to the surprise of Avdima.

    "Another trick--I see."

    "Sorry, but I''m full of them."

    Even if it''s functioning again, it''s as brittle as a twig if Avdima gets ahold of it again, he thought.

    Bringing himself back into the dance of death without any more time wasted, Fai approached the bruised Argonaut, inhaling before spitting a swab of blood into the eyes of his foe.

    "Huh��?!"

    Perplexed by this unorthodox move, Avdima reached up to wipe the crimson liquid from his eyes--finding the malicious, ever-sharp spear hand belonging to the grey-eyed Ounderunched against his pulsating jugr.

    Unable to move out of the way in time, the Argonaut instead opted to defend against this vicious strike with a burst of destructive mana, unleashing it from his pores as he sessfully repelled the attack before it could be fatal.

    Though it was halted, the tips of spear-turned fingers still managed to graze his neck, turning it to a bright red as Avdima ran his own fingertips across the affected area with a smile.

    "That style of yours--you were holding out on me, weren''t you?"

    "Not intentionally."

    Those eyes of his foretold hisck of patience; immediately going in once more for another assault as the residual darkness stillthered the decayed battlefield.

    Art of Perpetual Death: Dragon''s Maw, Fai chose.

 Chapter 279 - War; End

    Art of Perpetual Death: Dragon''s Maw, Fai chose.

    Momentarily inhabiting a speed that surpassed his opponent''s own, the tan, bloodied martial artist left the holds of the ground as he dashed directly towards the Argonaut--holding his hands out in front of him as if wielding a sphere.

    With a swipe of his hands too fast to see, he passed by Avdima--stopping just behind the man as he turned to witness the fruits of his effort.

    Tilting his head, not by his own choice, Avdima''s neck bore an unnatural protrusion of his bone prodding his own flesh. Grabbing hold of his own head by gripping his chin and hair, a sudden tug by the man let out a stomach-churning crack as his neck was fixed into ce.

    "You managed to survive that one...can''t say I''m surprised."

    "That was a close one--trying to snap my neck like that. Luckily, I managed to guess correctly--otherwise, I''d be six feet under. Ha-ha!"

    Without any fear of the threshold of death, he found himself standing on, Avdima let out augh as he cracked his neck side-to-side.

    It''s a style that by all means has no ce existing in a world that ims to strive for peace. Gramps was reluctant to tell me the truth, but I eventually found out when I grew older; he was a mercenary known as the "Genocide King"--being hired to fight in gueri warfare for small-time wars most of the time.

    The thing is, he fought only with his bare hands, using this style he developed from a variety of martial arts. "Art of Perpetual Death"--a disgusting style that is solely focused on killing, as many as possible--as efficiently as possible. Every single technique is delivered with the intent to kill, Fai thought.

    Following the essence of this seldom-used style, Fai continued his relentless assault--prioritizing the usage of his trained spear hands as he aimed for his foe''s vitals. By this point in their battle, it was clear which side became more favored on this fateful night; blood continued to pour like a fountain from the wound inflicted on Avdima''s chest as his movements became more sluggish.

    He''s on a thinner rope than me right now; I can do this! Fai thought.

    Using his spear hand to aim directly for the pulsating vein on the pale and bruised Argonaut''s neck, Fai found his fingers stopped in ce before reaching the man''s skin.

    "Huh?"

    It was such an unorthodox move that it took a moment for him to process; his three forefront fingers used to form the spear hand were locked between the Argonaut''s bloody teeth, who bit down on them before they could reach his neck.

    Before the strength of the man on death''s door''s jaws could settle in further, he pulled his digits away swiftly with a quick hit to the side of the Argonaut''s head.

    "Gyeuh!"

    Even with his quick decision, the skin of his three prominent fingers on his right hand was torn off; revealing the flesh beneath as blood quickly traveled down his hand.

    I''m starting to feel my body give out--I have to finish this in the next attack, he thought.

    Looking at the pale, ck-haired Argonaut wearing tattered robes, the exhausted, injured man seemed to hold the same resolve.

    In the deste, gloomy forest, the two men stood no more than four meters apart from one another--huffing and puffing as crimson liquid seemed to travel out from each of their pores. Keeping a single clenched fist at his side, Fai took in an inhale that felt as if he was inviting shards of ss to his lungs.

    Summoning forth whatever reserves of mana was left in his half-dead body, Avdima''s pale skin shifted to a stressed hue of vermillion as he d just a single fist in his magnificent darkness.

    Condense it all to your fist; harden each muscle fiber to their max,bine every drop of mana--end it in one blow, Fai thought.

    Forcing all of his strength into that one fist, his right forearm bulked up to twice the size of his left as his eyes stayed on his foe. At the sound of a single piece of sediment sliding across the peeling soil, the two warriors dashed towards one another with their life-or-death attacks readied.

    Without a single word spoken, the two powers shed.

    Only breaths were exchanged as the gentle trickling of blood turned into a cascading fountain of the lively, scarlet substance.

    "...So that''s how it is, huh?"

    Speaking weakly, Avdima''s soft words met directly with Fai''s ears as his body slumped against the tan man''s own.

    Piercing directly through the Argonaut''s chest like a spear born of steel, Fai''s hand met the other side of the air--having gone directly through the principal organ of Avdima.

    Still in shock at being on the victorious side of this exchange, Fai watched as the false, sable moon in the sky cracked apart as the veil faded away slowly; removing his hand from the man''s chest with a smooth squelch, he watched as Avdima fell backward without any resistance to his plummet.

    As his back met the ground, the dry, brittle soil shifted back to its healthy, soft form as a crimson puddle began to seep beneath him, stretching into the dirt.

    "Fai."

    With little strength left, Fai could only focus on regaining his breath into his lungs as he dropped to his knees in front of the man, "Yeah��?"

    "I''m d. Even if it was only for the final moments of a short-lived life, I was able to be myself."

    Avdima''s words came between sharp, painful-sounding breaths as each time his chest expanded with each inhale, further blood sprouted from his wound.

    "Fai Meng."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yeah?"

    "I have no right to ask this as an enemy--but as a rival in life, may I make a request?"

    As only their exhausted breaths were heard in the silent forest after this question, Fai epted this with his silence.

    "Remember the name "Illya". With me gone from this world, nobody else will."

    It was a strange request, but from the sincerity in the bloodied man sitting so near the empty abyss that was death--Fai slowly nodded his head, "Alright."

    "Thank you��"

    With a smile coated in crimson, Avdima finally closed his eyes as the fluctuations of his chest came to a steady halt--his breaths falling silent as his movements ceased.

    "...You were a hell of a guy, Avdima."

    Only able to hold one eye open as his left eyelid became swollen and bloodied, Fai smiled before hacking up a bit of crimson of his own, almost falling over as he barely caught himself.

    "Looks like I don''t have much longer myself. I wonder if we''ll end up in the same ce��That''d be awkward."

    As he attempted to relieve the growing, near fear of death--his pitifulugh was only a temporary relief as tears strolled down his cheeks all the same.

    I did it. This time, I didn''t have to watch anyone else die before me, Fai thought.

    Sitting on his knees with near-zero strength left in his limbs, he could only watch as a grandiose spell suddenly stretched itself across the entirety of the valley.

    "...Huh? This is...Beatrice''s magic?"

    The familiar feeling of that ancient magic returned some of his fleeting consciousness as the vibrant light of this spell felt as if it was taking hold of him before suddenly--he was dragged into its effect.

    In his previous breath, he upied the war-torn forest, in the next exhale--Fai found himself still sat on his knees, this time on the heated surface of a desert.

    "A warp spell��?"

    The body of Avdima wasn''t brought with him, making the man look back as he saw a familiar building--tucked between two massive pirs of split mountains, a sleek building built of mystical silver upied the empty, remotend.

    "The Hollow Foundation...I see how it is. She used a spell to transfer all of us here; not bad, Old Hag."

    Chuckling to himself, more blood escaped his throat as his breathing became more rugged. Attempting to move, he could barely flick his fingers as he grunted.

    "No good, huh? Looks like this is where I''m dying then...in the middle of a desert, alone...Good grief."

    Resigning to this fate as he looked up at the starry sky as the tears of this recognized end traveled down his cheeks--something passed by his gaze.

    Clinging to his body d in sweat and blood were strands of familiar golden hairs, parting from his body and seemingly coalescing by guidance of unfelt winds. Squinting his eyes, he closed them as a harsh radiance temporarily shed--opening his eyes once more to witness a small, short of stature creature in front of him.

    It was a monkey norger than a wild dog; exhibiting unnaturally golden-fur as it bore the form of a northern pig-tailed macaque with a slightly bigger size, looking at the man with silent, beady eyes.

    "Wukong��? Is that you?"

    Without receiving an answer, Fai could only watch as the small monkey grabbed hold of the man muchrger than itself, holding him up on its back as it began to carry him with slow, steady steps towards the distant building.

    "...Wukong, you can''t...You''ll perish, for real! I''m a goner anyways--so save yourself!"

    There was no response garnered from the resolved ape as its strength unfit for its size brought the half-dead man forward on this hot, lengthy road ahead.

    Each step came slow and strained, but the eyes of the golden-furred entity never wavered. At this point, the divine spirit was nothing more than a mass of spiritual energy, clumped together messily and loosely like a ball of snow--even the passing winds challenged the integrity of the spirit by this time.

    Still, with the man who sat on the threshold of death upon his back, Wukong traversed the path ahead; a road filled with blistering heat.

    Sumbing to the exhaustion of his war-torn body, Fai''s eyelids came to a close as thest thing his eyes met with were the golden tufts that carried him forward.

    It was the final impossible task bestowed upon the Monkey King, an arduous journey witnessed by no one, a struggle fought only by hisst will.

    Amidst the remote, isted desert, Sun Wukong breathed his final breaths; leaving this ne not as a wandering spirit, but as the hero of a man who no longer was his master.

 Chapter 280 - The Council

    "Grandmaster Bulsteighn!"

    Bursting through the wooden, decorated door of the Argonaut leader''s office, a thin man dressed in sable garments wore a desperate, worried expression.

    "What is it, Lloyd? To enter without so much as knocking��"

    "Apologies, Grandmaster! But��it''s urgent! Avdima''s life signal has been confirmed to be wiped out!"

    A surprised look came over the scarred, chiseled face of the burly man as he heard this, sitting himself up properly.

    "Avdima? Dead? Are you sure?"

    "Gaol just confirmed it��"

    The shaky words from the Executioner were seldom wee to the leader''s ears as the gruff man shot up from his seat, stomping past the man who looked like nothing more than a child inparison.

    "Bulsteighn, Sir?"

    "...So, it really came to this. Why do I have a feeling those wrinkly, old bastards foresaw this? Peh��"

    Speaking to himself, therge mountain of a man stomped through the marble hallways of the Voyager Keep as the Executioner hesitantly followed behind. In the wake of the crimson-bearded leader of the Argonauts, the thunderous ck of his pristine boots against the immacte floor below was all that filled the extensive building.

    "Lloyd."

    "Y-yes, Sir Bulsteighn, Sir?"

    The young man with curly, light-brown locks gulped as he looked up at the unmoving, fearsome gaze of the burly Argonaut.

    "Consider it your lucky day; you''reing with me to the Council."

    "T-t-the council��?! The Council of The Wise?...That council?!"

    Following behind the long, fluffy, sable cape that dragged behind Bulsteighn''s bulwark back, Lloyd stammered out his words before catching back up to the marching, disgruntled leader.

    "You said Gaol confirmed the death of Avdima, right? Where did you get that report? From Gaol himself?"

    "...Of course not."

    Answering in that manner, a sharp look was bestowed from Bulsteighn to the timid Executioner as the man gulped those words, quickly recing them as he followed at the side of the man.

    "I-I mean, nobody at my rank is allowed to see Gaol. He delivered the news from a raven, apparently, he''s at the Celestius Tower right now��"

    "As I thought; so he''s already at the Council--that saves us some time. What of the other three? Anything on them?"

    Bulsteighn fiddled with his low-hanging beard as the two traversed the lengthy, immacte hall belonging to the Argonauts--an expansive ce filled with the gloominess befit of the hounds of the King. Retrieving the letter from the pocket of his stygian coat, Lloyd unraveled the parchment before reciting the gathered information to his superior, hesitantly.

    "...Fleisch was thoroughly defeated--"

    "Defeated?"

    "...Killed by Ounder Donatien. It isn''t known exactly what happened to Antote, but apparently she was defeated as well as her mana signature disappearedpletely.It--I didn''t see this before...it seems Strife has...joined the Ounders?"

    At thatst piece of news, the parchment was swiftly taken from the Executioner''s hands as Bulsteighn brought the ink close to his fearsome, tired eyes with a disheveled grunt. Reading it himself, the man crumbled up the paper before tossing it with a roar as itnded upon the marble in the form of cinder.

    "Utter failures, the lot of them! I knew they were all expendables, but this?! This is simply uneptable--not only did they fall, one dared betray us?! This information must never meet the public''s ears; it''d be mayhem! Losing Avdima was one thing--this...GAH! To hell with it!"

    Storming forward with stomps that rang through the lobby of Voyager Keep like the howls of raging thunder, Bulsteighn ignored the lever at the side of the pristine gates before pushing the enormous, steel-forged gates open without a second thought.

    ��The Courtyard of Heroes: not only do the Argonaut''s reside within this area, but so does the council��as well as the Journey Foundation. It''s a prestigious za where only the strong can walk, Lloyd thought.

    Upon arriving at the illustrious tower only a stroll away from the base of the Argonauts, Lloyd found himself enamored by the architecture of the building--being brought so close to it for the first time. Carved into the quartz that made up the coveted tower, the sigil of the most powerful houses resided, alongside the silhouettes of the many prestigious heroes of Mastorn.

    "Come, boy--my patience is at an all-time low!"

    Shouting with his maw only matched by a dragon''s own ferocity, Bulsteighn''s gravelly voice as deep as a chasm dragged the starry-eyed Executioner up the blemish-free steps.

    Lloyd was hesitant to follow the giant of a man inside once Bulsteighn pped the front door open without any grace of respect for the famous tower. It was only once realizing the repercussions of further angering the crimson-bearded man did he step into the ancient hall.

    "Ah, Sir Bulsteighn, it is a pleasure to see you."

    Bowing his head before the Argonaut leader, a man with a head of well-kempt, glistening hair of a blondeplexion weed his arrival.

    "Cut the formality, Florian--a meeting is underway, right?"

    As Bulsteighn spoke with little elegance, the Executioner following him found the interior of the fabled tower to be magnificent; decorating the exuberant, quartz walls were a seemingly endless amount of books. Only by way of traversing lengthydders could one reach the highest of these countless records.

    "Oh, how rare--Sir Bulsteighn wants to take ce in a meeting? Honestly, one might forget you''re a council member. Oh? Who''s this with you?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Florian spoke with a certain suave that met Lloyd''s ears like flower petals on a spring evening, but seemed to grind against Bulsteighn''s own like grinding steel.

    "Urr, I''m--"

    "He wipes my ass for me--who the hell cares! Point me towards the meeting, dammit!"

    "Did you forget during your absence? Very well, it''s on the second floor."

    Answering at the clear sign of Bulsteighn''s wavering patience, Florian only smiled slyly--seemingly satisfied by the reaction he garnered as he gave the Executioner a wink of his radiant, olive eye as the two from the Argonaut branch passed by.

    Looking back, Lloyd found himself perplexed as to why the suave man dressed in a light-blue suit stood alone at the lobby of the tower.

    ...Florian?--Wait, isn''t that the young head of the Castell family?! One of the richest in all of Mastorn?...If I talked to him like that, I''d probably find myself in the bottom of a grimy dungeon, Lloyd thought.

    Just standing in such a ce was almost suffocating for the high-ranking Executioner. Through the aura subtly emanating from the floors and walls, the light seeping through the stained ss��it felt like a divine construct; a tower built for only the most pivotal of Mastorn''s own.

    Ascending the flight of stairs just behind the mountainous step of the Argonautmander, Lloyd looked up to spectate the enormous fitting of stained ss that awaited above��the silhouette of a hero familiar to any Mastornian imprinted on thevish ss.

    "Elias", the very image of a man holding a sword to the stars originates from him; the principal hero of Mastorn, Lloyd thought.

    "Lloyd."

    "��Yes, Commander Sir?"

    It was never a feeling the Executioner could grow ustomed to; having his name be called by the legendary Argonaut.

    "Once we reach this next floor��it''s a different world. Just stay close, and stay silent."

    "Got it, Commander Sir��"

    Taking the warning, Lloyd swallowed his doubts as he reached the summit of the immacte flight of stairs��turning into a chamber that immediately presented an unmatched aura.

    ced in a grandiose room, a circr table formed of an ivory marble stretched itself as many chairs sat around it.

    "Ah, Sir Bulsteighn! We were expecting you!"

    Greeting the arrival of the disgruntled, veteran Argonaut, a cheerful man of a simr ageughed heartily.

    Stroking his golden-brown, braided beard between his gauntlet-d fingers, the man was clearly a knight by his decorated, pearly-white armor designed with azure ents.

    "Sir Lionsdale��"

    Bulsteighn muttered as his eyes met with the bearded knight who greeted him.

    There were at least a dozen seated around the illustrious, prestigious table��though most seemed impatient for the meeting to begin.

    Hearing the true name of the boisterous knight who dwarfed the table he saw at, Lloyd''s expression fell aghast.

    Sir Lionsdale��?! The Captain of the most prestigious squad of knights: "The Skyriders"?! Not just that��he himself is a war hero! "The Gant Destroyer"! Just what kind of room have I stepped into?! Lloyd thought.

    Letting out a yawn from a seat along the farthest side of the table, opposite of the new entrants, a young man scratched the stubble on his chin.

    "Alexander��mind your manners at the Celestius table."

    Sitting two seats to the left of the uncaring, scruffy man was a fatally beautiful woman with an impatient look on her fair face.

    "Get off my ass,dy."

    Responding with zero respect to be had, the man folded his arms across the chest of his crimson coat; an outfit is clearly woven for battle as chainmail peeked from directly underneath the fine fabric.

    Alexander��that sounds familiar. Oh! How could I forget?! One of the legendary "Celestial-ranked" adventurers! You could go a whole lifetime without meeting one��they''re usually journeying around the world in pursuit of the greatest mysteries to be had! Lloyd gawked.

    "Excuse you?! I''ll have your tongue for that!"

    Standing from her seat, the snowy-haired woman with locks as straight as curtains presented a bountiful aura before quickly being suppressed by the gaze of the elderly man seated near her.

    "Calm yourself, Alyria. You too, Alexander��this is a coveted ce; respect it or find yourself stripped of its privileges."

    Although he didn''t recognize the woman right away, Lloyd discerned her branch by the silky, pearlescent gown-like robes she wore that presented a flower insignia.

    She''s an archmage��no, not just that. She''s a star-tier archmage at that; the best of the best. Probably from a powerful family too, he deduced.

    "��Come now, there are things to discuss and little time to be had."

    The frail-seeming elderly man spoke in a hoarse voice, stretching his bony hand out to gesture for the Argonaut leader to seat himself.. Despite his weak appearance, dressed in snow-white, baggy robes, his call was respected by even Bulsteighn.

 Chapter 281 - Advent Of A Plan

    "Gaol foretold your arrival, Lord Bulsteighn. It is why we waited until now to hold this council meeting; it is one of utmost importance--let that be clear to everyone in this room. As those sitting at the pinnacle of this illustrious kingdom, equaled by none, it is our responsibility to use our best judgment to aid Mastorn and the King in the right direction. Let usmence."

    As sickly and small as he looked, the old man''s words found no rebellion in their meaning--by his own speech, the meeting had begun itself.

    The Council of The Wise...to sit in on one of these meetings--I almost feel like throwing up; the divine aura, the exuberance, the authority! Gah--what am I thinking...just breath, Lloyd, breath! He thought.

    There was little Lloyd could do besides simply stand behind his seated superior like some sort of butler, standing tall like a shivering statue.

    "Now, Gaol, recount what it is you sensed culminate from the assault on Grandueve?"

    Pointing his sunken, dark eyes to the figure d in tightly wrapped, silver garments, the elderly man at the center brought his words to this figure.

    Every set of eyes in the room settled on the enigmatic figure; slender, yet tall��their skin barely visible beneath their hood was pale enough to appear translucent.

    Removing his hood, the one called Gaol revealed an unexpected face; pale-white lips that stretched far across his face, eyes that possessed only ckness in ce of its white��with eerie, rectangr pupils.

    So that''s Gaol��? "The Almighty Divination"; I''ve heard rumors that he wasn''t human, and that he''s centuries old��is that true?!...He''s an invaluable ally to Mastorn, it''s said that his eyes and ears can reach even other nations, Lloyd thought.

    "Ah, yes��Fleisch was felled swiftly at the start of the attack by the one called Donatien."

    Recalling this information, Gaol raised his hand, tattooed with light-magenta symbols that seemed to coalesce into the symbol of an eye on the back of his hand.

    "Donatien, hm? We already knew he was a force to be reckoned with, but it seems even then he was underestimated. Melyne, inform the Journey Foundation of this��raise the bounty and threat level of Donatien."

    The elderly man who seemed to be at the forefront of the prestigious council snapped his fingers, summoning the subservient woman standing behind his ivory chair.

    "At once, Lord Kreigerhardt."

    Bowing slightly with a voice spoken quietly, the burgundy-haired woman wearing a light, somber uniform befit for a fighter vanished from the room in the blink of an eye.

    "Continue, Gaol."

    Sliding his wrinkly hand across the surface of the table, Kriegerhardt returned the attention to the pale, tattooed man.

    "Yes��Antote failed; neither capturing nor eliminating Beatrice. A clear view on this ordeal��was not seen; the conflicting densities of mana made it far too obscure. However, it is known��Antote''s mana signature vanished."

    As he spoke with an alluring, exotic voice that led itself through a river of stagnancy and ecstasy, Gael''s hands moved with his words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "��Anyone could have told you gutter trash like that would''ve failed at even fetching you a cup of tea. To send that girl to confront that sage was preposterous!"

    mming his fist down against the table, a round man with cheeks as filled out as a chipmunk''s rang his voice out��setting his disgruntled, hazel eyes on the Argonautmander seated across from himself.

    "That "gutter trash" was a master of her craft."

    "And where did that get her, hm?!"

    "��Is there something you want to say, pig?"

    Reaching his boiling point, Bulsteighn''s words wereced with a crimson malice that forced the tubby man''s brazen attitude back.

    "Seize this foolishness! The both of you! I will not tolerate such childish bickering in this hall; not on the name of the great hero, Elias!"

    mming the small, wrinkly fist of his down with a tremor that stopped every soul in that room, Kriegerhardt''s unexpected vigor summoned his authority to silence the two. Lloyd remained as still as he could with his eyes held forward, only briefly exchanging nces with the entourage of those who served under the council members.

    "Gaol."

    "��Continuing; the one named Strife switched his allegiances. I was unable to see or hear his reasoning why, but it seems his past was returned to his memories; an unforeseen oue."

    With this confirmation, those of the council allowed this news to sink in��some holding exasperated looks while some were indifferent, or even finding this information to be pleasing.

    "��Strife? Ah, that elven Argonaut. Can''t say this is an unexpected development."

    With a pleased smile, a man who looked no older than the age greeting manhood for the first time spoke, tapping his fingers that wore rings iid with beautiful, extravagant jewels.

    ? It was clear in those silver and azure eyes of his, devoid of worry or stress, that he was someone who was gifted everything in life as he flipped his curly locks; as blue as the sky''s mass.

    "��As vexing as it is, I''ll have to agree with Lord Bornstill; the Argonauts made apse in judgment by forcibly inducting a child soldier into their ranks��especially one not of thisnd. Bulsteighn, I imagine you have an exnation for this?"

    Speaking alongside the silver-eyed noble, a mature, well-spoken man of a simr exuberance spoke as he adjusted his silky, peach locks that exhibited streaks of snow. It was in his dress that it was painfully clear the wealth and prestige he possessed; wearing an emerald vest embroidered with a series of expensive fabrics, running along its surface in a river-like ent.

    Lord Bornstill and Lord Moresbarrow...there is more wealth in this one room than an entire nation; I can almost taste the fermented wine just by looking at them! The disdain they have for one another is palpable but I get why...The Bornstill family runs a monopoly over the precious gems around Mastorn, while Moresbarrow has a vice-grip on the salt and spices, Lloyd thought.

    "I believe an exnation is in order, Lord Bullsteighn.. As a member of this council, such is the bare minimum to be discussed--I''m sure you''re aware of the exuberant funding some lords here at the table have put into the Argonauts; I wouldn''t diminish their support."

 Chapter 282 - Enact

    "I believe an exnation is in order, Lord Bullsteighn. As a member of this council, such is the bare minimum to be discussed--I''m sure you''re aware of the exuberant funding some lords here at the table have put into the Argonauts; I wouldn''t diminish their support."

    Lord Kriegerhardt spoke with his hoarse, gravelly voice--but it was all the more clear as his sunken, dark eyesid on the mountain of a man that looked less than pleased to be at that table. Even Lloyd could tell; Bulsteign came here seeking answers of his own, but it was the opposite prize that he had found for himself.

    "...It was at the news of the Eight Heavenly Kings of Lucrauv first being established--as some of you might recall, King Held was less than pleased to hear of an elite, prestigious groupposed solely of otherworlders being formed by the kingdom most openly rebellious against Mastorn. That fury turned into unrest, and that unrest turned into a job for the Argonauts."

    As Bulsteighn began speaking, folding his massive arms across his chest that could support a valley of mountains, the council listened intently.

    "Who could forget the gue that group set on the King''s mind...I''ve been with Held since he was but a boy. Not once in my entire lifetime serving as he and his father''s closest advisor did I see a King fall under such stress; his hair grayed and his face wrinkled��"

    Lord Kriegerhardt spoke as if reminiscing memories as dreadful as unplucked weeds; shaking his head slowly as all others remained silent before him.

    "Ah, forgive this old fool...continue on, Lord Bulsteighn."

    "Mm. Frankly, even if the Eight Heavenly Kings were otherworlders--prosecuting them was out of the picture. At least, that much was discovered from our first andst mission to hunt down the Eight."

    Bringing this topic to the table, Bulsteighn''s eyes took on a somber, more quiet feel as he looked at the glistening furniture as memories flooded to the forefront of his mind.

    "If memory serves...this was "Operation Jaeger", right?"

    Lord Moresbarrow spoke as he ran his fingertips protected by a silken, silver glove across his chin. Audible gasps released from the silent council members before Lionsdale interjected with his voice that overshadowed any other.

    "Oh! I remember hearing of that one--thergest scale operation conducted by the Argonauts; unforeseen as they tend to work solo or in small groups, hoh. That operation was kept neatly kept under wraps from the public--still is."

    Stroking his beard happily at this topic, Lionsdale''s voice was enough to make a vein press against the Argonautmander''s forehead before he resumed his rightful time of speaking.

    "...That''s right. A whole ten Argonauts were sent to Lucrauv by order of King Held himself to execute the Eight Heavenly Kings; it was a hunt done in the name of King Held himself. At the time, I was a hot-headed kid who was raring for a good fight--so I happily obliged the order."

    "Was" hot-headed��? Lloyd thought.

    "However, on that day, we faced utter annihtion. While we managed to execute two of the eight--we were decimated once the numbers got a bit more even. I was one of two who made it out that day��though I received a parting gift from one in their ranks--one from a man they referred to as "Doraku". I''ll never forget the sharpness of his de; not that I have any choice in the matter..."

    A frustrated aura exuded from the veteran Argonaut as he revealed the so-called gift, presenting a lengthy scar beneath the cor of his feathered coat that seemed to stretch far across his chest.

    "Neat story--though, I''m failing to see what this has to do with, oh, I don''t know--child trafficking?"

    Alexander asked with his cheek resting against the palm of his sable gauntlet, fiddling with a hanging strand of his oak-brown hair. Though his wordscked any tact, it was clear by the gnawing silence that the council seemed to agree with this question.

    "If you''d let me exin, boy--after facing such a disgraceful defeat, King Held was not happy with the results. Though, Lord Kriegerhardt, fortunately, talked him down from his more oundish ns in mind. As apromise, the Argonauts were ordered to begin inducting whatever talent we could find to bolster our ranks in the event of Lucrauvunching an assault."

    To Lloyd, he always took the stern, beast-likemander to be one of few, concise words, but the discussion of these buried memories drew forth a vindictive side of himself as he spoke of this topic. For the majority of the council, most of the members seemed interested in the topic--dutifully listening and nodding while some more outspoken, abrasive council members made it painfully aware they didn''t care one bit.

    "That was then, this is now; is this method of recruitment still being used by your bunch, Lord Bulsteighn?"

    Asking with his usual, bravado tone, Lionsdale''s question was met with an obvious sighced with Bulsteighn''s utmost, tiresome frustration as he shook his head.

    "...No. The elf, while talented, never had it in him to kill--though he was rarely even sent onto missions, most ended in failure from allowing his target to escape. With Avdima, well, he was a one-in-a-million talent, but what he was born with in magical talent, hecked in emotion--the kid acted on his own. That''s the reason those two were sent out in the first ce; if they seeded, then great--but if they failed? Well, that''s the end of that."

    Ending his lengthy exnation, the burly, crimson-haired Argonautmander let out a hearty sigh as he massaged his temple, resting his hammer-like elbows against the table.

    "Was that answer satisfactory for those of the council?"

    Kriegerhardt asked as he scanned his hollow eyes across the width of the room, epting the silence and sparse nods as confirmation.

    "Now then, let us move on to the true reason for this meeting; n Cataclysm. Under unanimous vote, this safety was agreed upon to be used in the event of this operation led by the passed Avdima resulted in failure. Alyria, if you would."

    By the elderly man''s call, the silver-haired archmage stood up from her seat without hesitation, looking forward with her dazzling, sky-blue irises as she cleared her throat.

    "As you may know, the nature of n Cataclysm is not only to extinguish the enemy Ounders in one fell swoop, but also to erase the existence of the Argonaut''s failure--by the grace of the Veils of The Cosmos."

    Speaking with a proud, almost smug smile on her face, Alyria ced her hand over her chest as she spoke with prideful fervor.

    Veils of The Cosmos...The archmage branch really is full of arrogant nobles, isn''t it? Lloyd thought.

    "Urr, forgive my interruption...but isn''t the destruction of Grandueve a bit counterintuitive?"

    A meek-looking man with shaggy, ginger locks asked, adjusting his round-rimmed sses and shrinking a bit under Alyria''s sharp, downward gaze. Looking at the man, Lloyd couldn''t recognize him in the slightest--in fact, he didn''t look like he belonged in such a carnivorous environment filled with the most powerful entities in the kingdom.

    His garments didn''t help this notion; wearing a simple, beige tunic with the only exuberance to show of being the gilded amulet hanging around his neck. Most contrary to the overwhelming number of Mastornians in the room, his skin took on a rich, light-brownplexion.

    Who the hell is he? Lloyd thought.

    "Prince Aarav��"

    Lord Krierhardt muttered, sounding somewhat displeased to hear the man speak--whether it was his untimely interruption or the very fact it was him who spoke, that was unknown.

    "Prince"? Him? And that name...Is he from--, Lloyd thought.

    "I''ll answer that for you, Sir "Honored Guest"; I don''t expect someone from Derjun to know the ins and outs of Mastorn''s trade routes, but Grandeuve has been a dead area for a long time."

    Lord Bornstill answered without any respect to his words, fiddling with the jewelry around his digits before flipping his locks.

    "...Adding to that, that region is overrunpletely by beasts; anything of actual value has been ransacked by goblins--as I''m sure you''re aware, Lord Bornstill."

    Retaining his prevalent, stoic expression as he kept his chin resting atop his hands, the more tactful lord who specialized in spices gave a more sinct answer to the foreign prince.

    "Ah, I see...so it''s not much of a loss for Grandueve to be wiped off the map? Unfortunate for the creatures there��"

    Prince Aarav spoke genuinely with a slight frown as he shrugged his shoulders--earning a heartyugh from Lord Bornstill who quickly seized such an expression of joy after receiving a re from the elderly head of the council.

    "I''m sorry, it was just a silly thing to say��"creatures", what good does that do?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...Enough, Lord Bornstill. Continue, Alyria."

    It was clear even to the most inexperienced of eyes that Lord Kriegerhardt''s authority was absolute; guiding full attention back to the prestigious archmage as she took up the mantle of speaking once more, clearing her throat again for good measure.

    "To further rify, n Cataclysm will be carried out under mymand, alongside a group of the most prolific archmages within the Veils of The Cosmos; to enact it, the disaster-level spell, "Ad Nihilum", will be cast above Grandueve."

    As she spoke of this sacred magecraft, the coveted archmage waved her hand as the light filling the prestigious council room dimmed, manifesting a presentation of the spoken about n in the form of a small-scale replica of Grandueve.

    Doing his absolute best to try and not look like an enamored child by this disy of magecraft, Lloyd kept his posture high while watching carefully--his eyes being peeled onto this disy.

    "Without failure, Ad Nihilum will reduce the entirety of the valley into nothingness; anything that can see the spell itself will be in range of its nefarious maw. That is why--"

    "...An unexpected development."

    Interrupting the archmage who seemed almost sexually pleased when speaking of her n, Gaol spoke with a peculiar expression--as if confused by the sight only he could see.

    "Gaol? What is it?"

    Recognizing the significance of the pale man''s sudden words, Lord Krigerhardt''s eyes showed themselves past their sunken state as all eyes fell on the hooded figure.

    "The Ounders...are gone."

    As those wordsced with frosted enigmatic left the irvoyant man''s lips, it seemed as if time froze within the council; every soul seemed to stand still as the white of each person''s eyes was shown in full--only the prince from Derjun seeming indifferent to this news.

    "...Gone? Exin your im, Gaol!"

    With eyes more expressive and lively than ever, Krigerhardt''s hoarse voice reached a booming height as even Gaol gritted his teeth, chattering them as the information he held within his mind finally left his lips.

    "Until now...I was unable to see into the valley as a burst of magical energy intercepted my view...but I see it now��! Every Ounder has left Grandeuve--as if vanishing from thin air; there are no tracks to be seen!"

    Sliding the words between his sable teeth, Gaol''s words were deathly found upon the ears of those present in the council meeting; most of all affected by this news was the ck-feather cape wearing Argonaut leader who shot up from his seat with a thundering presence.

    "Wah��!"

    Falling over backwards from his boss'' sudden rise, Lloydnded on his rear, though luckily--most eyes were still either on Gaol or not on Bulsteighn himself as the bubbling anger from the vermillion-bearded man was palpable.

    "Outrageous! I will not ept this! Gaol, you--!"

    "Seize this, Lord Bulsteighn! This is not a hall for barbaric quarrels and outshes!"

    Even Lord Kriegerhardt''smand wasn''t enough to settle the disgruntled Argonaut, who with a single step of his boot, erupted a series of cracks through the marvelous marble of the floor beneath his step.

    "Gaol��! You had one task��one!"

    As a fiery aura encapsted the seething, boulder of a man, all of that bubbling rage vanished just as quick as it came as a figure was suddenly at Bulsteighn''s side

    Wielding a de a breath away from his flesh, the swift figure put an end to the sudden rage.

    "It''d be in your best interest to sheath that anger in the presence of Elias'' retainer."

    Being watched keenly by those sharp, cier eyes belonging to the right-hand man who came from Lord Kriegerhardt''s side, Bulsteighn regained his lost breath before resigning his frustration.

    "��it seems the rumors aren''t just big talk. "Baiza The Immacte"; the Victorious Seven really are a sharp bunch."

    With a sigh, Bulsteighn grunted his words out as the pristine de iid with gilded steel and beautiful gems was removed from its hostile position.

    Without any response of his own, the man retaining the title of "The Immacte" returned his de to its sheath that was decorated with a pattern resembling the scales of a tinum dragon.

    It was clear by any eyes in the room by his all-white, wrinkle-free uniform that he was indeed a knight belonging to the prestigious rank of the Seven; swiping his navy-blue locks before returning to the elderly man''s side.

    "Come on, Lazlo!"

    "��m-my name is Lloyd!"

    Responding as he was hoisted up like a fallen toddler by his burlymander, Lloyd stumbled onto his feet as he followed the vermillion-haired man towards the exit of the prolific tower.

    "I expect the King himself will have some words for me��"

    Bulsteighn scoffed as he marched down the steps; the scrawny Executioner was unable to decide if those words were meant for him or if themander simply was speaking his thoughts.

    "Enough is enough; we''ve faced enough failures. We''re the Argonauts--the pride of Mastorn, the terror to Ounders; these shorings are nothing less than disgraceful. From henceforth, we will take things to the next level."

    With the Argonautmander''s leave from the councilroom, the atmosphere amongst the members shifted as Lord Kriegerhardt stood from his seat.

    "This mustn''t leave this room; n Cataclysm will continue without any further dy."

    "Huh?"

    "Why?!"

    A few amongst the council raised their confusion as widened eyes set on the form of the elderly man heralded as the retainer of Elias.

    "...As Alyria herself said; it is up to us now to clean up the mistakes of the Argonauts. They stand as one of the almighty pirs of this kingdom--such a failure would challenge the integrity of Mastorn unnecessarily. There must not be a single spec of evidence left of this operation; Alyria, I leave it to you."

    "Yes, Lord Kriegerhardt."

    Bowing as her silver locks cascaded down her slender, yet proud shoulders, Alyria epted this duty before snapping her fingers--vanishing by assistance of magecraft.

 Chapter 283 - End Of A Bloody War

    "Come on, Manfred...just a bit further."

    Stained in the crimson essence of the very friend he carried over his shoulder, Leon''s steps were dulled by his fractured mind as the icy cold rain continued to fall down upon his form.

    An upward slope met him, his boots slipping against the muddy, slippery surface of the path ahead of him as he struggled to surmount its form in his hazed state.

    "...just a bit more."

    He isn''t dead. He''s with me still. He can be saved. He will be saved, these were the thoughts flooding and repeating through Leon''s mind.

    With his next step, the sole of his down-brought boot met only with the unstable, slippery mud of the storm''s making, losing his footing as he tumbled back down the hill. As the result of his fall, the body of his dear friend met face first with a hefty puddle of mud, having Leon retrieve him with desperation in his wordless gasps.

    "I''m sorry...I''m sorry��"

    Sitting on his knees at the sight of the lifeless corpse, Leon''s tears blended with the downpour of the cloud''s tears.

    A hum resounded through the forest, shaking it to the core as a vibration set beneath the young man''s body, bringing his gaze up to the gloomy, tearful clouds--he witnessed the birth of something amongst the somber sky.

    Protruding from an unknown facette of the heavens, a sable head protruded; born not of this ne, but of magic and darkness, its existence whispered of only maledictions and destruction. It took the form of a dragon, with only its maw that resembled death itself being visible.

    "...I''m sorry. I''m sorry."

    It was all he could say as the sight of this enigmatic force was too much for hispromised mind to handle.

    A gathering of boundless destruction gathered in its parted maw as it pointed directly at the forest thatid below its form amongst the stygian sky. Even in his absence of coherent, reasonable thinking, he could understand just by the air that came with the entity''s presence.

    Keeping a tight hold on the cold hand of his fallen friend, the aura of inevitable death wrapped itself around his shoulders like a prickly coat.

    "...This is how it is. Together then."

    Releasing an unsteady breath between his trembling lips, Leon watched as the coalesce of destructive magical energy gathered in the maw of the sable entity in the sky.

    "Another death of a youngd would be far too sad. Not today,d."

    The voice came from seemingly nowhere, though it was distinctly familiar in its tone. Turning his head to face the source of the voice he recognized, Leon was briefly snapped from his stupor of death.

    "...Navigator��? You''re ali--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    His words became trapped in his throat as he saw the state of the Argonaut; with an arm mangled beyond repair and a stomach impaled by abination of timber and steel, it was a miracle that the man managed to walk all this way.

    "Ay, not for much longer though��I won''t let the same be said for you."

    "Navigator��?"

    "Far too many have fallen today...I am partly responsible for my own negligence; when aboard my ship, you were all under my protection--I failed you. But...I refuse to make today aplete loss, as such sadness would be far too cruel��!"

    With an arm drenched in crimson, his own bones protruding from his torn flesh, Navigator shot his arm to the sky as his beard swayed in his words.

    "This is my final action, thest of my ability, my mana, my spirit--carry away into the sea of clouds, Vessel of Mncholy!"

    Following hismand shouted from his bruised throat, Navigator manifested a small-scale ship around the young man and his fallen friend. Though, it fell short of its original glory; as if stitched together by desperate hands, it was mostly just nks of wood reinforced by steel.

    Nheless, it began to carry off into the sky while Leon peered over the side of the two-man ship at the near-death Argonaut below.

    "Navigator��!"

    "Don''t worry about me,d. You''ll learn soon...that to be an Argonaut...death is something you must ept. However, that reality is a faraway tale for you,d!...There is no road but the one ahead; don''t look back--persevere!"

    Standing strong in hisst moment''s under the gaze of another, Navigator gave the brightest smile he could, perched on his previously perpetually mncholic expression.

    Swim through the starry night, my vessel. Carry forth the young soil aboard your back; take him away from this gloomy forest--give him salvation from this world of sadness! That is all I''ve wished for as an Argonaut; my sole wish--to relieve just a bit of this sad existence to others. I''ll do it now, with myst breath--sail forth, my friend, Navigator thought.

    With a swipe of his bloodied, mangled hand, the Argonaut dressed in sable, pirate-like gear sent forth the skyborne vessel carrying Leon at a speedy pace.

    We are destroyers; that goes for both of us--Argonaut and Ounder alike. Savage creatures with nothing to offer to this world other than the bleakness of death; maybe you can break this cycle,d.

    But who am I kidding��? It is I, who wishes to break the cycle, by saving your life and by dying myself, perhaps I can even out the disaster my life was. I do not know your name,d, but I hope you will remember me, the nameless navigator, Navigator thought.

    Watching the small-in-scale vessel carry off into the distance within the storm night, Navigator, atst, slumped over as the state of his flesh bound body took its final toll. Lying on his back, droplets of cold rain cascaded down on his body as he watched the mystical sky above as the destructive maw continued to gather its ominous force.

    "...n Cataclysm, eh��? So, you really fell, Avdima? That''s...a surprise, heh. I guess we can talk it over in the afterlife; without a doubt, we''re going to the same ce, friend."

    Even myst-minute act of heroism may not be enough,d...the range of that st....it may very well still take you in its grasp, he thought.

 Chapter 284 - Once More, Stand, Avdima

    Blinking a few times with eyelids that seemed adamant about staying shut, Avdima muttered out between his lips simultaneously dry and cracked, yet drenched in his own blood.

    Like a zombie from the dirt, the man with a hole straight through his chest somehow stood himself up as blood gushed out from the open wounds on his body.

    Can''t...see, he thought.

    "Fai Meng...are you there?"

    Avdima asked, listening only to the ringing in his ears as he wobbled in ce, somehow maintaining his bnce. With his senses diminished by his body that sat in the grasps of death tighter than any other, he could only sense the destructive mana being formed far above his own head.

    "n Cataclysm...fools. This was my battle, not yours. They fought for their lives, and won. They bled, and remained victorious. Don''t you dare...trample on their victory��"

    Presenting a final rise of his aura, magnificent even in his deathly state, Avdima pointed his words out to the clouds above with nothing responding to his dulled senses. Whether it was thest trickles of adrenaline surging through his veins, the strength of his spirit, or simply a passing miracle--Avdima took hisst stand against the magecraft of Mastorn.

    "Fai Meng...if you''re there, get back��"

    His cautionary words reached only the empty forest, filled with nothing but the scars of the battle.

    "...Take yourrades, your friends...and run��"

    Leaving his mouth in nothing more than gasps of airced with blood, Avdima spoke nheless as he raised his hand to the sky. Just the act of speaking had its own price as he momentarily lurched over, coughing up a fountain of the burning, red substance from within his body before returning himself, standing tall.

    Forming at his raised hand, the magical energy he poured into that single fist was everything within him; every drop of mana was pulled from within his body, every ounce of his life force was coalesced for this singr, final action.

    At the sound resembling the twisting of gears resounding within the clouds, following a violent torrent of released, destructive energy--the disaster-ss spell was unleashed in full, cascading downwards upon the valley.

    Words weren''t needed for the miraculous,st effort of Avdima''s creation to beunched; upwards, he sent the culmination of the selfless darkness into the sky, hurling towards the destructive roar above.

    "...leave them be!"

    It was a childish request, but the deepest desire within the man as he stood on a body that should''ve been iid the soil below his step.

    A dull life, lived only of suffering and sadness; a fate too cruel for any, but a fate nheless for the one named Avdima.

    But, no matter how twisted one''s life may be, boundless may the corruption it beseeches upon themy, a moment of magnificent selflessness can shine through even the darkest of hearts, and most empty souls. That was the origin of thest magic cast by Avdima; the expenditure of his very soul, the birth and death of his own brief heroism.

    The moment the two forces of destructive natures met, the entirety of the forest resounded under the pressure of the immense shock wave; a sh of two powers not meant to meet. An immense strain came with thisst minute resolve, just the meeting of these two forces sent a recoil through the man''s arm; his joints snapping and his flesh tearing, yet he still stood even as bs of his own flesh fell to his face.

    Nothing more has to perish tonight, he thought.

    Above him existed a blight of destructive darkness; an abyssunched by the destructive spell that only sat above the forest due to his own resistance. As magnificent of a mage as he was, the state of his tiresome, destroyed body allowed only for a momentary push back.

    Watching from the distance, the sh between the eclipse of death that poured from the stormy clouds and the small, yet raging st of Avdima''s making, Navigator couldn''t help but cry at the sight of this faint hope.

    "Avdima��! That''s you, isn''t it, Avdima?! You amazing fool, yes! Keep it up��! Thed may very well just live due to you��!"

    It was on the threshold of death that the two Argonauts continued to persevere for seconds onward, only carrying the desire to save within their hearts.

    Even without its grasp falling upon the verdant forest, thered in death and destruction, further destion fell upon it as the conceptual basis of the spell disintegrated the surrounding evergreen. The size of the skyborn spell''s form of stygian, cosmic annihtion wasrge enough to overshadow arge part of the valley itself.

    Yet, he stood there with quivering legs, holding it back with an arm shattered many times over, flesh eviscerated under the sh of energies--without a heart inside his chest. But, his blood still pumped through his veins with a fiery essence.

    "...Graaaah!"

    Yelling out with his utmost, past a throat bruised and bloody, Avdima forced out whatever remnants of power were left within him as he pushed back the impending annihtion, unleashing a resounding shock wave that tore through the forest around him violently.

    "Just a bit longer, Avdima��! Hold on, just a bit longer��!"

    Navigator managed to pick himself up to his knees as he watched with glistening, hopeful eyes the dance of destruction ongoing.

    The storm-bringing clouds shifted their form, spiraling around the maw that unleashed n Cataclysm upon the valley as the output seemed to amplify itself a few times over.

    "No��!"

    Watching this, Navigator''s throbbing heart sank at the sight of the massive coalescence of destructive energy pushing back Avdima''s resistance with utmost ease.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m sorry,d...I failed to save even one li--"

    Dissolving his will, Navigator looked back once more at the small, fleeting ship as it was unfortunately still in view, meaning full well it fell within the reach of the reaching cataclysm.

    However, he stopped this resignation as he realized the destruction had not yet met the forest.

    Still standing his ground, Avdima held the mountain-sized gathering of raging magical energy with his palm--by some miracle holding it back just a couple meters off of the ground.

    "...Avdima--!"

    There is no doubt about it; you are the strongest! No one can ever take that away from you! No bastard in this realm would be fighting even in their own death! Navigator thought.

    Screams traveled from Avdima''s throat as he continued to hold the cataclysm back with just his bare hand, feeling the destructive essence of the spell burn away at his hand, shattering the dirt beneath his feet as a sickening pressure enveloped his body.

    "...While I still draw breath into my lungs...their victory will not be sullied. I represented your desires, Mastorn, and Fai represented...their desire to live��!"

    Time flowed at an egregious pace at such a daunting time; looking back once more after this spectacle, Navigator found his heart light up at theck of an airborne ship in his sight.

    You made it,d. Thank you, Avdima...I don''t know what drove you to this, but I''m sure you felt the same way I did. After this life of bloodshed, maybe we should act like heroes once in a while, eh? Navigator smiled.

    As his body burned up, falling between absolute numbness and excruciating pain, Avdima continued to roar out before atst--his mortality proved itself; his knee gave in to the pressure, falling to one knee as his hold on the cataclysm faltered.

    I hope you...escaped, Fai Meng. At the very least, I hope there was meaning in my final moments; that is all I wish for, he smiled.

    "On this day, Mastorn, you have lost!"

    Atst, the inevitable came; the ungodly magecraft sank its teeth into the soil below before releasing its form ofplete and utter destruction upon Grandeuve. Anything left breathing within the territory of the wild region was reduced to nothingness, any material itself was annihted and consumed--until, nothing was left. The great Grandfather tree fell to ruin all the same, the precious home of the Ounders being consumed by the hungering void that fell upon the valley just as quickly as the evergreen.

    Within minutes, it looked as if a region never even existed on that ne of the world; a vacantnd, yet by extraordinary, final feat--the body of one man existed in this region devoid of life. Inhabiting a body turned to a stone, ash-like substance, filled with cracks and as lifeless as could be, the one deemed the strongest sat on one knee with his arm raised to the sky that finally cleared into an azure.

    Standing in and with a gentle, shallow pond as far as he could see, Avdima looked around for a moment, questioning the nature of this change.

    "...Am I��?"

    Looking down, he felt his chest--there was no wound there, in fact, his body was clear of any battle-formed blemishes.

    "Avy."

    Hearing that voice that had be distant in all these years, yet still so familiar to his heart--he quickly turned his head, seeing a smile he wished to see all of these years.

    "Illya��!"

    Saying her name, tears instantly made themselves present in his eyes as he stood in the gentle pod as petals flowed through the quietly, serene water. It became fully clear to him by seeing that smile that his fate was as he predicted; this was the end.

    "When did you get so much taller than me, hm?"

    Teasing her little brother, the young woman with a gentle smile raised her hand above the man''s head as ifparing their heights. It was in this boundless darkness that light made its way into him; smiling genuinely for the first time, unaided by adrenaline--only a sublime warmth guided its way through his body as his eyes kept themselves on her.

    "Illya! Illya!"

    Suddenly taking the sister he dedicated his thoughts to for so long into a tight embrace, the stoic barrier around the man dissolved like parchment to water as his tears flowed freely.

    ...Do I deserve such a happy ending? After the life I led...He thought.

    "You did good, Avdima."

    Those were the only words he needed to hear, meeting his ears likevender, he could only quietly nod his head before tightening his embrace of his long yearned for sister.

    "...It''s time to rest. You''ve earned it."

    "Yeah....I guess I have."

 Chapter 285 - One Night War - Epilogue

    As the morning star began to rise on the dry, humid desert that stretched as far as the eye could see, the destination sought out by the golden-furred monkey was finally reached.

    The sable castle that took on a unique architectural structure; a sleek form without any seeming windows, standing tall and thin like a tower, but in reality, its width was harrowinglyrge. Climbing a small hill to reach the entrance of this massive structure, the toll of this final act proved itself in full as the monkey dropped the unconscious man in front of the door before keeling over.

    With a knock that used the residual strength left in its body, the monkey hit the door to make its presence known.

    As the door was opened, a pair of men dressed in uniforms as pale as the clouds vacant in this region showed up with swords in hand.

    "...Whose there? Oh...that''s Fai Meng, isn''t it?"

    One of the men realized in exasperation as he quickly sheathed his sword, kneeling down by the bloodied and bruised man as he ced two fingers on his neck.

    Ba-dump...Ba-dump...

    "How is he��?"

    "Barely hanging on. We have to get him to the infirmary--quick. If he dies on our watch...I don''t think the higher-ups will be too happy."

    With urgency to his movements, the man with shorter, jet-ck locks with frosted tips lifted the unconscious Ounder into his arms, beginning to retreat back inside the building.

    "Wait...what about this monkey��? It brought him here, didn''t it?"

    The other man asked, looking at the small, golden-furred monkey as it seemed to resign the moment Fai was brought into their care; staring off at the sky, its essence began to unravel itself as golden particles floated off into the air.

    "Huh��? Come on, you''re a friend of his, aren''t you? We''ll patch you up too; we have spirit specialists here as well!"

    Responding quietly with just a subtle shake of its head, the monkey seemed to smile before releasing a vibrant glow that momentarily blinded the men.

    "Gah...huh--?"

    Looking back at where the monkey stood, now standing tall was the proud divine spirit that possessed a human face, brandishing his golden fur--though all the same, his essence began to fade away.

    "Take good care of him, you hear? That''s an order from a god."

    Carrying his sable, decorated pole over his shoulder, the golden-furred monkey''s words prompted nods from the two guards.

    "Good...well, this is it, Fai Meng. I had a helluva lot of fun in this second life; thank you for giving me the chance. It looks like you had some fun yourself--but, your journey doesn''t end here, my friend. You still have a family you need to protect, don''t you? Don''t let them down. If you should me yourself for my death, don''t. But, if you do, then remember: every mistake is a lesson. Farewell, Fai Meng!"

    Parting those words from his smiling mouth, Wukong smiled widely as the two guards holding the unconscious recipient of those words were left in silence for a moment before the exuberance of the Monkey King.

    "...Do you want us to repeat those words when he wakes up?"

    In response, Wukong simply shook his head, "He got it all, don''t worry. Now, hurry up before he bleeds out!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "R-right!"

    Hurrying off into the depths of the seemingly boundless building, the two guards disappeared within the headquarters.

    "Well, I did everything I could, Sanzang...it''s time I resume my rest."

    Looking up at the warm orange that filled the new morning, Wukong smiled softly before closing his eyes, relieving himself to his fate as only wind upied the spot he stood by the next moment.

    By the grace of the morning after the battle, Leon slowly opened his eyes with a few, tiresome blinks--having unknowingly fallen to slumber while riding upon the fleeting ship in the sky.

    "Was it��?"

    Looking to his side, he saw the blonde locks belonging to the breathless form of hisrade--a sight that answered his unfinished question harshly as tears once more returned to the rims of his eyes.

    "It wasn''t a dream��"

    Sitting up, he propped his back against the railings of the miniature vessel, watching the morning clouds float gently in the brisk azure.

    "We lost."

    Exhaling, his breath came out in a cold mist,ced with the chilliness of the fresh beginning of a day. Sliding his gloves off of his fingers, he looked at his calloused hands before clenching them tightly; looking down at his ck garments that were stained in crimson, and torn from battle.

    I couldn''t do anything. I was helpless. Powerless, he thought.

    Running his hands over his worn face, his cold, yet warm fingertips grazed his skin before sliding into his oak brown locks, gripping them tightly as his expression began to falter.

    "Manfred��"

    It was only once the adrenaline faded and that the stillness of this empty, lonesome journey home set in that the bleak reality before him was realized.

    The one, true friend he had in this lonely path had left him, and that was his new reality.

    "Manfred��!"

    Finally letting it all out, Leon screamed at the top of his lungs as only the heavens could listen in to the pained howls of the young man.

    In the advent of dreams, reality showed itself; its dreadful, true state--on a path of heroism, anguish and death awaited.

    On the eve of this somber morning, a night transpired that saw the end of dreams for some, and the ignition of ambition for others. Argonauts and Ounders alike faced painful, bitter defeat, but most of all--it was Mastorn that for the first time in a long while--tasted failure.

    Buried beneath the erasure enacted by n Cataclysm, the tide-changing, one-night war would go on to be only remembered by those who fought through it, and the upper-echelon of Mastorn itself; the death of those who fought on this battlefield remaining unrecognized.

 Chapter 286 - Interlude - Pivotal Alliance

    Sitting in a finely furnished room, decorated with paintings of sceneries both mystical and vibrant in life, the tinum-haired sage, who remained in such blissful youth despite her true age, sipped from an ivory cup.

    Having been long-time allies with the Hollow Foundation, the Ounders were weed with open arms into the isted, vast space of the secretive organization.

    Given their very own sector of the Hollow Foundation, just as any guild, the Ounders had been adjusting to their new quarters.

    Well, this is something we had nned for. It was obvious something like this might happen, Beatrice thought.

    As the gentle mes inhabiting the firece formed of burgundy bricks filled the room with aforting warmth, there was no greater leisure for Beatrice as she sat at the pristine, white table with her cup of tea in hand--but she was not sitting there just to pass the time.

    A knock came to the door; responding to this, the sage simply snapped her fingers as the oak door opened itself without any physical touch.

    Standing in the now open doorway was a woman who stood tall and proud, presenting not only a royal aura, but one of power and integrity; gracefully, her golden curtains draped over her shoulders d in armor.

    "Sage Beatrice, it is an honor to meet you."

    Bowing her head as she greeted the casual sage who looked up at her with her inhuman eyes that held the cosmos within their mirrors, another person could be seen standing behind the female knight.

    An elbow to the tall knight''s gut from the woman snapped the man out of his tight-lipped trance as he hurriedly greeted the sage, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sage Beatrice."

    "Forgive my partner, Sir Damiencks certain manners despite his standing as a knight."

    Keeping her head bowed as she continued to show utmost respect to the sage, the golden-haired, female knight dressed in magnificent, silver armor with an emerald cape draped over her shoulders earned a smile from the sage.

    "Lady Getrude, this is not our first meeting."

    "...Pardon, Sage Beatrice?"

    Lifting her head, the well-mannered knightmander looked at the sage who smiled with a certain tranquility.

    "It was when you were just a small child; I remember how full of glee your father was whenever he saw you. A stern man, he most certainly could be--but you broke him right out of that. Your mother was quite a busy woman at times--so I was left as your caretaker on some days. Not that I minded. That, however, was in a time long since passed."

    "..."

    Getrude didn''t know how to react to these words, her lips falling slightly agape as she looked at the wise, primordial woman sitting at the table amidst the center of the quiet, rxing room.

    "Sage Beatrice��"

    ''Just Beatrice is fine."

    "Beatrice, may I��?"

    Pointing her prematurely-ended question towards the open seat across from the sage, the tranquil, ck-dress-wearing woman nodded with a smile as she gestured for the female knight to im the seat.

    Taking her seat as she made sure to keep hervish cape that represented her vision neatly set, Getrude faced Beatrice, who continued to smile calmly at her.

    "I hope you don''t mind Sir Damien being present in our discussion?"

    "Not at all."

    It was a meeting that presented a new turn in the world; the sliver of hope the Ounders needed, and the powerful backing that Getrude yearned for.

    On this destined meeting, the tides of the world would forever be changed in the future soon toe.

    "Are you sure you really should be moving? You''re in pretty rough shape."

    Asking with eyes that expressed little of the same care of his question, Tristan ran his fingers through his pale tufts of hair as he looked at therade of his sitting across from him, wrapped in an abundance of bandages.

    "I''m fine, it''s been a week; I have to say though, their healers really are incredible here."

    Faimented with a wry smile as he looked down at his bandaged body, squeezing his fists shut to check if he could even do that much.

    The room he found himself in was rather minimalistic��to be expected of a room meant for recovering guests. Oak walls engraved with rejuvenating symbols, a bed asfortable as a fluffy cloud; even the impatient Fai Meng found himself attached to itsfort.

    Tristan and the others that were away on their mission, fortunately, got here just before we did. I heard the team that was sent out on the Getrude escort returned too...haven''t had the chance to see them yet, Fai thought, life in the Hollow Foundation, huh? Who would''ve thought?

    "Did that sage say anything about the others? I mean Ren, Iris��their teleport gem is connected to Grandeuve, right?"

    Asking as he stood himself up from his pale-sheeted bed, Fai hopped in ce a bit while shaking his arms to warm his body up.

    Taking a moment to respond as he watched the bandage-covered man move as if free of any hindrances, Tristan let out a puff of air between his lips with the ever-present aura of boredom hanging over him.

    "She did."

    "And?"

    Stopping his warm-up hops, Fai brought his gaze down on hisrade, who fixed his messy locks before answering once again.

    "All she could do was disable the gem."

    "Huh?"

    Fai''s eyes widened at this as his voice took a sharp rise at this response.

    "Fiddling with magic, even if it''s her own, from that type of range��it''s a miracle she did what she did."

    "Still��they''ll be stranded out there."

    "Not unless we pick them up. Just trust, Beatrice. Anyway, the good news is we managed to secure an alliance with that princess. Though, I don''t exactly know how helpful a single division of knights will be against Mastorn but...it''s something. Oh, I guess there''s that new Argonaut guy Charlotte managed to recruit, somehow. Still don''t know how to feel about that."

    Letting out a sigh, Tristan stood himself up from the stoic, wooden chair he sat on, adjusting the jet-ck tank top that sat over his torso.

    An alliance with the princess of Mastorn huh? Getrude, I think? It''ll be a big help. And Strife...well, I think I trust him--though, I don''t know about the others. At least, Beatrice seemed eager to ept him, Fai thought.

    "Going somewhere?"

    Fai, with a raised eyebrow, asked the man born from the greatnd of Britain.

    "Well, I might as well be the bearer of good news for the others. God knows some good news is wee around here."

    He''s right. Between our home being destroyed and Lucas��I can''t imagine what those two who were with him are feeling right now, Fai thought.

    Opening the humble door that led outside the solitary, tranquil room of rest, Tristan looked back at the ever-energetic man.

    "You sure you''re good?"

    "A-O-K!"

    Fai assured the man with a wink and a smile, only being met with a shake of the man''s pale head of snowy hair before he left the room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "��It hurts."

    Speaking to himself, Fai sat back down on the bed just as the door closed, looking at his bandaged hands as they began to tremble.

    I can still feel it. The pain from his magic. Dense, rabid darkness��just digging into my flesh, tainting it. That''s the price of fighting a master-ss user of dark magic, I suppose, Fai smiled wryly.

    Thinking this to himself, the hazel-haired man coughed up a storm, hawking up a fit of blood into the palm of his hand.

    "Even in death, you''re a pain in the ass, Avdima."

    Another few days came and went of being holed up, sealed away in the recovery chamber��Oundersing in and going, but it was an impatience-fueling experience all the same.

    Jumping up from his bed with a gleaming resolve in his eyes, Fai Meng let out a puff of air between his lips.

    I can''t waste time any further. I''ve been waiting, but my body is finally healed up enough to use mana��even then, it''s going to hurt like hell, Fai thought.

    "Here goes nothing��Come, Cdrius!"

    Wincing as his veins pressed against his blemished, wrapped skin, Fai called out as blood lined the corner of his mouth.

    Sprouting forth from a small puddle of shadows manifested in front of the man, a snow-white bird suddenly flew out from the abyssal holds, spreading its pearlescent wings.

    "Ghh��!"

    Falling to one knee, he ced his hand over his heart as heavy breaths followed, huffing as he looked up at the newly summoned avian.

    It was hardly taller than his knee height, but it''s glistening feathers brought with it an aura of mysticism, looking at the pained man with its beady, azure eyes.

    "I guess even summoning a small fe like you is a bit much for me right now��do your thing, Cdrius."

    Giving the manifested bird a thumbs-up, Fai smiled weakly as the pale-feathered creature seemed to acknowledge hismand, spreading its wings as it began to encircle him.

    pping its wings as it flew around the man, snow-like particles rained down on Fai, who closed his eyes during the mystical process.

    Cdrius ispletely useless in battle, but when ites to the art of healing��he''s my best bet for my current predicament. If what I''m feeling is more of a mana-driven poison rather than a flesh wound, Cdrius is the one for the job, he thought.

    As the unique, curative particles met his body, his form took a slight glow��watching as the sable patches that dyed his skin like bruises began to dissipate.

    "Amazing��keep it up, Cal!"

    There''s only one caveat��which is why I''ve also been a bit hesitant to use something so useful: Cdrius can only be used once a year, Fai thought.

    Sitting in the downfall of mystical rain for a few minutes, the mythical avian finally descended to the ground once more.

    "Thanks, Cdrius."

    Giving the bird a pat on its head, he smiled before watching the creature disappear into its original, astral form.

    Standing up, Fai hopped onto his feet with a newfound vigor, shadow boxing a bit to test out his recovery.

    Back in top form! He thought.

    Without any hesitation, he ripped the itchy bandages from his body with a satisfying tear, allowing them to burn away into nothingness with a whim of his mes.

    Tying his loose locks that draped over his back into a ponytail, he finally set out from the solitary room��swinging the door open with a certain level of moxie.

    "Fai Meng, at your service!"

    Meeting his boisterous entrance was��nothing. Silence. Awkward, prolonged silence. Outside of his room was a courtyard, inhabiting snow-white trees that thrived without a real sun, fueled by the fire-magic empowerednterns hanging from their branches.

    There wasn''t a soul in sight, though it was to be expected.

    The Hollow Foundation is practically asrge as a city��no, I think it is. A home for those who sit outside the scope of thew; adventurers, mercenaries��you name it. More often than not, it''s a ce where wanted people find themselves, a perfect fit for the Ounders, he thought.

    Stepping onto the cold, pristine flooring built of a sable, metallic material, he made his way down the tranquil courtyard as only the echoes of his own footsteps filled his eardrums.

    Even I don''t know all the details, but apparently, some secretive council of nobles from the surrounding kingdoms run this organization. I guess a lot of people aren''t happy with how Mastorn runs things, Fai thought.

    Passing by the isted section of nature, secluded within the underground base, Fai found himself traversing a flight of stairs.

    The only thing guiding him forward were his own senses��his sense of magical energy, to be exact. There was no mistaking it; they were all in one room��the gathering of many Ounders.

    Did that sage know I would be up today?��Creepy, he smiled.

    Finding himself in front of a door twice asrge as himself, coated in residual mana, the man took in a lung-filling breath before opening the door.

    As he thought, the familiar sight of hisrades awaited him in the library-like chamber. It resembled a lounge in its exuberant disy offort: a toasty firece, velvet carpets, and furniture that looked as soft as a bunny''s fur.

    "Yo, Fai!"

    Greeting the man with a bright smile, therge, muscr, crimson-haired friend of his gave him a high-five.

    "Hey, Sora."

    Trying to meet that radiance halfway, Fai felt such brightness be dulled as he saw past that smile held on Sora''s lips; his eyes held a somberness to them despite his best efforts.

    "That Argonaut really did a number on you."

    Brahmi joined in their proper reunitement, pping the recently recovered man in the shoulder with genuine boisterousness to her pep.

    "Yeah, well you should have seen him."

    "Avdima, huh? He was on our list of dangerous threats. Good job, Fai."

    It wasn''t the usual suave to Sirius'' voice to speak as the ck-haired man leaned against one of the shelves with his arms folded across his chest.

    "A fine job, indeed."

    Donatien spoke with a fix of his sses; clearly prioritizing more stable healing, the navy-haired man of a slender build still wore some bandages, showing a bit of bruising left on his body.

    Despite the seemingly happy scene before them, the mood hanging like a curtain of nightly rain was bleak.

    Scanning his eyes across the room, Fai still couldn''t help but smile seeing the scenery ofrades before him, finally settling his gaze on the tinum-haired woman sitting in the center of the chamber.

    "Sirius, Sora, Tristan, Brahmi, Fai, Natalia, Charlotte, Noah, Strife, and Donatien��Now that we''re all here��it''s time to discuss our next move."

 Chapter 287 - Rendezvous, Weltwanders

    "Right this way, right this way!"

    With a gravely, high-pitched voice, the round-bodied creature thatbined both its head and torso as one, unified shape marched down the hall that exhibited a velvet carpet with golden ents once reaching into the bulk of the mystical domain.

    "...We''re really in Purgatory?"

    Ren asked in a mutter as he looked around, loomed over by the extravagant walls that shifted into an opalescent, marble material, decorated with paintings of sceneries unknown to the young man''s eyes.

    "Yes, yes! It was built by Lord Asmodeus--or rather, his minions! Or rather, me!"

    "Eh?"

    It was hard to keep up with the swiftness of Impy''s high words, who continued traversing the lengthy halls as they passed by a seemingly infinite amount of doors.

    I''m still notpletely buying this all--after what went on within the first floor, this ce is anything but good news....still, if it is a chance to rest--I''ll take it. Just got to find the others first--if this little guy is messing with me, I''ll cut him down, Ren thought.

    "I''d advise against that!"

    With his same, cheery voice, Impy spoke to him with his one,rge eye settled on the young man''s form, still not stopping in his march as his thin, needly arms swayed.

    "What��?"

    "Cutting me down! I''d advise against that!"

    "How''d you��?"

    "Moving on!"

    Though there was no inherent fear he felt towards the tiny, bulbous guide of his--Ren found himself now adhering to his advice as he quietly followed behind him.

    "Here we are! This is the main lounge room for Team Weltwanderer! Though, you''ll each be participating individually. When you feel that seal on her hand burn up, please make your way straight down the hall until you reach two,rge, ck doors--you can''t miss it!"

    Talking at a speed thought to be impossible, Impy''s words were spoken just as fast as he left--disappearing into a puff of smoke, leaving the young, white-haired man standing before the door formed of ashen wood.

    "Some Houdini he is��"

    With a quick ruffle of his own hair, Ren let out a sigh before pressing his palm against the solid mass of the door, slowly pushing it open with a creak.

    Holding his breath in that short moment, that very batch of air escaped his lips gently as his eyes met with the relieving sight of hisrades, sitting within the enigmatic room.

    "Ren!"

    Iris immediately stood up, rushing over to the young man with an expression packed with relief--the same relieved looks rested in the eyes of the others.

    "...Yeah, it''s me. Is...something wrong?"

    Looking at Iris'' expression, he was d that she was worried about him, but the feelings seemed a bit misced, or rather a bit overdramatic for such a short departure from one another.

    "You were gone for hours."

    Macheo answered, sitting in the corner of the room built of exuberant quartz, exhibiting a floor of rich, glistening wood. As always, he looked less than interested to indulge in conversation, looking away as his arms were kept folded over his chest.

    "Hours? What''re you talking about? I went in just a few minutes after--"

    As he responded, he noticed something: Aiko. The sickly girl wasn''t present whatsoever in the room harboring the Weltwanderers.

    "Where is she? Where''s Aiko?"

    With a sense of urgency to his voice, he pushed himself into the center of the room, throwing his gaze side to side, front and back, not finding a single nce of the beige-haired girl anywhere.

    "Calm down. One of those creepy demons took her off to the infirmary."

    Once more, Macheo was the one to answer Ren''s worries, this time looking at the young man with the crimson jewels embedded into his eyes.

    "That''s right, there''s nothing to worry about, Ren."

    Hongse finally stood up from his ce of rest on the vani sofa, giving the white-haired young man a gentle pat on the shoulder.

    "Anyways...you said you weren''t gone that long?"

    Pressing the other issue, Iris remained close to him, looking up at him with those eyes that would''ve dragged out any lies from deep within his fickle throat. All the same, his answer remained the same as he ruffled his tufts of hair.

    "Yeah, just like I said--I went in right after Macheo; I met with the man in the front...what was his name again��?"

    "Orias."

    This time, Valerie supplied the answer for Ren, who promptly snapped his fingers to cement that utterance as the truth.

    "That''s odd��"

    Iris muttered, setting her fingers against her chin as if sinking into deep thought, seating herself back down on the sofa, directly beside the draconic warrior.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I think we have a bit more of an important discussion on hand."

    "This "Champion''s Culling" thing, right?"

    "Right."

    Being on the same page as Macheo, Ren affirmed this notion with a nod as he now had all eyes on the room ced on him.

    "A tournament to decide who receives the necessary keys to challenge the guardian of this floor...which means just after that, we''re in the final stretch."

    "Let''s not get ahead of ourselves here; first we have to win whatever this tournament is, then we have to actually, by some miracle, defeat the guardian. I don''t know about you, but that''s a tall order."

    Ren shrugged his shoulders as he corrected Valerie''s statement, earning himself a sharp re from the woman before he added onto his statement with a raise of his index finger.

    "But...this is our best shot, no? We managed to defeat the Butcher; Macheo, you said that was something most participants were unable to defeat--yet, we did it--with medium difficulty, even! Hell, if I was a betting man, I''d ce my money on Team Weltwanderers."

    With a speech born from some past life he lived as a door to door salesman, Ren paced back and forth through the waiting room designated to their group, finishing his fiery words with a flip of his cloak and a confident smile.

    "Just one notion I''d like to correct."

    "Yeah?"

    Ren looked at Hongse, who had his fluffy, dual-colored arms crossed against his chubby, yet muscr chest d inyers of fur.

    "I''m assuming you heard the same spiel we got from Orias: we can''t act as a team within this tournament. It''s every man for himself."

    As the panda demi-human spoke of this, a dreary silence hung over the room as the others seemed to feel that very rule dig itself into their already wavering hopes. But once more, Ren proved his confidence was unwavering in this very moment, waving his finger along with a tsk, tsk, tsk.

    "Even so, our chances are five times better--no, six times better, if Aiko participates. If one of us should fall early in the bracket, then another can carry our aspirations forward. That''s the strength of a team!"

    Honestly, I can''t ce how hopeful I really am. Even so, I can''t let the team''s morale dwindle in the slightest. Even if our chances are slim, this is the best damn shot we''ve got! He thought.

    It seemed his counterpoint lodged itself into the minds of hispanions as silence befell the room once more.

    "He''s right��"

    Iris chipped in, having her hands ced over herp as she fiddled with the fabric of her silver skirt, running her fingertips along the azure ents.

    "Damn right, he''s right."

    Muttering beneath his breath, the golden-haired young man added in without so much as looking at anyone else.

    "Still, the information we got was pretty vague. Knowing Purgatory...it was probably purposefully left sparse."

    "You''ve probably hit the nail on the head there, Val. If that''s the case though, I''m assuming the other participants are just as in the dark as us. That could be a problematic assumption though��"

    Joining in Valerie''s guess, Ren began to rub the side of his head before propelling his doubts through a quick exhale, pping both of his cheeks.

    "Did they say how soon the tournament would be starting?"

    It was the obvious question to ask, he thought--though the looks he got from hispanions quickly answered that they were just as ignorant to that information as he was.

    "Okay then...well, if we don''t have a time frame, then we can''t really know for sure if Aiko is going to be participating as well. Maybe we can go ask someone--maybe that little creature?"

    Testing this n of action, he reached for the door handle, pulling on it as it didn''t budge in the slightest. A few more tugs only brought a repeat of this same, unmoving result.

    "What the��?"

    "Yeah...we tried to leave earlier as well to go look for you, but it looks like the doors are a one-way thing."

    Iris'' words loosened Ren''s grip from the handle as he retreated from the door, ruffling his hair with a frustrated sigh.

    "Purgatory, amirite?"

    "Right."

    Left with nothing to do but sit around and wait, the group took this golden opportunity to finally indulge in a bit of rest, using thefortable, cushiony furniture to their advantage.

    What a long day, Ren thought.

    Laying on the t, hardwood floor that would usually be seen as ufortable, it was like a cloud on his back as he rested his head on a pillow taken from the sofa.

    Stretching his legs out, his joints groaned before cracking, letting out a yawn that soon brought flickering to his growing in weight eyelids.

    I guess when I open my eyes again...I''ll be fighting once more, he thought.

    Looking over to the side, he could see the azure-haired girlying on her side atop the sofa, facing his direction with her eyes closed. Soft breaths escaped her barely parted lips; clearly fallen into afortable, deep slumber.

    Seeing her like that, his heart felt at ease before he finally relieved himself to the exhaustion his body felt--sinking into slumber himself.

 Chapter 288 - Preliminary Brief

    "Ghh!"

    A sudden sensation of the skin of his hand being charred shot his eyelids open as he sat up quickly, looking at his afflicted hand as his veins pressed against his reddened skin. He could see it even beneath the fabric of the glove: the sigil inhabiting the back of his hand was glowing with a mystical velvet, etching into his flesh the searing pain.

    "Gyow!"

    "Ah��!"

    It wasn''t a moment after this rude awakening that the others in the room shot up, experiencing the same, unweing sensation.

    "What the hell?! They didn''t tell us it''d hurt like a bitch!"

    Macheoined as he clenched his fist, wincing with his teeth grating. After another half minute, the pain slowly dulled--leaving the now awoken members drenched in sweat from the abrupt pain.

    A click resounded from the door, something that caught each ear in the room, and brought every pupil to its form.

    "I guess that''s our cue��"

    Ren muttered as he brought himself to his feet, caressing the back of his hand as echoes of the burning pain still reverberated through his skin.

    With a slight reluctance, the five headed out through the door with a disgruntled grogginess guiding their step. Traversing the lengthy, butvish hallway felt like a task birthed infinitely--passing by what felt like the same doors, and same paintings.

    "Are you sure we''re going the right way?!"

    "What other way is there?"

    Ren responded with a sigh to the blonde-haired young man''s rudely asked question, who stomped down the hall like a tantrum-throwing toddler.

    "Two,rge ck doors...wait, that''s it, isn''t it?"

    Repeating the sole information given to them all the same by Impy, Iris looked up just to see in the near distance an unmissable set of sable doors, standing with an imposing aura. It wasn''t the only thing to catch the group''s attention, however; a pairing from the opposing end of the hall reached the set of doors at the same time as them.

    "Oh! Other participants?"

    Taking the initiative in greeting them was a man with a carefree smile, standing half a head above Ren. His voice left his lips like a ray of sunshine, not too high, or too low--though, he was clearly in his mid-twenties from his appearance and voice.

    "Yeah...hey."

    A bit surprised by the bubbly nature of someone within Purgatory, Ren returned the greeting as if representing his group, meeting the extended hand from the pale man with curly, jet-ck locks. As their hands met, a sudden jolt traveled through Ren''s arm as the grip he felt embrace his hand was not what he expected.

    From what he could see from the man''s build, hidden beneath a baggy, pale-white coat, he didn''t seem outwardly muscr, but his grip contested that notion.

    "The name''s Jae-Seong, nice to meet you!"

    Introducing himself with a dazzling smile, the man shook Ren''s hand, looking at him from behind his tinted shades.

    That''s a Korean name, hmm...and his attitude, his sses--is he? Ren thought.

    "Jae-Seong��?"

    Pushing to the front of the group, stepping slightly between Ren and the mysterious, but friendly, fellow participant, Macheo looked up at the man with an inquisitive gaze.

    "Oh! What a surprise! If it isn''t the Prince himself! Fancy meeting you here, Lord Macheo."

    Without any shift in his carefree tone, Jae-Seong greeted the Lucrauvian royal with a slight bow before chuckling.

    "You know each other��?"

    Turning his eyes to Macheo, Ren raised an eyebrow as he watched the golden-hairedpanion of his'' eyes not waver an inch from Jae-Seong''s form.

    "There''s not a single Lucrauvian that doesn''t know the name of Jae-Seong--he''s one of the Eight Heavenly Kings."

    "?!"

    The same reaction spawned from everyone within the group, all eyes falling on the man whose aura didn''t feel like anything of the sort--simply smiling cheerfully as his true identity was given.

    "Eight Heavenly Kings��?"

    Ren muttered out as he looked at the less than assuming man before him, now scanning his form as if reevaluating what he was looking at.

    Iris told me about them before I think, an elite force of otherworlders in Lucrauv--simr to the Ounders, he thought.

    "What''re you doing here, Jae-Seong?"

    Macheo asked without any warmth, looking up at the man who clearly surpassed him in height by a noticeable amount.

    "As cold as ever, I see. Just kidding...Well, I''m just here to kill some time, really. The scenery in Lucrauv gets a bit stale, you know? Snow here, snow there. Though, maybe my decision was inspired by someone else."

    Answering with a carefreeugh, Jae-Seong ruffled his curly locks as the silver-chain ne around his neck jiggled, shrugging his shoulders as he cracked his neck side to side.

    To kill time?! Ren thought.

    "Oh! You remember Yuri, right, Ma--I mean, Lord Macheo?"

    Noticing the golden-haired royal''s eyes trying to look at the person standing behind the Heavenly King, Jae-Seong turned to introduce hispanion to the group.

    With an expression as rigid and deadpan as could be, the girl who looked no older than Aiko turned her gaze to the group, bowing her head before resuming her idle stance. The outfit she wore was clearly a military uniform of some sort--an all-ck getup with a white cape draped over her shoulders, runningplementary to her dark hair tied into a ponytail, along with her refined, snow-white irises.

    "An honor to make your acquaintance, Prince Macheo. An honor to make your acquaintance,panions of Prince Macheo."

    As if programmed to speak those words, Yuri bowed once more before resuming her idle stance--earning a chuckle from the frivolous man.

    "Yeah, uh, nice to meet you."

    "Pleased to meet you."

    "Good to meet ya''!"

    Those in the group responded in kind, though the girl''s expression remained unmoving. All the while, Macheo seemed disgruntled by the presence of the two from Lucrauv.

    "I get it now...Yuri is here as your bodyguard. Always dragging other people into your whims, Jae-Seong��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Macheo spoke in a sharp tone as he shook his head, squinting his crimson eyes at the man holding the title of Heavenly King.

    "...Hmm, anyway! We should best get inside; wouldn''t want to keep the others waiting."

    Brushing off the question aimed at him, Jae-Seong giggled like a yful child before pushing the heavy, thick doors open with a simple push of his hand, parting their unmoving state as the territory waiting beyond revealed itself.

    Huddling up with the others in his group, Ren whispered--not wanting to invoke any well-hidden wrath of Jae-Seong.

    "...Another otherworlder, huh? And here I thought my kind were rare."

    Ren joked, taking a peek at Jae-Seong, who was waiting by the newly-opened entrance--as if participating within their group.

    "Another pain in the ass."

    The sharp words from the draconic knight sounded more like an insult to Ren, but it was set aside as Iris interjected with her own words.

    "A Heavenly King...if he''s going to be in the tournament, then--"

    "Let''s not think too much about it!"

    With words deprived of wisdom, Hongse interrupted the blue-haired girl before guiding the group forward with hisrge wingspan, gently pushing them forward into the awaiting domain.

    "A bit of a breeze in here."

    Jae-Seong spoke with his established suave as he took the lead into the dim abode, keeping his hands tucked into the pockets of his pale coat.

    Following behind him, the group looked around before suddenly stopping and jumping at the sudden awakening of mes throughout the room--birthing light into the otherwise shadowy domain before the territory they found themselves in was revealed atst.

    In the darkness he failed to notice--there were at least two dozen other people waiting in the room, maybe even more.

    "It seems all of our participants have arrived! Wee, challengers of Purgatory! I, Sitri, will be the overseer of the qualification round of the Champion''s Culling!"

    Standing on a balcony that overlooked the floor of participants below, a well-dressed man with salt and pepper hair spoke with showmanship. It didn''t take a second nce for Ren to decipher the identity of the man--by the unique, triangle-shaped irises he possessed, it was clear he was a demon.

    Bit of a mouthful, isn''t it? Ren thought.

    Due to the nature of being surrounded by so many unknown entities, the five kept close to one another--while Jae-Seong and Yuri remained unbothered by the situation.

    "Qualifying round��? I don''t remember hearing anything about that."

    Ren muttered beneath his breath, but still letting his words meet the ears of his closely tuckedpanions.

    "Like I said: we should expect some details to be left out."

    Cementing her earlier statement, Valeriemented quietly as she let out a heavy breath, adjusting her crimson locks before wrapping herself in her silver cape.

    Clearing his throat, the proimed overseer silenced the mutters of the participants that spoke amidst the sudden, surprise event.

    "I''m sure you''re all just as excited to discover the nature of this qualification round; within the Champion''s Culling, this special preliminary changes each and every time!"

    As the mboyant demon spoke as if speaking through a megaphone, something caught Ren''s eye amidst the moment of perplexion--quickly nudging the twopanions at his side with his elbows.

    "The hell are you doing?"

    Macheo whispered in a hiss, retreating his arm from the man''s touch as he looked at Ren--whose eyes were honed in on one section.

    "What is it, Ren?"

    Iris looked worriedly at the white-haired man as he seemed almost in a trance with his lips left slightly agape before he finally answered.

    "Isn''t that...Aiko?"

    Pointing past a dozen or so people, Ren guided the eyes of hispanions over to the unmistakable head of neat, short-cut beige hair.

    "Huh...what the hell?"

    Macheo muttered, squinting his eyes as he met this same sight. Without any hesitation, the three who noticed the presence of the girl attempted to close the distance--only to find that actionpletely halted by some unknown force.

    Before Ren could lift his boot and set it back down onto the cobblestone floor below, it felt as if a thousand static threads wrapped themselves tightly around his leg.

    "Ghh...I can''t move at all��!"

    "Same here!"

    A few surrounding eyes from fellowpetitors noticed the binding that captured the three, seeming surprised themselves at this development.

    "As you can see, your silence, patience, and cooperation is required."

    Spoken in a more serious tone by the overseer from above, the words fell upon the three before the binding was released from them, nearly causing Ren and Macheo to tumble before the tubby panda demi-human caught them in his reliable arms.

    "I''ve got you!"

    "Thanks, Hongse."

    Ren nodded with a smile before returning his gaze up to the overseer with a frustrated glint in his eyes, wiping the sweat from his cheek.

    "...What''s she doing here, though?"

    "I don''t know, but I guess they don''t want us finding out."

    Answering for Ren, Macheo huffed, showcasing the same level of frustration as hisrade as they stayed close to one another.

    Clearing his throat once more, Sitri continued his loudly-spoken words, "As I am sure you''re all eager to know, I will now exin to you the details of the preliminary game!"

    Holding a single finger up that was d in a stainless, pale-white glove, the overseer presented a smile as every eye in the room was on him, silently and intently watching as this information was clear as day important to all within the chamber.

    Just what do you have in store for us, Purgatory? Ren thought.

 Chapter 289 - Qualifiers: Begin!

    "Is it an eating contest? Leave it to me!"

    Hongse pped his stomach, seemingly unaffected by the tense, thick aura of intensity hanging over the room filled with those who have traversed Purgatory.

    "You will be tasked with tracking down and capturing three "Impies"! Small, but nimble, slippery creatures, they are."

    Snapping his fingers, Sitri conjured above his hand an example of an impy, showcasing the small, cyclopean being that was covered in crimson scales.

    Sitting in the palm of the handsome demon''s hand, the tiny creature waved its hand with a grin filled with razor-sharp teeth. Seeing those teeth sent a small shiver through Ren''s body as he smiled to himself.

    "...I think I''m seeing the caveat here."

    "Yeah...those things probably aren''t going to sit around and let us snatch them up."

    Valerie shared in Ren''s sentiment, huffing as she crossed her armor-d arms across her chest. A small whistle came from Jae-Seong as he seemed less than worried, cing his hands on his sides as he turned to face the group.

    "I wasn''t the only one expecting to have to fight some giant monsters, right? Right?"

    Ignoring the entric man, Ren kept his eyes on the overseer--making sure not to omit any details of this preliminary from his mind.

    "Still, it doesn''t seem too bad."

    Irismented, staying near the white-haired young man as their shoulders brushed against one another--causing both to fall into a silent blush.

    "There will be twenty slots in total avable to grab, coupled with a twenty-minute time limit--these are your restrictions, challengers!"

    It was those details that cemented the difficulty of this challenge into those waiting below, a quick realization set into the minds of the challengers.

    "Now, you will have a few minutes to prepare and gather your thoughts and strategies--though, I''d advise not to think too hard about it!"

    "Twenty slots...twenty minutes...mm��"

    Iris sank into thought, holding a worried expression as she fiddled with her well-kempt locks of blue.

    "Easy enough."

    "Huh?"

    "Yeah, what makes you say that, Macheo?"

    Valerie pressed the golden-haired Lucrauvian for an exnation of his seemingly unfounded confidence in their chances to pass this test.

    "Isn''t it obvious?...It''s what we talked about before: strength in numbers."

    "...He''s got a point. Never thought I''d actually see the day you were the one that believed in Team Weltwanderer, Macheo!"

    cing a hand on the young man''s shoulder, Ren gave the crimson-eyedpanion of his a thumbs-up before having his hand promptly pushed away with an abrasive sigh following.

    "Shut up! And I still don''t care for that dumbass name!"

    "Aw, don''t be like that."

    Hongse unintentionally joined in on the teasing of the tight-lipped royal, patting his head with hisrge, fluffy paws--something that surprisingly wasn''t rejected.

    Even you can''t deny those fluffy paws, Macheo! Ren thought.

    "Whatever...all I mean is that if we work together, we can easily secure the amount we need to qualify, right? Besides...there''s probably another benefit to numbers in this round."

    "Oh? What do you mean there?"

    Staying silent for a moment at Ren''s question, all eyes from those in the group set on Macheo before the somber-clothed Lucrauvian attempted to finally answer--beingpletely interrupted by the sudden presence of Jae-Seong''s hand atop Macheo''s head.

    "Combat!"

    "...Combat?"

    Those in the five-man group repeated Jae-Seong''s singrly spoken word in confusion before the meaning clicked in Ren''s mind.

    "You get it, don''t you?"

    Jae-Seong pointed directly at him as if reading the realization across his face with a smile. The man''s hand was promptly swatted by the young man who had his hairpromised by the entric otherworlder''s whim.

    "You mean that...those in this preliminary are probably going to fight against one another, right?"

    "Bingo!"

    With a snap of his fingers, Jae-Seong confirmed this notion with a showman-like frivolity before pping his hands together.

    "Makes sense. If there''s a limited supply, then you can bet people will resort to more barbaric means if it means moving forward. That''s just how humans are."

    The draconic woman spoke pragmatically, cing her hands on her hips as her fearsome eyes looked at Sitri, who watched above in silence at the chattering participants all within the room--it seemed they weren''t the only group present.

    "...The phnthropist in me would like to disagree, but you''re right. When pushes to shove, all bets are off when ites to people."

    Ren sighed as his words left, ruffling his own hair as he looked to the side at the blue-haired girl standing closely beside him--feeling a light tinge of pink tint his cheeks before returning his gaze towards where theyst saw Aiko.

    "We''ve got another problem on our te when ites to this preliminary."

    "Yeah."

    "We have to find Aiko."<novelnext></novelnext>

    If there was anyone who would cement Ren''s unspoken resolve, it was Macheo. Without any warning whatsoever, a sudden weight collided against his side. Hanging his arm around his shoulder, Jae-Seong brought him into an embrace meant only for the closest ofpanions.

    "Huh!?"

    "Eh?!"

    Both Ren and Iris were taken aback by this sudden gesture--though the young woman''s confusion seemed to stem from having her closepanion''s warmth robbed from her.

    "How about we form an alliance? Sounds good, right?"

    Jae-Seong offered with a smile, adjusting the circr-rimmed shades that covered his eyes well enough to obscure the shape of his eyes.

    "...An alliance?"

    Repeating the words in a mutter, Ren thought about it for a moment as his brain was still trying to process the sudden skinship.

    "It''s not a bad idea."

    "Macheo?"

    "As much of a pain in the ass Jae-Seong might be...he''s a Heavenly King--one of the highest regardedbatants in the world."

    It wasn''t often that words of recognition like that fell from the proud prince, but it was that seldom will to recognize others that made it all the more clear of a decision.

    Is he really that strong? He doesn''t really feel like that, Ren thought.

    "I think it''s a good n."

    Hongse chipped in, scratching the top of his multi-colored, fur-d head,pletely towering over everyone else as always.

    "Valerie?"

    Turning this into a vote, the white-haired otherworlder turned his attention to the draconic knight for her input.

    "It''d be hypocritical if you spouted all that crap about strength in numbers only to reject an offer like this."

    Of course, an answer from the fiery demi-human always had toe with a bit of a sizzle--though reasonable.

    "Mm...Iris?"

    Finally, he turned the attention to the azure-haired girl d in silver garments--all eyes were now set on her as the final say in the matter fell upon her; a clear fluster tinted her cheeks as she twiddled with her hair shyly.

    "...I believe it''ll work out best for both of our groups if we work together."

    Answering meekly, her answer set Jae-Seong into a celebratory p of his hands as the man smiled, turning back to look at hispanion who had not spoken a single word during this entire exchange.

    "Alright! You''re in, right, Yuri?"

    "I''ll follow whatever decision you desire."

    "Sounds like a yes to me!"

    Inplete contrast to the stoic attitude of the ck-haired, seemingly young girl, Jae-Seong was like a puppy; bustling with energy andughing without a care.

    I can see why he needs someone with him, Ren thought.

    "Nice to work with you!"

    "The pleasure is mine, Panda!"

    "Call me Hongse! Ha-ha!"

    "Ha-ha!"

    Exchanging a shake of hands and a bit ofughter, therge, hammer-wielding panda and the frivolous Heavenly King became acquainted--a pair that madeplete sense to the others upon seeing them interact.

    Looking around, he tried to gather whatever information he could on the otherpetitors, but there wasn''t much to be learned from appearances alone.

    "Getting a scope on thepetition?"

    "Yeah."

    Nodding his head, he replied to Macheo quietly while the others in the group became acquainted with their new, temporary allies.

    "It''s hard to see past the others...hey, I''ve got to ask you something."

    "Huh? What is it?"

    "I''m thinking...there''s no way the preliminary is held in this room, right?"

    Ren''s question caught the golden-crownedpanion of his off-guard, who raised an eyebrow at this question aimed at him. Macheo''s cautious personality made him listen further in to what Ren meant, keeping his eyes solely on him.

    "I mean, think about it: from what I can see, theyout of this room is in--just a sheet of cobblestone and some lights. Besides, if it were to just start like this--it''d be total chaos with how densely packed it is."

    "I get what you''re saying...maybe the overseer--"

    Before Macheo could finish wording his response, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble as if the world itself was trembling around them. It was an instantly nauseating experience; churning their stomachs instantly, throwing off their bnce and thoughts--but most of all, Ren felt unfortunately correct as the feeling answered his own, mind-guing doubts.

 Chapter 290 - Shadow Step To Victory

    "Woah! What the--!"

    Ren attempted to maintain his bnce, to no avail as squares of the stone floor jutted upwards, splitting and revealing an empty crevice--causingpetitors to begin falling into the newly revealed depths.

    "Iris!"

    Attempting to grab hold of the girl in this pivotal moment, Ren sessfully met her hand with his own, holding it tightly as they both began to plummet into the unknown abyss.

    "Ren��!"

    "Just hold on!"

    Horrified screams came from all directions and allpetitors as a shower of stone followed them down into the pitch-dark domain.

    Without thinking twice, he brought the azure-haired girl close to his body, holding her as he braced himself to bear the impact for the both of them, "I''ve got you��!"

    As he looked at her, she had shut her eyes tightly out of fear of the daunting fall--something he indulged in as well before suddenly--his feet met the ground.

    There was no feedback from thending; it was as if he simply was ced onto the floor below without a problem.

    "Huh��?"

    "Ren?"

    Hearing his name called by her, he looked at Iris before a deep red embedded itself on his cheeks--realizing just how tightly he held her. Letting her go, he quickly retreated to hide his blush before facing her again.

    "Where are we?"

    "I''m guessing..this is the preliminary location."

    As she answered with doubts herself, Iris'' words were followed by thending of a familiar, draconic woman.

    "Val!"

    "Ghh...curse this ce, I thought a rock was about to take my head off."

    Valerie brushed the sediment from the shoulder of her crimson armor before setting her gaze on the twopanions next to her.

    Before they could reunite inpletion, the darkness that enveloped the unknown abyss subsided as a mixture of verdant and violet mes were born alit, filling the enormous chamber with light as its essence was revealed.

    It was apletely warped territory;rge structures of stone jutted out from the sides of the deep, lengthy realm, defying gravity inpletion as many pirs also inhabited the ground. Even in such a vast space, he felt almost ustrophobic with the amount of colossal walls that existed, acting as dividers seemingly.

    "It''s almost like...a maze."

    Ren muttered, taking in the fantastical, yet daunting sight.

    "Crap--the others!"

    Almost finding himself ignorant to the situation at hand in the vast, warped scenery, Ren quickly swerved from side to side to look for his otherpanions--seeing nothing of the sort.

    "Why do I have the feeling this was intentional?"

    Valerie shook her head with a sigh as if experiencing a migraine, adjusting her crimson locks as they fell at her shoulders--a quick swipe of her hand brought hernce into the tight grip of her gauntlets.

    "Should we look for them?"

    "I''d like to, but��"

    "We might not have the time."

    Finishing Ren''s reply to Iris for him, the proud, fire-wielding knight from Vesta seemed to take the initiative in this situation, inspecting the domain they found themselves stuck in--for better or worse.

    "Right��"

    "Don''t worry--I''m sure they''ll pull through!"

    Assuring the pale-skinned young woman, he ced a hand on her slender shoulder--giving her the best smile he could muster. Even with this reassurance, she seemed hesitant to ept it as she held her hands together, looking down at the cobalt ribbon tying together the cor of her silver coat.

    "Thank you, Ren��"

    "Of course!"

    As he had hoped, his upbeat radiance was contagious, earning a smile that couldpromise his heart from Iris.

    Allowing the blue-haired girl dressed in a fluffy coat, wearing blue stockings pass him by as she followed the draconic knight, his smile dissipated as his eyes focused--sharpening as he looked up.

    We have to make it through this--no matter what, he thought.

    "How do you exactly want to go about finding these little fiends? Ren--?"

    Turning around as no response came from the snow-haired young man dressed in sable garments, Valerie''s question was halted by a sudden burst of vtile actions from Ren.

    Without a word, he initiated shadowstep, suddenly warping to have his footing be ced against the side of one of the towering rock formations before kicking off into the air--reaching out at something that inhabited the dank air.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Got you!"

    Swiping at it, Ren''s fingers narrowly missed the object in question--revealed to be one of the impies as it evaded his grasp.

    Landing on his feet, he huffed--keeping his eyes locked on the creature as it taunted him with a fit of high-pitched, ear-scratchingughter.

    "There''s one already here?!"

    Iris eximed at the sight of the valuable creature, watching as it continued to taunt them, hovering in the air as its little wings pped rapidly.

    "You''ve got a good eye there, Ren."

    "Slippery bastard."

    Focused solely on the impy, he ignored the crimson-haired demi-human''splement--tracking each movement of the small fiend as his eyes followed it.

    It was norger than a softball, and packed a speed that made it a blur to the naked eye--backing up that agility with unorthodox, stutter-like movements.

    Attempting to grab hold of it herself, the draconic warriorunched herself into the air as she grasped at the creature with both of her arms in an unrefined movement--missing by arge margin.

    "Gah! This thing is starting to piss me off!"

    Manifesting her anger into a tangible heat, she gritted her teeth and squeezed her gauntlets. Taking her turn, Iris scoured her mind for the right spell to use in a situation like this--though an answer didn''te easily.

    Spells specializing in capturing small creatures...I don''t know if I have anything like that to use, she thought.

    Opting to give it a try anyways, Iris closed her eyes momentarily as she focused her magical energy into her own thoughts and will, pressing her palm in the direction of the impy as a guiding light manifested.

    "Licht: Bind!"

    Launching a pair of light tendrils towards the creature, a chase began as it evaded the hold of the light spawn, dodging and weaving amidst the air. The continuous chase was brought to an end as the tendrils wrapped themselves into knots.

    "No way��!"

    Almost in a pout, Iris watched as the small creature managed to outmaneuver her spell withplete finesse.

    "Enough. I''ve got this."

    Holding his hand out to halt any further actions from hispanions, Ren spoke withplete focus--holding no emotion in his voice as his eyes had yet to leave the impy.

    "...How, exactly?"

    The azure-haired girl couldn''t help but ask, not that shecked faith in the Ounder, but simply not knowing his capabilities well enough.

    Maybe he can use his ability? No...I doubt that, she thought.

    Though the answer to this question came swiftly and with utmost haste; jumping into the holds of the dank, verdant lit air, Ren was propelled by another shadowstep.

    Focus. Move freely. Don''t think about it. Just do it, he thought.

    With both a clear mind and a honed one--all of his instincts were solely devoted to the capture of the entity. Tightening his muscles until they met their maximum, he gathered his magical energy--propelling it through his body; hastening the process while maintaining a smooth transition.

    It was with that almost animalistic resolve that he set off a series of movements that perplexed hispanions--unleashing a burst of shadowsteps all at once, vanishing from spot to spot within the empty holds of the air.

    There was no proper footing to be had in the air, but none was needed. It was a simple, but powerful evolution of his magecraft, one born from a further understanding of his own magic.

    "Gyu!? Gyu!"

    Taken aback by this blinding, disorienting speed, the impy turned from side to side in an attempt to track and evade the approaching movements--inplete failure. In a swift burst of unseen agility, Ren caught the impy, already holding it in his hand by the time he manifested from the momentary darkness.

    "...Gotcha!"

    Smiling at his sess, hended on his two feet as he presented the captured fiend to his twopanions.

    "...Just what was that?"

    Valerie asked, sounding almost devoid of breath--the same expression being held as the blue-haired otherworlder standing beside her.

    "Mm...just a little something I''ve been working on."

    Having seized the impy, the small creature suddenly dissolved into a puff of smoke before the insignia etched onto the back of Ren''s hand lit up.

    "I guess that means I''ve registered one out of my three��"

    "Guess so. We''ll need a lot more if we''re all going to pass though."

    Iris followed up his words as she noticed the glow emanating from beneath the fabric of the young man''s glove.

    "Right. Let''s continue forth then--time is of the essence."

 Chapter 291 - Mystical Steel

    "Crap...what the hell was that all about?"

    Rubbing his head as he looked up at the pitch-ck ceiling that he fell from, Macheo grumbled to himself before brushing the dirt from his rtively well-maintained leather garments of sable and crimson color.

    Where did the others end up?...Not a good start--shit, he thought.

    Letting out another disgruntled sigh, he looked around, taking in the sight of the enigmatic domain set for the preliminary round--watching as the verdant and purple lights were manifested along all sides of the far-stretching walls.

    "I guess the round''s already begun��"

    Adjusting the dark-colored gloves over his hands, he set his glistening, crimson eyes forward as a small gust swept his light-golden bangs across his forehead..

    Aiko...where are you? He thought.

    Despite telling himself to focus and prioritize the preliminary, he couldn''t shake the girl from his mind no matter how hard he tried to concentrate.

    Beginning his search--for impies or Aiko, he didn''t know--he traversed the mysteriousbyrinth with his guard raised. Passing by the surrounding walls, they didn''t follow any sort of uniform material--some being made of dirt, some of cobblestone, and even some of exuberant quartz--it was as if the maze was formed of whatever they could get their hands on.

    Running the sole of his dark-brown boot against the floor, a click met his ears as the square section of the floor he stepped on gave in to the weight of his step.

    "Shit."

    Realizing what he had likely just done, hepletely halted his movements--clearing his senses as he honed in on whatever booby trap had awakened.

    Catching the corner of his eye, a bundle of dirt gave way, falling from the wall to his leftmost as a small hole was revealed--a glint being caught before he jumped back. Just in time, he watched as a small, but extremely pointy, sharp projectile shot past the spot he previously stood.

    "...Have to look out for traps now too? Should''ve seen thising."

    Moving onward, there were hardly any deductions he could make on each turn he chose, simply following his own gut as he traveled the bowels of the gunkybyrinth.

    "Gyu! Gyu!"

    A high-pitched squeal met his ears, forcing him to look up to see it--the small creature he was meant to be catching, pping its little wings as it hovered just out of reach.

    Guess it''s my lucky day, he thought.

    Adjusting the cape that hung from his shoulders, he maintained focus before extending his hand--allowing his mana to travel from his core to the tips of his fingers.

    "Achel--"

    Before he could unleash his willed magecraft to capture the tiny fiend, an impact suddenly came burrowing towards him, forcing him to jump back in a flip. Able to catch the sight of the malicious force that attempted to hit him, it was a spear of steel, crashing into the farthest wall before piercing itpletely.

    "Huh?"

    Perplexed by this, he turned to the only possible source of the thrown spear--finding the culprit in the form of a man, who held a less than heroic smirk.

    Possessing a muscr body, wearing a one-piece outfit that resembled a ck-and-white striped jumpsuit, the pale-skinned man smiled with his unkempt, spiky, ck hair running down his back.

    "Who the hell are you?"

    "My name is you have two choices: get the hell out of my way so I can capture that little one...or die!"

    Introducing himself with ack of a name, in ce giving the golden-haired young man a choice, the pale-skinned challenger made a motion of dragging his thumb across his throat as if gesturing the death he would enact.

    Guess that dragon chick was right--people are damn greedy, he thought.

    Maintaining eye contact with the cold, sable eyes of the fiendish man, he let out a sigh before recing his idle expression with a smile.

    "Sorry, but that''s not happening. I''ll make a counteroffer: get out of here and I might leave one of your legs unbroken."

    Macheo''s words seemed to pop a blood vessel in the other participant''s head as he revealed his mouth full of silver teeth.

    "Cocky brat! Let''s see you maintain that attitude when you''re filled with steel!"

    Running towards the young prince, the long-haired man sprinted with his stance unusually low before striking at his chosen enemy.

    Nearly misjudging the reach his enemy possessed, Macheo corrected this by the skin of his teeth with ast-second backstep--watching as a silver, de-like object nearly met his skin harshly.

    A de? Where from? He thought.

    Hopping back to gain some distance, the nature of his foe was revealed to him atst. Running down from the man''s forearm was what looked like a de matching the length of a broadsword--protruding from his own flesh.

    "Steel magic, eh? Quite rare."

    Macheomented quietly to himself, brushing the sweat from the corner of his mouth. He remained diligent and cautious--keeping on the defensive as his foeunched another ded assault at him.

    I don''t have much experience--actually, none at all--fighting against a steel-user. Unique magic types like this are a real pain in the ass, he thought.

    "Ha-ha! You regret it, don''t you? I bet you wish you listened, but it''s toote now! I''m going to cut you and gut you, brat!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    With little sanity to his words, the man roared out with his tongue hanging over his bottom lip as he continued to unleash a barrage of furious, wide swipes of his forearm des. Having to constantly check behind him to make sure he wasn''t being pushed back into a wall, dodging the edge of the steel des became an arduous task for him.

    However, by being on the end of the frequent, non-stop swipes, he began to find the rhythm of strikes, the pattern of his foe''s breath--it was clear the man was unrefined inbat, and simply relied on his magic to overwhelm his opponents.

    Now! He thought.

    Dropping down topletely evade the reach of the forearm-born sword, heunched his fist straight into the gut of the pale, murderous man, digging it in with force braced by his full reinforcement.

    "Gyuh��!"

    Letting out a pained wheeze coated in saliva, the steel-mage wasunched back by the powerful, visceral blow to his stomach.

    This boy...the man thought, the level of his reinforcement...he''s talented, no...he''s a genius!

    The force of the punch brought the man''s back colliding harshly against one of the mountainous walls, causing it to tremble as sediment rained down atop his head.

    Shaking the fist he had just used to attack with, Macheo looked at the man who was searching for the breath that vacated his lungs.

    "Unlike you, my offer is still on the table; leave now and I''ll overlook this."

    Watching the malevolent, steel-wielding mage for a few moments, no answer came as the man continued to regain his breath.

    Did I really hit him that hard? He thought.

    "...Die, brat!"

    From seemingly out of nowhere, the ear-grating wickedness belonging to the challenger''s words sounded out as he pped his palm against the ground, "Hephaestus: Graveyard Armory!"

    Protruding from the ground and sending forward were a flurry of quickly-formed des of steel, jagged and unrefined as they attempted to pierce the young prince.

    "Abhorrent."

    Before the protruding des could reach him, the golden-haired prince could only say that one word as he looked at the man with contempt.

    "...Huh?"

    Still sitting on the ground with his back to the dusty, stone wall, the shaggy, ck-haired mage was left stunned by that re before witnessing the magecraft of his opponent.

    The rise of magical energy; as serene as a waterfall; brisk and plentiful, but at the same time--as powerful as a hurricane.

    "Achelous: Maw of The Leviathan!"

    Throwing his hand forward, Macheo''s yell of magical will manifested into existence his water born of his own mana, bending and shaping it into the head of an almighty leviathan that charged forward.

    You''re a coward; afraid of Purgatory--so afraid of it that you''re willing to kill just for a sliver of a chance of making it out of here. I was the same way; which is why it really pisses me off! Macheo thought.

    As the water-born leviathan pushed onward, it shed against the burrowing barrage of steel--pushing back against its metallic form, beginning to bend it just as they pushed against one another.

    "I...impossible��!"

    The steel-mage yelled out, witnessing his magic be overwhelmed by the boy''s own. Though, that surprise became washed over with a glint of resolve, "I won''t lose to some brat! I, Menulous, won''t lose��!"

    Finally standing himself up, the second-rate mage seemed resolved to continue fighting even as the leviathan formed of a watery essence swallowed his protruding des whole, breaking them down and dissolving them.

    Finishing its duty, the leviathan dissipated back into pure water, then soon into nothing but the moisture that drenched the stone flooring.

    "...Hephaestus--"

    Before another incantation could be fully unleashed, a boot crashed against Menulous'' mouth; Macheo hadunched himself forward, propelling his body by manifesting high-pressure bursts of water from the soles of his boots.

    The result was a brutal kick that left a resounding crack throughout the immediate area,unching the spiky-haired man back with a crack of the wind.

    "You''re done!"

    Sending the man back with this abrasive kick, Macheo yelled out as hended on his own two feet, swiping his sable cape back behind him.

    Feeling the harsh impact of the kick that hit him directly in the chin, Menulous'' eyes had fallenpletely white, his irises fading temporarily as his consciousness was robbed from him.

    Catching his breath from the brief, but intense exchange, Macheo looked down at the unconscious man for a moment with eyes that didn''t hold any anger, those crimson jewels of his only disying sympathy.

    "Unfortunately for you, a brat I may be, but I''m on a different level from you. I''ve stood in snowstorms deadlier than your magic. You don''t belong here; you''re weak. Just as I was. I hope...you find your path out of this wretched ce. Oh, right--don''te after me or I''ll actually kill you, alright? I''m kind of trying out this mercy thing, it takes a bit of getting used to; I''d hate for you to ruin my streak."

    Turning his back to the fallen foe of his, Macheo''s parting words met faintly onto the ears of the man.

    Damn...that white-haired bastard is rubbing off on me, he thought.

 Chapter 292 - A Mysterious Ally

    Now, his sights were once more set on the tiny impy, which had spectated the exchange with its little fits ofughter now manifesting once more.

    "Gyu! Gyu! Gyu!"

    "Yeah, yeah. Shut up, I''ll catch you right here and now."

    I''m guessing I can''t just jump wildly at this thing with my arms iling and hope to catch it. If I know Purgatory, and sadly I do: there is always a gimmick to just about everything, he thought.

    Watching the tauntful, red-scaled creature that possessed a singr, watchful eye, it bounced around amidst the air, spinning and flipping.

    Rubbing the palms of his gloves together, he kept his crimson eyes on the creature before spreading his arms out--keeping his palms pointed towards the small, red fiend. Ayer of magically-formed water began to line his hands, pulsating as he focused his magical energy. Propelling from his palms, small sts of the azure, clear essence shot towards the impy. Even though the raw, watery magecraft wasn''t moving particrly fast, it was still a surprise to him when the impy effortlessly dodged the two sts like a walk in the park..

    "...Tsk."

    Clicking his tongue, he followed up with a sigh before returning to simply watching the creature.

    I''m wasting time here; I have to do something and do it now, he thought.

    Manifesting a bit of water between his fingers, he drew a long breath into his lungs beforeunching himself into the air with a kick off the ground, hurling directly towards the small, evasive creature.

    "Come here, you little bastard!"

    Attempting to grab at it, he missed as it barrel rolled over his hand, following up with a taunting giggle as it circled him.

    "Real funny."

    Going for another attempt for a grab, he maintained his air time by manifesting pressurized water beneath his boots, swinging his right arm around in arge arch--missing once more as his fingertips only graced the air.

    Attempting to switch up his arsenal, he kicked up, using his foot as a means to try and atst knock the winged fiend down--this timeing close, but still missing.

    This time, his miss was punished by the fiend--who revealed its maw full of sharp teeth before sinking them into his calf.

    "Gah! What the hell?!"

    Macheo yelled out more in surprise than pain, trying to grab the creature while it attached itself to his body via its fangs, only for it to depart quickly.

    "Gyu! Gyu!"

    Once more, it taunted him, but this time--Macheo returned the gesture with a smug smile of his own.

    "Gyu?"

    "Good; I was hoping to see a perplexed look on that one-eyed face of yours. You''re mine��!"

    Bringing his hands together as he yelled out, Macheo revealed his n to the small fiend as lines of water that anchored themselves in the spots between his fingers were revealed. Being dragged towards the golden-haired, sharp-tongued young man, the tiny creature began to squeal in surprise as its body was tightly wrapped in water bindings.

    Even as slippery as you are, you''re not very bright. Each time I tried to grab you, I knew I''d miss; I was simply nting these bindings, knowing you''d find your way into their hold. And that''s why...Macheo thought.

    "I''ve got you!"

    Seizing the impy, Macheo grasped it tightly in his hand, holding it with such a vice grip that the small fiend looked as if it might explode before finally returning to a form of smoke.

    "...One down, two to go."

    Landing back down onto the floor, he brushed his hands together with his smile fading back into a resolved, idle expression.

    Running blindly down one hall and into the next, something caught his eye that he had forgotten about during his bout with the slippery creature.

    Short, beige hair with an unmistakable crimson streak; baggy, snow-white robes that he always thought lookedfortable, like pajamas--his heart held itself still for a moment as he saw this person.

    "Aiko!"

    Yelling out her name without any hesitation, he only realized after her name left his lips what was going on.

    The room he had entered was built simr to a small-scale colosseum, with a dome-like array of walls attempting to close into a ceiling above them, though still inhabiting an array of different material.

    There was a man standing beside her, dressed in gant, ivory armor that was decorated with an emerald scarf. In every sense, the tall, muscr seeming man dazzled with exuberance and power.

    "...Macheo? Is that you?"

    Turning to face the voice that called her name, her amethyst eyes seemed surprised as they fell on the form of the Lucrauvian prince.

    "No shit, it''s me! What''re you doing here?"

    Confronting the girl like an angered rtive, he greeted her with a flick to the forehead as she winced quietly, caressing her afflicted skin.

    "What do you mean��?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What do I mean?! Last time I saw you, you were passed out from some sickness! Now you''re here, trying to participate in a tournament��? What the hell doesn''t even begin to describe it!"

    Even as he spoke with as abrasively as he usually did, it was clear to the short, young Akitienien girl that he was clearly worried by that distinct glisten present in his royal eyes.

    "I can answer that for her."

    cing his ivory gauntlet on the girl''s shoulder, the tall, fair-faced man looked down at Macheo with a warm smile.

    "And who the hell are you?"

    Asking with a squint of his eyes, Macheo looked up at the man who resembled a knight in full glory, meeting his emerald gaze with his crimson own. A brief fit of wind brushed against the man''s shaggy, but healthy, hazel locks as he momentarily closed his eyes with a small smile, finding his answer atst.

    "Gggher, at your service."

    "So, "Gggher", what''s the exnation, huh? I''m pretty damn curious."

    There wasn''t a semnce of manners in Macheo''s words, who ced himself between Aiko and the towering, gant knight--holding himselfrge despite the clear difference in size.

    It was only when being brought to close that the Lucrauvian could recognize the fine detail and craftsmanship put into the ivory armor the man wore; each groove was embroidered with hieroglyphs, a series of dragon talons ran along his breastte--invoking a true sense of power.

    Still, there was only a still, animosity-free aura emanating from the hazel-haired man, who looked to be around his mid-twenties.

    At the man''s side, a sword rested, sheathed in its exuberant, white and golden scabbard that was decorated in a mixture of jagged patterns as well as the maw of a lion. From what he could see of it, the pommel of the sheathed de possessed an orange array of fabric, mimicking the mane of a lion as well.

    "Macheo��"

    "Yeah?"

    Looking at the beige-haired girl, he watched as she fiddled with her fingers before following up with what she truly meant to tell him.

    "Please...calm down, don''t be rude to him."

    Those softly spoken words hit like bricks to the young Lucruavian, whose mouth was left slightly agape as no words found their way out.

    "It''s quite alright, Miss Aiko."

    Gggher assured, waving his hand to dissuade any notion of disrespect having been taken. For some reason, seeing the man be as benevolent as could be only further seeded the anger bubbling in Macheo''s gut--but it was overtaken by disappointment in himself.

    Am I really that kind of guy...that gets mad at the guy who saved hispanion? He thought.

    "In short, I happened to be passing by when I noticed Miss Aiko here in the infirmary--I recognized the symptoms she possessed...I had a young sibling once before who suffered the same sickness. I knew how to help, so I did."

    "And that sickness is?"

    Continuing to press the man for answers, Macheo''s gaze didn''t let up in the slightest as his hands remained on the sides of his sable coat.

    "Is it alright?"

    Gggher looked down to the side at the girl, receiving a nod as if telling him it was alright to divulge the information.

    "Binding of The Witch...that''s what they call the sickness in my home country. To put it simply, it makes the afflicted''s own mana almost like poison to their own body. It''s a cruel thing, but luckily, it seemed whoever gave those gauntlets to her was a knowledgeable man, or a resourceful one, at least."

    This was all news to Macheo''s ears as he listened to Gggher''s words, finding his eyes switching over to Aiko as he looked at her in utter surprise at this realization.

    That''s why she preferred to never use spells, isn''t it? He thought.

    "So, what is it you did? I mean, to help with this "Binding of The Witch" ailment."

    "It''s only a half-measure, really, but I added an enchantment to those gauntlets of hers--allowing them to filter her mana with even more efficiency. Now she can use a few spells in a day without facing the effects of her sickness."

    Exining with his constant, warm smile, Gggher answered the question delivered from Macheo.

    "...Is that right? Huh��"

    Slumping his shoulders a bit, he finally lowered his gaze out of shame of his attitude. It was clear to him his anger was irrational; it held no meaning, it existed only by the feeling of pressure aching at his heart.

    "Are you alright? Macheo?"

    Hearing the worried words of Aiko, he raised his head with a smile, matching her gaze with his own as he left a pat on her shoulder.

    "Yeah. I guess we might as well get things done together now that we''re here, right?"

    Looking between the gant man and the beige-haired girl, Macheo''s words were affirmed by a smile-backed nod from the armor-d man.

    I still don''t like this guy, but...unless I find a reason besides my own jealousy, I''m not going to hold him ountable for my own emotions, he thought.

 Chapter 293 - Panda! Panda!

    "Hyup!"

    Jumping into the air with little telegraphing to his movements, the curly-haired man grabbed hold of two of the one-eyed, winged creatures in one go. It was only temporary, but his time spent in the air allowed his thick, obscuring overcoat to float up, revealing the ck tank top he wore underneath. It wasn''t something Hongse put much stock into, but it was a surprise to see how muscr the man was beneath his coat--and just how many scars seemed to gue his body underneath, inparison to his blemish-free face.

    "Woah! You''re fast, aren''t you?"

    Hongsemented in awe as he looked up at Jae-Seong, whonded back onto the ground with a slight smirk, giving the panda a wink. Twirling one of the impies above his index finger as if it were a ball, the man with circr shades covering his eyes smiled before the creatures dissolved into smoke.

    "Just a bit. That makes three, doesn''t it? I can''t believe Yuri beat me to it though, that''s what I get for cking, ha-ha!"

    As if answering Jae-Seong''s words, a bell resounded throughout thebyrinth before the familiar voice of the overseer followed, "Jae-Seong, Qualified! You will momentarily be summoned into a waiting room, please remain still."

    Looking up at the pitch-ck, void of a ceiling above him, Jae-Seong listened to Sitri''s words before bringing his gaze back down to the demi-human.

    "Guess that''s it for me. Good luck, Hongse. It''d be a pleasure to meet you in the ring."

    "Let''s hope I don''t need any luck!"

    Exchanging a fist bump, the two men smiled before a cobalt glow enveloped Jae-Seong, wrapping around him with continuously extending strands before he vanished into thin air--leaving Hongse alone in the ruinous territory.

    "I wonder how the others are doing."

    Therge, round crimson-furred panda thought to himself as he began to move forward once more with his steps that slightly shook the ground beneath him.

    With his shoulders slumped, the panda demi-human sulked a bit in his loneliness, dragging his feet as he marched forward. Passing by gray walls formed of stone,yered in moss, vines, and blood, he didn''t pay much mind to them--only raising his head once peculiar sounds rang out.

    It was the sounds ofbat; the mixture of wordless yells, the sh and nging of steel. Racing down the hall and making a turn, therge, red-furred pandaid his eyes on the sh taking ce in the next section of the expansivebyrinth.

    "...I said it''s mine!"

    A man dressed in a mixture of light-brown leather armor and stained steel armor yelled out, swinging his broadsword towards the other man before him.

    The chamber itself was almost fitting for such a fateful encounter; skeletons stained in grime and muk were strewn across the room, some even presented on the walls in a savage fashion. Blood had long stained the floor, turning to an old brown and ck, mainly coalescing in the center which had been drained by a ckened drain.

    "I saw it first!"

    Blocking the attack with a buckler worn on his forearm, the shorter of the two men, with short, fluffy locks of a golden tinge with ck roots yelled in response. A shortsword wasid on the ground near the two men; it seemed in their sh, the blonde man had dropped his weapon.

    The man with the de in hand didn''t let up, swinging wildly against the buckler as his furrowed, vermillion tufts flowed behind him with each swing.

    Hongse wanted to stop the fight, but he realized as he parted his maw that it made little sense to do so, nor would they likely listen. It was a realm ofbat; abyrinth of trials--to halt fighting would be to go against everything it stood for in that domain.

    But still, he didn''t want to see what inevitably came to be.

    "Gyraaah!"

    With a roar sounding from the depths of his throat, the sword-wielding man plunged the steel of his silver de past the crimson coat his foe wore, letting a squelch fill the ears of the demi-human who spectated this in shock.

    "I told you it was mine! Mine! You didn''t listen!"

    Pulling his de out from the blonde man''s torso, the murderous participant didn''t waste any time continuing his assault, continuing to stab the fallen body of the bleeding man.

    All Hongse could see were the man''s eyes��widened in shock and horror as his blood puddles beneath his body while being stabbed repeatedly. It was hard to tell when his life truly ended amidst the horrific attack.

    "Maybe you''ll learn to listen now...! I called it! Me! Me! Me!"

    Each word that spilled from the killer''s lips with a rain of spit followed another stab as there was no longer and rhyme or reason to the action--it was simply madness.

    When did it be alright��for me to stand around and let others die? Hongse thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Suddenly taking charge, the red-furred panda''s loud footsteps drew the attention of the murderous challenger, who looked at him with a nk expression��a face now covered in blood.

    "Grah!"

    Roaring out with his animalistic side truly being conveyed, Hongse swiped the man with hisrge, club-like paw, easily pushing him off the body of the fallen human.

    "What the��? A bear?!"

    Rolling over and standing himself up, a bit wobbly from the harsh push, the vermillion-haired man looked up at the towering panda with wide, fearful eyes.

    Puffing his chest out and taking in asrge of a breath as he could, Hongse unleashed a roar that blew against the man like an almighty storm, dragging his soles against the ground as the savage winds managed to scare the man away atst. Running and nearly tripping over his own feet, the man who had justmitted one of the gravest sins soon disappeared within the bowels of thebyrinth.

    "Phew."

    He was willing to kill over just one impy, yet he ran away at the sense of danger. Humans are weird, he thought.

    Hongse rxed himself, wiping the saliva from his lips before turning to the bloodied, half-dead man behind him.

    "Sorry, I was toote."

    No response came as the red-furred demi-human spoke, looking down at the blonde-haired man as his eyes stayed open, staring nkly at nothing tangible.

    A saddened look sat in the panda''s beady eyes at what he dictated to be his own failure.

    I don''t much believe in any religion or anything, but please pass on, Hongse thought.

    Hongse ced his palms together with a prayer that didn''t lend itself to anyone specific, simply requesting whoever up there was listening to guide the fallen man.

    "This ce isn''t very kind, is it? The things it does to people''s minds...it is a sad sight, indeed."

    Hongse sighed quielty before he parted from the fallen stranger''s side.

    Looking up at the sound of high-pitched fits ofughter, the impy that caused the fight still hovered in the air.

    He debated on catching it, but the events that transpired around it left a bad taste in his mouth as he sighed, slowly shaking his head as he began to walk away from the bloody room.

    It''s a normal thing as an adventurer, at least that''s what we tell ourselves so we can handle it: death. With the world being flooded with so many things that''d rather gobble you up than be your friend, it''s expected that not everyone is going to live out a long,vish life then retire happily.

    That''s not the case at all. Seventy-percent; that''s how many adventurers die within their first year as a rookie. Most of ites from overconfident young ones who think the little bit of magic they know will carry them effortlessly through this world. Some of it is on the guild themselves for allowing them to take quests too big for themselves.

    Ny-percent; that''s the rate of death for adventurers past the first year.

    It''s a scary thought. It''s a true thought. I''ve seen it so many times now...one day, I''m happily eating and drinking together with a new friend at the guild, then the next time I see him, or rather...I hear about him, it''s news of his death.

    It''s normal. That''s what they always tell us. "Death is a natural part of life" I get it, you know. But, it isn''t normal to pretend like it isn''t sad.

    I hate it. I want to be friends with everyone. I want us all to be happy, and live a long life with a big family.

    That''s why I chose toe here. It is my ultimate quest; challenging and oveing Purgatory. With the strength I garner from this realm, I''ll be a reliable adventurer and help as many as I can. I''ll take on all of the hardest quests for myself.

    No more. No more premature deaths before you''ve even found your first love!

    I''ll save you from a sad fate like that, Hongse thought.

    "Guess I''ll have to find another one."

 Chapter 294 - Cackling Creatures

    "Looks like you''re starting to get the hang of this, Val."

    Commenting from the ground below, Ren watched alongside Iris as the draconic demi-human chased after one of the tauntful, palm-sized impies.

    After traversing a series of passageways within the oddbyrinth, they found themselves atop one of the many mountainous formations--gaining a further view of the twisted, warped domain. It was only when reaching a higher level and witnessing the brighter light that came with it, did they notice the floating inds that existed within the space.

    "Don''t patronize me!"

    Clearly disgruntled by the slipperiness of the creature, Valerie responded sharply as she attempted to grab the impy once more--missingpletely as her tail then began pping against the air in frustration.

    "Once she gets that one, we''ll all be at two...so just one remaining for all of us."

    "That''s right."

    Ren confirmed the thoughts of the blue-haired girl beside him with a nod, keeping his eyes on the airborne chase up above as if it was some sort of entertainment for him.

    "We''re running low on time, right? It feels like it''s at least been ten minutes since the start��On top of that, I''ve heard at least twelve people qualify already through the announcements."

    "Don''t worry, it''ll be fine, Iris."

    Turning to thepanion at his side, he gave the girl a smile--attempting to remedy her overthinking with some reassurance of his own.

    "Will it��?"

    Returning her sights to the airborne demi-human as she flew in circles attempting to capture the impy, a sigh resounded from both of them.

    "You''ve got a point there. Should I��?"

    "No. You know how she is...her pride wouldn''t allow any sort of assistance."

    Iris stopped any thought of assisting the woman, no matter how dreadfully low her chances of catching this particrly slippery impy seemed to be--especially with the dwindling time on their hands.

    "Gotcha. I know, I know."

    Shrugging his shoulders, a sigh escaped his lips that somehow seemed to reach the ears of the draconic, silver-scaled knight. A sharp-toothed smile packed with fiery resolve stretched across Valerie''s lips as an outline of fire iid itself on her wings, amplifying her speed mid-flight.

    "...No more games, you little bastard!"

    The fire wasn''t limited to just her wings; spreading down to her boots, the mes propelled her forward like a fireball as the impy''s giggles seized, its eye widening out of fear.

    "Looks like she''s properly motivated now."

    Ren''sment earned him a yful elbow to the side from the girl beside him, who looked at him with a slight pout before releasing the air from her cheeks in a sigh, "This is your fault. Which...might be a good thing."

    Even with the increase in speed, the chase only seemed to fall even as their agility was even--though the impy still possessed the advantage with having such a small figure, as well as possessing weirdly acute instincts.

    "Come on, Val, you''ve got this!"

    Cupping his hands around his mouth, Ren called out to the woman up above, somewhat out of the desire to tease.

    Of course, the ever-kind girl with hair was pure blue as the sky itself pitched in, "I believe in you, Valerie!"

    This only seemed to conjure a scarlet blush on the tall, draconic woman''s cheeks as she gritted her sharp teeth, trying to ignore the wordsing from below as she circled one of the floating, spherical inds that was stagnant in the abyssal winds.

    So...close! She thought, narrowly grasping it as her fingertips grazed its red hide.

    Straining a bit further as the very tips of her fingers still were pressed against its body, she amplified the level of the mes generated--garnering a bit more speed as she grasped the impy atst.

    "Got it!"

    "Nice!"

    "She did it!"

    Ren and Iris were quick to share in the woman''s triumph as she returned to the ground just as the impy was relieved into a gaseous form.

    "That''s two down for me...and everyone else."

    "Yup. Just one each left for all of us."

    Running his boot against the grass-covered flooring of the rock structure they stood upon, he looked up just as another announcement came through the magical essence used by the overseer.

    "Gggher, Aiko, and Macheo--qualified! Please remain still, you will be momentarily warped to a waiting room."

    Listening to this announcement, momentary perplexment came over the three before they looked at each other.

    "Aiko and Macheo��? At the same time? I guess they must''ve found each other."

    "They''re faster than I thought. Little bastards."

    As Iris and Valerie smiled at this news, the white-haired young man was left noticeably confused and stunned by this news, staring past them as his lips moved silently.

    "Ren? What''s wrong?"

    "You look like you''ve seen a ghost or something. Hello?"

    Waving her gauntlet in front of his face, Valerie''s hand was moved away as he slowly shook his head, muttering to himself, "That can''t be right. It has to be somebody else."

    "Who? Are you talking about the other person mentioned?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Acting unnaturally worried about this seemingly harmless news, Ren''s attitude spurred worry from the azure-haired otherworlder, who attempted to console him by cing her hand on his arm.

    Letting out a breath, he nodded his head slowly before turning his gaze up to the twopanions by him.

    "Gggher...he was someone I met on the first floor. An undead merchant, to be exact. He told me he tried clearing Purgatory a long time ago, but failed so he entered a pact to be a merchant here. But...why would he be here now? In this tournament, I mean."

    cing his hand on his chin as he thought about this, the two women looked at each other before returning their gazes to the young man.

    "Right...sorry, we can think about thister. Right now, we should focus on passing this qualification. Let''s move out."

    "That''s the spirit!"

    With a p on the back from the not surprisingly strong demi-human, Ren winced a bit before returning her energy with a smile, "Right."

    With a cold breeze passing by, the troubling winds for some reason unbeknownst to him made him look to the left--catching the sight of a man who reeked of trouble.

    "Iris, Valerie--stop."

    His words were enough to make the two stop, mostly out of confusion as they looked at the snow-haired man for an exnation.

    "Over there. Somebody is watching us."

    "Mm...Oh, I see him now. Kind of creepy.

    "...Really creepy."

    Discovering the existence of this enigmatic watcher, the two women made disgusted expressions while Ren was focused on the potential threat posed.

    I might''ve jinxed it by thinking we were lucky so far not to run into anyone...guess luck only runs so long, he thought.

    cing his fingers around the hilt of his sheathed de, he ced himself between his twopanions and the distant watcher.

    "If you want a fight, I''m ready."

    Preferably...not around them, he thought.

    Whispering quietly, he focused his eyes to try and discern the appearance of the man--only to realize there were actually three figures, two having been standing behind the forefront watcher. The figure standing in the center,nkier than the others, slid his finger across his throat--gesturing the universal threat of death. Before he could call out to them or make any further discernment, all three of the mysterious figures vanished as they hopped down into the core of thebyrinth.

    "...Crap. That doesn''t seem good."

    Did they hear us? From that distance...seems unlikely, but with magic--who knows what''s possible? If so, they know we''re close to qualifying, that could be enough to stir a fight, he thought.

    "Looks like trouble."

    "Mhm...let''s go. Fortunately, I doubt they could find us in abyrinth like this--but let''s not waste time and give them any chances."

    Agreeing with Valerie, he spoke as he moved, descending the rocky structure and entering the bowels of the windy, confusingbyrinth alongside hispanions. There were four immediate pathways to turn down--the centermost one being the closest to whatever direction the enigmatic strangers were.

    "If they''re after us...well, maybe it''d be better to confront them."

    "I didn''t think I''d hear that from you of all people, Iris��"

    Ren replied as he walked down the wide corridor alongside the two, looking to his left at the usually pacifisticpanion of his.

    "Don''t get me wrong, if at all possible, I''d like to avoid unnecessary fighting, but��"

    "But?"

    The conversation seemed to exist solely between the two otherworlders as Valerie took it upon herself to act as their scout--taking flight just high enough to get a bird''s eye view.

    "...In a ce like this, so dark and murky...during a time like this, where we will definitely be distracted while capturing impies...well, I just think it''d be in our best interest to deal with any looming threats."

    Answering with her hand ced over her heart, Iris came to a halt as her eyes were set on Ren--making the young mane to a stop as well as he looked back at her.

    She''s right. I don''t want to admit it, but it''s true. I don''t know why I don''t want to ept it...maybe because it''sing from her, or maybe I don''t want to sink into those depths of bloodlust again. I can still remember it; the sounds of flesh squelching, the warmth of his blood on my fists...and just how good I felt during it.

    I felt transcendent; so lost in the ecstasy that was violence that I would''ve surely killed him in the stupor I was in. I don''t want to risk that again...more so, I don''t want her to see that side of me, he thought.

    Looking down at the ground for a moment as his fists were clenched, his pained thoughts were alleviated as a hand gently wrapped around his forearm. Looking up, Iris smiled at him, looking at him with those gentle, serene eyes that glistened like waves under the warm rays of the sun.

    "Ren, it''ll be alright."

    "Iris��"

    Even through the sable coat he wore, lined with light armor underneath, he could still clearly feel the gentle touch of her lithe fingers gently holding his arm.

    Just the thought of the potential bloodshed that may lie in confronting whatever malicious participants lied in the depths of thisbyrinth made his head spin, stirring up the fresh memories of Purgatory he seldom wanted to remember.

    That''s right. I''m a murderer. I killed Goldheve. I tried so hard to deny it, but I knew it was the truth. There''s no way I could forget the feeling of sinking my de into another person, feeling their warmth disappear as their life dwindled into nothingness.

    That''s why...I should be the one to do it. I can''t endanger them...I can''t let them see it. If it means protecting them...I can put up with it--one more time. I won''t kill--I won''t. But if ites down to the lives of them or myrades...Don''t think about it, Ren, he thought.

    Moving his arm from Iris'' grasp, a surprised expression came over the girl''s face as she looked at the young man.

    "I''ll handle it."

 Chapter 295 - A Path To Victory

    "I''ll handle it."

    Speaking without looking her in the eye, Ren''s vision continued to swirl as corrupted thoughts birthed themselves. The possible scenarios yed themselves on repeat within his mind; imagining the sick, twisted things that could happen to hispanions--namely, Iris.

    I have to do this. After remembering that disgusting lot, and what they did to Aiko...no doubt that there are more of their breed in Purgatory. I''ll be damned if I risk even a finger of theirs touching you, he thought.

    "What��? Ren, what''re you saying? I''m not....I''m not letting you do this alone��!"

    "I can handle it."

    Ignoring the worried tone caressing Iris'' words, Ren began to move down the passageway they came from, having his arm grabbed once more by the girl--this time into a tighter, desperate grip.

    "Ren...why?"

    "..."

    "Valerie, talk to him!"

    Attempting to call in another voice of reason, Iris was dumbfounded by the look in the draconic woman''s eyes--a look that she knew spelled a truth she didn''t want to hear.

    "It might be for the best. Think about it, Iris--"

    "No! It''s not...it''s not! It''s dangerous!"

    Interrupting the demi-human knight who had justnded back down onto the ground, Iris shouted as she rejected any notion of this risky idea.

    "Listen to her, Iris."

    Ren ced his hand atop the girl''s own, looking at her with his hazel irises that held little sway in them.

    "Ren...I��"

    "There''s a chance that if we all got locked into battle with those three, none of us will qualify. At least this way, you and I can pass--it''ll just be Ren who has to sit on the sidelines."

    As pragmatic as the exnation sounded from Valerie, Iris seemed to not want to hear it as she shook her head once more, causing her azure locks to drape over her shoulders wildly. Exchanging a nce, Ren and Valerie affirmed that the reason given was nothing more than sweet talk for the girl.

    Thank you, Valerie, he thought.

    "It''ll be alright, Iris. I can handle myself now; I''m strong."

    Freeing his hand from her loosened grasp, Ren gave her whatever smile he could muster before patting the girl''s head, caressing it gently as he met her gaze with his own. After looking into her trembling, kind eyes for a moment more, he turned away.

    "Ren��"

    Since when...did your eyes be so lonely? She thought.

    It was the only thing she could think at that moment after staring into those eyes of his, watching his back as he disappeared down the hall.

    I''m sorry, but this is the only way--the best way, Ren thought.

    Even so, he couldn''t leave things off on a dull note--seeing that pained, worried look in the eyes of the girl he cares so much for, he had to do onest thing.

    "Don''t worry about me! I''m strong, you hear?! I''ll make it back quick and qualify--so don''t wait for me!"

    Waving off to Iris and Valerie, he yelled out with the brightest smile he could muster before disappearing around the corner of the rightmost passageway of the murkybyrinth.

    "...You better, idiot��"

    Holding both of her hands close to her chest, Iris listened to the frequent footsteps of the young man grow more distant.

    "C''mon, three stooges, I don''t have all day��"

    Muttering to himself under his breath, he raced down the repetitive halls of the domain in search of the malicious trio.

    Finding himself entering arge, open space upied only by four main pirs alongside what looked to be medieval torture devices, he came to a screeching halt as something didn''t sit right in the air.

    It was a repugnant chamber; blood stained nearly every inch of the room, mainly seeping into the savage, brutal devices, leaving an iron-like, gut-wrenching stench to linger in the musty air. As always, it seemed like it was a room taken from a territory not original to Purgatory.

    Still, couldn''t whoever made this ce find some better furniture than this? He thought.

    Tattered curtains hung low, presenting a jet-ck fabric that obscured the vision of the entire chamber--leaving many blind spots for him.

    Trickling droplets of blood fell from the rusted ceiling, monotonously hitting the floor below, each time triggering his fight or flight instincts.

    The sound of metal being dragged across the ground in a slight screech brought his movements to aplete halt; standing still, surrounded by the obscuring curtains--he waited.

    Drip. Drip. Drip.

    Listening to each drop hit the floor was a test of his patience, keeping his hand steady at the hilt of his trusty de.

    In a heart-elerating moment, the curtain to his left suddenly ripped open as a projectile tore through it, aimed and primed at his head. Responding to this surprise attack, he quickly unsheathed his de from its leather home, swinging its metallic essence at the malicious object in a clean deflection.

    "Come out. I think we both know time is valuable."

    Stating this loud and clear, he waited as he listened to the newly born presence of footsteps conjure all around him.

    As I thought; there are three pairs of footsteps. It''s them, he thought.

    A sudden spike in magical energy alerted his instincts, allowing him to act ordingly to whatever wasing from his left, "Dunkel: Veil!"

    Manifesting the shadowy, spiral shield of dark magical energy, it blocked an iing roar of mes that swallowed the curtain in its path.

    "Not wasting any time, are you?...Neither will I."

    Whispering to himself, he began to push forward against the tunnel of wild mes with his magic-born shield held in front of him. Rushing forward with further reinforcement surging through his legs, he pushed against the maw of fire, ramming the shield directly into the body of the attacking mage.

    Condensing the mes to such a small space resulted in an eruption of mes, exploding in a violent disy as he jumped back.

    He had to be affected by that, he thought.

    Before he could watch the smoke dissipate, another attack came--this time, from directly behind him. Only the extremely close-proximity footsteps warned him as he swung back, blocking with his steel tool against the malicious strike.

    Atst, he got a good look at one of his attackers; bodies wrapped in white jumpsuits, stretching over their heads as only their mouths were left shown--in which they seemed tock any skin around their mouths.

    What the hell is wrong with this guy?! He thought.

    shing against Belus was a jagged, saw-like sword that looked to be purposefully forged in such an unorthodox way.

    Animalistic; it was the only word he could think of it to describe the men he fought. Without being able to have the time to push the one right in front of him away, another came charging with two, jagged daggers thered in some sort of liquid pointing directly towards him.

    Shadowstep! He cast.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Vanishing from the spot he stood, he appeared behind the one wielding the unrefined broadsword, taking a swing at his back only for the man to sink right into the solid floor in front of his eyes.

    "Eh?"

    Missing his swing, he stumbled forward--falling right into the pathway of the dagger-wielding assant, who parted his lipless mouth to disy his lengthy, repugnant tongue.

    Crap, I can''t dodge this one! I didn''t realize how exhausted my body was still! He thought.

    "Helios: Stagnation Erasure!"

    Commanded from seemingly nowhere, a bright light was manifested, twisted, and condensed into a bright orange, fiery beam thatunched towards the dagger-wielding man dressed in an all-white, skin-tight uniform.

    Disying an inhuman degree of flexibility, the short, hunched-over assant stretched over backward into a reverse flip--maneuvering out of the way of the flesh-melting spell.

    "...That magic...Iris?"

    Looking to the side, his suspicions were confirmed, seeing the blue-haired girl holding her hands forward as the heated essence formed of pure light and fire dissipated. The look she held during battle waspletely different than normal; holding such determined, resolute eyes.

    "I''m here to help you, if you have a problem with--"

    "Watch out!"

    Interrupting the girl as she spoke, he yelled out--nearly stumbling over as he witnessed the mysterious attacker that had vanished into the flooring reemerge behind Iris, raising his blood-stained de over his head.

    In that moment, the only thought racing through his mind, firing off every synapse in his brain--"save her".

    Pushing his boot from the stained stone flooring below, he cracked the durable material before unleashing forward into a burst of shadowsteps.

    I was ignorant. But you helped me realize something, Iris, he thought.

    The absolute speed in which the spell wasunched consecutively made it look like it was a singr movement to any outside eyes--ending the spectacr movement between Iris and the slippery killer.

    I need you. It''s not about protecting you; you''re strong--we have to protect each other. I can''t do it alone, not in this world. Without you, I''d lose myself. That''s why--I need you by my side, he thought.

    "Graaah!"

    Swinging his sword from behind him, swerving his hips, and pouring his reinforcement into Belus--everything he had went into that swing--there was no room for restraint. Bringing the impably sharp edge of his enchanted broadsword into a full swing, he effortlessly carved through the assant''s steel, blowing him back with the force of the emotion-filled attack as a clean-cut was left across the torso of the enigmatic foe.

    "Ren��?"

    Answering her utterance of his name were only heated breaths as the young man stood there with both hands still tightly wrapped around the hilt, watching the mysterious foe as heid on his back.

    "Not on my watch!"

    This time, it was the familiar, ferocious voice of the draconic maiden--sounding out from within the center of the chamber as she interrupted one of the men fromunching a spell towards the two. Crashing her knee into the figure''s head, he was sent crashing into a wall with a violent, resounding impact.

    "Nice save, Val!"

    Iris called out, causing Ren to look back as well as he continued to huff, still in shock from the events that transpired within such a short amount of time.

    In unison, thest standing member of the wicked trio attempted to take onest stand was witnessed by both Ren and Iris--who extended their hands towards the foe. Shoulder-to-shoulder, not a single word needed to be exchanged--only their wills and desires aligned.

    "Dunkel: Lance!"

    "Licht: Arrow!"

    Launching together, the arrow formed of exuberant light as well as thence born of shadows traveled through the air before colliding against the white-uniformed foe, knocking him out in a small-scale explosion that shook the foundation of the ursed chamber, rumbling it as sediment rained down.

    "...We did it."

    Commenting with a slight smile, Ren''s im of triumph was intervened by his own realization--looking back to check on the foe he had flung back.

    Before he could call out or attempt to apprehend the assant thatid on his back against the ground, the man''s body once more sunk into the solid surface.

    "Crap��"

    "It''s alright, Ren. I doubt they''ll try anything again--now they know we aren''t easy targets. Still...I wonder who they are; they looked...peculiar."

    I can agree with that, he thought.

    Being reassured by Iris, he silently nodded his head before returning his sword to its sheathe. Just as he turned to face the girl, he received a sudden flick to his forehead--causing him to instinctively wince, though it didn''t particrly hurt.

    "Yeah...I deserve that."

    "Mhm! Think hard about what you did today!"

    "Yes, ma''am."

    He yfully nodded his head a few times as if being reprimanded by a parental figure. Looking at her after opening his eyes once more, he gave her a smile that she shared.

    "Thank you, Iris."

    "Of course."

    "I''m honestly surprised you went against Val''s word--"

    Without being able to further continue the conversation, something caught all three of their eyes--the miraculous appearance of three impies, all together, strolling in the space just above them in a circle.

    "What are the chances��?"

    "You know...I don''t think this is luck. I think someone is looking out for us."

    Ren answered Iris'' awed words as he cracked his knuckles, preparing for the final chase of the prelims.

    "Ready? Iris? Val?"

    "Yeah!"

    "You bet!"

    "Valerie, Iris, Ren--qualified! Please remain still as you will be momentarily warped to a waiting room!"

    It''s only the first step of many arduous ones, but--we did it, together. Thank you, Iris, Valerie--today I''ve learned something valuable, Ren thought.

    With that announcement sounding through the vastbyrinth, another one followed soon after, "Neen slots have been filled! One slot remains! Two minutes are left--make your moves now, challengers!"

    Those words alone made it feel as if the entire domain hade alive; magic unleashed itself, voices ran rampant--it was do-or-die, and one, red-furred panda found himself in this moment of sudden death.

 Chapter 296 - Outlanders Plan

    "So, are you going to tell us what this "next move" of ours is?"

    Leaning against one of the many bookshelves of the tucked away library, Sirius asked as he ran his fingers through his sable locks.

    The question was pointed at the sage, which by the silence of every other Ounder in the room��it was the question everybody had in mind.

    "With the death of Lucas, and the absence of the two in Purgatory, we are left vulnerable. Even within the holds of the Hollow Foundation, there''s no telling when the Argonauts will make their move once again."

    Exining this in a calm, methodical voice, the sage stood up, scanning her eyes across the room at each Ounder as she spoke. Even just hearing the name of theirpanion who had fallen brought a gloomy curtain over the room; both Sirius and Sora held regretful looks on their faces, clenching their fists.

    "...Just spit it out already.."

    Sirius interjected, keeping his gaze down as he looked down at his clenched, white-glove with a certain level of disdain in his magenta eyes.

    For a moment, Beatrice simply looked at the man before temporarily closing her eyes without a smile--opening them again before continuing.

    "To bridge this gap of power and vulnerability...I will be summoning forth another Ounder."

    "...!"

    This revtion brought the same reaction from every Ounder in the room--who looked at the ancient, tinum-haired woman with eyes harboring boundless shock and perplexion.

    "The hell are you talking about��? You just want to up and rece Lucas--just like that?"

    "Sirius, calm yourself--"

    "I won''t calm myself!"

    mming his fist against the timber bookshelf behind him as it caused the entire chamber to tremble, he responded to Donatien in a yell that was pulled from his throat. Seeing that glint in the man''s eyes, the sses-wearing Ounder fell silent for a moment.

    "...I don''t disagree. Just what are we to you, Sage? Pawns just used to save Mastorn for you and discard when we''re not useful to you anymore��?"

    Keeping his calm, although, through a trembling voice, the vermillion-haired, bulky man spoke in alignment with the lightning-mage. Through the silence of most of the Ounders, their neutrality could only be seen as some level of agreement--until Tristan decided to speak up this time.

    "I hate to admit it, but she''s got a point."

    Scratching the back of his ear, he looked almost disinterested in the conversation as he spoke--but his words were enough to catch sharp res from the two who were openly against this idea.

    "...And that is?"

    "That as we are, we''re helpless if the Argonauts catch us with a real attack. Look what just three Argonauts--"

    "Two."

    Correcting Tristan''s words, Charlotte interrupted him--clearly referring to the elven man standing at her side silently. Letting out a sigh, the silver-haired man corrected himself before continuing.

    "Two, right. Still, that just makes it worse. Two Argonauts were enough to destroy our base and leave Fai and Donatien nearly dead. There''s a lot more where they came from, and a lot more powerful too."

    "I can handle them."

    Sirius added in after silence followed Tristan''s words--keeping his arms folded across his chest.

    "Right. Maybe you can, maybe you can''t. The thing is...our chances are a helluva lot better if we have another Ounder."

    More silence befell the room as Tristan''s words were undeniable. Finally, the muscr brawler who wore nothing more than what looked like a sports bra and biker shorts let out a disgruntled sigh before ruffling her own locks.

    "Sorry, Sirius, but I hafta'' agree with Tristy here."

    "Same here. You should know by now just how badly the odds are stacked against us. We shouldn''t let personal feelings lead to further death."

    Agreeing with Brahmi, Natalia added in as well, fiddling with her crimson-painted fingernails without so much as raising her eyes.

    "I don''t really have a say in this one way or the other...but, I know how strong these Argonauts can be. I experienced that much first-hand."

    Fai finally spoke up, looking at his hands which he can only remember being soaked in a mixture of his own blood and his opponent''s.

    Amidst the heated conversation, Noah, towering as he was, was lounged across one of the sofas present in the chamber, his long legs hanging off one end as he paid no mind to their squabbles.

    "Whatever. Do what you need to do."

    With a sigh, Sirius left the room without any further words; following him, the vermillion-haired man seemed a bit more reluctant to storm off, but he did so out of care for his friend.

    "Well then, now that is settled."

    "You call that settled?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Donatien shook his head slightly at the words of the sage, who was just as ignorant as ever to human emotion.

    After everyone got whatever words they had left out of their system, the patient sage finally continued on with her words.

    "I need to exemplify the importance of this summoning; it is not the usual technique I use--it is much different from how I brought all of you here."

    This was enough to at least catch the interest in the otherwise on edge Ounders, who keenly watched her for more information.

    Different how? Donatien thought.

    "I''ll be using the technique put into practice by the summoners of Lucrauv; I''m sure you are all aware of the Heavenly Kings and their power, no?"

    "Mostly through hearsay, but yeah."

    "Same here."

    Both Donatien and Tristan confirmed their knowledge of this concept, being enough for the sage to continue forth. In that vast library, filled with tens of thousands of books, it seemed like the natural habitat of the wise, primordial woman.

    "...It is a process in which a special candidate is specifically sought out from Earth, a special person with unique potential. When being brought here, this special summon will result in a much higher base."

    "Wait, this sounds a bit too good to be true. Why the hell didn''t you use that when you brought us here?"

    Faimented, taken aback by this information as he looked around to see if any of the others agreed--who were mainly focused on the sage herself.

    "There are reasons why I opted to use the standard way, don''t be mistaken. For one, the toll of mana is three times greater when performing this type of summoning--I would not have been able to summon twelve of you. Secondly, due to the natural talent of these types...they can tend to be unruly. That much is obvious with the Heavenly Kings; they''re almost equal to the royal family themselves in Lucrauv."

    Given these words, the hazel-haired Ounder stayed silent as the answer was found satisfactory. Watching the sage as she moved about, she suddenly gestured for the others to follow her--guiding them with a gesture of her pale, lithe finger.

    "Come, I have already made preparations for this summoning."

    Knowing this information was a surprise to their ears, she gave an almost smug smile as all followed except one: Noah remained resting on the sofa, only awakened by a swift, yful kick to the side from Fai.

    "Come on, you big oaf."

    "Alright, alright, I''m up."

    Raising himself to his feet, the man with long, illustrious, blonde hair towered over hispanion as he cracked his neck side-to-side.

    With all of the Ounders present in the library being ready, they followed the ever-enigmatic sage into a chamber locked behind a silver and ck door ced at the back of the expansive,vish corridor of books.

    Tracing her finger along the surface of the metallic door, a gentle illumination traced itself into a spell-hieroglyph--resounding with a click that unlocked the door by the mysterious code used. Without any push, the door slowly opened itself, revealing a vast space behind itself.

    "...Huh."

    That was all that could leave Donatien''s lips as he stepped into the chamber, which held a cold, stagnant air within its space.

    The room was simple in its structure; an enormous box-shaped room made of enormous tes of metal. However, what existed unnaturally on the far-stretching walls made it a sight to behold. On each of these four walls, colossal, magical seals were drawn, emanating in their respective lights as the chamber was filled with a serene array of these lights.

    "You weren''t joking about making preparations."

    Faimented in awe as he turned in a circle while entering the magical space, letting out a whistle at the spectacle.

    "No kidding."

    Adding in, Tristan didn''t seem to look around much as he kept his hands tucked into his gray trench coat.

    "Are you doing this now? Right here?"

    Standing beside the woman wearing a long,vish dress of sable fabric, Donatien adjusted his sses while looking down at the seal he stood on, studying its bright, azure form.

    "Yes. I don''t believe there is any reason to withhold summoning them--don''t you agree?"

    It was a loaded question, one that Donatien opted to stray away from with another question of his own, "��Do you know who the person you''ll be bringing in?"

    Any chit-chat going on halted as the others stopped to listen in��of course, this was the most vital thing to know about going into meeting a newrade.

    "Yes, in fact, I do. You see, these types of summonings��"Herrscher Manifestation"��hone in on those who are abnormal in your world. Those who stand out amongst millions, born with talents surpassing the majority��when brought into this world, this uniqueness is elevated."

    "��Then who is this "unique" person, huh?"

    As if a bit perturbed by the existence of this concept, Fai asked this with his arms folded over his chest.

    Now standing in the center of the colossal, magical seal, the sage smiled with her calm, ancient eyes, "Kazuya Aibana."

 Chapter 297 - Delinquent From Another World

    Now standing in the center of the colossal, magical seal, the sage smiled with her calm, ancient eyes, "Kazuya Aibana."

    "Who?"

    In unison, every present Ounder asked the same question��having not a single clue who that name belonged to.

    "You wouldn''t know of him. His name has only be famous in recent times on Earth. However��he is undoubtedly an anomaly. A high school delinquent, he is famous across Japan for never losing a single fight��even against entire mobs of gangsters, earning him the epithet, "King of Brawlers". Or, otherwise known as, "Invincible Kazu"��that''s who he is."

    Though it was a long-winded exnation, it seemed to meet the ears of those curious.

    "A highschool brat, huh?"

    Fai scratched his head as he raised a single eyebrow at this news..

    "Don''t know how I feel about that."

    Removing the straw from between his lips, Tristan joined in with Fai''s doubts. However, despite this, Beatrice seemed only to smile at thesements before pointing her finger at Brahmi, then at Noah.

    "You two; when Kazuya is summoned, I''d like you both to fight him. One-on-one, of course."

    "Hah?"

    "Wait, wait. One-on-one isn''t the issue! You want us to fight some kid who just got brought here?"

    Brahmi contested this with a swipe of her hand, while the blonde-haired, tattooed giant sounded as if he wasn''t even listening prior to his name being mentioned.

    "If you''re worried he can''t handle it, rest assured��he can."

    "What makes ya'' so damn sure?"

    "You''ll see."

    It was unnatural to see such a confident aura from Beatrice, but it was enough to silence any further questioning as she raised her hand, standing at the edge of the enormous seal.

    "Step back; I''ll begin the summoning ritual now."

    If her words weren''t enough to make them give space, the pressure emanating from the awoken seals was.

    It didn''t take long for the cold temperature in the chamber to fill with a sudden heat at the gathering of vast magical energy. A pir of iridescent mana rose from the boundaries of the seal on the floor, reaching up to the ceiling seal; in all regards, it was an overwhelming presence to witness.

    "��Outside the boundaries of this existence, you exist. An endless span of space, diverse, and ancient��yet, we are intertwined. Part and open, Gate of Quandary!"

    With hermanding call, the two shining seals painted on each side of the wall awakened with a rumble��connecting their magical masses to the center pir.

    "By my blood, by my authority��I, Beatrice of the Sages, usher you into this world, Kazuya Aibana!"

    Swirling and growing chaotic, the fluctuating energy spiraled and contorted, unleashing a deafening hum that caused the spectators to cover their ears.

    "Damn, feels like my ears are gonna burst��!"

    Gritting his teeth as he begrudgingly covered his ears, Noah''s hair flowed in the magically conjured winds.

    Not just that, it''s hard to breathe with such dense magic hanging in the air, Donatien thought.

    Though a fantastical spectacle, the natural disaster that came with it made it nearly impossible to view its full beauty.

    With a final wave of her hand, Beatrice focused and concentrated the otherwise chaotic swirl of energy��coalescing it into the center of the seal etched onto the metallic flooring.

    "Amazing; this is something an Argonaut could never truly appreciate...the arrival of one from the other world."

    Strifemented in awe at this sight, smiling to himself slightly as his silver locks moved in the formed winds.

    "Here hees."

    Fai muttered as his ponytail iled in the abrasive winds, squinting at the bright, burning light in the center.

    "��For better or worse."

    Watching closely, Brahmi kept her posture strong against the pressure of the summoning spell.

    A grand release set off stratifications of wind, propelling forth as it was clear a new entity existed in the room��hidden by the radiance in the center mass.

    "Wee, Kazuya Aibana."

    Greeting the newly summoned figure, Beatrice faced towards him with a smile as the residual mana finally began to clear.

    Standing in the center of the colossal seal, a young man stood; a sable, zer from a school uniform hung from his shoulders like a cape with the red cor sticking out.

    ented with golden designs, text was inscribed on the back of the coat in the same, gilded material: "Commander of Shibuya Majin", and just below it: "King of Brawlers"��clear and bold.

    Under his loosely hanging zer, he wore only a in white tee and loose, ck pants along with his sable boots.

    "Seriously? The hell is all of this?"

    With his hands tucked into his pockets, the mysterious young manmented with boredom coating his words.

    Though his graphite-colored hair was long, he kept his bangs held back with a clip; his messy locks stopped just short of his shoulders. It was hard to see it at first, but the young man had a two-block hairstyle; though most of his hair exhibited a shade of gray, the sides of his head were charcoal ck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Despite his thug-like status, he held a fair face that none would deny was handsome��somehow free of scars despite his lifestyle.

    "He really is just a kid��"

    Seeing the sight of the gray-haired delinquent who looked to be no taller than a middle schooler, Brahmi let out a sigh.

    "Huh? Who said that?"

    Stepping forward at thisment, the newly summoned Ounder scanned the room with his silver and ck irises.

    "Was it you?"

    Standing just in front of the brte, muscr woman who made thement towards him, Kazuya looked right up at her��leaving hardly any space between them."

    "And if I was?"

    "I don''t like the way you''re looking down at me."

    Within moments, tension manifested between the two��heavily emanating from the poker-faced delinquent.

    How troublesome, indeed, Donatien thought.

    He''s got balls, I''ll give him that, Fai thought.

    "I''m not interested in the quarrels of savages. I''ll start preparing dinner."

    With a sigh, Natalia flipped her magnificent, well-kempt locks before exiting the chamber--though nobody was focused on her words in this tense moment.

    "Watch it, kid��"

    Before another syble could part from Brahmi''s lips, a high, swift kickunched right against her temple.

    Huh? I wasn''t exactly on guard��but that was fast, she thought.

    "You''re tough."

    With his foot pressed against her head, Kazuyamented as the kick didn''t budge the woman hailing from India in the slightest.

    Of course; someone without any knowledge of reinforcement has no chance against somebody who does��especially her of all people, Tristan thought.

    "That''s it! I''m gonna'' teach ya'' some manners, pipsqueak!"

    As a vein pressed against her forehead, she threw her fist back, enveloping it in magical energy before throwing it towards the abdomen of the delinquent.

    "Careful! You''ll kill him!"

    Charlotte yelled out in worry at the sight of the attack. As the punchnded cleanly, the young man was sent flying back beforending harshly onto the ground.

    "��Remember, ya'' asked for this, Beatrice."

    In response to Brahmi''s serious words, the sage simply smiled--causing all eyes to fall on the who holding the title--"King of Brawlers"--as he miraculously stood himself up, his hands still tucked into the pockets of his loose pants.

    "Not bad."

    Spitting out a swab of blood from his mouth, he set his stone-cold eyes onto Brahmi--who was left agasp at the sight.

    "Woah, woah, woah! You shouldn''t even be able to get up after that!"

    Fai called out in disbelief as if witnessing a ghost right in front of his eyes. It was the obvious reaction to such a sight--though, Kazuya handled it unbelievably well.

    "By all means, he should be out cold from a hit like that, considering hecks any knowledge of magecraft��"

    Keeping his hand on his chin, Donatien tried to make sense of the situation before him--but logic didn''t seem to apply to the gray-haired delinquent.

    What''d that sage say his nickname was? "Invincible Kazu"...looks like he lives up to it, Tristan thought.

    Sliding his bandage-wrapped hands out of the holds of his pockets, Kazuya Aibana''s eyes seemed to spiral with a sense of violence.

    "Guess it''s my turn then."

    Being on the receiving end of such a cold, yet overwhelming gaze, Brahmi froze for a moment--finding the short of stature brawler now directly in front of her within a moment''s passing.

    This speed...where did ite from?! She thought.

    Raising her guard at thest moment, a swift thrust of his fistnded against her raised guard--mming into her forearms with a brutal impact.

    It''s nothing like his first kick! This power...did he...learn how to use reinforcement after being hit with it a single time?! Brahmi thought.

    Pushing his fist forward even further, he sent the experienced fighter back a few meters--causing her soles to slide across the ground as the room fell silent for a moment after. It had only been mere moments since he was suddenly brought into the new, mysterious world of Gaia, yet--he was naturally limated.

    "I think I''ve got the gist of it--this is "magic", right?"

    Looking back at the sage, Kazuya pointed his words at her as he raised the fist he used to attack Brahmi as if it was an example of magecraft. Confirming this, Beatrice simply nodded with a smile, clearly happy with the status of this new Ounder.

 Chapter 298 - King Of Delinquents Vs King Of Criminals

    "What''s he talking about, Beatrice?"

    Asking as she wiped away the sweat from her chin, Brahmi looked at the primordial sage with furrowed eyebrows.

    "I didn''t think it was important enough to mention, but one of the aspects of summons performed like this is that the summoned entity is passively limated to this world upon arrival. He knewing in what type of situation would meet him upon being manifested here. In addition...magecraft works the same; just from witnessing it and experiencing its feel, he''ll adapt his own magecraft."

    Gasps followed this exnation from the sage as most of all, Brahmi could only smile at this news before shaking the blow off of her forearms.

    "No kiddin'', huh? Guess we don''t have to train ya'' after all. Just a little beating will give ya'' the gist of it."

    Cracking her knuckles, she began to move towards the center of the room once more, walking towards the gray-haired delinquent.

    ? "Can it, will you? Just fight me already."

    Slipping his hands back into his pockets, Kazuya didn''t so much as look at the woman as he strolled to the center to meet her halfway.

    There''s a reason I chose you to be the one to greet him inbat, Brahmi. You both possess the same affinity; a Gaia affinity specializing in self-amplification. From you, he''ll achieve the most potent growth, Beatrice thought.

    "Cocky, arentcha''? I won''t be gentle with ya'' then, brat."

    "Like I said��"

    Closing the distance swiftly, Kazuya''s quietly, calmly spoken response to her words met only on frozen ears as his speed was blinding.

    It''s not just speed...he''spletely unpredictable. I can''t sense any intent from him before he goes in for an attack! She thought.

    "Can it."

    Using a high kick ced from such a short distance, his swift attack hit its park directly against the chin of his foe. This time, the impact created a small, but noticeable shock wave.

    I can feel it; his magical energy is rising higher and higher as he fights. I knew he''d be impressive, but this is something else, Donatien thought.

    "Doing this against Brahmi on his first day here? Sheesh��"

    Faimented as a droplet of sweat trickled down his cheek as he held a nervous smile as if the happenings before his eyes were more of a dream than reality.

    "It goes without saying that she''s holding back, but even with that--she wouldn''t allow herself to be a punching bag like this. No doubt about it, Kazuya Aibana is one hell of a guy."

    Correcting the initial notion his ponytail-wearingrade had, Donatien fiddled with his sses a bit as he kept his hazel eyes on the battle, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Fai.

    Attempting to counter the kicknded against her chin, Brahmi swung around into a fearsome roundhouse kick--which met with nothing besides air as the blonde-haired delinquent showcases not only his quick reactions, but his flexibility.

    Squatting low to the ground as if taking a rxed stance, the kick went right over his head before he rose back to his feet into an uppercut, missing by a hair as the professional fighter stumbled back from the close-call with her opponent''s fist.

    What the hell is with him?! I can''t get a read on him at all! I obviously don''t want to kill him, but I can''t find the right amount of reinforcement to use...he''s reading me like a book. How is this kid just some high schooler��? Brahmi thought.

    Continuing his pursuit into the brawl at hand, Kazuya threw his bandage-wrapped fists wildly and without technique, yet each was dodged only narrowly by his opponent.

    This time, a proper counter was thrown--Brahmi dug her fist into the boy''s gut with visceral force, sending him back as a crack resounded in the air.

    I''m not letting up this time; you need a proper beatdown, brat! She thought.

    Bursting forward with incredible speed, she was above the young man before he could even fall onto the ground--crashing her foot down into a heavy stomp that caused his body to collide with the metallic floor below.

    Taking a few breaths, she removed her heel from his gut before moving a few steps back, "Crap...did I overdo it?"

    As she turned around with a sigh, disgusted by the thought of having identally killed a kid--her thoughts were washed away as a spike in magical energy reeled in her attention, quickly turning back around to witness Kazuya bring himself to his feet once more.

    "...Is that all you''ve got?"

    Wiping the saliva from the corner of his mouth, his eyes remained unmoving as he looked at the woman.

    What is this...rise in aura? It''s so potent now that I can visibly see his reinforcement! She thought.

    "The hell? How much mana does this kid have?"

    Fai leaned forward, blinking to make sure he was seeing things right; it was unmistakable; a verdant aura clung to his body, caressing his shape.

    "In this case, it''s not about quantity, but quality...that boy''s mana is so rich that he can reach that type of reinforcement. This might be trouble for Brahmi; he''s adapting way too quickly."

    Letting out a sigh as he ruffled his own locks, Tristan muttered as he squinted before the bright verdancy brought into existence within the metallic chamber.

    "This magic stuff...it''s pretty handy."

    Patting his own gut, Kazuya smiled for the first time since arriving--something for once, he and his opponent could share in.

    "You''re crazy, kid, I''ll give you that," Brahmi lowered her fists, "this is enough, isn''t it, Beatrice?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    cing her hands on her bare hips, Brahmi brought her emerald gaze to the sage that had been spectating the mock bout. After a few moments of silence, Beatrice finally nodded her head with a certain slowness, "I suppose so. Kazuya Aibana, your ability to adapt to this world exceeds my calctions."

    "Huh? But we''re still fighting. I''m not satisfied yet."

    "Eh?"

    Simultaneously, everyone in the room held the same reaction to the nonchnt bloodlust of the short delinquent. Letting out a sigh and waving her hand in resignation, Brahmi started to walk away, "Sorry, kid, I just really don''t feel like fighting you--"

    Going in for a surprise attack in an attempt to reignite the fight, Kazuya threw a fist towards the resigning fighter before having it be caught by an intercepting third-party.

    "If you''re itching so badly for a fight, I''ll be your opponent then."

    Towering over the gray-haired boy by well over two heads at least, Noah looked down at him with his sable irises, holding his fist which was minuscule inparison to his own.

    "Who the hell are you?"

    "Just call me Noah."

    Introducing himself with a sly smile, the squint in the colossal man''s eyes was something the boy experienced in years of brawling recognized--the glint of malicious intent. Even though he saw the punching, knowing it could onlye from the man''s right hand, guarding against it still left a sharp impact resounding through the marrow of his bones.

    Just the strength behind the singr haymaker thrown against his arm caused Kazuya to slide to the side.

    He''s strong, Kazuya thought.

    "Kazu."

    "Huh?"

    "That''s what you can call me."

    Taking a proper stance for a fight, raising his hands near his chin--Kazuya smiled at the prospect of battle with such a fearsome opponent.

    Covered in seemingly head-to-toe in tattoos, those piercing on his lips and ears, the aura around him--this guy could''ve been one hell of a gangster, Kazuya smiled.

    "Woah...Noah''s actually fighting? Can''t remember thest time I saw that. This is exciting!"

    Holding a radiant, joyful smile, Fai''s eyes glimmered as he spectated the bubbling situation before them.

    "I''m more surprised he took any initiative at all...maybe watching Kazuya reignited something in that hollow heart of his."

    "...That''s a bit cruel."

    Charlotte quietly muttered, listening in to Donatien and Fai''s conversation as yet another battle seemed to be awakening.

    It was well within the sage''s satisfaction, witnessing just how adept the newly summoned Ounder was to battle; even if it came with a side of his troublesome nature.

    He fits right in with the others. Though...I''m interested to see what kind of growth spurs frombat with Noah. With Brahmi, he was able to instantly grasp the feeling of magic because they both shared the same affinity--allowing him to replicate that same feeling with ease.

    Noah is a different story, but his attitude should be a better fit for Kazuya as a whole. While Brahmi is a rambunctious one, she has her restraints when ites to those she thinks are weaker than her.

    Just how much longer will that be the case, I imagine? Beatrice thought.

    "Bring it on, short-stuff!"

    Taunting the delinquent with a e at me" gesture of his fingers, Noah smiled from ear-to-ear without so much as taking a stance.

    It''s been forever since I''ve seen Noah like this...it almost feels nostalgic, Donatien smiled.

    "Are you sure? You don''t want to raise your fists?"

    "I''ll be fine."

    It didn''t take any more than that little confirmation to trigger the fight switch of the boy who wore his custom zer around his shoulders, bursting forth with unnatural speed. Launching off the ground, it took a leap for the brawler to match the height of his towering, shirtless opponent beforeunching a kick aimed straight for the man''s cheek.

    "...Nice try, kid!"

    Grabbing hold of the boy''s ankle before it could make contact, Noah began to chuckle before spinning him like a rope, tossing him like a bag of potatoes.

    He''s a monster. This kind of strength is insane, Kazuya thought.

    Before helplessly crashing against the floor, the delinquent caught himself on his hands, using the momentum to flip over onto his feet as he slid back against the smooth flooring, still being carried by the residual force of the throw.

    Watching the beginning of this battle, Donatien polished his sses with a breath before cing them back over his eyes with a small smile.

    There is a case to be made that in peak condition, with proper motivation, Noah could be the strongest of us all. However, it is once in a blue moon that the oaf of a man takes anything seriously, Donatien thought.

 Chapter 299 - The Reaper Of Brisbane

    It was when being set back that Kazuya came back with even greater intensity, trumping his previous speed as this time he used a faint--faking a kick to Noah''s temple before falling low to the ground and sweeping the man''s knee.

    "Gh��!"

    Falling to one knee for a moment from the unseen assault, Noah was left vulnerable to the follow up of the delinquent''s attack--a swift knee directly to his nose.

    Any amateur knows how to handle a giant like you, Noah. On tall guys like you, your knees are the most vulnerable part of your body, Kazuya thought.

    "Not bad, kid, not bad at all. You''ve got a good sense for this sort of stuff. I wonder just how many fights you had to go through to achieve this type of intuition?"

    "..."

    Staying silent, Kazuya couldn''t even feel surprised as he watched the tattooed-covered man rise back to his feet without a single sign of damage from thebo attack unleashed on him.

    "How about we turn this into a magic battle? Is that alright with you, Sage?"

    Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Noah turned to look at the tinum-haired sage that had been spectating the battle with a smile.

    "By all means."

    "Just what I wanted to hear; pay attention, short-stuff. You''re about to witness the real way people fight in this world."

    Not taking any sort of special stance, magical energy began flooding out of Noah''s pores as he began d in potent, overwhelming darkness. sping his hands together, he smiled as his long, golden locks flowed in the winds generated by his abundant darkness.

    So...this is magic? Kazuya watched.

    "Interesting��"

    "Huh? What''s interesting?"

    Looking at the navy-haired man for an answer to his sudden mutter, Fai questioned him.

    "This matchup; either Beatrice has a sick sense of humor or fate does. Kazuya, the leader of a gang famous throughout Tokyo, facing off against a real criminal--Noah. It''s bad manners to dredge up the past, but what was his nickname again��?"

    "The Reaper of Brisbane. I mean, it''s right on his back."

    Answering for Donatien''s failing memory, Tristan suddenly recalled the old epithet of the blonde-haired, tall man hailing from Australia.

    The silver-haired man wasn''t lying; tattooed,rge and bold, on the man''s back were two scythes with a hooded skull in the center.

    "I get it...so it''s Japan''s King of Delinquents versus Australia''s King of Criminals."

    Once more, Fai smiled like a child witnessing some sort of spectacle. There was nock of such spectacles in a battle utilizing magic; disying the words tattooed on the back of his hands, Noah smiled.

    On his left hand, "Death" was written, while on the right, "Destruction" was inscribed in the same, jet-ck ink.

    With a seemingly real match being born, all chit-chat fell null as all eyes perceived the match building up before their eyes; while everyone was curious to see the potential waiting behind Kazuya, there was almost as much interest in seeing a serious Noah.

    Noah King, even I knew his name despite being across the world from Australia. He was both the leader and enforcer of an underground band of criminals. From what I remember, he mostly dealt with underground fighting...being the reigning champion there. But when debts were owed, well...that''s where the title "Reaper of Brisbane" was earned, I suppose, Donatien thought.

    "I''m not soft like the woman you just fought, short-stuff; you im to be a gangster, don''t you? Then I won''t disrespect you by ying nice."

    "Same here."

    "Ha! You''re fun, I''ll give you that."

    Cracking his neck to the side with a readied smile, Noahughed at the delinquent''s response to his words, rolling his shoulders as his rxed eyes intensified suddenly.

    "I''ll give you a taste of some magic, boy. Get ready."

    Pressing his palms together as his joyful smile settled into a battle-hardened, serious expression across his lips, the aura emanating around Noah intensified as the air returned to a biting cold. In the presence of the potent darkness that rose from the Reaper of Brisbane, it felt as if death itself had passed the threshold of the chamber.

    "Dunkel: ck Hail!"

    Parting his hands, a swiping motion of his two,rge hands manifested themanded spell--ushering in dark mist that formed at the ceiling of the room, showering down pebbles of condensed shadows.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I see...this is the "magic" you''re all spouting about."

    Preparing for the iing rain of malicious hail, Kazuya raised his hands wrapped in bandages into a guard. As the first piece of hail, norger than a grain of sand, hit his skin--an overwhelming pain shot through his body, traveling from the spot of impact and quickly traversing his limbs.

    His eyes widened at this sensation, but a sound didn''t escape his taut lips as the harrowing rain pelted his body further. In the advent of such pain, he tried deflecting the iing bits and pieces of abyssal rain, hitting them with his fist as it only mitigated the inevitable pain.

    By the end of the spell''s duration, dozens of small cuts were left over the young man''s body as he huffed quietly, wiping a bit of blood from his lip as he looked at Noah.

    "How cruel...this isn''t fair."

    Charlotte covered her eyes, not wanting to see such a brutal sight.

    "I''d like to believe there is a reason for this, but...I''m at a loss."

    Strife slowly shook his head; the idea of pitting someone who didn''t understand magic against an elite like an Ounder was jarring to him.

    Cracking his knuckles dyed in stylized ink, Noah looked at his bloodied opponent, "Do you understand the nature of magic now? It''s not just about hitting harder than your opponent. For example: "ck Hail" specifically triggers your nerves, amplifying the pain by arge margin."

    Not responding with a single word to this exnation, Kazuya stood there, still standing tall as breath went in and out of his lips.

    "Still, not even a single peep from you? You''re the real deal, Kazu. That''s why I really want to see what your limit is!"

    Holding a smile bathed in ecstasy, Noah''s glee was nothing short of twisted--that much as obvious by hisrades that spectated the seemingly unfair match.

    "Beatrice, I''m beginning to see no point to this��sure, his understanding of his own mana will grow and so will his reinforcement--but he can''t just think spells up. He''s just going to be battered by someone like Noah."

    Confronting the sage on the foundation of this unclear battle, Donatien pointed his sharp words towards her, looking at her with his calcting eyes for an answer.

    However, no answer came from the silent sage who kept her eyes spectating the trial held for Kazuya.

    "Tch...back to secrecy, I see��"

    Clicking his tongue, he pushed his sses up once more as before settling his eyes back on the sh of the two gangsters.

    You''d be right, Donatien--that is, when speaking of normal cases. However, Kazuya Aibana is anything but the norm. That''s why I brought him into this world--he is an anomaly, Beatrice thought.

    "Let''s try this again...I''ll kick it up a notch this time! Dunkel: ck Hail!"

    Swiping his tattooed hands down once more, Noah called in the same magic, this time at a greater intensity as it rapidly began showering down on the delinquent. Each passing piece of ck hail mmed against the steel below, pelting against the durable material like bullets showering down onto the floor.

    Though, there was a stark difference this time--one that Noah noticed quickly.

    Standing strong, not budging an inch, Kazuya didn''t so much as raise his arms this time as a shield against the deadly rain--allowing it to pelt against his body relentlessly. It wasn''t some sort ofpse in reaction or just a cocky maneuver; there was no visible damage being done to the young delinquent.

    "What a guy...you managed to figure out how to control your reinforcement. Before, your reinforcement was just a passive result of your massive reservoirs of mana...but you figured out how to mend that mana into reinforcement. Ha-ha!"

    Doesn''t really matter if it''s fist or magic; it''s all the same to me. I''ve been fighting since I could walk--my body has been reinforced by countless fights, Kazuya thought.

    It was then that everyone in the room remembered the very title that Kazuya Aibana held in his possession, one that did not go without truth:

    "INVINCIBLE KAZU"

    "...Sorry, but I''m really not too interested in this spell-flinging bullshit."

    Enduring the entirety of the ck hail without an additional scratch etched onto his body, Kazuya spoke calmly as his wild hair flowed in the passing winds formed by the dark magic.

    "What''re you waiting for then? Come at me!"

    That was the only catalyst needed; in the very next moment following Noah''s call, Kazuya was already sprinting towards him before they shed.

    Immediately, they exchanged fists, throwing their hands at a speed that was troublesome for even the most experienced of the spectators to follow. Despite the disparity in size, Noah found himself on the defensive against the fast, sharp blows thrown by the much younger, smaller fighter.

    "No way...Noah is being pushed back?"

 Chapter 300 - Invincible Kazu

    "No way...Noah is being pushed back?"

    Fai was left agasp at the sight of the towering man acting on the defensive, hiding behind his own guard as he stepped backward against the flurry of punches.

    "I''m finding this a bit hard to believe; correct me if I''m wrong, but in terms of raw strength, Noah is in our top three, no?"

    "No, you''re right. I think Kazuya here really is just on another level."

    In agreement with Donatien, Tristan''s words supplemented the reality before their eyes. Smiling to himself, Noah began to chuckle behind the barrage of fistsing his way.

    "...I feel like I''m being underestimated. You''re strong, short-stuff, but it''s your speed and tenacity that''s the real issue. Let me show you!"

    Coming out from behind his defensive position, the golden-haired man grabbed hold of the next fist that came his way, swinging the much smaller inparison body of the young man he fought, bringing him up into the air with a swing of his arm.

    This wild strength...it''s like the time I fought that giant from Shibetsu High; Shino Ariaka--how could I forget the guy that used my ownrades like nunchucks? Kazuya thought.

    "And down you go!"

    Whipping him down like a sword, Noah brought the delinquent down against the harsh flooring below--mming him against the metal without any seeming restraint. A loud crash resounded; the flooring was caved in from the impact.

    "Don''t forget; it''s a two-way flight!"

    Lifting thepromised, newly summoned Ounder up against by the iron-grip he held on his fist, Noahughed out as he swung the boy through the air once more before driving him into the ground.

    "That''s Noah, no doubt about it...once he gets going, well��"

    Shaking his head with a sigh and massaging his temple, Donatien winced at the thunderous boom that followed the m.

    Seeing him like this always reminds me of the early days of our group. Noah was unhinged and wild; devoid of restraint like a savage beast��acting only by his own whim. It was only after being handily beat down by Sirius did he be humbled. Well, that��and his ability are to me for how he is now, Donatien thought.

    As another swing was swung, this time--a counterattack wasunched as Kazuya used the momentum to twist himself into a kick right against the chin of the overwhelming foe. A crack rang out as the grip on his hand was loosened, allowing the gray-haired delinquent to finally free himself from Noah''s hold.

    Standing there without saying a word, Noah caressed his jaw as blood began to form at his lips, smiling.

    "...little bastard; you broke it."

    Spitting out the blood from his mouth straight onto the otherwise pristine floor, the tall man grinned beforeughing at this situation.

    "Don''t get me wrong--I''m not backing down or anything, short-stuff."

    Without any hesitation, Kazuya continued his attack, following through with those cold, unmoving eyes of his. It was obvious, clear as day, but it was only in this moment that followed that they all finally realized just what kind of person Kazuya Aibana was.

    This kid...he has more experience than all of us. I get it now. I enjoy fighting, but my main reason was money. Most of the others like a good fight, but they also like the opposite even better.

    But Kazu, you''re different.

    You live to fight. You could only live by fighting. It wasn''t for money, fame, or anything else. Fighting is all you''ve done all these years, isn''t it? That''s why it''s just as natural as walking for you, that''s why I can''t sense any intent from you! Noah thought.

    "Come on the-- ghh!"

    His taunting words were cut off as the speed of his opponent once more subverted perception; a fist was already thrown right into his gut, pressing deep with overwhelming force. An unnatural grinding met the ears of any within the chamber; the very sound of the one on the receiving end of the vicious punch having the integrity of his skeleton tested by its force.

    Even as Noah tightened the muscles around his abdomen, it only seemed to get worse as the heat coursing through him amplified.

    Hot. Hot. Hot. Is this guy trying to punch right through me ?! I can feel my organs beingpressed together! Noah thought.

    I''m not childish enough to give this move a name, but it''s defeated over a hundred gangsters the same exact way. I guess you can call it my "special move", Kazuya thought.

    Unleashing the punch as he kept his feet nted against the ground, rolling his shoulder and pushing the man off of his fist--straight into the air, a shock wave traversed the chamber, cracking through the winds like a bolt of thunder.

    Agasp, Noah coughed out spit that he expected to be blood from what he swore would be his punctured organs; being sent through the air, the mannded harshly on his back with a groan following.

    "Talk about David versus Goliath��"

    Watching this transpire, Tristan knelt beside Noah as he looked at the expression of the wincing giant.

    "Shut up, would you?"

    Coughing as he sat up with another pained groan, the man caressed his tattooed abdomen as it was immediately bruised up from the incredible impact.

    "That''s one hell of a punch you got there."

    Obviously, his reinforcement is amazing for only being in this world for less than an hour, but to hurt me this badly when I was actually defending myself? Something else is up, Noah thought.

    "I''ve just got one question. Either you can answer it, short-stuff, or you--Beatrice."

    Bringing himself to his own two feet as his tight, sable pants were crinkled from the battle, Noah turned his ck irises to the sage.

    Not saying a word, Kazuya slid his hands back into his pockets as his zer, acting as a cape, draped over his back.

    Meanwhile, the sage was as still as a nt, simply acting as a spectator the entire time as she, without a word, turned her eyes to the blonde-haired man.

    "Tell me...did you already awaken your innate ability?"

    As this question left Noah''s lips, everyone present in the room, save for the sage and Kazuya, had their eyes widened in surprise at the very notion.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ability? Yeah, I think I felt something like that."

    It was an unprecedented answer; within his first hour in the fantastical world of Gaia--Kazuya Aibana had reached that which is isted to the most elite of mages.

    Sitting herself on a magically conjured chair, Beatrice rested her cheek against her soft hands while retaining her smile.

    I expected nothing less of their reactions, but they likely have the wrong idea; this growth from Kazuya isn''t going to continue much further--simply put, he is able to reach his baseline at a ludicrous speed, but it''s not a continuous level of growth, she thought.

    "We should call it a day. I mean, the kid probably needs to be filled in on, you know, everything."

    Tristan patted his hand against the sweat-d shoulder of the towering, blonde-haired man in front of him. Sharing a nce with the others present in the chamber, this seemed to be the general consensus as even Noah let out a hesitant sigh before cracking his neck once more.

    "Yeah, you''re probably right. I could go for some ale right about now. I know the Sky Dragon Conglomerate always has some nice booze lined up~"

    Chuckling to himself at the prospect of the magical, amber liquid, Noah began to leave the room before the door was opened just before he could reach it. In walked a familiar man with jet-ck hair, staring directly past Noah with his keen, magenta irises.

    "Thought I''d drop back in to see what kind of guy you brought into our team."

    Stepping right past everyone else, Sirius directly approached the cold-eyed delinquent, standing over him as he looked down at the young man who stood on the shorter end of the spectrum.

    The very presence of Sirius within the room gave everyone the exact same, foreboding vibes--"he''s bad news", is what they thought. With two who held onto such title proiming themselves as the strongest, trouble was surely waiting.

    "The name is Sirius Federov, I''m the strongest--"

    "Sirius, watch out, he''s a feisty one!"

    As he introduced himself with his usual, confident greeting, he was interrupted by a warning from Fai as a swift kick was thrown towards the uniform-wearing man--who blocked it easily with a raise of his arm.

    He''s fast! Kazuya thought.

    "Now, now, did anyone ever teach you any manners, pipsqueak?"

    cing his hand just in front of Kazuya''s forehead, Sirius smiled as the delinquent could only look at the man''s hand which was d in a white glove in utter confusion. The next moment came withplete darkness for the newly summoned Ounder as a simple flick from Sirius resounded through the room, knocking the delinquent unconscious.

    The seemingly invincible entity fell limp as his pupils vanished, leaving only the whites of his eyes visible.

    "Eh?"

    "Huh?"

    Taken aback by theplete casualness at which Sirius promptly stifled the rambunctious delinquent, the surrounding spectators'' were left with their jaws on the floor.

    "Sorry, I guessed he was being troublesome, right?"

    Catching the boy before he fell over with his limp, unconscious body, Sirius looked at Beatrice, who seemed almost frustrated at this development.

    "Uh, what the hell?"

    Noah muttered with slumped shoulders, watching the boy he had a rtively difficult time with go down like a sack of potatoes by the most marginal effort.

    "Well, take care of him."

    Leaving the gray-haired boy at the feet of the sage, Sirius waved with two fingers before once more leaving the chambers--followed alongside the rest of the spectators.

    Sirius Federov, just what kind of man are you? Strife asked himself.

    It was something Strife remembered clearly; the day the meeting was held to decide his fate--a meeting that had his future and life held by the whims of the Ounders.

    There was one member besides Charlotte that stuck his neck out for me the most, Strife thought.

    "I''m all for him joining us!"

    At this gleeful statement in favor of Strife, every present Ounder was left stunned by the maximum trust the man put into that statement.

    "...Are you sure? I don''t need to remind you of how rotten these bastards can be, do I?"

    Sora looked at hisrade with his shining blues, keeping his fists clenched as clear memories of the capabilities of Argonauts flooded through his mind.

    Sitting near Sora, Tristan, who had his boots kicked up on the maplewood table, put in his opinion, "Who''s to say he isn''t a spy either?"

    "It''s alright."

    Once more, Sirius'' optimism shut down the constant chit-chat as all eyes fell on him, holding his folded arms across his chest.

    "I mean, after all, if he does anything, I can take care of him in a jiffy!"

    Said withplete frivolity, the words were nheless chilling to the elven ex-Argonaut who sat across from the magenta-eyed Ounder.

    After that, most fell into agreeance with keeping me on the team. All because of the trust they held in Sirius Federov. I believe I owe my life to him just as much as I do to Miss Charlotte, Strife thought.

    I have to wonder: was it even necessary to bring in another Ounder with someone like Sirius around? Strife asked himself.

 Chapter 301 - The Challengers

    "Well, that was a lot more stressful than I had hoped for��"

    Letting out a tiny sigh as he dropped his head, sitting on avender sofa ced within arge, open waiting room filled with the other passing participants, Ren closed his eyes.

    Patting his head gently, the azure-haired girl smiled, sitting beside him, "You did great."

    "We did great."

    Valerie corrected Iris'' words; though it wasn''t anything smug--far from it, holding her usual, confident smile, it was clear she was actually being a team yer.

    "Right."

    Returning the attitude, Ren gave a triumphant smile and thumbs-up to the draconic, crimson-haired woman.

    "I''m getting kind of worried though��"

    "Hongse, right?"

    "Mm."

    Nodding her head in response to Ren''s question, Valerie held a worried look in her usually feisty eyes, biting impatiently on the metal of her gauntlet.

    "Don''t worry--he''ll back it through."

    "You can never be sure with that fuzzball��"

    Letting out an exhausted breath, Valerie finally slumped down onto the spot on the sofa beside the white-haired young man--making it an extra cozy experience with such little breathing room left.

    Of course, in this situation, pressed so close to two females, Ren couldn''t prevent his cheeks from taking an apple-red tint.

    Attempting to break the self-encumbered awkwardness of this seating position, Rentched onto whatever topic he could find in his mind, "Aiko and Macheo should be somewhere around here, right?"

    "They should be, but it''s pretty full in here...it''s not just participants, there''s a lot of staff here as well."

    Making this observation, Iris tried to keep her voice down as her words brought the three''s gazes to the demons who remained present in the room. Though, Ren felt a whole lot more safe around the self-proimed demons than the Purgatory participants.

    That''s right, I totally forgot about Gggher...I''d like to find out if it''s him or not, but now''s not exactly the time...I''d prefer not to leave them alone in a ce like this, Ren thought.

    Dragged out from his thoughts, the clearing of Sitri''s thought, who stood at the back of the room behind a podium, brought the attention of everyone present.

    "He''s going to announce the final participant��"

    Iris muttered, intertwining her fingers as she held her hands close to her chest as if praying for some miracle.

    "Come on, you big oaf, you better have made it."

    Tapping the tips of her sharp gauntlets against her light, but durable armor, Valerie''s eyes were honed in on the golden-haired, handsome demon.

    "And with the time being just about wrought out, the twentieth andst passing participant of the Champion''s Culling has been decided!"

    All eyes were on Sitri now as he smiled, clearly loving the attention and anticipation his voice drew in as he raised his glove-wearing hand towards the ceiling.

    Please, please, please! Ren thought.

    "Hongse, qualified! Please remain still as you will be momentarily warped to a waiting room!"

    With those words, presented in such a familiar, repetitive format--they were spoken this time with pure energy rushing through them towards the Weltwanderer members.

    "Yes!"

    "Thank goodness��!"

    "Hell yeah!"

    Celebrating the loudest, Valerie stood from her seated position, her tail iling side-to-side as it smacked against the poor sofa.

    However, this news drew out some other sought out people--as the celebrations weren''t limited to just the three seated in that corner of the room.

    "I knew that panda had it in him!"

    "Well, he''s quite strong after all!"

    Bringing themselves over to the sources of these voices, the three found themselves reunited with not only Aiko and Macheo, but the entric Jae-Seong himself, and his quiet, stoicpanion. After a quick catch-up, spirits were high, and smiles were exchanged.

    "Looks like we all made it--by some miracle."

    Renmented as he looked between everyone in the group with a smile. The notion was rejected instantly by Jae-Seong, who flipped his curly, but somehow well-kempt locks.

    I don''t see this "Gggher" guy, I guess he made his way out already...Ren thought.

    "It wasn''t a miracle or a case of some passing-by good luck; you earned your qualification with your own finesse. You better respect that--because I do."

    With a beaming smile, Jae-Seong gently bumped his fist against the chest of the white-haired otherworlder. Between that radiant smile and dazzling eyes, paired with blemish free skin that looked as soft asvender, Ren found himselftched onto something else beyond Jae-Seong''s words of wisdom.

    This guy is fucking beautiful! Ren thought.

    Taken away from his enamored look at the sses-wearing Heavenly King, the familiar presence of arge, fluffy paw against his shoulder made Ren look up to see the red-furred panda himself, who held a wide smile--basking in hisst minute victory.

    "Hongse!"

    "The one, and the best!"

    Gloating in his triumph, the red-furred demi-human let out a haughtyugh as he puffed hisrge chest out.

    "With that, all twenty qualifying participants in the tournament have been decided!"

    Announcing this, Sitri began to list off the names of those who earned their entrance into the mysterious tournament.

    "Andraste, The Supreme!"

    The first name listed; a spotlight manifested by what could only be assumed to be a spell shined a light down on the regarded participant. Holding a confident smile with his arms crossed over his chest, the man oozed with power.

    Wearing a pristine, snow-white coat with no shirt beneath to cover his immacte torso, he possessed two des that remained sheathed in iridescent, tinum sheaths that screamed expensive.

    Standing out the most was his divine-like, white hair that almost looked like it was glowing at certain angles, jutting out in random directions without any proper style to it.

    "...Andraste?"

    The name left Jae-Seong, Macheo, and Iris'' lips in perplexion as the others looked at them for an exnation.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What the hell is someone like him doing here?...Just what in the world is up with Purgatory?"

    Gritting his teeth, Macheo ced his hand over his face as if experiencing a head-churning migraine.

    "Who is he?"

    Asking on behalf of everyone else''s confusion, Ren posed this question at the three for an answer.

    "Andraste...he''s one of the Victorious Seven of Mastorn--the most prestigious, elite group of warriors in the kingdom��"

    Answering the question in a heated breath, Iris looked to be one second away from sweating at the presence of such an overwhelming figure.

    "Victorious Seven��?"

    It''s the first I heard of them, I think, Ren thought, but sounds like trouble.

    "Honestly, I couldn''t be any happier."

    In contrast to the others who seemed to have their breathpromised by Andraste''s presence, Jae-Seong seemed overwhelmed with excitement as his smile wasn''t contained in the slightest; grinning from ear-to-ear.

    "Looks like I made the right calling here. My boredom can finally be quenched."

    Continuing on with the list of participants, Sitri didn''t waste any time as his voice boomed through the densely packed room.

    "Arsya, Representative of Derjun!"

    Shining the spotlight onto the golden-skinned, silver-haired man who held a rxed smile, Sitri announced the collected-seeming man, who waved with two fingers. With unkempt, silver locks that only made his sky-like eyes stand out, hisvish garments almost seemed like a waste to wear in such a savage environment.

    Wearing a grey sherwani decorated with hexagonal patterns and a sable scarf over his shoulder, his celestial, unnatural eyes met directly with Ren''s own for a moment.

    Derjun...that was Goldheve''s homnd, right? Are they connected? No...I doubt it. I remember him telling me he was an exile, Ren thought.

    "He''s strong."

    Macheomented, his crimson eyes honing on the distant participant put into the spotlight.

    "You can tell as well?"

    "Of course."

    Replying to Valerie, Macheo''s tone didn''t change in the slightest--it was obvious he was dead serious about this tournament.

    "Kikomori, The Elusive!"

    Centering the mystical light to the next named challenger, it was ced over a familiar,nky figure wrapped in a white jumpsuit, with arms unnaturally long that hung past their own knees.

    "That''s��!"

    Recognizing them immediately, Ren fell short of words--the same reactioning from the two who were with him in the skirmish.

    "Kikomori��? What is he doing here?"

    "Huh? You know that freak?"

    Looking down at the beige-haired girl who stood beside him, he was caught off-guard by the young girl recognizing the enigmatic, malicious figure standing in the far corner.

    "Everyone in Akitein does...he''s the leader of a bandit group known as the "Bane of The Breathing". Why is he here though��? I don''t understand��"

    "I''ve been asking myself that a lot recently."

    Macheo muttered as he shot a nce at the round-rimmed sses wearing otherworlder standing behind him, who gave him a slight chuckle.

    "Yuri, Lucrauv''s Coldest Captain!"

    "Jae-Seong, One of The Eight Heavenly Kings!"

    Taking advantage of the spotlight, Jae-Seong smiled brightly as he introduced himself with an over-the-top spin followed by a wave of his hand.

    "Iris, The Ounder!"

    "Ren, The New Ounder!"

    Hearing their names introduced with such controversial titles, the two winced at this--feeling eyes fall onto them.

    "Did he have to give such sensitive information away��?"

    Muttering under his breath with a wry smile, Ren followed with a perturbed sigh.

    "Really��"

    Iris whispered as well, rubbing her arms out of sheer shyness as her cheeks took a warm, red tinge under the spotlight.

    "Valerie, The Royal Knight!"

    "Hongse, The Glutton!"

    Gah, what? That''s not very intimidating! Hongse gasped.

    "Aiko, The Young!"

    Gasping at this vexing title, Aiko''s cheeks turned to a peek as they puffed up in a pout--luring in augh from Ren and Macheo--who earned themselves quick jabs to the sides from the short, beige-haired girl.

    "Macheo, The Twisted!"

    "Hey, what the hell?!"

    Yelling out at his own title was called out, Macheo gritted his teeth, pointing his fist towards the overseer across the room.

    "That''s rough, buddy."

    Ren ced his hand on his golden-hairedpanion''s shoulder with a teasing smile, quickly having his hand swatted away as Aiko took revenge with her own snicker.

    "Gggher, The Gnt!"

    Hearing that name be called, the spotlight finally revealed to Ren the participant he was most curious about. Revealed by the discerning, orange light, a tall, well-seeming man was presented, wearingvish, but practical armor clearly reminiscent of a proper knight. With a fair face and luscious, hazel locks, it was clear to Ren that there was no resemnce at all to the skeletal merchant.

    Still, what are the chances of a coincidence like that? Ren sighed.

 Chapter 302 - The Day Is Set

    "Daciana, The Alpha!"

    Given his moment in the light, a man with fluffy, wolf ears was revealed--clearly not interested in the attention as he kept his gaze down and his hands stuffed into the pockets of his taut trousers.

    Past his messy, ashen gray hair, it was only for a moment--but Ren saw his sharp, golden irises be revealed.

    "Is he a demi-human--like you both?"

    Pointing this question at the red-furred panda and the beautiful, draconic knight, Ren turned to face them as Valerie looked at Hongse as if telling him to take charge of the answer.

    "It''s a bit of a generalization, but yup! I''ve never heard of him, but he looks like a fellow adventurer to me...if I had to take a guess, he''s probably from one of the wolf tribes."

    "Mm....awesome."

    Really sinking into the fantasy aspect of this world for some reason, Ren smiled at this information--earning a chuckle from Hongse who was d to fuel the young man''s curiosity.

    "Ju-Long, The Flowing Mountain!"

    This time, the spotlight couldn''t be any clearer as the challenger who was presented was absolutely massive. Standing a hair clear of two and a half meters, his frame was just as impressive, possessing a physique that harbored between tubby and muscr--a frightening wall of a man.

    Holding his blonde locks in a ponytail, wearing only a simple, white robe over his massive temple of flesh.

    Is that guy a floor boss?! Ren thought.

    Bigger they are, the harder they fall, Macheo thought.

    A true rival to my eating prowess, Hongse thought.

    "Fedrin, The Unbreakable!"

    A collected, rather nd looking elven man; tall and slender with little muscle mass to be seen under his sage-green robes, covered further by an oak-brown cape with white strings enting the shoulder. The only thing that truly stood out were his amethyst eyes, packed full of calm, vibrant resolve.

    An elf! Ren thought with a smile.

    So calm in an environment like this, all by himself...Aiko thought.

    Looks weak, Valerie sighed.

    "Bakar, The Radiant!"

    Contrary to his exciting epithet given to him, the one under the spotlight was small in stature, further brought down by a ragged, dirtied cloak that almost covered the man in his entirety, save for his long, white beard that hung low.

    An old-timer, huh? Ren thought.

    I''m rooting for you, Gramps! Jae-Seong smiled.

    "Meltrisse, The Witch!"

    Atst, the continuous streak of men being shown was broken, much to the liking of Ren and Jae-Seong as they leaned forward the most out of any others in the group.

    Wearing a long set of white mage robes, designed with buttons in the shape of stars and cobalt ents running along her curves, the woman smiled with a sly confidence, disying her glossy lipstick and extravagant irises that sat between a mixture of the sky and cosmos. Strolling down her shoulders and back were straight, purple locks that sat just beneath her pointed hat.

    Ten-out-of-ten, Ren thought.

    Maybe I can sneak out to her room tonight, maybe get her to a nice dinner date in the recreational area~ Jae-Seong smiled.

    Though these lecherous thoughts by the two men were shut down by Iris and Yuri''s stone cold res, setting the menpletely straight.

    "Mencius, The Schr!" 16

    Standing with his arms neatly kept over his chest, hidden away in the baggy sleeves of his unique, colorful shenyi, the man looked no older than his early twenties, holding a soft, warm smile.

    With a base of verdant fabric, thevish robes he wore were dashed with roses, lilies, peony, lotus, and osmanthus flowers--a beautiful design reminiscent of a serene garden.

    Makes me really miss the fresh air of the outside world...Ren thought.

    "Beautiful��"

    Irismented under her breath at the man''s calming outfit. It wasn''t just his clothes; his fair, effeminate face was added to this serenity; his long, straightened locks of a verdancy matched only by the beauty of spring flowed down.

    Normally, Ren would find himself somewhat jealous of thisment from her--but this thought was the consensus of them all.

    "Sicarius, The Roaming Death!"

    Ren could feel it again; this name was one that exiled the stillness of the group--and it wasn''t just them, the other challengers in the room drew all their gazes to the man in the spotlight without hesitation.

    "Another famous name, I''m assuming?"

    "More like infamous��"

    Muttering in response to Ren''s smart-mouthed question, Macheo massaged his wooden arm out of nervousness as all eyes were on the man in the spotlight<novelnext></novelnext>

    If there was anybody who looked less than weing of the attention, it was him; with tan, brown skin covered in scars from the rare portions of his skin seen under his all ck garments, further covered beneath a slick cloak--the man was clearly experienced inbat.

    His shaggy, salt and pepper hair nearly covered his cold, olive eyes that stared at nobody, keeping his lips cut, which seemed to be nicked by a small scar.

    The first thing that popped into Ren''s mind upon seeing this man was the striking resemnce to Goldheve, not strictly by appearance--but that cold, brutal aura that sat stagnant over him.

    "..."Sicarius", it''s less of a name and more of a title inherited by the most powerful assassin within the Ind of Divinum Lapis. It''s only rumors and hearsay, but I heard the bare minimum to be the next Sicarius is to have assassinated over a hundred people--as well as to y a king."

    Exining this, even Hongse''s natural frivolity waspromised on the subject of the cold, stoic man standing in the center of the room, leaning against one of the pirs that supported the ceiling.

    "Ind of Divinum Lapis��?"

    I''ve never heard of a ce like that. There''s still so much I''m ignorant of in this world...Ren thought.

    "It''s not a surprise for a neer to this world like you hasn''t heard of it. Though it''s recognized as a nation, it''s isted to a single ind, tucked on top of a colossal mountain. To make matters worse, the bridge leading to the ind is famous in it''s own right--"The Crimson Stretch"--they call it, since a lot of unwee visitors find themselves in the bellies of the sea monsters inhabiting that region."

    Fiddling with her own vermillion drapes as she spoke of this, Valerie looked less than pleased to bring up the foreign, mysteriousnd.

    "I don''t know much about it either...I mostly know what Beatrice teaches me, and the Ind of Divinum Lapis isn''t much of a yer in the politics of this world from what I hear. They mostly keep to themselves and limit outsiders."

    Iris muttered, seeing that Ren was giving her a stare as if asking "why didn''t you tell me about this ce?", though it was understandable.

    "Well...sounds like even more trouble for us."

    Letting out a frustrated breath, Ren ruffled his snowy locks at this newly found information, taking onest look at the deadly assassin before the spotlight was moved.

    "Only one more left, right?"

    "Mhm."

    Ren''s utterance was confirmed by the girl next to them as the room fell silent in anticipation of the verystpetitor to be named.

    "Leo, The Burning Pride!"

    "...!"

    Both Ren and Aiko felt their stomachs drop at the call of the familiar name that grated against their ears.

    All at once, the memories so fervently he tried to repress had flooded to the forefront of his mind; the darkest hour of his life, fighting a fight he chose--sumbing to his own bloodlust against the twisted, depraved bandits of Purgatory.

    As his breathing became heavy and heated, he squeezed his fists tightly as his eyesid on the stomach-churning, crimson coat the man wore, and his unmistakable, messy mane of orange hair.

    "Ren��?"

    "You okay, man?"

    The words of his worriedrades were deaf on his ringing ears as his own heartbeat felt as if it was thumping right up against his eardrums.

    Why is he here? What kind of sick, twisted bullshit is this? He thought.

    Just as the signal traveled from his brain to his left leg for him to step forward, he was brought out of this trance by his arm suddenly being grasped in the small, but tough gauntlets of the young girl standing near him.

    "Don''t, Ren��"

    Looking down at her with his eyes that for a moment fell to violence, he could see the pained look present in her amethyst irises--feeling how her grasp trembled against his arm as she desperately avoided looking in the direction of the monstrous bandit.

    "Aiko��"

    Calming down, he gently put his hand atop the girl''s head as he settled his breath into a calm rhythm.

    "What''s up with you two? Did you know that guy?"

    ? Macheo''s question wasn''t asked innocently--if it wasn''t clear by the glint in his crimson, royal irises, it was by how much Ren hade to know the young man.

    If I told him what Leo did...I don''t think Macheo would have the same restraint, he thought.

    Looking down at Aiko, the girl gave him a slight shake of her head to withhold giving the hot-headed noble the truth about the finalpetitor.

    "Nothing...he just looks like someone we had trouble with before--that''s all."

    Putting a smile on his face, Ren assured the golden-haired Lucrauvian, who still stared intently at him for a few moments with inquisitive eyes before sumbing to this answer with a sigh, folding his arms across his chest.

    "If you say so."

    Phew, looks like he bought it, Ren thought.

    "Alright,petitors! The first round of the Champion''s Culling will begin tomorrow! The rules and brackets will be revealed before the start of the tournament--so cast aside your worries and take a nice, leisurely rest! There will be amodations prepared for you all--food, wine, anything you need--just summon Impy with a p and he will guide you to your wishes!"

    With thisst announcement from Sitri, the end of the preliminaries was set into stone--the eve of the tournament finally at hand.

 Chapter 303 - The First Bout

    "How am I supposed to sleep tonight, exactly?"

    Fiddling with his own fingers, Ren looked at the others present in the sizely, yetpact room filled with over a half dozen other people.

    "Right? It''s so exciting, isn''t it!?"

    Giddy at the thought of the tournament, Jae-Seong smiled widely as he was stretched out across one of the long, lounge sofas with his arms tucked behind his head.

    "Yeah, let''s call it that��"

    Ren sighed, looking to his side at the girl who sat directly beside him on the surprisinglyfortable sofa.

    Amidst the continuous chit chat between the others in his group present in their personalized quarters, Iris remained quiet; Hongse had already long since passed out after filling his belly with the aforementioned amodations--filling the room with his sleeping roars.

    "How''re you feeling?"

    "Mm....I don''t know really; my stomach is in knots��"

    Giving him a smile, Iris spoke softly despite clearly being doused in this bubbling, looming anxiety.

    "What about you? I bet you''re not scared, right? You''ve be so strong, after all...it''s still so hard to believe you''re the reckless crybaby I met a year ago."

    "Heh...a reckless crybaby, huh? As much as I''d like to deny it, I can''t. Still--I''m scared. Iris...I don''t know what you think of me--I mean as you see me right now, but I don''t think I''ve changed much. I guess...I''ve just gained a bit of perspective."

    Talking to her like this, he smiled softly as his eyes met with hers, though his words were met with a gentle shake of the young woman''s head as her azure curtains waved over her shoulders at the subtle movement.

    "...No, that''s wrong, Ren. To me, you''ve changedpletely. The Ren I see...is someone else entirely than the one you know��"

    It was hard for him to hear exactly what the words that slowly fell into a whisper from Iris'' mouth were, but the mncholic look in her glistening eyes prevented him from pressing her to rify.

    Though her words faintly met his ears, he could still gather their meaning--finding a bit of warmth gathered around his eyes as he looked down; seeing his body, wearing that lengthy coat, d in leather armor with a sword at his hip--it all felt so foreign at this moment.

    Someone else entirely?...Maybe that''s not so wrong. What was worth keeping of "Ren Nakamura" anyway? As you said...a reckless, useless crybaby who couldn''t save his one and only friend in this world. What''s the point of someone like that existing? He thought.

    Looking up for a moment, seeing therades he gathered in this realm, some talking, some brooding--all the same, a somber smile returned to his lips as he saw them.

    After all...I came here to change. I don''t regret who I might''ve be or who I will--I made some pretty good friends, he smiled, I was given a second chance by being brought here. A new life. A new me. It was my choice to discard the past; it was for the betterment of myself.

    "Ren?"

    "Yeah?"

    Returning his gaze to the azure-haired, pale-skinned girl sitting close beside him, his smile was challenged by that still present look of mncholy inhabiting her otherwise beautiful, radiant eyes as they stared at him intently.

    "I''m sorry...I shouldn''t have said all of that, I--"

    "No, it''s alright. I...don''t think you''re wrong. And it isn''t a bad thing--after all, the Ren Nakamura you knew wasn''t reliable, was he? He was useless, weak--not to mention an emotional mess, right?"

    Laughing at his own words with such a superficial frivolity, this attitude was quickly seen through by those discerning, azure jewels as they continued to look at him intently. Instead of that unknown sadness present in her eyes--there was a clear meaning behind that look.

    "Ren...just what happened exactly?"

    As this simple question was asked to him, the stillness of his heart, the dropping of his stomach--it felt like time stopped.

    Of course there were things she didn''t know, but what transpired in his time within Purgatory away from her wasn''t something he ever wanted to discuss. Just the alluded thought of it brought the fumes of blood running up his nose--remembering the aching of his fists, the crimson stain on his de--above all, these memories were better kept locked away, he resolved.

    It was then and only then did he notice a certain nuance to the gaze he received from the girl he gave so much of himself to; a realization that painted his heart with an agonizing crimson.

    It''s like...she''s looking at a stranger, he thought.

    "...What do you mean, Iris?"

    As much as he tried to y the fool to her words, he knew what she was asking--but his heart wanted to deny it.

    "Why are you trying so hard to abandon yourself? You''re talking like...the you I know is somebody else--a different existence. That''s��"

    "What''re you two over here looking all gloomy for!?"

    With her usual abrasiveness, the draconic knight barged into their sensitive conversation, plopping down between them as the stillness around Ren was torn away as he blinked for a moment--looking at the crimson-haired demi-human.

    Did she overhear us? He thought.

    "Valerie��"

    Iris didn''t exactly seem ecstatic about their conversation being cut short, but she wasn''t one to openlyin--simply cing her hands over his skirt as he looked down; it was clear as day to see just the amount of thoughts that ran through her head by her eyes that held the azure ins within them.

    "What''s up?"

    Trying to shake the persistent thoughts spurred by the words of the azure-haired Ounder, Ren put on a smile as he looked at the tall woman who packed on a bit of muscle herself.

    "Got any sort of game n? You know--going into this tournament?"

    "Mm...I don''t think I can really say I do besides "trying my hardest". Kind of impossible to n ahead when we don''t even know who we''re facing off against, right?"

    "Ha-ha! Good point!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    pping him right on the back after his response, Valerieughed--while not particrly rare, the volume of her heartyughter definitely was.

    Is she drunk? She kind of smells like booze. On the night before the tournament? Really? Ren sighed.

    Though, he couldn''t help but smile at this; looking around the room, the others were in good spirits despite the prospect of such an important event awaiting them in the morning toe.

    Easing himself against the cushy,fortable couch, he closed his eyes with a smile as the chit chat filling the room came as nothing more than white noise to him.

    I''ll win this whole thing for us, Iris. Whatever doubts you have about me--I''ll prove to you I''m the greatest iteration of Ren Nakamura you''veid your eyes on so far--that''s a promise, he thought.

    With this final thought, slumber came next as his exhausted body and mind called for rest.

    As a yawn escaped his lips, he quickly covered his mouth before rubbing his tiresome eyes. Sitting alone in a room inhabited by only himself, nine other participants, two steel benches attached to each side wall, and a hallway leading to the bowels of the arena, anxiousness flowed through his veins in surplus.

    I can''t even remember walking here...I''ll have to thank Macheo and Jae-Seongter for helping my tired ass get here, he thought.

    Remaining right beside him were Aiko, Hongse, and Jae-Seong; the other participants remained to themselves--though the pressure filling the room was something else.

    So many strong people all in one room; tense as hell, he thought.

    "When do you think they''re gonna start the matches?"

    "Any time now."

    Answering him, Jae-Seong, who stood with his back leaning against a wall, adjusted his circr shades with a smile that hinted at no worries for the tournament.

    "Still...keeping us separated like this, I don''t like it much��"

    "Well, it''s natural to split thepetitors into two halves, they probably don''t want first round opponents to be coercing with one another. Might ruin the jazz of the whole thing!"

    The "jazz" of it? Ren looked at Hongse.

    "Keep it down, would you? Giving me a damn headache."

    Speaking in a raspy, sharp tone, the wolven demi-human sitting across thepetitors'' quarters looked towards the bundled together group with his sharp, animalistic eyes.

    I remember him��"Daciana, The Alpha" I think. Grouchy much? Ren thought.

    "Heh, my bad."

    Scratching the back of his red and ck furred head, Hongse apologized with a hearty chuckle as the only response he received from the perturbed, fur-coat wearing demi-human man was a click of his tongue.

    "I hope the others are doing alright��"

    "Don''t be such a worrywart! Those bunch are tough--they should be worrying about us! Ha-ha!"

    Consoling the beige-haired girl with his gentle words and a pat on the head, the red-furred panda was as kind as ever.

    Some rules they gave us though...the only real rules stated were that killing is allowed...what the hell is up with that? I guess it''s to be expected in Purgatory, but still...that''s too much, Ren thought.

    As thepetitors within the room seemed to keep to themselves with the prospect of battle looming over them all equally, the silence was torn away by the loud, all-epassing voice of the tournament''s announcer.

    "Alright, folks! It''s time to start this thing off!"

    Roars resounded from the stadium with these words; the apuse and cheers burning through the winds with enough force to vibrate the somber, damp walls that made up the waiting room of thebatants.

    It was difficult to see from his seated position, but the gaps in the walls allowed those within the room to spectate the battles--he could see just a glimpse of what sat in the arena; just how many spectators were present.

    Are there that many beings within Purgatory? Besides participants��? He thought.

    "I, Asmodeus, will be your host today! First things first, let''s make sure the barriers are in full order!"

    With a snap of his fingers, the pale as snow demon with locks as crimson as theye revealed the existence of the magical barrier outlining the arena; stretching around its perimeter and reaching high to protect those in the stands.

    Of all the demons seen so far, Asmodeus possessed the most unnatural appearance; if it wasn''t his skin that possessed an unnatural paleness, it was his lips that seemed to wear ck lipstick with matching, lengthy nails. The suit he wore was just as entric: lined with fluffy, sable fur with the cuffs of his crimson suit inhabiting the same fluff.

    "All set. Now, I''m sure you''re all excited for the very first round of this grand bout, right?"

    Spreading his arms to wee his answer as he smiled, his triangr, iridescent irises beaming as roars responded to his question in agreement.

    "That''s what I like to hear...now, let''s start this thing off!"

    Who is it going to be��? We totally missed the bracket announcement because I overslept...Ren thought.

    "Mencius, from the left quadrant, please make your way to the arena!"

    A noticeable silence upied the room in the pause after these words--only the sound of his own heart beating filled his ears as he waited for the name of the first contestant from the right quadrant to be called forth.

    "Hongse, from the right quadrant, please make your way to the arena!"

    With this unmistakable announcement hailing from the host of the tournament, it was set into stone.

 Chapter 304 - Wisdom Of Spring

    "Hongse, from the right quadrant, please make your way to the arena!"

    With this unmistakable announcement hailing from the host of the tournament, it was set into stone. Standing up from his seat on the bench and rolling his fluffy shoulders, the panda demi-human gave a thumbs-up to hispanions.

    "Hongse��"

    "Wish me luck!"

    "Good luck!"

    Jae-Seong gave the red-furred, giant panda a thumbs-up in return along with a smile that the two shared.

    "Give ''em hell!"

    Ridding himself of his silence, Ren called out to the reliable, fluffy demi-human with his motivational words.

    "Come on, Aiko, say something."

    Nudging the girl with his elbow, Ren pushed the meek, quiet girl to speak up before the panda disappeared down the hall..

    "...Win this, Hongse��!"

    "Yeah!"

    Bringing themselves to the windows that allowed them to witness the uing battle, the anxious members of the Weltwanderers finally got a good look at the arena. The floor was made up of tough, bountiful sand while it was overlooked byvish balconies encircling it, watched by the many, nobley-dressed demons.

    "It''s freaking huge��"

    Ren muttered, seeing how far it truly stretched, and just how high the ceiling was--leaving room for many, many floors for observers to witness the tournament.

    "Well, you know how strong mages who''ve surpassed the first floor are, right? They need a bit of breathing room."

    Jae-Seongmented, remaining in the same spot, only with his head turned to get a view of the arena.

    ? "Mencius...I''m curious what kind of fighter he is."

    "You too? He''s quite the tough run to read just from a nce, isn''t he?"

    Now standing closely beside Ren, Jae-Seong spectated alongside him as they witnessed the opponent of Hongse reveal himself at the end of the other passageway leading to the tournament.

    With a calm smile that revealed nothing of himself; no such doubt or arrogance, the effeminate man of a slender build hidden by his baggy, serene robes entered the fray with his hands still tucked into his sleeves.

    "Don''t underestimate him."

    Coming from a voice as deep as theye, yet softly spoke, these words weren''t from anybody Ren was familiar with.

    Turning to face this unknown speaker, he nearly jumped at the sight of the towering, wide-set figure standing directly behind him.

    "You''re��!"

    "Ju-Long; forgive me if I snuck up on you."

    Bowing his head crowned with golden locks, the tan-skinned man wearing only simple robes over his temple of muscr flesh apologized.

    He''s much more polite than I expected from someone like him...guess you really can''t judge a book by its cover. I''ll just be thankful it seems barely anypetitors chose to wait in here. It''s not like it''s required...but I wouldn''t want to risk being disqualified based on beingte, Ren thought.

    "It''s alright...do you know that guy out there?"

    "You''d be hard-pressed to find someone in Jinyue who doesn''t know the name "Mencius". He hails from a special n upying the Great Range of The Azure-Scaled...the "Jingpohuai". Although they''re isted from most of Jinyue, their reputation precedes them."

    "The Jingpohuai��?"

    Looking at hispanions standing near him, they returned his perplexed expression with zero answers themselves.

    Ju-Long nodded his head, having to squat down with his powerful legs to bring his gaze low enough to see through the spectator window of the room.

    "To call it a n may be a bit disingenuous; it isn''t limited by bloodlines, but by a mindset, resolve, and belief. The Jingpohuai are an organization of Jinyue''s brightest schrs, but also their greatest warriors at the same time. They follow the belief that the summit of strength exists in tandem with the peak of knowledge."

    Though he spoke softly, his presence alone was almost suffocating--existing as a man who possessed a size at least four times that of Ren himself. Even so, these words were heeded; absorbed by those listening.

    "Schrs...and warriors?"

    "Interesting; I ought to visit Jinyue someday...your homnd is quite the ce, Ju-Long."

    "Hoh, is that your way of asking for an invitation?"

    Sharing augh with Jae-Seong in response to his words, Ju-Longughed with his bellowing core, his mighty breaths pelting against Ren''s body like the winds of winter.

    "Be careful, Hongse��"

    Muttering this, it began to sink in for him that the foe ahead of the demi-human may be far exceeding his expectations.

    "Wow, a lot of eyes on me! I feel special, he-he."

    Looking up at the towering stands that overlooked the vast arena, coupled with dazzling, beautifully carved gemstones hanging from the ceiling to invoke a force reminiscent of the sunshine, Hongse stood in the center of the battlefield as his opponent waited patiently.

    "Mr. Hongse, is it? It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance; it isn''t everyday one from mynd is greeted by one from Vesta."

    Bowing his head as his spring-decorated hanfu remained still, the softly-spoken, fair-skinned man greeted his designated opponent.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Nice to meet you too! Mencius, right? Just to let you know--I''m not going to take it easy on you."

    Following his return of the greeting with a drop of his tone, the red-furred panda manifested his trusty, behemoth of a weapon into his grip, leaning it over his shoulder.

    "I wouldn''t dream of it. Fight me with everything you have, Mr. Hongse."

    As his straight, verdant locks draped over both his shoulder and chest like bountiful spring fields, Mencius raised his head once more as his eyes, which held a kaleidoscope of verdancy, fell onto his demi-human opponent who far surpassed him in size.

    "Alright then, let''s get this show on the road! Remember, the match ends when either your opponent is left unable to continue fighting, by death or injury! Put your bets in now, folks! Hongse versus Mencius...begins now!"

    Without any hesitation, the heavyset panda charged forward with his hammer in hand. Reaching his opponent''s position quickly, Hongse flipped the hammer between his hands before mming it down��being evaded swiftly by his much thinner foe.

    Even with a build like that, he''s quite agile, Mencius thought.

    "If you hit a frail man like me directly with thatst attack, you might''ve really killed me, you know?"

    Jumping back without much weight to hisnding on the firm sand, Mencius retained his smile as he looked at the crimson panda.

    "Then you''re lucky it didn''tnd��let''s see if that fortune holds up!"

    Stomping his fur-padded foot against the floor made of abundant, dry grain, the boisterous panda sent a tremor through the arena.

    "Hoh��such tremendous strength; the tales are true of the unmatched physical prowess of demi-humans."

    Reconfiguring his bnce amidst the vibrating ground, Mencius smiled slyly before sending his own foot down in return��cancelling the tremor.

    "I''m d I came here��to Purgatory. The realm unknown to text, to history��and that draws in all sorts of people from across Gaia."

    Did he cancel it out with raw strength��? Hongse wondered.

    Finally separating his hands from his sleeves, something else was revealed alongside the man''s uncalloused hands; the shine of an iridescent de, slipping out from his baggy, verdant sleeve.

    "That sword��"

    Left in awe at the radiance of the sword that looked more like a piece of art than a tool of violence, Ren couldn''t help butment as every pair of eyes watching the battle fell on its form.

    "So it''s true��he possesses it."

    "It?"

    Looking up at Ju-Long despite him being squatted down, his eyes met on the form of the de in more surprise than awe.

    "That''s one of the Ten Treasured des of Lim, Juque��"Great Destroyer"��in all of Jinyue, they are the most renowned treasures. That fool��!"

    "��Fool!?"

    Moving back a bit at Ju-Long''s rise in volume, his booming voice meeting his ears like an amp, Ren looked closely at the man who now seemed angered by the existence of the legendary sword.

    "To bring a treasure into Purgatory, to risk it being lost in this realm forever��the emperor himself would have his head for such insolence!"

    Even hearing these angered words fly from Ju-Long''s maw as veins pressed against the man''s body which looked as if it was carved from a mountain of steel, Ren felt somewhat grateful just to be able to witness the beauty of that de.

    In truth, it was like nothing else he hadid his eyes on in that world or his. Striking a bnce between a shifting crimson and a flowing azure, the shine of the de seemed to transfigure itself on its own--without the assistance of light.

    Held in the delicate seeming hand of the schr, the hilt of the famed sword wasyered in a pale-white steel, ented with both jewels and gold, engraved with meticulously-made markings. Through the length of the immactely sharp de, it was definitely a swordsword, but the innate power emanating from it was unmistakable--it was without a doubt, a mystical weapon.

    In truth, I am weak. Of all the Jingpohuai, I could think of many names more deserving than I to wield such a de, but nheless; I wield it, Mencius thought, not because I discovered it, buried under the ruins of the forgotten emperor, not because I was elected the rightful wielder of the de.

    But because I chose it to be mine.

    That choice, with this de in my hand, with the surmounting of this realm in my future--is why I will one day lead the Jingpohuai, he thought.

    "That''s "Juque", isn''t it?"

    Hearing the red-furred demi-human discern the identity of the de with a single nce spurred an inquisitive look from Mencius as he reced his momentary confusion with his usual, collected smile.

    "You can recognize it?"

    "Well, I''m an adventurer, after all. If I couldn''t recognize one of the Ten Treasured des, I''d probably turn my badge in myself."

    "You amuse me with your modesty, one from Vesta! You''re a schr yourself, are you not? Most adventurers only pursue such a path in hopes of vast riches and luxuries to be discovered, but you''re different--you stand at the origin of it; the reason why adventurers exist."

    Holding the de in front of him as if careful of its power, pointing it towards the demi-human, Mencius spoke without any restraint to the crimson panda, who was more interested in twiddling with his leather armor.

    "..."

    "Don''t get me wrong; I don''t have any contempt for adventurers, but as a schr--I feel we more often than not are lumped in with the likes of them. You, however, I''ll dly share a title with."

    "Are you done yet? You really shouldn''t ramble on so much in the middle of a fight; are you sure you''re taking this seriously?"

    Hongse''s nonchnt response took the calcting man out of his cold air as he narrowed his verdant eyes on the demi-human, shaking his head slowly with a smile as he sighed.

    "I suppose I was mistaken; you''re not worth indulging."

    Waving his arm that wielded no such de as his robes designed with flowers flowed with his movement, the schr hailing from the mysterious, isted kingdom of Jinyue manifested from the lifeless terrain a plethora of roots, stretching out as if being awoken from a deep slumber.

    "I should properly introduce myself; I am Mencius, Spring of the Jingpohuai--I shall now enact your defeat."

 Chapter 305 - Beast V Spring

    "I should properly introduce myself; I am Mencius, Spring of the Jingpohuai--I shall now enact your defeat."

    It could be gathered from the reactions of those in the stands, propelling a mixture of gasps and awes at the revtion of such magic, that it was an unexpected reveal.

    "Gaia magic, huh?"

    "Hmm...Hongse told me about his magic while we were doing the qualifiers; "Zhou Shen", or magic of the hearth. It''s a derivative of fire, but��"

    Putting his hand on his chin, Jae-Seong''s words trailed off as he honed his eyes on the birthed roots stretching up high into the vast space of the arena.

    "But?"

    Looking at the man that he recognized as more knowledgeable than himself, Ren awaited an answer.

    "I don''t take Hongse for much of a spell-caster, to me he definitely strikes me as a warrior...I mean, the giant hammer speaks for itself, you know? Against a full-blown wielder of Gaia magic, especially someone who manifests and maniptes nature, getting close can be extremely tricky."

    "Is that right? I''m more inclined to believe that fluffy guy can brute force his way through that."

    Ren''s smiling words in reply to Jae-Seong were met with a softugh from the sses-wearing man before their talk fell to silence as the sh of the twopetitors was quickly approaching. Contorting and twisting, the lively roots pointed towards the panda with their sharp ends as if looking at prey.

    Using a spell without an incantation? Mages like this are the worst to fight; ignoring the advantage of not having to waste time using an incantation, it also makes it difficult to discern the spell��Hongse thought.

    "Anyway, my best bet then is��!"

    As he lifted his hammer that took a beige tinge, twirling it above his head, it suddenly multiplied in size--the head of the weapon itself challenging the size of a small person.

    "Art of Zao Shen: Advent of The Harvest!"

    This hammer is not just some tool! Fuwuqi is a part of me--it''s bound to I, and I to it! That''s why the Art of Zao Shen is also its power! He thought.

    With a hammerrge enough to twist the winds in its spinning movements, Hongse leapt into the air, swinging his weapon back as he prepared to crash it down towards his foe.

    "Damn, I didn''t take the big guy as someone willing to kill."

    Spectating the fight from the side opposite of Ren''s, Macheo watched the demi-human''s attack beunched.

    "You''re not wrong. Hongse isn''t the type to kill."

    Without batting an eye at this maneuver, Valerie spoke calmly with her arms folded across her chest, supported by her plump mounds.

    "Then what the hell is he nning?"

    "Who knows? That guy is as unpredictable as theye."

    Smiling to herself with her naturally glossy lips, the draconic knight watched the red-furred panda begin to plummet.

    "Not happening."

    Calling in the plentiful roots he manifested, Mencius gathered a dome of natural wood around himself; the sound of the inflexible material being forcibly stretched filled the arena with creaks.

    Crashing down against the dome of nature with a roar, Hongsended hammer-first as the wind cracked and hissed under such strength.

    "He went on the defensive��"

    Aikomented quietly, having to stand on the tips of her toes to witness the battle.

    "Is that the right move? He''s made himself a sitting duck for Hongse."

    "I wouldn''t be so sure; Mencius is a renowned schr, no?"

    Pointing these words more so towards Ju-Long, who remained mostly silent as he intently witnessed the battle, the man nodded his head slowly in response to Jae-Seong.

    "I''d venture to say that right now��Mencius has the advantage."

    I''m just noticing it��but that stance, Ren thought.

    Looking at the way Ju-Long squatted down; his feet firmly nted and squared��it was reminiscent of a position sumo wrestlers took.

    However, this momentary distraction was dragged away by roars from the audience��shifting his attention back to the battle to witness something birthed only by magic.

    The stagnant dome formed of wood had revealed its malicious nature, countering the demi-humans attack as spear-like formations of roots shot out towards the panda.

    "Woah! Woah! Woah!"

    Stumbling about as he maneuvered out of the range of the malevolent roots, the panda''s dodges couldn''t look any more unrefined as he jumped away from the dome''s form.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That was close!"

    Letting out a relieved breath after narrowly escaping the ends of the spear-like roots, Hongse wiped his forehead as if removing sweat.

    Still, even if he found himself out of the range of the tendrils of nature��there was still a problem.

    He''s up to something in there, and to make matters worse��I can''t see a damn thing he''s doing. Trying to break it could just end up with a bunch of holes in my body. To top it off, he immediately rebuilt the damage I did to it! Hongse thought.

    Remaining still, the towering panda-man nted his sizable hammer into the sand-covered ground as he watched therge dome amidst the center of the arena.

    "What''s he doing? This is exactly what that scheming bastard probably wants from him!"

    Gripping the sill of the window as he called out without any restraint, Macheo was promptly pulled back by the draconic knight who stood head and shoulders above him, pulling him back like a raging kid.

    "Unhand me, you oversized woman!"

    Macheo knew as soon as those words slipped from his lips the wrath he had invoked, receiving a swift smack against the head from the metallic knuckles of Valerie''s gauntlets.

    "Cut it out, would you!? You''re going to get him disqualified with that crap!"

    Being reprimanded by the fiery-headed demi-human, the young Lucrauvian noble clicked his tongue before folding his arms across his chest.

    Watching this, Iris interjected to try and break up the ming tension between the two hotheads, gently waving her hand with a nervous chuckle, "I think we should just support Hongse with everything we have, okay?"

    "Okay."

    "Yeah."

    Just seeing her bright smile that epassed the very facette of light itself, the two broke up their quarrel as their eyes returned to the fight.

    "Like I said though, kid--Hongse knows what he''s doing. Despite his personality, he''s a smart guy--probably one of the smartest I know. All I''ll say is...Hongse ate a feastst night."

    "Huh? The hell does that have to do with a fight?"

    "Just watch."

    Holding a confident smile, Valerie''s eyes were on the red-furred panda as he was busy inhaling arge breath into his lungs.

    The obvious move would be to attack me with those roots while you stay all nice and cozy in your little sphere there, but you aren''t. That tells me two things: the reach of his roots is probably limited, and he can''t see past his own dome.

    Which means he''spletely in the dark unless I make direct contact with the form of that dome, Hongse thought.

    Deducing this, the panda with fur exhibiting a mix of crimson and ck took a stance; spreading his arms and nting his feet against the stand as if preparing to wrestle.

    "You were curious about demi-humans, right? I''ll give you a lesson on our most prized abilities then!"

    Suddenly, the usual chubby body of the panda bulked up with muscrity that presented itself even underneath the heavy coat of fur. The sable ws he possessed, that were mostly left retracted into his dexterous paws, extended out like curved daggers being unsheathed from fluffy sheaths.

    Breath left the maw of the bulked-up panda like steam, rising from the sides of his slightly parted mouth as his fangs were on full disy.

    As this change seemed to catch the eye of the audience, who watched closely, Asmodeus, stationed far above the arena, posted on an isted balcony decorated with a crimson curtain, made ament that reached all ears present, "Are you seeing what I''m seeing, folks? It seems a rousing development ising from the powerhouse panda!"

    "Wait, isn''t that totally cheating?!"

    Ren stuck his head partially through the small window that led to the outskirts of the arena, yelling out as he listened to the announcer.

    "Yeah...I''d say it''s an oversight on their part, but knowing how the demons are��"

    Speaking as if trying to avoid her words catching the ears of entities that shouldn''t be privy to such information, Aiko twiddled with her fingers, sweating visibly as the anxiousness of watching apanion fight was definitely getting to her.

    "Not to y Devil''s Advocate or anything, but I think it could work both ways."

    "And how do you gather that, Jae-Seong?"

    Looking at the taller man with a raised eyebrow, Ren pressed him for an answer as all seriousness was left behind by that frivolous smile stered on his unfairly fair face.

    "Just think about it: even if Mencius heard the announcer, he doesn''t know exactly what he''s talking about. He''ll be left guessing, and be left with the choice of maintaining his advantageous position, or revealing himself and getting a peak at his opponent. Basically, this information is going to runps in that guy''s head."

    Holding an O-K sign up with his hand, Jae-Seong winked at the white-haired young man--which was surprisingly enough to buy a smile from Ren, who sighed softly.

    "Truthfully, I think it''d be best if we shut our mouths and let Hongse speak with his actions."

    Jae-Seong''s words were the consensus; all eyes fell on the bulked-up, steaming demi-human as silence filled the room.

 Chapter 306 - Stand, Hongse

    Exhaling a plentiful breath as hot as steam from his maw, Hongse''s kind eyes fell to an animalistic sense as he hunched over, swaying slightly before bursting forth with an incredible speed unfitting for an entity of his size.

    A cloud of sand was kicked up in his wake, seemingly charging forth not with unmatched brazenness, but the ferocity of a beast--running towards the murderous dome with a roar escaping his jaws.

    Crashing against the dome with his shoulder, a thunderous impact traveled through the perimeter of the arena, brushing against the magical barriers that protected outsiders. The integrity of the durable shield of wood was tested as Hongse began mming his fists like a wild beast against its form, shaking it immensely with each hit.

    In response to this quicklyunched assault, the viscous roots once more shot out towards the beastly demi-human, stretching forth and zipping in the air to encircle the panda with a sea of rootnces.

    "What is this strength��? The quick session of blows couldn''t be from the usage of that heavy hammer. He''s doing this with just his body?"

    From within the dome that remained full of shadows as it was isted from light, Mencius was surrounded by the vibrations of the panda''s repeated blows.

    "You fool, I can sense exactly where you are if you attack like that��!"

    Opening his verdant eyes with a sharp glint present in them, the schr pressed his hand forward towards the direction of the resounding, blunt impacts..

    Protruding from the spot directly in front of Hongse, arge, condensed bundle of roots shot forward with the intent to pierce his flesh.

    Though, the spectators once more found themselves agasp, this time at the sheer agility of the brawny demi-human as he swung himself around therge formation of nature, using his sharp, powerful ws for leverage. Due to the unnatural, unforeseen movement, the iing roots missed their mark--eithernding against the ground or directly against the very dome they protected.

    It was with those very ws, encircling the radius of the newly formed spiky defense of the dome, that the spear was cut away--leaving a vulnerableyer to the persistent shield.

    "What''s he nning? The once hammer-wielding demi-human is now on a melee-filled assault!"

    Coming from the announcer''s all-epassing voice, even his words fell second to the long, drawn in breath taken in by Hongse as his chest puffed out.

    The steamy breaths that trickled from the sides of his maw became hints of mes before he finally parted his jaws in full, revealing a burning, crimson essence bubbling from the bowels of his being.

    Out from his mouth poured the viscous, roaring mes,ced with his animalistic nature as they wildly danced across the surface of the sturdy dome. Pressing and tearing against the vitally unprotected spot of the structure of intertwined roots, the bright, crimson mes are impossible to be ignored.

    "mes��? From his mouth? How?..."

    Witnessing this, Aiko''s question uttered in disbelief seemed to be shared with Ren as he watched in shock and awe alongside the girl, "I guess he really does possess a subset of fire magic, huh? Still...shooting it from his mouth!?"

    Feeling the heat of these newly birthed mes eat away at his protective dome, Mencius began to sweat as the dome wasn''t built to handle such wild temperatures, loosening the buttons that led his cor to cling close to his neck.

    I can''t manipte the roots any longer, save for ridding the dome altogether...if I do that, those mes will swallow me up right away, he thought.

    The steam from the rampant mes began to slip through the slightly exposed openings in the previously tight structure, filling the interior and rising to its ceiling as the heat swelled up.

    "Forgive me, Hongse...but I''ll be using this sword a bit brazenly now."

    With a nervous smile and a body d in sweat, Mencius tore away his flower-decorated robes and headpiece, now wearing only his baggy, olive pants and slippers as he lifted his jeweled de up with a heavy breath.

    Taking on a radiant glow, the de''s radiance pierced the steamy, isted room as the mixture of savage roars both from the panda and the mes he birthed pelted against the structure of nature.

    "Graaah---!"

    With a heavy swing of his thin arm, Mencius yelled out as the renowned de released forth an unknown pressure.

    The light that released from it was as if peering into a kaleidoscope, dazzling and bright enough to take hold of one''s senses; though all magnificence was set on the overwhelming force unleashed from a simple sh of the de against the air.

    Unleashing towards the center of the me''s wrath, the luminescence of Juque didn''t pierce or cut away at the dome, but instead burrowed through it with its destructive essence--crashing against the form of Hongse as the light crashed against the other end of the arena.

    "Hongse��!"

    "Hongse!"

    "No��!"

    All at once, those who rooted for the panda found themselves swallowed by the harrowing reality of the match.

    As the tunnel of twirling lights that emitted an ear-drilling set of vibrations through the space of the massive arena faded, Hongse was left slumped against the wall with his maw agape.

    "Is he��?"

    "No way he''s dead; it''d take a lot more to take him down��!"

    Answering Aiko''s tear-lined utterance, Ren gripped the sill of the viewing window tight enough to begin to crack it as he watched with a beating heart.

    Get up, Hongse! This was the shared wish of every Weltwanderer who watched so intently.

    Coughing up smoke from his mouth, the panda miraculously began to stand up, wobbling and swaying--but standing up nheless as he shook the sand from his fur.

    "Hongse!"

    Calling out in unison, Ren and Aiko smiled like children on Christmas morning at the sight of theirrade rising to his feet.

    "I knew it, the tough bastard wouldn''t go down like that!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Macheo smiled, pping the bicep of his only flesh-bound arm as he clenched his fist tightly at the reassuring scenery.

    Leaving the bounds of his desecrated, ming dome, Mencius coughed out the smoke that traveled into his lungs, wiping the sweat from his chin as his long, flowing, verdant locks were swayed in the passing winds within the arena.

    Lecherous whistles came from the stands at the sight of the man who would more urately be described as beautiful than handsome.

    "What a powerful showing of power from Mencius! Things aren''t looking so great for the savage Hongse!"

    Though the neutral words from the announcer hurt to hear, those who favored Hongse knew it was true.

    "I underestimated you, Hongse. That wasn''t a bad maneuver."

    Standing atop a mound of sand as he held his treasured sword at his side, Mencius looked down at the demi-human who seemed like a strengthened gust of wind would blow him over.

    "But you''re finished."

    Catching a glimpse of the iridescent de he held between his fingers, Mencius paused for a moment.

    Why am I hesitating? I could strike him down right now...but seeing him like that; standing up by sheer will. Can it be...I''ve grown to enjoy fighting? I wonder when that started��? He thought.

    "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"

    Following each statement of the word, a smack on the head with a fan made of light-blue parchment was enacted against the boy.

    "Sorry, Teacher��"

    Sitting on his knees on the damp stone amidst the secluded garden, the young man apologized with his head slumped down.

    As a child, the surrounding scenery of Quitudi, the region carved off from the rest of Jinyue solely for the Jingpohuai, was burned into my memory. Towering statues stood so tall, lining thend like watchful mountains as clouds passed through their form; I listened to tales of the "Old Watchers of Quitudi" and how they would wander on some nights--which was just an exnation for quakes.

    Still, that of mysticism still existed in Quitudi--the region experienced extremities at a frequent rate; tremors, storms, all alike, across all seasons.

    Despite this, thend was beautiful, vibrant with flourishing nature as the hills stoodthered in flowers, yet I couldn''t appreciate this as a young apprentice.

    My thoughts were flooded only with meeting the expectations of my teacher--a man well renowned within the Jingpohuai.

    "I don''t want apologies, Mencius, I want results. You''re a savant with the quill, but the moment a de is in your hands, it''s like you turn into a drunk toddler!"

    The man scolding him wore shenyi possessing an all-ck base, decorated only with designs of flowing waterfalls of azure waters. Holding the fan up to obscure his mouth, the figure of authority looked down at the reprimanded boy with his sharp, magenta irises as his matching locks were dampened by falling rain.

    "I am sure you haven''t forgotten the promise I made you?"

    "...No, teacher; I''m not to return to my quarters until I cannd a clean strike on you."

    "That includes me as well! The longer you take, the longer I am kept from the warmth of my bed, Mencius!"

    I feared it everytime I woke up each morning; my "tyrant teacher" I thought of him--though I wouldn''t dare have ever said that to his face.

    I was naturally gifted in intellect, I mastered reading and writing at a young age, delving into many books; this gift led to a quick understanding of magic.

    However, when it came to my prowess physically--I wascking. Each time he scolded me, each time he smacked me with that fan I had grown to despise, I thought to myself "he doesn''t understand", or "he won''t listen". I thought he was ignorant of my shorings as a warrior--however, more than anyone else, he believed in me.

    "Wrong, wrong, wrong!"

    Speaking out while swiftly evading the unrefined jabs of the wooden sword the young man wielded, the strict teacher countered with a p of his fan upon the boy''s cheek, causing him to drop the training sword to the ground.

    "Teacher...I can''t��"

    As his pained tears mixed in with the cloud''s showers, Mencius found that fan he despised so much ced against his chin, guiding him to look up at his teacher. He expected to be looked down upon by eyes of contempt and disappointed, but those magenta irises held only the same, unwavering hope as always.

    "Mencius."

    "...Yes?"

    "Let''s continue."

    "Yes, teacher!"

    No matter how many times I failed, he helped me stand on my feet once more to try again. Time and time again I watched others of the Jingpohuai toss their students away like rubbish to wind, discarding them like broken tools.

    However, Mingyuan was a virtuous man. A man I hold above any other.

    That''s why I love it; growth in knowledge, growth in swordsmanship--I want to prove to the Jingpohuai the man they executed wasn''t wrong!

    I''ll head the Jingpohuai, I''ll reform it, I''ll turn your discoveries intomon knowledge, my teacher, Mingyuan.

 Chapter 307 - Deciding Factor Of A Winner

    Watching the panda as residual energy from the st remained on his fur in globs of white, burning masses of mana, Mencius caught his breath that was left in the dome turned oven.

    "Come forth, Hongse!"

    Tossing his treasured de to the side, it embedded itself into the lot of sand directly next to Hongse''s hammer.

    "What''s this!? Mencius casted his all-powerful sword to the side! Is he trying to y with his food here!?"

    Announcing from the top-levels of the arena, Asmodeus'' voice rang out as the crowd was left wondering what led to this unbing choice of the calcting, verdant-haired man.

    "Ghh��! Right into the stand! The nerve of that bastard��!"

    Ju-Long gritted his teeth at the sight of the treasured sword being nted into the sea of sand, his anger manifesting tangibly as the ground around him vibrated.

    Woah there, big guy! Ren thought.

    In truth, even being one bestowed with an affinity of Gaia, I was born with a frail body. A simple cold spelled a potential end for me many times as a child..

    Sometimes I med that for my ineptitude as a warrior, but I was wrong; I simply didn''t give it my all.

    A victory with that blessed de wouldn''t mean a thing--I know that much, teacher. If I want to rise to the top, I have to embody everything a Jingpohuai must be--and stand at the pinnacle.

    Show me, Hongse, show me how I''ve grown, he thought.

    Inhaling a tranquil breath, Mencius slowly moved his hands in a circr motion before settling into a stance prepared for hand-to-handbat.

    "...Are you an idiot?"

    Speaking with a cough of smoke, the panda who could only open one eye properly spoke to his green-haired opponent with perplexioncing his words.

    Pausing for a moment, Mencius held a small smile, "Perhaps. Don''t get mistaken, however; I am not taking it easy on you. I simply find that sword vexing to use."

    "That sounds like taking it easy on me with extra steps...but, at this point, I''ll take it."

    Even as he swayed side-to-side as if his consciousness was fleeting, Hongse clearly wasn''t out of the fight yet--it was a simple observation made by Mencius just by a nce at the demi-humans form.

    His body is bulked-up; whatever transformation he underwent is still active. I don''t know if he''s as resilient as can be or just pretending to be badly injured, but I can''t underestimate him, Mencius thought.

    A guy like him...it''s hard to imagine a smart fe like himself would throw away his advantages so easily. I better watch out in case I''m being yed, Hongse thought.

    "The hell is that moss head doing? He totally threw away his chance at victory!"

    "Isn''t that a good thing��?"

    Looking at how Macheo gritted his teeth at this development, Iris'' question came with uncertainty as she looked at the young man''s expression.

    "I hate to admit it, but this might be his best chance...if his opponent wants to y games, let him y games."

    Keeping his hand against his chin, Ren spectated closely as the twobatants prepared to meet fist-to-fist.

    "You can do it, Hongse��"

    Aiko''s meek words couldn''t meet the panda''s ears, but the feeling got across nheless as he puffed his chest out.

    "Enough beating around the bush; let''s end this!"

    Beginning his charge forward, Hongse pushed off the ground with a powerful kick of his legs as he roared out.

    I''m nearly out of gas; my primal form burns through ten-thousand calories a minute--I might really die if I keep it up, he thought.

    Looming over Mencius like a harrowing beast, Hongse was by far superior to the schr in sheer size, throwing his massive paw down in a balled fist as his blunt attack was dodged by the man''s slippery nature.

    In terms of raw strength, you outss me by a long shot, Hongse. However, fights aren''t decided by those who hit harder, but by those who outmaneuver their opponents! Mencius thought.

    Spinning himself around into a powerful kick, the momentum gathered despite his thin-frame allowed Mencius tond an impactful blow against the beastly demi-human''s head.

    Besides, I only intended to fight you without my de--not without my magic! He added.

    Manifesting from emerald particles gathering around his right arm, lively roots neatly intertwined themselves, wrapping around the man''s thin arm like an oversized piece of armor. Squeezing this fist of empowered oak tightly shut, Mencius threw his arm back before crashing his fist against the head of thepromised demi-human with a roaring impact, kicking up a storm of sand.

    "If you thought our green-hairedpetitor here only had brains, you''d be proven wrong right about now! Talk about brawn!"

    Announcing with such vigor, Asmodeus'' words caused a rise in the crowd as a mixture of cheers for bothpetitors flooded the arena''s vast space.

    "Go, Hongse! Go, Hongse!"

    "Mencius! Mencius!"

    All the same, in the climax of their bout, the two fighters paid no mind to such outside notions. Responding to the powerful blow originating from the wrath of nature itself, the primal panda roared out as he swung his length ws at the schr.

    "Gh!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Raising his oak-d arm in defense of the swipe, Mencius watched as the sable ws belonging to the demi-human carved straight through the intertwined, thick bunch of roots like parchment. Even with such dense protection, his flesh was reached--gritting his teeth as the abrasive talons tore chunks of his flesh straight from his forearm in one-go.

    Did I underestimate his strength��!? No--he''s using more than before! Mencius thought.

    Before he could counterattack, another assault came from the towering, red-furred panda as he parted his maw, lunging forward with his fangs aimed at the man''s exposed flesh.

    "I''ve never seen him like this��"

    "Me neither."

    Watching with, Ren unsurprisingly found himself in the same boat at Aiko, finding himself mostly devoid of words at the sight of his savagerade.

    "What''s up with him? I didn''t take Big Hong to be the type to fight like that��"

    Even Macheo found his crimson eyes worried at this sight, witnessing the demi-human attempt to bite a chunk right out of his foe.

    "There''s a reason he doesn''t use his primal form often; he can''t control himself well. He must really respect his opponent''s strength to willingly push it this far."

    Valerie kept herposure as her eyes remained readily set on the battle.

    "...I don''t think so!"

    Before the jaws of the great panda could enclose on the man''s flesh, Mencius grabbed hold of his jaws, pushing him back as saliva trickled down like a hungering waterfall from the demi-human''s maw.

    Distracted by this contest of strength, the green-haired schr felt his stomach drop as his mind skipped a note at the glimpse of building, burning radiance birthing from within the maw of his foe.

    Fire��! He thought.

    Stomping his foot against the coarse sand, Mencius kicked the demi-human in the gut before manifesting spikes of nature from the lifeless ground below, sending them directly towards the ferocious beast before the mes sprouted from his maw could reach him.

    Out they came like the bowels of hell, spraying across the arena as Hongse turned his head across the span of the arena, aiming the wild mes at all of the iing, weaponized roots.

    I''m already at a disadvantage in this environment--manifesting these roots without any living soil to draw from is taxing on me. But, to make it worse, he''s burning through all of the roots like they''re nothing to him. "Living Roots" is the only spell I can use without incantations; that was likely one of my strongest cards to y in this tournament--allowing everyone to assume I could use magic as a whole without incantations.

    I''ll have to change my approach, Mencius thought.

    Drawing in a quick, filling breath into his lungs, Mencius ran his palms together as he jumped back, twisting around as he avoided the reach of the mes.

    "Dangun: Coffin of Flowers!"

    Manifesting from his words, vines sprouted from the sand which bore no life, stretching their vibrant, verdant form up into the air as they danced around the fire-breathing demi-human, enclosing him.

    As soon as the cage of nature was formed around Hongse, an array of flowers sprouted along the length of the vines; roses, lilies--all which existed in gardens flourished.

    Even so, the integrity of this spell was quickly diminished by the breath of mes as they desecrated the serene flowers, spreading their wrath along the vines as they withered to ash.

    "What was he even nning��? Using nts against fire isn''t very optimal��"

    "You''re right, but I have a bad feeling about this."

    Ren spoke to Aiko as his voice fell quiet, witnessing the prison of nt life be turned to ash by the mes.

    "It''s over."

    Jae-Seong''s simple words weren''t spoken with any frivolity as those standing beside the curly-haired man didn''t even have enough time to question him before their answer came.

    As the lumbering, savage demi-human broke free from the prison, his vision of the arena returned--greeted by a sight that even halted the mind that fell to animalistic instinct.

    Completely d in an armor of oak from head to toe, Mencius stood in wait just beyond the wall of burning vines and flowers, having foreseen this oue.

    The same as therge, powerful arm of roots he wrapped his left arm in previously, the same process was used for his entire body as flowers sprouted from the seams of this armor born of Gaia itself.

    More than that, there was an immense gathering of magical energy in the fist Mencius held high--a coalescence of verdant mana danced around that very arm. It was a textbook usage of misdirection; trapping Hongse in the blinding vines that Mencius knew very well the demi-human would escape.

    However, it was just a tool to buy himself time to gather his magical energy into this one attack.

    Checkmate, Mencius thought.

    Packing everything into that singr punch as Hongse was still stumbling forward in an effort to halt his brazzen speed, Mencius threw his reinforced fist directly against the panda''s nose as a hum filled the space of the arena.

    Even if this is my strongest punch, I wouldn''t bet on it being enough to put you down--in most cases, that is. But you were caughtpletely off-guard by this, your defenses were down, and your awareness was nowhere to be had, Mencius thought.

    A sh of verdancy erupted before the wind cracked, and the demi-human was sent propelling backwards at a rapid speed before crashing against the farthest wall.

    Watching with such desperate eyes, the Weltwanderers waited for the sand to settle as the stands seemed to fall silent as well in this wait.

    As the sand fell to normalcy once more, the sight of the unconscious, tubby panda was heart-wrenchingly revealed.

    "We have a winner, folks! Taking the first round of the Champion''s Culling, Mencius clenched out a clear-cut victory!"

 Chapter 308 - The Next Round

    "We have a winner, folks! Taking the first round of the Champion''s Culling, Mencius clenched out a clear-cut victory!"

    Releasing the armor of roots from his body, Mencius listened to the announcer''s words followed by a deafening apuse as he gathered his lost breath into his lungs.

    "No way��!"

    Aiko looked as if she was a moment from allowing tears to escape her eyes, gripping onto the sides of the window sill as her amethyst eyes glistened.

    "He gave it everything he had."

    "That he did, but in the end, Mencius was the better fighter."

    Saying this with his usual, nonchnt smile, Jae-Seong earned a re from Ren, who was still absorbing this oue into his mind.

    Picking up his immacte de that had been nted into the sand, Mencius looked at therge hammer for a moment before hesitantly lifting it up, nearly falling over before somehow bncing it on his shoulder as he used his shenyi as a cape hanging from his shoulders as he walked over to theid out panda.

    "Come on, Mr.. Hongse, let''s get you back."

    Helping the demi-human to his feet as he was left groggy from the powerful blow, Mencius smiled as he supported Hongse back to his side of the waiting room, entering the tunnel made of quartz.

    An apuse from the stands filled the arena at the sight of such sportsmanship, earning a chuckle from both of the exhaustedpetitors.

    "I''ve got him."

    "Thanks."

    Handing off the tubby panda to Ren, who was waiting alongside Jae-Seong and Aiko, Mencius nodded his head with a bit of gratitude before turning away to leave.

    "Hey. Stop there."

    Coming in from behind the group with tremor-inducing footsteps, Ju-Long approached Mencius, looking down at the man with his hard-set eyes.

    "Huh?"

    With an arm covered in the blood resulting from the ferocious swipe he endured, Mencius didn''t look very happy to be halted from his chance to go rest.

    "I''m going to defeat you in this tournament, and when I do--I will have you relinquish Juque to me. So, until then, don''t lose."

    Giving this statement, Ju-Long stared down the verdant-haired schr before returning back down the tunnel with his world-shaking stomps.

    "Well, alright then��"

    Menciusughed to himself as he ced his headpiece back atop his head, giving a wave to the others as he began to leave, "I don''t think he''s injured, but just let him rest. Okay?"

    "Alright...thank you."

    "Mhm."

    Nodding with a smile at the gratitude of Aiko, Mencius left back to his side with a victory guiding him forth.

    As he entered the waiting room, the heated gazes of those who supported Hongse fell on him.

    "That was a cheap shot��"

    Macheomented under a sharp breath as he watched Mencius pass by, who seemed to ignore thement.

    "Shut it, would you? Hongse went down fair and square."

    Knocking the young man on the head, Valerie shut up his abrasivements as she sighed herself, looking at Iris who only shrugged her shoulders.

    You did good, Hongse...but seeing you lose like that doesn''t feel very relieving, Valerie thought.

    Stopping in ce, Mencius didn''t so much as turn around as those present in the room looked at the recent victor, "He was strong."

    Saying only those words, the exhausted man left the area, likely to rest.

    "You call that strong? Pathetic! Ha-ha!"

    Leaning against one of the walls, present in a position that existed without any seeming interest to spectate the fights, the man easily recognized by both his wild, white hair and his long, pristine coat that covered no shirt below, taunted Mencius just as he stepped over the threshold of the door.

    "Hey, cut it out."

    Confronting the man for his less-than-gentlemanly behavior, Valerie looked at him with her draconic irises as his smug expression remained, looking at the woman with his silver irises.

    "Valerie, don''t��"

    Grabbing the woman''s arm, Iris attempted to calm herpanion down as she knew full well who that man was.

    "I''ll let it slide this time as I like a woman with a bit of fire in her."

    Remaining as rxed as ever, Andraste''s words only seemed to further anger the demi-human knight before sheposed herself--following the pleas of herpanion as she sat down.

    In the presence of Andraste, it seemed mostpetitors were fine with keeping to themselves. Though for the most part, the waiting rooms remained mostly empty, with mostpetitors choosing to remain in their own rooms or in the halls until their time to fight came.

    Even with that said, one man wasn''t pressured at all by the presence of one of the Victorious Seven, approaching the group, he waved at them with a smile before standing near the window.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The entire time up until now, Macheo recalled seeing the tan-skinned man sitting on one of the benches and quietly reading a book, which the man had slipped under hisvish robes.

    "Arsya--it''s a pleasure to make your acquaintances."

    Extending his hand first to Valerie, the man called Arsya smiled softly as his messy, silver locks weren''t enough to obscure his irises which looked to hold the cosmos in their iridescence.

    "Uh-huh...Valerie."

    Looking at the man''s hand for a moment, Valerie remembered this greeting being seen between Hongse and Ren before epting it, squeezing the man''s hand tightly as she smiled.

    "Quite a grip there!"

    Wearing a grey sherwani with unique, hexagonal patterns, one of the man''s arms rested outside of his sleeve,ying against the silken fabric of his outfit as he chuckled at the strength of the woman.

    "What do you want?"

    Peering at the man with his inquisitive, sharp eyes, Macheo stood a head shorter than the mysterious participant.

    "Just looking to ease the tension in the room is all. Also, I''d be lying if I said I wasn''t curious about your party''s makeup. A demi-human from Vesta, a Lucrauvian...and a Mastornian. Well, can''t say you see such a group everyday."

    Laughing quietly, Arsya stopped himself with a clearing of his throat as he retained his warm smile.

    "I myself am from Derjun--I''m the representative of Derjun here, in fact. Sorry if I''m being intrusive--Derjun doesn''t get many tourists--so I''m a bit interested in meeting others from varying regions."

    This exnation was mostly aimed at Macheo, who held the most suspicion of this man as Arsya extended his hand to the young Lucrauvian. Looking at it for a moment, the golden-haired prince kept his arms crossed over his chest.

    For such a high-born looking guy, his hand is covered in scars, he thought.

    Feeling the gaze of Valerie burning a hole right through him, Macheo finally gave in as he epted the kind gesture.

    "Macheo. That''s my name."

    Hearing the name of the Lucrauvian, Arsya''s eyebrow twitched a bit as he retained his smile, shaking the young man''s hand before taking his ce near the viewing windows.

    "Well, I think everything runs a bit smoother when we aren''t at odds with one another. I mean, the only ones hoping we kill one another are the demons--and I don''t think any of us really n on pleasing them."

    Saying this, Arsya''s gaze wasn''t on any of them, but instead looking directly at Andraste with his nebulous eyes.

    Is there some history between them or something? Macheo thought.

    "...Arsya, right? I don''t think I saw your name on the round one bracket...so what exactly are you doing here?"

    As always, Macheo''s suspicious nature didn''t falter as he questioned the man casually, looking into the almost divine irises the man possessed.

    "I think it''d be foolish to opt out of watching potential opponents fight."

    I didn''t notice him watching, Iris thought.

    "I see."

    Though he epted this answer, Macheo''s tone and narrowed eyes didn''t warm up to the man at all as he took a seat.

    "The next match should be starting anytime now."

    Taking a seat directly next to the golden-haired Lucrauvian, Arsya seemed almost to purposefully be trying to annoy Macheo, who gritted his teeth before letting out a sigh that vented his frustration.

    "Ah, I totally forgot I have something to do! Save my seat for me, ha-ha!"

    Suddenly getting up from his seat on the bench after sitting only for what felt like a minute, Arsya waved off his new acquaintances before leaving the room in some sort of hurry--much to the confusion of the others.

    "That guy is bad news."

    Macheo stated without batting an eye as soon as Arsya was gone, looking at both Valerie and Iris. Sharing a quick nce, they both shrugged their shoulders before turning their confused stares to the young man.

    "Do I have to spell it out for you? Derjun is the closest and most loyal ally to Mastorn--and that guy is their chosen representative. With a single nce, he knew where we all came from--sure, figuring out where Val is from is simple, but Iris? He knows something."

    As he talked about this with a bit of urgency to his voice, Macheo caught himself as he nced over at the one otherpetitor present in that room; Andraste couldn''t seem to care less about whatever they spoke about, keeping his eyes closed as he leaned against the corner wall.

    Though a simple, one-eyed nce from that pearlescent silver iris alongside a small smirk from Andraste told Macheo, "Oh, don''t worry about me; I could care less about you small-fry."

    "Anyway...do you get it? We should be careful around that guy."

    "Yeah��"

    Fiddling with her azure locks, Iris'' glistening eyes looked past the room window, staring off at the far-side corridor.

    Ren...I hope you''re doing fine, she thought.

    "Alrighty, folks! After a rousing battle to start off the day, let''s move on to the very next match of the first round! Remember--this is a battle for the privilege of entering the third floor directly! For thesepetitors, it may as well be a pile of gold to them!"

    With this announcement, the roars of the excited mixture of demons and other inhumans in the stands filled the ears of any unlucky enough to be close by.

 Chapter 309 - Sandstorm

    "Alrighty, folks! After a rousing battle to start off the day, let''s move on to the very next match of the first round! Remember--this is a battle for the privilege of entering the third floor directly! For thesepetitors, it may as well be a pile of gold to them!"

    With this announcement, the roars of the excited mixture of demons and other inhumans in the stands filled the ears of any unlucky enough to be close by.

    Even Andraste took an interest to this news, looking towards the window as he opened one ear to the following announcement.

    "From the left, Kikomori! From the right, Fedrin! Bothpetitors--please make your way to the arena now!"

    Kikomori...that''s him; that creepy guy from the prelims...Ren thought.

    "What''s up, Ren? You know one of those guys?"

    With his elbow leaned up against the sill of the viewing window, Jae-Seong pushed his sses up with the tips of his fingers as he looked down at the white-haired, fellow otherworlder with a smile.

    Snoring behind them,id out across the bench that could barely fit his body, Hongse was fast asleep after his exhausting battle.

    Nodding his head slowly, Ren reeled in a perplexed look from the short, young girl beside him, "He tried attacking my group in the preliminary round...pretty sure he was going for the kill. He''s a slippery bastard, that''s for sure."

    Not a moment after having said this, Ren turned around in unison with the others to witness the overly-extravagant, sable door leading to room be opened--ining the one called Fedrin.

    It wasn''t the first elven person Ren had encountered in this world, but it was certainly a rarity. Holding a stoic expression, the man wearing pale white robes that were tightened by bits of ck leather armor moved towards the tunnel without any wasting of time.

    "Hey."

    Stopping the ck-haired elf in his path, Ren casually called out to the man, earning his attention as his inhuman eyes that held an aura of wisdom befell the white-haired young man.

    "Yes?"

    Having stopped in ce for a moment, the man rested the end of his staff onto the pristine, quartz flooring; it stood nearly as tall as the wielder himself, made of a meticulously carved wooden material that bore a heavenly white shade with an orb that swayed between a few shades was embedded into the circr, top portion of the staff.

    "Be careful--that guy is tricky. I don''t know exactly what he did, but he managed to slip through solid ground when I had an encounter with him."

    Telling this to the man he had never met until just a moment prior, the serious look in Ren''s hazel eyes was investigated by the elf''s amethyst irises before he finally nodded his head.

    "I''ll keep that in mind. Thank you."

    Without any further dy, Fedrin traversed the somewhat lengthy hall before finding himself in the bowels of the vast arena.

    "You sure that''s a good idea? I mean, giving that guy that advice?"

    Leaned against the pale wall, Jae-Seong''s sses slid down a bit as he looked at Ren with his vibrant, golden irises that possessed an odd, circr rim around them. It was the first time getting a good look at the man''s eyes, but Ren simply smiled in return of the question.

    "...It might not be the brightest idea if that guy ends up being powerful, but I kind of just want Kikomori to get his ass kicked."

    "Ha-ha! That''s as good a reason as any, my friend!"

    Getting a rise from that unexpected answer, the curly-haired otherworlderughed as he leaned against the sill with his arms protected by his coat as white as the arctic snow.

    "By the way, do any of you know who you''re fighting? I didn''t get a look at the bracket, unfortunately��"

    Asking this, Ren looked between Aiko, Jae-Seong, and Ju-Long. There were two other presentpetitors in the room, but they definitely were not the sort of people Ren feltfortable suddenly approaching.

    The old man wearing shaggy, stained robes with a prominent beard that was almost as lengthy as him, remained quietly seated on a bench with his face obscured by the shadows of his hood. All the same, the wolven demi-human brooded in the corner of the room with his eyes closed--every so often clicking his tongue at the constant chattering from Ren''s group.

    "Well, urr, I waited for you--so I missed my chance as well��"

    Answering his question, Aiko rubbed her gauntlet-d hand across her short, beige hair before fiddling with the crimson streaks present in her locks. Hearing this, Ren immediately stiffened as a bit of guilt washed over him.

    "I''m sorry��"

    Bowing his head in apology, the action was quickly dissuaded as Aiko fervently waved her hands, assuring him it was okay.

    On the other hand, Jae-Seong had an idea of who he was up against, "It seems I got matched against Arsya. Mm...if I remember correctly, he was the representative of Derjun, I think."

    You don''t remember!? Just how casual are you about this whole thing? Ren thought.

    Finally turning to the towering man who embodied the idea of a gentle giant, Ren looked at Ju-Long who was searching his brain for the name as he massaged his chin, which had gathered a bit of a stubble.

    "It was a girl, that''s about all I remember."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "A girl, huh��?"

    Hearing this, Ren felt a slight drop of his stomach as his eyes peered at the distant tunnel on the other side of the arena.

    That is pretty likely to mean Iris or Valerie, isn''t it��? This guy seems ridiculously strong, he thought.

    Any further conversation waspletely subdued by the overwhelming voice of the announcer, "All right--bothpetitors are set, bets are in, and I''m dying to see this sh! Are you with me!?"

    Stirring up the crowd, Asmodeus'' question reeled in a storm of cheers and roars, vibrating the foundation of the immense arena.

    "These guys really love this tournament, don''t they?..."

    Ren muttered with a wry smile at the tangible excitement present; listening to the cheers, the stomps, and the apuse.

    "BEGIN!"

    As quick as the confirmation of the battle left Asmodeus'' lips with his fluffy, crimson locks flowing in the winds generated by his own voice, thepetitors instantly began their sh.

    Holding his staff forward, winds formed from a rise in mana fluttered the sable mantle Fedrin wore over his robes as he yelled out without any hesitation, "Luft: Roar!"

    As a grayplexion took over the orb''s glow, a burst of wind shrieked out from the elf''s position--hurling towards thenky, unnatural figure dressed in an enigmatic bodysuit. Reaching its point of detonation, the stratifications of wind released with a vtile reaction, conjuring a sand storm to overtake the arena.

    "A ROUSING START TO THE SECOND MATCH! DID FEDRIN END HIS FOE INSTANTLY?"

    No, I didn''t feel a collision. All I hit was sand, Fedrin thought.

    Attempting to see through the abundance of obscuring sand blocking his vision, the elf gasped as he witnessed a hand shrouded in white, skintight leather reach out from the ground below like a spirit haunting the battle grounds. With little time to react to such an unorthodox situation, the hand with fingers that almost resembled ws in their unnatural length, grasped his ankle.

    "Wasser: Dampen!"

    Pointing the end of his staff towards the ground in a hurry as a burning sensation shot through his leg, Fedrin shifted the coarse, dry sand below into a loose, damp texture as ayer of water embedded itself from the azure shifted orb into the ground below--causing the hand to retreat forcibly before the man jumped back with a huff.

    "Ghh��"

    Looking down at his leg, the fabric of his sable trousers has beenpletely disintegrated, with the flesh of his ankle being seared to a burning, steaming red.

    I got lucky; it seems his ability to pass through solid objects only works on one material at a time. Also...it seems he possesses some sort of affinity for fire, Fedrin thought.

    "Damn, I can''t see a thing with all of this sand��!"

    Macheoined as he squeezed the quartz sill with his ck gloves, trying to follow the obscure shadows hidden within the mist of sand.

    "Come on, long ears!"

    Cheering on the man mainly out of spite of his opponent, Ren watched the walls of sand desperately from his side of the spectating window.

    From seemingly nowhere--a presence was right beside him--one that wasn''t there a moment prior, he thought. It was the old, raggedy man hidden behind dirtied robes, standing shorter than himself.

    Huh? Is he interested in this fight? Why? Ren thought.

    Ju-Long and Aiko finally noticed the presence of the old man who didn''t seem fit for Purgatory as well as he silently watched the fight behind the guise of his obscuring cloak.

    "Fedrin will not lose this battle."

    His voice was coarse and rough like the sand so abundantly present in the arena, but it was not weak in the slightest as would be estimated by his stature.

    "You know him��? Bakar, right?"

    "In this hellish realm, he is mypanion; that is why I am sure of his victory. And yes...I am Bakar. I already know of your name, Ren."

    Answering Ren without looking at the young man, the appearance of the agedpetitor was revealed as he raised his head, showing his light brown skin riddled with cracks and wrinkles, with bushy eyebrows that almost seemed to blend with his beard.

    He remembered my name? I''m ttered! Ren thought.

    Though, it was in as day to see--those vermillion eyes he held weren''t withered; they were the eyes of one who had stood the test of time.

    "Just watch him."

 Chapter 310 - Fedrin, The Unbreakable

    Standing amidst the blinding haze of sand, Fedrin held his ground as the sound of frequent footsteps would manifest suddenly--then disappear just as quick. Popping up randomly from the ground below, either from in front of him, by his sides, or even behind him, the ghastly figureunched swift attacks, only touching the elf for a moment before retreating.

    It was enough, however, even the quick, light attacks were enough for Kikomori''s burning touch to damage the man right through his thick garments.

    He''s using this obscuring storm of sand to his advantage...I acted in haste; that was a mistake on my part. I have to get rid of it--but if I stop for a moment to cast a spell, he''ll jump right at that opportunity, Fedrin thought.

    Reaching under the tan pouch positioned on the jet-ck, fabric belt wrapped around his waist, the elf with long locks of the sable variety retrieved a small, gray orb as he kept his guard raised for the impending attack of the sly, slippery foe.

    Now, Fedrin thought calmly.

    Without batting an eye, he stepped to the side just as Kikomori left the ground with both of his monstrous hands reaching towards the elf. Taking advantage of this moment of tangibility, Fedrinunched an open palm strike directly against the sternum of the passing, fiendish foe of his, knocking him back as he stomped his foot forward to cement the strength of his attack.

    As Kikomori tumbled and rolled across the ground, beginning to sink into the plentiful holds of the sand once more, the elvenpetitor threw the minuscule sphere he held directly into the center of the blinding sand hanging in the air.

    A magic stone!? Ren thought.

    Taking on a blinding radiance for a moment, the sphere released its form as a violent torrent of wind filled the arena--cutting away at the stray sand upying the air as Fedrin stood tall in the advent of the clear view returning to the battle.

    "AS EXPECTED FROM A HIGH ELF, THEY LEAVE NO STONES LEFT UNTURNED!"

    "...He really came prepared, didn''t he?"

    Watching as the battlefield was now clear of its detrimental element, Renmented as he looked upon the tall standing elf, who lookedpletely unassuming amongst the hardenedpetitors.

    "That''s the kind of man Fedrin is; there are no half-measures taken in battle for him."

    Speaking for the nature of hispanion, Bakar remained as immovable as ever as his heart didn''t seem to skip a beat at the unfolding battle.

    As the arena was as clear as the sky on a summer day, Fedrin was fully prepared for the next assault of the intangible foe; listening for any alerting sounds.

    Unexpectedly, Kikomori rose from the ground a distance away from the elvish mage as he soared high into the air with an extensive leap. Puffing his chest out as air was inhaled through his lipless maw, the air around Kikomori contorted; heat waves forming around the strange being.

    "JUST WHAT IS KIKOMORI PLANNING? NOBODY CAN READ THE INHUMAN BANDIT!"

    "Oh no...I just remembered something��"

    Aiko watched in horror at the sight of the infamous bandit taking a strange stance amidst the air, with a chest puffed out, holding abundant air in his lungs.

    "Yeah?"

    Adjusting the cor of his expensive looking coat, Jae-Seong pressed the girl for what she knew as she looked at Kikomori further as if confirming what she was seeing.

    "It''s only rumors, but...the wanted posters described the leader of The Bane of The Breathing as possessing a steam affinity."

    "Steam��?"

    Ren repeated that word that stuck out to him, looking at the short, noble-born girl as she nodded her head.

    I''ve never heard of that type of affinity before...crap, this world and all of its subsets! Wait, no--I remember seeing steam magic before! It was...Adide��Ren thought.

    Remembering the memories of the time he was first brought to this world, remembering that golden-haired, fair-faced girl who betrayed him--his breath left his lungs for a moment as sweat escaped his pores.

    "Ren?"

    "I''m alright��"

    Giving a hesitant smile to Aiko as the girl looked up at him with her worried jewels, her expression didn''t seem to buy it, but they both returned their eyes to the battle.

    "Steam, huh��? A mixture of fire and water, if I remember correctly...sounds dangerous."

    "It can be."

    That was all Jae-Seong said as he seemed moderately interested in the battle, flicking his sses up as atst, it seemed the long, drawn in breath from Kikomori reached its maximum.

    Releasing the breath that contorted the surrounding space with heat waves, Kikomori parted his jaws wide like a snake as steam propelled itself from his bowels in abundance--quickly filling the arena with the heated, obscuring fog.

    "This again, eh? I guess you''re pretty adept at fighting like a coward."

    Fedrin whispered as his voice was muffled by covering part of his face with his arm as the steam pelted against his body, dragging his sweat straight out of his pores in plentiness.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was only for a brief moment in a small window of sight awarded to him, but he watched Kikomori drop back down onto the ground--without a sound following.

    He''sing, Fedrin thought.

    As he held his staff tightly between his fingers, he felt his grip begin to weaken ever so slightly as his next drawn breath came in rugged, causing his throat to itch and begin to swell.

    I see, of course this isn''t normal steam; a foul being like you wouldn''t use something so modest, he thought.

    Beginning to cough as the swelling of his throatpromised his breathing, Fedrin''s momentary distraction left him open to a quick strike from Kikomori, who swiftly protruded from the ground like a fish jumping from ake, running his hand across the man''s chest as he burned through his cloak and skin with ease--sinking right back into the floor.

    Falling to a knee, the elf continued coughing as his various, steaming wounds continued to sizzle, dripping heated blood that hissed as it met with the sand below.

    "THINGS ARE LOOKING DIRE FOR FEDRIN! KIKOMORI''S STEAM MAGIC MIGHT JUST BE TOO MUCH TO HANDLE!"

    "No,e on, long ears��!"

    Even through the heavy mist, it was clear to Ren by watching the silhouette of the elvish man that he waspromised by the steam.

    Still, Bakar remained stoic--watching with eyes that didn''t flinch at this development.

    How can he be so rxed when his partner is in danger like this��? Ren thought.

    "...I wonder what a person like you wishes from Purgatory, Kikomori��"

    Speaking with words that came with a cough, his quietly spoken words surely had no way of meeting the ears of the mysterious bandit, but he felt sure they would find him.

    I didn''te here with a wish--not one I couldn''t grant myself. It was thirty years ago now...thirty years ago when you left my side, Bellise, Fedrin thought.

    "If you''d like to know why I have doubts about the triumph of that man--what I can give you is a simple answer."

    "Huh?"

    Looking at Bakar as his words were few and far between, Ren looked at the wrinkled, old man for his answer.

    "Fedrin is not known as "The Unbreakable" because he possesses a body of stone or steel, or power which leaves him out of reach of other''s malice. He is unbreakable as he has traversed this realm for three decades without giving in--not once has he faltered, not once has the thought crossed his mind to sumb to Purgatory. Simply put: Fedrin possesses a resolve that burns brighter than any other, even when reduced to nothing more than embers--he reignites it."

    It was only with those words spoken from the old wisdom natural to the elderlypetitor that those spectating felt a rise from the elf.

    Raising his gaze, a spiral of unending, zing will encircled his amethyst eyes, standing himself up despite the lethal nature of the unique fog; his throat felt as if it was being squeezed tight by an iron grip, allowing only faint, infrequent breaths in. The melted portions of his skin continued to be attacked by the heated steam, his eyes bing bloodshot from the dense fog, his eyelids swelling--but his strength didn''t dissipate.

    I figured it out...after taking enough of your attacks, I figured you out, Kikomori...Fedrin thought.

    Huffing as he stood there with legs that wanted to copse, he waited for the next approach of his enemy.

    "LIKE AN UNDEAD BEING RAISED FROM THE SOIL, FEDRIN TAKES ONE LAST STAND! CAN HE FINISH IT HERE AND NOW, OR WILL KIKOMORI CLENCH THIS VICTORY OUT WITHOUT A SCRATCH ON HIM?"

    Asmodeus'' booming voice wasn''t enough to squeeze so much as a peep from the audience as the tense moment inadvertently caused everyone to hold their breath in anticipation of the next sh.

    "He should concede...I mean...just look at the state of his body��"

    Wanting to avert her eyes from the battle as she ced her hand over her mouth, Iris'' words came out worrifully.

    Allowing his staff to drop to the ground below as his fingers made the decision for him, Fedrin continued to huff as he eyelids became heavier, blinking as he listened for any signs of his foe.

    ...If I''m to be honest, most of my time here has not been spent in search of the keys. There is someone I''ve been looking for.

    My wife...frankly put, was a warrior on a level far above my own. I was just a simple schr, reading and writing day-to-day. Though she was a fearsome girl, the one thing she wanted most was a family.

    So, when we were finally so close to that dream...and our child was lost to an untimely season of frost that swept through our region--she couldn''t bear it. She was always so level-headed, but one day, all I woke up to was a letter by the bed saying that she had gone off to Purgatory to save our daughter.

    I wasn''t much of a fighter myself, frankly...I wanted to chase after her right away, but I couldn''t so much as hold a de between my frail fingers. So I trained and I trained, until after a few months--I finally worked up the courage to seek her.

    That''s where I find myself now. I am a wanderer. A seeker. I will save both my wife and my daughter--no matter the cost.

    That''s why....I can''t fall here, Fedrin thought.

 Chapter 311 - Victory In Experience

    That''s why...I can''t fall here, Fedrin thought.

    Attempting to reach up to his reddened throat to caress it, he stopped himself--feeling the unmistakable chill of the inhuman bandit directly behind him.

    As he had sensed, Kikomori rose from the ground once more, throwing his hand this time directly towards the elf''s face with malicious intentcing his ws.

    There''s one, ring weakness to your innate ability, Kikomori. Though you can be intangible, you must be tangible to be able to touch me! He thought.

    Showcasing a swiftness unexpected from someone with a body as injured as his, Fedrin sidestepped from the reach of Kikomori''s melting grasp, pressing his palm against the chest of thenky, malicious foe.

    "Wasser: Bind!"

    Yelling out with everything he had as squeezing the words from his throat forced his eyes to redden more with such strain, Fedrin summoned his water-bound magecraft, manifesting ropes of water that quickly wrapped around Kikomori many times over.

    Falling to the ground with his limbs tied up in the aquatic bindings, Kikomori wiggled, his lipless maw that was the only exposed part of his body behind the in, white bodysuit, ttered over and over again as if it was his way ofmunicating.

    "He got him!"

    Ren called out with a bright smile, swinging his fist in front of him with glee.

    "Not bad."

    Jae-Seong smiled, seeming to share more in the happiness of the white-haired young man than his own personal interest.

    "WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS, FOLKS! DESPITE THE STATE OF HIS BODY, FEDRIN TOOK CONTROL OF THE FIGHT!"

    Standing over Kikomori, the ck-haired elf with skin devoid of natural blemishes coughed, looking down at the bandit.

    "I took a gamble, but it seems I was right: once you''re d in foreign magic, you can''t turn intangible."

    Retrieving the staff he had dropped, he pointed the end directly at Kikomori--allowing the magical orb embedded into the wood-carved tool to take on a gray glow.

    Waiting for a few moments, all spectators were left in suspense as Fedrin remained still, keeping his eyes locked on the bound opponent of his.

    "What''s he doing? Finish him off already!"

    As impatient as ever, Macheo yelled out, hoping his voice would reach the elven mage.

    "Come on��! You''re totally setting off gs here, long ears!"

    Nearly leaning through the viewing window, Ren found himself vacant of breath watching Fedrin.

    Atst, the elf cleared his throat before speaking, "Announcer...I believe my opponent is unable to continue fighting!"

    Yelling this loud enough to reach the ears of Asmodeus, who was ced far above the pit of the arena, Fedrin nearly keeled over from straining his swollen throat.

    Silence befell the arena at this question as the steam finally began to dissipate under the caster of the heated, poisonous mist beingpromised. After a few more moments, an announcement followed from Asmodeus.

    "DUE TO AN INABILITY TO CONTINUE FIGHTING, KIKOMORI HAS CONCEDED VICTORY! FEDRIN IS THE WINNER!"

    A resounding apuse followed the triumphant announcement as Fedrin smiled softly, continuing to breathe heavily as he raised his staff to the air to im his moment of unanimous triumph.

    "He did it...he really did it��"

    Catching the breath he lost in such a suspenseful climax, Ren smiled as he rested against the window sill, earning a pat on the back from the curly-haired man standing by his side.

    "Looks like you know your partner well, Gramps."

    Looking at the wrinkled old man wrapped in his tattered garments, Jae-Seong smiled as Bakar remained unmoving.

    "It is a simple bet to make; nothing more, nothing less."

    Returning through the tunnel, Fedrin found himself greeted by a thumbs-up from Ren. Perplexed by this gesture for a moment, the exhausted elf returned it with a smile of his own.

    "Oh, right, I should probably release him."

    Looking back through the window, Fedrin chuckled wryly as he snapped his fingers--freeing Kikomori from the bindings, who quickly left the arena without turning back once.

    "You should really go to the infirmary though, you''re all messed up��"

    Looking at the state of Fedrin, Aiko''s observation couldn''t be more dead center. Looking at the state of his body, with various swipes having melted the skin from the afflicted areas, Fedrin began removing the sable mantle that sat over his robes before beginning to unbutton his cor without any hesitation.

    "Gah!"

    Shielding her eyes with a blush as Fedrin slid the top portion of his robes down to reveal his torso, Aiko became flustered.

    "Bakar, can you handle this?"

    Taking a seat on the bench, Fedrin disyed his torso to the elderly man. He was of a slight build, but it was clear the man was a warrior, packing on a respectable amount of muscle.

    Many scarsyered the man''s torso, with surely more toe of the sizzling wounds left scattered on his body.

    "Mm...I''ll see what I can do."

    Inspecting hispanion''s body, Bakar stroked his lengthy beard as the others watched. A light touch of the old man''s wrinkled finger meeting with one of the afflicted spots on Fedrin''s bicep caused a small wince from the elvish man but nothing more.

    "First, swallow this."

    Flicking a small, verdant sphere retrieved from his robes, Bakar gave the item to the elf who caught it, tossing it into his mouth and swallowing it down his tight throat with a bit of difficulty.

    "A heilen orb?"

    Ren asked, standing over the two as he watched the entire process unfold. Nodding his head, Bakar continued to stroke his long, gray beard.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The steam used by that bandit was imbued with poison, but it was low-level. So, it should do the trick."

    "Ahh...that''s better."

    Fedrin caressed his throat as he inhaled and exhaled freely as the crimson hue inhabiting his sclera began to fade back to a healthy white.

    "You''re crazy, man��"

    Letting out a sigh of relief at the sight of the elf''s health, Ren nted himself on the bench beside him. Hearing this, augh was shared between them,ing out hoarsely through Fedrin as his throat was still easing up.

    He seemed so stiff when I first met him, but he''s a good guy, isn''t he? Ren thought.

    "I think you need a little crazy in you to weather this ce, right?"

    "You might be onto something there."

    Chuckling, Ren ruffled his snow-white locks as he looked around at those that surrounded him, smiling as if their cares had vanished.

    All but one of these people, I didn''t know before the other day. I thought this ce would make me discard everything...but it might not have to end up like that. Good can exist here. Good can flourish, he thought.

    Looking over, he watched as Bakar hovered his hands over the various afflicted spots on Fedrin''s body, generating an almost transparent me from his fingertips.

    "What kind of magecraft is that exactly?"

    "Hoh, getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren''t we, Ren? Don''t forget, we''re still enemies while this tournament is underway."

    Saying this with his stern, gravelly voice, Bakar''s words dissuaded Ren''s curiosity as the young man nodded silently. After a few moments, Bakarughed heartily--sharing in thisughter with the elf.

    "...Huh? You were pulling my leg!?"

    Ren raised his fist with a slight blush at having been had by the old geezer, which reeled in a bit ofughter between Jae-Seong and Aiko as well.

    Well, I guess it was worth it, Ren smiled.

    "Ah! Be careful, Bakar! Don''t burn me any more than I already am��"

    Wincing a bit at the old man''spse in concentration fromughter, Fedrin drew back his arm, shaking it a bit. Seeing the two men who presented themselves as almost statuesque now sharing inughter, Ren felt a bit of relief.

    Maybe after this whole tournament is over, they''ll join our group, he thought.

    "AFTER A BOUT LIKE THAT, I''M SURE YOU''RE ALL READY FOR THE NEXT ONE! IN JUST A MINUTE, WE''LL ANNOUNCE THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE THIRD BOUT!"

    With Asmodeus'' words fueling the stands, roars unleashed in response to this--clearly wanting the next battle to begin.

    Peeking his head out of the viewing window that surprisingly was the best viewing avable in the entire structure, Ren looked up at the dozens of floors that overlooked the arena--seeing the cheering demons that seemed no different from humans.

    However, the pinnacle of these floors held only a few entities, with one,rge figure taking the center--sitting on an obsidian chair iid with gems that looked like a throne befit for a king.

    "Who is that?"

    It was impossible to tell from the sheer distance as well as the crimson curtains that left only the silhouette of the figure to be seen.

    "Based on his spot...I''d venture to say that''s the god of this ce."

    Jae-Seong lowered his sses a bit as he shared the same view as Ren. Based on how casually this answer was given to him, Ren didn''t register it in his mind as he looked upon the figure sat on the high-ced chair--finally swinging his gaze to the curly-haired otherworlder beside him.

    "Wait, what?"

    "Just a guess--really."

    Raising his hands in defense of the guess he made, Jae-Seong chuckled lightly as Aiko squeezed herself between them to get a look at the suggested deity of Purgatory.

    "Camio mentioned him before...the one who created Purgatory."

    "Well, I wouldn''t put much stock into the words of one of the demons; there''s a reason nobody calls for them. Seriously...they thought giving them cutesy forms would totally make people overlook how sleazy they were!"

    "You all came to the same realization as well?"

    Ju-Long interjected through Ren''s minuscule rant, standing as tall as ever as without squatting down, the top of his hairced with golden locks nearly touched the quartz ceiling that had been decorated with gold and azure paint.

    Nodding their heads, Ren, Aiko, and even Jae-Seong confirmed this.

    "Well, I''d like to take credit for discovering the nefarious nature of the Purgatory familiars, but it was Yuri who found it out. She waspletely immune to the charm of her familiar--I almost felt bad for it! Ha-ha! She sted hers right off the bat--man, that girl is a riot."

    Wiping a tear formed ofughter from the corner of his eyes as he momentarily lowered his circr-rimmed shades, Jae-Seong let out a jovial sigh.

    She sounds scary! Ren thought.

    "...Bakar and I also came to the same conclusion rather early on. It was clear that the likely purpose familiars served were more like spies than anything else; Purgatory was able to keep track of our each and every move whenever those pests were at our sides."

    Still having his wounds acquired from his fight attended to, Fedrin spoke in between sharp breaths as the ancient man cauterized his wounds while simultaneously seeming to close them up with his transparent, quiet mes.

    Without breaking concentration on his role as a healer, Bakar added in, "I believe while there was some malicious intent by those running Purgatory, it might''ve also served as another trial for us on their part. In a sense, they''re testing our critical thinking rather than our bodies or magic."

    "I feel like you''re giving them too much credit."

    Ren chuckled softly, looking outside of the window as he witnessed the announcer draw in a breath--realizing another announcement was on its way.

    "IT''S TIME FOR OUR NEXT AND THIRD BOUT OF THE FIRST ROUND! FROM THE LEFT, MACHEO!....AND FROM THE RIGHT, AIKO!"

 Chapter 312 - Young Blood

    "IT''S TIME FOR OUR NEXT AND THIRD BOUT OF THE FIRST ROUND! FROM THE LEFT, MACHEO!...AND FROM THE RIGHT, AIKO!"

    The air fell to a cold stillness as this announcement parted from Asmodeus'' pale, ck-painted lips.

    "What!?"

    Latching onto the sides of the pristine sill, Ren looked up towards the distant, but watching announcer.

    "Aiko��? Is this a joke or something!?"

    Showing his frustration from the other side of the arena, Macheo roared out as he stuck his head out from the window, the same as Ren.

    "Valerie, did you know about this��?"

    Looking at the draconic maiden, Iris'' glistening, azure eyes fell on her as the news of the next bout hung over the Weltwanderers somberly.

    "Of course I didn''t! I was just aste as the rest of you!"

    Paying no mind to the twopanions of his speaking behind him, Macheo looked directly at Asmodeus, who was far above the ground floor of the arena.

    "There''s no way in hell I''m fighting her��You hear me!?"

    Yelling up at the high-ced announcer, Macheo''s voice traveled through the vast space of the grandiose arena. As his crimson eyes full of fiery emotions locked onto Asmodeus--the young man''s skin crawled as he was greeted with direct eye contact from the vast distance, finding himself under the gaze of the demon''s constantly shifting eyes, his triangr irises switching between many shades.

    "If you wish to forfeit--so to should your life be."

    Losing the usual entricity to the tone of his voice, the words from the founder of the Champion''s Culling, and the host of the illustrious event, brought Macheo to silence.

    "Now, please make your way to the arena."

    Squeezing both his fist made of flesh and his other of wood, the golden-haired prince knew there was no other choice but to participate.

    "Macheo, it''ll be alright��"

    Trying to console the perturbed young man, Iris attempted to ce her hand on his shoulder--only for him to quickly storm off through the tunnel on his own.

    "Well, I guess he''s made up his mind."

    "How are you so calm about this?"

    "Huh? Well, we knew this was going to happen at some point. No point in getting all twisted up about it."

    Valerie exined as she twiddled her crimson locks around her gauntlet-covered finger, keeping her eyes on the arena.

    Having to face this battle with no other choice, the young girl wasn''t any happier than Macheo, who held her chest as her breathing ran ragged. However--she found herposure on her own before Ren could reassure her, drawing in a rxing breath slowly.

    pping her own cheeks, the surprising action left her pale cheeks with a red tint as her eyes glistened with a thousand-volt stare.

    "...I can do this...I can beat him!"

    "That''s, uh, the spirit?"

    Ren didn''t know how to feel about this change in resolve from the short-haired girl, watching as her beige fringes bounced with each step she took forward as she marched towards the battlefield.

    "Wow, I totally misjudged her--littledy has some fire after all."

    Leaning his elbow on Ren''s shoulder, Jae-Seong spoke to the young man as they both watched the girl make her way to the arena.

    "That girl, Aiko, was it? That young man she''s fighting is one from your group?"

    Asking from his seated position on the bench, Fedrin looked at Ren for an answer, holding his stomach as he was still left in some pain from his earlier battle.

    "Yeah."

    I don''t like this at all. If this bracket was nned out by those demons, then they might''ve pitted me against Iris...I hope not, he thought.

    "Hah! Talk about a quarrel between lovers! Finally, this might be a match worthy to seize my boredom."

    Moving from the spot he had stayed at for the previous matches, the loud-mouthed, arrogant elite from Mastorn stood at the window with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pale white, spotless coat.

    "It''s not like that...they''re just friends."

    Attempting to correct Andraste''s false notion, Iris had to force her eyes to look upon the man who held a suffocating aura about him.

    "Oh? I was mistaken, you say? Hah! Any man can recognize the look that gold brat had in his eyes--that was the pain saved for one''s own mate. This is a fine opportunity for him; if his woman should dare raise a hand to him, he will have every right to put her in her ce. Face down in the dirt with a bloodied nose, and maybe a twisted finger or two might do it."

    Listening to the twisted words spoken so casually from the man''s glossy, wicked lips, Iris felt her blood boil as she shook her head. Having to hear these repulsive words as well, Valerie stepped up besides Iris--standing tall enough to meet eye-to-eye with the white-haired, big-mouthed knight.

    "A knight is supposed to have manners; that''s the bare minimum."

    "And who are you, exactly? I stand at the pinnacle of knighthood--I am one of the Victorious Seven; I could have your pretty, little head on a whim. Your life only continues by my own graciousness, dragon."

    Closing the distance between them, Andraste''s words became personal whispers as his silver eyes befell on the maiden''s form.

    "Woah there, big guy, I think it''s best you take a step back."

    From seemingly thin air, the voice of Arsya returned to the room as the man''s hand was ced on the shoulder of Andraste'' coat, looking at the knight with a soft smile--though his eyes held a different tone altogether.

    When did he get here? I didn''t hear anything, Iris thought.

    Clicking his tongue, Andraste tugged his shoulder away as he moved to the other side of the room to spectate the match, "Touch me again and you''ll lose that hand."

    "Whatever you say."

    Arsya waved at Andraste yfully before directing his attention back to the two women as he smiled cheerfully, "What''d I miss?"

    "...Where do I begin?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Valerie let out an exasperated breath as she shook her head.

    "THEY MAY BE QUITE YOUNG, BUT DON''T LET THAT DECEIVE YOU! THESE TWO ARE CERTIFIED WARRIORS IN EVERY REGARD! NOW THEN, LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"

    As he spread his arms like a soaring eagle, Asmodeus'' call began the match as a roar from the crows signified the start.

    Just as it began, Aiko was the only one to make a move, dashing forward with her body low to the ground before spinning around tounch a swift, fearsome kick against the head of the golden-haired boy.

    An inch before the tip of her gray boot could connect with Macheo''s head, she came to aplete halt. The golden-haired Lucrauvian didn''t so much as bat an eye or twitch a finger--not moving a single step from the spot he started in.

    "...Why aren''t you fighting back?"

    Staying silent for a moment in response to the choked up words from Aiko as her amethyst irises trembled with mixed, bubbling emotions, Macheo''s crimson eyes watched her.

    "I won''t fight you."

    Looking into his eyes, his words were confirmed by the pained look present in those crimson jewels as they trembled.

    "Why?..."

    "..."

    "Why!? Do you really think I''m that weak!? I''m that useless!? Why won''t any of you treat me like arade��? I can fight! I can handle myself! I''m not a child that needs to be coddled!"

    Yelling so fervently at the young man who was hardly older than herself, her visceral words fell upon his ears as she clenched her fists tightly shut.

    "I''m sorry, Aiko...I just can''t. I can''t say why--so if you''re angry, then hit me...hit me until victory is yours."

    Surprisingly to the person who asked for this, Macheo found the cold steel of the girl''s gauntlet pressed against his cheek the very moment the words rolled off of his tongue--feeling all of Aiko''s frustration transmit right against his cheekbone.

    "What the hell!? I wasn''t ready yet!"

    Holding his reddened cheek, Macheo winced as it throbbed from the abrasive slugging he received.

    "Well, too bad! I won''t y nice with...with a coward! That''s right--you''re a coward! Coward, coward, coward---!"

    Saying this as she shut her eyes tightly, Aiko''s sharp words caused the hot-headed prince to grit his teeth as a vein pressed against his forehead. There wasn''t a single thing that could get under the skin more than a proud, Lucrauvian noble.

    Having his pride tested after resolving to put it aside, Macheo couldn''t help himself.

    "...Oh, yeah? Is that so?"

    Now she''s done it, Ren chuckled wryly, at the end of the day--Macheo is still Macheo.

    Cracking the knuckles on his good hand, he then cracked his neck as well before reopening his eyes--holding a honed, intentful look in his irises as they fell upon Aiko, taking a stance ready forbat.

    "If you''re so impatient to get hurt, I guess I''ll have to teach you a lesson."

    Holding a small smile himself, this expression was shared by a nervous smile from Aiko as she also raised her guard, taking a different stance from her foe as the cement of her hands resembled a tiger.

    "Oh...oh, yeah? If you think you can!"

    It was starting to be obvious to those who knew the girl what she was doing; holding that confident, albeit trembling, smile as she egged the young man on.

    Don''t tell me she''s...Ren thought.

    "Aiko is...copying Macheo. But why��?"

    Iris muttered as she watched the two square off, watching the unusual brazene from the normally meek girl.

    Rekindling the battle, Aiko used her flexiblebat style to spin around, standing on her hands as she rapidly kicked at the golden-haired boy. Raising his guard to block the kicks, Macheo continued to hold his smile as one eyed closed naturally under the force of the continuous kicks.

    "...I get it. To her, Macheo is the embodiment of what she wants to be: confident and strong. She might not even be doing it intentionally--the very idea of being proud, yet powerful might be that intertwined with her image of Macheo."

    Valerie spoke without her usual abrasive remarks, holding a calm outlook on the two as her eyes mostly focused on the young, beige-haired girl.

    Is this my fault?...I regret being so harsh to her that day, but if it really did set her off...it might''ve been worth it if she improves, Valerie thought.

    "She thinks that highly of him, doesn''t she��?"

    It was right there in front of my eyes, but I didn''t realize it; they both value each other so much. After all, they''re both kids--struggling through such an unfair trial together, just the mere existence of one another must be inspiring to the other, Iris thought, but if it goes both ways...then what is it from her that Macheo connects her with?

    Attempting to catch the nimble girl by her ankle, Macheo''s attempt was evaded as Aiko flipped backwards, continuing to flip back withplete agility until enough space was put between them.

    Clicking his tongue, Macheo watched the girl, "I knew it from fighting alongside you all this time, but damn your agility is annoying as hell��"

    "Too much for you?"

    "Not even close!"

    As her words spurred his blood to rush through his veins with a certain heat, Macheo smiled wide before kicking off one of his manifested footholds, propelling towards the girl at a speed that blinded her.

    In the wake of his speedy pathway, the sand raised and parted, scattering behind him.

    Rearing his good arm back for a punch, the audience remained still in anticipation of the sh; closing her eyes tightly out of fear of the iing, inevitable fist--nothing met against her skin as Aiko confusingly parted her eyelids.

    In front of her, Macheo''s knuckles sat still, halted in their path.

    "Why��? You''re still not taking me seriously!"

    Unable to respond, Macheo knew he couldn''t argue against the words that came out so painfully from the girl''s throat as he closed his eyes, feeling his fist still shaking.

    I couldn''t do it. When I saw you close your eyes like that....I couldn''t do it! Macheo thought.

 Chapter 313 - Young Love

    It was a garden of frost; somehow flourishing in the snow that stretched across the region, azure flowers, coated in snowkes, were nurtured by the cold.

    "Lord Macheo, supper is ready."

    Coming from behind the young man sat on the stone steps, decorated with a sable and velvet carpet, a calm, female voice spoke softly to him.

    Staying silent for a moment as he continued to watch the downfall of the cold, fluffy snow upon the luxurious estate, the golden-haired prince felt the maid''s presence continue to persist behind him as he let out a disgruntled sigh.

    "Alright, alright, I heard you!"

    Hearing the door shut behind him as the maid silently made her leave, he huffed as his breath came out with a tangible frost, looking upon the statue that stood in the center of the frost-coated garden. It was of a man dressed in armor, kneeling with his hands on his de which he had ced into the ground--closing his eyes as if praying.

    Standing up, his crimson mantle flowed in the passing, chilling winds as snow coated his golden locks, approaching the tall-standing statue formed of gray stone.

    The statue of our founding ancestor, "Isaac Aminoff, The Bane of Giants". This is where I''d always find you, Inessa, even on the coldest nights...whenever you were troubled, you''d pray to this statue.

    My idiot sister...why did you have to--Macheo had his thoughts interrupted by the burgundy door being opened behind him.

    "I''ll be there in a minute--"

    Believing it to be the maiding to escort him to the dining hall, Macheo turned his head to see it was someone else; a familiar figure--but one he was d to see.

    "Aleksander."

    "I knew I''d find you here, Macheo."

    He was just about the spitting image of the young man, though with a few years ahead of him; possessing the same, trademark golden hair of the Aminoff family with the crimson eyes to match--though his eyes held a warm kindness rtively unknown in thend of frost.

    That''s right...Aleksander was always the kindest of my brothers--though, that wasn''t saying much in contrast to those soulless, cold bastards. He was the closest to Inessa, as they were both the oldest of our siblings--I never realized it before until that day, but her loss affected him greatly.

    Kneeling beside Macheo in front of the statue, Aleksander held his palms together as he closed his eyes in front of the old statue. As he held his hands in this praying stance, the sleeves of his white, ruffled blouse slid down his arms--revealing a number of cuts left on his wrists, trailing down his arms.

    I wanted to say something, but I was at a loss for words. Aleksander always looked out for me, defending me from the wrath of my brothers, and sometimes even Father. To see that he carried such pain on his shoulders, so densely and abundantly...all I could do was sit there as tears rolled down my cheeks.

    "Ah, Macheo...you''re crying. It''s freezing out right now, you don''t want your tears to turn to ice, do you?"

    Attempting to cheer his younger brother up, Aleksander gave him a smile as he brushed the tears from the boy''s cheek with his thumb.

    "Then...why are you crying too, Aleksander?"

    "Oh...I am? Funny...I guess I''m a hypocrite, huh?"

    Trying to retain his cheerful tone, the elder brother''s voice choked up as he wiped his own tears away from the grasp of the biting cold. Returning his gaze to the old, snow-coated statue, Aleksander''s eyes glistened with ayer of tears.

    "Macheo, please bear with Father."

    "...Huh?"

    "If you keep resisting him like this...it''ll just get worse for you. You realize that, right, Macheo?..."

    Those words were thest thing he wanted to hear from his brother--it felt like the singr person he trusted the most in this world betrayed him.

    At the time, I believed it was just the loss of Inessa that saddened him like this. But--I was naive. Ignorant. I didn''t realize just how much he protected me; in my ce, he took the punishmentsing for me--he was always seen as weak by the rest of the family. He was frail, and constantly falling under the weather--a Lucrauvian left vulnerable to the cold was something Father regarded as the biggest disgrace.

    I thought I was the one who bore the disdain of this family''s overwhelming pressure, but it was you, Aleksander.

    It was the only time you asked something like that of me. The strain was bing too much for you...if I wasn''t such a brat, it would''ve been easier for you. Maybe you wouldn''t have...

    Like Inessa...he left me as well. I was alone.

    I became spiteful, I knew it was them--I knew they pushed him to take that mission in my ce, even though his body couldn''t handle the cold.

    It was that day, I decided to be the head of the family--I wanted to be strong, for Inessa, for Aleksander--and show them a ruler could be both kind and strong.

    After convincing Father to let me represent Lucrauv on the annual Purgatory expedition, I was confident in myself.

    However, I was in over my head--my entire life, I lived with more talent than my peers, I was stronger than those of my age--I thought I could conquer Purgatory easily. It didn''t take even a week for my will to shatter.

    I was scared. I was alone. I had nobody.

    To survive, I became what I hated most--a tyrant; I embodied the image of my wicked father, no matter how much it disgusted me, I wanted to live. I told myself if it meant achieving my goal at some point in the future, it didn''t matter what I had to do.

    I stole from those poor, weak primorelves, I beat them, I sent fear into them...and I liked it. For once in my life, I was at the top--I didn''t have any siblings to put me down, or the contempt of Father to--I was lost in that power, I truly believed I was a king. Twisted...that''s what I was, I wasfortable decaying in that temple, living out a depraved, stagnant life as a king who ruled over a few stray goblins.

    Then...you came, Iris. You showed me kindness could exist in Purgatory, you showed me I was wrong--you brought me back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    But, even then, I had my doubts. I felt like I didn''t belong, I deserved punishment, scorn...but Aiko, you treated me like I wasn''t special. I was just...your friend. You didn''t have to filter your words or fake your smiles--you were genuine with me. My only friends until then were the few siblings who treated me like an actual person.

    You were like me--a noble left isted, secluded to this ce by the pressure of family...but you weren''t bound. You didn''t sumb to the suffocating darkness of this ce. That''s right--you were everything I failed to be.

    In the face of this trial, I crumbled like an eroded stone, reverting to the only way I knew to survive--but you didn''t let this ce change you, Aiko.

    That''s all it took, Aiko...you became my light.

    "Why, Macheo��?"

    Her voice quivered at the unwanted pacifism from the golden-haired young man. It was the very image of strength and confidence to her--that very person stood there without any intent to fight her.

    Instead, only a quivering fist withdrew from in front of her, being pulled back as the crimson eyes of his usually brimming with vigor and brazen dulled, looking down out of shame.

    "I can''t do it��"

    As his golden fringes obscured his eyes that held shame in their glistening mirrors, Macheo let his arms hang limp at his siders as if sumbing to defeat.

    It wasn''t a kick or a punch that came his way, but a sharp, five-fingered p across his cheek that widened his eyes as a sting ran across his face.

    "...Huh?"

    Holding his reddened cheek, he looked at the girl, who was clearly holding back an abundance of tears that lined the rims of her eyes.

    "That hurt!"

    "Good! Maybe you''ll start acting like yourself!"

    "What''s up with you��? Why won''t you just take this victory!? I''m handing it to you on a silver tter!"

    "That''s exactly why��!"

    Aiko''s yellpletely engulfed Macheo''s words as tears finally began to escape her eyes, trickling down her cheeks.

    With a quivering lip, the words Macheo built up seemed to be held in his chest as he took in a deep exhale.

    "...I want what''s best for you, alright!?"

    Forcing his words out with eyes closed out of embarrassment for saying such things, Macheo''s fervent yelling shocked those who had been at his side.

    "I want that for you too��! And giving up like this...it''s not you, Macheo!"

    "He''s changed��"

    Witnessing their quarrel from the sidelines, Iris couldn''t help but feel astonished by the young man''s reluctance to fight.

    "Is that right?"

    Nodding her head to reply to Valerie, Iris continued, "Mhm...the Macheo I first met was quick to resort to violence...he had no problem using force to get what he wanted. It''s almost like I''m looking at a different person now."

    "COMPETITOR MACHO AMINOFF, THIS WILL BE YOUR ONE AND ONLY WARNING: NEGLIGENCE TO HONOR THE SPIRIT OF THE CHAMPION''S CULLING WILL RESULT IN YOUR EXECUTION."

    Asmodeus'' loud, haunting words left little room for questioning as both Macheo and Aiko''s eyes widened at this.

    "I thought something like this might happen��"

    Ren shook his head lightly, knowing full well this was simply the nature of a cruel realm such as Purgatory.

    "See��? We have to fight, Macheo. I want this."

    "You want this, huh?..."

    Faced with this bleak reality before him, Macheo found himself on an unavoidable path; knowing full well what had to be done as his reply to Aiko came quietly, not so much as bringing his eyes up to meet hers.

    Even the girl I...even the one person in this world I wanted to try being a gentler, kinder "Macheo" to can''t have that. I''m really cursed, aren''t I? He thought.

    "No magic."

    "Huh?"

    Looking at the young man as he slowly raised his gaze, the words met Aiko''s ears but the meaning fell short.

    Watching as he rolled his shoulders and parted his fringes that attempted to obscure his eyes, she received her answer from him, "We''re doing this without magic.. You want a fight? Then we''re doing it my way."

 Chapter 314 - One-On-One

    Watching as he rolled his shoulders and parted his fringes that attempted to obscure his eyes, she received her answer from him, "We''re doing this without magic. You want a fight? Then we''re doing it my way."

    "Are you--"

    "I''m not giving you an advantage--don''t get me wrong. Well, unless you''re too scared to face me fist-to-fist, then��"

    "No! You''re on!"

    epting the conditions bestowed by the blonde-haired Lucrauvian, Aiko raised her silver gauntlets that never left her hands, meeting the prince''s crimson jewels with her own amethyst eyes.

    "Well, looks like they''ve settled it."

    Smiling at the resolvement of their conflict, Ren watched as the two shed--exchanging blows that never made solid connections as both of their defenses were immacte.

    Though it was clear that differences existed in their styles; Aiko''s movements borrowed from the wild felines, something that reminded Ren of the style of kung-fu present back in his own world. She was incredibly agile, moving in ways that made her seem weightless, andpletely unpredictable as she switched from abo of kicks to a flurry of punches in the next moment. It was the first time seeing this style from Macheo as they spent most of their time together fighting monstrous fiends rather than other people; he remained patient, defending against the quick session of attacks while his eyes remained focused on a goal of his own.

    "Who are you betting on?"

    Jae-Seong asked with a smile as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ren, nudging his arm against his to squeeze an answer out of him.

    Standing there silently for a moment as he watched the battle that seemed to be going in Aiko''s favor, he gave his answer, "I don''t know."

    "Huh? C''mon! Don''t be like that!"

    Whining at the boring answer, Jae-Seong ran his fingers through his curly locks as his silver chain-ne jingled at his movements.

    "I''m not going to pick favorites between my friends. Besides, I really don''t know."

    I have first-hand experience facing off against Aiko in hand-to-handbat...while she wasn''t exactly serious, I was able to read her movements fairly easily. It''s not that her martial arts prowess is bad or anything--far from it.

    It''s just...her reinforcement usually stays at a constant low then peaks when she ns onnding a critical strike. If she finds one of those moments against Macheo--then she can win.

    However, Macheo is a bundle of talent when ites to his natural magecraft--his reinforcement is no exception. He might just overwhelm herpletely, Ren thought.

    "Hyaah!"

    Stomping her foot down, a small shock wave traveled through the coarse sand as Macheo was stunned for that brief moment, being subject to a swift push from the girl''s shoulder that sent the prince backwards.

    Damn! She really is taking this seriously! Macheo thought.

    It was still hard for him to get over the idea of hurting the girl he held close to his heart, but he resolved himself to do it.

    "SHE MAY BE SMALL, BUT SHE IS FIERSOME! IT MAY BE QUITE THE CHALLENGE TO CATCH THIS NIMBLE COMPETITOR!"

    Waiting as the beige-haired girl went in for a follow-up attack after knocking her opponent back, Macheo suddenly dashed forward with his hands in front of him. Taking the smaller foe of his by surprise, he gainedplete control of the takedown he initiated--tackling the girl straight to the ground.

    "In case you were wondering, my bet is on Macheo."

    Adding in after their initial conversation, Jae-Song smiled as Ren looked up at him with a raised eyebrow as if prodding him to exin his reasoning.

    "You might already have heard of this, but Lucrauv is a nation where individual strength trumps all. That''s most significant when talking about the royal family. I''m sure when you found out he was a prince, you assumed he lived a privileged, carefree life...at least inparison to our own. But that couldn''t be further from the truth."

    "...Huh?"

    "You see, Lucrauv functions differently than most kingdoms. It isn''t automatically the eldest son that inherits the throne after the king dies, but the one recognized as most fitting to rule. In most cases, that would fall on the eldest--but in Lucrauv, strength is most vital. The lives of the children of the king; from the moment they''re able to walk, their training begins--day in and day out, they go through hell to be as strong as they can be."

    Coming from Jae-Seong, it seemed almost odd to hear the yful man speak of something so serious, but there was no lie spilling from his lips--that much could be discerned by Ren as he looked at the man''s eyes that sat behind his shades.

    So you''ve had it pretty rough, huh, Macheo? You never told any of us, Ren thought.

    "Well, if you''re curious, the style Macheo uses is actually pretty simr to something that exists in our world too, Ren."

    "Huh? It does?"

    "Yup! It''s called "Sambo". It''s a Russian martial art; it actually was born from Judo. It''s a pretty rigid style, but it''s pretty much game over if they get a hold of you. It tends to be pretty reliant on the innate strength of the user. Losing an arm was a heavy blow to him, no doubt about that, even if he did get a recement."

    As he exined this to the white-haired young man, Jae-Seong watched alongside him as Aiko and Macheo fought for ground control.

    "But like I said...what the young prince there is using is only simr to Sambo."

    He''s pretty knowledgeable about this kind of stuff. I didn''t expect it from somebody like him, Ren thought.

    Listening into their conversation, Fedrin and Ju-Long looked a bit surprised at the two men before the elven man posed a question of his own, "I don''t mean to pry...but by the way you worded that--are the both of you otherworlders?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Urr��"

    "That we are!"

    Answering for Ren as he was at a loss for words, Jae-Seong didn''t miss a beat as he wrapped his arm around the young man''s shoulder, bringing him into an embrace that Ren wasn''t quite prepared for.

    "I see...that is indeed a surprise."

    Putting his hand to his chin, Fedrin looked at Ren for a moment as the young man didn''t know what to expect from those sharp eyes belonging to the elf that sized him up with this new information in mind.

    "That''s really fantastic! I can''t say one from my homnd gets to meet an otherworlder everyday!"

    Completely dropping his stoic tone, Fedrin smiled wide as he pped the white-haired young man on the back with aughter that Ju-Long and Jae-Seong joined in on--while Ren was leftpletely perplexed.

    Man, I really keep forgetting that it''s just Mastorn that has a wicked hatred for us, he thought.

    Returning to the showoff in the sand amidst the two youngestpetitors, Macheo grabbed hold of the girl''s arm--it was much thinner than his own, but the strength resisting his grasp wasn''t anything short of spectacr.

    Even so, as he managed to spin his position to trap Aiko''s limb into an armbar, listening to the roars of the crowd at this development--his ears fell deaf for a moment as only his own breaths were heard. Quickly pulling her arm to its maximum stretch, Macheo kept his legs wrapped around both her arm and neck as the hold was as tight as a vice grip.

    It hurts. It hurts. But...I won''t give up! Aiko resolved.

    As it felt like each strand of muscles present from her bicep to her forearm was being stretched to its limit, she gritted her teeth.

    Snap. Snap. Snap.

    I''ve heard it more times than I could care for. As a prince, a candidate for the throne--my training called for more than just learning--I put what I learned into practice.

    Some were willing, some were not; most weren''t even fighters themselves--but still as Father watched, I had to impress him--so, even if they surrendered--that look in Father''s eyes told me one thing, and one thing alone: "No Mercy". Snap.

    It''s a brutal style, but I loved it. I felt unstoppable with it. But...it''s destructive. Using this against someone I care about...I can''t.

    As these memories ran through his mind, his grip on the girl''s arm loosened as she instantly took the opportunity to pull out from herpromised position.

    Sorry, Aiko, but I guess I''ll have to do things a bit differently than I''m used to, he thought.

    Switching up his stance as he stood tall, he raised one arm up as if holding a shield while tucking in his wooden arm close to his side.

    He changed his stance��? Just what is he ying at? Aiko thought.

    Expecting him to follow the defensive style he maintained throughout the fight, Aiko was caught byplete surprise as Macheo pressed forward with a powerful kick that propelled him.

    "...You asked for this!"

    Yelling out as he shot the recement arm of his that sat holstered and readied at his side forward, Macheo connected his fist against her abdomen as all that came out was a breathless gasp as the air was forced from her lungs.

    Following up with a few, quick strikes, each hit was well-ced with precise, pin-point power used to disable Aiko''s movements. Hitting her in the windpipe, he stole her breath; a jab to the chin, her sense of bnce was thrown off, and a final, low-blow to her leg weakened her stance.

    "Holy crap, that was pretty brutal��"

    Ren muttered as he scrunched his nose at the visceralbo unleashed by Macheo.

    "If you thought Macheo was simply trying to avoid fighting just because the thought of fighting the girl pained him, well, you might be partially correct. But, in truth, it''s because he knew just how destructive his style is. The native name of it fails my memory...but it''s called "To Face and Destroy". I''d say that embodied Lucrauv pretty well."

    I see...that''s why you were so reluctant to fight her, Macheo. Even so, pure hand-to-handbat will always result in less damage than magic battles...I hope, Ren thought.

    "Lucrauv, eh? I can say without a doubt the tales that reach my homnd aren''t far-fetched then, ha-ha. It is said in Lubrasmel that Lucrauvians were born of snow and melded by war--making their bodies weapons. And some say they are descendants of giants, though the boy there seems a few hairs short for that."

    Listening to Jae-Seong''s words, Fedrin added in as his wounds seemed to be almost entirely healed up due to his assistance from the elderlypetitor.

    "Gyueh��!"

    Grasping her throat as she took in thin, sharp breaths, Aiko began to sweat profusely at the calcted blowsnded on her body.

    "TALK ABOUT BRUTAL! MACHEO IS SHOWING THE COLD STRENGTH BORN IN THE LAND OF SNOW!"

    My lungs...it''s like fire is upying them now; this strength...he isn''t holding out, Aiko thought.

    As the blows took their toll even after beingunched, Aiko fell to one knee as her leg that had been hit faltered.

 Chapter 315 - A Request

    "I don''t get it...Aiko is definitely the better martial artist; she''s much faster and unpredictable, right��?"

    Irismented as she reluctantly watched the duel between her twopanions, keeping her hand close to her mouth.

    "It''s pretty simple actually; this is just a difference in shear reinforcement--Macheo is the superior mage at the end of the day. He hits harder, and she can''t take nearly as much punishment as him. This match was over the moment Macheo decides to indulge her. And...I wouldn''t discredit Macheo...his technique hasn''t failed yet."

    Letting out a heated breath, Valerie answered for Iris, though it wasn''t pleasant to hear.

    Stay strong, Aiko! Iris thought.

    "...I think this is enough, Aiko."

    Catching his breath, Macheo looked at the girl with eyes that weren''t pleased with the actions he had to execute.

    Not responding, the beige-haired girl continued to gather in the minuscule breaths that could travel through herpromised windpipe.

    I didn''te here to lose. But, I didn''te here to win either.

    All I had was a goal in mind, but I didn''t stop to think about what I needed to do that...or more importantly, what I was missing.

    All my life, I''ve been sheltered. Father was always protective of me, he was kind and gentle...but I''ve always wanted to see it--the world past the boundaries of the great, mountainous walls surrounding Akitein.

    Reminiscing her homnd, it was still painted clearly in her mind; the beautiful, towering green that protected Akitein from the reaches of the outside world. Standing so tall as to obscure the path of the clouds, the mountains which housed vast gardens along their length, and waterfalls that never stopped flowing, were the very image of the isted, flourishingnd full of culture sought by schrs and adventurers alike.

    When I chose toe here in hopes of finding where my brother is, Father obviously rejected it. But...for the first time, I didn''t listen. He was bed ridden, and I knew the keepers of our estate would take good care of him. So...I ran away. It was my duty. I didn''t want anyone else to have to be hurt to solve the problems of my family.

    Even so...I was lying to myself. I wanted to show my family--Father and Brother--that I can hold my own. And like a kid guided by the allure of the stars, the mysticism of Purgatory drew me in, and before I knew it...I was alone.

    All of my experience frombat came from training, so having to fight with my life on the line was new to me. Then...they came. After what those men did...I couldn''t bear it. I contemted giving up. I felt like I didn''t belong in my own skin, like I was some sort of foreign creature--I didn''t know who I was or what I wanted.

    I simply wanted to disappear.

    But, you...Ren, Iris...Macheo--you''re so strong. Stronger than I could ever see myself being, but now I believe I can do it.

    Macheo, you''re the embodiment of strength to me, and that''s why...I have to win, she thought.

    Finally managing to bring herself back onto her feet, Aiko calmed her sharp breathing--though it still burned, it became more steady.

    "...Thank you, Macheo��"

    "..."

    "It''s because of you...I can move forward...no...I can move up."

    Looking down at the gauntlets that fit nicely over her arms, she clenched her fists d in the metallic texture as a deep inhale filled her lungs, opening her once meek, reclusive eyes to their amethyst form, packed full of resolve.

    "I just have one request."

    "Yeah?"

    "Let''s go all out. I won''t be satisfied unless I give it my all. Even if I lose...I don''t want to think back about how I could''ve pulled out a victory: let''s leave no room for doubt."

    It was impossible to deny someone who spoke so genuinely with eyes that held no restraint; Macheo could only smile as he loosened the stance he held, adjusting the cor of his sable cloak as his mana signature suddenly spiked.

    "You know...you really know how to bring me out, don''t you? Damn...to think a girl would get me this excited to fight!"

    Laughing as he covered his face with his hand, Macheo revealed a bright smile as he moved his hand away, reeling a smile from the girl standing opposite to him. Atst, it seemed the young man had fully been dragged out from his shell--that abrasiveness was gone, the hesitance washed away--he saw the girl standing before him as a proper rival in all regards.

    "To hell with it! Aiko, if you manage to defeat me, I''ll tell you a secret!"

    "Huh!? That''s not fair!"

    They really are kids at the end of the day, aren''t they? Ren thought.

    A simr thought crossed Iris'' mind, but nheless, seeing smiles spread across their lips was contagious for theirpanions who witnessed their bout.

    As water formed from mana manifested from Macheo''s hand, Aiko prepared herself, allowing her gauntlets to be d in a bright, warm light.

    "...Then if you beat me, I''ll tell you my secret!"

    Holding a certain redness to her cheeks, Aiko''s beautiful jewels stared at Macheo intently as a crimson tint found its way to his cheeks as well.

    "You''re on then!"

    "IT SEEMS THINGS ARE FINALLY GETTING INTERESTING! FIRST, THEY CHOSE TO CLASH ONLY WITH THEIR NATURAL STRENGTH, BUT NOW, MAGIC IS ON THE FIELD!"

    With the calls of the crowd settling into the arena, the two, youthfulpetitors squared off with smiles packed with excitement as all cards wereid out on the table.

    Seeing the smallest, most minuscule movement from Aiko as her beige eyebrow twitched, being slightly covered by her prominent, crimson bang, Macheo pped his hands together with a resounding p.

    "Achelous: Deep Blue Hunter!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Propelled from the mass of water gathering in front of him, he directed the formless water into the shape of a carnivorous hunter natural to the sea; a hungering shark, flying towards Aiko with a size dwarfing the girl lesser in stature. Inhabiting a transparency natural to its form of pristine aqua, the massive shark burrowed through the air as if it were an unseen sea, spreading its maw wide as the girl began to run circles in an attempt to avoid it.

    Attempting to subvert its pursuit, the nimble noble stopped in ce beforeunching herself to the right with a potent sidestep--even so, the water-formed shark continued its hunt as it swerved to the right.

    I thought it was just a projectile, but it''s not letting up, she thought.

    "That is quite terrifying magic, indeed. "Achelous", was it? I don''t believe I''ve had the pleasure of witnessing it until now."

    Fedrin watched as the magically-manifested water gave form to a creature exclusive to the depths of the sea, allowing it to exist in a space opposing its natural habitat.

    Mixing in with the elf''s words, and beginning to hamper the spectator''s concentration, the slumbering panda''s snoring filled the room.

    Kicking Hongse to silence the snoring, Ren didn''t bat an eye as he continued to watch their sh, "Yeah, Achelous is honestly horrifying. As someone with thssophobia, Macheo''s magic is pretty much a nightmare..."

    Trying once more to lose the transparent shark chasing after her with its mping jaws, Aiko kicked into a backflip, leaping over the form of the spell-manifested entity in hopes of losing itpletely.

    Deep Blue Hunter specializes in hunting down its enemy, Aiko. It isn''t a normal projectile spell that only has an initial path--it istched onto your mana signature; just like how the real deal follows the scent of blood, Macheo thought.

    Flying straight into the air as its long tail swayed side-to-side, the aquatic shark turned over as it once again set itself on the path towards the girl.

    You wanted this, right, Aiko? If you truly want to face me as a warrior--as a prince of the Lucrauc crown, I can''t reject you, he thought.

    "HOW WILL SHE HANDLE THE PREDATOR CHASING HER DOWN? IT LOOKS LIKE AIKO IS ON THE ROPES!"

    And don''t you forget--I''m not going to sit back and let my spells do all the work for me. I don''t want to be the kind of ruler who just sits back while his soldiers do all the work. I''ll lead them right into a damn battle--even if it means we fall together! Macheo thought.

    Launching forward as he jumped up, kicking off one of his manifested footholds, Macheo traveled forward like an arrow--intercepting Aiko as she was left distracted by Deep Blue Hunter.

    Even as he came close enough with her to exchange breaths, he didn''t pursue his predictable path-unching himself off of more footholds as he bounced from spot to spot, all around the girl with speed that left her utterly perplexed.

    I can''t avoid this spell while watching him��! She thought.

    Forced into making a quick decision, Aiko atst decided to confront the water-made shark as she manifested ws formed of light around her gauntlets--swiping at it as the force from her attacks divided the sandy floor. Even with its form being torn into mostly formless globs of water, the spell-formed predator was tenacious--crashing against the girl as she raised her gauntlets--manifesting a shield of light that disyed a prominent tiger with messy, scattered fur.

    In this momentary sh, even that brief distraction was enough for Macheo to gain an absolute advantage over her--causing Aiko topletely lose track of him.

    "He''s fast as hell...speedy little bastard."

    Valeriemented under her breath, witnessing the climactic meeting. However, Iris knew well what she was witnessing, gently biting the tip of her thumb.

    He''s gotten stronger than when we first met. Either that, or he wasn''t taking me seriously in our fight...but, I doubt that. Aiko...I can assure you that right now, Macheo is giving you everything he has, Iris thought.

    I was wrong before, Aiko. I didn''t understand how you felt. I disregarded your pride as a warrior and as a noble heir--to me, all I wanted to see you as was the soft, gentle girl I hade to...love. But that''s not quite fair, is it?

    I, Macheo Aminoff, will fight you with everything I have--not as your friend, but as your opponent, he thought.

    He could see it in her eyes as he closed the distance with his cape fluttering behind his back; Aiko''s eyes widened in surprise at the sheer speed exhibited by the golden-haired man. Carving through the air, primed and ready to sh with the girl''s nose, Macheo''s fist flung forward with no seeming way to be halted--especially with the girl having been briefly stunned by the water-made shark''sst attack before dispersing.

    ...I''m not done yet! Aiko thought.

    Using her own forehead as a shield, Aiko pushed forward as she met the bare, wooden knuckles of Macheo''s left arm with her own forehead.

    Tetsu-Tai! (Iron-Body!) She thought.

    "Gah! What the hell--are you crazy!? Who the hell counters a punch like that!!?"

    After colliding with the most sturdy part of the girl''s head, his fist was repelled as he caught himself, stumbling backwards as he looked at the beige-haired girl.

    Even if she defended against it, as unorthodox as a defense it was, a cut parted on her forehead as a trail of blood traveled down the middle of her face.

    "And you''re not crazy!?"

    "Don''t lump me in with you! Hey, you''re bleeding!"

    Even as he pointed this out, the girl didn''t seem to care one bit about the blood that trickled down her face, parting into two streams as her amethyst eyes that glistened with resolve were locked onto Macheo.

    "I don''t care! Did you hit me without expecting me to bleed!?"

    "..."

    She has a point there, Ren thought, also...just what was that technique she just used to defend against his attack? All I''ve really seen her use is that weird "tiger style" or whatever it is--that lookedpletely different.

    "Whatever...If you can still fight, thene at me!"

    "I n on it!"

    Wahhh....they''re really getting into it, aren''t they? Iris thought.

 Chapter 316 - Hit Me Till You Love Me!

    As Aiko shot towards her opponent like a dart with her fists intent on bestowing a fury of blows upon him, Macheo countered before she could raise her fists--stepping in to meet her halfway as he grabbed her face, cupping her cheeks with a firm grasp.

    "Eh?"

    A blush filled her cheeks as they warmed up against Macheo''s palms, but a gentle touch was not what awaited her--that much was seen in the intent lying in his crimson eyes. Using his hold on her head, he swung her entire body into the air in such a way that her legs pointed towards the ceiling before she could process what happened. mming the girl straight into the ground with as cold and tight as steel bindings, Macheo sent her head first as an impact resounded through the coarse floor, Macheo received a thunderous apuse, backed by a volley of cheers from those in the stands.

    "WHAT A DEVILISH MANEUVER! YOU WOULDN''T EXPECT IT FROM HIS SLIGHT BUILD, BUT THE BOY HAS QUITE THE SAVAGE ARSENAL!"

    "Talk about ying rough. There''s that Sambo slipping through."

    Whistling as he witnessed the brutal m, Jae-Seong smiled at the sh of tworades while Ren was still uneasy--wanting neither side to be hurt.

    Dammit, Macheo, just end the fight already��! Ren thought.

    Looking down at the girl as her breathing ran ragged, bloodied and bruised from the harsh, powerful collison with the ground, Macheo didn''t hold any joy.

    I remember what my devil of an uncle told me when I was young--why the Aminoff family practices this style: "To return those who challenge us to their rightful ce; to put them at our feet; to look down at them". That''s what I hate so damn much about this rotten family of mine, Macheo thought, but I have to admit--it''s pretty damn useful.

    With half her face buried in the sand, blood began to mix in with the rough, plentiful sediment before she coughed, slowly lifting herself as her nose ran with the sticky, crimson essence.

    Even as he looked down at the girl who looked half conscious with sand clinging to her face by the adhesiveness of her own blood, Macheo no longer asked for her to surrender.

    Wiping the abundance of crimson hanging around her nose, Aiko switched right back into gear with a surprise straight punch aimed right for the young man''s sr plexus. Though her grogginess had taken its toll on her body, moving much slower as her wrist was easily grabbed; supporting her forearm with his other hand, Macheo swung the much smaller girl over his shoulder--sending her on a pathway right back into the sand.

    Before such a fate could be reunited with Aiko, the girl showcased nimbleness that seemed unreal, regaining control over the movement of her body as she spun herself around, grappling Macheo from the back as she wrapped her legs around his sides tightly, bringing his neck under the tightness of her arms.

    "A rear naked choke��!?"

    Grabbing onto the sill of the quartz viewing window once more, Ren peeked his head out as the sight that spurred from an unorthodox set of maneuvers.

    "Nice eye; a perfectly executed one at that...looks like she was putting on a bit of airs with how out of it she really was. Being as small as she is, she can execute it to its full capacity--with her legs wrapped around his waist like that, there''s no damn way he''s losing her."

    Even if Jae-Seong, the resident martial arts expert, told him this, Ren held his doubts--knowing personally what kind of a warrior Macheo was.

    "EVEN WITH HER BACK AGAINST THE ROPES, AIKO ISN''T GOING DOWN WITHOUT A FIGHT! SHE MIGHT EVEN SQUEEZE OUT A WIN!"

    With his throat beingpressed from every angle, Macheo gritted his teeth as saliva coated his lips, his paleplexion shifting to a reddened hue as his eyes watered. In such a situation, restraints began to dissipate as his brain released adrenaline into his veins.

    "Well, I should say--in normal cases, a position like that wouldnd Aiko the victory. But...this is a Lucrauvian we''re talking about. The very concept of "loss" is poison to them. I''ve seen it in my time there: the more hardened, traditional folk will lose a tavern brawl...then slide a de across their throat in shame. When pushes to shove, even against someone he cares about, Macheo will find victory where it shouldn''t be born from."

    This time, Jae-Seong''s words were as sharp as a de, there was no jest to his silver-lined words as both Fedrin and Ren looked at him out of concern of this information--bringing their eyes back to the battle as the crowd began to roar with greater intensity.

    Wrapping his fingers around the gauntlet-d arms of Aiko that held his throat so intently, Macheo held his breath before jumping up into the air with the girl still tightly clung to his back. Facing his back to the ground, he crashed back down--falling atop the smaller, slighter of build girl as she let out a silent gasp as her breath evacuated her lungs that became burdened by the weight atop her and thending below her.

    Even still, her hold didn''t loosen--tightening up as her lungs returned to function. And yet, this resolve wasn''t exclusive to her as the golden-haired prince managed to stand back up despite the girl so desperately trying to put him out.

    Again, he jumped into the air, this time finding greater height as he squatted lower, packing reinforcement into his legs as his reddened face was calm and collected despite the veins pressing against his skin.

    And again, a harshnding fell upon Aiko as the breath filling her lungs was emptied; her vision falling to a blur as her eyes watered from the reunitement of her back to the ufortable, prodding sand below with an impact that shook the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>

    I won''t...let go��! Aikomitted.

    Even as it felt like her brain was bouncing off each side of her skull, blood pouring from her nose, she used every ounce of her focus to tighten the grip she held.

    Only able to let out small gasps of air between grunts, Macheo''s face turned as red as an apple--his eyes sharing the same shade as they watered--but like Aiko, he tightened his hold on her arms as he raised himself to his feet slowly but surely.

    "This is hard to watch��"

    Ren muttered under a pained breath, witnessing the sh that turned into a brutal test of willpower between the two.

    Between Ren and Iris, they didn''t willingly ce any favorites in this matchup between their dear friends--but personal feelings came naturally; Macheo was a reliable, and rtable friend to Ren--he felt as if he was watching himself out there, struggling. Although he didn''t fully recognize it, he rooted for the Lucrauvian prince.

    And all the same to the blue-haired young woman, Aiko felt like the spitting image of herself--and more than anything, they both wanted to conquer their insecurities.

    "It might be a good time to mention; the victor of this round shall be my opponent."

    Coming from Iris'' right, she turned to see Andraste speak without turning his gaze to anyone in the room.

    "Huh��?"

    "That''s right...though, it''s hard to decide who I''d prefer; on one end, I do like to dominate fiery women, but then again, dismantling a prideful fool is always just as entertaining. Choices, choices."

    As wicked as ever, these words spilling from the man''s lips were something Iris did her best to ignore, but it was now a thought that embedded itself into the minds of both Iris and Valerie.

    There''s something not right about him��"Andraste"...he''s not normal. If he really is one of the Victorious Seven...it''s bad news, Iris thought.

    nting the soles of his boots firmly into the sand, Macheo squatted down low once more as the crowd fell silent--not even a breath escaping one''s lips.

    It was a battle of its own to find the strength in his fleeting consciousness to allow him tomand his body to jump; the weight of the girl now felt like a mountain on his shoulders as theck of blood flow made his legs feel like wobbly strings, weak to the gentlest breath of the wind.

    "It''ll be decided right here and now."

    "Yeah...seems like they''re both on theirst legs."

    "What I mean exactly is...if Macheo can jump once more, Aiko won''t be able to hold on any longer. But if he can''t jump, then he''s going to be knocked out."

    Jae-Seong flicked his shades up as he briefly turned his golden eyes over to Ren before returning them to the battle, clearly exhibiting whatever vast knowledge he had stored.

    "They''re both amazing; a tournament like this...I didn''t expect such a grand event in a somber ce like this."

    Commenting from his unorthodox stance of having to bend down to witness the bout through the window, Ju-Long didn''t budge in the slightest despite his ufortable seeming stance.

    "Truly...I''m no fighter myself, but seeing them like this, giving it their all...it really lights you up."

    Fedrin smiled with a small chuckle, cing his hand over his heart.

 Chapter 317 - Love And Mawashi

    I can barely feel my legs. It feels like there are a million grains of sand running along my skin, flowing through my blood...it''s not just that...my vision...my thoughts--so hazy. My lungs practically feel like they''re going to explode--it''s not just that I can''t breathe in, I can''t even breathe out, Macheo thought.

    As his legs quivered under the immense stress, attempting to summon every ounce of strength he had left, Macheo attempted to leap--only managing to stand up without his boots leaving the embrace of the sand below.

    Beginning to teeter forward, Macheo''s eyelids fluttered as the crowd already began their mixture of roars--some in joy, some in upheaval.

    I...I did it...I won, Aiko thought, loosening her grip.

    However--the plummet forward suddenly switched from a limp, decline into unconsciousness into a swift, smooth maneuver. It didn''t fade in the slightest; the glint yearning for victory-manding it--present so vibrantly in Macheo''s crimson jewels that almost seemed to shine under the stress inflicted on his body.

    Huh? What is this feeling��? He''s not falling, he''s--! She began to realize.

    Turning his fall into a different maneuver, he allowed his feet to slip from the ground, turning himself into a half-flip as the girl on his back was closer to meeting the ground than himself. Colliding head-first into the harsh, golden sediment below, Aiko grip fell limppletely as her body was flung forward from the impact--freeing the Lucrauvian royalty from the lengthened choke-hold as he fell to his knees, gasping for air.

    "...JUST WHAT WAS THAT? WHEN ALL HOPE LOOKED LOST, MACHEO TURNED HIS OWN DEFEAT INTO A WINNING MANEUVER! AIKO IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE FIGHTING! WINNER, MACHEO AMINOFF!!!"

    With roars that surpassed any match previous, the arena lit up, shaking under the immense buildup of celebratory calls.

    Caressing his throat left with a distinct, beet-red mark, Macheo looked at the girl as she remainedid out on the sand.

    "...Aiko, you won. You got what you wanted from me, didn''t you? A unanimous defeat. Perhaps...it''s the most painful loss; when your fingertips graze the victory just beyond your reach...but maybe it''s the most beautiful. Knowing you gave it your all, knowing your opponent gave it their all...today, we both won."

    Rising back to his feet, he listened as a groan resounded from the small, but feisty girl as she turned herself over, looking up at the bright lights manifested from the ceiling''s magic stones with a face stained with blood. Even so, she didn''t look pained--holding a nk expression as she regained her breath before her vision was obscured by a hand extending down to her.

    Standing over her as he hoisted her up with the meeting and grasping of their hands, Macheo smiled softly, "A deal is a deal, right? I''ll hold my end of the bargain if you hold your--"

    Before he could even finish his sentence, their lips met. Widening out of sheer surprise, he looked at the girl as she shut her eyes tightly--her lips met with his cheek, reeling in a deep blush from both of them.

    Without speaking a word, Aiko pulled back, returning to her side of the arena as Macheo stood there--dumbfounded for a few moments before slowly going back to the spectator''s room, holding his cheek.

    "Is this the pride of a father��?"

    Holding his chest yfully as Aiko returned, Ren''s words earned a soft jab to the side as he winced and chuckled.

    "You know, a gesture like that...I mean, you''re a noble yourself, right?"

    Adding in, Jae-Seong rested his elbow on the girl''s shoulder as leisurely as ever as she looked up at the man with a slightly confused expression.

    "...How did you know that?"

    "It''s kind of obvious just looking at you. I guess you can kind of say I''m a connoisseur of this world''s fashion--that outfit you''re wearing is clearly made out of tundra behemoth hide--it''s as soft as a baby''s rear. Ha-ha."

    "You figured it out from that��?"

    Aiko muttered as she pinched the fine, silken robes she wore, inspecting them as if not realizing just what exuberance they truly held. Moving his elbow away from the clearly exhausted girl''s shoulder, Jae-Seong leaned against the wall as he fixed his shades.

    "As I was saying...a kiss like that, from noble to noble...well, you can put two-and-two together."

    Telling her this, a crimson tinge returned to the girl''s cheeks as she huffed, seating herself down on the bench beside Bakar as she hung her head down.

    "I guess you really did act out of the heat of the moment, didn''t you��? Well, kids will be kids, I guess."

    "Don''t talk like you''re so much older than me!"

    "But I am."

    Ren teased, holding a smile as he rarely held a seniority over somebody else in this world. Returning to his side, Macheo didn''t allow so much as an utterance toe from anyone, "Not a word. Not a single word."

    Holding a blush of his own still, Macheo quickly retreated from the room without saying anything else. mming the door behind him, Iris and Valerie blinked at the series of unusual events that took ce in only a few minutes.

    "Well, that''s certainly something."

    Valeriemented without much care, ruffling her own crimson locks as she ced her arms over her chest once more.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I DON''T KNOW HOW WE''LL FOLLOW UP SOMETHING LIKE THAT, BUT KEEP YOUR EYES AND EARS OPEN FOR THIS ONE FOLKS! IT''S A BATTLE OF COMPLETE OPPOSITES--JU-LONG, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA! AND IRIS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA AT ONCE!"

    Without much time to even settle from what was just witnessed, the announcer''s call for the next match set Ren''s heart into a silent trance as he froze.

    "Iris��? Versus him��?"

    Turning around, he watched as the massive mountain of a man stood himself upright without an expression that resolved itself forbat.

    Squeezing his fist, Ren wasn''t exactly sure what words would spill from his lips as he was topped by a hand on his shoulder--looking to see Jae-Song shake his head softly, watching with him as Ju-Long traversed the hall to the arena.

    "I wouldn''t worry too much. Ju-Long doesn''t really seem like the type to kill."

    "Still��"

    "Just trust in your friends. It''s the least you can do."

    Saying this, Jae-Seong''s golden eyes were somehow vibrant behind his dull shades as he gave the young man a reassuring smile. Though it was hard to feel rxed as the audible tremors of Ju-Long''s footsteps growing distant filled his heart with a burning anxiety.

    "Give him hell."

    Valerie pped the blue-haired girl on the back without any restraint, pushing her forward as she sucked in a relieving breath straight into her lungs.

    "You''ve got this; for a big guy like that--aim for the knees."

    Giving his own piece of advice, the quiet Arsya maintained his calmness as his silver locks were brushed by a passing wind.

    "Right...right, I''ve got this."

    Resolving herself, Iris released a slow breath before traveling through the quartz tunnel. Though little light came in, the bright radiance cascading down the arena mixed with the constant roars of the anxious crowd filled the tunnel with a unique sensation.

    I can do this, she thought.

    Stepping foot into the massive arena, her heart was lit aze by the sight of the countless stands, feeling eyes and yells aimed at her as she was in the centerlight. Seeing the massive, quartz pirs that existed in likely over a dozen, supporting the weight of the grandiose arena--she felt tiny, yet massive in the eyes of the many spectators.

    Standing across from her, she gulped at the sight of her designated opponent, watching as he removed the simple robes that sat over his body��casting it aside as his body formed from countless years of training was put on disy.

    All he wore beneath the robes was a prominent, golden loincloth��something that quickly caught Ren''s eye as he spectated worryingly.

    "Isn''t that a mawashi��?"

    Asking this to no particr set of ears, he received his answer from the ever-knowledgeable Jae-Seong, "Indeed it is. Both Jinyue and Akitein share in the same sport��they actually hold an annual tournament for it each year. Though, it isn''t called "sumo" here, but "Oriru". I''ve always wanted to see it in action."

    Adjusting his shades, Jae-Seong leaned over the sill as he rested his head in his arms.

    ? A fantasy sumo wrestler��? I really don''t like the idea of that, Ren thought.

    cing his hands on his thighs, the massive man raised one leg to the air before mming it down��lowering his stance as he kept his eyes locked on the young woman before him.

    I can''t let him get close, I''ll have to be quick with the magic I use. Maybe an arrow will keep him away at the start, Iris nned.

    "I''m just letting you know: I will not disrespect the foundation of this match nor will I disrespect you by holding back. That''s my code as a warrior."

    Saying this to Iris, Ju-Long''s breath came out like steam from his nostrils as he looked at her with his calm gaze.

    "Right��"

    Taking in a few breaths to calm herself, she steadied her mana output before atst, the announcer called out.

    "BEGIN!"

 Chapter 318 - A Pretty Face, A Pretty Soul

    "BEGIN!"

    In that fraction of a second that came after Asmodeus'' signal to start the match, the giant, golden haired man dashed forward with speed thatpletely caught her off guard.

    He''s so fast��! I can''t get a spell off in time! She thought.

    mming his bare foot to the sand with a thunderous stomp, Ju-Long pressed hisrge shoulder forward as it collided against the girl like a steel wall.

    Being bounced off the ground from the force of the shoulder check, Iris gasped as the air she held in her lungs was no longer present, breathing in a gasp full of sand as she coughed out. It was a simple maneuver��only done with such physical prowess that it felt inhuman.

    Can''t breath��my lungs��so hot��she thought.

    "IT''S TO BE EXPECTED OF A SEASONED ORIRU WARRIOR, BUT EVEN SO��NO HESITATION FROM JU-LONG!"

    Asmodeus'' words weren''t needed as the crowd was already riled up by the immediate start of the battle.

    "Get up, Iris!"

    Almost digging his fingertips into the durable quartz he clung onto, Ren yelled out at the top of his lungs towards the young woman whoid on the sand, who still seemed to feel the effects of the blow.

    Against her skin, the coarse sand felt like a fuzzy nket as the powerful impact made her body want to shrink away into the ground.

    "Stand. Out of respect for Ren, I shall offer you another chance at battle."

    Standing over her, Ju-Long looked down at the girl with eyes that held little emotion.

    It was an overbearing presence to exist within; standing so tall like an oak long embedded in an ancient forest, it seemed as if the man was one that could not be uprooted with the power she currently had. Just a single, simple blow is all it was, yet it easily blew through her reinforcement��against such strength, she was hesitant to rise to her feet, but the yell from Ren guided her up.

    "Impressive. I can''t imagine you''re even a fifth of my size, but you can still fight."

    Taking his stance once more as he spoke with his voice as deep as a boundless chasm, Ju-Long held his hands out in preparation of their second sh.

    Now I know��he''s agile��way too agile for his size, Iris thought, but what good does knowing that do��? Can I stop him?

    As soon as she returned to her feet, brushing the sand from the knees of her silver stockings��another charge came. A crack resounded from the wind as the propelled mass of hulking muscle and fat exceeded the sound barrier; a wave of sand cascaded in his wake.

    Expecting it this time, Iris threw herself to the side with little time for extra movements, feeling the wind pressure from her opponent as he passed directly by her.

    I made it��! She thought.

    This temporary triumph was tested as he stomach sank at the explosive impact that sent a tremor though the arena; having crashed against the magic barrier protecting spectators, Ju-Long shook the arena to its core.

    Silence befell the arena in the face of such monstrous strength; with the tremors settling, the towering man straightened himself as he rolled the shoulder that collided with the color-shifting barrier.

    "Just what kind of strength is that��?"

    Ren blinked a few times, watching as sediment from the quartz walls showered down.

    Attempting to rest, Aiko was startled from her spot on the bench from the singr charge.

    "I knew by looking at him he''d be a powerful contemporary, but this sort of strength is something reserved for great beasts."

    Holding a concerned furrow of his eyebrows, Fedrin muttered at the raw disy of strength from Ju-Long.

    "Well, he''s not exactly the norm��that golden sash he''s wearing is something exclusive to the Endai. My knowledge of Oriru is unfortunatelycking, but even I can discern that."

    "Endai?

    Fedrin looked at Jae-Seong for rification��as did Ren as it seemed the man always had a bit more information than he let on.

    "Really, I don''t know all too much about it. Both Akitein and Jinyue are as isted as theye��you can bet only a select few outsiders can witness Oriru matches. Anyway��an Endai is someone that has reached the pinnacle of Oriru��and that isn''t a superficial feat by any means."

    Slipping his hands into his coat pockets, Jae-Seong spoke with his vani-smooth suave as the others listened in��though the news only fueled the imposing figure of Ju-Long.

    "Licht: Arrow!"

    While his back was turned to her, Iris yelled out as she manifested into the air an arrow of light, allowing it to shoot towards him at a viscous speed. Carved from light itself, the arrow collided with the center of the gargantuan man''s back--dissolving upon impact without a trace of damage to be seen blemishing his immutable hide.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What? It had no effect��"

    Finding herself in disbelief at the futility of her attack, Iris shook her head slowly as she watched Ju-Long turn himself around to face her, holding an indifferent look--as if she was just another obstacle for him in this tournament.

    "Iris! Move! Dodge! Now---!"

    Once more, Ren found himself screaming--this time nearly tearing at his throat as the girl didn''t seem to realize the stance Ju-Long was shifting into. Lowering himself back down as he massaged the soles of his feet into the warm, plentiful sand--this time, he kept his arms tucked by his waist.

    "SILENCE, REN NAKAMURA! SUCH INTERRUPTIONS CAN RESULT IN YOUR DISQUALIFICATION!"

    Even being told this stern warning from the booming voice of Asmodeus, Ren didn''t acknowledge what he had heard in the slightest as he called out once more, being pulled back by both Fedrin and Jae-Seong.

    It''s just like that one time...against the Pale Stalker--you froze just like this before. I was there to help you before--I''ll be here to help you again! He thought.

    Resisting the hold of the two men, Ren attempted to crawl right through that window. It wasn''t just some mindless desire to protect her from any and all harm--he could feel it; the mana building within Ju-Long--it grew so potent and dense.

    "Calm down, man!"

    Jae-Seong pleaded with Ren as the young man iled his body--the high elf broke a sweat as the raw strength of the white-hairedpetitor was quite the pull.

    Witnessing Ju-Long propel forward--Ren''s antics fell limp as he could only watch now in what felt like slowed time.

    It was faster this time; the massive man shot forward directly towards the still girl--quicklying into range as he then propelled his fists with the same, viscous power-unching both of his boulder-like fists directly into her abdomen.

    "Gyueh��!"

    Left breathless, Iris was flung into the air by the force of the blow. Shining down on her, the bright lights that filled the arena with such radiance filled her wavering vision.

    I don''t get it...why am I...so useless? Compared to everyone else...I''m nothing. What is it...I''m missing? She thought.

    Her stomach felt as if it was filled with magma; each breath came in like raging mes as she began to descend from her time spent in the air. However--her opponent didn''t let up with just a single attack.

    Compressing himself down into an extremely low squat, Ju-Longunched himself up--meeting the girl in the holds of the air. Presenting agility that surpassed his build, the blonde-haired giant rammed his knee directly into the girl''s back as he howled in agony before the man followed up once more with a hammer fist to her gut, sending her down to the ground.

    "I''ll kill him��! If he continues this, I''ll kill him!"

    I don''t give a shit if I''m disqualified--I can''t watch this! I can''t bear it! He thought.

    Clenching his teeth as he witnessed the brutality of Ju-Long''sbat, Ren could see only red. The thought crossed his mind to retrieve his sword from its sheath, but even in his rage he couldn''t quitemit to such depravity. Just before he could m his fist against the quartz, he was stopped by the gentle grasp of Aiko, who looked up at him with glistening eyes.

    "Think about what she wants."

    Of all people, she knew the wrath that he buried within himself--that''s why he understood that worried, yet trusting look present in Aiko''s eyes.

    "...I can''t say I know this "Iris" woman, but if she is indeed yourrade, Ren Nakamura--no...if she is someone you care for, then there is no greater downfall you can cast upon her than jumping into that arena. Above all, trust her."

    Fedrin''s words were as wise as the eyes he possessed, it felt as if by hearing those words as crisp as a spring day and staring into those wise, old eyes of his, Ren felt his rage simmer down as he returned his eyes to the state of Iris, who wasid out across the sand.

    "Right. Thanks."

    He had to focus to contain his rage; choosing to ce his trust in the girl despite the thorny situation she found herself in.

    Stand up, Iris...he thought.

    Though, even if he brought such words across his mind, he didn''t know if he truly wanted that. To see the fight continue would be a painful endeavor for himself--however, this fight was not about him--he realized that as he watched the azure-haired young woman shakily lift herself from the sand.

    Even with arms as thin as straw; shaking so heavily, she found herself to her feet as the way the sand held around her boots was all that seemed to keep her up.

    Mother...why did you send me here? You knew...just how weak I was. I can''t do anything. But...you believed in me, didn''t you? Mother, Ren...I''m so pathetic, she thought.

    Sniffling as she wiped the tears from her eyes, the harsh sand clinging to her skin felt like tiny des being run across her face; her nose ran bloodied from the harsh impacts that hadnded earlier.

    "AFTER A BEATDOWN LIKE THAT, IRIS STILL STANDS UP! WHO WOULD''VE EXPECTED THIS ENDURANCE FROM A PRETTY FACE LIKE THAT!"

 Chapter 319 - Remembrance Of Warmth

    "Mother! Mother!"

    "...I''ve told you many times not to--"

    As the sage with tinum hair turned around to look at the young girl, she found her words absent from her throat as those innocent, azure eyes looked up at her with such admiration and joy.

    "What is it, Iris?"

    Returning her gaze to the bookshelf made of soft, golden wood in front of her, Beatrice began to return the books she held in her arms back to their rightful ce. It was something the young girl enjoyed watching--for a reason unbeknownst to the sage. Sometimes, the girl who stood no taller than the sage''s knees fervently requested to return the books herself.

    Though they were much too heavy for the frail, small child, she happily tried her best while standing atop her tippy-toes, reaching with such determination before each and every book found its home once more.

    "When is Fathering back?"

    "..."

    "Mother?"

    "He''ll be a bit longer. It''s winter now, Iris; snow is blocking the roads, and I''m sure he''s resting at inns on the way here."

    There wasn''t a day that had passed where the question wasn''t asked; each and every time, the sage found herself at a loss of words before those yearning, pure eyes of the girl she looked after. Alone in that vast home they lived; though the wise, primordial sage knew what woulde in the years, even she, one who discarded the sway of emotions, began to feel the warmth of care once more.

    "...Have you taken a liking to this one, child?"

    Asking this of the young girl who sat on herp happily, Beatrice looked down at her, meeting her azure gaze with her own as the girl nodded her head, jabbing her finger against the drawing stered on the page. It was a drawing of a knight wearing draconic armor, standing alongside hispanions as they sessfully defeated what looked to be an army of goblins.

    "The hero is amazing! Amazing!"

    "Adronicus...he is one of the principal heroes of Mastorn, Iris. He dedicated his life to fending off the monsters most people thought to be too weak to care about. It was because of his selflessness that Mastorn survived the first Crimson Night. Remember him."

    "Mhm!"

    Nodding her head with such infinite joy, Iris'' smile brought one from the sage''s own lips. Reaching her hand up, Beatrice brushed her fingertips against her lips as she was stunned for a moment.

    "Mother?"

    "Yes, child?"

    "Why are you crying? Are you sad?"

    A single tear trailed down the sage''s cheek as for the first time that she could remember, her eyes trembled with a flicker of true, untampered emotion.

    That night, she couldn''t sleep--watching the moonlight in its unveiled form.

    It''s different. Looking upon the moon is different when you feel such things, she thought.

    It wasn''t the first time such cracks in her stoic wall had been found, but this time she knew.

    How foolish I am. I could''ve removed her from the summoning and only brought her father...but when I saw her through that veil of space, she looked so much like her...why is it that the warmth of a family is so alluring to me��?The more I look at her; that boundless curiosity, her innocence, her unconditional love--I feel a fire in my heart being rekindled...one that had long sat stagnant, Beatrice thought.

    It was this realization for the sage that brought her to a decision; one that hurt more than anything in the past millennia could manage.

    Sitting alone in her somber chamber, the tinum-haired sage traced her graceful fingertips across her chest, trailing them across the smooth, emerald gem that glowed subtly at her touch.

    If I wish tomit to my goal, I can''t have my vision obscured by these far away dreams...a family...such things must be discarded, Iris will be an Ounder, she thought.

    Lightly tapping the verdant pendant on her chest, iid upon a pristine, silver form, brought upon a series of magic seals painting over her skin and just above her chest. Her eyes met with only the ceiling, looking up at the stygian chandelier as she held on near her bosom was something too painful to look at.

    For you, Angelika, I kept my heart; memories weren''t enough...I wanted to feel something from those very relics of the past...but s, it seems these emotions aren''t befit for a woman such as myself. In this eternity that I mistook for my own life, my one, true purpose for existence must be followed through.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And to do that, I must discard it--my heart, Beatrice resolved.

    Turning the verdant seal inscribed above her chest like a gear, it spun and spun with a slight hum as she continued to watch the ceiling--feeling every emotion pass through, all at once, together--clumped like a ball of memories.

    With a resounding crack the emerald pendant shattered--dissolving into nothing more than passing dust that lined the bookshelves.

    "I''m sorry, Iris."

    Even with this resolve, the sage couldn''t fullymit herself to putting the girl on this path. It was a slow process; teaching the azure-haired, bubbly child the foundation of magecraft--Beatrice''s harsh training regime didn''t befall the girl.

    Coddled and secluded from society, Iris grew to be a girlcking in proper motivation--there was little she understood of the world; its harshities, though known, were only tales to her. Nheless, if it was her mother''s dream--she would fight for it.

    The day wille when I tell you, Iris. Maybe it''ll be tomorrow, or even years from now...you might end up hating me, I won''t me you. Just know, despite my best resistances, I truly do consider you my daughter, Beatrice thought.

    It was by remembering the gentle warmth onceing from her adoptive mother''s eyes did Iris find it in her to continue fighting; not just out of her own will, but for another.

    "Hyperion: Radiant Sun, Beautiful Moon, and Weing Dawn!"

    Yelling the selected magecraft out, the sudden, exponential increase in the injured girl''s mana output took even therge Ju-Long by surprise as he was left stunned at the aura emanating from Iris.

    Forming behind her, a wheel made of light intertwined, weaving into an intricate, immacte form; in the center, just above her head, the sigil representing a graceful, benevolent woman was formed--the dawn, the left bore the moon, and the right came the Sun. Shining so brightly behind her, the radiant magecraft glistened through her azure locks with a seraphic iridescence. Wiping the fresh crimson that trailed from her nose, a look of resolve had long reced the fear she held in her eyes.

    It''s a tertiary spell that remains active as long as I can pump mana into it. It gives me a few tools, but I have to use them wisely. I haven''t mastered this yet...but who gives a crap about that!? I''m here to win, aren''t I��? I can''t worry about this or that...I can''t think about losing...I can only win, she thought.

    Recognizing the new threat before him, as enigmatic as it may be, Ju-Long maintained a cautionary stance, keeping his guard raised as his eyes watched the girl carefully.

    That''s right--just like that. "Dawn"--this portion of the spell allows me to recover my injuries, but I can''tunch any additional spells while it''s in the primary position, she thought.

    Recing the painful heat resonating through her stomach and back, a gentle, nurturing warmth flowed through her body like the blood that traversed her veins.

    "A SECOND WIND FROM IRIS! IT SEEMS SHE HAS POWER OF HER OWN HIDDEN UP HER SLEEVE!"

    "I don''t think I''ve seen her use that one before��"

    Ren was left intrigued and mystified at the sight of the magecraft; as the radiance glided through her locks, it left the young woman''s azure locks to take on an almost heavenlyplexion.

    Sun, Moon, and Dawn is a defensive spell...so I still have to make up my end for confronting him. "Easier said than done"--that''s what you''d say, right, Ren? She thought.

    It was only by maintaining such intense, unmoving eye contact that Iris bluffed the warrior, keeping still as her body was slowly but surely returned to a healthy state.

    Alright...herees the hard part: switching priority states, Iris gathered her breath.

    The fiery wheel of bright, radiant light behind her was a part of herself, feeling as if it was another limb.

    Even so, the hard part of manipting the spell came from bncing the mana output and input; switching between the three main forms required apletely different output of magical energy.

    Sun��! She resolved.

    As the wheel slowly turned, the morning star took the prominent position. Immediately, she gasped as her body strained from the sudden, explosive release of mana before gaining a handle on it, catching her breath.

    Watching carefully while keeping his low stance, Ju-Long narrowed his eyes as a unique heat exuded from the girl''s position.

    Just what sort of spell is she using? She''s remaining defensive still...is she trying to bait me in? Or is she bluffing me? Ju-Long thought.

    Flexing his plentiful muscles, veins pressed against his golden-brown, tan skin as his eyes widened--preparing for an assault of his own atst.. Once more, the man d in a unison of fat and muscle dashed forward like a bat out of hell.

 Chapter 320 - Conviction Of The Strong

    It was the tiniest shift in temperature as he passed a certain threshold, but it was enough for him to halt his travel forward as he pressed his toes into the stand--leaping back with his powerful legs as he retreated just as fast as he came.

    "Why''d he stop?"

    Fedrin ced his hand to his chin as he posed this question, hoping for it to be answered by the others spectating alongside him.

    "Good question...he noticed something about that spell, didn''t he?"

    As always, Ren looked to Jae-Seong for an answer--who was keenly observing something before a smile reced his intentful stare.

    "I see...I''ve got to hand it to her--that''s a smart counter for someone like her opponent there."

    "What is it?"

    "Look closely at the area around her."

    Jae-Seong''s words pointed both the high elf and Ren''s eyes towards Iris as they squinted to see whatever it was the curly-haired, frivolous man had discovered.

    Upon further inspection, it became clear that the space around the girl seemed to contort; moving in waves obscured by heat. By the fluctuation of the heat waves, it was clear it existed in a spherical capacity.

    "Heat...I think I get it...she''s surrounding herself with incredibly hot temperatures so he can''t get close."

    Ren deciphered the nature of the magecraft, watching as Ju-Longnded onto his two feet--keeping his distance from the burning territory.

    Emanating from his forehead, steam rose as a burn mark was left in the center of his forehead--though the resolve in his eyes didn''t change. It was only for a split second, but just that small time frame allowed the heated domain to singe his skin.

    "Brilliant. Your heat is magnificent; there exists few things in this world that can taint my skin. If you should lose, find sce in that one truth."

    In the capital of the illustrious Jinyue, Shanyao, the annual Oriru tournament is held--"The Grand Plummet".

    Reaching nearly to the heavens, a pir formed of stone stood, perfectly carved into a circr ring with two men standing atop it. Surrounding this unorthodox arena was a crowd as bustling as an entire nation in their anticipation of the final bout of the yearlypetition.

    "Amazing...how the hell did they build something so goddamn tall?"

    Asking this to no particr person, a man clearly not from Jinyue or Akitein muttered as he looked up at the towering structure of natural elements with his curious, verdant irises. Standing next to him, a clearly excited young man looked to him with eyes as vibrant as a child''s own.

    "You don''t know!? It''s one of the greatest honors one could receive in their life! "Heaven Guides"--it''s an elite group of gaia mages who manipte the structure of the arena! They increase its height more and more depending on thepetitors'' ranks...this is a battle of Endai! Feast your eyes!"

    "You''re really into this, aren''t you?"

    The man asked with an almost cynical tone--but still, it was a marvellous site. Seeing past his own excitement, the excited young man with messy, jet ck locks and circr-rimmed sses blinked as he stared at the foreign man who wore unique garments.

    "...You''re not from here or Akitein, are you? Are you a northerner?"

    If it wasn''t the middle-aged man''s salt-and-pepper hair that stood out, it was hisvish, glistening garments made of a silver material that resembled something an adventurer would wear; equipped with leather straps and all.

    "Something like that. So...who''s the big guy there? With the head of gold."

    "Really!? That''s Ju-Long, The Mountain! He''s the representative diator of Jinyue! He''s invincible--unbeatable!"

    "Huh. Interesting."

    Theck of enthusiasm from the middle-aged man was perplexing to the young spectator, but s, his focus was on the bout that was soon to begin.

    Atop the high-reaching pir of stone and rock, the twopetitors squared off, getting into position.

    "It''s an honor to face you, Ju-Long. Let the better diator im triumph."

    Brushing salt across his palms as an act of benevolence, therge, broad man with a head of hair separated into three ponytails spoke with a bowed head.

    ? "Yeah. The honor is mutual, Kyodai."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though he reciprocated the feeling of respect, a look of indifferent boredom inhabited the eyes of the golden-haired, elite Oriru diator. When it came to size, Kyodai was just shy of the mammoth of a man''s own stature, but held a more round, broad build with massive hands that could easily grapple his foes. Inparison to the tan-skinned Ju-Long, the Endai hailing from Akitein had a more paleplexion with keen, light-gray eyes.

    Atop the Endai pir, friendships aren''t cultivated. As much as we may respect one another, it is an unbreakable truth. That''s the nature of a bout that is only won by the death of the lesser diator. It''s a lonely path to honor, indeed, Ju-Long thought.

    When it came to a battle of Endai, a high-ranking match that resulted in the death of the loser, no referee oversaw the match. Though it was often exined as a sign of respect to allow the legendary diators to control their own battle, in truth, no normal man could exist between such a sh.

    Getting into position with stances low to the flooring made of smoothed stone, coated with sand, it was when both their hands met the ground that their life-or-death sh would begin. Sitting at the bottom of the grand stage were an array of drummers, pounding the instruments with a crescendo that built the anxious crowd up.

    Gong. Gong. Gong.

    With each hit, the stillness of the twopetitors who exhibited utmost focus became a riveting wait for the thousands of spectators. Each hit of the drums matched with his heartbeat; watching for the slightest, most infinitesimal movement from his opponent.

    It isn''t size, technique, or flexibility that decides the oue of a match; it''s patience and reaction, Ju-Long thought.

    Picking up in speed, the drumming increased in intensity before finally--Kyodai''s fingertips grazed the ground. In that fraction of a second, Ju-Long seized the opportunity, takingplete initiative with a violent charge forward that shook the sky-high pir to its very foundation.

    As quick as it started, it was already over; there was no hesitation, no emotion, and no remorse to be found from the golden-haired Endai.

    With his shoulder bash famous across both Jinyue and Akitein, he sent his opponent flying off the cloud-reaching ring. In that moment, existing between fractions of a second when Kyodai realized the soles of his feet no longer stood upon solid ground, his expression turned to shock--then to horror.

    It wasn''t the first time Ju-Long had witnessed this very same reaction--not by a long shot. A thunderous response unleashed from the crowd--cheering and apuding his swift victory as Kyodai plummeted to his death--a sight so ingrained into the culture that the spectators didn''t bat so much as an eye.

    "Talk about ruthless."

    The foreigner muttered, scratching his head as he looked around at the cheerful look ced on the expressions of the people from Jinyue.

    Standing atop the Endai Pir, Ju-Long looked up to the brisk clouds as his victory amongst many others settled in.

    I am the strongest. I was born like this; gifted with such natural strength, the world was served to me on a silver tter. What meaning is there in life if you''ve already reached the heavens? He thought.

    After the festival came to an end, the revered Oriru wrestler began to take his leave home--only to be stopped by a man clearly not from Jinyue or Akitein, holding a head of ck and white hair, wearing odd, silver garmentspletely foreign to Ju-Long''s eyes.

    He''s not from around here, Ju-Long thought.

    "Who are you? A fan?"

    "Just a bit of an adventurer, I guess. I saw your match--you''re pretty strong."

    "Thanks."

    Attempting to continue on his path down the hallway exclusive forpetitors, Ju-Long had his path blocked by the man who was half his size. To stand in the way of an Oriru wrestler, an Endai at that, was provocation at the highest level; clear rage filled the stern, gray eyes of the wrestler as he looked down at the foreigner.

    "Move."

    "Calm down there, big guy. I''ve got a proposal for you."

    "Proposal?"

    The contempt faded from Ju-Long''s eyes as he was intrigued by the man; especially by the fearlessness shown in his demeanor--not swaying in the slightest at the clearly imposing, powerful figure before him.

    Adjusting the cor of his silver coat, the man looked up at Ju-Long with his eyes as blue and foggy as a cier, holding a slight smile.

    "That''s right; you''re strong, but I bet you''re pretty bored, aren''t you? I heard you''ve never lost a single match in your tenure as an Oriru wrestler...twenty years, is it? I bet you''re itching for a challenge."

    I had never been the type of man to make rash decisions like that, but it was like he was a messenger to my stagnant soul. "Purgatory" a trial in which only the strongest can survive, a realm of continuous, mercilessbat...what better heavenly reprieve could I ask for?

    As the representative Endai of Jinyue, this will be my greatest aplishment, the supreme honor for my homnd--I will be the champion of Purgatory.

 Chapter 321 - Deciding Factor Of A Winner

    It was the first bout within the enigmatic realm that stood against him; the minotaur d in sable fur,yered with scars and crimson eyes that sought only violence and destruction. Their of the great, fiendish beast was a different world inparison to the grand stage he was used to battling atop; surrounding by countless bones, stacked like golden treasures a avaricious noble would stow away, grime lined the old walls formed of stone, painted with dried blood.

    "Come, beast. Defend your keep."

    nting his feet down against the cold stone, he readied himself, beneath his soles he crushed the bones that littered the quarters of the menacing minotaur. Watching with unwavering eyes as steam propelled from the red nostrils of the salivating beast, each hefty breath it took expanding its scarred pectorals, Ju-Long felt his blood burning with a reignited passion.

    In his hand he wields an axe, sorge it could cut down the grand sturgeon--how thrilling. This is the excitement Oriru hascked--a true life-or-death battle, not a one-sided massacre. If I''m hit by that blood-stained weapon, I''ll be cleaved in two.

    Show me, guardian of thisbyrinth, a taste of Purgatory''s sweet nectar of death, he thought.

    Scraping its hoof against the ground, it carved through the stone effortlessly as it lowered its upper-body, preparing to charge forth with its massive axe stuck between its immovable grip. It was hardly different from an Oriru bout; the moment that grand, sharp weapon was hoisted above its head in preparation to swing, Ju-Long dashed forward with his famous, world-ss speed.

    Like countless times before, hisrge, callused shoulder collided against the minotaur before it could react--sending it crashing back against the stone wall that caved in behind its forceful impact.

    I''ve spent decades training my mighty shoulder; mming it against any durable surface I could find: stone walls, rocky mountains, ancient trees--anything and everything. Many times I returned home with a bruised, fractured, or broken shoulder.

    I didn''t go down the path of Oriru for fame or wealth, but it was the only thing I was good at. Hurt and destroy; it was all I could do--I couldn''t control my strength. If it was for the honor of Jinyue, if it made my old man proud--I would do it, he thought.

    "As expected; you don''t break easily."

    Witnessing the minotaur shake off the damage it took, Ju-Long spoke calmly as Asterius unearthed himself from the wall, shaking debris from its dark fur as steam fell from its scarred nostrils.

    Exhibiting its utmost speed, the bloodthirsty beast took a single step before appearing directly before the towering human who nearly matched the beast in size--holding its blood-stained axe above its head while its crimson, malicious eyes locked onto the human.

    Roaring out as saliva trailed the air, the beast swung the axe brazenly towards the golden-haired man''s skull--however, its sharpness could not greet the man''s flesh as the minotaur''s arm fellpletely still mid-swing. Gripping tightly onto the forearm of the half-man half-bull, Ju-Long''s inhuman crush strength caused the beast''s arm toyer with veins as its flesh pressed against its hide from the enormous pressure; with apromised arm, it released its hold of its axe, allowing the heavy object to pierce the ground it fell upon.

    There wasn''t a change in the stoic expression present on the man''s face as he watched the now helpless minotaur attempt to escape his grip--a futile effort that brought the beast to its knees. Finalizing his crushing grip, the mountainous man caused the forearm of the ck-furred guardian to burst into a mesh of blood and flesh as it roared out in agony.

    "Fall, beast."

    While Asterius was on its knees in such unforeseen agony, Ju-Long raised his calloused, wide hand into the air before mming it down, palm-first, upon the beast''s skull. It was as if the heavens had decided to plummet upon thebyrinth; falling from above its skull, the hand of immeasurable weight buried its body into the stone beneath. It was that single, unrestrained showing of strength that reduced the head of the beast to nothing but red liquid.

    And on he pursued his journey, beginning it with his first trial ovee with great ease. It was the grand search of a worthy challenge--the path of Ju-Long, the greatest Endai.

    Now show me, Purgatory, this Champion''s Culling--show me true strength, Ju-Long thought.

    Taking the stance that came more natural to him than breathing, the golden-haired Endai honed his eyes on the opponent before him.

    "��Iris, I shall recognize you as a formidable opponent."

    Not responding to the words from the colossal man, Iris kept her intense gaze locked on her opponent. Even though he spoke such wordsced with honor, a somber look inhabited the man''s eyes.

    By the stance the man was taking, it was clear to any that had been watching the match what he was nning.

    "Is he crazy? He knows he can''t wildly charge in there."

    Ren muttered as he witnessed the resolve of the Oriru wrestler.

    "That''s the thing with Oriru wrestlers��they''re incredibly stubborn��more than anyone else, from what I''ve heard, of course. An Endai is no exception��their bodies are their treasure; when challenging that weapon they''ve honed all their lives��well, they won''t back down."

    Jae-Seong''s words were concerning to both the young otherworlder and the high elf.

    Dashing forth with his powerful legs propelling him, Ju-Long rapidly approached the blue-haired girl with his palm reared back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He''s stilling��!? Iris thought.

    Quickly, with speed born of incredible strength, the massive, hulking man entered the radius of the girl''s magecraft.

    There was no reason to be found behind such a strategy, but such thought processes couldn''t be linked to a man such as Ju-Long. Immediately upon reaching this zone of incredible heat--his body was lit aze.

    His skin quickly became engulfed in such mes, but his movements didn''t halt--he was intent on the engagement with his foe.

    "...Stop this, you''ll��!"

    Before her cautionary words could fully meet the man''s ears, Iris received a harsh palm strike to her abdomen--sending her flying back with a violent burst. Landing harshly against the back wall that had been reinforced by the arena'' barrier, Iris found herselfcking breath in her lungs as she winced--slowly bringing herself up to her two feet.

    If I didn''t prioritize my reinforcement at thest moment...I might''ve been out, she thought.

    Wiping the saliva caressing the edge of her lips, her ears were met with an announcement from Asmodeus before she could look up at her opponent.

    "WHAT A TERRIFIC SIGHT! THIS IS A TRUE ORIRU GLADIATOR--IN THE FLESH, FOLKS!"

    It seemed half the crowd had fallen to silence while the other half was in aplete uproar of excitement--though Iris found little reason for such joy as her eyes met with the form of Ju-Long.

    Standing as tall as ever like the immovable mountains of Akitein, the man''s body was bathed in mes that slid across his form with malice. In just a few moments existing within the zone of absolute heat, his tan skin had taken a darken, burnt hue as his flesh sizzled and bubbled up, beginning to burn away amongst the wrath of the retaliatory mes.

    Raising the hand he used to strike his opponent, Ju-Long looked somberly at it--the skin had long since melted off, leaving only bone existing on that once mighty, massive hand of his.

    "Why did you��?"

    Iris looked at the man, who remained silent as he looked at his decimated limb.

    "This is why I came here. I had forgotten pain, excitement...the thrill of life. You were able to return all of that to me, honorable foe--thank you. You''ve given this foolish warrior a death that made life worth living."

    "Wait, no��!"

    As much as she wanted to reject the somber, but gentle words spoken by the towering man bathed in mes--even she could understand the resolve buried within his eyes. There was nothing that could be done; the mes had seized his body--removing the life from the grandiose man as the essence of his soul soon was vacant in his eyes.

    Even in death, the great Endai didn''t fall--remaining standing as the cold grip of death could not bring him down.

    "WINNER BY KILL, IRIS!"

    The crowd immediately filled the arena with a storm of triumphant roars and apuse--though Iris shook her head slowly as her eyes were left trembling at what had just transpired. Releasing her spell, an emptiness filled her gut.

    "No, I didn''t...I didn''t��"

    A bittersweet victory; one that could not be appreciated by the heart, but nheless--she would move forward.

    The smell that quickly filled the arena made her want to puke; it was as if leather had been guided over a me--its sweet, nauseating fumes filling her nose as she wanted to expel her disgust.

    I didn''t mean to��I didn''t...I didn''t, it was all she could think.

    As tears lined the rims of her eyes, she found herself retrieved by the reliable, draconic knight who didn''t speak a word--just simply guiding her back to the spectator''s room with a sealed expression across her lips.

    "Thank you, Valerie��"

 Chapter 322 - Epilogue: Moments

    "Is she alright?"

    Back in thevish room designated for the Weltwanderers, Macheo looked at the azure-haired girl that had quickly fallen asleep on the silken sofa before turning his gaze back to the vermillion-haired demi-human standing beside him.

    "Just look after her. She needs to rest."

    "Got it."

    Sitting on thefortable furniture across from the girl, Macheo looked up at Valerie, who seemed a bit anxious about something--it was rare for her to stare at the ground with such hesitant eyes.

    "What''s up? Well...I guess seeing someone get killed like that is probably��"

    "It''s not that. It''s...the bracket. I got a glimpse of it, but I really didn''t want to say anything to her--it would''ve totally cramped her match."

    Leaning against the firm wall, the draconic woman huffed as she folded her armor-d arms across her plump chest.

    "Yeah?"

    "Granted I win my match...Iris and I will be pitted against each other in the second round."

    "I see."

    Macheo didn''t seem too bothered by this information from the demi-human, tinkering with his intricately-crafted arm made of wood; fiddling with the gears that eased his delicate, small movements.

    "Also, I''d start preparing if I were you. Your opponent in the second round is that Andraste guy...he''s a lot of bark, but I know for damn sure he''s got the bite to back it up. The Victorious Seven are basically--"

    "I know."

    Hearing the straight words leaving quickly from Macheo''s lips, she noticed it atst--there wasn''t a glint in his royal, crimson eyes--he was intently focused.

    "Right...well, I''m sure Ren is going toe to check up on her. I should probably tell him to bring that tubby bastard back with him...anyways, I''ll see youter."

    "See ya''."

    With onest look at the golden-haired prince, Valerie left the room with a small sigh to herself--immediately being met face-to-face with the slightly shorter than herself, white-haired young man.

    "Holy��!"

    Jumping from the unexpected presence of the hazel-eyed young adolescent wearing a neatly-kept, sable gambeson coat with a decorated cloak hanging over his shoulders, Valerie let out a high-pitched squeal unbing of her. Wincing at the frightened noise reeled out from the demi-human''s throat, the young man caressed his ear as if it had been thoroughly abused.

    "...Hi there? I brought someone with me."

    Somehow she didn''t notice that atop Ren''s back sat the giant, crimson-furred panda that seemed impossiblyrge for the young man to carry, slumped over his back like a limp sack of potatoes.

    "Oh, right...just set him down on the floor in there."

    Pointing with her thumb, the draconic demi-human gestured for Ren to continue his delivery of the unconscious, snoring panda--listening as the tremor-like thud indicated Hongse had been ced on the floor before leaving.

    Taking a breath after carrying such a dense, but fluffy load, Ren wiped a bit of sweat from his chin as he looked over at Iris, who remained quietly resting.

    "That definitely was...something."

    Ren muttered, taking a seat next to Macheo, who seemed to be trying to distract himself by fiddling with his arm still.

    "Yeah, I guess you can say that."

    Silence inhabited the room as the two sat there, only listening to the heavy breaths of the slumbering demi-human thatpletely overshadowed the quiet, gentle breaths of Iris.

    "I don''t know what to do, Macheo."

    "Huh?"

    Looking to the side at the white-hairedpanion of his, Macheo watched as Ren sank his head into his hands without any other words.

    "How am I going to help her? I mean...I don''t even know how to help my own damn self. I know what those thoughts are like--the ones thate with staining your hands with blood...the type thates with taking a life--they never leave your head. Not for a day, not a single hour, or a minute of the day. It just...lives there, constantly reminding you--never hesitating to tell you that you''re a piece of shit. Over and over, and over again...I don''t want her to have these thoughts, Macheo��"

    It was the first time he had seen the usually collected, cheery young man sink into such bleak depths in front of him. By the infrequent droplets hitting the floor beneath the white-haired young man''s leaned forward position, Macheo found himself at a loss for words at the sight of tears slipping between the man''s fingers.

    For the Lucrauvian royal, such a vulnerable sight from a man was definitely something he wasn''t used to; the first thought that popped into his mind was to scold him, but that was the teachings of the devilish family of his he despised. Awkwardly, he reached around Ren''s back, slowly giving hispanion gentle, reassuring pats on the back as he averted his gaze.

    "I wanted to protect her from this��"

    "It''s just my take, but...I think you''d sooner turn insane if you tried to shield someone from bad things. I''ve seen what happens when someone tries to protect you from the muck of this world. The problem is...there is a lot of muck."

    "This is different though...having to kill someone...that kind of thing just doesn''t need to happen."

    Ren lifted his face from his leather gloves that had be stained with his tears, not turning to his friend--but nheless, Macheo could see the red hue of past tears tinting the whites of the young man''s eyes.

    "I agree--it doesn''t need to happen. But, it did. You''re not from Gaia, so maybe it''s different from Earth. Knowledge of your world is incredibly limited here...most of the journals were destroyed, schrs with knowledge were killed...but I''ve heard some things myself. It seems like in your world...it''s peaceful. I''d love to see it one day. It''s impossible, but I''d like to. But, here? Ren, Gaia is constantly in war. It doesn''t matter if it''s between two kingdoms, or monsters attacking humans, or even just a matter within the country: we''re always fighting. It''s unfortunate, but to survive--you have to get your hands bloodied."

    Macheo''s words were spoken softly, a tone seldomly experienced from the lips of the usually abrasive prince, but Ren listened closely, nodding his head as he watched Iris slumber quietly. Standing up from the sofa, the white-haired young man stretched his limbs before cing his hand on the handle to the door.

    "Are you alright? Maybe you should rest here for a bit, it couldn''t hurt if your match is close."

    "I''m good. Thank you, Macheo."

    Giving hispanion a smile, Ren waved him off before exiting the room upied by his slumberingrades--making his way down thevish, extensive hall.

    "IT''S TIME FOR OUR NEXT BOUT! ON THE RIGHT, BAKAR, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA!"

    Listening to the deafening cheers of the plentiful crowd that followed every announcement from Asmodeus, Ren continued his way down the hall as he looked at the ceiling as if hearing the words better from such an angle.

    Bakar, huh? Good luck, Gramps, Ren thought.

    "FROM THE LEFT, GALAGGHER, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA!"

    Hearing the identity of the opponent pitted against the old man, Ren paused for a moment in the vast, but empty hallway as the name alone was enough to freeze his limbs.

    To his side, the sound of heavy, metallic footsteps approached, such an elegant rhythm to the steps that it almost snuck up on him.

    "Sounds like that''s my cue."

    Passing by the stationary young man, a tall, hazel-haired knight d in shining armor made hisment with a smile--disappearing down the hall before Ren could say anything in return.

    "Curious, are you? I can understand why."

    "I didn''t say a single damn word."

    Responding to the sage''s elegantly spoken words, the young delinquent responded without much emotion himself as he sat across the tea table as his delegated liquid grew cold in the lukewarm room.

    "I know you aren''t a savage fool. You started Shibuya Majin to protect the weak in your area from the vicious, violent gangs, did you not?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How the hell do you know that?"

    Keeping his arms folded across his chest, Kazuya squinted at the primordial sage, who only smiled at being on the receiving end of such a stare.

    "I have my ways. But...am I wrong, Kazuya?"

    "..."

    "Either way, you''re a part of the Ounders now."

    "And what if I refuse?"

    Running her pale fingertip along the rim of the immacte ss, Beatrice simply smiled before returning her cosmic eyes to the young delinquent, who didn''t shy away from her own gaze.

    "You answered my summon; though subconscious it may be, this is something you desired. Besides, it''s not like it''s a role withoutpensation. If you choose to remain in this world after your mission isplete, you will be bestowed whatever you could possibly desire."

    Sitting across from one another, Sirius and Sora lounged in one of the many rooms specifically secluded for the Ounders; packed full of various ingredients and already prepared meals, it was a dining hall run entirely by the existence of a self-sufficient golem that acted as a chef.

    Like most of the quarters built in the Hollow Foundation, the walls were made of the durable, stygian metal that was scarcely seen elsewhere in the world--however, the floor was mostly covered by an expansive, quilted carpet.

    "Hey, Moro!"

    Sora called out to the humanoid golem formed of y; dressing the part, the scarily human-looking golem wore a spotless, white, double-breasted jacket with gray pants that inhabited a hexagonal pattern.

    Looking up from behind the counter, chopping away at carrots with rapid, precise speeds, the golem responded to the call of its name, "Yes, Master Sora?"

    "Get me a grilled dragon thigh, would you? Double-up on the sweet sauce, just like I like it!"

    "Coming right up!"

    Flipping the sharp knife it wielded with the equivalence of a master swordsman, the inhuman entity smiled with words that seemed to exhibit excitement; Moro''s curly, abundant locks of a ck shade bounced with each quick movement it made.

    Within moments, the designated chef was fervently getting to work on the requested serving of chicken.

    "You just ate like a day''s worth of meat...I don''t know how you aren''t as round as a ball yet."

    Siriusmented as he leisurely snacked on a steaming potato that had beenthered in a buttery substance. Speaking with a mouthful without any care, bits and pieces of his snack flew onto the table.

    "That''s why I have the body of a Greek god, and you''re left with those noodle arms of yours."

    pping his bicep that bulged against the sleeve of his gray tunic, Sora released a heartyugh that supported his teasing remark.

    "I''ll zap your hair right off of your scalp."

    In response to Sora''s retort, Sirius'' yful threat zipped the vermilion-haired man''s lips shut. With silence upying the dining table, it was clear the tense mood that hung around the Ounders didn''t dissipate. It all stemmed from one thing, something both Sirius and Sora shared in greatly--the memory of their fallenrade.

    "Anyway...how''re you feeling about this Kazuya guy?"

    It was a question they both wanted to ask one another, but Sirius was the first. cing his elbows on the glistening, pale-white table, Sirius rested his chin against the top of his hands as he set his magenta irises on his blue-eyed friend.

    "Well, having another person from my homnd is nice and all, but...I don''t know. It just doesn''t feel right."

    "Yeah...I get that. Barely a week. That''s it. That''s all she waited before up and recing Lucas. I could see it the entire time on that emotionless face of hers during the funeral...she was just thinking about his recement."

    Sirius'' expression dropped as he recalled those vivid, fresh memories, clenching his fists tightly shut as he looked down at the table.

    "She''s always been pragmatic. I guess that''s something we should appreciate in our leader."

    "Screw that!"

    Interrupting the words of the bulky, vermilion-haired man, Sirius mmed his clenched fist down on the table as a tremor resounded through the vast dining hall.

    Feeling the effects of the brief, but potent showing of anger--the chef stumbled a bit before continuing his mixture of ingredients.

    "We''ve given everything we''ve had for her...and for what? She took us from our lives, our friends, our families...it wasn''t an option; I don''t care what riches she promises us, all I want is to return home. Lucas can''t even do that now. Neither can Sebastian. I''m sick of this. I''m so sick of just being her pawn."

    Relieving his face to his glove-d hands, Sirius gripped his jet-ck fringes, tugging on them as if trying to pluck weeds from the ground.

    "..."

    I get it, Sirius. I do. I was there. I was powerless to help him...both Lucas and Sebastian. There isn''t a minute of the day where I don''t recall those painful memories...my blood boils so hot I feel as if my skin is going to burst.

    But, I''m clueless. Every time I''ve acted out rashly, it all goes wrong. I''m scared of being the reason one of you dies again. I don''t have any right to be mad anyways. It was my fault; I''ll live with it my entire life. But...I won''t let any of you see that, Sora thought.

    "Your dish, Master Sora."

    Moro retrieved the man from his thoughts with the aroma of freshly prepared dragon meat, cing the dish down in front of the man as he bowed his head.

    "...Yeah, thanks, Moro."

    He could only look at the meat as the gruesome memories of that day filled his mind, listening to the footsteps of the chef grow distant as hisrade sitting across from him remained silent.

    "Sirius."

    "Yeah?"

    "I know this probably isn''t what you want to hear...but, this is the way things are. Lashing out won''t change anything. Going against Beatrice would only result in our one ticket home disappearing...it''d also mean the sacrifices of ourrades were for nothing."

    Sora''s unusually calm,posed words came out from his throat that heated up with emotions that he tried to suppress, but his own words brought the face of his fallenpanions to the forefront of his mind.

    "..."

    Remaining silent, Sirius moved his hands away from his face as his magenta irises fell upon Sora.

    "Maybe one day I''ll be able to live with the reality that they''re gone. But...I wouldn''t be able to live with knowing I trampled their reason for being in this world, for sharing drinks,ughs, and days with us...so, let''s keep moving forward--for them."

    Taking the knife and fork that wereid out on a napkin near his te, Sora split the sauce-covered serving of meat into two sections, gifting one half to Sirius.

    You know it just as much as I do, Sirius: the past can''t be changed, and destroying our future won''t solve anything. You''re the strongest of us all--we need you, Sora thought.

    "Alright, Sirius?"

    Sora''s blue gems traversed a spectrum of emotions; it was impossible to tell if he was truly joyous or on the brink of endless tears--but nheless, Sirius epted the gracious gift of food with a nod. With lips that trembled against such a shift in expression, the ck-haired Ounder reced his bleak expression with a small smile of his own.

    Thanks, Sora. If it wasn''t for you, I don''t know where I''d be. No...The Ounders as a whole would be lost without you. More than anything, a smile can clear up the fog in one''s heart...disdain, contempt, all of that negativity can be swayed just by that single, simple gesture. If there is one we would call the "Heart of the Ounders", it''s you. You''re the real Big Brother of the Ounders, Sora, Sirius thought.

    "Yeah.. Let''s."

 Chapter 323 - Carnival Lord

    "You should consider staying here. There is still the possibility the eyes and ears of Mastorn have sensed your intentions."

    Looking upon the beautiful form of thedy knight, Beatrice spoke as the royal woman adjusted her emerald cape. They stood in the grandiose hall of the Hollow Foundation, though it was an organization precisely made to exist in secret, it wasn''t exactly a lonely, empty domain; floors of hazel marble stretched far, blending into the stygian pirs that acted as the foundation for the mighty, tall-standing base.

    Standing quietly without a word spoken, the two demi-human adventurers contracted to escort Getrude waited by thevish carriage. It was natural for Malune to hold himself as if not even existing, keeping his eyes shut and his arms folded across his chest--however, the same could not be said for the curious, colorfulpanion of his who gawked at the exuberant lobby like a child watching the stars for the first time.

    "It is a tempting option, but...I still have my men stationed back in Mastorn. Besides, I am much more useful to you with inside informationing in, no?"

    "Getrude, don''t forget--you are to be the next ruler of Mastorn once your father is overthrown. Your safety is of the utmost priority."

    Responding to these cautionary words from the sage, the verdant-haired knight standing at the golden-locked woman''s side held a bright smile, "I''ve got that covered, Miss Beatrice!"

    Getrude could only shake her head with a soft fight at Damien''sck of elegance before she turned to get a look at the transportation that would lead her back home. It was almost identical to the carriage she embarked from Mastorn on, but a few, almost unnoticeable changes had been made thanks to the short, stout man who just finished his tinkering.

    "She''s ready to go!"

    pping the side of the carriage, the dwarven man proimed the finish of his job. It seemed the upancy of the carriage, stationed directly in the center of the bustling lobby that was filled with boards that were littered with quests for the plentiful adventurers, was something a bit bothersome.

    "You have my gratitude, Mjurnun."

    cing her hand over her right breast, the beautiful, well-mannered princess and knight disyed her gratitude--as did Damien--though the gesture only caused the dwarven man to act bashful.

    It''s quite rare to see any dwarves in Mastorn...but they''re much more...weing? I expected an abrasive, drunken fellow, but I am pleasantly surprised, Getrude thought.

    "I''m just doing my job! No need to thank me!"

    Fiddling with his long, bristly, and ginger beard, Mjurnun began to move past the group as he slid his handy tool back into the leather belt wrapped around his waist. Standing with a small smile, a man with unnaturally pale skin awarded by powdery, white makeup no different from that of a clown''s own, gave Mjurnun a pat on the shoulder before approaching Getrude.

    "Lord Ferstaus."

    Wearing a tophat made of a sleek, dark material that sat atop his head of hair that held a spectrum of fire in his long, luscious, but mannerly locks, the nobleman held a certain intrigue in his golden, sharp irises. In almost a surprising fashion, his garments remained mostly normal for a nobleman; a ck coat covered a crimson vest he wore,thered with minuscule stripes that stood in contrast to his dark britches.

    "Lady Getrude. Sir Damien. It''s always such a delight to see such gant, respectable knights here! I think some of our associates could take a note or two, don''t you agree?"

    "You honor me, Lord Ferstaus��"

    Not quite knowing how to handle the entric, white-makeup wearing nobleman, Getrude chuckled quietly.

    Exchanging slight bows, the entric of appearance man handed a small, neatly wrapped up scroll to the womanly knight. Getrude epted the scroll, but looked up at the unique nobleman with a perplexed look--falling still as the tall, slender man leaned in close to whisper something into her ear.

    "Just something to keep in mind! Do remember: you''re always wee here, lovely knights."

    Ferstaus tipped his hat with a smile as his joyous words came out in a tone unfitting of his scheming whispers, but Getrude only nodded in silence before storing the scroll away into a safe ce between her metallic armor.

    Taking his leave, the nobleman dressed in makeup fit for a jester waved the princess off with a smile that fell between gentle, warm, and concerning.

    Lord Ferstaus...he''s part of the Hollow Council--that makes him one of the most powerful nobles in the world. Yet...not much is known about him. I don''t know how much he can be trusted, but I don''t have much of a choice, Getrude thought.

    As if reading the doubt perched upon Getrude''s fair face, Beatrice stepped closer to her, "You can trust Lord Ferstaus. I may be speaking out of personal bias...no, out of debt, but it is only because of him that the Ounders are recognized as a proper, renowned guild in the Hollow Foundation. He is our...sponsor, if you will."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I see...he''s just��"

    "I know. He is a unique man, but that''s what we need in an ever changing world, do we not? The Hollow Foundation is run by nobles who aren''t satisfied with the state of the world--but Lord Ferstaus embodies that on apletely different level."

    Beatrice''s words, backed by her ancient tenure, did dampen the difort that the royal knight felt as she gave a small smile to the sage before guiding herself into thevish carriage built of furnished wood. Bringing therge figure inside of itself, the carriage shook as Damien entered--plopping down on the velvet seats within as Malune and Luna both took the role as carriage drivers.

    "...On that day, right?"

    Asking this vague question to the primordial sage who watched her enter the carriage, Getrude received her answer with a small nod from the tranquil woman.

    "The Festival of Heroes; that''s the day it shall be done."

    With those parting words to Getrude, Beatrice watched as the luxurious transportation vehicle began to move forward by the bulky steed that responded to a crack of the whips held by Malune.

    The massive, towering doors made of colossal marble, reinforced with stygian steel, parted by levers being handled by hulking men that unmistakably were of giant blood. Huffs and grunts bellowed from the massive, pale-skinned men who were tightly-strapped leather armor over their gray overalls, using their gargantuan, muscr arms to part the gates for Getrude and her party to embark on their journey back to Mastorn.

    Taking a step next to the tinum-haired sage who watched the gray skies that obscured any sunlight be visible past those doors, Ferstaus held a simple smile.

    "It seems things are moving forward quite fast, aren''t they, Anteros?"

    "Hoh...it''s been awhile since one has called me by that name, Beatrice. You''ll make this old man flush."

    Though Ferstaus responded with this, his age didn''t take a single peek over the thirties; reeling in a shortugh from the sage that the nobleman shared in. With his locks that shared between vermilion, crimson, and the shade of the morning rays of light, tied neatly into a ponytail that rested over his shoulder, Ferstaus leaned closer to the sage''s ear as his lips nearly grazed her skin.

    "You''re actually quite right; things are moving fast. We must discuss "that"--rather urgently, I''m afraid. I believe they are on the move."

    Whispering this into the ear of the primordial sage that followed him in his youthful appearance, Ferstaus stood back up straight, snapping his fingers that were protected by pearly-white, silken gloves.

    "Come, Beatrice! Onward!"

    With his usual entricity, the nobleman garnered the concerned eyes of passing adventurers who were either collecting rewards for theirpleted quests, or seeking new ones. Guiding the sage dressed in her usual, somber dress of sable fabric, intertwined andced with a series of odd, but beautiful designs, Ferstaus walked with a smile--nodding and waving at the adventurers and staff he passed by.

    "I must say...the Hollow Foundation has grown quite popr these days, hasn''t it? I remember it just being the initial five founders and the adventurers they swayed with as much gold as they could fit in their pockets."

    "Indeed; it''s truly a light in my heart to see it grow like this."

    Ferstaus briefly looked back at the sage with his replied words, holding his wide smile all the same. Turning past a hall, the two began to climb a set of marbled stairs that had been decorated with a snow-white rug.

    "Well...you have much more stock put into it, don''t you? The others remained in the shadows, still maintaining the facade ofw-abiding noblemen that knelt to their rulers, but you simply brought your estate and people to the Hollow Foundation. Quite the risk, I must say."

    "My, it is rare to be on the receiving end of such delightful, sweet words from the Sage of Mastorn herself. I truly wonder--what do I owe this pleasure?"

    Laughing to himself, Ferstaus summited the lengthy steps before turning to witness the sage achieve the same; greeted by a smile from the woman possessing such unique eyes, the nobleman continued with the woman following behind him.

    "Is it so abnormal for friends to speak fondly of one another?"

 Chapter 324 - Plans Etched Into The Soul

    "Is it so abnormal for friends to speak fondly of one another?"

    Beatrice finally followed up once the silence had already settled in. Due to the nature of the vast foundation, the corridor they traversed was apanied by many others, littered with countless rooms that were only diversified by small markings.

    "And here I believed we werepanions only by our sharing in extended lifespans."

    Each step Ferstaus took resounded as the heels of his crossced boots made of spotless, ck leather met with the ground.

    "A young maiden such as myself could find herself hurt by such words, Anteros."

    "Hoh, nonsense. You have a mind of steel and a heart of ice; words are naught but air to you, Beatrice."

    Rolling these words from his tongue in a yful manner, Ferstaus looked back at the woman who held the same, indifferent smile as he tipped his tall hat, "I jest."

    "Though we do share amonality in our tenure in this world, we''re much different, Anteros."

    "That I agree with."

    Bouncing with every stride taken, Ferstaus'' fiery,vish locks swayed as the sage simply looked upon his back as she followed him down the corridors that felt almost infinite both in length and options.

    "Your love for this world hasn''t been dampened in the slightest. As for myself...I find myself jaded by time, eroded by its unstoppable tide."

    "I''d say it''s because you''ve lived far longer than I, Beatrice. I can''t say I''m walking fearlessly into the future--each day I fear what sky I may see when I peer out my window. For now, I love Gaia, I love those who live upon it. Besides...Beatrice, your love for Mastorn remains; that is something that can''t be eroded by time."

    In contrast to his usual mboyance, the nobleman spoke in a slightly more mellowed out tone.

    "I''d like to believe that myself, but my loyalty to Mastorn has slowly shifted from my natural born duty rather than love."

    Speaking this quietly, Beatrice ced her hand over her chest, tracing her lithe fingers across the pale skin visible from her mostly covered bosom.

    Finally stopping at the very end of a corridor nketed by dazzling marble, reinforced by zed wood, Ferstaus stopped and opened the door formed of reddened, smooth timber as he gestured for the sage to enter the room first.

    "As fascinating as ever your tastes in the exquisite is, Anteros."

    Taking a look around the private chambers of the nobleman, Beatrice took in the nonstandard sight; the bookshelves twisted into a spiral shape, formed of white wood that housed many books. With a bed fit for a king in its size, a curtain decorated with the subtleties of the distant stars veiled the furniture lined with plump, hazel sheets.

    "On the contrary, I find my tastes have been left rather dulled by my stay here."

    Snapping his fingers, Ferstaus spoke with a smile as his simple gesture seemed tomand the door to shut itself behind the two.

    "So, what is it that we need to discuss?"

    With the two being fully secluded, Beatrice posed her question. Their privacy was assured by Beatrice''s eyes as she could see the subtle, barely visible barrier that outlined the room; a spell that assured no sound escaped its perimeter.

    "There are much too many words I could use, so I believe the simplest avenue would be visual information."

    Saying this, Ferstaus had already slid his dark, unwrinkled coat from his body, unbuttoning his vest as the garments covering his torso eventually slid away--revealing his bare upper-body. Presenting his back to the sage, her eyes locked on the sigil etched onto the man''s pale back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It would be difficult to discern the identity of the scar-formed sigil, but the image of the robbed, mysterious figure formed by carved flesh, filled in with dried blood, was something the sage knew well.

    "The Sigil of Belmon...what about it?"

    "It burns once more. It seems they want returned to them what is theirs."

    As he described this, a pained tone took hold of Ferstaus'' words, bringing the sage to take a closer look--seeing that the flesh-inscribed sigil did indeed seem to be singing the man''s flesh.

    "An authority of one of the seventy-two...I see. Between the encounter with the goblin, and then the battle with Sloth that Sirius handled...it does indeed seem Belmon isn''t sticking much to the shadows any longer. It''d make sense they''d want to retrieve one of their greater assets."

    Commenting this as Beatrice took a closer look, inspecting the sigil as she ced her hand on her chin, the sage''s words reeled in a nod in response from the nobleman, who slid his long-sleeved, pale shirt back on.

    "Though, I find it unlikely they''d be able to reach you from within the Hollow Foundation."

    "I agree, but...I know Belmon; that kingdom is filled with freaks that hold more determination, malice, and unpredictability than is reasonable. If they truly want their authority returned, they''llunch their attack--who knows when, or how--but it will happen."

    Buttoning his shirt as he fixed his red cor, Ferstaus spoke with a hint of worry before cing his colorful vest back on, slipping each tiny, sable button into its rightful ce.

    "I assume you have some sort of n, then?"

    "...Something like that. I believe what Belmon is aiming for is a full-manifestation rather than simply making someone act as the catalyst for one of the seventy-two''s authority. If that''s the case...should I die, you must make sure the ck heart is destroyed. Should the one I house be fully summoned...the world itself could very well face utter ruin."

    Sitting down on the end of therge bed, Ferstaus clutched his chest as his golden eyes wavered with such thoughts flooding from his lips.

    "It is quite unlike you to speak so somberly, Anteros. Though, I understand; you of all people understand the horror of Belmon--as you were born in that twistednd. Even so, Anteros, Belmon is weakened right now. Sloth was eradicated by one of my Ounders, Halphas met the same fate; those two required plentiful resources, no doubt, from Belmon."

    Beatrice ran her pale fingers along the smooth, pale wood that made up the bookshelves scattered around the room as she spoke, though her words didn''t settle the worried aura that hung around the nobleman.

    "True as that may be, that weakness is all the more reason why they''ll want me. I''ve already begun preparations: The Sky Dragon Conglomerate, Reid, Giantsbane, and the highest ranking solo adventurers will remain here."

    "I assume you brought me here then to keep the Ounders here as well?"

    Ferstaus nodded his head in response to the sage''s question, standing back up from the bed as he looked up at the ceiling that was formed of a mystical ss; such a magical material housed a view of the cosmos, one unable to be seen normally.

    "...You''re right, Beatrice; it is quite unlike me to feel this way. I don''t fear for my own life, or whatever fate awaits me should I fall to their wicked hands...but knowing full well what depravity they have nned for this world--I shudder; my skin grows cold, my heart pounds against my chest--I must stop them. I need your help, friend of mine."

    Extending his silken-d hand to the sage dressed invish, yet dark garments, Ferstaus met his weathered, but vibrant eyes with that of Beatrice''s own.

    Standing still for a moment as she peered into the nobleman''s eyes as if deciphering his very being, she finally epted his hand--shaking it lightly, "You know very well my assistance is natural when ites to such matters. Belmon is a danger to Mastorn; the greatest of all, I''d say."

    "Thank you, Beatrice. Then let us prepare our counterattack against the forgotten kingdom."

    With this promation, a new battle loomed over the Hollow Foundation and its members.

 Chapter 325 - Compromises Made

    "It''s only been a week since that pipsqueek got here, and he''s already this adept? Give me a break."

    Tristan muttered as he puffed the smoke left within his maw from the cigar he held, watching as the newly recruited Ounder sparred with Fai.

    It was a secluded dome arena within the vast foundation, formed of beige steel as lively, verdant grass lined the edges of the arena for the spectators to watch; all thanks to the nurturing, always active spells that supplied the sunless nature.

    "Kazuya, right? I guess the rumors are true about the powerhouse rookie! Maybe I''ll bring him along with me on a quest."

    Sitting beside Tristan on the bench, an entric man wearing circr-rimmed sses pped his hands, cheering on the new Ounder.

    Amidst their own words, the two sparring in the dome continued at it--though it was clear the more experienced, elegant martial artist in Fai was toying around with Kazuya, parrying his strikes yfully with one hand as they danced around the sleek, empty arena.

    Annoyed by the pr opposite presence of this man, Tristan sighed as he squinted his eyes, "Why the hell are you even here, Nikko?"

    "I already told you--"

    "I''m not helping you on your mission. Get lost."

    Tristan brutally interrupted the brown-haired man before he could finish his sentence, taking another puff of his cigar as he looked less than interested in a conversation altogether.

    "Aww, you''re so mean, Tristan! Don''t be like that! We go way back, you know!"

    Nikko''s pleas were deaf on the pale-haired man''s ears as he puffed out a cloud of smoke directly into his face.

    "If you want an Ounder, ask Sirius or Sora. They''re itching to do something. Those two have been antsy ever since returning from their mission in Lemasdale. You were there with them, right?"

    "Only in the end...I didn''t really do anything. By the time I got there, it was all gone. I knew beforehand my mission was essentially glorified "cleanup", but it didn''t sink in to me until I realized that the entire town had been wiped out."

    Nikko adjusted his yellow-tinted sses as he looked down, fiddling with his ck coat a bit as he buttoned it back up.

    "You were there though. If it wasn''t for you, I don''t know if Sora would still be up and walking around in the world of the living."

    Not even watching the spar at this point, Tristan looked up at the glistening ceiling as he blew out a cloud of smoke that rose to the summit of the training dome.

    "What''re you getting at?"

    "I''m saying that they owe you one."

    Tristan replied as he looked to Nikko with his amethyst, tired eyes, tapping the cigar as the remnants of its sh vanished.

    Sitting there for a moment to process what was said, a beaming smile came over Nikko''s expression, "Oh, I get it now! You really are a nice guy, Tristan! I can always rely on you!"

    Attempting to embrace the already annoyed Ounder, Nikko''s thankful affection was rejected as Tristan held the shorter, lively man back with his hand.

    "If that''s all you came here for, then go on. I''ve got a headache now."

    As Tristan''s words propelled Nikko off the bench, the golden-sses wearing man stopped before turning back to the white-haired Ounder.

    "Oh��where are they? Sirius and Sora, I mean."

    "Hell if I know. Knowing that red-haired brute, he''s probably filling his face with grub. As for Sirius��I haven''t the damndest clue."

    "Cafeteria, it is!"

    Nikko waved to Tristan as he left the training arena with this information.

    Exhaling the residual smoke in his mouth, Tristan sighed, "How annoying."

    Evading stray strikes from the shorter, younger man without any struggle, Fai smiled, moving his body swiftly as the iing fists never reached their target.

    "Invincible Kazu? How''d you earn a badass nickname like that with moves like these?"

    Fai taunted the graphite-haired delinquent with a smile as he danced around his strikes.

    Ignoring the words from the hazel-haired man, Kazuya continued to unleash a non-stopbo, thrusting his bandage-wrapped fists forward and following up with a few stray kicks.

    Not bad. He''s relentless, and his stamina is exceptional. It seems he''s able to keep a cool head despite the situation, Fai thought.

    Even while sparring, Kazuya kept his gang''s uniformed jacket hanging from his shoulders as he relentlessly attacked without a semnce of emotion sparking in his eyes.

    Blocking an iing high-kick from the delinquent, Fai couldn''t help but widen his smile as the impact sent an echo through his bones; though it wasn''t painful, it was no doubt felt in the marrow of his bones.

    To top it off, this kid''s reinforcement is something else! He''s way above any amatuer mage already! Fai thought, even still��!

    "You''re leaving yourself wide open!"

    Delivering these words alongside a sharp fist to the young delinquent''s gut, Fai didn''t hold out as the impact smacked through the surrounding winds.

    Even with such a visceral strike received, Kazuya didn''t budge--a surprise to Fai as in his moment of shock, a haymaker from the delinquent caught his chin. Not exactly fazed by the blow itself, Fai grinned at the realization of what happened.

    This guy...did anybody even teach him that? The moment before my hitnded, he centered his reinforcement on his gut! Fai smiled.

    Dropping his guard down, Kazuya spit onto the ground as he slid his hands into the pockets of his baggy, ck pants.

    "Are we done here?"

    Kazuya asked as his lengthy locks curtained barely above his shoulders. Rubbing his chin with a smile, Fai nodded his head a few times.

    "The challenge was tond one clean hit on me--and you did it. Good job, "Invincible Kazu". Here, get yourself something nice from the bazaar down below."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fai congratted the young man, retrieving a shiny coin from his pocket and flipping it over to Kazuya, who caught it without his gaze leaving the figure of Fai.

    "What is this? An allowance?"

    "You haven''t been able to go on any quests yet, so you''re strapped for cash. So yeah, an allowance."

    As Fai said this, something about their conversation caught Tristan''s attention as he stood up from the bench hezed on.

    "Strapped for cash, eh? I think I might have a solution to that."

    Tristan strolled leisurely to the center of the training arena, approaching Kazuya as he discarded his ashy cigar to the floor.

    "Nikko is looking for some extra helping hands on whatever quest he''s setting off on. He''s a bit of a handful, but the Sky Dragon Conglomerate are a reliable group; if nothing else, they''ll take you along to teach you the ropes."

    "Nikkel? Sky Dragon Can-o-might?"

    Kazuya repeated the unknown names while squinting his eyes, slurring their original formspletely as both Fai and Tristan were left exasperated.

    "You really don''t pay any attention, do you? Fai, take him to their quarters. You should probably head over there anyways...Noah is probably drunk off his ass."

    "Not a bad idea, really. Actually, it''s great! There''s no better training than the real thing!"

    Fai epted the proposal with a smile while Kazuya was still left mostly in the dark.

    "Hmm? You want the kid toe along?"

    Taking a sip from his ss containing amber liquid, Nikko asked as he sat on a leather sofa beside a muchrger than himself man--the Ounder Noah. It was the lounge room home to the leader of the guild himself, a luxurious, but mature room with furnished, umber walls, a fine, fluffy rug of an orange tine, and a supply of high-ss alcohol.

    Sitting across from them, Fai shared a drink as he nodded his head, while Kazuya remained silently until hearing "kid".

    "I''m not a kid."

    "No? Whatever. What matters is if you''re ready for this sort of thing. This isn''t some sort of predetermined training exercise; this is the real thing. One false move, and you could find yourself in a grave."

    Nikko responded as he leaned back against the umber sofa, revealing his orderly ze that sat beneath his coat; at least a dozen, sheathed knives lined the inside of his ck coat.

    "I know that already."

    "The fact that you think you know that is the problem, kid."

    "Huh?"

    Kazuya raised an eyebrow as the words pouring from the man''s lips across from him slid right beneath his skin; veins pressed against his hands--but a touch from Fai stopped his delinquent instincts. Seeing the tinge of ragee over Kazuya for a moment, Nikko chuckled as he adjusted his round-rimmed sses.

    "You haven''t tasted the dread of this world yet. I''ve seen it a few times myself: rosy-cheeked otherworlders who''ve had all of their abilities handed to them on a silver tter, taking nothing seriously--only to end up torn to shreds by the harsh reality of Gaia."

    "I''m not like that."

    "Sure, maybe not. Frankly, I don''t care if you walk yourself right into the mouth of a blubbering giant, but you''ll get myrades killed with that naivety."

    Nikko''s words dug into the tough skin of the delinquent, though it was hard to notice any rise in anger on Kazuya''s stoic expression.

    "If I get myself killed, whatever. But I won''t be a problem for your group."

    Kazuya kept his unmoving eyes on the sses-wearing leader of the Sky Dragon Conglomerate, watching as Nikko took another swig of his ss before promptly responding.

    "No, you will be."

    "How do you know that? I''ll stay out of your way."

    As Kazuya began to talk more fervently and with passion, Fai watched him from the side with a half smirk. During the entirety of this discussion, the blonde-haired giant of a man, Noah, continued to pour an entire bottle of the harsh, potent alcohol down his throat.

    Watching Noah''s uncanny ability to put down the fiery liquid, Nikko chuckled before turning his attention back to the young man.

    "I know that because myrades aren''t heartless like me. I''ll watch you stumble into your own grave, but they won''t. And it''s that situation that''ll lead to me losing arade. It''s my job as their leader to make sure that doesn''t happen."

    Hearing these serious wordsing off the usually jovial man''s tongue, Kazuya was left with little options.

    "I-"

    ��The moment he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by the shirtless, tattooed covered man with golden, flowing locks that had been helping himself to arge portion of booze.

    "I''ll tag along. Little Kazu will be under my wing."

    Noah stated as he wiped the residual amber liquid from his chin.

    Left silent from this unexpected proposal, Nikko looked at therge man for a moment with wide eyes before smiling wide.

    Even Fai couldn''t help but smile at the unexpected development.

    "I can''t remember thest time I got to fight alongside you, Noah! With you on our team, it''ll be smooth sailing!"

    "On one condition."

    Noah halted Nikko before he got too excited, raising a single finger in front of the man''s face.

 Chapter 326 - Reid

    "On one condition."

    Noah halted Nikko before he got too excited, raising a single finger in front of the man''s face.

    "And that is��?"

    The leader of the guild''s question was left without an answer for a few moments as the drunken man stared at him.

    The breath that left the man''s maw was unsavory, to say the least; the repugnant aroma of booze emitted from his mouth as the redness of liquid filled his cheeks.

    "Clear my tab��and a year of free booze."

    "One month."

    Nikko quickly countered his offer��little hesitation was had as he heard the number presented.

    A year of free booze for Noah is a trap! This man is a bottomless pit of booze! Nikko thought.

    "Six."

    Gesturing with his bottle of liquor, Noah counteroffered the counteroffer with his rosy, alcohol-tinged cheeks.

    "Three and I''ll throw in a bottle of Dragon''s Moon."

    "Deal!"

    Noah epted with excitement, chugging down the rest of his bottle before letting out a satisfied sigh.

    Watching this silently, Kazuya could only find himself perplexed by the entricity of both men as Faiughed, standing up.

    "Looks like it''s settled then. When are you heading out?"

    "Tomorrow night. We''re all set and ready to go, but our...partners aren''t."

    Nikko seemed a bit miffed bringing this up as he crossed his legs, looking up towards the ceiling.

    "Partners? Did you bring on more members? You''re really pulling everything out for this one, huh?"

    "No, this quest is too big to be handled by one guild, or so my employer has said. Handling this mission alongside us will be, unfortunately, another guild...Reid."

    Hearing this answer from the leader of the Sky Dragon Conglomerate, Fai sighed as he began to realize the meaning for all of this now.

    "Reid, huh? The rival guild to yours. That''s why you wanted some extra helping hands, didn''t you? So you can leave Reid in the dust."

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about."

    Nikko replied with a mischievous smile as he flicked his sses up for a moment, though it was clear what Fai''s words meant on the bridge of truth.

    "Anyway��"

    Sitting up and adjusting the cor of his coat, Nikko set his barely-visible eyes behind his sses on Kazuya, who remained few of words as always.

    Extending his hand, the entric, young leader of the guild smiled, "Wee, temporarily, to the Sky Dragon Conglomerate, Kazuya."

    epting the gesture, Kazuya gripped the man''s hand, but was greeted with a tighter grip than his own, as if being pinned between two, unmoving walls. It was a surprising amount of strengthing from the slender, jovial man, but Kazuya kept hisposure.

    "Thanks for having me."

    With that alliance sealed, it wasn''t the only one being made within the Hollow Foundation, and not the only one being created with a member of the Ounders.

    As Nikko had surmised the strength of an Ounder on his side would turn the tides, so did his rival, who sat in his chamber of leisure all the same with orderly, stacked paperwork sitting on his desk.

    After spending a minute signing paperwork with a quill pen, the leader of Reid who looked no older than his early twenties, same as Nikko, lifted his head as his honed, hazel eyes sat on the guest sitting in front of his desk.

    "Apologies for the wait. As you can see, I am quite encumbered with paperwork at the moment."

    Even in his time of leisure within his office, Liam presented himself in the militaristic uniform famously attached to the guild, loosely wearing hisrge,manding coat over his shoulders that had its shoulderpads decorated with crimsonces.

    "It''s alright. Just tell me what it is you called me here to talk about."

    Sora leaned back in the oak chair much smaller than his own body, wearing a casual, ck top with baggy, gray sweatpants as his vermilion locks were damp and loose as if justing back from a bath.

    "Straight to the point--I can respect that. I''d like to hire you as a temporary member of Reid for the duration of our next mission; it is a direct mission from Lord Ferstaus himself."

    "Yeah, yeah--none of that matters until I know just what kind of quest this is. You''re just wasting both of our time until you get down to the nitty gritty of it. Spill it, Liam."

    Sora pressed for information as he folded his muscr arms across his chest, maintaining eye contact with the pragmatic eyes of the stoic leader of Reid.

    The only noise filling the stagnant silence in the room was the faint breaths of the lit candles, filling the orderly office with an orange hue.

    After a moment, Liam smiled marginally before chuckling to himself, "I was getting to it, but I can see with an experienced adventurer like yourself, we can skip the formalities. This mission is a hunt. A very significant hunt, at that."

    "Okay, then what''re we hunting, exactly?"

    Sora asked this, a question that caused Liam to fall silent for a moment as he stared at the man as if asking if he was prepared for such information.

    "We''re hunting the Bixi."

    "Bixi? Am I supposed to know what the hell that is?"

    "No, I suppose not. I didn''t know until Lord Ferstaus told me about it. It''s a creature located in Jinyue; though, it''s a bit disingenuous to just describe it as that...the Bixi is one of the principal creatures of that region."

    As Liam exined this, he unsealed a small, beige journal, opening it to a page that exhibited a sketch of the aforementioned creature; a serpentine dragon with a body armored by what looked like a thick exoskeleton.

    Looks weird, but that''s par for the course around here. Jinyue, though?...Sora thought.

    "Jinyue? Wait, wait, isn''t that cepletely off-limits to outsiders? What the hell does Ferstaus want with something like that?"

    Sora asked while the young head of Reid retrieved the journal, sliding it in the pocket on the chest of his orderly uniform.

    "I can only tell you that if you agree to join Reid on this quest."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The serious words from Liam were taut; Sora knew the man well, and knew he meant what he said. Maybe it was curiosity, but maybe he was already set on joining the quest--either way:

    "Fine, fine! I''ll help you with whatever the hell this is!"

    Sora ruffled his own locks as he announced his temporary alliance with a bit of reluctance, but Liam seemed pleased with the answer as he smiled subtly, tapping his white gloves against the furbished table, signalling towards the contract that had already been ced before the Ounder.

    "Really?"

    The vermilion-haired man asked with a squint of his eyes as he looked up from the contractual parchment.

    "I can''t take just a word said in the heat of the moment."

    With no other choice, Sora begrudgingly signed his name on the contract using the feathered quill, handing it off to the leader of Reid as the man rolled up the contract, stamping it with the sigil of the guild before finally, their conversation resumed.

    "Alright, spill the beans already."

    "As you may already know, Lord Ferstaus is quite an enigmatic one; he likes to leave things up to the imagination--so, even I don''t have all the information. With that said, he gave me three main reasons pertaining to the purpose of this hunt: first, the shell of the Bixi is extremely valuable and can be used to make highly durable armor. Secondly, this mission is originally a request from the emperor of Jinyue himself, given to the Hollow Foundation to handle--"

    While Liam exined the circumstances of the quest, Sora lit up as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders,pletely interrupting the man.

    "So we aren''t trespassing into Jinyue and giving them a reason to go to war with us? That''s a relief."

    "You signed the contract thinking that?...Anyway, the Bixi has suddenly be incredibly aggressive; burning fields, livestock, and even people--it hasn''t stopped there either. Obviously, the emperor wants to put a stop to this, but dragons in Jinyue are highly revered. Not only would it hurt his reputation if he were to y the Bixi, but it''s likely mobilizing a force to put it down would result in even more death."

    It was a significant realization for Sora that came from the taut words of the leader of Reid, now feeling a sense of urgency and danger to the quest he otherwise thought little of.

    "You''re saying even an organized force could fail to seize it? Just how strong is this thing, actually?"

    "Hard to say; there is little known about Jinyue, and even less about their renowned dragons. However, the dragons that inhabit thatnd are different from ones you''ve encountered; the dragons of Jinyue are deities. It goes without saying that one of them poses a threat with at least a phantasm rank."

    Liam spoke as he opened the journal once more, reading the foreign text through the usage of a simple deciphering spell.

    "Wait-- what was the third reason for this? You didn''t mention it."

    "Right. The emperor of Jinyue didn''t actually offer any sort of reward on his part for the ying of the Bixi, but instead gave an incentive to the Hollow Foundation: im to the blood of the Bixi. If he offered something, he''d basically be admitting he weed the ying of the revered deity; that wouldn''t fly over well."

    As Liam answered, his tone fell as if discussing something even more pivotal than the previous points.

    So the emperor really wants this done without any connection to himself? Sora thought.

    "Blood of the Bixi? What good does that do for anyone?"

    Sora asked as he nced at the journal, unable to decipher any of the text himself as he quickly gave up on that path.

    "That''s where my knowledge ends, I''m afraid. However, I think there is a more important matter you''d like to know: the reward."

    Liam''s alluring words brought in a curious gaze from Sora, who raised an eyebrow as he leaned a bit closer.

    "I''m listening."

    "One thousand hollow coins...for the triumphant guild, that is."

    Such a number drew excitement from the bulky Ounder as he whistled, but soon caught on to the second half of Liam''s words.

    "Wait, triumphant guild?"

    As Sora asked this, the man nodded in response, "That''s right. Lord Fertsaus handed this quest to both Reid and the Sky Dragon Conglomerate."

    "It''s a bit unprofessional to hire two guilds for the same task, right? Especially leaving the reward for only one��Is the Bixi that strong?"

    Sora furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the umber ceiling, trying to gauge just how dangerous the mythical dragon actually was.

    "It is, but the reason for having both guilds on the job isn''t the strength of the Bixi, per say."

    "It isn''t?"

    "Like I said��this is a hunt. We need to find the Bixi, and there are no reports on its movements��it could be anywhere within Jinyue."

    Liam spoke as he held his hands together, resting his chin atop the silken, white fabric of his gloves.

    Ruffling his hair, Sora exhaled, "So we''re searching blindly through an entire country?"

    "That''s right; to make matters more problematic, the Bixi possesses a couple skills that make it quite slippery, apparently."

    "Oh yeah?"

    As Sora said this with intentions of getting more information, Liam nodded towards the journal.

    "It apparently can shapeshift into other animals, though it retains a tortoise shell atop its back when doing so. So it''s able to attack from anywhere, unsuspectedly."

    "Scary, I think I''m starting to understand. When are we heading out?"

    "Tomorrow night, if that''s alright with you? This isn''t a short-term mission; it may take a few days, a week, or even months--I''ve ordered supplies to amodate for those possibilities."

    Liam looked at the red-haired otherworlder for an answer. Though, knowing the boisterous, self-proimed knight of the Ounders, an answer was already known.

    "I''m ready to go anytime. I''ve got nothing better to do, anyway. Let''s get this party started!"

    Sora pped his own bicep as he rose from his seat, holding a gleaming smile as a new goal was presented to him.

    "Oh, one more thing."

    Stopping himself before leaving, Sora smiled as he spoke, looking at the leader of the guild, who returned his nce with an inquisitive one.

    "What is it?"

    "You don''t mind if Siriuses along, do you?"

 Chapter 327 - Flaming Storm

    "I thought you were going to miss this one."

    "Not a chance."

    Returning to his ce beside Jae-Seong, Aiko, and Fedrin, Ren responded to the curly-haired man''s words without returning his gaze--keeping his eyes on the arena as he leaned over the lip of the window.

    "You''re close with gramps there, right? Does he have this?"

    "I am as close as one could be with a man such as himself--few of words--but, I can''t say. I''m unfamiliar with his opponent...he looks strong, that one."

    Fedrin responded with a hint of worry filling his purple eyes, looking at Jae-Seong, who had posed the question to him.

    "He''s a knight by the looks of his get-up, right?..."

    Ren jumped into the conversation, keeping his eyes on the tall, armor-d man who strutted into the arena with a gleaming smile, waving to the audience as if basking in the attention already.

    "I''d say it''s more likely to be a man taking a liking to such armor as a knight leaving his post to venture Purgatory should be unheard of...but there is the case of one of the Victorious Seven being present here."

    Answering Ren''s question, Jae-Seong rested his arms against the ledge of the window as he flicked his sses up yfully.

    Still, something inside of Ren couldn''t be shaken; a doubt that clung to his chest as he looked upon the gant knight that shared the name of one he encountered in this realm previously.

    Let''s see who you are, "Gggher", Ren thought.

    Taking to the center of the arena, the man wearing an armor that primarily was built of a glistening silver, padded withvish ivory that sung of a knight''s existence, stood tall as he kept his hand atop the handle of his sheathed sword.

    Noticing the knight''s readiness with his gauntlet kept so close to his weapon, Bakar''s eyes honed on the de thatid in rest; by the width of the scabbard decorated with gilded feathers, it was a greatsword in all respects with a pommel that represented the talons of a radiant dragon.

    Amidst the chatter of the crowd, the knight possessing such dashing qualities spoke words that met only his opponent''s ears, washed away by the waves of cheers from the impatient spectators.

    "I''m going to kill you."

    ��Such words were apanied by the knight''s warm smile as he kept his emerald eyes on the stands, waving and basking in the attention. Bakar remained silent, but his guard raised itself plenty.

    Kill me? Bakar thought, Try me, boy.

    The inhale Asmodeus took before unleashing his announcement was enough to halt the exchange of cheers between the crowd as all fell still in the vast, towering arena.

    "ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLE DEMONS! LET''S GET THE NEXT MATCH STARTED! BAKAR VERSUS GALAGGHER��BEGIN!"

    With the deration of violence befalling the arena upied by the two readiedbatants, Gggher closed his eyes as he gently wrapped his metallic-d fingers around the hilt of his de as if touching the weapon reunited him with long, lost memories.

    "I''ll make it painless, so please, don''t scorn me."

    Following his softly spoken words, the tall-standing knight parted his eyelids once more as he steadily drew his lengthy de from its ce of rest.

    As expected, it was a magnificent de fit for a knight; dancing across its stainless length, the unnatural, mystic lights shining down from the arena''s ceiling scattered, revealing the twin, sable lines that ran parallel along each edge of the sword. It was impossible to tell if it was simply a showing of his strength, or disying his treasured de--Gggher pointed the tip of the illustrious weapon of such immacte craftsmanship to the ceiling.

    It was then that a clear view of the sword was garnered, and its full beauty revealed; the guard of the sword draped down like the wings of a skyborne dragon, intertwined with exuberant blue fabric that wrapped around its pearly steel.

    "Come, seasoned warrior."

    Gggher dragged the spotless steel back down, allowing its forefront to point directly at his frail-seeming opponent as his words drew in the beginning of their bout.

    And yet, Bakar remained unmoving. The act of nothingness, carried out silently and without acknowledgement drew out a frown from the once ever-smiling knight as he flipped the grip of his de in his hand.

    "...So be it--I shalle to you then."

    cing one hand atop the other in ce of the handle of thevish sword, Gggher held his de in front of him before cing it at his side with the tip pointing behind him--readying himself forbat.

    The knight dashed forward like a hawk soaring through the winds, quickly encroaching on the elderly man who remained standing perfectly still.

    I''ve got you��! Gggher thought.

    --Or so the knight had thought. The moment he prepared to carve his de through the midsection of his opponent, a sharp manifestation of magical energy caused his skin to run over with a chill. Following the sudden, unforeseen build-up in magical energy, a dry heat epassed the arena surrounding Bakar.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Stopping himself before growing any closer to the old man''s position, Gggher kicked away--narrowly avoiding what was born in that singr, minuscule moment.

    Erupting from Bakar''s form, mes shrieked--stretching out and filling the air with its orange, malicious existence.

    "Child, you''re oh-so ignorant; filled only with greed, only malice can be born in that heart of avarice. Let me burn it all away for you."

    For the first time since stepping into the arena, Bakar spoke as the mes burnt away the robes that shrouded his appearance in enigma. Beneath his robes that became ash carried by the ming winds, he wore nothing on his upper-body except a pale-white wrapping around his waist, wearing only simple, baggy trousers on his lower half.

    "Incantation-free magic...Bakar is strong."

    Ren muttered, feeling the heat from all the way over, behind the spectator''s open window.

    "A mage as old as that guy should at least boast some level of proficiency. But, yeah, impressive."

    The words from the curly-haired otherworlder almost sounded a tiny bit malicious as the radiance of the crimson mes reflected against his shades. Though, the one who was closest to the old man didn''t say a word; Fedrin kept quiet as he watched the bout intently.

    So hot...this is a high-level fire mage��? Aiko thought.

    "Those markings��"

    Gggher narrowed his eyes on the body of Bakar; though he was small in stature, his body was chiseled with no fat to be seen, decorated with scars and markings made of ck ink, stretching across every part of his upper-half, save for his face.

    Brushing the me that had caught his cape, Gggher didn''t hold his warm smile any longer as he looked upon his ming opponent.

    "You''re from Baldrea, are you not?"

    "..."

    "How interesting; it seems those of Purgatory truly have a sick sense of humor. A Baldrean refugee against a knight of Mastorn--the ones who destroyed his homnd! I wonder if they''re hoping you get some sort of poetic justice, or maybe they wish for me to extinguish that which should''ve already long since expired?"

    Gggher taunted the man, flipping his heavy de in his hand as the glint in his emerald eyes told of his impatience to resume their battle.

    Still, just the right resolve to engage in conflict wasn''t all that was needed; a flurry of mes surrounded Bakar in a howling cone, preventing the sword-wielding knight from growing any closer.

    "What is it, boy? Are you afraid of being burned?"

    Bakar taunted the man, standing still as his lengthy beard flowed in the mystical mes that held no effect on himself.

    "Any novice mage can emit their element like a babbling toddler; it isn''t anything to act so mighty over."

    Gggher looked displeased by the taunt, standing still as his lengthy cape fluttered in the heated winds. In the wake of the crimson gusts, the sand outlining the area around the small, elderly man was repelled constantly, vibrating and jittering.

    It''s not just simply an output of mes; he''s also manipting the wind, isn''t it? Gggher thought.

    "Is that so? Then I should assume a renowned knight such as yourself should have no problem stepping over here and cutting me down."

    "Old man, you''re only going to make your death a lot more painful if you keep talking like that."

    Gggher muttered to himself as his eyes took to a certain shine; gripping his sword tightly with both hands, the gant knight raised it to the ceiling before yelling out.

    "Poseidon: Worldflow!"

    --With thismand, a spell was manifested; coiling around the length of the shining steel, newly-formed water wrapped around the de in an azure spiral.

    "He''s a water user!? Crap, Bakar got unlucky��"

    Ren gritted his teeth at the sight of the abundant, moving water that d itself to the greatsword wielded by the knight.

    "On the contrary, Bakar couldn''t have been any more lucky."

    The High Elf''s words took the others by surprise, but Fedrin''s unmoving gaze remained on the arena--not batting an eye on the development from Gggher.

 Chapter 328 - Dogs Of War

    Gggher propelled forward with his aquatic-enhanced de in hand before leaping into the air. Rearing the de back, the spiraling water amplified further as lines of the azure essence were woven through the air.

    "Graaaagh---!"

    Finally swinging his sword that carried with it the might of such heavy, abundant water, Gggher yelled out as the sh swung forth in the form of malicious, tidal fury--aiming down at the stationary Baldrean below.

    However, such an attack was:

    "Foolish."

    --Spilling from Bakar''s taut lips, the single utterance was overshadowed by the deafening sound of sizzling baking into the arena.

    Having collided with the storm of mes that housed itself near the elder Baldrean, the mighty aqua was reduced to nothing but steam when greeting the wall of inferno. There was zero effect from Gggher''s attempted attack; in fact, it seemed the mes grew stronger--roaring out, cackling as if the water supplemented its burning rage.

    "So...that''s how it is, is it?"

    Gggher whispered as he witnessed his clear azure be reduced to naught but steam,nding back down on his feet.

    It is unforeseen for water-born of high-level magic to be reduced so easily by fire--it means that man is indeed at the pinnacle of me magic. That narrows things down quite a bit...now I know who you are, Gggher thought.

    "Bakar is your name, is it? In Mastorn, you''re remembered as the "Dread of Ambazhu"; at least to knights, that is. Your name was eradicated from history; it seems even as a wrinkled pile of bones...you''re still a monstrous bastard. You were like a camp-side story; rumors of a Baldrean ghost who reduced soldiers to piles of ash...it was quite frightening. How many did you incinerate? Hundreds? Thousands? I''m not judging--it''s fair game after all; your people were eradicated."

    Gggher smiled as he discerned the identity of his opponent, looking directly into Bakar''s sunken, but unmoving eyes.

    "..."

    Remaining as few of words as ever, Bakar simply continued to stare at the knight as his offensive shield of mes continued to spiral around him. That silence only served as confirmation for the hazel-haired knight whoughed to himself, plunging his sword into the sand as he looked at Bakar.

    "Still...it seems age has eroded even you, Dread of Ambazhu. If you truly did hold onto that ghastly title, you would''ve attempted to turn me to cinder by now. You''re trying to win simply by exhausting me with this heat, aren''t you? What a saint you are, Bakar!"

    As he spoke, Gggher retrieved his de from the holds of the coarse sand and began to walk forward as the air that carried such heat forward pelted against his armor.

    "I know you still have that devil buried within you, Dread of Ambazhu; show it to me! If they want a show, let''s give it to them!"

    Gggher''s words echoed through the arena as he waved his hand as if guiding the spectators along, reeling in roars from the excited audience as Bakar stood silently within his cone of towering mes.

    "Child, why are you so eager to bathe in such violence?...You hardly seem old enough to have lived through that horrid war--so why do you cling to this hatred?"

    ? Hearing these words fall from the quiet lips of Bakar, the knight stopped in his approach as his smiling expression faded.

    "...Hatred? Is that what you think this is? I have no such feelings towards you, Bakar. All I know about the war--no, the massacre--is from hearsay. I simply believe the easiest route to victory is through mutual distaste; no feelings of mercy should dull our hearts. However, let me correct you on something you''ve mistakenly found yourself believing: I am more than old enough to have lived through that war."

    Gggher''s words were spoken with such certainty, but they still raised suspicion from the veteran warrior who raised his bushy eyebrows at this information.

    "So you simply wish to antagonize me to leave little room for doubt in your heart? Nonsense. Childish. It is despicable to try and seat yourself in the light when your heart only wants darkness. If you''re going tomit to such malice, then don''t y pretend with me. I know very well a killer when I see one; you have those same eyes--buried in them are the many lives you''ve taken, knight of Mastorn. If it''s a fight to the death you wish for, I shall indulge."

    Bakar spoke hoarsely with his tone that left no room for hesitance; Gggher could full-well understand that the words spilling from his foe''s lips were serious.

    epting this invitation, the knight swooped into battle once more--dashing in circles around Bakar as to avoid the reach of his bright, burning mes.

    "I must admit, this fire of yours is certainly annoying."

    Gggher muttered before attempting to dash in from Bakar''s blind spot; aiming the tip of his de towards the back of the old man, the knight''s assault was intervened once more by mes. Shooting towards him viscously, these roaring mes crashed against the nearest wall as Gggher avoided their reach by flipping through the air like an olympic gymnast.

    I''d like to limit the hand I show, but I suppose revealing one card is inevitable, Gggher thought.

    Looking upon the shield of mes that encircled Bakar, the knight held a calm expression upon his fair face as he wiped away the sweat that coalesced at his chin.

    "IT SEEMS NO MATTER WHAT ANGLE GALAGGHER TRIES, HE CAN''T PENETRATE BAKAR''S FIERY DEFENSE!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Asmodeus''mentary brought a small rise to the crowd before the booming yells fell to a still in the presence of bothbatants'' stillness.

    "If you shall buzz around me like a fly, I will take it upon myself to squash you."

    Bakar promised with a quiet malice to his voice; a rise in the heat of his mes was felt by the knight who attempted to hide behind the growing storm of mes behind his own wide de.

    "...It seems there is still some fire left burning in that wrinkly, old shell of yours."

    Seeming almost pleased by this development, the knight smiled as he swung his heavy de, parting the crimson winds that grew abundant with the innate strength cultivated by the knight.

    I''m starting to understand, Dread of Ambazhu; you aren''t standing still out of arrogance, Gggher thought.

    As the storm of mes grew in strength, the knight drew a heavy breath as sweat escaped his pores, looking at the statuesque elder.

    Your body is aged, indeed; you can''t handle the strain of wind and fire magic in unison--you must stand still to be able to properly utilize it. Your bluff has failed, Dread of Ambazhu, the knight thought.

    Even knowing this, the path to victory didn''t unravel itself; unmoving as he was, Bakar was shrouded in such dense, zing weather that attacking him was easier said than done.

    Bakar didn''t take his stationary position as simply stagnation, however, as he raised his hand, calling the mes he manifested to coalesce in front of his wrinkly, scarred palm with a blinding array of burning crimson.

    "If you''re so eager to die, I will meet your request!"

    Thrown forth, the condensed mes roared out as it scattered the sand in its path--hurling towards the knight who smiled at the challenge. Around the orb of burning malice, the air contorted painfully as if being gripped by the palms of a crimson devil.

    As he drew a breath to prepare for his counterattack, it became clear to the knight the type of detriments the territory of mes held on him; each breath wasced with small embers that invaded his lungs, weakening his body as it became embraced in a malicious, draining heat.

    "...Ngh��!"

    Gggher persevered through the environment that sought to degrade his stamina, swinging his hefty de directly against the sphere of hissing mes. Noticing a shine that manifested in the center of the crimson orb, Gggher paused in that transic moment.

    You sly, old fool, he thought.

    Bursting with a vtile reaction, the ming ballunched by the elderly man released a nova of mes directly before the knight in shining armor.

    "Did he��?"

    Aiko muttered anxiously, almost not wanting to confirm what happened in the mix of battle. As a result of the explosion, mes danced in the small territory where the knight had stood, obscuring the vision of the onlookers.

    Though the still hearts of the spectators were relieved by a familiar voice.

    "A valiant effort."

    --Calling out with his boisterous voice, Gggher swung his de to part the mes that clung both to the sand and air, revealing not a single scratch iid on his form.

    "..."

    Bakar remained silent, though his aged eyes packed with wisdom narrowed on the knight as if trying to decipher the reason for his form free of damage. There was nothing that stood out; embers simply danced around the man''s inscribed armor without leaving a singr blemish on its pristine form.

    "IS HE TRULY INVINCIBLE? JUST WHAT IS THIS KNIGHT MADE OUT OF!?"

    The announcer voiced exactly the same thoughts flooding through the spectators'' head at the sight of the smiling, tall-standing man dressed in such gant armor.

    "If you''re curious as to what I did--too bad."

    Gggher''s taunts had no effect on the gaze of the oldpetitor, who stood there silently, bathing in his wild, yet refined mes.

    I don''t despise you, knight of Mastorn. It was a war; I ughtered many Mastornians--sometimes I did it to protect my vige, and other times--I simply did it because at the time....I wanted nothing more than to listen to the screams of those who sought to massacre my people, Bakar thought.

 Chapter 329 - Victor By Slaughter

    "...Elder Bakar, they''reing."

    A young man wearing only baggy trousers made of patched-together fabric entered the humble cottage of the vige elder, panting as he brought the news to the man of ripe age. The structure of the home kept alight by torches holding white mes was made of a y-like material, exhibiting ornamentsvish with the old culture of Baldrea.

    "I see."

    Bakar stroked his beard slowly, running his fingers through his bristly facial hair as he sat atop arge, beige pillow.

    "They...they wiped out Merunda and Toppanza already...Ambazhu is next."

    Stammering out these words, the young messenger with locks dirtied by twigs and dirt in his rapid travels looked up at the elder who remained still with this information.

    "Ambazhu will not be next. This vige is under my protection, and it has been since the start of this war. The Ambazhu vale has never fallen into enemy hands; that will not change while I breathe."

    "...Thank you, Elder Bakar��!"

    The gratitude from the young man was utterly genuine; the fear looming over the humble vige was very much real--Bakar knew as much as he stood his aged body up, stroking his beard as he left his cottage.

    The sun had already begun to retreat beneath the veil of the stars, leaving a subtle orange hanging in the sky.

    Though Baldrea was and not known for its riches or innovations, the bond between nature and man was unbroken; beautiful pastures coated thend, extending past the roads and running along the mountains that overlooked Ambazhu.

    Standing timidly outside the elder''s abode were the warriors of Amazbhu, though Bakar knew from one look that the term "warrior" was disingenuous. Though they wielded spears, though they wore the strapped-together leather armor found dusty and withered in the storage of Ambazhu--it was clear what they were to the elder''s eyes.

    They''re just boys. All of our good men have already fallen, Bakar thought.

    "...Elder Bakar��?"

    One of the designated warriors of Ambazhu asked with a meek voice; he looked to be no older than his early teens--holding the spear that stood taller than himself.

    "What is it?"

    "I was one of the scouts...there''s so many of them. It''s impossible...we can''t hold them off. Wouldn''t it be best if we left Ambazhu��?"

    As quick as these words spilled from his lips, a re was reeled in from the elder as the young warrior shrunk behind such a gaze.

    "Nonsense! We will not abandon our home. This is ournd, our people--we will not falter--that is our pride as Baldreans! We will burn our enemies away! Reduce them to ash! We will teach them that invading our preciousnd was their worst mistake!"

    Bakar howled his words with a booming presence that left all the dozen, put-together warriors silent.

    I remember the smell well; the aroma I etched into the tranquilnd I once stood tall to protect. Flesh; burning and charred--so many I baked with my mes; their howls of agony became the passing winds in Ambazhu, he recalled.

    --These thoughts sat at the forefront of the old man''s mind, but something else intercepted these fleeting, unheard memories. It felt as if a bubbling warmth converged on his head, seizing his mind as his head ached and throbbed intensely. Something in between a passing second and the next had urred, though it was far too quick for the distracted Bakar to register it.

    Before Bakar had realized it, all he saw was darkness--his vision was stolen from him as it felt like the world was spinning around him, spiraling like the mes he used to protect himself.

    What? He thought.

    Bakar still didn''t grasp what had happened, feeling a deep nausea settle into the pits of his stomach like a primordial sickness, taking hold of his body through a fluctuation of melting heat and freezing cold. The mes that caressed him like a protective mother instantly dissipated by this trance he was put into.

    "How''re you feeling, Dread of Ambazhu? I am assuming quite dreadful at this moment. That is my "de of Certain Triumph"--it seems your age has withered your senses; I thought for sure you would''ve seen that oneing."

    Gggher spoke quietly, now standing in front of the old man who didn''t seem to register his close presence.

    Held in his left hand, a de formed of verdant magical energy shined; it had no proper form, shifting and shing, but nheless maintaining its rough shape reminiscent of a longsword.

    "Bakar, snap out of it!"

    Fedrin wed at the lip of the window, shouting out to the man who was hispanion in the hellish realm.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Knowing full well the scorn of the host would befall the high elf, both Jae-Seong and Ren pulled the man back--though it was hard to see such an intense expression present on the usually collected elf.

    "Nobody can me you for losing, old soul. This ethereal de is my innate ability; it was simply a matter of when, not if. Dread of Ambazhu, you were indeed one who was once strong."

    The knight spoke somberly as he allowed his verdant de manifested by his ability to dissipate, only wielding his greatsword now with just his right hand as he reared it back--pointing the tip at the old man who remained in a trance.

    "It''s time to rest now, old warrior. Death in such enthrallingbat...I bet you''re not too sad about this, are you? I can only wish our journey to hell is paved the same, Bakar."

    Gggher spoke quietly, letting none others be privy to these words meant only for his opponent''s ears.

    "BAKAR---!"

    --Shout as he did, Fedrin''s call was carried off into the wind as he could only watch what transpired next.

    Thrusting his de forward with no urgency or true force behind it, Gggher slowly slid the girthy weapon of steel through the center of Bakar''s bare chest. It was an awful sound; the parting and squelching of flesh as the crimson fluid waiting inside flooded out onto the sound in abundance.

    Even Fedrin recognized it was toote to do anything, falling to pained tears as he averted his eyes. Though the others were unable tomit to that mercy upon their souls, witnessing the fall of the veteran warrior.

    I could barely see it...it was a sh of some sort, but he was too far for the reach of that sword to hit...what was that? Ren thought.

    Though such a massive hunk of steel sat through his torso, Bakar couldn''t register the pain; all that he felt was an epassing warmth.

    What is this��? Why...am I so...happy? All of the pain in my body...washed away. The memories...painful memories...I can''t conjure them; all I can think about...is my vige...my family.

    "...How fitting; one who is the shell of their former self, a destroyer, shall die in such lonesome darkness. It''s what we deserve, after all, we''re killers--you and I both."

    --These insulting words from the knight were not what Bakar felt; even in such abundant darkness, left only with his own thoughts--the old man could somehow, through a distance uncrossable by mere steps, felt the warmth of his family beside him.

    That''s right...they''re waiting for me. My beautiful daughters, my strong sons, my precious grandchildren, my adorable great-grandchildren, my nieces, my nephews--I''ll be home soon, Bakar thought.

    It was the final,forting memories of his family that guided Bakar from the ne of the breathing; with this warmth, the beating of his heart halted.

    As the mass of steel was retrieved from the man''s chest, a gaping hole remained as blood flooded out. Even so, a small smile persisted on the dry, bloodied lips of the old man as he remained standing for a few moments more.

    "WINNER BY KILL, GALAGGHER! A FLAWLESS VICTORY BY THE CHARMING KNIGHT!"

    Without any care for the brutal death that had transpired within the confines of the arena, the announcer''s promation stirred up bright, epassing cheers. Recing his indifferent, almost disappointed frown with a smile, Gggher epted his victory, waving to the cheering demons that filled the many rows of the towering arena.

    Before Bakar''s body would finally fall forward, the high elf raced out in a sh to catch the limp, still warm body of hispanion.

    "Bakar��!"

    Tears dropped from Fedrin''s eyes as he looked down at the wrinkled, small man; he was as light as a feather, yet felt so heavy in the arms of the distraught elf. In such sensitive moments, memories engraved themselves into the mind--remembered by certains smells; flooding Fedrin''s nostrils was the scent of blood that caked into the river of sand.

    Gggher looked down at the two for a moment before swiping his de, ridding the steel of the blood that freshly stained it before returning it to its sheath.

    As the knight began to leave the arena, he was stopped by sharply released words.

    "Coward...you call yourself a knight!? That was a cheap trick! It was underhanded! He was much stronger than you! Coward! I''ll take you down, Gggher��! Just you wait!"

    --The high elf spoke with such fresh, burning emotions fueling his wordsced with hostility as tears traversed his cheeks.

    "The days of my knighthood have long since passed. I simply used whatever means necessary to win; that''s all. If you should meet me in this arena by your own merit, remember that. Well, I''ll be waiting."

    Without turning back, Gggher left those few, quietly spoken words before exiting the arena.

 Chapter 330 - Uneasy Airs

    In the midst of such gloom and doom, watching as the anguished high elf carried the lifeless corpse of hispanion back into the spectator''s room--holding it without saying a word as he sat down, Ren was speechless.

    However, the next words tounch from the boisterous announcer''s lips would cement this feeling of perplexion within the young man.

    "WITHOUT WASTING ANY TIME, LET''S GET ON WITH THE NEXT BOUT! REN, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA!"

    It took a few moments for these words to garner any meaning to his ringing ears as he looked up, feeling the eyes of Jae-Seong and Aiko fall on him.

    "...Me?"

    Gulping this reality down, time felt as if it crawled to a nauseating halt for him as he listened in for the identity of his opponent.

    "SICARIUS, PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE ARENA!"

    He didn''t know what he wanted or expected, but this oue ran over his skin with a chill while a burning heat bubbled in his stomach.

    "Sicarius...that''s him, isn''t it? That world-renowned mercenary��?"

    The fear he felt was something different than a reluctance in the face of horrifying strength; that wasn''t it at all.

    Holding his stomach, a cold sweat began to leave his pores as the mostmon oue of this battle rose to his mind; a reality that solidified itself with the oues of thest two matches.

    It''ll be a fight to the death; there''s no avoiding it, he thought.

    "Calm down; you''ve got this--totally!"

    Jae-Seong gave him a pat on the shoulder with a thumbs-up in an attempted, upliftingbo that didn''t seem to have much effect on the nervous, white-haired young man. Ren had been sucked into his own spiral of thoughts, but s, after exchanging a nce with the quiet, beige-haired girl who looked at him worriedly, he moved forward towards the pit.

    Not again. I can pull through this. I can do it, he thought.

    He quickly learned that witnessing the arena was far different from standing in it; the lights shone down upon him as if he was some spectacle carving through the skies, countless eyes watched him from every angle of the stands; a mixture of cheers and roars manifested into a tangible tremor that vibrated the sand beneath his boots.

    "...I hate this."

    Ren muttered to himself, wiping the sweat from his chin that conjured from the anxiety-reeling situation he found himself in.

    With the cheers picking up in intensity, he turned his gaze towards the opposing side of the sand-filled pit to witness his foe making his entrance. He had forgotten just what type of man it was he was facing; the zed over, cold look in his eyes that had seen a valley of corpses, tan skinyered in scars, and obscuring, sable garments that left much to the imagination.

    One look at the man and it was obvious to him the main difference that existed between them.

    "Experience."

    Ren surmised, watching as the stoic, dead-eyed mercenary with salt-and-pepper, shaggy hair stopped once reaching the center of the arena.

    "Hey, if it''s clear who the winner is--the loser will just concede, alright? No need to spill any more blood today."

    Attempting to set a clear understanding between the two of them, Ren''s words fell on deaf ears as Sicarius simply stared back at him quietly.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    Hearing the man speak for the first time, his voice was as deep as the ocean''s floor and monotone; devoid of any seeming emotion entirely. Still, Ren was quick to meet the legendary mercenary in conversation as the advent of their battle loomed over them--all resting on Asmodeus'' whim.

    "...Yes?"

    Keeping quiet for a moment after receiving his reply, Sicarius finally answered in his low voice, "The barriers of this arena--their stability is one way."

    "Huh��?"

    Ren had no clue as to what those words entailed, and attempting to seek any further exnation was futile as Sicarius'' scarred lips returned to their sealed state--as well as the announcer releasing the restraints on their battle.

    "MATCH...BEGIN!"

    Not fully listening to the call that started the bout, Ren looked at the quartz walls that outlined the arena, studying their form iid with gold briefly.

    What is he talking about? The barriers? One day? Ren thought.

    Distracted by these thoughts, a harsh reminder of the nature of his opponent bore itself to him.

    Now no more than an arm''s reach away from him, the stoic assassin was partially through a malicious movement.

    I was only looking away for a second��! He doesn''t waste any time! I didn''t even get the chance to draw my sword��! He thought.

    Catching his eye was the shine of steel, sliding out from the ck, shadowy sleeves of the arm Sicarius moved in arge sweeping motion towards his neck.

    It was close, but he managed to barely maneuver his neck out of the reach of the sharp de; the bloodlust oozing from the hidden weapon brushed against the pores on his jugr.

    Straight for the kill��this is the worst case scenario, Ren thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Thinking he avoided certain death, Ren''s half-second long reprieve was cut short as Sicarius flowed right into another movement. Using the momentum of his avoided sh, the cold-blooded assassin spun around,unching into what looked to be an uppercut; the fist-fueled move however was grossly twisted by the man''s style as a hidden de protruded from his sleeve once more.

    Shit! Ren thought.

    Trapping his breath in his lungs, he realized there was only one avenue of escape as the de rapidly approached his chin from beneath: "Shadowstep."

    Willing it without an incantation, he flung himself back as he witnessed the de-backed uppercut pierced the air in ce of his flesh.

    "Give me a warning at least, would you?"

    Renined to himself in a huff, feeling his heart throb against his chest as his blood flowed rapidly under the stressful situation.

    Once more, before he could anticipate or even react to his movements, he found Sicarius directly before him with speed that sent a chill over his skin.

    Brought so close, the mercenary brought his lips close to the young man''s ear.

    "Try to pay attention; use your brain, hone your eyes--if you have to, resort to your nose, or even the feeling of air around you. Do what you must to survive, Ren Nakamura."

    --These words only served to pull Ren straight out of his already unsteady focus; he was unprepared as a harsh blow was delivered directly to his gut from such an intimate proximity.

    I don''t get it...I don''t get it at all. What is he trying to tell me!? He thought.

    Spitting out the air from his lungs after receiving such a blow, Ren caressed his burning stomach as he looked up at his opponent who stood over him. Coughing and heaving from air as the sharp hit hadpromised his lungs momentarily, Ren could only give breathless gasps to the man, who finally spoke to him once more.

    "You still don''t get it, do you? Do I have to spell it out for you? The enemy is all around you; watching and waiting."

    Sicarius'' words weren''t apanied by a fist to the gut this time as they came spoken in a whisper--made certain to be shared only with Ren''s ears.

    "Enemies around me��?"

    He''s not attacking? He thought.

    Ren repeated, beginning to look around at the stands packed with demons, other inhuman fiends, but also something else as well--beings shrouded in enigmatic, dark robes. They were the only ones in the filled stands not cheering, or even so much as moving a muscle--as if they were superimposed into his sight.

    I know what I saw before--they weren''t there. I would''ve noticed. I would''ve...right? He thought.

    "Don''t stare too hard at them. They''ll figure out that you''ve figured them out. You don''t want that. This is the only chance I could find for the two of us to meet without drawing their attention, so apologies for the sudden reality check."

    Sicarius dragged Ren''s sight back to him, still standing over the young man who slowly straightened himself out. The malice he felt from the renowned assassin earlier was gone as the man didn''t seem intent on fighting him now.

    "What''s going on?"

    "That''s the question of the hour, isn''t it? Well, I think you''ll find out soon enough. For now--follow my lead."

    Reaching beneath his stygian cloak, Sicarius spoke quietly as he retrieved a pair of shortswords from sheaths attached to his hips. Ren subtly nodded his head as he pulled Belus from its restful scabbard, wielding it as sweat lined his chin--feeling the enigmatic gaze of the unknown watchers in the stands.

    As their coborative dance of steel began, they exchanged in a nned stalemate--simply shing de against de.

    Thud.

    --Such a sound would resonate from somewhere within the arena; though it began subtly, the loudness of the thuds grew each time, happening periodically.

    "Stay focused; don''t pay any mind to it."

    Sicarius assured him with a brief whisper, flinging his de against Belus as defending against the man''s powerful attack made Ren stumble back a bit.

    "...Those noises though...what the hell is that?"

    His words lured no answer from the stoic assassin who simply resumed their y for the audience. Pressing steel against steel in another sh, their faces were brought close to one another as Sicarius finally spoke again.

    "I don''t need you to understand, all I need is for you to trust me. Just know that I am on your side. When the momentes, and it will soon--leave it to me."

    Sicarius uttered without a single change in his tone, his cold eyes not wavering in the slightest even though the words he spoke shook Ren as he struggled to grasp the enigmatic situation building around himself.

    "...Alright."

    "Good."

    Sicarius, confirming the white-haired young man''s allegiance, pulled his de away beforeunching a kick against Ren''s body--which he was somehow able to block against in time as his soles slid across the sand.

    Damn, he isn''t holding back even for an act, is he? Ren thought, I have a bad feeling about those guys up here; it outweighs my bad feeling about Sicarius...I''ve been known for having bad judgment, but now''s my time to redeem myself!

    Something felt off.. Even more so than he already felt; the air fell stagnant with a cold that carried nothing forward.

 Chapter 331 - Sicarius

    In the midst of their reunited sh, keeping it standard with just an exchange of simple, but well-executed shes that were guarded against--something finally happened. It caught his eyes as he went in for a swing of Belus; the few entities in robes that existed in the stands were now plentiful--and crimson had painted the other side of the barrier, coating the stands and walls as a scenery of demon corpses were strewn about.

    It was only thirty--no, twenty seconds at most...how? When? How did this happen? He thought.

    His stomach sunk at this sight, halting his attack as his breathing became ragged.

    It was as if reality itself flickered to a nightmare; the cloaked figure still stood as statuesque as ever, holding des drenched in blood, having painted thevish material in abundant crimson.

    "WHAT IN THE-- WHAT HAS OCCURRED HERE--"

    Before the red-haired announcer could even properly finish a sentence, an array of ck orbs shot out from the stands, coalescing towards the ceiling just below the gemstones that lit the arena.

    A chant was shared between the robed figures, their voices deep and contorted:

    "Ars: ckout."

    As soon as the words escaped their maws, the sable orbs released into a darkness that expanded instantly--epassing the entirety of the arena in a darkness familiar to Ren.

    I can''t see my own hands in front of me. I can''t hear. This is...ckout. But "Ars"? What is that? Where are the others? I need to find the others, he thought.

    Before he could pursue that goal, he felt his body be embraced before being hoisted up--beginning to move at an incredibly swift rate. It waspletely disorientating; being moved around in total darkness without any inclination as to where he was or where he was going, Ren felt like vomiting.

    "What the? What''s going on? Let me go!"

    "It''s me; calm down."

    It was the unmistakable, monotone voice of Sicarius that responded. That cold, emotion-deprived voice was the only thing that met his ears--and for some reason, it wasforting to Ren. In such abundant, sudden darkness that eclipsed the arena, he wanted to shrink away.

    This darkness--something is different about it. It''s...malicious. Suffocatingly malicious. It feels like I''m breathing in tangible terror with each breath; I''m scared. I''m scared, he thought.

    "What''s going on!? Tell me! I went along with what you said--so tell me!"

    "Calm down."

    "I won''t calm down��! I have friends here! I can''t just leave them here--!"

    Even though he responded to Sicarius so fervently, he couldn''t even see the man that carried him forth despite the two being so close together. Still, he swung his fists at the nk darkness in an attempt to halt his unlikely ally.

    Suddenly, he felt as if the world was spinning around him before he crashed against the solid ground without any inclination as to when such an impact was arriving.

    "...Arrangements have been made for yourpanions; I told you to trust me, and you agreed--stay true your word. Right now, time is paramount--every second is the difference between life or death. We need to get out of this building--immediately."

    Sicarius'' voice held some form of emotion this time; he was clearly perturbed by the young man''s abrasive behavior.

    "You can''t just ask someone to blindly trust you...I mean, I didn''t even know what I was agreeing to!"

    It was faint, but some of his sight began to return to him--only seeing a few feet ahead of him, though the radiance that once filled thevish stadium was overtaken by a chilling darkness, not just the ckout spell alone overshadowed the building.

    "I can''t just take your word over the safety of myrades; I''m sorry."

    Ren clenched his fists as he looked at the scarred assassin, who was mostly obscured by the darkness.

    Taking a single step in the direction he gambled they came from, he was halted by Sicarius'' sudden call.

    "I wouldn''t do that if I were you."

    "And what if I do?"

    By this point, his patience had reached its limit; in the face of such stomach-churning, unknown foes--leaving hispanions unattended was a mistake he wasn''t willing to make. Standing still with his back to Sicarius, he inched his hand towards the sheathed de he possessed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    If he tries to stop me...He thought.

    "If you do, I''d draw that sword--quickly."

    "Huh?"

    Ren was taken aback by the words used by the man with ck and white hair, turning back to look at him--a decision immediately regretted as a presence was sensed, approaching quickly from in front of him.

    Before he could retrieve his de and face whatever was approaching, Sicarius already made the move for him; the distance was covered in a fraction of a second, the renowned assassin carved his sable steel through the flesh of the entity that attempted to approach Ren.

    Whatever it was, it wasn''t human; though it''s form was humanoid, it''s flesh was dehydrated��it''s skin was a lifeless ck with its skeleton pressing against its malnourished skin.

    It stood nearly twice the height of Ren, falling over into a puddle of ck goop that flooded from its lethal wound.

    "What the hell is that��?"

    Ren asked as he could feel his heart throwing itself against his chest.

    Plunging the end of his ck de into the vibrating head of the monstrous entity, Sicarius remained unmoved by the horrific atmosphere. The squelching that resulted from the sharp steel being retrieved from the entity''s head made Ren shudder just a bit as he looked around anxiously��making sure none were sneaking up on him.

    "It''s a Reverse Walker. All you need to know is they''re bad news; that''s why we have to move."

    "If these things are around��it''s all the more reason that I need to find them!"

    Ren spoke with his haste, this time being stopped as he took a step onward once more--the stoic assassin grabbed onto the back of his cor to halt him.

    "Are you not listening to a single, damn word I''m saying, kid? It''s my job to protect you--maybe I didn''t make that clear."

    "I don''t give a damn! I don''t know who you are, or who hired you, but I''m not abandoning my friends just because it''s convenient for you!"

    "Do I have to spell it out for you? Yourpanions were taken into consideration by my client; others were assigned to safeguard them."

    Sicarius was beginning to seem annoyed as a vein pressed against his forehead, though these words actually seemed to get through to Ren as the two men stood in the bleak darkness of the arena''s halls.

    "Huh?"

    "I told you that already...damn, you''re annoying as hell. Listen, let me make this real easy for you: if we stay here, we''re going to find out what a fate worse than death looks like. These people, if they can even be called that, are the worst of the worst--real scum of Gaia. It''s their one purpose in life to spread as much depravity as they can throughout Gaia; if you should fall into their hands...it''s something I wouldn''t wish upon my worst enemy. Now, let''s get a move on."

    Pushing Ren forward, Sicarius'' sharp words seemed to bring a mutual understanding between the two as the fear of whatever the assassin was alluding to settled into the young man. It wasn''t what was said, but whatid behind those words; they wereced with a knowledge of something sinister--a primordial, unimaginable darkness that iid an ancient dread into his pores.

    What is this? Why am I so scared? I''m strong now, right?...No. This is different. Strength doesn''t matter against something like this. It''s like...a force; something that can''t be stopped just by physical means--I''m not ready for this. I''m not. I''m not. This is Purgatory...and whoever this group is--they massacred those demons. Just what kind of person does it take to attack hell itself��? Ren thought.

    Begrudgingly, Ren followed behind Sicarius, who seemed to possess much less restrained senses in the ckened territory.

    I guess ckout is wearing off little by little, but...Ren thought.

    He wasn''t sure if he preferred the return of his senses; listening to the sounds that now upied the dreadful, blood-soaked arena manifested a cold over his skin. Scratches lined the walls; either on its surface, within it, or behind the quartz.

    Screams howled out, squelching rang through the length of the corridors, and a mixture of footsteps--varying in speed--resounded in the interior of the building. Still, he looked upon the assassin''s back, who, while cautious, seemed rxed in this hellish environment.

    "...How can you be so calm in a situation like this?"

    Ren asked, even the act of talking frightened him as he feared giving his location away to whatever horrors lurked the halls.

    "I wouldn''t call it being calm--I''m just prepared. Even so...I don''t know what to expect. You can''t really fit a form to these people. They exist outside of the normal human spectrum; I wouldn''t go as far as to insult humanity to liken them to these guys. They''re the kinds of people I hate the most. Unreasonable. Inhuman. Maybe it''s a bit rich for someone of my profession to say, but that''s just the truth. They don''t fear pain, death, or any fate--so they''re free to unleash whatever hell they want without any consequence."

 Chapter 332 - Swift And Indifferently, Disaster Strikes

    "I wouldn''t call it being calm--I''m just prepared. Even so...I don''t know what to expect. You can''t really fit a form to these people. They exist outside of the normal human spectrum; I wouldn''t go as far as to insult humanity to liken them to these guys. They''re the kinds of people I hate the most. Unreasonable. Inhuman. Maybe it''s a bit rich for someone of my profession to say, but that''s just the truth. They don''t fear pain, death, or any fate--so they''re free to unleash whatever hell they want without any consequence."

    Sicarius'' words made Ren quickly regret even asking, as knowing the nature of those who prowled the halls made him that much more wary; checking over his shoulder every few seconds as noses he couldn''t distinguish between real or just tricks of his mind resounded against his eardrums.

    "...Really, just who are they? You still haven''t answered that. It''s the least you can do. If I know...maybe I can be of more use--I''ll know how to counter."

    Ren''s quietly spoken question made Sicarius fall silent for a bit as only their footsteps were primarily heard, echoing through the halls that were drenched in blood; the further they got, the moremon the corpses of demons became.

    "I think knowledge in this case will only have the inverse effect, kid."

    "What makes you say that? I''ve experienced hell here. I''ve died--brutally and mercilessly, over and over again; that pain is still etched into my body. What makes you think I can''t handle this? What do you know about me?"

    His words were sharped; hearing Sicarius'' reluctance to indulge him in any real information felt as if he was being treated like a child--a weakling. Hearing this, Sicarius came to a stop before turning to face Ren with his usual, nk expression present on his face.

    "Huh? What is it?"

    Ren asked, watching as the assassin reached for the bottom of his cloak; Sicarius gripped both his cloak and tunic, lifting it up as he revealed his bare torso to the young man.

    There was no mistaking the sight of it; a thick, prominent scar stretched down the middle of the man''s upper body--starting from his cor down to his pelvis.

    "...What''s that? Why''re you showing me this?"

    "This is what they''re capable of. I fell into their hands once. They didn''t kill me, but they did something worse."

    Sicarius'' words caused the young man to trace his eyes along therge scar; he still couldn''t decipher what the man was trying to say to him.

    "They cut you?"

    "They held me down and split my chest open--all while making sure I was as conscious as could be with their magic. I was forced to watch as they rummaged through my organs as they looked like children fiddling with new toys; giggling with arms coated in crimson. Eventually, they finally decided to remove my heart. It wasn''t the pain that threw me over the edge--the feeling of emptiness, of everything inside of me being revealed to their wicked eyes--I wanted to just fade away."

    Even as he spoke of this, Sicarius'' tone didn''t change--though the abhorrent, detailed description of the horrid event made Ren feel like gagging.

    "...If you don''t have a heart, then how''re you��?"

    "I do have a heart. I didn''t mention the worst of it yet. That day, I was with my older brother...they ran him through the same, inhuman process while I listened to his screams--just wishing to sink away into death so I didn''t have to listen to it. I think it was a flip of the coin that decided it, but I received my brother''s heart. I don''t know if it was for some ritual, or just their own wicked idea of fun...but that''s the kind of people they are."

    Sicarius pulled his garments back down, continuing to traverse the corridor as Ren followed quietly and closely.

    Just what kind of enemy are we facing��? Stay safe, everyone, Ren thought.

    "These "Reverse Walker" things--you can tell me what those are, right? I think fighting those is going to be unavoidable��"

    Ren asked, pressing the stoic assassin for more information as the ambiance of death grew louder around the two.

    "I can''t exactly tell you what they are since I''m not exactly sure myself, but they''re the hounds of these bastards. They''re fast and brutal; simple as that--you need to act first before they get their hands on you."

    As Sicarius said this, he came to a stop, quickly raising his des as if speaking of their existence called for the aforementioned creatures. Ren didn''t notice it until a few secondster as he watched the same direction the assassin cautiously faced; the tall,nky creature with abnormally lengthened limbs crawled against the wall rapidly with its split tongue dragging a trail of grime across its blood-stained surface.

    "Stay behind me."

    "I can fight--"

    "Stay. Behind. Me."

    Sicarius put his foot down on any chance of the young man assisting him, preparing for his sh with the malicious, grotesque being. The narrowness of the death-painted corridors didn''t help; by the size of the fiend, there was no avoiding it.

    Even knowing how capable the legendary assassin was, worry inhabited the pits of his stomach as he saw the unnatural appearance of the Reverse Walker; its limbs seemed to twist and pop as if each stride forward crunched its bones.

    "Watch out--!"

    Ren yelled out as he watched the monstrous creature part its maw that dripped with ck, thick saliva, revealing a field of jagged teeth that covered every section of its maw. As it neared the darkly-dressed man, it leaped from its spot along the wall--aiming its parted maw towards Sicarius as it could easily fit the man''s head inside of its jaws.

    Any worries were settled as with an unseen speed, Sicarius'' steel shed right through the middle of the fiend; parting it into two halves thatnded on the blemished floor with a squelch.

    "...Try not to yell like that, kid. You''ll ruin my focus."

    Sicarius muttered as he turned to face Ren--in that brief moment, his eyes widened, witnessing the new existence of another of the twisted, hellborn entities directly behind the young man. Before he could part his lips to call out to Ren, something knocked against the left wall.

    Knock.

    --In the next moment, the once luxurious wall exploded into debris and dust as something from the other side unleashed a devastating blow. By some miracle, the approaching fiend was caught up in the unknown st.

    My ears��! Ren winced.

    Before he could register anything that had happened, Ren found himself retrieved by Sicarius--who tossed him behind his back as he raised his des for another round with whatever entered the corridor.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "How disappointing. You freaks aren''t even a warmup."

    It was a voice very familiar to Ren''s ears; witnessing a silhouette from within the obscuring nature of the sediment-formed cloud of dust.

    "Jae-Seong��!?"

    Calling out the most likely name, Ren pushed past Sicarius as his eyes finally met with the unveiled form of the man. No doubt, it was the shades-wearing otherworlder, and right behind him was the short, quiet Yuri.

    "Huh? Is that you, Ren?"

    Swiping the dust from his face, Jae-Seong looked at the white-haired young man with his usual, carefree smile as his curly locks had beyered with dust.

    "You''re okay!?"

    "Of course I''m okay! These guys are total chumps."

    As Jae-Seong responded, his gaze moved over to the tall, mysterious assassin--his expression taking a more serious fit.

    "Sicarius, right?"

    "Got a problem?"

    The two men stood face-to-face, both maintaining their serious expressions while Jae-Seong slid his hands out from the pockets of his ashen coat.

    "Oh, I wouldn''t say that. Well, it depends: do you want a problem, assassin?"

    Jae-Seong had a way ofcing his words with a certain finesse that dug right under the skin of the recipient''s skin.

    Though, the tense confrontation was immediately diminished as the curly-haired man''s ear was pinched by the few-of-words girl tasked with apanying him.

    "Hey, hey! That really hurts!"

    Jae-Seong winced as he was left to the grasp of Yuri, who looked up at him with a reprimanding re, cing one hand on her hip.

    "Sorry about him. He doesn''t seem to understand the type of situation we''re in."

    Woah, she talks?! Ren thought.

    Releasing her hold of the man''s ear, Yuri inspected the walls that were painted with a coat of grimy ck and crimson blood, tracing her finger along the mixture of substances.

    "This is human blood."

    "How can you tell?"

    Ren asked, looking at the sticky, red substance Yuri had dirtied her glove with. Being on the receiving end of a stare from her, the cold gaze belonging to her eyes was unmatched��making him fall silent as if addressing a superior.

    "It''s an ability of mine. Anyway, why do these things have human blood?"

    This time, Yuri turned her works directly to the salt-and-pepper haired assassin who was wiping the grimy innards from the fiend off of his cloak.

    Looking up, his gaze met with Yuri''s before answering, "I can''t speak with any certainty, but I''m guessing you''ve reached the same conclusion as me: these things are human��or at least were human."

    "Humans��? These things?"

    Ren muttered, looking down at the split corpse of the ckened fiend. As expected, the ice-eyed Lucrauvian soldier wasn''t much for Ren''s closeness, moving herself away with a flick of her ponytail as her ck, leather boots cked against the solid ground.

    "It seems this unknown group has taken hold of the building; the ckout spell they used was a territorial spell--I don''t imagine these transfigured humans simply waltzed right through the front door, so they have someone in their ranks who can transport them. That''s probably how they infiltrated the arena."

    Yuri deciphered without any waste of time, folding her arms across her chest as Ren was left at a loss of words at how quickly the girl who seemed young of age took control of the situation.

    "I''m assuming you figured the best n of action was to evacuate the building as quickly as possible...Sicarius?"

    As if forgetting the man''s name, Yuri turned to face the veteran assassin who nodded his head. In the presence of the Lucrauvian soldier, even Jae-Seong put a halt to his constant quips.

    "That''s the gist of it. This is their domain now; we''re sitting ducks in here."

    "I agree; let''s make it our priority then to evacuate--avoid confrontations, if possible."

    Yuri nodded her head a few times as her wordsplied with Sicarius'' instincts. Somehow, Ren expected the "lone wolf" assassin to be against raising their numbers, but Sicarius didn''t contest in the slightest.

    "Now, hold on."

    Jae-Seong halted the group before they could traverse further down the corridor.. The Lucrauvian woman didn''t look pleased to be stopped, turning back to face her curly-hairedpanion with an icy re.

 Chapter 333 - Doom, Doom, And Doom

    "Now, hold on."

    Jae-Seong halted the group before they could traverse further down the corridor. The Lucrauvian woman didn''t look pleased to be stopped, turning back to face her curly-hairedpanion with an icy re.

    "What is it? Every second matters right now, Jae-Seong, I''m sure even you can grasp the gravity of that."

    "I do, I do. I just think we''re missing a really important piece of the puzzle here, is all."

    Jae-Seong raised his hands as if trying to show he wasn''ting off as hostile, but Yuri didn''t seem very open for a debate in such nebulous times. Not intercepting the conversation between the tworades, the quiet assassin leaned against the wall without any care that his back was pressed against the grimy substance coating the surface.

    "...Spit it out already."

    Yuri narrowed her eyes as if already knowing what the otherworlder was going to say, though Ren was left perplexed.

    "We''re not the only ones who have to evacuate. There are others still inside of this ce right now. I don''t know about you, but I''m not really up for just tucking my tail between my legs and running while others are trapped in here."

    "Improbable...no, impossible. For once, think, Jae-Seong; our senses are dulled, the enemy is all around us, they''re only gaining more control of the building by the second--we''re practically walking around with our heads served on a silver tter for them."

    Yuri stepped closer to the man who stood well over a head taller than herself, though she held an aura much more imposing through that cial re that inhabited her azure irises.

    "What''s the difference? We''re walking around blind as is, the exits are probably sealed--if not guarded by who knows what. If we can find others, our numbers will grow, and more numbers equals a better chance at survival. Ren, you agree, don''t you?"

    Letting his shades slide down a bit, Jae-Seong spoke whilst replying to the woman''s re with his dazzling, golden eyes that didn''t retreat behind her pragmatic notions.

    "Don''t bring him into this."

    "I most certainly will give our trusted, reliable ally a vote here. That''s what a fair, equal group does, Yuri. Ren?"

    Now, all eyes were on the white-haired young man as he was more focused on not being torn limb from limb by the horrific fiends.

    Why do I feel like a child stuck between a marriage dispute? He thought.

    "I--"

    Before Ren could say anything, Sicarius interjected with a heavy, drawn out sigh as he coaxed all eyes to himself.

    "You needn''t worry about your allies; Hongse, Valerie, Iris, Macheo, and Aiko, correct?"

    "How did you��?"

    "Killing isn''t all I''m good at. Anyway, like I''ve told Ren here before--the others will be fine. I didn''te here alone on this mission."

    Hearing this from Sicarius, Jae-Seong and Yuri were noticeably taken aback by this information finally reeled from the assassin''s taut lips.

    Of course, the louder, less tact of the two spoke up first, "Mission? You knew about this?"

    Yuri added in as both her and Jae-Seong stepped closer to the salt-and-pepper assassin, "Tell us what you know. And who you really are."

    A nce was shared between Sicarius and Ren; it was clear from that small look that while he was annoyed, Sicarius knew the quickest, most practical solution was to finally let them be privy to some information.

    "I''m part of a group called "Osmanthus". Our group''s purpose is to gather information, hunt, and put a stop to Belmon. That''s all you need to know."

    Just as the word "Belmon" rolled off of Sicarius'' tongue, both Jae-Seong and Yuri flinched as the white of their eyes grew prominent.

    "You''re saying��Belmon is behind this attack?"

    Yuri ced her lithe fingers against her chin, quickly reclining into thought.

    Holding the same, curious glint in his eyes, Jae-Seong shook his head, "Belmon? That forgotten kingdom ce? I thought that was just some myth they told to kids��what do they have to do with this?"

    Standing nkly, feeling left out, Ren blinked a few times before finally adding his own input:

    "What the hell is Belmon?"

    ��It seemed like an obvious question, but the two from Lucrauv looked at him as if he was crazy for not knowing.

    "It''s not like I really know anything about it, but the name of Belmon is a known legend. None of the Ounders mentioned it to you?"

    Jae-Seong asked, receiving only a shake of the head from Ren.

    Before any further exnation coulde, the assassin ced his foot down.

    "I think we''ve wasted enough time. We''d best move out."

    "��Wait, so this "Osmanthus" group of yours��there are others here? And they''re escorting the others?"

    Jae-Seong stopped the man before he could continue down the corridor again, which drew a perturbed sigh from Sicarius.

    "Yeah, that''s what I said, didn''t I? I''d like to regroup with them��as I''m sure you would as well. So let''s get the hell out of this ce."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I agree; we''vepromised our own positions enough as it is. I''ll hold the rear; Jae-Seong, Sicarius, you two handle the front."

    Yuri gave her orders, which were quickly epted by the other two as Jae-Seong did a yful salute before taking the vanguard alongside the quiet assassin.

    Left in the center, Ren looked around a bit before pointing to himself, "I can''t help but feel like I''m being, urr, underestimated here?"

    "Naturally, you''re the youngest out of all of us, so it''s natural to safeguard you."

    Without batting an eye, Yuri gave this answer to Ren that made him jerk his head back, looking at the girl who obviously looked younger than him.

    "I appreciate the sentiment, but you look like you belong in--"

    Before Ren could finish his statement, Jae-Seong''s hand quickly covered his mouth as he turned Ren back around.

    Leaning in close, the curly-haired man whispered words just between them, "Watch it! She''s pretty damn sensitive about how young she looks."

    "...How old is she then?"

    As the white-haired young man asked this, Jae-Seong nced back at Yuri as if making sure she couldn''t hear him before returning his attention to Ren.

    "Thirty-six."

    "Wha--?!"

    Jae-Seong was quick to guard Ren''s mouth again before his loud reaction could reach its peak.

    "Keep it down! We''ll both have our asses handed to us!"

    Nodding his head a few times, Renplied as Jae-Seong removed his hand and moved back up to the vanguard, leading the way alongside Sicarius in the grimy hellscape.

    You''re amazing, Jae-Seong. Even in a situation like this, you''re able to lighten it up somehow, Ren thought.

    It was as he expected: the corridors attached to the building were incredibly lengthy, maintaining a repetitive pattern that made it impossible to distinguish one hall from the next.

    "...Is it just me, or has it gotten really quiet suddenly?"

    Ren asked, checking over his shoulder to look back at Yuri--just making sure the quiet woman was still present.

    "I don''t think conversation is particrly helpful in a situation like this."

    "No, I don''t mean that!...I mean, the footsteps, the scratches, everything...there''s nothing now."

    He was quick to correct Yuri''s notion as he scanned the walls with his eyes, feeling an ominous aura creeping up on him as he shuddered.

    "Perhaps they strengthened their ckout spell."

    "Yeah, but wouldn''t our vision be affected too��?"

    As Ren countered Yuri''s potential answers, the cautious soldier gave him a look that seemed to understand his paranoia; Yuri began to look around, and there was indeed something amiss by this point.

    "Hey, what''s up with all of this gunk?"

    Jae-Seong came to a stop, halting the others as well as they looked at the ce he stepped; beneath the soles of his boots, sable grime coated the marble floor heavily.

    It was the same for the walls now; the grimy substance stretched across all surfaces like the flesh of a rotting corpse buried within the holds of the world.

    While they inspected the increase in the mysterious essence, something caught Ren''s eye--though even that was wrong. It wasn''t something he saw, but something he felt--a momentary dread that pulled his gaze up.

    Beyond the end of the corridor was only darkness, leaving what came through aplete enigma. Even in the depths of the quiet, enigmatic darkness, he could feel a presence existing within its holds.

    ...What is that? He thought.

    Reaching through the hall, enormous, ckened fingers scaled the walls before pressing against the foundation of the building--spreading the corridor apart with ease as it unraveled unnaturally into a new domain.

    The still air was quickly reced with something deathly; a dreadful cold that swept through without any care--that very chill held the group still as they witnessed a sight iprehensible for a sane mind.

    As the walls sumbed to the grip of the giant, scabbed fingers, the once quartz arena they traversed was now a territory formed of a hellscape of grime as all eyes fell on what existed before them, and what had dragged them into this realm. It was asrge as a building itself, possessing a circr-rimmed head with a dozen eyes, shrouded by fleshy tendrils that wreathed in the air.

    Squatting down, the colossal entity bore limbs wrapped and squeezed by charcoal chains; its abdomen was gaping with a hole that stretched from one end of its side to the other, possessing an uncountable number of teeth in its stomach-maw.

    What is happening��? None of this makes sense. It doesn''t make sense. Forget logic, how can something like this even exist? We were just in the halls, and now we''re in...whatever this is...what is that thing? Ren thought.

    Looking up, his gaze was returned by a colossal eyeball that was buried into the ceiling of sable flesh, looking down at him with its wide, shaking iris that held an abnormal shape resembling a turning cog. Recing the silence that existed just moments before, a low, distorted siren filled the stomach-churning domain. As if existing as a lifeform of its own, the ck, flesh-like walls pulsated, beating to the rhythm of a heart as squelches resounding with each pulsation.

    All he could do was stand as his legs shook beneath the overwhelming winds of dread that sought to embrace him; the act of wrapping his fingers around the hilt of Belus signified that he was prepared to fight--but he didn''t know if that was the truth.

    "....It looks like the worst of the worst has happened��"

 Chapter 334 - Marquis Of Rot

    "...It looks like the worst of the worst has happened��"

    "Huh��?"

    Ren looked over at Yuri, though it was hard to hear her words through the beating of his own heart thumping against his ear drums.

    "They dragged everyone in this building into whatever domain this is...we''re in their territory now."

    Yuri squinted her eyes at the aberration as if trying to understand its form, but only sweat left her pores as she failed to make sense of the existence all around them.

    Despite this, it was Jae-Seong who stepped forward without a second thought--standing before the colossal entity that seemed slothful in its malicious approach.

    "...Is that so? All that means is we''re bringing the fight to them then."

    "Jae-Seong��Don''t be reckless!"

    Yuri''s call to the man was toote; Jae-Seong already slid his coat from his body, throwing it to the side as all he wore beneath it was a ck tank top. Even in the haze of horror, Ren was perplexed by Jae-Seong''s unveiled form.

    Scarsyered his arms and neck, but what was surprising was the build he possessed; he had the body of an athlete in peak condition.

    Just what the hell is he?...How can he still be so confident in a ce like this? Ren thought.

    Lastly, Jae-Seong discarded his shades as his irises that shined with a golden radiance were on full disy.

    "It''s about time I get a real warmup...Ren, keep your eyes on me; let me show you what a Heavenly King is made of!

    Pointing to himself with his thumb, Jae-Seong turned back to give a smile to the white-haired young man.

    "Cover the small fry for me would you?"

    Jae-Seong asked, aiming the request towards the other three as he cracked his knuckles, beginning to approach the colossal, maddening entity.

    As the curly-haired otherworlder rolled his shoulder in preparation of his fight with the grotesque, giant entity that was d in rotten, stitched together flesh, he stopped as something seemed to be moving within the mouth existing on its abdomen.

    It was unmistakably something resembling a human, crawling out on all fours like a mindless animal before it finally stretched its limbs out to reunite with the outside world beyond the creature''s bowels. A curtain of pale, lifeless hair draped over the person''s face before with a chilling crack, their face shot up with a wide, twisted grin revealing itself behind the veil of pale locks.

    Using his hands to flip over unnaturally and seamlessly onto his feet, the man coated in ck gunk faced the group with his wicked smile. Catching Ren''s eye was the symbol etched onto the man''s malnourished-seeming chest.

    That sigil...what is it? Ren squinted.

    It was a hooded woman, seeming to be carved directly into the enigmatic man''s chest. Perhaps even more confusing than that, a fleshy, ck string resembling an umbilical cord connected the mysterious man''s navel to the innards of the monster behind him.

    Around his limbs were bandages that had been tainted by the brownish-red tinge of dried blood, wrapped around him plentifully.

    "Who the hell are you?"

    Jae-Seong asked, clearly set on fighting whoever he had to.

    "Oh! That look! It''s delectable! Delicious! Savory! Such pretty eyes; I''ll enjoy plucking them right from your sockets...oh, what a grand meal they''ll make!"

    His response had little corrtion to what was asked, but it somehow answered anyways; the man was crazed beyond repair as he cackled, embracing himself as if bathing in the re he received from Jae-Seong.

    --Then, without missing a beat, hisughter stopped as a dead serious, idle expression inhabited his pale, bony face.

    As ifpletely natural, the man began rapidly, aggressively scratching at his forearms that were alreadyyered in scabs, causing blood to profusely leak from his reopened wounds as his smile returned, with such a sudden, sharp bow that it seemed he''d snap his own back, he bowed, "Wee to Hell''s Hell! I''ll be your guide today! Yes! I! Will! Oh, forgive me, pardon your contempt, bestow me your forgiveness! I am Liber Quintus, The Fifth Marquis of Belmon!"

    "Belmon��? Shit, you weren''t kidding, were you?"

    Jae-Seong muttered to Sicarius, who had taken a position closer to the curly-haired man with both of his des drawn.

    "...Don''t get the wrong idea. I wasn''t exactly nning on running into one of the Marquis. But...what a good opportunity this is!"

    Contrary to his usual demeanor, Sicarius smiled as he was faced with the enigmatic man hailing from Belmon.

    Hearing the twisted introduction resound from the fiendish man''s scabbed lips, Ren finally drew his de as "fight" won over "flight".

    His already rugged breathing fell still as he watched Liber point his bony finger directly at him, pointing right past the other two in front of him with a devilish smile stered across his lips.

    "Ren Nakamura! There you are! Oh, what a miracle! A blessing! A divine gift that you''vended right into myp! Come, Ren. Make this easy and I will spare yourpanions here the rondo of death."

    Liber gave this ultimatum, coiling his fingers like snakes curling up as his pale locks obscured his eyes--but not fully; as bloodshot and wide as could be, they stared directly at the young man.

    "I��"

    Ren looked down at his hand that was wrapped around the handle of his de, watching as it quivered. Perhaps worst of all, the putrid miasma inhabiting the secluded, dreadful realm attempted to reel the bile from his stomach with each breath.

    It''s even worse than the Butcher''s Domain��! It''s rotten, spoiled...the stench feels like it''s trying to forcibly squeeze my stomach dry! I can''t do anything. My body won''t listen to me. I can''t...I can''t see us walking out of here. So maybe I should...Ren thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why me��?! What do you even want?!"

    He yelled out to Liber; it was the one question he wanted to ask the most. As his words reached the ears of the crazed, bandage-wrapped man born from wickedness itself, Liber smiled even wider than normal, raising a single of his long, bony fingers to his lips.

    "Can''t say. Such delicate, precious, absolute information isn''t meant for their ears."

    Liber spun his eyes between the others as his words were obviously referring to them. Given this answer, Ren huffed as his breathing was paced unevenly.

    I don''t know. I don''t know what to do. I don''t know��! He thought.

    These thoughts were interrupted as he witnessed Jae-Seong, Sicarius, and Yuri ce themselves in front of him without a word.

    "No��! Don''t!"

    He pleaded to them, though by Jae-Seong''s smile he gave to him, he knew his request was futile.

    Not again...I promised myself--I promised I wouldn''t let anyone else die for me! He thought.

    "I won''t let any of you get hurt because of me��!"

    Ren pleaded, keeping his eyes on his trembling, sword-wielding hand. Even if he tried to say this, he could hardly find the fight buried with him as the very ground he stood on was built upon depravity.

    "How beautiful! Truly a heartwarming sight! Three, strong warriors protecting one of their one in the face of such hell! Ah, even if it is a useless, pointless, vain, purposeless effort, it brings me to tears no less!"

    Ranting with words that shot from his mouth rapidly, Liber caressed himself before bringing his hands up to his face, tearing at his cheeks as blood traveled down his face like crimson tears.

    "What a damn freak��"

    Jae-Seong muttered before turning his next words to the young man behind him, "If you don''t want us to get hurt for you, then fight. I''m not forcing you to do anything, but the choice is yours to make, Ren."

    It was another ultimatum, but one he wasn''t new to. Even so, this situation was like none other he had faced.

    "...I''ll fight."

    He didn''t know whether he was telling that to himself or the others, be he gripped his de as tightly as he could with his fingers that wanted to resist such an oue. Of course, Jae-Seong smiled at this decision as Ren took his ce amongst the other three.

    Standing across from them, it seemed Liber was content waiting for them toe to him as he waited with an unnerving smile, twisting his limbs around as if the concept of joints didn''t apply to him.

    "So...just what the hell is a "Marquis", anyway? I''d like to have some semnce of an idea of what I''m fighting...though that seems like a bit too much to ask right about now. But, you seemed to recognize that title, Sicarius."

    Jae-Seong whispered to the dual-de wielding assassin standing shoulder-to-shoulder beside him.

    "In a way, I guess you can call them transcendent humans...no, I guess humans that have descended is a more apt way of putting it. Belmon seeks the ultimate depravity; they want to sink the world into hell. The Marquis are the second highest order within Belmon; they''ve reached a ne of aberration that shouldn''t be touched. From the intel Osmanthus has gathered, it''s likely each Marquis possesses some sort of "authority" from Hell."

    Even though Sicarius selectively chose his word only to reach the ears of those standing beside him, the Marquis cackled from his distant spot as he wed at his bony forearms until he peeled his skin like a potato.

    "Are you talking about me? I''m so honored! You''ll make me blush! More! More! Say my name, say my name! I am the Marquis of Rot, Liber Quintus! Say it, say it!"

    It was with those words spoken so fervently and full of passion did his intrusive curtains part from his eyes, revealing the spiral that made up his dted irises.

    "Marquis of Rot? Do you think��?"

    Ren began to ask, though it seemed the others reached the same conclusion as him.

    The curly-haired, golden-eyed man who took the vanguard nodded, "He probably has some sort of ability that lets him decay things. I''m not really excited to find out the details of it, though."

    "Have you finally found theden courage, buried within your guts? I''ve been oh-so patient with you all...so please, return the favor,e to me, show me something truly delicious. I want to rot away that resolve; I want to watch it wither as the fight vanishes from your eyes--as you ept your fate within the bounds of Hell''s Hell. Come! Come!"

    The Marquis coaxed Jae-Seong into a confrontation, watching as the pale-skinned man slowly approached the wretched man with Sicarius following close behind, butcing his step with much more caution.

    "Shut up already, would you? You''ve stirred up enough of a headache as is."

    Jae-Seong honed his eyes as the frivolity he usually held was lost on his determined expression, cracking his knuckles as he drew in a breath through his barely parted lips.

    I''ve never seen him fight...by the looks of it, he''s a brawler--should he really be the one to fight the Marquis of Rot then��? Ren thought.

    "If you''re worried about Jae-Seong--don''t be."

    As if reading his mind, Yuri spoke without turning a single eye towards him, only watching the two men closely as they approached the stationary Marquis.

    "Huh?"

    "Jae-Seong is a Heavenly King; you''re an Ounder, aren''t you? Well, to put it simply, the Heavenly Kings are superior. And Jae-Seong is not an exception to that rule; he is the very example of it."

    Though Yuri''s words were still spoken with that direct coldness, it was the first time he had heard her speak so highly of the man she didn''t seem to get along with.. It wasn''t exactly news to him; he surmised just from the confident aura of the man that he was powerful, but looking just how well that confidence stood in the dreadful hellscape they existed in now--Ren was beginning to understand.

 Chapter 335 - Augustus, The Bulbous

    "It''s time to wake up, missy."

    A voice met her ears as she attempted to stay within theforting realm of dreams, though as her shoulder began to be shaken, Iris reluctantly parted her eyelids.

    "Wha��?"

    Rubbing her eyes in an attempt to squash the exhaustion weighing down on them, she blinked a few times as the figure in front of her began to be clear.

    Meeting her face-to-face was not one she expected or was familiar with; their head was as round as a ball with features that seemed a bit too small for theirrge canvas.

    "Gah---!"

    Iris screamed as she realized she was in the presence of a stranger--in close proximity, no less; quickly sitting up as the man pulled back just as quickly.

    "Calm down, this guy''s on our side!"

    It was Valerie''s words that brought Iris back into reality as she blinked a few times, looking around the room to see the rxing sight of herrades--as well as the new figure who was somehow even taller and rounder than the crimson panda.

    His appearance nearly fell into the realm of absurd to her as his roundness seemed almost like he was more inted with air than just purely fat, but his standout, lime-green uniform that matched his locks didn''t help to obscure hisrge presence at all.

    "Valerie, Hongse, Macheo, Aiko, and...where''s Ren?"

    Iris counted each person in the room that belonged to the Weltwanders, looking between them for an answer.

    Staying silent for a moment in the presence of the question, the group looked to one another before looking at the big guy to give his answer.

    "Right...I''m Augustus! Nice to meet ya!"

    His chipper introduction wasn''t exactly received well as it seemed the blue-haired girl was more so looking for answers that led to this situation.

    "...It''s so dark. What''s going on? I don''t understand��"

    Clearing his throat, Augustusposed himself, "I understand your confusion. As I said before, I am Augustus, I am from a group called "Osmanthus". Let''s see...how do I put this? Right now...Belmon hasunched an on-going raid on Purgatory...or more precisely, this building."

    "Belmon?!"

    Iris'' sudden yell in response started therge man as he raised his palms as if urging the young woman to calm down.

    "That doesn''t answer my question...Where''s Ren?"

    It seemed the conclusion she was alreadying to didn''t bode well for her own heart as her question was asked slowly--as if not wanting to hear the answer she asked for.

    "...Rest assured, yourpanion is in good hands."

    "He is?!"

    Again, Iris'' pitch was like ss to Augustus as he winced a bit before nodding his head, "A colleague of mine from Osmanthus already began escorting him out; they''re likely already safe and sound! All that''s left is the same for all of you!"

    Augustus turned to face the rest of the group, who all already seemed up to speed on the situation.

    Just how long was I asleep? Iris thought.

    "I still don''t understand much��"

    Iris spoke quietly as she stood up, rubbing her own head as if trying to coax some answers from her brain.

    "Sorry, I know it''s all a bit too much to take in...but we need to move. You''ll just have to take my word for it!"

    Augustus ced his hands on her circr hips as Iris slowly nodded her head in agreement; taking just that subtle sign, therge man from Osmanthus quickly opened the door and cautiously entered the corridor.

    Ushering for the rest toe out as if telling them "it''s safe!" the others followed him into the dark corridor.

    Immediately, Iris was greeted with a change in scenery she wasn''t prepared for; the walls were coated in blood and chunks of meat she didn''t wish to know their origin of. It was certainly fresh by the way it slid down the quartz walls it had stained, dripping down onto the floor.

    "What''s��"

    "Keep it together, Iris. We have to get out of here."

    Hongseforted the girl, cing his paws on her shoulders as he helped her move forward while Augustus led the group.

    As they quietly and cautiously traversed the corridor that smelled of death, the unnerving silence was quickly reced by rapid footstepsing from the direction they were headed.

    "Do you hear that��?"

    Valerie asked as the group came to a stop, tensing up as she prepared for the potential fight that could be heading their way.

    "Yeah."

    Macheo didn''t hesitate to get ready either; seeing the golden-haired young man prepare, Aiko did the same as well.

    However, what came down the hall wasn''t a frightening monster, but frightened men who held pale faces.

    "Run--!"

    Pouring from the foremost man''s lips, he was recognized as he grew closer--holding unmistakable, long ears paired with his purple irises.

    "Fedrin?"

    Aiko asked, looking at the high elf who didn''t stop, only reiterating his warning, "Run, dammit!"

    Following behind him were unrecognizable men, but likely were those who failed the qualifying round.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

    --It was only when hearing the distant, but nearing footsteps that resounded through the halls like cannons beingunched, did they begin to understand why the men were in such a hurry.

    Enhancing his eyes with allocated reinforcement, Augustus peered deeper into the shadow-d hall to inspect what was approaching.

    ck, curved horns with a skull of the same shade...that size; barely able to fit into the corridor--that...they really brought it, didn''t they?! Augustus thought.

    "Hurry! Follow me!"

    Taking the initiative, Augustus shouted as he ced his palms against the rightmost wall--causing a verdant glow to encircle the area he touched.

    "The hell are you doing?"

    Valerie asked impatiently; it was the same things the other felt--in the wake of the stomps that grew louder and louder, the urge to run intensified.

    "...Screw this, I''m not waiting here just to be crushed by that monster��!"

    One of the men dressed in beige leather yelled out before sprinting away, though Augustus tried to call out to him, he didn''t listen as fear had taken hold of his rationality.

    "Whatever you''re doing, do it faster!"

    Fedrin ordered with haste slurring from his throat; a roar resounding from the distance--making it all the more daunting to wait for therge man to finish whatever task he was doing.

    "D-don''t rush me! I-I can''t handle pressure!"

    The closed-eyed yell from the Osmanthus member destroyed whatever faith the other unknown man had as he gritted his teeth before scampering away without a word.

    "...Just a few more seconds��"

    Augustus muttered, though it was nearly impossible to hear his words under the growing, rapid stomps.

    Not taking any chances, Hongse took to the front--prepared to use his body as a shield as he took in arge breath.

    "Stay behind me! I''ll guard you all��!"

    Hongse resolved himself as an echoing roar made his fur stand up. Though they all experienced the same dread, they weren''t ready to go down without a fight--as confused as she was, Iris felt this way too.

    "Done!"

    Augustus announced as the footsteps were now loud enough to be felt tangibly. Within the circr zone of verdancy, a hole was formed in the wall seamlessly as Augustus stepped aside, ushering the group to move in.

    As Iris stepped inside, what waited within wasn''t what should be on the other side of the wall, but a in,rge room shaped like a box.

    "Huh? What is this?"

    She looked around as the others who entered soon did the same with curious glints in their eyes. Stepping inst, the gateway closed behind Augustus as he pped his hands, holding a proud smile as he ced his hands on his bulbous hips.

    "This is my ability, "Secluded Castle"; I can create an entrance to it from any surface! Though the only way to exit is through the ce of entrance!"

    Exining this with a smug smile of his own, Augustus twirled his curved, verdant mustache as if waiting for praise.

    "Pretty handy."

    Macheo sat down on the smooth surface of the Secluded Castle with the beige-haired girl seating herself directly next to him. Even in their situation, the close proximity still brought a pink to Macheo''s cheeks while Aiko smiled at this reaction.

    Those two are moving quickly, aren''t they? Iris thought.

    "So...we''re safe in here? That''s what you''re saying, right? That''s what this means?"

    Fedrin''s words came out rushed as he was still noticeably shaken up, even in the holds of the docile domain as he clutched his own chest.

    "Yup! I can personally guarantee that! That''s why I''m the safety specialist of Osmanthus, Augustus Luggs! All we have to do is wait until that beast passes by."

    With such a simple task set for them, Hongse turned his beady gaze to the high-elf, who was visibly shaken from his encounter with the mysterious entity that prowled the corridor.

    "...You saw it, didn''t you? What was it?"

    The question didn''t sit well with Fedrin as his lip quivered at the fresh thoughts resurfacing, cing his face into his hands.

    "I only saw it for a moment, but it was a bloodbath. It just...ran through them, stomping them out, crushing them, twisting their bodies...it was a true monster."

    "What��?"

    Iris muttered, seeing the shakiness present in Fedrin''s eyes as he spoke of the recent memory engraved into his mind.

    Shaking his head, the high elf seemed at his end for words as he fell silent, slumping down against the smooth, green walls that made up the Secluded Castle.

    "I know what it was."

    Augustus spoke up, fiddling with his prominent mustache as even as he sat down, he towered over most of the group.

    "You know? Then what is that thing?"

    Keeping her arms folded across her chest, the draconic knight asked without any tact, but the bulbous man answered all the same:

    "One of the Beasts of Sin: Wrath."

    --Augustus'' words spoken in an ominous tone met most ears with little meaning, but two recognized their meaning.

 Chapter 336 - Wrathful

    "One of the Beasts of Sin: Wrath."?

    --Augustus'' words spoken in an ominous tone met most ears with little meaning, but two recognized their meaning.?

    Macheo and Hongse perked up at this name, both locking their eyes onto Augustus.?

    "A Beast of Sin...here? In Purgatory? Just what the hell is going on, really?"

    Macheo scratched his head fervently as he gritted his teeth at the headache inducing situation that surrounded them.?

    Have I heard that term before''|? Iris thought.?

    "The hell is a "Beast of Sin"? Sounds like something I should know about."

    Valerie''s words came out without any tact once more as she looked between Augustus, Macheo, and Hongse for an answer--though most eyes were on them as well.?

    Clearing his throat, the tubby, crimson panda spoke up, "It''s among an adventurer''s greatest aspirations to encounter one of the Beasts of Sin; up there with traveling the Continent of Titans, finding Belmon, or even finding lost cities. They''re a group of monsters given the highest threat level from the Journey Foundation--"Cataclysms"--there hasn''t been a report of anyone beating a Beast of Sin in decades."?

    As Hongse exined this concept to everyone, the realization set in just what kind of fiend lurked within the halls.?

    "...That sounds about right."

    "Macheo?"

    Aiko looked at the young prince sitting beside her as he spoke up, bringing the attention of the others to himself.?

    "When I was little, I remember my father issuing a hunt for the Beasts of Sins; not to kill, but to subjugate them for our army. Their existence wasn''t mademon knowledge because...well, they weren''t able to be handled. The fear they would drive through the masses would spell trouble. That, and I think most nations wanted to keep it a secret so they could get their hands on the Beasts of Sin as well. Lucrauv tried...I watched the squads be formed; specially picked, powerful fighters. Of course...the squads we sent out were all wiped out whenever a scout managed to track one down."?

    If it wasn''t settled in before, the reality of the beast roaming the halls was cemented by Macheo''s words as the space fell silent.?

    "Augustus, right?"

    "Yup! That''s me!"

    Augustus bowed as far as he could with hisrge belly in the way as he replied to Iris, who sat down, hugging her knees close to her body.?

    "How will you know when it''s safe to go back out?"

    "Good question, Iris. Spit it out, tubby."

    Valerie reinforced the question with a lot less kindness to her words as Augustus seemed hurt by herstment.?

    "Tubby''|? Well, the only way I could check would be to open the door again...and if I did that, Wrath would have more than enough time to charge through if he noticed it."

    "So, our best option is to wait then?"

    Macheo asked, receiving a nod from the green-haired man who continued to twirl his perfectly-groomed mustache.?

    "In the meantime, if you''re hungry, I''ve stocked my Secluded Castle with many supplies!"

    pping his hands, Augustus caused one of the verdant tiles of the room to sink away before a few boxes were rosen up on a new tile.?

    "...Is he really thinking about food at a time like this?"

    Macheo muttered quietly as he watched therge man waddle over to the stockade of food.?

    "Seems like it''|"

    Aiko smiled wryly at the sight; though it was somewhat relieving to see the man who sought to escort them hold a calmness to his demeanor.?

    "...Please, no! No--!"

    Losing his footing in his anxious running, the man in beige armor fell to the ground as he listened to the thundering footsteps quickly approach--begging for his life as he turned to face the malicious beast that he could feeling.?

    It was forced to hunch over from the ceiling''s limit, barely fitting in the width of the corridor with its muscr body that wasyered in scarred skin, decorated with bone jewelry; though it possessed no eyes in its fleshless head, baring only a ckened skull with long, curved horns of the same coloration.?

    Hanging around its neck were skulls of different shapes; some human, some more monstrous--though they were worn like a ne, they seemed to be engraved into its fleshy hide.?

    "Stop! Stop''|! Please! I don''t wanna die! I don''t wanna die!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shaking his head as he saw the dreadful appearance of the giant beast, the man''s begs fell upon death ears as the beast rushed onwards--mming its foot down atop the man''s skull as it sttered onto the ground beneath. A mess of crimson painted the floors as fragments of the unfortunate man''s skull littered the corridor.?

    Standing at the other end, a blue-haired man dressed in cyan robes quivered in fear as the beast''s gaze faced him.?

    "Don''te any closer''|! Apollo: Divine Sanctuary!"

    Before the beast could reach him, the man sessfully conjured a multiyered barrier ofte that stood between him and the colossal, hulking fiend.?

    "...Ha...ha...I did it! You can''t reach me!"?

    My Divine Sanctuary is strong enough to hold back a grandiose spell! I am a barrier specialist...I can make it out of here! The man celebrated.?

    Though his confidence was tested as he watched the horned beast silently walk over with its thundering footsteps before stopping before the barrier, raising its fist up into the air.?

    "There''s no way you can break it...you can''t''|"

    --Muttering this, his stomach sank as he watched the beast swing its fist down without any elegance, reducing the barrier into nothing but particles of light as now nothing stood between the man and the beast''s bloodlust.?

    "No''|! No---!"

    Before he could even turn to run, the beast''s massive fingers wrapped around his head, squeezing with infinisemal effort as it popped like a ripe fruit.?

    Finishing its prey, steam propelled from the bone nostrils as the beast exhaled a breath. Though even as it came to a stop for a moment,rge veins still pressed against its hide as steam exuded from its pores.?

    What caused it to halt its rampage down the corridors were the calm, slow steps that approached behind him.?

    "Did you get all of them, Wrath? If we''re finished here, I''d like to go home now."?

    Holding dark bags under his eyes, the man spoke to the Beast of Sin while receiving only low growls in response.?

    "You think so?...Eh, that''s good enough for me. I''m exhausted. Being a Marquis is a pain in the ass."?

    The mysterious Marquis bore a fair face that seemed to link to an age no older than his early twenties, wearing a sleek, ck set of robes reminiscent to that of what a man of the church would wear, but instead bearing the symbol of Belmon on his back.?

    Waving his hand, the tired-looking young man ushered for Wrath to follow him back the way they came, "Let''s go Wrath, I''m sure Liber is done with his end by now. I hope so. That guy takes his damn time with it. How exhausting."?

    Stopping in his path, the tired Marquis let out a sigh as he looked back at the Beast of Sin, "I almost forgot. It''s my responsibility to make sure those guys hold up their end of the deal. Gggher and...I forgot the other''s name, but it was my responsibility, right? He was supposed to take care of that Victorious Seven guy. How exhausting."

    As the Marquis spoke in between yawns, he received only grunts and growls in response from the towering beast who followed behind him.?

    "Yeah, yeah, I know, Wrath. Gggher and the other were put under my watch, so it''s my responsibility...still exhausting, though. Where is he though?...Oh, I know a quick way to do this."

    The youthful, but gloomy looking young man snapped his fingers as if discovering something in his mind, to which Wrath blew steam from its nostrils as if intrigued.?

    pping his hands, the Marquis'' signal instantly summoned men in ck robes that appeared through the walls and floor like spirits. Without a word, they all bowed before him, saying the same thing in unison.?

    "We''re at yourmand, Marquis Zeno Tressa."?

    "Uh...yeah, whatever. Go find Gggher and his partner for me, would you? If you can''t, then at least confirm the death of Andraste. Get it done quick so we can all go home, okay?"?

    Marquis Zeno gave his orders, finishing it with a p that signified "chop, chop". Bowing once more, the mysterious followers dressed in shadowy robes then disappeared in the blink of an eye.?

    "I guess being a Marquis doese in handy sometimes. It''s mostly exhausting though."?

    As the sleep-deprived Marquis rested his back against the blood-stained corridor, the stationary beast beside him blew steam from its nose as it watched him. Feeling its anxious gaze on him, Zeno let out a sigh.?

    "You want to go on another rampage?"

    Asking this, Zeno received an answer as Wrath excitedly pounded its chest with itsrge, calloused hands that resembled brutal clubs more than hands. Just the beating of its chest mixed with its thrilled stomps caused the entirety of the arena to tremble from the savage strength exuded by the Beast of Sin.?

    "...Alright, alright, you''re killing my head''|"?

    Marquis Zeno let out another perturbed sigh as he looked up at Wrath, "Kill them all. Just make it quick."?

    As quickly as those words rolled off his tongue, Zeno watched as Wrath unleashed himself--sprinting down the corridor as it roared out with an echoing savagery.?

 Chapter 337 - Hells Hell Is Hell

    As Jae-Seong approached atst, the Marquis seemed more than weing of this as he cackled.

    "Yes! Come! Let me show you the depravity of--"

    --Liber''s taunts were cut short as the distance between him and Jae-Seong was closed instantaneously, with the curly-haired otherworlder sinking his experienced fist deep into the frail gut of the Marquis.

    It was as if a cannon had ignited; the punch brought with it a sharp impact that lifted the Marquis of Rot from his feet as he spat out a loogy of blood. Landing on his back, Liber was sprawled out on the ground as his abdomen had been caved in from the fearsome blow.

    "As I thought; the louder they talk, the quieter their fists are."

    Jae-Seong muttered under his breath as he looked down at the frail-seeming man who gasped for breath.

    "Holy shit, you''re strong��!"

    Ren was sucked out of his loop of dread at the sight of his ally''s power--though, that triumph was cut short as he saw the expression on Jae-Seong''s face shift. Even from the distance they stood out, the enigmatic dread that reced the glisten in his eyes was present for both Ren and Yuri to see.

    "Eh?"

    Looking at the hand he used to hit the Marquis, Jae-Seong watched as his glove withered away, falling apart until only his bare fist was left. It didn''t stop at just the fabric; the skin of his knuckles took a sable tinge as the man winced. Slowly, the tainted skin of his knuckles peeled to reveal his flesh sitting behind.

    "What the hell��?"

    It was so quiet that Jae-Seong didn''t notice it while inspecting his tainted flesh; the twisted Marquis returned to his feet using only his core as he silently held a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

    "Jae-Seong, watch out!"

    Sicarius called out, having to push the man aside with his shoulder as he took his ce--blocking the iing strike with his des.

    The Marquis of Rot cackled as he mmed his forehead against the cold, dull surface of the steel, matching his gaze with the tempered assassin''s own. With his arms hanging lip, Liber pressed his forehead against the des as hisughter continued, staring directly into Sicarius'' eyes, who tried fervently to hold the man back.

    "Too bad for you��"

    Liber rolled the words of his twisted tongue as the sable des began to crack and peel, fragments of the steel withering into an ashen-like substance; the integrity of the des fell to ruin with just a simple touch.

    "Shit��!"

    Retreating, Sicarius jumped back as his des dposedpletely--leaving nothing but hilts in his hands as he discarded them to the lively ground.

    "And here I thought we''d just have to avoid being touched by him."

    Jae-Seong took a spot next to Sicarius, ripping off a piece of cloth from his pants to wrap his tainted knuckles with.

    "Yeah...seems just touching him is enough for his "rot" to reach you. Sorry, but I''m not much of a magic user."

    Sighing to himself as he admitted this, the assassin looked at the spare des he possessed, knowing full well that steel was futile against the Marquis.

    "Same here."

    Hearing this simr admittance from Jae-Seong, Sicarius couldn''t help but chuckle at how dreadful the situation really was for them.

    "...Looks like we''re shit out of luck then."

    ...Crap, I''m totally useless. I can''t use my swords either against a power like that. Who knows if my magic is even strong enough to hurt someone of this caliber? Maybe if I could use that...Ren thought.

    "Not quite."

    --Declining this realization of defeat, Yuri snapped her fingers as cannons formed of ck steel manifested in the air above each of her shoulders; lined with golden ents, an imposing aura of mana radiated from their form.

    "Is this your ability?!"

    Ren asked, taking a few steps away from the woman as to not be in the range for crossfire. With the cape that sat on her shoulders fluttering in the presence of the newly manifested cannons, Yuri didn''t answer his question.

    "Out of the way."

    --Shemanded both Sicarius and Jae-Seong, who were more than happy to clear the path for her oversized cannons.

    "Oh? Oh! The young beauty can fight! Show me! Show me! Let us scorn each other, w at each other, and bite and chew until nothing is left!"

    Spreading his arms as if weing the cannons, Liber spoke with his twisted slur that coated his words in an aura of depravity all the same.

    "dly."

    Snapping her fingers once more, Yurimanded her cannons to unleash a volley of sts--shooting forth azure cannonballs that hurled towards the Marquis.<novelnext></novelnext>

    With his arms still parted, he weed the malicious spheres as they collided with his body--one plummeting into his gut while the other mmed into his shoulder. Though it was a clean hit, the only thing that withered from the impact was the integrity of the cannonballs. It was the moment they met with his form; the azure spheres disintegrated rapidly before being carried off by the still winds.

    "...How? Before they could even have an impact?"

    Yuri muttered out of confusion, snapping her fingers to try once more--this time sending a dozen cannonballs as eachunch resounded with an echoing boom.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Yes! Struggle in vain! It''ll make your despair all the more delectable when you fall to your knees! Flesh or magic; all fall to rot!"

    Again, as Liber was experiencing a euphoria, the fast-moving cannonballs journeyed through the air only to crash against his body with a form that quickly descended into blue sand.

    As fast as they reach him...they rot away. Just what kind of monstrous ability is that? Ren thought.

    "That''s not good��"

    Jae-Seong bit onto his bottom lip as he watched the futile attacks of Yuri sumb to the Marquis of Rot.

    Squeezing his fists tightly shut as his bones croaked, the Marquis seized hisughter as he held a quiet smile for once, "I believe I''ve been more than hospitable to my guests; it is time I respond in kind."

    "...Here hees!"

    Jae-Seong yelled out, putting himself in front of Yuri and Ren as bloodlust oozed out from the Marquis'' pores in abundance; Sicarius wasn''t ignorant to this by any means--drawing a small orb from one of the pouches on his belt.

    "What''s that?"

    Ren asked, but his answer was received in the form of a visual; they all watched as Sicarius tossed the silver orb towards the ground while Liber slowly approached with his eerie steps.

    "Form, Holy Shield!"

    Commanding the isted magecraft, Sicarius'' words manifested the magic bound within the sphere into existence as arge, seraphic shield manifested between the group and the Marquis of Rot.

    "Oh? Interesting. This is the magecraft of the Holy Church, isn''t it? Marvellous; I will savor this treat."

    Liber spoke calmly with wickednesscing his words as he stood before the bright, holy shield that seemed unnatural in the realm of utmost depravity. As he ced his palm barring scarred, decrepit flesh against the exterior of the barrier, he stood still with his smile staring at those behind it--knowing well what his existence meant to their sanity.

    "...Did you for some reason believe something blessed by the heavens would hold any ground against me? Do you believe good naturally triumphs evil? It is aughable thought; one that is told in bedtime stories--do these stories meant for children have any meaning in reality? Do these fragile beliefs hold any ground when before true, absolute depravity? I am right here; let us put it to the test."

    The Marquis of Rot spoke in a half-whisper, making his words personally travel to the ears of the people staying behind the radiant shield.

    "...I can try something, but it''s risky."

    Jae-Seong whispered, keeping his eyes on the Marquis as his mana signature began to rise steadily.

    "What is it?"

    "The moment he gets through that barrier--I''ll do it. It might be our only chance if he manages to counter it after experiencing it...but it''s worth a shot."

    Ren was given a vague answer from Jae-Seong, but at this point, it was the only option they could fall back on as the horrifying, depraved being stood just before the shield with a still smile.

    "You don''t falter easily do you? I can smell the fear seeping out from your pores, the resonance of your heart, thumping against your chest...yet you stand so firm and tall, facing me with those unmoving eyes; you don''t fear death, do you, Sicarius? That''s right; I remember you."

    Liber smiled wide as he spoke the name of the assassin who stood at the forefront of the group; only the heavenly shield stood between him and the Marquis of Rot.

    Ignoring the Marquis'' taunting words, Sicarius remained silent as he gripped his newly-wielded des tightly between his fingers.

    Even when standing behind the others, Ren could still feel the air of dread tightly gripping around his skin; being brought so close to the Marquis of Rot despite the barrier blocking him, true horror crept beneath his skin.

    Why am I feeling like this��? I''m not scared. I''m not. I can fight him. It''s just...when I think about Iris and the others facing off against something like this...I can''t think straight! He thought.

    Attempting to retrieve his resolve that became buried under the umted stress flooding his body, he took a few, calming breaths before honing his eyes forward.

    "I''ll do it with you--I''ll fight alongside you."

    --Ren''s words coaxed a smile from his golden-eyed, fellow otherworlder who nodded his head.

    All they could do was watch as miasma poured from Liber''s palm, stretching across the bright shield with his corruptive essence.

    "Don''t stop; attack however you want--I''ll follow your lead, friend."

    "Yeah."

 Chapter 338 - All-Out Attack: Darkness Close

    "Don''t stop; attack however you want--I''ll follow your lead, friend."

    "Yeah."

    Ren agreed to Jae-Seong''s n as they both prepared for their confrontation with the horrifying Marquis; watching as the integrity of the magical shield began to crack, that confrontation was nearing--quickly.

    Maybe he was trying to distract himself from the impending confrontation, but he brought his eyes to the stationary, colossal fiend still squatting down in the center of the daunting chamber.

    "It doesn''t seem like the big one is moving."

    Making this judgment, Ren''s statement brought Jae-Seong''s eyes to it, who nodded in agreement, "Seems like it. I guess we can just thank whatever gods are left in this world for that."

    "...So, do you think defeating him will release us from this ce?"

    It was the main question on Ren''s mind--one he pointed to the ears of the other three, who remained silent for a moment before Yuri answered for him.

    "Most likely."

    Most likely? Ren thought.

    He understood though that she wasn''t the type to blindly guarantee things; with a clear goal in mind, he drew in a guiding breath.

    Come on, ability, if there''s any time to awaken--it''s right now! Ren thought.

    It was the moment it fully shattered; the moment a wave of pungent air swept across his skin--Ren dashed forward in that moment between moments, passing by Sicarius and Yuri both, with his hand extended towards the Marquis of Rot''s abdomen.

    Shout it, Ren. Yell it out for them, scream it for her! He thought.

    "Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    Manifesting as quick as the incantation parted from his lips, his spiraling, shadowy mana spun with a deathly intensity--coiling out from his extended hand like a griplessnce plucked from the underworld.

    Pushing forward, he gritted his teeth as he pressed the intensely spinning drill formed of dark mana directly against the stomach of Liben, who gasped out as if shocked the attack evennded.

    "...It''s not...rotting away?! Oh��! But, of course��! You''re one with the dark!"

    Liben stammered out before being blown back by the force of Tyrant Lance, bouncing off the ground a few times--though he wasn''t home free as Jae-Seong didn''t let up for a moment on the open opportunity.

    "This is for rotting my perfect fist, you ugly bastard!"

    Jae-Seong yelled out as he thrust his fist downwards towards the malnourished, scarred man''s chest with lethal force--though he didn''t allow his fist to draw near the Marquis'' flesh, instead allowing thepressed air pressure do the work for him.

    "Gyuh!"

    The Marquis spit out saliva as the sharp air taking the shape of Jae-Seong''s fist smashed against his bony chest. It was just a single punch, but it managed to cave in the ground beneath the Marquis'' back as the others watched anxiously.

    I''m not letting up yet! Jae-Seong thought.

    A barrage of these same, half-thrown fists sent a flurry of condensed air thundering down upon the Marquish, who was pinned down against the trembling ground in the wake of this burst of attacks.

    ? "Away with you��!"

    Resisting the flurry of blows, the Marquis of Rot yelled out in between gasps as a shockwave propelled from his body; Jae-Seong only narrowly managed to evade it, jumping to the side as he could sense the miasmacing the st of air.

    "That was close. I got quite the beating in on you though, you freak."

    Jae-Seong taunted the Marquis with a smile, watching as the frail, malnourished man slowly rose back to his feet with a smile of his own soon returning.

    "...If a group fight is what you''d like--I''ll indulge your wishes. I''ll make theme true...yes...yes...I will! I will!"

    The Marquis cackled as he exhibited his wingspan once more, this time conjuring a rumbling throughout the grimy, sable ground formed of what smelled like decaying flesh. Rising from the sticky, repugnant ground was a sore sight; Reverse Walkers spawned from Liber''smand.

    "...Are all of the Marquis crazy bastards like you?"

    Ren asked as he took to Jae-Seong''s side, now able to look at the Marquis of Rot without his stomach urging him to release bile.

    "Crazy? If you mean bathed in as much love as me, soaked in it,thered with it!...Then I can''t say that''s quite the case, no."

    The Marquis'' tone dropped as if taking the question very seriously, all the while caressing his own sides with his blood-soaked hands.

    "...So, you''re the crazy one of the bunch, huh? Just our luck."

    "Ren, stay focused."

    Jae-Seong''s words kept the young man on the tip of his toes in this battle;ing in to handle the plethora of Reverse Walkers, Sicarius and Yuri began to cut and st them away--though their numbers were great.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "We''ve got this covered; get the Marquis!"

    Yurimanded as her cannons blew through a pair of thenky, inhuman fiends--painting the ursed walls with chunks of charcoal meat.

    Without saying a word, the infamous assassin was already carving through the seemingly endless fiends as if he was right back at home.

    "It seems like your dark magic was something he wasn''t ounting for. Maybe that''s the silver lining here--our one ticket out."

    Keeping his eyes on the Marquis, Jae-Seong spoke to Ren without turning his gaze to his ally. Ren didn''t quite understand it himself, but he nodded his head in agreement as he kept his de sheathed--this time foregoing weapons as magic was his one tool against the Marquis.

    "Right. I''ll give it everything I''ve got!"

    I can finish it right here, right now, he thought.

    With that yell that proimed a possibility of triumph, he dashed forward with an unseen Shadowstep--blindsiding the Marquis as he appeared directly behind the fiendish man with another spell already prepared.

    "Araphel: Void Piercer!"

    The incantation spurred from his lips before Liber could even react; spawning from Ren''s extended hand was a massive, sablence intertwined with dense, dark magic that released deathly fumes.

    You''re finished! He thought.

    Tossing it forward, Ren hurled the darknce at point nk range as the sharp tip sunk right through the Marquis'' back of scarred flesh; with ease, it dug right through his back, piercing through the other side of his body as the Marquis of Rot hurled a wave of ckened blood from his bowels.

    "...What a delicious change, Ren Nakamura."

    Despite having thence as thick as his head piercing through his midsection, Liber turned his head back to an unnatural degree to speak to the young man.

    Ren tried to ignore the Marquis'' words, but he continued speaking nheless--a man who paid no heed to what others thought.

    "You once tried to stay your hand, resolving yourself not to kill, not to be twisted--not to be depraved. But, look! You''ve every intention of mercilessly ughtering me, don''t you? Don''t you? It''s so beautiful; the changes you''ve gone through...It''s just as we had wished. She''ll be so happy. So, so, so, so, so happy! I can''t wait any longer! I must bring you to her! I must reunite you with her! Come! Come! Come!"

    The Marquis'' words began toe out slurred as he rapidly shook his head while sable blood continued to pour from his mouth.

    Hearing this, Ren fell to a still as he couldn''t even process what it was the crazed man was ranting about--though one part stuck true.

    ...I didn''t hesitate��? I chose to kill him without thinking twice��? Why did I do that? How the hell does he know so much about me anyway?! He thought.

    "...Let us part from this festival of death, Ren Nakamura!"

    Catching the young man off guard, the Marquis lurched forward, freeing himself from the intrusivence as a massive hole now existed through his gut. It was with those wretched hands that bore the absolute authority over rot that the Marquis reached towards Ren with, holding a twisted grin as his tongue iled from his mouth.

    "Hyaah!"

    Before Liber''s palm could unite with Ren''s frozen expression, Jae-Seong''s fist collided with the air--sending another st of malicious, sharpened wind crashing against the Marquis'' cheekbone harshly.

    "...Nice save!"

    Renplimented his ally, receiving a quick thumbs-up from Jae-Seong as the two watched as the Marquis of Rotnded harshly against the ground before standing himself back up only momentster.

    "He looks like just a pile of skin and bones, but he''s a tough bastard, I''ll tell you that. I hit him with enough power to shatter a wall of steel. Still...I can''t imagine a hole through his gut is something he can just shrug off."

    Jae-Seong muttered, wiping the grime that umted on his hands from the time spent in Hell''s Hell. The grimyered environment, surrounded by nothing but death itself, wasn''t exactly the best location to fight in--at least, that was the consensus between Ren and Jae-Seong.

    "I''d like to believe that...but this guy doesn''t seem to follow the norm."

    Ren found his own words confirmed as Liber still held that smile despite the gaping hole in his gut that was now paired with the side of his face being caved in from the earlier punch.

    "...It seems I''ve had a bit too much fun. Yes, too much...Ciguapa, y with them."

    The Marquis let his arms hang lip as without any warning, the umbilical cord that was tethered only be a strand of hanging flesh reeled him in rapidly before the others could react; as he had arrived, he returned--Liber was pulled into the bowels of the statuesque colossal.

    "What the hell was all that about?"

    Ren asked Jae-Seong before looking at Yuri and Sicarius who were still handling the Reverse Walkers without much trouble.

    "It seems to me he is tagging out."

    The answer from Jae-Seong guided the white-haired young man''s eyes to the same spot hispanion watched; the colossal entity made of patchworked, rotten flesh began to move once more as its circr head rotated clockwise.

    "...It''s just one thing after another, isn''t it?"

    Ren spoke under his breath as he watched the gargantuan fiend unravel itself to stand up; it''s lengthy arms of mismatched flesh of varying colors drooped down at its sides, connected by chains between its biceps and forearms.

 Chapter 339 - The Reality Of Hell

    Finishing off the Reverse Walkers without much trouble, both Sicarius and Yuri were back at the two''s sides as they witnessed the awakening of the once stationary giant.

    "I think now''s the time to ask; does anyone have any like...highly destructive skills?"

    Ren asked, looking between the group, though it seemed Sicarius was the first to answer as he fiddled with his cloak.

    "I don''t have any des big enough for that thing, but��"

    Sicarius discarded his curved des that had be dulled with stick grime in his massacring of the fiends, instead retrieving a long, ck chain scythe that was tucked behind his obscuring cloak.

    "I doubt that thing has the same rotting ability as the Marquis guy, so I''ll lend you a hand."

    Cracking both his knuckles and his neck, Jae-Seong smiled with his golden irises that seemed to glow in the somber space.

    "I guess...I''ll help too!"

    Feeling left out for a moment, Ren added himself into the equation as he retrieved Belus from its sheath.

    "I''ll give you supporting fire."

    Adding in, Yuri snapped her fingers to manifest her cannons once more as a cold breath left her pink lips.

    Witnessing the colossal, sluggish-seeming fiend raise one of its lengthy arms up, the group split up to avoid the massive crash of the patchwork limb as their assault began. Using the building-sized arm as a path, Sicarius swiftly ascended upon it while spinning his chain scythe rapidly, swinging it around asrge, deep cuts scaled the fiend''s arm.

    "...!"

    In his sprint, Sicarius noticed at thest moment that the ckened flesh on the arm he walked upon began to bubble up; leaping up, he watched as spiky tendrils protruded from the fiend''s arm towards him.

    That was close, Sicarius thought.

    In retaliation, he swung the scythe as it diced right through the malicious tendrils. Helping the assassin in this endeavor, Ren yelled out as he jumped up high--using Belus to carve through thest remaining tendrils.

    "You''re wee."

    Attempting to reel in any emotion from the assassin, Ren''s yful words werepletely ignored as hended beside Sicarius onto the fiend''s arm.

    "You''re no fun, are you?"

    "If you can talk, swing your sword."

    While Ren was distracted trying to make small talk, Sicarius'' words were apanied by the man cutting through a pair of tendrils that extended towards Ren''s back. The finesse at which Sicarius handled the weapon that seemed difficult to wield enamored Ren for a moment.

    Shocked by this, the young man chuckled wryly, "...I guess that makes us even."

    I guess he isn''t a world renowned assassin for nothing, eh? He thought.

    Nearly causing him to jump, Ren looked up at the source of the explosive sounds resounding through the hellish chamber, witnessing the cannons wielded by the Lucrauvian woman st away at the colossal fiend as it was too sluggish to properly counter.

    It''s way too slow to handle any of this...we might just pull this off, Ren thought.

    Chunks of decrepit flesh that fell like debris were blown off by each hurled cannonball of azure conjuration.

    It felt almost too hopeful; too good to be true--and that pessimistic existence that dwelled in the bottom of his gut rang true as he witnessed it: in the midst of Yuri''s barrage against the colossal, she kept her eyes focused on it, and only it--a mistake.

    From behind her, birthing from the walls of ck flesh, a pir made of the sable, living substance propelled with nothing but arge mouth, packed with teeth that seemed toorge even for its massive maw.

    Before any of them could properly react, the enigmatic mouth mmed its jaws shut on the girl--bringing her entire upper-half into its maw formed of ckened gums as her legs could still be seen standing against the ground.

    It happened too fast; Ren stared nkly in the direction as it all felt surreal. The action happened instantaneously; there was no hesitation from the worm-like, lengthy creature that bore only a mouth full of erged teeth as it ate.

    That''s right...right now, we''re in the worst of it all. Death...death should be expected, right? He thought.

    "Yuri---!!!"

    Jae-Seong yelled out with everything he could, stopping his barrage of blows on the creature''s abdomen, but he was toote--he halted in his tracks as horror ovepped his expression; as the creature made of nothing but a mouth pulled away, all that was left was the lower-half of the Lucrauvian woman.

    "Ge-he-he! Ge-he-he!"

    Releasing a distorted, high-pitchedughter as it ate, the worm-like creature mped its jaws repeatedly as a downpour of blood showered to the ground. With tears of anger lining his eyelids, Jae-Seong rushed over in an instant-unching a blow that turned the creature into nothing more than a mist of ck.

    Falling to the ground, the chewed-up upper-half of the girl fell near her copsed bottom half. The sight alone made Ren gag as his legs quivered; Sicarius pulled him away from the sight without any hesitation.

    "Don''t look at that. We''ll end up like that if we lose our focus."

    "That''s...cruel."

    "That''s the truth."

    Sicarius corrected the young man''s quietly spoken words as they faced the colossus that was at the very least encumbered by the previous attacks.

    "...It''s my fault. She��"

    "Don''t."

    The simple word halted Ren in his sentence as Sicarius kept his eyes forward on the colossal being as it attempted to hold itself together.

    "Huh?"

    "I know that spiral you''re going down; her death isn''t on your hands. This is the reality of facing Belmon; death is the most likely oue, like it or not. She was a warrior; don''t sully her death with your own, superficial regret."

    Sicarius'' words weren''t dull; they were so sharp that they dug right into Ren, but they were enough to pull him out from that sinking darkness of guilt.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ...He''s right. That''s the kind of world I''m in, isn''t it? Death, death, death...there''s no end to it, Ren thought.

    Falling to his knees, Jae-Seong''s eyes trembled as he saw the state of hispanion. Clenching his fists with such anguish in his grip that they began to bleed; reopening the wound on his knuckles as they bled in surplus as well.

    "Yuri...Yuri...no��"

    It''s my fault. It''s my fault. It''s because I was selfish...you had toe with me. It''s all my fault, he thought.

    The "Land of Snow and Steel" they call it; they aren''t wrong, Jae-Seong thought.

    Peering out of the window, the azure skies were long missed as a nket of sulking clouds stretched across the sky, allowing endless snow to plummet down.

    "Don''t you miss it?"

    Jae-Seong asked, speaking to the other person present in the decorated room as he continued to peer out to the region d in abundant frost.

    "Hm?"

    Sitting quietly on afortable, padded chair, a boy with olive locks looked up from the book he read.

    "You know? T.V, games, the inte...the lights at night, music, all of that. All we''ve got now is snow, and more snow."

    Jae-Seong reiterated what he meant, this time turning to look at the young man who sat in thevish room with him.

    "And books."

    Adding in, the olive-haired young man dressed in an illustrious, sable uniform decorated with silver ents spoke while returning his eyes to his book. Despite wearing the uniform, his androgynous, gentle appearance didn''t let him stand out as an intimidating figure in the slightest; especially with his amber irises that held no malice.

    "...And books, yeah, but that''s not what I''m talking about. I don''t think I even read a book after I graduated. I guess you aren''t the right person to ask, Yan. You were still a bookworm, even on Earth, weren''t you?"

    "I read as much as any person should...that''s to say; yes, by the standards of society, I was a "bookworm". You should try it sometime; you know, reading for enjoyment, rather than just to study for warfare��"

    Yan spoke softly before he slowly closed his book before setting the oak-colored novel down on the desk made of rich wood beside him, looking at Jae-Seong with his soft, but inquisitive, amber eyes.

    "Huh? Lucrauv values strength above all, so why the hell wouldn''t I be as strong as I can? If we underperform, we get axed...probably. Stone-cold bastards don''t have any hearts, do they?"

    This answer didn''t seem to convince Yan, who raised an eyebrow to his friend and colleague''s words.

    Leaning forward a bit, Yan rested his chin against his hand. "War doesn''t really fit you, Jae-Seong. You''re like me; you were an artist��no, you are an artist, still. I wasn''t much for modern music, but even I knew of your band��"T-X Cosmos", was it?"

    As Yan recalled this, embarrassment tangibly flushed over Jae-Seong''s cheeks as he quickly waved his hands for his friend to stop.

    "Don''t say that name! Gah, I''ve got an image to keep up, you know? You know what they call me now? "The Fist of Destruction" badass, right? Well, that''s going to disappear if they figure out I was in a boy band!"

    Jae-Seong reprimanded his friend as his cheeks were still flushed, speaking with much more passion than usual before Yan broke out intoughter from his reaction.

    Seeing the olive-haired friend of hisugh so genuinely, Jae-Seong sighed before sitting back down and peering out of the window that overlooked the entire city.

    Ki-Re; the city that never rests. Work, work, work��man, I''m d I wasn''t born here, Jae-Seong thought.

    "The Decade Principal."

    "Mm?"

    Yan looked at the curly-haired man who suddenly spoke such peculiar words.

    Answering his friend''s confusion, Jae-Seong continued, "One decade. Once we serve for one decade, Lucrauv will give us the choice to return home or continue living like kings in this tundra."

    "I know about that, obviously, but why''re you bringing that up now?"

    Yan asked as he looked at the curly-haired friend of his who held a small smile. cing his hands behind his head, Jae-Seong leaned back in his chair as he looked up at the ceiling of refined stone.

    "...When my Decade Principal is fulfilled, I''m going back home. But...until then, why would I pass up on an opportunity to explore an entirely new world to its fullest, right? You feel the same way, don''t you? Reading all of the books here; you want to know all you can about this mystical ce."

    "I wouldn''t liken my taste in literature to your curiosity in warfare, Jae-Seong."

    Yan''s answer sounded a bit off put by him being likened to his friend''s inclination for war.

    "Not just that! Everything! I want to try it all; war, magic, mysteries of this world...I can''t buy this kind of stuff with all the money in the world back home. That''s why I decided--I''ll enter Purgatory!"

    Jae-Seong''s promation caused the room to fall silent between the two as Yan looked at his friend for a moment without a single word spoken, until:

    "Huh?!"

    "You told me about it the other day, and it really got me thinking. Purgatory has everything, doesn''t it? Magic, mystery, battle--experiences you can''t find anywhere else. Just thinking about it makes me so damn pumped!"

    "I''d think twice about it if I were you."

    As Jae-Seong spoke like an enamored child about Purgatory, the amber-eyed friend of his responded with sharp words.

    "Huh? Why? I can handle it."

    Sitting backwards in his chair, Jae-Seong looked at Yan with his golden irises, coaxing him for his answer as their eyes met.

    "The problem isn''t you not being able to handle it; it''s your assistant. Yuri has to follow you wherever you go. Think about it, Jae-Seong, do you want to forcibly drag her with you into a ce like Purgatory?"

    Yan''s words were blown off as Jae-Seong waved his hand, "Yeah, right. If it''s her job to follow me around, she better as hell notin about it! Besides, she can handle herself."

    "....If you say so, Jae-Seong."

 Chapter 340 - Despair, Dread, And Desolation

    "It''s my fault...it''s my fault��"

    Jae-Seong repeated as he looked down at the mangled, split corpse of the Lucrauvian woman. As he looked down at her pale face that had beyered in gashes and blood, his eyes lost their tint as his lips stayed parted.

    "No...it''s not over yet..e on��!"

    cing his hands over her chest, one resting over the other, he began to pump her chest as if trying to restart her still heart.

    "Come on, Yuri! You''re not done yet!"

    After a few more pressed, he leaned down as his mouth met hers, breathing his desperate breaths into her still warm husk before continuing to press down on her chest.

    In the midst of a battle, it was a dreadful sight for Ren''s eyes; the futile effort to save somebody who had clearly already resigned from the ne of the living.

    It''s no use, Jae-Seong...she''s already...Ren thought.

    As if spectating the hopeless sight, the colossal eye that acted as the ceiling of the hellscape seemed to hone its pupil on the desperate man.

    "Come on��! Wake up!"

    Continuing, it didn''t even seem to register in the mind of the frantic, desperate man that the girl he was trying to save had been bisected--even so, he continued pumping her chest fervently--hoping for a different result.

    Watching this futile effort, Sicarius clicked his tongue as he began to run towards Jae-Seong, "Hold it off for now, Ren!"

    "...Right!"

    Ren held Belus tightly as he swiped it through the iing tendrils while the assassin made his way towards the keeled over man, cutting and dodging the sable tentacles that began protruding from the ground as well.

    "Get it together, Jae-Seong!"

    Sicarius'' words didn''t so much as cause the man''s eye to twitch as if falling upon deaf ears.

    "...Shit, there''s no end to these things��!"

    Dicing up the plentiful tendrils that swarmed towards him, the assassin felt their endless assault begin to feel overwhelming.

    Protruding from the walls, another worm, pir-like entity of sable flesh filled the ursed chamber with distortedughter as it chattered its buck teeth��aiming for thepromised man.

    "Dammit��!"

    Rushing over, Sicarius wrapped the length of his chain scythe around the elongated body of theughing creature before causing it to crash down.

    Sicarius tugged on the chain, causing the scythe to cut apart the worm into pieces.

    "Get up!"

    Though the assassin had no time to convince the man as more of the wall-eaters began to surface; their high-pitchughter echoed through the chamber as Sicarius slowly gathered his breath��tightly wielding his chain scythe.

    On the other end, Ren dodged and countered the colossal''s slow attacks��flinging Piercers and Slices at it as some damage was starting to be prominent.

    This thing doesn''t seem made for fighting; I can handle it! Ren thought.

    Though as the idea of triumph seemed possible, gaping pores became visible across the patchwork giant''s grotesque form as Reverse Walkers wereunched out of its body in droves.

    I get it now��this thing is like the queen of the hive��a brood mother! He thought.

    Falling back, he quickly became surrounded by the countless, horrifying figures as he wielded his de with his adrenaline-filled grip. He could no longer even see his allies as the Reverse Walkers gathered around him, all holding wicked smiles in their salivating maws.

    Shit...there''s so many of them! He thought.

    Even so, he drew in a breath as he reinforced his de, hacking the first of the tall,nky fiends that stepped towards him as he brought the de down through its oval head, parting it in two as it fell to the ground.

    Good; there are a lot of them, but they aren''t anything special individually, he thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was like cutting through butter; every sh hemitted managed to easily part through the Reverse Walkers'' flesh, but it wasn''t one-sided; with so many around him, his main focus was evading their many grasps.

    Even though bringing one down wasn''t difficult, he hardly had the opportunity to as he was kept on the defensive; spinning around as he cut away the nearest fiends.

    Though as he took a step forward to cut away the fiend standing closest to him--his boot didn''t lift from the ground. He looked down to discover lively tendrils had risen from the mushy, fleshy ground, wrapping around his legs.

    "Shit."

    --Was the one word that popped into his mind. Before he could cut away the tendrils, the Reverse Walkers enclosed around him, grabbing his arms with their slimy, bony fingers, others threw themselves at his body, all to hold him still.

    What the hell are they doing��?! Ren thought.

    With their weight, numbers, and strength, it was nearly impossible for him to move as his limbs werepromised by their hold--feeling their repugnant, hot breath pelt against his nostrils as their tongues dropped from their lipless maws.

    I haven''t put this one into much practice yet, but it''s my only way out��! He thought.

    It was the nauseating pressure of a life-or-death situation; that heavy, encumbering concept was what dragged out the best out of warriors--it wasn''t any different for Ren; the dread, fear, and depravity present in the realm fell to the wayside as the only thing he focused on was surviving this encounter.

    With the pressure of death looming over him, he felt something bubbling up within him:

    "The Perfect Environment"

    --Not so much a theory, but an understanding he hade to when discussing innate abilities with Iris.

    When backed into a corner, it''s possible an unmastered innate ability will surface itself. It''s like that same with Asterius after it beat me nearly to death, then in Butcher''s Domain, I was in a rush to reunite with Iris, he thought.

    Sucking in a quick breath, he flexed every muscle in his body before shouting out an incantation:

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    --There was a difference this time in the way he manifested the spell: he had no clear, singr target in mind. As opposed to cutting one thing, he wanted to slice everything around him--leaving no spot untouched. It was this life or death resolve to ughter that enhanced his magecraft to a viscous edge.

    Yuri is gone...I hate to think of things like this, but I have to pull my weight twofold now! He thought.

    Within a moment of this incantation, a perimeter two meters around him manifested--summoning a brief flicker of darkness that epassed the territory directly around before all of the fiends that held close to him were reduced into a dozen sections each.

    A shower of ck blood resulted from the split-second massacre, pouring onto him as his snowy, pure hair was tainted by the fiends'' blood.

    Ah...this reminds me of that one time when I fought off all those juggerknulls to protect Aiko. In times like this, I feel free...unrestrained; Actionse seamlessly, each motion feels like a natural stride, my head is clear...that killer instinct can flourish...since these guys aren''t really human, are they? He thought.

    Moving almost weightlessly, he nted Belus straight into the fleshy ground, using it as leverage to jump up as he quickly drew his sheathed dagger--imnting it into the skull of the fiend that intended to sp him in its mping jaws.

    It''s times like this...he thought.

    In one motion, he pulled his sable dagger from the fallen fiend''s skull while pulling Belus from the ground, bisecting the enemy that approached him from behind.

    ...that I feel enlightened, Ren found.

    It wasn''tplete or absolute, but he could feel it; a slight fire felt as if it burned in his eyes--a conscious heat that he recognized. Only a minimal usage, but it was enough--his pupils took a golden, seraphic tinge as he swept through the horde of Reverse Walkers.

    There was a new sharpness to Belus as it was guided by his hand, dividing the ckened bodies of those that stood in his path. Not only were his movements sharpened and honed to a new level in this state, but the movements of his foes became obvious to him as if being written out for him to read.

    I don''t know how, but I managed to activate it again--though it''s minimal, just embers of the real me...I''ll take it, he thought.

    A few moments was all it was--he could sense that much; it was a fleeting power, but he took advantage of it as he soared through the depraved battlefield, dicing up the dozens of tendrils that chased after him while cleaving away at the Reverse Walkers. His de became a true extension of his body in this time, dancing with it as he cut apart the seemingly endless fiends without a single finger brushing his dark coat.

    --But a momentary activation was all it was as a sudden increase in the passive heat in his eyes caused him to take a knee, gripping his own face as he was put into temporary anguish.

    Even when barely using it...it still hurts this much?! Starting to feel like this is a built-in drawback...just my luck, Ren thought.

    Catching himself before letting one of the remaining fiends grab his shoulder, he lobbed its arm off with his bloodshot eyes being forced to stay astute.. Even as he drowned himself in battle, he felt his instincts being dulled by the guing thoughts of death--remembering over and over again the scene he had just witnessed.

 Chapter 341 - Loss

    It was impossible for him not to be constantly reminded of it while those mouth-fiends continued tough hysterically even as they were cut apart by the quiet assassin. If it wasn''t the howlingughter that bordered on ear-piercing shrieks, it was the gut-wrenching, rotten smell of flesh that inhabited the hellish realm, or the scenery of depraved, twisted beings--now being covered in their blood and guts as he cut them apart indifferently.

    Evading a downfall of the colossal, patchwork fiend''s arm, he was barraged by more of thenky Reverse Walkers as they attempted to tackle him to the ground; he was quick to cut them apart with a furry of shes but the anguished yells of Jae-Seong made his grip falter for just a moment as he watched the number of enemies grow once again. Feeling the air of hopeless tear away at his resolve, experiencing a weakness in the grip he ced around the hilt of his de, he firmly nted his feet against the ground.

    A glint; it was the smallest fraction of his ability, but that was all that was needed to see clearly and consciously into what gued him all this time.

    "Heaven"

    ��He called it; the first half of his ability: "Heaven Earth - Disconnect", Heaven granted enlightenment to his mind; negative emotions were purified, answers were called forth, and a path forward was built.

    Even just the embers of this, maybe by miracle, changed his perspective in this moment of dread.

    ��That was just one theory he had of this sudden, eye-opening moment. Perhaps it was the pressing state of the harrowing battle before him that drove this mindset to the forefront.

    Either way, a new Ren Nakamura called in a breath through his lungs.

    Keep it together, Ren, he thought, you''re not a helpless kid anymore. Even if you want to curl up and cry...stand tall and grip that fucking de as tight as you can! I''m sick of lying to myself--over and over again, "I swear I''ll be stronger", "I swear I won''t give up"--enough is enough. I''m getting out of here alive, no matter what. If I have to use my teeth, I''ll do it; if I have to use my bones, you''re damn sure I will!

    For the first time, I''ll be honest with myself: I can''t guarantee there won''t be any more deaths here. Jae-Seong might fall, Sicarius might bite it, even I might be killed. But, I''ll give it everything I''ve got--right here, right now.

    "I think I''m starting to get it."

    He muttered to himself quietly as the slightest of smiles upied his lips for only a moment; whether it was the residuals of his ability allowing him to think clearly--he hade to an understanding.

    I''ve been obsessing over perfecting my own life all this time; living up to being a proper person so that their sacrifices weren''t in vain...Althaus, Johaness, M, Hodwin, Norbert, and Meinhard. But that''s wrong! I was so obsessed with myself that I believed you all did it for me, believing I was special--when in reality, you just cared about me! All this time I tricked myself into thinking I had to live up to be a person worth saving, but I''ve been spitting in the face of your friendship all this time!

    I''m not perfect, and that''s why you became my friends; I fail, you fail--we''re always there for one another--that''s what it means; I''m Ren Nakamura because I''m imperfect! He thought.

    Listening only to his rapidly beating heart as the rhythm of its excited rondo filled his ears, he stood tall as he drew in a slow, quiet breath before suddenly spiking his mana signature.

    My mana limits have increased--so let''s get crazy with it, he thought.

    "Dunkel: Piercer! Times Ten!"

    Shouting this out, he cleared a path with his de as he gave way for the ten, darknces to manifest through his own mana--pointing them towards the towering sentinel of rotten flesh.

    As expected, the sluggish giant wasn''t capable of avoiding thences, but it didn''t seem to matter as their infinitesimal size caused no noticeable damage to be done to the colossal--not so much as halting it as the shadowy piercers were lodged into its decaying hide.

    People die; I can''t change that. I''m not an invincible hero and I won''t pretend to be one anymore. Maybe I can''t be like Sirius, but I don''t need to be. I''m not strong, but I''m also not weak--I''m capable! I can be reliable now! I''ll choose who I save, I''ll aplish what I can within my limits. You can lean on me; I can shoulder some of that burden--that''s what it means to be an Ounder; I''ve finally figured that out, Iris! Sirius! Sora!...Meinhard! Ren thought.

    "Araphel: Detonation!"

    Releasing into their vtile form, the manynces inhabiting unstable darkness set off a chain of explosion from within the patchwork giant; it roared out as the flurry of abyssal explosions caked it in sable clouds of destruction, setting it aze as it fell to its rear.

    "...I did it!"

    My moments of failure, triumph, despair, happiness...all of those experiences are the culmination of who I am; to deny that is to deny all the rtionships I''ve built...and without those rtionships, who am I?

    I don''t have to be an invincible hero to carry the burden of the world on my shoulders; I have friends who can help me, and I can help them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Besides...being imperfect isn''t so bad; it''s those moments when being weak--when being doubted, that you show what you''re really capable of--and blow everyone away. That''s what makes it all worth it, he thought.

    But beyond that--in moments of total triumph, the worst feeling of all can bleed through that veil of victory; it''s in those moments whenplete and utter despair lowers a curtain over your eyes.

    His victorious smile faded as the maw embedded into the colossal''s stomach parted; like a cannonball, a slender figureunched out from the innards of the zing giant,ughing as they soared forward--heading directly for Jae-Seong, who was still keeled over, overridden with anguish. Even through all of this, Sicarius, bathed in the ck entrails of the many fiends, continued to ughter away at the enemies that attempted to reach Jae-Seong.

    "Rot! Rot! Rot away!"

    The Marquis��?! Shit��! That entire time--he was recovering inside of the colossal?! Ren thought.

    There was no way he could reach Jae-Seong in time, and even less of a chance at intercepting the catapulted Marquis who was still connected to the colossal through his lengthy umbilical cord.

    "Jae-Seong---!"

    Ren yelled at the top of his lungs, not turning his eyes away as he carved the fiends in his path; he could feel it--the victory in his heart was being obscured by a looming sense of dread.

    No...we were so close, he thought.

    Reaching the position of the manpromised by despair, the Marquis held a smile so wide it appeared his cheeks might tear; extending his palm forward as it was overflowing with a decrepit miasma.

    ...I''ve got you, Liber grinned.

    --His palm met with the body of a man; however this man was not the curly-haired otherworlder drowning in despair. Liber stopped in his path as his decay-inducing palm was pressed against the abdomen of the man dressed in enigmatic ck.

    "Sicarius��!"

    Ren screamed out without any care for the well-being of his throat; tears began to well up in his bloodshot eyes as he savagely cut away at any Reverse Walkers in his way in an attempt to reach his ally.

    "...Shit. My body moved on its own."

    Sicarius chuckled wryly before wincing; both his cloak and tunic were whisked away in an instant from contact with the Marquis'' palm--leaving the ursed flesh of the Marquis pressed against the assassin''s bare stomach.

    Within a moment, the golden-brown skin on the man''s bare abdomen was shifted to a deathly pale as if the life was sucked right out of it before finally turning into a ck.

    "How boring. I thought you would at least be better than that, Sicarius. I didn''t take you for the self-sacrificing type; you were so promising, too. A shame, really."

    The Marquis retrieved his hand as he spoke with a bored tone, watching as Sicarius quivered from the pain that was likely unimaginable.

    "By now, your innards are nothing more but husks of dead, infectious cells. Count your breaths, Sicarius."

    "Screw you."

    Gripping the handle of his de, Sicarius went for a surprise strike of his de against the Marquis'' neck; as expected, the steel was reduced to a fine powder the moment it made contact with the cursed flesh of the light-haired man.

    Finding histch ditch effort to be futile, the weathered assassin fell to his knees, gasping as sweat exuded from his pores; blood began to pour from each orifice of his body as the decay spread.

    ...What''s wrong with me? When the hell did I get so damn soft? Heh...I me you, Osmanthus. Never in a million years would I have bothered with a kid like this...but I guess people do change, don''t they? Funny.. I didn''t believe in that until just now, Sicarius thought.

 Chapter 342 - Rotten Drive

    Finally snapping back into reality, Jae-Seong drew his eyes away from his fallenpanion and turned around at the sound of Sicarius'' rugged, pained breathing as his quivering eyes widened further as if seeing a ghost.

    "Sicarius��?"

    He couldn''t so much as see the imposing Marquis in his state; Jae-Seong''s eyes solely focused on the man who looked resigned for life already.

    "Hey, kid...I messed up. This isn''t on you. Don''t go thinking that, alright? Think of it as myst request...or something like that."

    Sicarius'' words were little more than shallow breaths as his eyes were already zed over with the veil of death; his skin began to peel, withering away into particles carried by the wind as he manually inhaled and exhaled.

    "Why��?"

    "Huh? I don''t know. I guess even cold-blooded killers have some human left in them. Anyway...I need you to stand up, Jae-Seong."

    Getting some twisted enjoyment out of this, the Marquis simply listened in to their conversation while holding his malicious smile; more so keeping his eyes on the spreading decay that embraced the assassins'' body.

    "What?"

    "Stand up and fight. If you don''t, that kid is going to die--and so are you. You two are the only things left standing between Belmon and their twisted fucking desires. Even if you don''t want to live anymore, killing those scum is more important. If they live, they''ll repeat what happened here; over and over again. Get up and fight, Jae-Seong; not for yourself, but for the dead and the living. If you end up in the afterlife with me after doing nothing and wallowing in grief, I''ll kill you again, you hear me?"

    --As Sicarius spoke thesest words drawn from his fading lungs, the Marquis casuallytched his ursed grip around the dying man''s throat--digging his rotten fingers into his neck.

    "That''s enough out of you; just die already and be quiet--you''re so damn disappointing!"

    For the first time, the Marquis disyed an almostical fit of rage as he screamed at the top of his lungs before ripping the man''s jugr out without any hesitation--allowing Sicarius to fall over lifelessly while his lively crimson flooded the spot below him.

    "No!"

    Ren called out, a few seconds too far from reaching the man as he extended his hand in futility--watching the life exitpletely from Sicarius'' eyes. Before he could have time to mourn, the urgency of battle made itself clear as he freed himself from the grip of a Reverse Walker--decapitating it with a clean swipe of his de.

    "Sicarius��!"

    Jae-Seong yelled out as the glow returned to his golden irises, clenching his fists tight enough that they became d in bulging veins.

    "Oh? Are you finally awake again--"

    --Unable to finish his sentence, an impact mmed against the Marquis'' cheekbone--sending him flying back.

    Still on his feet, Liber held his cheek with a wide smile, "Didn''t you learn your lesson, or are you just that stupid? If you touch me you''ll--"

    Once more, the Marquis'' words were cut short, but this time by his own volition as he made a discovery upon looking at the fist Jae-Seong used against him. It held the same state as earlier; there was no further decay.

    How? He touched me; I''m sure of it. It wasn''t that unfair wind...that was his fist! I''m not crazy--I''m not! I''m not! I''m not! I''m not! Liber thought.

    "You''re confused, aren''t you, freak? Good."

    Without any yfulness present in his tone or expression, Jae-Seong held utter contempt in his eyes before lightly bouncing on his feet, taking a stance as he raised his hands.

    "I''m going to fucking kill you."

    --It was a promise made from him to the Marquis as a malicious glint harbored Jae-Seong eyes in that brief moment; in the next, the man was right in front of the perplexed, depraved man--but even that wasn''t right.

    In truth, Ren witnessed what had happened:

    Jae-Seong...is behind him! What kind of speed is that? Ren thought.

    Once more, a punch crashed into the unknowing Marquis'' sternum; if the action could even be called something so simple--it didn''t feel right to call it just a punch to Ren. All he saw was a blur--if that--before the Marquis of Rot was stumbling back, hacking up a mixture of blood and saliva.

    One more, two more, a dozen--a barrage of blows just from Jae-Seong''s right fist rocketed against Liber''s upper-body with an impact that caused the air to hiss and crack.

    I get it, Ren thought, he''s moving so fast that the rot can''t reach him! Still...just how fast does he have to be to do that?!

    It was impossible for the Marquis to fight back against the unseen blows; each time his flesh caved in to the fast, sharp power of Jae-Seong''s fists.

    But it wasn''t the repetition of powerful blows that kept the Marquis from countering; he simply couldn''t.

    How do you like my magic? I''m not much for spells, but this one suits me well. "Brutal Haze", I call it; a hit from me scatters ayer of refined wind across your body, targeting your nerves and disrupting your mind and body for a second, making it impossible tomand your body to do much as twitch a finger. So once I get going��good luck. When I get serious, not even light can escape my fists, Jae-Seong thought.

    "Ren!"

    "...Y-yeah?"

    Not expecting his name to be called out, Ren responded to Jae-Seong''s call--though he didn''t receive a verbal answer, the curly-haired man signaled to something with his eyes: the umbilical cord that trailed behind the Marquis.

    Good thinking! If we separate him from that giant, he won''t be able to recover again! Ren discovered.

    "Leave it to me!"

    Setting off on his task, Ren cut away the few Reverse Walkers left wandering about before rushing towards the lengthy tendril that attached the Marquis to the colossal that returned to its statuesque state with his arrival.

    Noticing the clear path the white-haired young man was headed, the Marquis'' expression dropped before receiving another sharp blow directly to the nose--having itpletely broken as it faced to the left.

    "...Ngh! Not like this! Not like this! Not like this! I won''t let you! I won''t let you! I won''t let you!"

    The Marquis of Rot repeated as he howled out, shaking his head fervently as blood began to seep from his bulged-out eyes.

    "Forgive me, Mistress! I must! I must! I must hurt him!"

    wing at his own cheeks, Liber took a sudden dash towards Ren with a face pouring out a repugnant mixture of pus and blood. Still, Ren rushed towards him with his de honed on that trailing umbilical cord.

    "I''ll rebuild youter--so for now--rot away!"

    Liber howled out as he extended his hand out towards Ren, already right before the young man with his ursed hand nearing his face.

    "Don''t forget I''m here, you sick freak."

    Before any such hand could reach Ren, Jae-Seong''s malicious words came with a fist that came down on Liber''s jaw like a meteor, halting the frail, zombie-like Marquis who slobbered with pupiless eyes as the hit dazed him.

    If only I was alone, I could use my ability��oh, well, I don''t need it for scum like this, Jae-Seong thought.

    "Now, Ren!"

    Jae-Seong shouted at the top of his lungs with eyes that were reddened from previous tears. Moving without a word, Ren epted the opportunity afforded to him. Taking a quick sidestep around the rocked Marquis, he flipped Belus to its sharpest side as he used the momentum of his spin to bring the reliable, decorated steel right through the flesh rope that connected the Marquis to the colossal.

    I got it! Ren thought.

    "Nice one!"

    Jae-Seong gave a thumbs-up to the young man while they both kept their eyes on the freakish Marquis; having had his umbilical cord separated from him, he began to convulse while standing in ce--muttering words at a pace that made it impossible to listen in.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Amongst all of those iprehensible words, one finally was understood:

    "Rot."

    --As the word left the Marquis'' lips in an ominous tone, the still winds were reced with something deathly--this much as recognized by Jae-Seong who only had enough time to grab Ren by the cor and toss him back without a single word said.

    "Jae-Seong?!"

    Confused, the young man looked up as a wind inteced with decay pulsated directly against the curly-haired otherworlder, who could only raise his arms to guard against it.

    "Rot. Rot. Rot."

    Shock waves carrying the ursed nature of rot cascaded down upon Jae-Seong as he winced, holding up his defense the best he could before hacking up blood.

    Crap. I can''t even move; I have to focus everything I''ve got on my reinforcement--if I falter for a second, I''ll turn to dust, Jae-Seong thought.

    "...Jae-Seong!"

    Ren yelled out, standing himself up as his first inclination was to rush over to aid the man, but that effort was halted as Jae-Seong held his hand out to stop him froming any closer.

    "Stay back, Ren!"

    "But--"

    "You''re at a perfectly good range right there, aren''t you?"

    Looking back at the white-haired young man briefly, Jae-Seong followed his words with a smile that quivered, holding a bloodshot tinge to his golden eyes.

    What does he mean��? Wait, I get it! Ren realized, stay strong. Jae-Seong! I''ll give him hell!

    "You''re at a perfectly good range right there, aren''t you?"

    Looking back at the white-haired young man briefly, Jae-Seong followed his words with a smile that quivered, holding a bloodshot tinge to his golden eyes.

    What does he mean��? Wait, I get it! Ren realized, stay strong. Jae-Seong! I''ll give him hell!

    Luckily for him, the Marquis of Rot appeared to be in a trance; constantly repeating the word "rot" to no end as the pulsations of decay continued. Using this to his advantage, Ren calmly built up his most potent mana.

    It worked well against himst time, so this''ll do the trick, he thought.

    Raising his hand to the air, he yelled out the incantation, "Araphel: Void Piercer!"

    Pouring much more mana into the lengthynce of darkness than usual, it grew to a size fitting for a giant to wield as it hovered in the air above his palm.

    Yelling out with the resolve to vanquish his enemy, he sent the gigantic Void Piercer hurling through the air--directly towards the crazed Marquis.

    I''d say go to hell, but you''d probably like that, wouldn''t you, Marquis of Rot? He thought.

    As this thought crossed his mind, a resounding squelch emitted as the shadowynce buried itself directly through the Marquis'' chest--sizzling with a dark vtility.

    "...Rot. Rot. Rot. Rot. Rot!..."

    Still left in his trance despite his condition, Liber''s tongue hung outside of his mouth as he rapidly shook his head.

    I don''t care anymore. I don''t know if you''re a human, monster, or devil--when I look at someone as depraved as you, someone that has hurt good people, I just don''t care anymore. Nothing is holding me back.

    No guilty conscience. No morals. Nothing. Liber Quintus, I''ll kill you, and I won''t lose myself over it; you''re not worth it. Nobody who threatens me or myrades is worth a second thought, he resolved.

    Rushing over in between rot emissions, Ren pulled Jae-Seong back before finishing the job, "Araphel: Detonation!"

    Detonating thergence resulted in arger explosion than normal--filling the hellscape with abyssal fireworks thatpletely engulfed the Marquis in its destruction. The repetitions of "rot" were quelled within the roars of the dark detonation; both of the men watched closely with fearful gazes as the abyssal cloud settled.

    Only chunks of the rotten flesh belonging to the blown up Marquis were in ce of him--conjuring a sigh from both of them as they fell to the ground, watching the hellscape begin to dissipate; peeling away to reveal the reality they yearned for.

    "We''re alive."

    Jae-Seong muttered as if not believing it himself, looking up at the ceiling upied by the enormous eye that had closed with the Marquis'' death--watching as it too faded away.

    "Don''t jinx it."

    Ren''s words reeled in a weakugh from Jae-Seong that was quickly reced with a bloody, hoarse cough. Turning to face the curly-haired otherworlder, Ren sat up with worrisome eyes as he saw the state of his ally.

    "Crap...I forgot! You took a ton of rot��!"

    "I''ll be fine. I don''t think those rot waves were anywhere near as potent as touching his body. Still��"

    Jae-Seong''s lingering words brought both his and Ren''s eyes to the state of his body; the skin on his arms was peeled away, bleeding profusely as a strand of skin had been decayed from his once perfect face.

    "We need to get you help."

    Helping the man stand up, Ren lended his shoulder to Jae-Seong as they returned to the corridor seamlessly. Even as pale as he naturally was, Jae-Seong''splexion was beyond unhealthy; his breathing was uneven, his body running with a high fever--the rot still took a toll on him.

    I''ve got to get him help. Iris knows healing magic; she can help him, he thought.

    "Their bodies...they aren''t here."

    Renmented, looking at the ground around them, noticing theck of Sicarius or Yuri''s fallen selves.

    "I guess that hell took its toll, huh? Come on, let''s keep going. We''re not home free yet."

    "Right��"

    He could tell Jae-Seong''s words were the opposite of how he felt; the shining glint of tears present in the man''s golden eyes told of his yearn to retrieve hispanion''s body, but in a situation like this--such things were luxuries.

    Even as Jae-Seong spoke taut words while trying to maintain a strong facade��tears couldn''t be restrained as they flowed down his cheeks.

    Ren didn''t say a word, only silently following in this sadness as tears trailed down his face as well. Silently, the two were triumphant, yet defeated.

    Today, I killed someone.

    Today, I learned that sometimes...it''s alright.

    Meinhard, this is what you''d want, right? I''m protecting myself, I''m doing everything I can for those around me.

    This is what strength is: my mind was weak before; I can kill, and I can still be Ren Nakamura. I won''t lose myself to the darkness.. It can coexist with the light, he thought.

 Chapter 343 - Victorious And The Seventh

    "Disappointing. So these are the soldiers of "Belmon"? Hardly anything to cause a scare over."

    Standing in the center of the vast arena, the tall man with seraphic, white hair that hung down past his shoulders muttered while wielding only one of the two swords he possessed.

    Littered in the sand of the pit were dozens of bodies dressed in ck robes, coating the tan sand in crimson and sable liquid. It wasn''t just the robed followers of Belmon; the demons native to Purgatory had seen their own side of death, sprawled out in the sand.

    "...Andraste, you have my thanks, if it weren''t for--"

    As Asmodeus showed his gratitude to the knight who wore no armor, only a pure-white uniform that matched his own locks, his thanks were swept away in the wind by the man.

    "Silence, I didn''t intend to save you; it was merely a side effect of my own culling of these freaks. On that note, you''re not home free yet, demon."

    Andraste''s warning made the red-haired demon turn around to witness more followers of Belmon appear, stepping through the walls as if spectral spirits. Within moments, the two, alone in their breathing state were surrounded by dozens of the quiet, enigmatic entities.

    Spreading his arms out, the revered knightughed with utmost confidence as he weed the robed men, "Come! Bring as many as you''d like! You''ll all be cut, burned, hung, impaled--It''ll be a ughter! This is my Champion''s Culling!"

    Even the prolific demon could do nothing but watch as Andraste howled with his boisterousughter, who slowly approached the countless intruders with his singr de drawn.

    Andraste pointed his sleek, shining de to the robed figure standing closest to him, holding a sly smile, "Make your move."

    The Belmon follower silently hesitated for a moment before dashing towards the knight; however, it was the figure d in ck that had fallen short of the initiative. In a movement seemingly impossible to follow, Asmodeus witnessed Andraste appear behind the Belmon cultist seamlessly.

    "How slow."

    Andraste''s degrading words revealed the unseen sh he had cast upon the unfortunate one he deemed his opponent as the man d in enigmatic, ck robes was bisected from his right shoulder to his left hip.

    Widening his smile at the reluctance of the others to approach him, Andraste moved with a speed that resembled warping space altogether before a massive slice carved itself through the side of the arena; affected by this swing of the knight''s de, dozens of the Belmon intruders were sliced in half without any effort. Beneath such a sh that seemed insignificant to the white-haired man, the building trembled; quivering under the divine strength.

    That man--"Andraste", to be one of the Victorious Seven...it is a rank thates with a prestige equal to the heavens. "A god born in the flesh of man"--that is how those of the Victorious Seven are described; I see it is not just tall rumors, Asmodeus thought.

    Standing in the graveyard of his own creation, Andraste let out a powerful, triumphantughter that echoed throughout the arena filled with abundant death.

    However...because of this blessed strength, there are none more conceited in this world than them. I doubt even the King of Mastorn could reel them in; they''re the very foundation of that kingdom''s power. In a world that has parted from the Age of Gods, they believe themselves to supplement thatck of divinity, Asmodeus thought.

    "...How are they all so weak? It is truly repulsive."

    Andraste muttered as he swiped the blood that had coated his guardless de, looking at the blood that had painted the walls he tore through with his singr, colossal sh.

    "But, maybe you''ll do."

    --Saying this, the figure that had appeared behind Andraste in a moment attempted to thrust their de through his back, being stopped by the knight unsheathing the de on his back halfway to use as a shield.

    I didn''t even see hime through? Asmodeus thought, looking side to side.

    "You''re a knight, aren''t you? Isn''t it against your code to stab someone through the back, Gggher?"

    Andraste smiled as he turned his tinum gaze back towards the man dressed in ivory armor behind him.

    "I have long since abandoned my knighthood. What about you? Is ughtering those weaker than you knightly conduct?"

    Gggher pulled his de away as he stepped back, raising his illustrious de, wielding it with both hands.

    In response to this usation from Gggher, Andraste simplyughed without any care as he drew both of his twin des, keeping them towards the ground without any fear for his opponent.

    "I am one of the Victorious Seven; I don''t follow any code, but my own pleasure and displeasure! That is what it means to be strong! Come, show me your own strength in a duel to the death!"

    Andraste issued his challenge while pointing one of his glistening des towards the idle-faced Gggher.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...Like I said, I''m not a knight; don''t expect me to fight you alone."

    "Mm?"

    The long-haired knight squinted his eyes at Gggher from his peculiar words before his eyes widened, feeling a presence directly behind him.

    Someone else? I didn''t sense them; they''re good, Andraste thought.

    Swiftly sidestepping, Andraste narrowly dodged a wheel of fire that intended to reduce him to cinders. Standing behind where he previously stood, an elegantly dressed, familiar man with silver locks smiled.

    Standing with these two foes at either side of him, Andraste chuckled to himself.

    "I know you...Arsya, is it? I see; you''re both Belmon followers, aren''t you? How pathetic."

    In response to the Victorious Seven member''s usation, Arsya slipped his tongue out of his mouth, revealing the sigil of a hooded woman engraved into his pink organ.

    Following his partner''s reveal, Gggher sighed as he pulled down on the cor of his breastte, revealing the same sigil on his corbone.

    "And your mission, your entire reason foring here, was to eliminate me? I couldn''t think of a funnier joke! To go all this way just to die right at the starting line; truly pathetic. Just one thing I''m truly curious about...Tell me; why is it that Belmon wants me dead?"

    Looking between each other, Arsya was the one who spoke up instead of his knightly colleague, "It''s simple; you''re the perfect vessel. Once you were separated from the kingdom and decided toe alone to Purgatory, well, that sealed your fate. Luckily, we don''t need your body to be alive to use it."

    "...And that''s all assuming you can indeed kill me, isn''t it? Come-- I''d truly love to see you try to make such ns into reality. Forgive me if your efforts make me keel over withughter, though!"

    --A monster. Such power simply bypasses logic; it is something that should be exclusive to the hands of a god, yet here he stands--immacte and undefeated. This is the Victorious Seven, Andraste? Asmodeus thought, it wasn''t that those two were weak in the slightest...Gggher and Arsya were both heavy favorites to win the tournament...he''s just on a different level entirely.

    Standing in the center of the arena that had be dyed in crimson, Andraste wasn''t even worn for breath as below him the two, limp bodies of the men who attempted to challenge himid, eviscerated without even a scratch iid on the immacte knight.

    "How disappointing. Here I thought you two might be able to quench this nauseating boredom. You were weak, like the rest of them."

    Returning his des to the sheaths crossed on his back like an "X", Andraste turned to face the crimson-haired demon, who remained agasp at the sight of the massacre, "Now then, Asmodeus, was it? I believe I deserve a reward."

    Asmodeus snapped back into focus as the pearlescent-haired man spoke to him, quickly and fervently nodding his head as he ced his hand over his heart before bowing down in a respectful gesture.

    "Yes, of course. My life is indebted to you, Andraste of the Victorious Seven. Whatever it is you want, I''ll grant it to you, if it is within my power."

    Luckily, all of the lords present here managed to escape...can''t say the same for our legions. The King won''t be happy with this report; he left the second floor to me...what a mess, Asmodeus thought.

    Lifting his gaze back up to the unorthodox knight, Asmodeus looked at the man as he seemed to have his request ready.

    Andraste slid his hands into the pockets of his shining, white coat as he smiled wide, "Give me your strongest fighter!"

    "...Huh?"

    The crimson-haired demon was taken aback by the peculiar request, blinking a few times at the smiling, devilish knight.

    Footsteps calmly approached from behind Asmodeus, causing both the demon''s eyes and Andraste''s to turn to the unknown figure.

    Wearing robes decorated like a flourishing garden, a man with flowing, verdant locks dragged behind him the lifeless bodies of the ck-robed men.

    Mencius, Asmodeus surmised.

    "If I may be so brash, I''d like to make a simr request; you see, I handled my fair share of this mess."

 Chapter 344 - Never, Never Ending

    As the two slowly moved forward, leaving a trail of crimson behind them as their tired, heavy breaths were the only ambiance, the relieving sight of the entrance to the arena was finally in sight.

    "We...made it?"

    Ren spoke in a gasp as he started to move faster with Jae-Seong still leaning on him; the density of corpses was heavy near the entrance, but it was quiet.

    "Don''t jinx it."

    "...True."

    They shared a brief chuckle before reaching the front of the gilded door; each cing a hand on either side of the double door, they looked at each before nodding--pushing therge, heavy doors open as it croacked.

    As the unsealed doors parted, they found themselves in a meadow of pale, white grass, stretching far and wide.

    "Where the hell are we?"

    Ren asked, but it seemed hispanion had the same question as his eyes scanned the area; it was an unnatural scenery for the realm: the usual, abyssal ceiling upied by upside down, snow-white oak.

    "Beats me. Wherever we are, it looks a helluva lot better than in there."

    Smiling smally, Jae-Seong muttered as a cough followed his words.

    An uncountable number of swords and spears were imnted into the fields like a forest of steel; standing out most of all in the distance was a grandiose castle made of ivory.

    "I think I know where we are. Macheo told me about this; I''m pretty sure it''s Cann--thest quadrant of this floor."

    Ren deciphered, looking around to see to finally notice the abundant corpses of inhumanly tall knights dressed in silver armor.

    "Looks like Belmon alreadyid waste to this ce as well."

    "Well, all we can do now is wait, right? Sicarius said another from Osmanthus would be escorting the others out��I hate to say it, but I don''t think either of us are in the condition to act like heroes. I''m just about out of mana, and you''re...yeah."

    Saying this, Ren watched as Jae-Seong took those words to heart while taking a seat in the pale grass, coating the seraphic foliage in the crimson that seeped from his arms. It was hard to see the man in such a state, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

    "What a hell of a day, huh, Ren?"

    "Yeah."

    Staying on his feet, he matched the direction of Jae-Seong''s gaze, watching the territory of ivory nature around them.

    Come on, guys...please make it out, Ren thought.

    As he looked at those parted doors with longing, worried eyes--something began to meet his ears besides the melodic winds.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.

    It came from within the boundaries of the mystical stadium inhabited by abundant death; within the quartz walls of the ce that held an expansive realm within its doors--monstrous steps grew in speed.

    "Something ising."

    Even as exhausted as he was, Ren said this while drawing Belus from its sheath--still feeling the the ignition of the adrenaline flowing through his veins.

    "Today is not my lucky day."

    Jae-Seong said with one eye closed, almost swaying side-to-side from the exhaustion overtaking his battered body. Just like the snowy-hairedpanion of his, Jae-Seong took to his feet despite the state of his body.

    "...That doesn''t sound like a Reverse Walker."

    "A monkey could''ve deciphered that; something big ising; really big."

    The golden-eyed man cracked his knuckles as the pain didn''t even seem to register in his mind, facing the opened doors alongside Ren.

    I guess his adrenaline is still pumping, huh? Ren thought.

    Expecting something to propel through those doors--something dide, too fast to register, in fact--it didn''t care to use the gateway too small for its frame as it crashed through the front of the building, sending a cloud of dust that rained debris towards the two, exhausted men.

    "I can''t see a thing��!"

    "Luft!"

    Shouting this, Jae-Seong swiped his hand, using a fit of wind magic to part the cloud of dust as their visitors were revealed to them.

    "...What is that thing?"

    Ren''s eyes widened at the sight of the hulking creature that bore prominent, curved horns attached to its head that inhabited no flesh. Wrapping around its limbs were loose chains with no end, dragging behind its colossal form as steam propelled from its bony nostrils.

    The first thing that came to his mind was Asterius, but the beast was clearly not a minotaur; it''s feet were not hooves, and its body was d in no fur, exhibiting a ck hide across its muscr, veiny form that seemed to surge with a convulsing rage.

    Beyond that:

    It''s bigger; it''s definitely a bit taller--but more than that, it''s huge! It''s like if that damn minotaur fused with a gori! Ren thought.

    "Good find, Wrath."

    Walking out from the shattered entrance, a man with a calm, monotone voice had his hands slipped into the pockets of his sable cassock.

    Though his appearance wasn''t anything abnormal, inparison to the Marquis of Rot, the spiral inhabiting his marmde irises gave it away to both of the men. Aiding this, a deathly, malicious aura seeped off of the man in abundance--an unmistakable darkness that tasted the same as the Marquis of Rot''s own.

    "That guy is definitely a part of Belmon. Stay vignt."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "A Marquis?"

    Jae-Seong responded in a whisper as the two stuck close to one another, keeping their eyes locked on the two, mysterious entities.

    "...I don''t know. Still...I think the bigger question is what that beast is?"

    This has to be a cruel joke, right? I thought we were clear...why is something like this here? Ren thought.

    The question flooding from Ren''s lips brought both of their gazes to the now stationary beast--who seemed to want to do anything but stand still as it shook with a bubbling, endless rage.

    ...For now, Iris, all of you...stay in there just a little longer, he thought.

    With a cough, the man with bags under his eyes ran his fingers through his messy, dark locks, calling the attention back to himself as he stood beside the colossal beast.

    "Marquis Liber was sent to handle you; I take it your being here means he failed?"

    "If you mean that creepy-ass rot guy, then yeah, I blew him to pieces!"

    Ren responded to the unknown, dreary-eyed man with a sharp responde, waving his sword around as the man who looked simr to him in age simply released a sigh.

    "I see...how exhausting. Wrath, kill the golden-eyed one and apprehend the white-haired one."

    Giving this order, the softly-spoken man of a short stature brought himself close to Wrath, whispering into the beast''s absent ear:

    "You can break him if you''d like, but just make sure he lives. Let loose, Wrath."

    --With these words, the slobbering beast unveiling a tongue hidden within its sable skull before roaring out towards Ren and Jae-Seong.

    "Here ites."

    "Yeah! I''ll cover you--"

    Before Ren could even properly take a stance--the colossal beast already disappeared from his vision; a powerful gust of wind brushed against the left side of his body.

    What?...He thought.

    Turning his gaze to the left, Wrath was already in front of Jae-Seong with its scarred, beefy hand raised to the air with utter bloodlust oozing from every pore of its war-torn form.

    Shit...I''m off my game right now; I couldn''t even track it! Jae-Seong thought.

    Raising his peeled arms into a guard, he received the blow that punished his dulled senses--the enormous fist thundering down upon his arms as every nerve present in his body screamed out from the ravenous strength behind the beastly fist.

    Following the punch all the way through, Wrath''s blow lifted him off the ground--throwing Jae-Seong backwards into the air.

    As he soared back through the air,nding down on the ivory stretch of pale grass harshly, Jae-Seong struggled to lift himself back up before he looked at his quivering arms; feeling as if pins and needles were prodding his every nerve.

    I thought...my arms were blown right off. Holy shit...He thought.

    Distracted by the voltage of pain seizing his arms, Jae-Seong looked up to see the towering beast standing before Ren--who was distracted by the man''s wellbeing.

    "Ren! Look out!"

    Jae-Seong''s yell came at just thest moment as Ren trusted his senses--ducking down as the bloodthirsty fist carved through the winds harshly. From the wind pressure alone, a sharpness pelted against his back; it was the sort of strength that loomed over him like an immutable mountain--inspiring utter dread.

    I almost died��?! Ren thought.

    Stumbling forward, he picked himself up, rolling forward as a stomp crashed down into the vani pasture where he previously stood.

    Using the momentum from his roll forward, he spun around to face the wrathful beast while on one knee.

    "Araphel: Void Slicer!"

    --Quickly said, quickly came a sh of refined, condensed darkness that iid itself across the giant''s chest. A brief sh of magenta and ck flooded his eyes in the collision of Wrath''s hide and his magic.

    Huh? He thought.

    Nothing. For a moment, he questioned if he had even conjured the spell in the first ce; not a single essence of it ever existing was left on the ebony beast''s scarred torso. In that field of boundless, ivory grass, despair reced the resolve flowing through his veins as he looked up at the dreadful creature as it blew steam through its nostrils.

    I can''t beat it, he thought, it''s impossible. That was one of my strongest attacks!

    Witnessing the massive fist that inhabited an aura of death around its hulking form, Ren felt his body freeze under the terror of Wrath''s might.

    I can''t move. I can''t. I''m going to die��! He thought.

    Plummeting downwards towards the head of white hair, the beast''s fist halted at the calm man''s voice who spectated the scene.

    "Oh, right, stop for a second, Wrath. We can stop this at any time, Ren Nakamura. It''s honestly kind of exhausting, so juste with me so this can all be done and over with."

    Hearing this from the tired-looking man dressed in dark robes, Ren was silent for a moment as his mouth was left agape--simply wondering how he was still in the realm of the living.

    "...Who the hell are you? What do you even want with me anyway?! I don''t know you!"

    Asked this by Ren while Wrath remained still at the man''s orders, the baggy-eyed man paused for a moment as he scratched his head.

    "I guess it''smon courtesy to introduce myself if I already know who you are, isn''t it? How exhausting. I''m Zeno Tressa, the Marquis of Death."

    ...Marquis....of Death? Ren thought.

 Chapter 345 - Zeno Tressa

    "I guess it''smon courtesy to introduce myself if I already know who you are, isn''t it? How exhausting. I''m Zeno Tressa, the Marquis of Death."

    ...Marquis...of Death? Ren thought.

    "As for what I want from you��? Beats me; I don''t really care about that stuff. I''m just following my orders. Make this easier for the both of us, would you? I''d hate for this to be too exhausting."

    As Zeno spoke thosest words, his orange irises honed with a glimpse of bloodlust onto Ren. Before any answer could be given, the stationary beast standing before Ren was suddenly flung back by a sudden blow--catching both Ren and the new Marquis off-guard.

    "Jae-Seong?!"

    "You handle that guy, I''ll handle this monster! Go!"

    Jae-Seong didn''t waste any time; rushing over while Wrath was still dazed by the unseen hit as he continued with a flurry of blows.

    Recognizing this moment, Ren rose back to his feet as he charged the exhausted Marquis with his de out.

    Out of the frying pan and into the fire, huh? That''s Purgatory for you! This is why I came here...this is what a true battle is; unfair, unrelenting--I have to continue, He thought.

    Reaching the Marquis half a head shorter than himself, he attempted to catch his flesh with his steel, but it was a task easier said than done as Zeno managed to maneuver his way out from the de''s edge.

    Despite his looks, he''s agile! Ren thought.

    How exhausting. I brought Wrath with me so I wouldn''t have to fight our target; I can''t kill him-- I''ll have to y things a bit differently than normal--how exhausting, Zeno thought.

    "Are you hard of hearing or something? I said we don''t have to fight. You''re exhausted too, aren''t you?"

    Speaking calmly while swiftly evading each strike of viscous steel towards him, leaning back, bending forward, the Marquis of Death kept his orange, spiral eyes on the young man who desperately tried to cut him.

    Going in for a deep, overhead strike as he caught Zeno in a mary pause, even that perfect sh was evaded by a sidestep that could be missed with a blink.

    "Hotheads like you are truly exhausting."

    --Zeno''s words came with a swift, small strike of his closed fist, aimed directly at Ren''s elbow joint.

    Just from the minuscule strike, he gasped as his arm fell limp, stumbling forward as he lost all momentum. Falling to the ground in a less than inspiring set of steps, he dropped Belus to the ground.

    He''spletely different from the other guy...his movements are refined; he doesn''t make any unnecessary movements. Not only that...he''s strong; it feels like my heart is throbbing inside my elbow...it''s burning up, swelling already...this guy is trouble, Ren thought.

    Looking to the side, he gathered his rigid breaths as he witnessed the skirmish between Jae-Seong and Wrath; it was a game of cat-and-mouse for the most part--ying it safe, the much smaller figurended a quick blow before the agile beast could retaliate.

    Still, it hardly looks like any of those blows are doing anything to it...this isn''t looking good for us, Jae-Seong. I can''t get a read on this guy, Ren thought.

    As Ren reached out to his de, a boot nted itself down atop his hand--keeping him pinned down as he let out an anguished gasp.

    "I found an easy way to handle this without either of us having to do much work. I''ll have Wrath torture your friend there until you agree toe with me."

    "No��!"

    Trying to contest this threat from the Marquis, Ren''s yell was reced by a howl of pain as the ck, leather sole of Zeno''s boot pressed down harder on his hand.

    "Did you hear that Wrath? y with your food."

    --Giving this order to the bloodthirsty beast, Zeno''s words coaxed Wrath into a greater rampage as it swiftly dispatched a blow directly against Jae-Seong''s face, mming the man down into a newly formed crater amongst the vani pasture.

    "Jae-Seong!"

    Ren''s yells could reach nothing as the Marquis of Death kneeled down, gripping the young man''s snowy tufts--forcing his gaze to witness the sight.

    "This is happening because of your stubbornness; if you weren''t so exhausting, your friend wouldn''t have to go through this. Think about how your actions affect others, Ren Nakamura."

    --Zeno''s words were second to Ren''s senses as he watched harrowingly as Wrath stepped over theid out man, who now sat in a puddle of his own blood.

    Flooding out from his shattered nose, crimson poured from Jae-Seong''s nostrils as he coughed out the same essence. The singr, powerful strike from Wrath''s fist split his chin open and crushed his nose.

    Get up, Jae-Seong��! Ren thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ah...I feel like I''m being underestimated today."

    The words came so casually from Jae-Seong that they almost didn''t register to the ears of Ren; by this point, the man should''ve been long unconscious, let alone speak with such a nonchnt tone.

    Standing himself up, Jae-Seong''s curly, messy locks obscured his eyes as they had been stained with blood; grabbing his broken nose, he turned it to the side before exhaling blood. Still hanging around his neck, his silver chain ne jingled by the brush of a passing wind.

    "Maybe I should introduce myself properly for once: I''m the Fifth Heavenly King of Lucrauv, Jae-Seong Choi. And right now, I''m pissed off."

    Looking at the man who was promptly covered in his own blood, scaled with bruises as his shirt was long since destroyed by Wrath''s power, Ren was left perplexed by something.

    I can''t figure it out...but something is different with him. This aura--I can hardly breathe; it''s so damn thick and potent...it kind of reminds me of...Sirius, Ren thought.

    "What''re you waiting for?! Kill him, Wrath!"

    --Zenomanded the Beast of SIn with an unheard sense of urgency, recognizing the difference in aura hanging around the risen man.

    Roaring out as saliva trailed from its maw, Wrath threw its entire weight into its fist as it reared it back before propelling it towards Jae-Seong.

    In one moment, Ren witnessed the bloodlusted beast going in for a brutal punch. In the next moment, it was the beast that wasid out in the ground, mmed into a new, deeper crater formed in the ivory pasture as a shockwave caused the endless des of grass to dance in fear.

    "Huh��?"

    Ren was utterly baffled by the power disyed by hispanion, looking upon Jae-Seong''s bloodied, muscr back.

    Looking at his fist covered in both dry and fresh blood, Jae-Seong let out a heavy breath.

    It onlyes out when I''m pushed this far; what a curse my ability is...once myrades have fallen, what does it matter? "Destruction Rendezvous": I can convert my pain, injuries, and emotions into power. Not only that, the air magic I use toce my fists with bes vtile--resulting in explosive power, Jae-Seong thought.

    "And right now...I''ve never been this pissed off!"

    Yelling out with a ferocity surprising to Ren, Jae-Seong mmed his foot down atop Wrath''s back, shattering the surrounding field as it crumbled and caved in beneath his overwhelming strength.

    What am I doing��?! I''m not done yet either! Ren thought.

    Invoking the concept of "moving without stepping", and inhabiting darkness, he evoked a wordless Shadow Step--escaping from the Marquis'' hold as he was now directly behind him. It was listening to the tide-turned battle between Jae-Seong and Wrath that filled him with such determination.

    "Forgot your sword."

    Zeno mocked the young man calmly as he pointed at the longsword thaty in the dirt; however, that was just what Ren had hoped for.

    I still have this! Ren thought.

    Retrieving his dagger from his belt, he shed the Marquis'' throat without any hesitation--leaving a surprised look present in the tired Marquis'' eyes as the new cut parted, causing abundant, ck blood to pour out from Zeno''s neck.

    ''...I did it."

    Ren huffed, retrieving Belus as he carefully stepped around the Marquis who sat on his knees while blood poured down from his split neck.

    "How exhausting."

    --Without missing a beat, Zeno casually grabbed his chin as well as the bottom of his neck, pressing them together as the gaping wound stretching across his neck sealed shut seamlessly.

    "What the-- how?!"

    Ren jumped back, pointing Belus towards the mystifying Marquis who returned to his feet, brushing the dirt off of his wrinkle-free garments. Standing before the man who should belong in the afterlife, Ren fell still at the nauseating aura of dense death hanging around the Marquis.

    He''s a monster. Something like this shouldn''t exist, he thought.

    "Did you think death could ensnare me? I am the Marquis of Death, after all."

    Speaking calmly, Zeno didn''t hold any present hostility, staring at Ren while Wrath was flung to and from by Jae-Seong''s awakened strength--being mmed into the dirt, pummeled over and over without any counter.

    Letting out an annoyed sigh, the Marquis finally spoke, "Stop, Wrath.. We''re retreating."

 Chapter 346 - Winds Calming

    Letting out an annoyed sigh, the Marquis finally spoke, "Stop, Wrath. We''re retreating."

    With hismand, Wrath fell to a still, causing Jae-Seong to stop his next straight right halfway through as he watched the lumbering beast return to the Marquis'' side.

    "You''re...retreating?"

    Ren asked, finding himself even more perplexed by the situation than he already was. Taking his stand next to Ren, Jae-Seong rolled his shoulders as he let out a heavy breath--watching the two entities intently.

    "We were unprepared this time; an exhausting waste, really. I can''t capture you without killing you--so for now, this is goodbye, Ren Nakamura. As a parting gift, I''ll tell you one thing: right now, the passage to the third floor is cleared."

    A Heavenly King was unexpected; Wrath can''t handle him as he is now--maybe if he wasplete, it''d be a different story--but those are just excuses. Besides that, we lost a Marquis, even if he was a lunatic, and our n to eliminate Andraste was a failure. Overall, an exhausting defeat. I''m not the type to sink into deeper holes; let''s quit while we''re behind, Zeno thought.

    While Wrath stood at the Marquis'' side, Ren realized there was zero sign of damage present on the beast''s body.

    I thought Jae-Seong was pummeling it, but it''s not hurt at all��? Ren thought.

    "Wait��!"

    Before he could get any further information, Ren watched as Zeno retrieved a sable gem from beneath his robes, crushing it between his fingers; the Marquis and Wrath were engulfed in an abyssal mist beforepletely vanishing.

    What do they want from me? "Belmon"? I''ve got a lot of questions; I guess I''ll have to wait until I''m clear of Purgatory to ask any of these questions, Ren looked towards the imposing castle in the distance.

    "Looks like a miracle came through after all. We probably would''ve died if that Marquis was really intent on killing us."

    "��You think so?"

    "Yeah, I sensed it a dozen times over; he disyed the ability to kill but stopped. And that beast��he''s trouble too."

    Jae-Seong spoke while he released his ability and cracked his stiff joints.

    "I''m pooped��"

    Falling onto his back right into the holds of the vani grass, Jae-Seong copsed into rest, shutting his eyes.

    "You can say that again."

    Ren sat down on thefortable bed of grass beside Jae-Seong, feeling exhaustion coat his heavy eyelids.

    Even exposed in the middle of the vast field, sitting beneath the sky of trees, the world of dreams drug both of the exhausted men in as their war was finished.

    Waking up, his eyelids felt as heavy as mountains, but a certain softness existed beneath his head.

    A pillow? He thought.

    Slowly parting his dense eyelids, he was greeted by a small smile that came apanied by locks that resembled both a waterfall and the great azure sky beyond this realm.

    "Iris��?"

    A small nod came from the angelic presence above him, causing him to share a smile of his own with her.

    "You''re reckless, you know that?"

    "Yeah, yeah, I know��"

    Being reprimanded by Iris, he responded quietly before receiving a yful flick to his forehead. After a short chuckle, he turned his head to the side to see the Weltwanders resting in the serene, ivory grass: Macheo sat with one knee up as if brooding, while Aiko sat against his back, hugging her knees as she greeted Ren with a smile. Valerie sat on a small rock as her crimson locks flowed, watching the skyline of reverse trees. Somewhat surprising, but relieving, the purple-eyes high elf was present as well, reading a tiny book that rested on two of his fingers.

    Hongse and a man mysterious to Ren, asrge in height and width as the crimson panda, munched away on crackers.

    "Where is��?"

    Ren sat up, finding the answer to his own question he cut-off as he saw Jae-Seong fast asleep in the grass beside him.

    Before he could make any further noise, Iris put her finger to her lips to signal for him to keep quiet.

    "He needs his rest. I tended to his wounds, so he''s reasonably tired."

    "I see."

    Ren smiled as he confirmed the safety of all of hispanions, letting out a heavy, drawn-out sigh of relief.

    Sitting up, he turned his gaze to the round, green-haired giant who was now looking at him along with the rest of the group, "Urr, who are you?"

    Standing up and brushing the crumbs from his suit, therge man bowed as far as he could with his hefty stomach in the way, "Augustus of Ostmanhus, at your service!"

    "Osmanthus��? You''re part of that group that Sicarius was from, huh? I guess he wasn''t lying about all of that��"

    Saying such words, Ren felt the reality of the losses that urred sink in as tears lined his eyes, covering his face for a moment with his arm, "Shit��"

    It happened again, didn''t it? I was so caught up in the heat of the moment that I didn''t realize...I let them die. If I just tried harder, maybe I could''ve...Ren thought.

    "Ren."

    Catching him off-guard in his dreary thoughts, Augustus suddenly called his name. It was only now that he got a closer look at therge man that he saw his eyes were puffy and red; the trademark blemish of grief.

    Sitting up on his own beside Iris, he looked at Augustus, nodding his head to confirm he was listening to the man.

    "I heard what happened; the young man with you told us before he passed out once again. The one named Yuri fell, and my dear friend and colleague, Sicarius, fell as well."

    "Yeah��"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ren lowered his gaze as he replied to Augustus'' words, feeling the gentle hand belonging to the azure-haired woman caress his back.

    He''s going to scold me, isn''t he? I deserve it, Ren thought.

    "Don''t beat yourself up over it."

    "Huh��?"

    "I can''t speak much for Yuri, but Sicarius knew full well what this mission entailed. We of Osmanthus have sworn our lives to repelling Belmon; today that mission was a sess, in no small part due to you, Ren. I believe Belmon''s defeat on this day is no greater show of respect and remembrance for the fallen; be proud, Ren Nakamura."

    The kind, uplifting words from Augustus were enough to squeeze Ren''s tear ducts as trails of grief slid down his cheeks--somewhat to a surprise to himself as he felt his face to confirm the abundance of tears.

    That''s weird...I''m crying, he thought.

    A passing wind swept through the endless stretch of vani grass, sweeping by the limbs of the upside down, ceiling trees as he felt the moment fall still with this realization.

    Though his heart ached thoroughly with a distinct sadness, a fresh warmth flowed through his veins as he looked down at his own two hands. As if sensing the flourish of emotions through him, Iris wrapped her arms around him--bringing the young man into a seraphic embrace.

    I guess victory without loss is a child''s dream, isn''t it? I''ll...have to learn to ept that, he thought.

    "...Thank you, Augustus."

    Extending his hand to the towering man, he smiled as the two shared in a handshake.

    "Come to think of it, I didn''t see you in the tournament, Augustus."

    Macheo suddenly brought up, looking at the tubby man who responded with a haughtyugh of his, twirling his mustache as he seemed to enjoy doing.

    "Yeah...did you fail the qualifiers or something?"

    Aiko added in, looking up at Augustus as the eyes of the group were now on the verdant-haired man.

    Clearing his throat, Augustus gave his answer, "I broke in!"

    "Huh?"

    Everyone, in unison, shared their confused reactions to the man''s im--now more curious than ever.

    "I''m not actually a Purgatory participant, you see! I should''ve been more specific earlier, but I was in a bit of a panic--"Secluded Castle" is only one part of my innate ability. With "Backwards Forwards" I can tether one point to someone or somece, and tether the other point wherever I wish; it''s one way in, one way back--but I can teleport to and from once. I had Sicarius act as my tether to Purgatory andid low until things got spicy."

    Giving his exnation, a smug expression overtook Augustus'' face as he presented himself as some sort of mastermind tactician, though the looks he got were mostly indifferent.

    "Huh...Osmanthus is really something else, isn''t it?"

    Renmented, looking up at the man who gave him a warm smile in return. Even so, Augustus cleared his throat once more as a somber look came over his expression, adjusting his cor as the ivory fields came over with a breeze.

    "Apologies, but I must be taking my leave now."

    "What? I thought you were staying. There''s still a lot we need to know about...everything. None of this makes sense still."

    Ren stood up suddenly, nearly falling over as he didn''t realize the exhaustion that had taken hold of his body.

    "Yeah, why?"

    "What gives?"

    Chipping in with Ren, the beige-haired girl raised her gaze to the man from Osmanthus while Macheo seemed to only be joining in to support Aiko''s words.

    Hongse remained silent, still nibbling on crackers as the smacking of his lips intruded on ongoing conversations--not having a care in the world as he acted as a "lookout".

    "It is a selfish ask, but I believe our chances of survival would be better with you around, Sir Augustus. Please reconsider."

    The quiet high elf spoke humbly as he bowed his head, causing the bashful man to wave his hands to disregard such formalities.

    Is Fedrin with us now? What''d I miss? Ren thought.

    "It''s understandable; Augustus should leave."

    Valerie spoke against Ren and Aiko''s denial of the man''s leave, reeling in both of their gazes to her as she sat with her arms crossed.

    "Why''s that?"

    Aiko''s question was quickly answered by Valerie, "Like he said, he''s not a proper participant of Purgatory. That means he doesn''t have the Pact of Undying. There''s no second chances for him if he bites it here; one and done."

    "Ah��that''s a good point."

    Ren scratched his cheek embarrassedly with a soft chuckle��forgetting that was a thing to worry about. Laughing heartily from Ren''s reaction, Augustus twirled his lengthy mustache.

    "That''s only one reason why I can''t stay here."

    "Why else?"

    Aiko asked, brushing her silver gauntlets with a handkerchief as sand still remained on its form. Pacing back and forth a bit while tending to his loved facial hair, Augustus let out a sigh.

    "I truly do wish I could assist you all through this cruel realm, but s, duty awaits. You must understand that when ites to dealing with Belmon, every moment is paramount. Much information was gathered here today; information that my partner died to gather.. I wouldment the day I squander such a sacrifice."

 Chapter 347 - Rendezvous Center

    "So, you need to report back to this Osmanthus group?"

    Iris asked therge man, having already brought Ren back down to sit next to her.

    Falling back onto his fear beside the azure-haired girl, Ren winced yfully as he marched Iris'' gaze��watching the man who nodded in reply to the girl''s question.

    "That''s correct; it''s important that I get this report to them as quickly as possible. I''m sorry, but that''s the nature of the situation."

    "No, it''s alright. You helped us more than we could ask for, Augustus."

    Ren gave his words with a smile to the tubby man who fell silently agasp. Tears built up at the corner of his quivering eyes before he let out an outburst of cries.

    "Ah, such kindness! I truly do wish I could stay--I do!"

    After crying enough to fill a river, the man was coaxed into settling down by the others before it was finally time for them to part ways.

    "This is goodbye for now, but not forever. Once you all make it out of this ce, we will surely meet again."

    "Yeah, you bet."

    Ren gave a smile in response to Augustus'' farewell as therge man was waved off by the others before he activated his unique ability--pping his hands together as a brief sh of verdancy sucked him in--leaving no trace of Augustus behind.

    "Just like that, huh?"

    Macheo ruffled his own golden locks as he stared at the vacant spot in the white field, letting out a quiet sight.

    "Just like that. It''s not the end of the world or anything, though. It seems like the path to the third floor is cleared for us; now all we have to do is step through those gates."

    Saying this, Ren turned his gaze to therge, pearly castle sitting in the distance as the others looked at it as well.

    "I''m not the only one with a bad feeling about this, am I?"

    Macheo muttered, caressing his wooden arm as he looked down at it, clenching his artificial fingers. By the hesitant looks inhabiting the eyes of Aiko, Iris, and Fedrin, it seemed this feeling was shared by some within the group.

    "It doesn''t matter, does it?"

    Exhaling, Ren spoke calmly as he kept his eyes on the ominous, grand castle that sat in their reach.

    "What?"

    Macheo asked with his crimson eyes looking at the white-haired young man for an answer; though a wordless answer was found just in that honed gaze of his.

    "It doesn''t matter if it sounds too good to be true; the only path left is the one in front of us. All we can do is move forward. That''s all we''ve been doing; fighting through hell, over and over, despite what they''ve thrown at us. What''s different now? We''re so close, I can almost taste it--the outside air, the sea of clouds, the ceiling of stars--we''re almost there."

    Clenching his fist shut, Ren''s words weren''t just meant for the Weltwanders, but himself as well. Though he adamantly tried to shake such worries from the group, he felt it himself; an ominous aura hanging from that pearlescent castle in the distance.

    It''s the source of it all, and the end of it. Once we''re through there...we''re in the endgame of it all. Past that castle is the third and final floor of Purgatory. I''ve dreamed of it every time I''ve slept; seeing everyone again, reuniting with them, sharingughs, just being able to rx again...we''ll make it, Ren thought.

    ? "Once Jae-Seong wakes up, we''ll move out."

    Ren gave this goal to the group, who all seemed to fall in agreement as they nodded their heads. Looking around, his gaze finally settled on the high elf, "Fedrin."

    "What is it?"

    "You''re with us now, right? I''m just making sure; I need to know you have our backs."

    Ren''s question led to Fedrin''s wise, purple irises watching him for a moment before the veteran of Purgatory closed his eyes for a moment before once more parting his eyelids.

    "I can''t guarantee I''ll be of much use, but make use of this withered, old man however you''d like."

    Fedrin smiled somberly as he ced one hand over his heart, bowing his head as Ren tried to stop such a humbling notion.

    "You''re hardly withered, Fedrin. You''ll be an invaluable ally."

    cing his hand on the elven man''s shoulder, Ren gave him a thumbs up.

    "You have my gratitude, Ren."

    Fedrin nodded his head with a small smile before the somber ze returned to his eyes.

    I guess he''s mourning his loss as well, Ren thought.

    "Hey, we''ve got a problem."

    Macheo spoke up, gathering the attention of the group as he stood up.

    "What is it?"

    Looking at him, Ren prodded him for an answer as their eyes met. By the way sweat dripped off of the side of the Lucrauvian''s face, whatever dilemma he realized was indeed serious.

    "Our revival point��it''s all the way back in the first quadrant. If we died now��there''s no telling what it''d take to regroup."

    This realization pouring from Macheo''s lips hit like a cold boulder to the group.

    Crap, he''s right! That arena transported us far��if we died now, we''d be separated way too far apart, Ren thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Now that you mention it��that''s a problem."

    Valerie put her hand to her chin as she scrunched her nose at this pressing issue.

    "Even worse, most of us have the same revival point��but Fedrin and Jae-Seong don''t."

    Iris looked at the slumbering man who was snoring without a care in the world as she spoke with a worried expression.

    "Ah, that''s right! We''d bepletely lost!"

    Ren ruffled his snowy locks as the problem just seemed to grow by the moment.

    "��Macheo," Aiko said quietly.

    Tugging on the young man''s sable coat, Aiko looked up at Macheo as he turned his gaze down at the girl seated in the white grass.

    "Yeah?"

    "You''ve been here before, right?"

    Aiko asked while looking up at the simr in agepanion of hers with her amethyst irises.

    "Yeah, I have."

    "Did you happen to see any fountains then?"

    Asked this by the girl, Macheo let out a sharp sigh before shaking his head.

    "If I did, I would''ve used it. I was killed pretty much as fast as I stepped into the quadrant. Once I felt the difference in power between me and this ce��I didn''t bothering back," Macheo grumbled.

    "So, these dead knights scattered across the quadrant are the ones that overwhelmed you? And Belmon did them in? Talk about scary��" Ren added in, looking at one of the lifeless, giant knightsid out in the field.

    "Yeah, that''s why I''m worrying over ourck of a revival point...I doubt this ce ispletely cleared out, and just a small group of those knights could do a number on us if we aren''t careful. If one of us got separated��" Macheo lingered his words.

    "I don''t want to think about that��" Iris looked down.

    As silence sat between the group for a few minutes, besides the ear-grating sounds of Hongse''s snacking and Jae-Seong''s snoring, Macheo spoke up.

    "If we''re just going to sit around and do nothing, I''ll go out and look for a fountain," Macheo spoke as if forcing this resolve from his lips.

    "I''ll go with you."

    Fedrin offered, standing up as he brushed the dirt from his colorful, but in robes.

    "��You sure?"

    Macheo asked, looking at the elf with a concerned furrow of his eyebrows. It was clear a gloomy cloud still loomed over the elven man''s head, even if he smiled small.

    "I appreciate your concern, but I''m fine. Besides, I''d like to prove my worth to the group."

    "If you''re just doing it for that, you don''t have to worry��besides, I think you need to rest just as much as the rest of us, Fedrin."

    Ren''s words reached the high elf, but had little sway on his resolved mind as he softly shook his head.

    "I insist. I''d like to get to know Macheo a bit better as well��if he doesn''t mind."

    "Do whatever you want; I don''t care."

    Macheo clicked his tongue, beginning to move out as Fedrin softly chuckled, following behind the young prince.

    "I''lle along too��!"

    Getting up quickly, Aiko intended to follow the two in their search of a fountain within the boundless stretch of ivory nature��only to be swiftly intercepted.

    Landing a quick headbutt against the girl as he turned around, Macheo shouted, "Not a damn chance!"

    Aiko gasped as she held her reddened forehead, falling back down to the grass.

    "What was that for��? What''s the big idea? I just want to help!"

    "You aren''t in any condition for that! You need to rest!"

    Macheo shouted, though his harsh tone was lost on his caring words.

    "But��"

    ��Aiko had no opportunity to make her case as she fell silent on her own.

    "Alright, alright, tone it down, would you? You''ll wake up Jae-Seong."

    Moving Macheo away, Ren sighed as he put the young man on his path.. As Ren watched the two begin to walk away, he got an idea like a sh of lightning through his mind.

 Chapter 348 - Post-Respite

    "Alright, alright, tone it down, would you? You''ll wake up Jae-Seong."

    Moving Macheo away, Ren sighed as he put the young man on his path. As Ren watched the two begin to walk away, he got an idea like a sh of lightning through his mind.

    "Valerie!"

    He snapped his fingers, saying the woman''s name out loud as he turned to her.

    "Hah?"

    "You can get a bird''s eye view on this ce! You''re the perfect one for this!"

    Ren''s realization was like a shining ray of hope to the others'' eyes.

    "I forgot about that!"

    Iris joined in, standing next to Ren as they looked at the draconic knight like pleading children.

    "��How exactly did you forget that?"

    Asking this with a perplexed, almost annoyed tone, Valerie stretched her scaly, crimson wings out as a reminder.

    "Ehehe��"

    Iris chuckled wryly with an embarrassed, red hue to her cheeks as she avoided the question.

    "Anyway��are you up for it, Valerie?"

    As Ren asked this, he met the draconic woman''s naturally fiery gaze with his own as she fell silent for a moment before sighing.

    Standing up, Valerie answered, "I suppose I can help out."

    She really doesn''t like Macheo much does she? This is life or death, Val! Ren thought.

    With that, the unlikely trio set off into the region of ivory grass and discarded steel. Somehow, in all of the time that had passed, the red-furred panda still managed to fit more crackers in his stomach, shoveling down the dry, crunchy snacks in his throat.

    "Stop that! You''re going to run our supplies dry!"

    Ren snatched the sack filled with crackers before Hongse could reach in for another, setting it down as the panda was left still with shock for a moment.

    "I''m starving! You don''t understand the feeling of hunger that thrives through a pandaman like myself! Gimme! Gimme!"

    Attempting to retrieve the pack of crackers back, Hongse reached out as Ren kept it away from him.

    "Eat some real food then! These crackers are practically air! You''ll need one hundred crates of them before you''re full!"

    Saying this, Ren countered Hongse''s attempt to grab the sack with a swift piece of bread to the demi-humans open mouth--halting the panda''s ravenous state as he munched on the dry, but more fulfilling food.

    Ren brought the crackers back with him, safeguarding them from the crimson panda as he sat back down beside Iris, who shared augh with Aiko at the ridiculous situation.

    "It''s not funny; he''s going to run our supplies dry if we''re not careful."

    "...It''s not that...it''s just nice to see everybody so carefree. Right, Aiko?"

    As Iris said this, the beige-haired girl nodded in agreement as Ren looked between them before recing his sigh with a smile.

    "It''s a weird feeling��I know we''re still in Purgatory, but this ce is��pleasant. It feels like forever since I''ve seen flourishing nature."

    Aiko said as she brushed her hands across the soft des of ivory grass with a small smile, keeping her knees tucked close to her chest.

    "I know what you mean; it''s actually kind of beautiful. I think it''s the first time I''ve really felt that way looking at anything here."

    Ren replied as he looked up at the sky of hanging trees. Like a light dance of rain, white leaves glided down from the skyborn cedar, trickling down onto the white fields below.

    "It kind of reminds you of Grandueve, doesn''t it?"

    Speaking softly as she shared the same view as him, Iris smiled gently.

    Looking at her, it was as if the beauty of the domain was exemplified by her presence; her crystalline blue eyes contrasted the pristine white like a heavenly angel. Catching himself in this trance, he nodded his head in agreement with her words, "Yeah."

    "��I want to go home. I want to see them again. I miss Sora''s cooking��the sounds of Fai and Brahmi training outside��I miss it all."

    Iris'' eyes watered a bit as she spoke of her deeply missed home.

    It was a feeling all too familiar to Ren was he gripped the ivory grass, nodding his head.

    "We''ll return. We''re almost through this, Iris."

    Giving her some reassurance, he patted the girl on the shoulder with his sable glove as they shared smiles with one another.

    "Right. Thank you, Ren. It''s amazing. You''ve be��so dependable."

    Iris'' words were enough to try a pink tinge to the young man''s cheeks as he scratched his cheek bashfully.

    "Was I thatme before��?"

    The moment he asked this, an embarrassed blush came over Iris as she quickly waved her hands to protest his words.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No��no! I didn''t mean it like that��"

    "I''m just joking."

    Giving her a cheeky smile, he promptly received a hit to the arm before wincing with a chuckle.

    "Jerk."

    "��I guess I deserve that one."

    Watching the two be yful with one another, Aiko spoke up from her spot across from them, "Why don''t you two just admit you like each other already?"

    Her clear cut wordspletely froze both Ren and Iris as whatever blushes they held previously didn''tpare to the cherry-red that overtook them.

    "��Huh?! What''re you talking about, Aiko?! I��I��"

    Iris cut herself off as she cupped her own cheeks as if trying to shrink away from the moment.

    "Yeah! What do you think you''re saying, Aiko! You can''t just make wild, baseless ims like that!��it''s nder! I could take you to court for that, you know!"

    Half of what he said waspletely lost on Aiko, who held a smug smile in triumph at the reaction she pulled from the two.

    "Mm��speaking from experience, it''s much better to juste out with it."

    "Bias! That''s biased! Just because it worked out for you once doesn''t mean it always does! You have a cute face to work with, so your data is totally skewed!"

    Ren jabbed his finger towards the girl as a blush continued to persist on his cheeks.

    yfully sticking her tongue out at him, Aiko giggled before retrieving a stick of bread from their supply.

    Little brat, Ren thought.

    Looking to the side, he watched Iris quickly swing her head to face the opposite direction.

    Was she looking at me? He thought.

    "Ren��"

    Iris spoke his name with a muffled voice as she had covered most of her face with her own hair, nervously fidgeting as she twirled her azure locks around her index finger.

    "Y-yeah?"

    "...How do you feel about me?"

    As the question traveled from her lips to his ears, Ren felt as if time stopped for him, but his heart continued to amp up the intensity. It was the type of question that sucked away any notion of calmness as his body ran hot with a mixture of fluster and just pure overheat.

    What do I think of her��? What kind of loaded question is that?! How are you going to put me on the spot like this, Iris?! He thought.

    "How do I feel...about you?"

    He repeated her question as if not hearing it properly; looking at her but not looking at her at the same time as his sight became blurry and his breathing rugged.

    A slight nod from the crimson-cheeked girl who seemed to share in the same fluster as him confirmed the question.

    Wait--maybe this is a good thing. If she''s asking this, then maybe she''s into me as well. But...what has my deducement of girl''s hearts ever done for me?! I may have packed on some muscle and learned some magic, but I''m still a NEET at heart! No amount of dating sims prepared me for this moment��! Ren thought.

    It was a high-stakes question, one that needed a careful answer; cing his hand on his chin, he ran through his options, all the while feeling the anxious gaze of the girl locked onto him.

    Maybe she''s asking what I think about her as arade? She could be having doubts about her own strength...that''s probably it, isn''t it? I understandpletely, Iris! These same types of feelings have gued me too, so I get it! I do! That''s what I''ll do�� Ren thought, nodding his head.

    "Iris."

    Holding apletely serious expression as he cooled his heart with his own realization, Ren looked straight at the azure-eyes girl as her blush intensified.

    "Y-yes��?"

    "You''re a reliablepanion! Don''t worry! You''ve always had my backs in fights, and it totally makes things easier for me! You''re strong! That''s why I can always rely on you in a battle, Iris!"

    Giving his answer, Ren ced a hand on Iris'' shoulder as his answerpletely took her by surprise as she stared at him.

    "...Huh?"

    "That''s how I feel about you, Iris."

    Letting out a sigh, Aiko shook her head silently to herself--witnessing a high-level act of thick skulled-ness.

    "I see��"

    Iris lowered her gaze a bit with a soft smile as she returned to her rxed position in their small area to camp out in.

    Closing his eyes to catch a bit of momentary rest, Ren peeked with one at the girl, seeing her dulled expression.

    Sorry, Iris. I''m not that dense; I get what you were asking. It''s just...now isn''t the time for love. Somehow, I feel like proiming my feelings will only result in jinxing our own happiness.. That''s why--I''ll ask you the same thing once we''re out of this ce, Iris, he thought.

 Chapter 349 - Lamentation Of Purgatory

    The sounds of multiple pairs of footsteps brought him to open his eyes as the approaching sight of those who went out to scout for a fountain greeted his opened eyes.

    "Back already? I''m guessing it went well."

    Ren asked as he stood up, stretching his arms as he released a yawn.

    Scrunching his nose at being directly yawned at, Macheo looked like he was one second from hitting his white-hairedpanion as he nodded his head, pointing back with his thumb.

    "It''s just over that hill back there; we already set our points there, so you all should do the same."

    "I see. Good job!"

    As Renplimented the three, he walked over to the slumbering, curly-haired otherworlder before kicking him in his side.

    A sharp gasp left Jae-Seong''s lips as he opened his eyes, kicking himself onto his own feet with an agile maneuver--taking Ren by surprise.

    "You''re a morning person, aren''t you? Weird."

    "When you''re as busy as I was back on Earth, that''s the way life has to be lived! Anyways, what''s up? Are we being attacked again?"

    Jae-Seong shadowboxed a bit; there wasn''t a shred of evidence that he had just woken up a few seconds prior with the boundless energy he showcased.

    After somehow managing to grab Jae-Seong''s attention, those who didn''t set their revival point set off to the fountain to im their spot amongst Cann, hiking through the serene fields of white and silver, littered with steel and corpses.

    Over the hill that obscured their view, they found it; the tall fountain of crimson that supplied the rejuvenating liquid.

    Each of their hands were dipped into the crimson pool, feeling their exhaustion be quelled and their new points of revival locked into ce.

    cing her hand in it, what Iris felt was different from the others; nothingness--it just felt as if she ced her hand in cool water.

    Just as they finished setting their revival point, a tremor of sorts resounded through the sky of upside down trees; propelling through the leaves like a stormy breath.

    "What was that��?"

    Aiko asked, looking up just as the others did.

    "Beats me...I don''t think Purgatory exactly has storms."

    Ren answered as he kept his eyes on the quivering trees sitting far above his gaze. Feeling a fit of anxiety build up in his gut, he and the others quickly returned to their temporary ce of camp to regroup.

    "What''s our next move?"

    Macheo didn''t waste anytime, asking right after they each restocked their stomachs with much needed nutrients.

    "...Well, now that Jae-Seong is awake...and clearly full of energy, I think we should go through that castle. I''m not a betting man, but I''d bet a whole lot that the entrance to the third floor is within that ce."

    "I don''t think anyone disagrees with that."

    Hongse supported Ren''s words, still munching on his ration of bread as his fur was stuck with crumbs.

    "Despite how deste this ce looks, it''d be a sure fire way to get our asses handed to us if we just waltzed into the ce expecting nothing."

    Jae-Seong added in as he kicked his feet up on one of the crates, cing his hands behind his head.

    He''s humble, Ren thought, it''s easy to confuse him as a cocky bastard from the way he usually talks, but I know how strong he is...I doubt even whatever guardian exists on this floor could hold a candle to him.

    "Yeah��"

    Iris muttered, keeping her gaze down as most of the others did as they sank into thought.

    Thinking it through, Ren thought of a n of his own; something he coined as the "anti-trap strategy".

    With this, we can avoid being ambushed...which is what I feel like is our biggest threat here; something tells me either some of these knights are just waiting to get right back up, or some are in hiding, he thought.

    "Valerie, Macheo, and Aiko--you three hold our nk outside of the castle."

    "Not that I really have a problem with it, but why me?" Valerie asked.

    "Yeah, same question," Macheo chipped in.

    Though Aiko didn''t seem to have any questions regarding her cement, Ren happily obliged their curiosity.

    "With Valerie''s flight, you can keep apletely clear angle on whatever or whoever is approaching the castle--it''ll be impossible to be nked like that. Macheo...well, I trust your judgement. That''s all."

    Giving his answer, Ren looked at both the draconic knight and the prince as they silently stared at him for a moment before nodding their heads.

    "That''s enough for me," Macheo said.

    "If you think that''s best," Valerie epted.

    With theirpliance, the rest came easily as Ren gave out theplete positions to the others, "Hongse, Jae-Seong--your job will be to stay on watch while the vanguard pushes in; watch the corners, clear rooms--make sure nothing is lurking within the building."

    "Fine by me," Jae-Seong smiled.

    "Roger, roger!" Hongse raised his hand.

    Smiling, Ren looked between Iris and Fedrin, "Iris, Fedrin, and I will be the vanguard. Iris, you''ll use your guidance spells to help us navigate clearly; Fedrin, with your quick judgments and magic expertise, you''ll protect her alongside me. Sounds good?"

    "You can rely on me, Ren," Fedrin bowed his head with a gracious smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...I can do it. I''m with you!" Iris answered with resolve.

    In their reliable group, a n was cemented; the ominous castle that stood in the distance now seemed surmountable.

    We''reing for you, third floor! Ren thought.

    As if signaling theing of whatever night cycle existed in this quadrant, the luminescence of the countless trees above faded slowly, prompting Iris to create a campfire with a basic fire spell.

    "I can''t remember thest time I experienced something close to "night"; I had forgotten that feeling."

    Fedrin smiled small as he removed his gloves, keeping his hands close to the warmth of the orange mes.

    "You''ve been here awhile, haven''t you?"

    Iris asked, staying near Ren as a new cold wind inhabited Cann in the nightly time of the domain.

    "That''s right...sometimes I want to just fall over and give up...let Purgatory just take me away so I can finally rest. Then...I remember their faces, their voices...my wife and daughter. When I remember that, I can struggle for another decade."

    Though Fedrin smiled with these words, a somber tinge took his eyes as he clearly remembered those he spoke up, gripping the fabric of his robes.

    "Well, you''ve got us now, Fedrin. You don''t have to carry such a heavy burden alone. We''ll find them��your wife and daughter."

    Ren assured the new member of their group with a small smile.

    "That''s right; the Weltwanderers are a team!"

    Stuffing his stomach still, Hongse called out with his boisterous voice.

    "Thank you, everyone��"

    Fedrin''s eyes watered a bit as he bowed his head with gratitude.

    "Don''t mention it. Down here, the only thing we can rely on is each other. If you don''t learn that lesson, you''ll probably end up dead."

    Biting into a piece of bread as he said this, Macheo spoke with his eyes watching the warm mes in the middle of the group.

    "Macheo, that''s��"

    Pulling on the young man''s sleeve, Aiko shook her head as he turned to look at her with his usual, sharp gaze before realizing what he said.

    "Ah��sorry."

    Lowering his head, Macheo apologized to the high elf with an unnatural maturity.

    Waving his hand, Fedrinughed lightly as he stopped the gesture, "It''s alright��I know you didn''t mean it like that. You''re right: relying only on yourself down here is more than likely paving your own path to failure."

    "That''s what they bet on down here."

    Jae-Seong added in as he fiddled with a de of grass between his fingers.

    "What do you mean?"

    Iris looked at the man for a further answer, watching as Jae-Seong sat up to get a drink of water from his canteen.

    Letting out a satisfied sigh as he wiped his mouth, he answered, "They want to iste you. And more often than not, rtionships aren''t made down here because you can''t exactly trust depraved challengers. If you have a support system, it''s unlikely you''ll surrender to despair."

    "Yeah, I definitely know what you mean��"

    Ren replied as he looked down at his own hands, feeling fresh, unwanted memories surface.

    I still remember it; the pain of being stomped away by that damn Minotaur��those bats eating me alive mercilessly��I might''ve fallen if I continued alone. Ren thought.

    "And those damn "familiars"; just another way to mess with us."

    Macheo clicked his tongue as he took a sharp bite out of an apple-like fruit.

    "I realized that right away."

    Adding in quickly, Jae-Seong whistled to himself nonchntly.

    Macheo scoffed, "You bragging or something?"

    In the somber, quiet darkness of Cann in the ivory fieldsyered with soft shadows, the group sat around the warm mes��sharing inughter and tales as they prepared for theirst battle on the vast, second floor.

    With the supplies given to them in thanks by Augustus, it was the first time in a long time a feast was had, worries were dulled, and pain temporarily forgotten.

    "A toast��to Bakar, Yuri, and Sicarius!"

    Holding his canteen of water to the air, Ren announced a toast that the others shared in.

    "To the lost��!"

    Fedrin held back his own tears as he joined in; it was the same for Jae-Seong, but his sadness was second only to the fiery resolve in his eyes as he remembered therade he lost.

    Yuri, it won''t atone for my own failure but��I''ll make it out of this ce. No��I''ll make sure all of us do.. I won''t lose anyone else down here, Jae-Seong thought.

 Chapter 350 - Usurp The Fallen

    As they filled their stomachs with food, and their hearts with resolve, soon the luminescence returned to the sky of reverse, seraphic trees.

    All eight of the Weltwanderers set off to the grandiose castle that sat at the end of Cann, traversing the small, bumpy hills littered with fallen knights and seeded des.

    Within an hour''s journey, they found themselves before the pearly, colossal gates before the castle. The area in front of the castle gates differed from most of the strangend; the ivory grass was reced with smooth, untainted cobblestone.

    As expected, the gate was already unlocked and slightly parted; blood painted subtly across the edges of the otherwise immacte fortress.

    This is it, Ren thought.

    "Ready?"

    Ren looked back, but he hardly had to look back as the eyes of hisrades held the same resolve as he did.

    "Alright, let''s do this��"

    The moment he ced his hand against the thick gate, an intense tremor swallowed his senses as he and the others fell still in that perplexing moment.

    It was not only sudden, but came with an ungodly intensity, vibrating the steel he touched so viciously he felt his stomach churn.

    What''s going on? He thought.

    "A-above��!"

    Fedrin somehow managed to slip his words through his clenched throat.

    As they all brought their gazes up, the sky of countless trees was parted, but no such sky was revealed; only the daunting existence of something grand.

    pping its four, colossal wings that matched the seraphic shade of the heavens, it roared out as another tremor consumed the territory. It''s size stretched a shadow over the surrounding area as it descended with its cosmic, nebulous eyes watching its prey below.

    By the rumbling crescendoing downwards through the air, the popping in their ears below--it was as if the sky itself was crashing down on top of them.

    Seeing such an entity bearing a colossal size, ungodly aurathering its cloud-white scales�� their readiness was tested.

    Can something thatrge even exist��? Ren thought.

    "A dragon?!"

    Ren finally shouted out.

    Just as he managed to get those couple words out, the grand beast of the skiesnded atop the luxurious castle with an impact that caused the group''s soles to slide across the courtyard pavement.

    It was just the weight of itsnding alone, but it felt as if a fierce storm was born before them.

    There was no mistaking it; pure, white scales lined its gargantuan body, curved ws that could eviscerate mountains gripped onto the castle that served as its throne, and mystical, blue mes sat at the edges of its maw as it growled low.

    It was the ultimate monster, the mythical reptile of legend, the terrorizer of the skies; a dragon, in the flesh.

    As it leered it''s head back, topped with spiky scales that resembled sharp horns, the azure smoke hanging around its mouth grew.

    ��What''s it doing? Wait! It''s going to burn us! Ren thought.

    "Take cover!"

    Ren yelled out at the top of his lungs as right now, everyone was left to decide for themselves how to survive the dragon''s greeting.

    Pushing through the gate as he slid his body through the barely parted area, Ren sprinted over to the entrance of the supreme castle��ducking beneath the roof supported by pirs. Doing the same, Iris, Fedrin, and Jae-Seong took cover beneath the entrance rooftop.

    It was almost worse to be beneath where the grand beast sat, Ren believed, as it''s unworldly weight could be felt like an extra nket of gravity.

    "��Shit! Achelous: Sea Splitter!"

    Being in theplete open, Macheo had no choice but to counter the mes that built within the belly of the beast.

    Throwing his hand forward, pointing towards the dragon, arge pir of aqua manifested before him, intertwining and shooting out with heavy pressure.

    Just in time, the dragon parted its maw as it pointed the onught of azure mes in the young man''s direction. However, it wasn''t a barrage of wild, unrefined inferno that unleashed; the azure chaos sent from the dragon coalesced into a radiant, azure beam that parted the winds.

    Crap, there''s no way it''ll be enough��! Macheo thought.

    "Kojin: Fractured Heat!"

    From Macheo''s left, the draconic knight bestowed her own helping hand as she guided a triple-set of condensed mes alongside his magic.

    Together, the opposing elements met the dragon''s unsavory wee as a colossal shockwave propelled through the arena, carrying with it a mixture of cold and scorching heat.

    "Valerie��!"

    "Focus!"

    "Crap! We have to help them��"

    As Ren returned to his senses after feeling the massive reservoir of powerunch from the dragon''s maw, he took a single step from the entrance stairs before being stopped.

    A scream came from Iris as something pulled her in through the shadowy front door of the castle��cing Ren between two matters.

    "Iris!"

    Reaching out, he barely missed her hand as the gilded, azure door mmed shut in his face.

    Dread and adrenaline worked in unison to run through his veins.

    "��Shit!"

    He mmed his fist against the door before turning to Fedrin and Jae-Seong.

    "Fedrin! You go help them! Jae-Seong��!"

    "You don''t have to tell me. I''m with ya''."

    Jae-Seong gave his panickedpanion a reassuring smile as he ced his hand in the closed door.

    The high elf wasted no time making his move to help the other half of their group pinned down by the giant dragon.

    Nodding his head as his expression slowly refined itself back to some semnce of calmness, Ren ced his hand along the gilded steel of the tall door as well.

    This isn''t how I wanted any of this to go��it couldn''t have gone any worse��Ren thought.

    "Look at me, Ren."

    "��Huh?"

    "We won''t panic this time. We won''t fall into their hands. Take a deep breath; I know how you''re feeling right now. That impatience that''s just itching inside of your veins; you don''t want to waste a second."

    Jae-Seong''s words came from a ce deep within him as his golden eyes met directly with Ren''s own.

    "But right now��we need to keep our heads on straight. We don''t know what''s waiting inside that ce, but we do know one thing."

    "��And that is?"

    "It''s luring us. You get it, don''t you? Whatever that was is betting on us to run in blindly."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As Jae-Seong exined this, the realization came to Ren in his heated thinking, starting to settle down a bit at this reasoning.

    It was an impossible request to ask someone to regain a cool head amidst such a situation as one felt the presence of the dragon''s wrath fill the area with a chaotic radiance of ck and blue.

    But even so, he drew a heated breath into his lungs as he nodded his head, "Yeah, I''m good."

    Jae-Seong nodded in return as his curly locks partially veiled his beautiful irises; together, they pushed open the dense doors of thick, engraved steel of a gilded variety.

    With its opening, a cold air ventured out from the depths of the castle as an immacte keep was revealed to them; silver torches alight, an azure carpet stretching down the middle of the marble lobby as they both stepped in with their senses ready.

    It''s a lot nicer than I expected; it''s well kept, Ren thought.

    Holding Belus in front of him, he moved cautiously as Jae-Seong covered his back. Three corridors existed, with one, prominent passageway running down the middle--clearly leading to somewhere of significance by the statues wearing armor that sat as inanimate sentries, lining the decorated walls.

    "I don''t like this at all; ce is giving me the creeps."

    Jae-Seongmented, keeping his hands up as he scanned the lobby for anything peculiar.

    "I''m with you��"

    Ren agreed as he drew in a breath to steady his tingling fingers, tightening his grip on the handle of his sword.

    As footsteps met their ears, they both tensed up--facing the same direction as the sound of shoes cking against the acoustic marble echoed.

    "Get ready."

    "You don''t have to tell me twice."

    Jae-Seong smiled as he tightened his fists, causing dormant veins to press against his bandaged arms.

    Watching the left corridor intensely as it was cast over with obscuring shadows, the two fell silent as their eyes were honed in the approaching entity. Drawing closer, the steps neared the edge of the hall as Ren could feel his heart pound against his chest.

    The moment the figure came into view, he nearly threw himself forward--nearly.

    It was the familiar, unmistakable sight of azure hair that was imprinted into his mind, cascading down her shoulders before her eyes of the same shade looked at him.

    "Iris?!"

    Ren shouted, perplexed as the young woman held a confident smirk, wiping away a droplet of sweat that trickled down her chin.

    "You''re okay��?"

    As Ren asked this, Jae-Seong simplyughed at their misguided worry, rxing his stance as the two men reunited with the young woman.

    "Looks like we had no reason to worry. I guess Ounders are the real deal!"

    "What happened?! I mean...I--we saw you get snatched away!"

    Ren looked at the girl as if checking for any sign of injury, but there was nothing to be found.

    "Yeah, I was caught off-guard, but that guy was nothing to worry about. He went down with just a few light arrows."

    Iris exined with an unusual air of confidence in the wake of her triumph, smiling brightly as if expecting praise.

    "Well, either way, I''m d you''re okay��"

    Letting out a sigh of relief, Ren reced his anxious expression with a smile as he and Iris shared a look.

    "I can handle myself, you know."

    "I know, I know��that''s pretty clear right now."

    Ren chuckled with his words as they both shared in a smallugh.

    However, their tranquility was brief.

    "Looks like trouble found us."

    Jae-Seong muttered as he stood in front of the other two, facing the main corridor as heavy steps approached.

    Standing tall enough to be forced to hunch over against the ceiling, a tall figure dressed in armor that sat between pristine and tainted drew into the lobby. A violet hood veiled the colossal knight''s head as a shadow sat over its enigmatic face.

    "��Intruders. Deal with them. Execute them. That is our atonement. For the king."

    Speaking in a voice that traveled like the chilly winds present in an ursed forest, the tone bellowing from the being''s throat shifted with each phrase.

    "Hey, hey, this guy looks like trouble."

    Jae-Seong smiled as he stepped up to the challenge, rolling his shoulder before he looked back at the other two.

    "Go on ahead, I''ll handle this guy."

    "Is that really a good idea��?"

    Iris asked, feeling the imposing aura oozing off of the four-armed, dreadful knight that brought with him an enigmatic wind.

    But Ren knew differently; he witnessed firsthand the strength belonging to the confident Heavenly King. It was a risk, but with an opportunity presented behind it--he realized that in the position they were in, such decisions needed to be made.

    Jae-Seong understands. If we fail, we can just try again--that''s the advantage of Purgatory that most people seem to forget. He wants to prioritize gathering information if we''re unable to win today, Ren thought.

    "Right, good luck!"

    Ren gave his supportive words to Jae-Seong, who faced off against the towering knight who was soaked in an aura of despair; holding four des in its four hands.

    "Ren?"

    As if surprised by his eptance of this, Iris looked at the white haired young man, who quickly grabbed the girl''s wrist and pulled her forward.

    "Let''s go! We can''t waste the opportunity he''s given us!"

    Pulling Iris along with him, Ren shouted as they headed straight towards the corridor the enigmatic, multi-armed knight came from.

    Stretching its lengthy arms out that were d in silver and sable armor, wrapped in torn fabric, the hollow knight blocked their path, "...You won''t pass. The king remains unbothered. Unworthy. Execute you."

    With such an imposing figure in the way, wielding four, immacte des that held their own personal radiance, it seemed passing through would be improbably, until:

    "You should be worrying about me."

    --Jae-Seong jumped up, using his knee as a javelin against the shrouded knight''s masked face, knocking the harrowing figure out of the way for the other two.

    "Go!"

    There was nothing else needed; it was the shining brilliance of Jae-Seong''s unending confidence, and boundless charisma that guided both Ren and Iris forward.

    Perhaps it was what they experienced together and lived through previously, but Ren found it easy to ce his trust into the hands of his recently acquiredrade.

    Don''t fail, Jae-Seong! He thought.

 Chapter 351 - The King Of The Second Floor

    "This ce is enormous��"

    Irismented as they found themselves deep within the holds of the castle; the width of the corridor expanded, leaving a pearlescent chandelier dazzling above the two. It didn''t seem made for normal people; the luxurious abode was amodated forrger figures as each door stood at least three times the height of the young man peering at the possible pathways ahead of them.

    Along the ivory walls stretched abandoned, cobalt gs tinged with forgotten history��the lengthy, blue veils bore the symbol of a dragon.

    In its hollow state, the castle was left barren of furniture and treasures, but not unclean; it was a glimpse into a past era.

    "Isn''t it kind of...beautiful? I mean, a ce like this inside Purgatory...it just feels weird."

    "Yeah. Ren, don''t you think it''s odd? Exploring this realm, it feels so lonely��there''s ruins, temples, all marked by history. It feels like Purgatory��is a home for those discarded by Gaia. For some reason, that feels��kind."

    Iris responded as she watched one of the prominent, dragon gs flutter gently before Ren pressed his hand against the center-most door.

    Pausing for a moment, he could feel it; beyond the tinum threshold, what he sought awaited him��it was a mixture of dread and anxiousness��something waited.

    Whether it was a tangible aura emanating from the room beyond the door or simply his own instincts��an air of divinity resided past the luxurious gate.

    "Ren?"

    Iris asked as she looked at the white-haired young man who looked back at her.

    "��Are you ready?"

    His question made the girl pause for a moment, but reading that determined look in his eyes, she nodded.

    Before he could resume pushing the dense, dragon-engraved door open, Iris assisted him, cing her hand near his as they parted the heavy doors open with a resounding roar bellowing from the awoken steel.

    It was far more vast than either could imagine; colossal pirs held the room high. Littering the otherwise spotless, tiled floor of opulent marble were the fallen corpses of ck-robed figures and hollow knights.

    By the imposing, azure chair that sat in the very back of the seraphic chamber, it was clear they had found the throne room.

    Sitting in the throne silently and unmoving as the threshold was crossed, an entity dressed in glorious armor sat as if waiting for their arrival.

    That''s the culmination of this entire floor isn''t it��? That guy right there, Ren thought.

    Unfolding himself from his seated position, the silent knight stood as his grand, sky-blue cape fell down his back, parting four ways like fluttering wings.

    It was just as he stood that an overwhelming aura rattled the entirety of the vast domain, raining down with pins and needles that dug right under the two''s skin.

    "Looks like we found the boss."

    Ren stated as he drew his de from his sheath with a hand that fought him to retreat from the harrowing aura; following his lead, Iris readied herself as her magical aura rose.

    Even as they readied themselves for the imminent battle, holding dered stances--they couldn''t bring themselves to take the first step forward.

    Instantly, Ren felt his instincts bring himself to act on the defensive, holding his thin longsword as if it were hisst defense as the tall, crowned knight shrouded in enigma and silence slowly marched forward, each of his steps echoing through his domain.

    "Ren, this aura��"

    "I know--it''s suffocating...this is nothing like that damn minotaur, at all."

    Only able to watch as the steel-d guardian of the floor approached, Ren''s words fell silent as he watched the tall figure bend down near one of the fallen corpses of the knights of the quadrant, retrieving the blood-stained sword from their hand.

    It was a perplexing action; Ren saw no reason for him to retrieve the discarded broadsword. At the hip of the crowned knight dressed in pearlescent, yet dented and grimy ivory, a scabbardid beneath his fluttering cloak, glistening in whatever sparse light showed itself.

    Why isn''t it using that��? It clearly has a sword at its side, Ren thought.

    Each stride taken forward by the king of the castle invoked an echo of dread, power, and authority.

    "Ren��"

    Iris'' words fell deaf on the young man''s ears, but it wasn''t due to fear bringing him into a still embrace; he was running through his brain any opening from his opponent, any information he could gather--but he could simply not find anything.

    I can''t find anything...he''ll just cut it away, he thought.

    There were a million avenues to approach from, an infinite amount of roads to initiate the battle--but cunning and techniques simply would be swept away by such overwhelming strength.

    It''s fine...we can just try again--if we die here, it''s not the end...it''s fine, he assured himself.

    No urgency possessed the guardian king''s steps; making the suffocating, chilling aura oozing off him, stretching the width and length of the domain--a natural urrence of his existence.

    "Ren!"

    This time, the yell of the azure-haired young woman brought him to his senses as he took in a shaky inhale, feeling even such a simple action send a quiver throughout his entire body.

    Wait, that''s not right...He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    For some reason, it was in the presence of the daunting, approaching foe did a possibility bring itself to his mind.

    What brought this question was the looming, pressing likelihood of death.

    Does...Iris have the Pact of Undying? He thought.

    Asking himself this, a harrowing chill ran over his body as his hairs stood, feeling his grip on his de feel empty for a moment as his breathing became rugged once more.

    She didn''t enter like the rest of us--they brought her here to the second floor instantly to separate us. I remember this...why didn''t I realize it then?! When I talked about the voice that greeted me when entering, she was confused! She wasn''t notified about the pact at all��! He thought.

    Looking back at her, he witnessed Iris'' already worried expression shift for the worse as she saw the young man''s dreadful shock inhabiting the white of his eyes.

    What he intended to do was tell her to run, but when turning back to her, his eyes caught something that once more made his stomach fall: the door they entered through had already returned to its sealed state sometime after they entered.

    No...this isn''t right--was it all a trap? Did those Belmon people do this? There''s no way--but it can''t be a coincidence. Everything--everything is going wrong, he thought.

    "...Iris. Do you have the Pact of Undying?"

    He finally asked, forcing the question out of his throat that had been constricted by dread.

    "Huh?"

    Iris looked at him confusedly as the whites of her eyes were expanded; it was clear to the young man that she didn''t understand the question--

    "Do you have it?!"

    Not wasting any time as the hollow king continued his slow approach, Ren yelled sharply at the girl-manding an answer as his voice broke with a flurry of emotions he couldn''tprehend.

    Their time was finite; a painfully clear reality to Ren as he pressed the young woman who was frozen with shock as if she already knew the answer.

    "Iris! Answer the question��!"

    Grabbing onto her shoulders tightly, he looked back, watching as the wave of dread followed the slow, but imminently approaching enemy.

    "I...I don''t know��"

    She finally answered as her quivering eyes met with his own; it was as good as a confirmation for the young man as he felt his stomach sink to the deepest depths of despair.

    We had it easy all this time as a team...we were careless; how could I let this happen��? A situation like this...there''s no other choice--it''s do-or-die, he thought.

    "...You have my back don''t you? Iris?"

    Ren asked shakily as he held his sword in front of him, turning back to face the approaching foe that drug himself forward wordlessly with each booming step. As the hollow king drew closer, the details of his exuberant armor became more clear; it fit his body in such a way it seemed to be an extension of his own flesh, stretching over his form gracefully. Iid into the ivory amidst the center of his chest were twelve grooves in a circr design, baring prized gems.

    "Yes...I do."

    "Okay...then let''s do this. Let''s win, right here--right now."

    Even as he said this, he couldn''t help but notice his own hand, shaking and trembling with the nauseating reality that settled into his pores.

    Whatever it takes; I''ll use my flesh and bones to stop him--at the very least, I can buy time until the others get here, he thought.

    But even that much was wishful thinking as he could feel the tremors from outside of the castle, experiencing the weight of the gargantuan dragon outside of the keep--listening to its fiery roars as a sh of magic existed in the exterior.

    Finally, he took the initiative, dashing forward directly towards the lumbering, faceless king before throwing his freehand forward.

    "Araphel: ckout!"

    Tossing the incantation directly at the somberly dressed knight that stood far taller than himself, Ren tossed the sh of pitch-ck darkness at the floor guardian--engulfing him in the momentary abyss as his senses were robbed.

    There, that should even things out! Ren thought, the natural response to having your senses robbed while an enemy is approaching from the front is--a frontal swing!

    Predicting this, he issued a step forward utilizing shadows--dashing formelssly as he appeared directly behind the blinded king. Even having theplete advantage with the crowned knight''s back to him, he could still feel the overwhelming aura emanating without any mitigation; a presence so heavy that he still feared swinging upon the enigmatic foe.

    Move, dammit! He urged himself.

    Swinging his de towards the knight''s back, a dull ring echoed through the vast keep.

    It took him a moment to process the sight directly in front of his eyes; his de didn''t carve through his foe''s flesh, let alone his armor��it was stopped by the broadsword wielded by the sensory deprived knight.

    How? It''s not just his sight taken away��all five senses are overwhelmed by ckout. So how did he block it from behind��? Ren asked himself.

    "Ren��!"

    Iris'' warning came a moment toote, but it was futile either way--what came was something that could not be ounted for.

 Chapter 352 - Reverence And Almighty

    "Ren��!"

    Iris'' warning came a moment toote, but it was futile either way--what came was something that could not be ounted for.

    Even if his attack was blocked, he still had the advantage, able to use his entire body to press against the de as the knight only had his singr, turned back arm--yet such logic was thrown to the wind as a single movement of the towering king''s arm flung the young man back.

    Finding his feet lifted from the ground below and the figure bing smaller below him, Ren wasunched into the air by the simple movement--perplexed by the result that came from minimal effort.

    ...I suspected it, but experiencing it is something else; this guy is in a whole different realm of strength from Asterius! Ren thought, it''s not just that: his intuition is off the charts...he read me like a book.

    Landing back down on his feet with a huff, he looked up to see the guardian had remained in the same spot. He could see the azure-haired girl standing in the same spot as they had entered, holding a fearful look in her trembling eyes.

    "Iris!"

    Yelling out to her, he was unsure if his words reached her as she remained standing with her hands out as if readying a spell, but nothing came.

    After witnessing the futility of herpanion''s assault, fear stretched itself across her skin as she was unable to gather her thoughts into palpable actions. Her shocked stance was shaken as the eyeless gaze of the knight fell on her, a gaze that sat behind a veil of the king''s helmet.

    She''s frozen...I have to do something! Ren thought.

    Seeing the state of the girl, he rushed back towards the hollow king with haste despite every fiber of his being urging otherwise, sending himself forward with a powerful kick, his de held tightly in his grip.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Swinging his de with a dozen meters of space between him and his foe, he yelled out as he sent a slice of darkness hurling towards the unnamed king.

    ...Wait, he thought.

    After acting in haste, he realized something about the trajectory of hisunched attack, watching the line of visceral darkness travel forward towards the stationary being d in steel.

    If he dodges...it''ll hit her. What am I doing��? he thought.

    Perhaps by some miracle in his mind, he witnessed the nameless king turn back once more to face him, swiping his borrowed de without any urgency as he vanquished the slice of darkness as if it were merely a passing wind.

    It was disheartening; an ache to his spirit as he witnessed the futility of his magic once more, but he was just thankful the worst didn''te from it.

    Now the nameless king faced towards him, his gaze being felt behind the obscuring element of his silver helmet, dressed with cobalt plume, it was that look and stance that told the young man, e"--a challenge issued.

    I can''t fall here, not to my own doubt. That''s what Purgatory is all about isn''t it��? Keep fighting, even if you don''t stand a chance...keep fighting, Ren told himself.

    Overpowering his trembling body by flexing all of his muscles at once, he filled himself with whatever faint fighting spirit he had left before pushing forward,unching towards the knight. But, he didn''t bring himself into a head-on sh, instead opting to use a shadow step, manifesting onto one of the towering pirs as he ran up his length despite the qualms of gravity trying to pull him back down.

    With another swift step into the shadows, he ced himself atop the seraphic ceiling, amongst the colorful ss as he looked down directly upon the floor guardian.

    ...I''ll use everything I have, even if I haven''t mastered it yet--that''s the type of battle this is! He thought.

    Sticking his hand down towards the nameless king who brought his wordless gaze up to him, he shouted, "Araphel: ck Lock!"

    Following his incantation, four sable walls manifested around the king into a confined space, reaching up to the ceiling as the armor-d foe was left trapped within the dark,pact room.

    Falling down from the high ceiling, he trailed his longsword along the dark prison before reaching the ground with a heavy thud, but a perfectnding as his steel nicked the form of the nameless king.

    For the first time, the towering, hollow king faltered as he stumbled slightly--a long, prominent cut ingrained into the opalescent ivory d around his left arm.

    That''s right, you didn''t predict this one, did you? Ren thought, "ck Lock" is a one-way barrier! Which means I can freely attack you while you can''t do a damn thing about it!

    Pursuing his advantage, he continued to sh at the confined king, dancing around the sides of the barrier to keep his foe on his toes. Even as he had theplete advantage, it was still incredibly difficult to get past his daunting armor--but he chipped away at it rapidly with his barrage of shes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As the nameless king attempted to counter the iing strikes from Belus with his own, the moment he raised his de, an unseen force pushed down against him as if a boulder fell upon his shoulders, sinking his boots into the tile flooring below.

    Surprised again, aren''t you? Any retaliation within ck Lock is met with a hefty response of gravity, Ren thought.

    Even so, the crowned knight pushed on within his ustrophobic space, swinging his arm forth as he fought against the edge of Belus, though still greatly slowed by his personally-experienced gravitational field.

    I can do this, I can win��! Ren thought.

    Witnessing the turn of tides, Iris was agasp at the sight; the white-haired young man danced around the nameless king''s focus using shadow steps, vanishing from side-to-side before leaving another strike upon the heavenly armor.

    What am I doing��? Am I just going to sumb to fear, over and over again? What did Ie here for��? I can fight��! I can! Iris thought.

    Honing her eyes, she ced her hands forward, pointing them towards the trapped king, "Hyperion: Origin Radiance!"

    Feeling the iing assistance from hispanion, Ren dodged out of the way as the condensed beam of melting radiance crashed against the guardian trapped within the ck prison with a scorching hiss.

    Before Ren could even hope for a good oue, something strange happened; the pir of ming light that had engulfed the ck cage had begun to scatter, parting and being pushed back by an unseen force.

    "What''s going on?"

    Ren asked, standing next to Iris with his de still readied, watching the unorthodox retaliation to the spell.

    "...I don''t know��"

    Answering slowly as she processed the unforeseen repel of her attack, an answer came for both of them as the spell that seemed born from the Sun''s heat itself was scattered in full, revealing the nameless king once more.

    It was a luminescence that surpassed even the shine of the neighboring star; just slightly, the ivory-d knight drew the de situated at his hip--but the de itself shined with such divine radiance that it was impossible to see its true form.

    Shining into the hollow throne room that had been filled with death and nothingness, the seraphic glow somehow felt warm, but dreadful at the same time as its light melted away the prison of darkness, scattering any maledictions that came for the nameless king.

    That de...Ren thought.

    As the heavenly luminescence finally began to dull, the form of the de was finally revealed to his eyes, witnessing its gilded handle, embroidered with a triangr array of azure gems, sat in the middle of the hilt.

    Almost asvish, the sheath resembled a scaled-down wing of a cobalt dragon, guarding the immacte steel. Finally seeing this, his mind finally pieced everything together; "Cann", the knights, the de--it all fit together in his mind.

    "I know who we''re fighting now��"

    Ren muttered to the young woman standing beside them as they watched the tall, wordless king settle his partly drawn de back into its home.

    "Who?..."

    Responding as she looked at him, Iris'' eyes caught the realization that embedded itself into the white of the young man''s eyes before his lips slowly parted.

    "King Arthur."

    As if hearing the name being uttered, the name-given knight turned its eyeless gaze to the young man as his four-parted cape cascaded down atop his pearlescent armor.

    It was that proud stance, standing tall with his head held high, wielding the sword he held with an experienced, masterful grip--the hollow king cherished the recollection of his true name.

    A promation of war was invoked between the Weltwanderers and Cann; a war against a dragon, a demonic knight, and a forgotten king. On all fronts, battles were invoked that could not be undone by anything less than the death of one side.

    The hardest challenge in Purgatory so far has only just begun.

 Chapter 353 - EPILOGUE: Declaration Of War

    Twiddling with a pocket watch in his quarters, the red-haired nobleman raised his head at the knock on his chamber door.

    "Come in."

    Ferstaus gave his consent as the door was opened, revealing a young woman with a navy-blue bob cut as she walked in, bowing forward before closing the door behind her.

    "Lord Ferstaus."

    By her clothing, she wasn''t a noblewoman or a traditional maiden as her body was protected by ayer of translucent chainmail that ran her light, leather attire suited for flexibility.

    "Sit, Hayaka."

    Gesturing with his hand, the makeup-wearing nobleman guided the soft-spoken woman to the chair in front of his work desk.

    As she sat down silently, the lord set the thin tools he used to fiddle with the pocket watch down, facing the woman.

    "Did you find anything?"

    Nodding her head slowly, Hayaka answered, "��It''s likely they''re making a move on Jinyue."

    Hearing this concise answer, Ferstaus looked down for a bit as if conversing with his own thoughts, nodding his own head a few times to himself.

    "Mm, that is troublesome��yes, problematic."

    "Lord Ferstaus?"

    "It''s as I suspected. Jinyue is a kingdom without any allies; the only connection they have is with the already secluded Akitein, but even then, they don''t have a proper alliance in ce. You know what that means, right, Hayaka?"

    Ferstaus looked up at the woman with his gilded irises as she fell silent for a moment before answering with a subtle nod.

    "...Jinyue is open to being invaded without any retaliation from other kingdoms."

    "That''s right. Though that''s always been the case, yet no other kingdoms have dared to make a move onto the golden fields of Jinyue--there is an easy answer: fear. Jinyue is the only kingdom that properly coexists with its deities, and those deities are considered part of its daunting military force. I doubt even Mastorn coulde out of a war with that kingdom unscathed."

    Speaking while keeping his hand against his chin, Ferstaus smiled with that sly, suave aura that constantly hung around him as the woman remained impartial to speaking.

    "Hayaka."

    "Yes, Lord Ferstaus?"

    "I''d like you to observe the two guilds that''re taking on this mission in Jinyue; Reid and the Sky Dragon Conglomerate. Bring as many from the Quandary Alliance as you need; keep me updated with this."

    Ferstaus ordered as he reached over to the silver pocket watch he had been tinkering with, handing it over to the soft-spoken woman, who looked at the seemingly ordinary device with a glint of confusion.

    "Understood...Lord Ferstaus, what is this device, if I may ask?"

    "It''s a Route Log, it''s directly connected to the one I have," Ferstaus exined as he showed the copy he possessed, hanging as a ne beneath his coat, "with that, we can keep in touch, no matter the distance."

    "Understood."

    Without any further dy, this time when Hayaka bowed down, she vanished without a trace--an intentional usage of stealthy, swift magic that Ferstaus knew of as he smiled to himself.

    Looking up at his ceiling that held an outlook of the stars, the red-haired, entric nobleman pondered to himself.

    "Belmon, let''s see how you handle some of our best, I wonder. This will be my deration of war to you, Ubel."

    Ferstaus muttered to the stars as he closed his mystical pocket watch with an expression that fell to taut seriousness.

    In the royal keep, a domain untouched by maledictions and war, the residence of the family belonging to the crown and throne itself, one such absolute darkness encroached upon it.

    Entering the front gates of the immacte keep, the sentinels of the illustrious pce bowed to the fair-faced man who strolled through its gilded walls, decorated with history.

    Wearing a spotless, wrinkle-free suit of a seraphic-whiteplexion with golden feathers enting his shoulders, the man in his youth bearing such graceful, lengthy locks that took on a golden radiance, was clearly one that belonged to the royal domain.

    Behind him followed only one person; a man dressed in sleek, crimson armor with a greatsword strapped to his back, exhibiting faded, gray locks that ran in tandem with his scruffy beard. It was clear he was not a knight of Mastorn by such armor.

    As he approached therge, studded doors that were guarded by towering knights, they bowed all the same to him, greeting him in unison, "Wee back, Prince Barnabas."

    "A pleasure to be back."

    The prince replied as his lively, emerald irises looked up to the gargantuan sentinels, who stepped aside, parting the dense gates that separated those outside of it from the true pinnacle of Mastorn.

    Entering the throne room that separated itself from the realm of lower sses, Prince Barnabas and hispanions were alone in the vast, exuberant space.

    "I guess Father is taking his rest today."

    Prince Barnabas'' words came with no response from his crimson-armoredpanion as he turned to the man who remained silent, calling his name, "Arv?"

    Snapping back into focus, the middle-aged, rugged man chuckled, ruffling his own locks as he looked at the prince.

    "Sorry, Prince. I just spaced out for a moment there."

    "It''s quite alright; we''ve been traveling for days on end--it''s understandable. I was hoping at least Getrude would be here to wee my return, unfortunate."

    The prince frowned a bit as he continued onward through the throne room as Arv followed behind him, headed towards the corridor leading to the royal chambers.

    "She is a busy woman, your sister, I mean."

    "Yes, I am aware...it''s just a shame. She is royalty; I admire her dedication to knighthood, but she needn''t work herself to the bone. I get it, I do--Father is a troublesome man. It''s been the same ever since she was little; she recognized that corruption and vowed to vanquish it. I can''t think of many who can turn their childhood promises into reality, against such odds, no less."

    Prince Barnabas spoke as his eyes held a somber shade while he traversed the corridor heavily decorated with paintings, inhabiting luxurious furniture while his unknownpanion followed him.

    "Do you agree with her?"

    "...In some ways, yes. I just don''t agree with the way she is nning to do things. Getrude is an amazing woman, but shecks tact in situations like these. It is obvious she ns to use outside means to forcibly usurp the throne, using the knights under hermand; that is a troublesome method, indeed."

    As the prince spoke, Arv remained silent as they traversed the lengthy corridor, ascending a flight of pearlescent, marble stairs before Prince Barnabas exhaled his thoughts.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can''t say for certain if she ns to kill Father, but despite how much he has sunk into the depths of darkness...I simply can''t agree with killing family. I must get her to see my way of doing things, at any cost. If I intend to be the next head of this family, and ruler of Mastorn, I must protect the Aerosyndale line as best as I can, Getrude."

    Prince Barnabas whispered hisst words as he clenched his fist, d in a silken, verdant glove as soft as a feathery cloud.

    "I''ll need you by my side to aplish such oundish dreams, Arv."

    Turning back to the crimson-armored man as they stopped in front of a chamber door, Prince Barnabas gave the man a warm smile before opening the door iid with emerald ents into its burgundy, wood form.

    "You can count on me."

    Arv gave a simple nod to the illustrious prince as he followed the royal man into his chamber. Though it was still marked with high-ss exuberance, it was rather modest for one on the path to inheriting the kingdom of Maston itself; there were little antiques upying Prince Barnabas'' private chamber, but instead many maps were sprawled out on his desk, apanied by dozens of unorderly books.

    As they were both now in the secluded room, Arv gently closed the door behind himself, peeking through the small gap between the door and its threshold for any passing by staff of the royal keep before sealing it shut.

    "How embarrassing; excuse the mess, I guess I did tell the maids to stay out. It''d be troublesome if something was found that shouldn''t be. Ah, you''re probably wanting your payment, aren''t you? I''ll gather it right now."

    Prince Barnabasughed lightly as he fixed the clutter, reaching over to search for his stash of holy coins--though Arv, the crimson-d man, steadily and quietly approached the busy prince from behind.

    Finding the sack that was visibly filled with exuberant coins, Prince Barnabas smiled as he retrieved it.

    "Found it, here you--"

    Before he could turn to face the mercenary, a heat caused him to fall to a still as a sharpness followed; that same heat radiated from his gut, spreading throughout the rest of his body as he slowly brought his gaze down.

    His speckless, white suit had begun shifting into a shade of crimson as the end of a de was sticking out from his abdomen.

    "Arv��?"

    Prince Barnabas sputtered out the name of the man as he felt the burning, perplexing warmth throb intensely as the sound of his own liquid, crimson essence rained down upon the carpet.

    "Why��? Arv, Why?! We...we were going to change it! Together!...Was it money? Did Ajax pay you?!"

    Shock turned to anger as the realization of betrayal and death churned tears from the prince''s eyes.

    Arv''s expression contorted, twisting into an ear-to-ear smile that bathed in depravity as his olive-eyes shifted to a vermilion tint.

    "You''re slow on the uptake, aren''t you, prince?"

    "...What?!"

    As Prince Barnabas turned to face the man who betrayed him, the malicious man retrieved the de embedded in the prince''s body, sliding it out as he kicked the royal to the ground, knocking him against the desk as papers fluttered in the air.

    Prince Barnabas winced as he caressed his wound, feeling the fountain of hot liquid rush against his palm as his entire upper body became dyed in red. It was only when looking up at the man who did this that he realized the error of his thoughts.

    There wasn''t a sword held in the man''s hand, but instead it was his hand itself that took the form of a de--transfigured into the shape of the visceral instrument of cutting.

    "...You''re not Arv��"

    "Bingo."

    Saying this with a taunting tone, the man who bore the face of the prince''s trustedrade shifted in appearance; his skin twisted, spiraling and meshing as he changed shape--even his armor seemed only to be an extension of his twisted illusion.

    "Thesan: Dawn''s Returnal��!"

    Prince Barnabas held his hand above his wound as his incantation reeled in a warm light that pressed against his crimson-stained flesh.

    Even while performing this action, the mysterious assant didn''t seem to do anything but watch with a smile. However, the prince realized why no action was taken; nothing was happening to his wound��only more of his blood continued to seep out.

    It''s not��closing? The prince thought.

    "Hate to break it to you, but wounds inflicted by me aren''t reversible."

    "...Who are you?"

    The prince asked as he watched the uncanny sight of his assant transforming his entire body before taking the shape of a pale-skinned man with lengthy, maroon locks that ran down his back like corrupted vines.

    Letting the question sink in, the mysterious assant, shrouded in enigma, smiled as the crimson armor he once wore in his previous form was reced with a full-body, sable bodysuit that was protected with silver-leather and wrappings.

    "It doesn''t do you much good to know now, does it? But, I suppose I can do you one kindness--after all, I just put a hole straight through your gut!"

    The youthful-looking man cackled withughter as his hand-de returned to the normal shape of a human appendage, brushing his imposing locks back as his vermilion eyes settled on the floored, bleeding out prince.

    "Renata. But, most people just call me Leviathan."

    Introducing himself as he knelt down in front of the prince who turned pale from the loss of a heavy amount of blood, the enigmatic killer transformed once more before Prince Barnabas'' eyes.

    Illustrious golden locks, emerald eyes, and a face as fair and handsome as theye--it was an appearance the prince recognized well.

    It was himself; staring back at him with a twisted expression that churned his hot, bleeding gut with disgust and horror.

    "From now on, I guess I''ll be called "Barnabas", though."

    There was something else to it; the prince realized this as he saw the warped version of himself--it wasn''t just his shape copied, but it felt stolen, ripped from his weak, blood-stained hands.

    His own memories began to fade from his mind and his consciousness felt fleeting more than ever; weakness spread throughout his body as the one iming his own name watched with his smile still present.

    "You feel it, don''t you? That''s my authority, "Envy", at work. It''s terrible, isn''t it? Feeling each part of yourself be stripped away, little by little, to the smallest, minute detail. Everything that belonged to you: your appearance, memories, abilities--they''re all mine now. You''re nothing; you''ll fade away as a hollow wisp, unguided, without a home. Goodbye, nameless nobody."

    By this point, all the prince could do was listen as his own voice abandoned him, finding its new home in the abhorrent mirror of himself that taunted him.

    ...I see. "Envy"...he must be from...the lost kingdom. Why? Why did theye after me? Did I fly too close to the Sun? Or am I simply another piece of the puzzle?...Ah, my mind is fuzzy. I''m forgetting their faces...my family, my friends...my name. Getrude...Getrude--even as I repeat your name, my dear sister, I feel its meaning slipping away...I can feel it; he''s tugging on my very consciousness, iming it for himself...I''m helpless to it. I can''t even die...as myself...how cruel.

    Who am I?...Where am I?

    It''s lonely here, the nameless one thought.

 Chapter 354 - The Pearlescent Dragon

    "...Another one ising! Get ready��!"

    Macheo shouted out as he strained his throat so that his words could reach the ears of hisrades in the wake of the enormous dragon''s next assault.

    The once immacte fields of seraphic white were razed by azure mes that ate away at its beauty, rising in a mystical smoke that clouded the domain in the dominance of the four-winged beast.

    Afterbining their efforts multiple times already just to halt its mighty breaths, each of them were left exhausted. As painful as new breaths came to be drawn, they could only stand as the shadow of their impending battle loomed over them.

    Like a great mountain it stood over them, existing in the ivory pasture like a malevolent force of nature as its immacte scales of iridescent white glittered in the light like a ferocious divinity punishing them. Despite their efforts thus far, not a single blemish disgraced the sturdy, white scales of the dragon.

    Rearing its horned head back as the ck skin of its inner maw was shown, releasing a dense, blue me, the pressure of its malicious intent could be felt, bubbling and rising.

    "Get behind me!"

    Standing between the rest of the group and the colossal, malicious creature, the crimson-furred panda held his hammer in front of him like a shield, allowing it to expand in size to amodate.

    "Hongse! Your arms are going to tear off if you block another one��!"

    Valerie uttered, but her battered state didn''t convince her fellow demi-human as he firmly stood his ground. It would be hypocrisy to decline herrade''s bravery; she herself withstood the impact of the dragon''s immensely powerful breath. After such an attack, her breathing became rugged, the protective scales that covered her vital areas began to crack and bleed as did her orifices.

    It''s not just raw power, something is different about this dragon...it can''t be, right? He was supposed to have fallen eras ago, Valerie thought.

    As tall as Hongse stood, however, the breaths of the great dragon that quaked the soil beneath their feet challenged Hongse''s resolve as his grip quivered around his trusty hammer.

    "It''s fine! If I get killed, I''lle right back over! It''s fine!"

    Hongse assured not only his draconicpanion, but himself as he swallowed his fears down like a dry biscuit.

    "Allow me to be of assistance."

    Standing beside the crimson panda who towered over himself, the high elf stood as his breaths came unevenly and shallow. His robes had been torn and burned, his skin facing the same assault--fortunately to a lesser degree as he raised his staff high.

    "Licht: Sanctity of Man!"

    Launching the blessed spell, Fedrin''smand bolstered their defenses with a multiyered shield of light that rotated clockwise, ringing with a morning chime as its radiance extended forth.

    Culminating its next mystical breath, the great white dragon unleashed another grandiose assault of condensed, azure heat that crashed against the barrier that was reinforced by Hongse'' strength, bolstering himself against the back of the radiant shield.

    Gathering himself as he took to a knee, momentarily sumbing to his exhaustion, Macheo turned to Aiko, who helped him stand back up, "Aiko...have you noticed something weird about this?"

    "What do you mean?"

    "The moment this dragon confronted us...I felt weakened; the same type of feeling of not eating for a day after training, or experiencing some sort of sickness��Everything feels diminished...my strength, speed, mana--everything."

    As Macheo exined this, he gripped the sable coat he wore, sweating as the exhaustion engulfed his body further, stumbling a bit as the beige-haired girl caught him. Helping him stand, Aiko stopped for a moment, cing her gauntlet-d hand over her abdomen as if thinking to herself before nodding.

    "I...I think I know what you mean...I feel it too."

    "Pipe it. I know who we''re dealing with."

    Valerie suddenly injected herself between the two, letting out a tiresome sigh as her crimson locks hung unkempt over her shoulders.

    "You know? You didn''t think to tell us that?"

    Raising his eyebrow with a bit of attitude to his expression, Macheo asked sharply as the wounds inflicted on his body felt cheapened by the potential reluctance of information.

    "Shut up! I just figured it out."

    "Spit it out then, already. You know just as much as I do...we don''t have the time for daydreaming."

    Macheo''s words rang true as the draconic knight felt silent for a moment, holding onto the handle of her uniquence as she held it against the ground to support herself. Her vertical, magenta irises honed on the near dragon before she spoke.

    "...I''m the descendant of the Great Red Dragon, Fugoch. It existed in a kingdom that losts its name alongside another--the Great White Dragon, Albus. In Vesta, there are two main noble houses of draconic people, the first being mine, "Draig", that follows Fugoch, and the other being "Albus", that instead falls under the history of Albus."

    "I think I heard a story like that when I was a kid. Fugoch betrayed their kingdom and defeated Albus, and the fall of the Great White Dragon led to the downfall of their kingdom, right?"

    Macheo chipped in as Valerie told this, popping his dislocated shoulder back into ce as the joints of his wooden arm clicked.

    "That''s what I believed too...but from what I''m seeing right now, it looks like we were wrong. I can feel it in my blood just looking at it; the blood of Fugoch boils at the sight of it...that''s Albus."<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was as she muttered the true name of the white, pearlescent dragon that the holy barrier began to give in to the ferocious power of the beast''s destructive breath.

    "...Hongse, get back! I can''t hold it much longer!"

    Fedrin shouted as he held his hands out to stabilize his defensive magecraft, but the towering panda stood strong, reinforcing the barrier with his own mana and strength.

    "Listen to him, Hongse! Acting like a hero isn''t going to let us win!"

    Valerie shouted, getting her fur-dpanion to turn back to look at her, though the look in his eyes quelled any hope of listening to her words.

    "All of you--prepare a counterattack!"

    "Huh��?!"

    "It''s our only chance! I''ll stop its attack, so hit it with everything you''ve got!"

    The panda demi-human shouted out as he hulked his body up, standing in such a way that he fully utilized his size.

    "I heard you; loud and clear."

    Macheo said in a whisper as he lifted his head; his golden locks had be unkempt, meddled with his own blood as he raised his flesh-bound hand forward.

    Gathering bountiful magical energy, his sable mantle and cape fluttered as the vibrant azure contrasted the gold and crimson etching on his dark, leather garments.

    "Macheo? You can''t be for real��?"

    Valerie looked at the young man, who didn''t reject the wishes of the crimson-furred demi-human--granting them topletion with unmoving resolve embedded in his royal irises.

    "What kind of king would tarnish the bravery of a warrior? No...it''s much more simple than that, isn''t it? What right do we have, as his friends andrades, to neglect his selfless will? Stand, Valerie, and honor the bravery of yourpanion."

    With Macheo''s words spoken from a ce of eloquence and honor, his kingly soul brought the wills of therades, fettered by fear, together, unshaking them from gued thoughts as they stood together.

    I understand your hesitance, Valerie. Even if we know we''ll be returned to life, the fear of death etched into our bodies never fades. That''s the curse of Purgatory. Even so...we must look past death itself then and fight on, Macheo thought.

    "Achelous: Gluttonous Tide!"

    Spawning around him, Macheo manifested a spiral of awoken waters that guided towards the dragon in front of him, expanding far enough to surround the great creature in an enclosed domain of lively aqua.

    "Come on, you damn dragon woman!"

    Macheo shouted as he struggled to control the rampant magecraft, keeping the vicious, shing limbs of evershifting water from reaching hisrades standing near him.

    "Don''t call me that��! Fine!"

    Gathering her resolve, the crimson-haired demi-human took to the sky as her wings guided her, hovering above the battlefield as she held hernce pointing directly up, the same as her curved horns did.

    "Kojin: Re-War!"

    Appearing above the back of the white dragon as it continued to press its azure destruction against the crumbling barrier, multiple, mystical gateways carrying a crimson hue manifested.

    Like a hail straight out of Hell, fireballs cascaded down from the fiery gateways, crashing down atop Albus'' back with resounding explosions that stretched out their vtile grace.

    In a unison that swept against the natural order of elements, Valerie''s mes pelted the white dragon while the whirlpool prison wrapped itself against the beast''s form, squeezing andshing at it.

    "Your water...it isn''t evaporating?"

    Valerie asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked at thebination attack unfolding against Albus. On the contrary to what the crimson-haired woman believed would be the case, the water didn''t conflict in the slightest with the bursting mes it fought alongside--instead exhibiting a heat of its own.

    "In case you''ve forgotten, my water borrows heat--it doesn''t get swept up by it!"

    Macheo yelled out as he trapped the steaming water against Albus'' body, holding the dragon still as the hail of mes continued to barrage its back.

    Atst, an impact was made; the continuous barrage caused the azure destruction to halt from Albus'' maw as the dragon faltered, losing its footing as it gave into the rain of fire attacking it.

    "Yes! Now''s our chance!"

    Valerie''s eyes glistened at the ray of hope awarded to them; now having an opportunity to utilize her close-quarters abilities, the young, beige-haired girl attempted to rush forward, but was stopped by Macheo.

 Chapter 355 - Albus Rampage

    "...What''s the matter?"

    "..."

    Macheo was silent, only looking forward--though nothing peculiar could be seen by Aiko.

    In the moment of reprieve, the high elf that conjured the barrier finally allowed it to dissipate, falling to his knees as he huffed, covered in sweat as maintaining such a high-level shield came with a heavy toll of stamina.

    "Hongse! Fall back!"

    Yelling out, Macheo''s words seemed to conflict with the advantageous moment the group found for themselves.

    What is he so scared of��? We have it pinned! Valerie thought.

    Even as she thought this, assuring this reality with her own, two eyes, she couldn''t shake the throbbing in her heart as she trusted the judgment of Macheo.

    "...Hongse!"

    Valerie followed the golden-haired young man''s words with her own, requesting her demi-humanpanion to withdraw.

    As therge panda demi-human began to turn back--it became clear where the Lucrauvian prince''s words came from as the pinned dragon suddenlyshed out--lunging forward like an apex predator as it spread its jaw wide.

    There was nothing any of them could do in that frozen moment; simply watching in sluggish time as the dragon drove forward, raking up the ivory grass as its open maw neared the crimson panda.

    It was waiting...it knew the barrier would be deactivated if it pretended to be pinned down��! Macheo thought.

    Snap. The hammer fell to the ground as Hongse seemed to resign to the fate breathing against his fur.

    In a violent closure, Albus mmed its massive jaws shut that had no problem engulfing the fur-d figure--unleashing a stomach-churning squelch that painfully resounded against the ears of the panda''s frozenrades.

    Blood rained down as Albus rose back up to its hind legs, tearing its prey into two as Hongse''s lower half was left on the ground while the dragon swallowed the rest in one gulp.

    It was over as quick as it began; Hongse was devoured nearly whole as the dragon didn''t seem to bear any expected wounds from the previous wounds--revealing once more the grim, daunting opponent standing before the group.

    "Hongse��!"

    Valerie finally regained her senses as she witnessed the brutality of the white-scaled dragon, though her immediate rush forward was halted by both Macheo and Aiko, holding her back by her arms.

    "He''ll be back! Pull yourself together!"

    Macheo attempted to pull Valerie from her moment of error, but before the group could focus, the massive dragon spun around in an act of unforeseen agility, using its tail to sweep up a massive storm of dirt that pelted against them.

    For such a simple action, it was one that came like a natural disaster to the beings overshadowed by the ancient dragon as the winds carried the cloud of sediment, swirling around the group from the singr movement of Albus.

    "Crap...I can''t see anything!"

    Macheoined, coughing as the dust entered his lungs. Blinded by the fog of dust, he could only listen and feel as a tremor signified Albus taking to the air, the massive shift in weight and pressure meaning only one thing: the dragon hovered above them.

    "Fedrin!"

    Taking leadership, the golden-haired prince turned his attention to the high elf, who nodded his hand before returning to his feet.

    "Luft!"

    Stomping the bottom of his staff against the ground, Fedrin''s one wordmand swept away the intrusive veil of dust with a burst of wind, freeing the group from the abrasive smokescreen.

    As suspected, Albus now hovered in the air, unreachable by normal means as its seraphic wings swung against the winds, generating a subtle storm as it pointed its blood-soaked maw towards those on the ground.

    With its wings nearly grazing the sky of hanging, seraphic trees, Albus peered down with an ancient malice filling its azure eyes.

    "Macheo! Give me a boost!"

    Aiko shouted as she recognized what the dragon had nned, noticing that azure glint bubbling within its mouth.

    For a moment, the young prince hesitated at such a request, peering up at the living, breathing cataclysm d in pearlescent scales with doubt in his heart, but being on the receiving end of the girl''s determined look--he epted it with a nod, swiping his hand, "Go!"

    It''s not a question if she can or not; it''s my duty as herrade to trust that she can! Macheo thought.

    The mysticalunch pads unique to Macheo manifested perfectly into a pathway for the Akitein girl as she utilized her nimble nature to journey through the air untouched by normalcy; ascending rapidly as each new step manifested right beneath her agile soles.

    It would be suicide to shoot straight for Albus; Macheo and Aiko knew that without having to exchange any sort of singal. As naturally as she breathed, the beige-haired, gauntlet-d girl trusted each of her leaps to the prince''s control.

    During this ascension, Fedrin and Valerie both were still left frozen by the events transpiring before them.

    "You two! Focus! Do whatever you can to support her!"

    "..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Valerie stared at the reddened portion of the once untainted grass; the spot in which herpanion fell.

    On the other hand, the high elf had no issue standing once more--unmoved by the gravity of the situation as he was ready for battle.

    "Wasser: Pulse!"

    Fedrin pointed his staff at the dragon hanging far above his head as he released the incantation, sending a circr pir of waterunching against Albus'' underbelly as the air hissed at the sudden birth of aqua.

    Landing a direct hit, the water caused the dragon''s body to sway slightly in the air, but left no marks to be seen on its immutable hide. Though, to the elven man whounched the magecraft, something else seemed off about it to him.

    Why did it slow down like that as it neared the dragon? It seemed almost like something was pushing back against it. Was my spell improper��? Did Iunch it too rashly? Fedrin thought.

    "Get the hell up!"

    Grabbing the woman by the cor of her tinum, crimson-streaked breastte, Macheo ordered as he brought the draconic knight to her feet despite their difference in size.

    "I don''t care how dire things look! There is no damn point inying down and letting this ce walk all over us!"

    Even as he spoke so passionately with conviction, he guided the beige-haired girl upwards without having to watch her movements.

    Journeying along the pathway specifically set for her, Aiko hopped from spot-to-spot in the air, nearing the dragon as it built up another destructive breath.

    Still, despite the pressing situation, Valerie was stagnant; it was this unmoving nature that brought Macheo''s face closer to hers as his words became more visceral.

    "If there''s one thing I can''t tolerate, it''s someone that gives in to despair when arade falls! You''re angry, aren''t you? Furious with that dragon?! Doesn''t it make your blood boil to see what it did to your friend?!"

    Finally, the sharp words from the young prince brought the draconic woman''s gaze up as her fiery, narrowed eyes met with his own.

    "...You bet I''m pissed."

    "Then get up and fight."

    Macheo said calmly as he watched Valerie rise back to her feet; holding herself upright, she somewhat dwarfed the young man as herrge winds made the difference in size seem evenrger.

    As she stepped past him with her silver, dragon-sigil cape flowing behind her, Valerie stopped for a moment as she looked up at Albus, watching the girl who was far younger and inexperienced than herself fight fearlessly.

    "Thanks, Macheo. I wasn''t thinking straight."

    "Damn straight you weren''t. The Valerie I know would be trying to st a hole right through that thing right now."

    Macheo scoffed quietly to himself as he raised his gaze, watching as the now small figure of Aiko rapidly scaled the manifested tforms.

    Abrasively, Valerieunched from the ground with a powerful kick, carried by her wings as the liftoff caused the wind to pelt against the Lucrauvian prince''s back. Without a word spoken, Macheo could understand what she was doing; the hot-blooded nature of the draconic woman manifested in the mes coiling her form.

    With her natural ability to fly, amplified by her ming boost, she met with the pearly dragon before even Aiko.

    "I''ve had enough of your repugnant breath!"

    Launching herself against its lower jaw like a projectile, Valerie''s impact managed to m Albus'' mouth shut before it couldunch its breath towards the ground.

    "...Let him have it, Aiko!"

    Valerie yelled out, keeping her hands pressed against the dragon''s jaw in a straining effort to keep it shut.

    A window opened itself for Aiko as she didn''t waste any time ascending the mystical tforms--quickly reaching the hovering dragon as she manifested spectral armor around her gauntlets.

    Bringing herself close to it, the aura that naturally clung to the massive dragon''s form was dread-inducing; there was a difference to the magical pressure it possessed inparison to anything she had faced before. It was as dense as a swamp as deep as the boundless sea, exhibiting a merciless cold, and a destructive heat that shifted the air around it into a sickening domain made to cull the weak.

    It was as the flipping her body into a powerful m of her light-coiled gauntlet that she truly felt this miasmic aura in full-effect.

    ...What is this? I suddenly feel so sick��! Aiko thought.

    The impact she put all of her being into felt as if she only gently pressed her fist against the dragon''s broad side. Nheless, she didn''t waste the chance given to her as she continued throwing her fists at the white scales covering the beast''s side.

    "Gh��!"

    From her side, Valerie grunted as her hold on Albus'' jaw waspletely overpowered by the dragon, being pushed back as she kept herself afloat with a p her wings.

    "What the hell��?"

    My body feels weird...what''s with this guy? Valerie thought.

    "Wait, girl! Watch out!"

    Valerie yelled out at the small figure present at the dragon''s side--though Aiko continued her flurry of attacks while standing on one of Macheo''s tforms.

 Chapter 356 - Up Your Sleeve

    Suddenly, Albus contorted itself back while in midair, using its long neck to bring its head towards its side in an attempt to capture the beige-haired girl in its jaws.

    "Huh--?"

    Aiko noticed, but it was toote for her body to move as the shadow of Albus'' head loomed over her, approaching swiftly.

    --Before the jaws could ensnare her, the tform beneath her feet disappeared, causing her to free fall through the air.

    "Ah---!"

    The beige-haired noble girl screamed out naturally as the height she was left descending was fear inducing.

    "Stop your screaming, I''ve got you!"

    Macheo yelled up at the girl as he waved his hand, summoning a gentle wave to catch the girl in a soft embrace, letting her fall directly into the young man''s arms.

    They both immediately fell red from the unexpected closeness.

    "��Thank you��"

    "Yeah��whatever."

    Macheo subverted his gaze as his cheeks were as red as a tomato, setting Aiko down as they both watched Valerie in the air.

    But, something was off��the colossal dragon wasn''t seen upying the air alongside Valerie.

    "Where��?"

    As Macheo muttered the singr word quietly, a massive impact crashed against the soil behind him��caving beneath a boundless weight that descended.

    This doesn''t make sense, Macheo thought.

    He knew what it was that arrived behind both him and the girl, but it was simply too much to believe; the speed the dragon possessed simply exceeded belief.

    "Look out!"

    Fedrin yelled desperately as the sleek creature d in iridescent white loomed over the two youngest of the group.

    "��Dammit!"

    Macheo finally managed to turn himself around, finding his eyes meeting directly with the colossal sphere that was Albus'' eye, inhibiting a size rtive to the young man''s entire body as its pupil dted at the sight of the human.

    Aiko was standing even closer to the grand beast��standing frozen as it parted its maw to unleash a bellowing roar that embodied a thunderstorm. She had a front seat viewing of its maw, seeing its sable flesh with silver teeth stained with blood and entrails of its recent, fresh prey.

    I''m going to die. It''s going to kill me. It''s going to eat me, Aiko thought.

    "Move!"

    Grabbing onto the white silk of Aiko''s neat robes, Macheo forced the words through his teeth as he tossed the girl behind him.

    "Macheo?!"

    Aiko yelled out in suspense as she was flung back, reaching out to the blonde-haired young man dressed in sable, leather armor��the sight of the dragon nearing its hungering jaws to Macheo engrained itself into her mind.

    With a powerful snap, it''s colossal jaws mmed shut,pletely engulfing the prince''s entire being in its mouth as the wind cracked and rained with the beast''s saliva.

    "Dammit, kid��"

    Valerie muttered as she clenched her fists, hanging in the air as she witnessed Albus'' hunt.

    "Macheo��!"

    Stillid out on the grass, Aiko yelled out as she crawled forward, still reaching out though Macheo no longer stood on the battlefield.

    Wielding his staff while narrowing his eyes, Fedrin took in a heated breath.

    I''m a coward. In all of these years, I''m still a failure as a warrior. That young man��in his time in this world far below mine, he has be a much better warrior! I''m ashamed��! Who am I going to save with cowardice still clinging to my soul? Fedrin thought.

    Before the high elf couldmit to flinging a spell at the dragon, he realized it had fallenpletely still��not approaching the young girlid out on the white grass. Albus'' head began to vibrate, jittering before suddenly--its jaw was forcibly spread open from an unseen force.

    "Don''t mistake me for food, you oversized lizard!"

    Standing atop its sable tongue, Macheo yelled out with strain as pirs of water helped him hold the dragon''s mouth open.

    With his hands pressed against its ck gums, saved only from its abundant, gooey saliva by the grace of his sable gloves, the young prince huffed before smiling wide. Jumping out from Albus'' maw, Macheo rolled onto the grass just before the dragon''s jaws mmed shut once more.

    "Blegh��"

    Macheo looked at his body in disgust at the coating of saliva that ran across his sable, leather garments and somber coat.

    Being directly inside of it...I definitely felt the same weakness from before. There is something more to it than just raw power, Macheo thought.

    "Macheo!"

    Throwing herself at the prince, Aiko bombarded the young man with a hug without a second thought, though Macheo''s attention wasn''t diverted as he looked up at the draconic knight still in the air.

    "I figured it out! Anything in a certain proximity to that dragon has its power weakened! I''m guessing it outright halves it!"

    Macheo''s discovery was aimed at the ears of the other three, but he pointed these shouted words to Valerie for one reason--she was in the perfect position to make use of this information for herself.

    "...I gotcha!"

    Realizing what the prince wanted from her, Valerie smiled wide as she pointed hernce to the sky of trees once more, raising her magical energy as it manifested tangibly into a coat of zing crimson around her tinum-d body.

    From where I''m at in the air, and its ce on the ground--I''m probably outside of the range of its ability! Valerie thought.

    "Kojin: Heart of The Hearth!"

    Valerie''s words roared like the mes she brought into existence; spawning from the summit of her lengthy, mysticalnce, a seal spiraled out like strings being woven as they coalesced into a radiant seal.

    A twin of the same, far-stretching seal manifested above the dragon like a burning cloud, rotating at the same speed of the original that sat above the burningnce.

    If it''s strength being weakened...something like this should be fine! Valerie thought.

    Before Albus could move forward, a circr cage descended from the rotating seal above it, trapping it within a prison of translucent, heated walls.

    "That''s what I''m talking about��!"

    Macheo celebrated alongside Aiko, who was still at his side--something the young man only just properly realized as he felt the warmth of the girl close to his body. Noticing this, he quickly looked away as he stood up as if pretending it had never happened.

    "Will that hold it?"

    "We better hope it does."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Macheo answered the beige-haired girl''s question as they looked at the pir-like prison of radiant heat that pinned Albus down.

    As the dragon attempted to break free of the cage using its body, it was repelled by a burst of mes that made it recoil.

    Thinking to himself, the high elf was still processing the nature of the dragon''s unique ability--delving deeper into its functionality.

    "Weakening��? That makes sense��"

    Fedrin muttered to himself as he looked at his hand, clenching it as he felt his grip feel off. Though it felt to be more than that; with his experience and self-awareness of his own strength, the high elf put together this information andpleted it.

    It isn''t simply just halving our strength; in the middle of battle, I wasn''t able to realize how my body felt, but I definitely recognized the Pulse I used earlier moved slower once it came closer to Albus...I believe it is halving more than our strength, Fedrin thought.

    "That''s not quite right��"

    The high elf spoke up, moving closer to Macheo and Aiko. In contrast to the triumphant veil that hung over their heads with thepromised dragon, Fedrin''s broad expression didn''t seem optimistic as he held his hand to his chin.

    "What''re you talking about?"

    Looking at the elf, Macheo raised an eyebrow as his crimson eyes settled on the Purgatory veteran.

    "Halving...I believe it isn''t just halving our strength, but everything: strength, speed, mana, stamina, durability��"The ability to halve all"...it''s frighteningly simple; I believe that''s what we''re up against."

    "That doesn''t surprise me. No wonder we''ve been unable to do anything to that damned lizard yet."

    Macheo replied with a sigh as the slime coating his body was washed off with an aura of water he briefly manifested, stepping past Aiko and the high elf.

    "What''re you nning to do? It''s likely that the barrier holding him right now is put under the effects of his halving as well��it''ll fall soon; it probably knows that and is patiently waiting to strike."

    Fedrin spoke as he kept his eyes on the silhouette of the dragon trapped within the pir of imprisoning mes.

    Asked this question, the golden-haired prince looked down for a moment, scratching the back of his neck as he nced at the Akitein girl behind him.

    "��I''ve got something I''ve been working on."

    Macheo brought in a quick breath as he looked down for a moment, clenching his hands as if bolstering a fickle me left within him.

    Above all, desperation seeped through his pores as he recognized the threat looming over them.

    It''s now or never, he thought.

    "What is it��?"

    "A new spell I created. My very own grandiose magic."

    "Grandiose magic? Something like that��you can use that?"

    Aiko looked at the Lucrauvian prince with a glint of disbelief in her amethyst eyes as she watched his sable books trek through the ivory grass as he stopped, standing across from the bound dragon.

    "I didn''t finishpleting it, but I guess��I''ve had some real motivationid out in front of me."

    Macheo nced back at the girl with a smile that apanied the warmth in his crimson eyes; a look that gained the trust of the girl.

    That''s right; I''m not just fighting for myself anymore, am I? Fighting for love��my family would disown me if they witnessed this. But to hell with them. I''ll change that twisted mindset��I''ll make Lucrauv a ce where even spring flowers can bloom--just like Akitein, Macheo thought.

    "Keep him there for me, Valerie."

    Macheo asked as the draconic knight hovered closer, who nodded her head in response with a smile��entrusting the young man as well with whatever card he had up his sleeve.

    "Fedrin."

    "Yes?"

    The high elf looked up at the golden-haired prince who had a bashful expression, ruffling his own locks despite the sorry condition he was in.

    "I hate to ask this but��can you lend me some mana? I need a lot of it for this, and that halving ability cut down my mana by a ton while I was inside of its mouth��"

    Macheo exined, shutters at the recent recollection of the repugnant experience.

    Holding a small smile as he closed his eyes, Fedrin nodded his head as he extended his hand, "You needn''t exin; you''re my ally, after all."

    "Thank you."

    ? Macheo epted the man''s hand, feeling the exchange of mana begin as a subtle, verdant glow illuminated at their embraced hands.

    "Apologies, but I don''t have much left myself��will this be enough?"

    "It''s plenty. I appreciate it,rade."

    Thanking him with a confident glint in his crimson jewels, Macheo turned back to face the temporarily imprisoned dragon before raising both of his hands.

    At this movement, an array of his magic-bound, circr tforms manifested in the air, surrounding the bound dragon as it growled low.

    My innate ability made me a target to my devilish family. In a family that put strength above all, they saw it as a disgrace��an ability without any potential.

    I made the best of it, but I believed it myself��I decided to prioritize my mastery of magic rather than my ability, so I was ignorant to it��the possibility that lies when I use my magecraft and ability in tandem, Macheo thought.

    Zoning out any outside interference, he focused intently as moved his hands, conjuring a thinyer of water over each of the glowing, white seals that acted as tforms.

    Manifesting and controlling his magic from a distance was difficult, a meticulous duty that required a level of concentration that made him perspire simply from thinking.

    I learned early on that my tforms had a certain property to them; they reflected objects off of them��it''d almost be better to say it "rejects" things. Though, I also learned early that my tforms aren''t great shields, but work well in increasing my own speed if I use them as stepping stones, he thought.

    Taking in a breath while the others watched him with anticipation, he didn''t flinch at the dragon''sshing out at the barrier, keeping his concentration even as shockwaves and tremors resounded from Albus'' wrath.

    I''ve only been thinking short term, but when Iy my ability out alongside my other tools��something amazing can happen; a doorway to the domain of gods opens��my ticket to the throne, Macheo smiled.

    Squeezing his fists, the glow of the circr, t tforms the size of a human head, amplified, condensing to the center as a certain heat began to bubble.

    Reject, he thought.

    With this thought, a single droplet of water bounced from one of the multiple dozens of radiant tforms at an incredible speed.

    Another followed. And another. Repeating as they swapped positions; the tforms were angled in such a way that theyunched from one tform to another in a set course, gaining more and more speed, more and more heat.

    Dancing around the imprisoned dragon, the dozens of high-speed water droplets quickly began to reach such a speed that the air hissed. Even faster, they inhabited a heat that turned their aquatic essence into something bordering magma.

    Watching this seraphic, sideways storm rapidly build up, the other three were left agape at this magecraft as Macheo smiled.

    "This is it��my grandiose magic: King''s Rain."

 Chapter 357 - Heaven, Earth

    "King Arthur?"

    Iris looked at Ren as she tilted her head to the side with no clue as to what that name meant. Noticing thisck of knowledge, Ren sighed internally.

    That''s right; I forgot Iris didn''t grow up on Earth, so she''s not familiar with our tales...but if Arthur exists in this world, shouldn''t he be well-known? Maybe not--that doesn''t matter, Ren thought.

    Keeping his eyes forward, the young man nodded his head, keeping his de steady, "Arthur Pendragon is a legend in Earthen Folklore; the chosen king, the wielder of Excalibur...that''s the de that guy has--there''s no mistaking it--that''s King Arthur."

    "He sounds strong��"

    "Well, he feels strong too...trust me."

    Ren could only chuckle wryly to himself, remembering the residual impact of simply being thrown back by the knight''s strength.

    I need to keep a cool head; if I''m unable to at least think sharply, I''ll be eviscerated...then Iris, he thought.

    Suddenly, the slow approach of the hollow king shifted into a rapid assault as the towering knight was directly in front of Ren, raising his borrowed sword above his head.

    So fast! No��so strong! The strength behind that blow��Can I block it? No, I can''t think of it like that��just do it! Ren thought.

    Gripping the handle of his sword tightly with both hands, he drew in a deep breath as he met Arthur''s de halfway��shing with a brutal collision of power.

    "Ngh��!"

    Immediately upon steel-to-steel contact, Ren winced as he felt the abrasive strength of his foe''s overhead swing flow through his body like a shock wave. Though he miraculously managed to stop the attack, his shoulders felt as if they dislocated simply from defending.

    "Iris��! Stay back! I know you don''t want to hear it...but right now, you''re in far more danger than I am!"

    Ren spoke through his gritted teeth as he held the king''s de in ce, feeling the weight of his mighty push down on top of him as he ced his one hand on the back of his own de to support his push.

    "...I can handle this! Just keep yourself safe, Iris!"

    The azure-haired girl opened her mouth to try and say something, but for some reason, words couldn''t be found. Witnessing just how dedicated Ren was to his words, she couldn''t reject them--and above all, the damning aura emitting from King Arthur halted her actions as even breathing required immense focus.

    He''s right...but even more than that, if I helped him right now, he wouldn''t ept it. He''d be worrying about me constantly. Is this the best I can do to aid you, Ren��? If so, I''ll do it, Iris thought.

    With a somber, worriful look in her azure eyes, Iris whispered an incantation as a single tear strolled down her cheek, erecting a barrier of warm light around herself--witnessing the battle with trembling, anxious eyes.

    Even in the midst of their sh, the towering king d in gant, yet grimy armor was silent behind his enigmatic helmet.

    Retaining his breath in his lungs, Ren finally let it all out with a self-igniting roar that allowed him to finally repel the king back, causing the knight twice his size to stumble back.

    Following up with another roar as sweat escaped his pores anxiously, he dashed forward, swinging his hips into a sh d in desperate resolve, nearly sending the edge of Belus across the king''s midsection, but was countered by an agile movement from his foe.

    Lifting his right knee and lowering his right elbow, the hollow king managed to catch the thin, swiftly-moving de between both points of his body.

    ...Fast, but I expected something like that! Ren thought.

    Letting go of his sword for a moment, it was an action that King Arthur didn''t seem to anticipate as the white-haired young man jumped up, swerving into a visceral kick against the side of the king''s ivory helmet with a resounding thud of metal.

    Maybe you''re better with a sword than me, but that''s all there is to it! He thought.

    Leaning back a bit as if frozen by the impact of the blow, King Arthur stood stationary while his opponent didn''t let up; Ren continued as he caught his de once more, unleashing a massive, dark-coated sh that wasunched from a rapid spin, sending the sharp assault across the chest of the decorated king.

    I can do this...I can! There''s no other choice! Push yourself to the brink, Ren Nakamura! He thought.

    --Or so he thought. As the roar of darkness he released with his sh settled, his eyes met with the scenery of the deste throne room--the knightly king wasn''t standing before him.

    It was just then that a chill trickled along his spine before fully grasping his back at a nk realization.

    If he''s not in front of me, then--he thought.

    "Iris��!"

    As he screamed out the name of the young woman while turning himself around, he witnessed the tall king holding his borrowed de above his head, looming over the barrier with full intentions of destruction.

    No, you don''t��! Ren thought.

    With his words stuck in his tightening throat, his heart throbbing with desperate malice, Ren covered the distance of a dozen meters in an instant with a shadow step that required no thinking. There was no hesitation, no fear in approaching the king anymore; he wrapped his arms around the waist of the silent king from behind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Making certain his hold was absolute, he curled his own fingers, interlocking them like an unbreakable seal.

    Squeezing tightly and ushering all of his strength from the depths of his stomach, he managed to lift the towering, heavily-d knight from the ground, bringing him back as he guided him backwards through the air before mming him into the marble following--head first.

    It was in a way an unintentional shared destiny as the suplex wasn''t something he mastered or even put into practice, causing him to hit his head against the marble as well.

    With how viscously he mmed the knight back, the impact he shared in nearly knocked him out, feeling his entire skeleton shoot over with a jolt of pain that he managed to ignore in his adrenaline-filled situation.

    Probably should''ve worked on thest part of that move a bit more, huh, Brahmi? Ren thought.

    Standing up, he huffed, wiping the sweat from his chin as the harsh suplex managed to excavate a crater into the royal tile that the king wasid in.

    Without a single noise pouring from within his helm, the king silently rose back up like an undying entity, standing up as sediment from the decimated tile fell from his kingly cape.

    "You really are some sort of monster, aren''t you? Well, I guess that''s to be expected of a legendary hero...even if you''ve fallen to a state like this."

    Ren spoke as he caught his breath, raising his de once more in preparation for another sh--but instead of the King of Knight''s attacking, the silent guardian dropped the de he borrowed from one of the fallen soldiers.

    What''s he doing? Ren thought.

    He watched the tired steel drop to the shattered tile, raising his gaze back up to find a sight that turned his skin to stone; King Arthur''s cobalt-engraved gauntlet reached to the sword situated at his hip.

    From his gentle, almost melodic movements coated in his regal silence, the king''s hand suddenly, and with authority, gripped the handle of the sheathed sword of legend as a sense of grandiose dread stretched itself across the vast, death-filled chamber of the king.

    Here ites; there''s no about it...in that sheath is "Excalibur", Ren gulped.

    "Iris...reinforce your barrier; double it--triple it if you have to!"

    Ren yelled out as he kept himself between the young woman kept within the bounds of her barrier spell, watching as atst, the king began to slowly draw his true weapon.

    His eyes werepletely fixated on that de; though he feared it, he couldn''t help but be curious to what the divine steel exhibited--but it was this fixation that was his mistake.

    --In an instant, the figure he watched was gone, presenting speed that somehow surpassed what he faced earlier.

    Where--? Ren asked himself.

    The answer to his question was met as an enormous presence was felt to his left; a wave of seraphic malice cascaded down as a radiance that matched the heavens shined against him.

    "Death"

    --That is what embodied the unseen strike that neared the ignorant young man; the sword of legend had already been drawn from its sheath, nearing his neck with a steel soaked in mysticism and utmost divinity.

    Though in this moment between the threads of life and death, he didn''t register the knight at his side already with the renowned de gliding towards his neck--he recognized the approach of death.

    And it was with that realization that his body chose--"life".

    As the de resumed through time, its radiant sharpness met only air as the white-hairedbatant disappeared from Arthur''s vision, causing the king to miss his sh.

    "How irritating."

    The voice of Ren came from behind the silent king, who didn''t register the presence behind him until just then--moving in a way that spoke of his surprise without words, jumping back as he looked at the snowy-haired young man.

    Ren stood with his back turned to Arthur, letting out a sigh as even Iris looked at the young man with the seemingly same perplexion as the floor guardian.

    Wait...could it be��? Iris thought.

    "It took long enough, but betterte than never, right?"

    Speaking as he turned only his gaze back, Ren smiled calmly as he looked at the king. It was his gaze that confirmed it for Iris; those hazel irises of his transformed into golden wheels that transcended normalcy.

    Turning himself to face the hollow king, Ren''s gilded irises apanied a new aura that clung to him, felt by Iris; a cloud of soothing divinity, one that gave an air of reassurance.

    ...I only saw it for a moment back then in Butcher''s Locker, but his ability...it''s like I''m looking at a different person. It''s like there''s a glow around him, an absolute confidence that I can''t help but ept...please, Ren, win, Iris thought.

    "It''s okay now, Iris. Now I can win for sure."

    Ren smiled warmly as if sensing the doubt present in the girl''s heart.. With his de in hand, he approached the cautious king before stopping, keeping his gaze on the armored guardian without a cloud of doubt in his heart.

 Chapter 358 - Utterance, A Single

    Without having to do anything yet, he could feel it: the power that came with Heaven-Earth Disconnect. Through his veins, he could sense the flow of his blood; its heat, the speed in which it flowed, and the life it carried. It was the same for the rest of his body--it was under hisplete control; the same with his mind--under the effects of his ability, he was able to unify himself towards the path of victory.

    It''s different this time; I feel in control, Ren thought, with this, I can defeat him.

    "Come on, King. You aren''t scared now that things are looking more difficult for you, are you?"

    Ren pointed Belus towards King Arthur, who stood in silence as his cobalt plume fluttered behind his helm, holding his treasured de upright as its steel engraved with a forgottennguage illuminated with mysticism.

    --Of course, what he said wasn''t the case as the unfettered king was suddenly in front of him without so much as a single fluctuation of his breathing to telegraph his movements.

    I can see you, king! Ren thought.

    Despite the speed that King Arthur used to close the distance with speed that far exceeded what Iris could spectate, Ren saw it and was ready; shing des as he brought Belus over his shoulder, shing it to halt the pathway of Excalibur.

    "...!"

    Ren was left surprised; though he predicted the assault and countered with impable timing, the strength behind the strike caused his sword-wielding arm to il back as the force from the king''s sword strike sent a viscous air carving through the surrounding marble.

    Jumping back to catch himself, the golden-eyed man rolled his shoulder a bit before settling back into a normal stance.

    ...Did I not use enough strength? Did I underestimate him? The power behind that strike was different from the earlier ones; is that sword really amping him up that much? Ren thought.

    "Manjushri."

    Ren muttered quietly,manding the seraphic, golden mes to coil around the length of his steel.

    It doesn''t matter; I''ll finish him right now, he thought.

    This time, once he moved, the king responded instead of simply waiting to retaliate; for the first time since their meeting, a dance finally began.

    Dashing with a speed that made it impossible for the young woman spectating to witness, Ren vanished just as he drew near to the king, reappearing as he ran along one of the colossal pirs, leaping from it as he soared above the head of the silent king.

    Swinging his de despite the enchanted steel being far from reaching the form of the armor-d knight, his assault reached King Arthur as the air howled beneath the birthing of golden mes.

    The karmic mes descended upon the king, crashing into him and unleashing a powerful impact against the ground that caved in the title the knight stood upon.

    "The weight of his karma"--it was the power behind Manjushri, something Ren utilized to its fullest.

    Even engulfed in the heavenly inferno that enacted karmic justice, a single brush of the revered, gilded de dissipated the mes as King Arthur remained undamaged, still standing tall in his royal territory as his azure, four-split cape fluttered behind him.

    Landing back down on the ground, Ren witnessed this unforeseen durability from the king--now inhibiting caution.

    A strike of Manjushri didn''t do anything? Maybe under that armor, he''s hurt, but it''s hard to tell, Ren thought.

    As his thoughts urred while standing in the battlefield that encroached on divinity, the shadow of the king loomed over him before the blinding glow of his legendary de shined down upon the young man like the morning star.

    Even still, fear wasn''t something that existed in an enlightened one''s mind; no anxiety bore itself into existence as his next actions came even more naturally than the intake of oxygen.

    Through enlightenment, many pathways opened to alleviate the stress of battle; his senses were heightened to a divine level--allowing him a glimpse into that which has not yete, his thinking was elerated to such a degree that he was able to decipher and break down each and every detail of the swiftest actions.

    Of such an ability, his confidence was only natural.

    With a simple spin of his body, he moved out of the range of Excalibur''s strike as the divine de rent the somber, blood-stained marble--sending a visceral slice of wind that carved through the bodies of the already deceased that wereid out in the chamber.

    --Another swift strike came, though it was just as far from reaching Ren as he leaned back to avoid sharpness and heat.

    You can''t reach me now, King, he thought.

    Even as he believed this, his certainty was challenged as his precognitive abilities were nearly overtaken by an unforeseen sh of steel--only narrowly spinning himself around the mythical edge of the sword as the heat brushed his chest.

    It was a thrust of the de; a movement from King Arthur that somehow surpassed his foresight in its speed.

    He retaliated with a strike of Manjushri, sending the mes of judgment towards the king, who avoided their touch as he rapidly paced backwards, leaving a vast space between thebatants as the grandiose chamber of death and royalty fell silent.

    "Ren��! I--"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t! I told you--I''ve got this handled."

    Ren''s shouted words halted Iris, knowing she likely nned to do something reckless the moment she would lower har barrier.

    Now more than ever, he was certain this foe was far too much to risk having Iris around if she truly didn''t possess the Pact of Undying.

    Pushing forward, a singr step replicated the effect of shadow step simply with raw speed as he aimed himself directly in front of the king, keeping his body low as he didn''t swing his de, but instead sent his palm towards the abdomen protected by ivory armor.

    One touch; that''s all I need, he thought.

    In a twisted sense of retribution, his touch was evaded by King Arthur pivoting off of his foot, spinning around as he now held the advantage; holding his de up in the air to prepare for a strike.

    ...That''s my move. He mimicked me? You''re not much for words, but you''ve got some attitude, don''t you? Ren thought.

    Flipping backwards with elegance, Ren avoided the overhead strike that erupted in a geyser of seraphic light that desecrated the flooring.

    In that case, I''ll stop holding out on you! He thought.

    Rushing forward, he baited out a swing from the king, evading it with blinding speed as he retaliated with a burst of Manjushri directly to King Arthur''s abdomen. Allowing his me-d de to directly hit, the golden mes roared out with a vtile release, knocking the king back--but Ren didn''t let up.

    Witnessing Ren''s rush, Iris couldn''t help but be captivated, yearning for the young man''s victory as her heart thudded against her chest.

    He''s doing it...he can win...! She thought.

    Evading the length of Excalibur, Ren danced around it with catlike grace; each dodge allowed him to counter with a swift strike of karmic mes, allowing him to overwhelm King Arthur with a flurry of strikes. Finally breaking through the king''s poise, he reared his de back, coating itpletely in his karmic mes before unleashing a long distance sh that directly impacted the knight.

    As the king caught himself, rolling back onto his feet, the golden-eyed young man drenched in enlightenment was already halfway through another swing.

    "Manjushri."

    --Invoking its indifferent, divine attribute again, he sent the karmic mes directly against King Arthur''s side, knocking the knight into one of the colossal pirs as a cloud of dust released from the impact.

    As the fog of sediment settled, the king dropped from the pir,nding on his heavy, metal boots with a thud that echoed from the acoustic marble. Though the armor of the revered knight was dented, burned, and scratched heavily, Ren didn''t feel any triumph yet.

    The strength of Manjushri changes from person-to-person; the more bad karma they possess, the stronger the judgment of the mes will be. Against Asterius, the mes devoured that beast without fail...but...I should''ve expected different from someone revered as a hero, even if he is a shell of that tale, Ren thought.

    Though, the sound of cracking as if something was breaking apart, filled the room as Ren narrowed his eyes--watching as the helmet veiling the king''s head fell apart, falling onto the ground in chunks of metal.

    "Huh��"

    Ren was left speechless as the face of his opponent was finally revealed to him; despite his tales being as ancient as theye, the silent king bore a face of a man in his early prime. His sunset gold tufts still bore some vigor, but their color was partially drained as his roots sat at a pale white.

    Though his eyes were a natural emerald, the life in them had vanquished; his skin was pale and lifeless, and his lips were sewn shut--a silence forced onto his being.

    At first nce, it seemed the hollow king''s skin was pale as snow was free of anysting damage, but crimson spurted from his ears as he fell to one knee.

    I see, Ren thought, Manjushri doesn''t specialize in exterior damage, but mainly targets the spirit...I guess that also tranted to internal damage. Maybe he isn''t as invincible as I thought.

    Even as blood trickled from his ears, the expression present on King Arthur''s face was unmoving as he stabbed Excalibur into the marble, gripping the handle tighter.

    For the first time, the gaze of the kingnded directly on Ren, piercing him with those soulless, emerald eyes.

    --At least, that''s how they should''ve appeared; for some reason, Ren recognized a glow returning to the king''s gaze as if embers, as weak as they were, had been alight.

    Reaching with his free hand, the king grabbed the loose thread at one end of his mouth, pulling it as the ck string unraveled from the flesh of his lips.

    Gross, Ren thought.

    Removing the thread that sewed his mouth shut, King Arthur''s scarred lips parted as a single word finally fell from their dreadful silence.

    "Avalon."

    --A single utterance, yet that one word alone extended over the throne room a pulsation that shifted the reality around them.

 Chapter 359 - The One Who Rules The Sword

    "Avalon."

    --A single utterance, yet that one word alone extended over the throne room a pulsation that shifted the reality around them.

    The marble flooring littered with bodies vanished, the walls were gone, and the somber chamber was nowhere to be seen; recing it all was a boundless garden of flowers, a lively, verdant field so bountiful with life it was unmistakably a paradise. Some nts stood taller than castles, blooming with a colorful array as they danced melodically in the passing breeze.

    The only ceiling existing now belonged to a tree so massive it looked to dwarf kingdoms; its limbs stretching far and wide to create a verdant sky of leaves. It stood in the center of the enigmatic domain; a cedar likely primordial in age.

    It wasn''t the only of its kind, many colossal trees reminiscent of those in Grandueve existed, connecting to the bridges of branches in the sky.

    "Where are we?"

    "...I don''t know. This seems to be a tertiary spell, but I''ve never seen one like this��it''s so��vast."

    Iris answered Ren as her barrier was overridden by the existence of this new domain, stepping over to the young man.

    "Tertiary spell? I don''t think I''ve seen something like this before."

    "They''re more difficult to master than great magic, and exist in a smaller scope. Tertiary spells alter the environment��usually it''s just manifesting weather, but this seems like an entirely new realm we''ve been brought into."

    Iris answered as she watched the king still remain knelt in the verdant field, huffing before he finally began to stand.

    "I see. So it''s like a home field advantage?"

    "If you put it like that, yeah��but they can bring a lot of benefits for the caster. We don''t know what kind of attributes are in this ce��Ren, what I''m trying to say is--be careful. Inside of an enemy''s territory, you can''t fight normally--you can''t be reckless."

    The blue-haired woman spoke softly as she kept her hands close to her chest.

    As he looked at the woman for a moment with his golden, wheel-shaped irises, he sighed, slowly shaking his head, "if that''s the case��I don''t like it, but I''m going to need your support."

    "Really?"

    Iris seemed to glow at these words as she smiled with her vibrant azures in ce of her shocked lips.

    "Don''t look so happy about it. This is life or death. And don''t forget��support; that means you''re staying the hell away from that guy��I''ll make sure he doesn''t get close."

    "I''m not helpless, you know."

    "...I know that, it''s just--"

    Ren bashfully ruffled his naturally white tufts as he averted his gilded gaze, feeling the vibrant azures of the girl lock onto him.

    "I understand, Ren," Iris smiled as she nudged his arm with her elbow, "You''re just worried about me. I appreciate it...I feel the same way towards you, though. Standing there like a damsel, watching you fight...it felt like my skin was blistering...It was so painful, if you would''ve been hurt because I was powerless��"

    Hearing her genuine words, he began to understand how she truly felt, and started to realize the error of his actions.

    I get it now. While I was thinking I was doing what was best for her by keeping her safe, I was ignoring what she really wanted...she''s a bit crazy, just like me, Ren thought.

    "If that''s really how you feel...then let''s fight him--together."

    Ren spoke as he began to walk forward, flipping Belus between his fingers as he let the spring breeze present in the utopian realm brush against his pale locks.

    As he looked back with a smile that possessed soothing confidence, the words that apanied that look brought a slight pink to the young woman''s cheeks as she tried to conceal her fluster with fervent nods of her head.

    "Okay! Let''s."

    With their resolve cemented, they both faced the hollow king, but something unexpected came from that wordless king.

    He spoke.

    "Young warriors."

    --His voice was gentle, but strong, one used tomanding others, but even more adept at consoling those he ordered.

    Both Ren and Iris were at a loss for words themselves at this odd instance of speech from the thought to be mute king--simply staring at him with nk expressions.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You both are indeed incredible; stars of the new generation of this world. However, incredibly you may be, I am a wall you cannot surmount with your current strength. As you are now, you will add to the blood etched onto Excalibur; another name iid into its unmatched march of victory. That is why I implore you--do your best, do not kneel to my power. Fight me until you im triumph, even if I should cut you down a thousand times."

    Somehow, the words weren''t spoken from a ce of ego, but the benevolence that still resided within the king who ruled over nothing as his gentle, royal irises of an emeraldplexion gazed softly upon the two--there was no malice inhabiting those eyes, as they both noted.

    "Why''re you saying this?"

    Ren asked as he kept his de raised, though he couldn''t sense any immediate hostility from the king.

    "...I simply believe you may be capable of granting my wish; eternal rest."

    As the king of a youthful appearance, dulled by his lifeless skin, slowly wrapped both hands around the shining, golden handle of his sword, holding it upright in front of him with grace, he looked upon it with a soft, slight smile.

    "Right now, we''re not standing within the holds of Purgatory. This is...a ce special to myself. That''s all I can remember now. The names of my brothers...I''ve forgotten them. How long have I been here? Centuries? At some point, the years blend together. Before I lose myselfpletely; my values and who I am--I''d like to take my leave from this world that I''ve overstayed my wee in. I may be nothing but a puppet now for Purgatory, but please grant me the privilege of challenging you of my own volition, as Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot."

    "Just tell me one thing though."

    Ren suddenly asked before their sh within the utopian territory began, keeping his de upright as his eyes locked with the king''s own.

    "Yes?"

    "If you want to die so badly, why not just do it yourself?...You don''t seem like a bad guy, I think...so why even fight us?"

    Asked this by the snowy-haired young man, King Arthur stayed silent for a moment before nodding his head gently.

    Iris had the same thought, reiterating as she stood at the young man''s side, "He''s right...you seem kind, so why do this?"

    "Ignoring the disgrace that woulde from taking my own life...I simply don''t have the power to. As a Floor Guardian within Purgatory, I can''t die...I also can''t control my own body well either; however, if my soul were to be attacked...I may be able to pass on. I realized it after being on the receiving end of those golden mes, feeling them bombard my soul directly...I was able to reawaken, if only for these few, sparse moments. Perhaps it was one final mercy from this world that I met you; I''ve chosen you two to be my final opponents."

    "I see��"

    Ren took in the information as a droplet of sweat lined his cheek, looking at the somber veil that existed over the king''s eyes.

    Staying silent for a moment, Ren finally nodded his head, "...I ept."

    The young woman nodded the same as the two agreed to the forgotten king''s request--an oue that granted a smile to his lips before settling into a honed expression; prepared for battle.

    "I should warn you...I shall very well soon lose all control; I can feel it even now like a knife twisted into my brain..plete and utter bloodlust, unstoppable and unending. I wille at you with everything I have."

    As King Arthur gave this warning, it became apparently the strain he was enduring to restrain himself just to speak as veins protruding against his skin as a thick storm of bloodlust surrounded the king.

    "That''s fine by me. I expect nothing less."

    "You''re just as I had hoped...your names, please--tell me your names before I lose myself."

    King Arthur asked as a noble sadnessid in his emerald eyes, standing tall as his body quivered with the unwanted thirst for blood surging through his veins.

    Straightening his stance out and maintaining direct eye contact, Ren answered, "Ren Nakamura."

    Following his lead, the azure-haired girl gave her name as well, "Iris."

    "Ren, Iris--what splendid names. Let the name of Pendragon promise you victory on this today!"

    Using thest of his reserved strength, King Arthur raised his treasured de up to the sky with one arm, standing tall as his entire body trembled.

    Onest smile. It was thest expression of the long forgotten king before he was overtaken by the holds of Purgatory, descending into blood-thirsting madness.

    Silence once more was all the king inhabited as his sword-wielding arm slumped down, looking towards the two with empty, dull eyes devoid of thest embers they previously held.

    "I''m relying on you to back me up, Iris."

    "I know. I''ll support you with everything I have."

    "Let''s put him to rest--the Hero Knight."

 Chapter 360 - The Knight Of Sin

    "You''re big, but not very fast, are you?"

    Evading a flurry of four sword strikes from the monstrous knight, Jae-Seong taunted his enemy as he swiftly danced around the malicious steel.

    Despite the words spoken from the curly-haired man''s unbroken, confident smile, the four-armed knight dripping with miasma only groaned in response before attempting to cut away his foe.

    Wielding the greatsword with cobalt-tinged steel in its top-left arm, it mmed it down towards the smaller man��resulting in aplete miss as Jae-Seong back stepped.

    "Woah there!"

    Jae-Seong yelled out behind his smile as he felt the power behind that swing, watching the peculiar wind pressure unleashed carve through the flooring.

    Those shes aren''t a joke��he''s not very fast, but one hit from those des��let''s not think about that, he thought.

    Using the window of opportunity after the giant, hunched over knight missed its swing, Jae-Seong unleashed a quick session of blows across its body that only registered as one to the naked eye.

    Stumbling back from the punches that resounded like cannons, the knight paused for a moment as it groaned low.

    "Intruder��Execute. You will be punished. For the king."

    The hooded knight spoke as his shifting words traveled from the depths of its shadowy veil. With this malicious promation, the enigmatic knight, dripping ck grime from the creases of its desecrated armor, spread all of its arms out.

    Something''sing, Jae-Seong thought.

    "Tristan. Mordred. Agravain. Lancelot. Traitors of the King. My sin. I am��the Knight of Sin. In atonement, I shall execute all who challenge the King. Eviscerate. All."

    The knight spoke in a gravely, nebulous tone as it''s voice shifted with every word, emitting an aura that caused a tangible shift in the air; a dreadful cold that caused every hair to rise on Jae-Seong''s body.

    "What''re you on about? Making amends before I send you to your death?"

    "Execution Order: Morgan."

    ��The only response from the Knight of Sin made little sense to Jae-Seong''s boastful question, but it''s meaning was understood by the man as his senses spiked.

    Without any inclination to what was happening, he moved, only because his brain told him standing there a moment longer would result in death��and he found out why.

    In the ce he previously stood, a half dozen des were embedded into the flooring; something he didn''t hear nor see.

    Magic? Or is this it''s ability? He thought.

    Keeping his distance, a sudden burning sensation swelled up from his leg��realizing a moment after it already happened that another de appeared, nicking his thigh as it narrowly missed.

    "What''s the��?"

    Jae-Seong muttered as he winced, briefly looking back to see the simple sword in question having shot past him, already stuck in the farthest wall.

    I didn''t see or hear anything; is it using something to mess with my senses? He thought.

    His attempt to decipher the true nature of the attackunched against him was taken advantage of as the four-armed, monstrous Knight of Sin crept up on him; rearing two of its arms back.

    "Iron. rent."

    The knight''s cold words caused the ckened de in its bottom-right arm to shift into the form of a battle-axe, while the broadsword exhibiting a design of a lion on its steel he held in his bottom-right took on a vermilion sheen.

    As both mystical weapons mmed down, Jae-Seong twisted himself in a spin that allowed him to avoid the edge of both instruments of violence as they smashed into the ground with a castle-shaking tremor.

    While the Knight of Sin was hunched over with two of his weapons lodged into the shattered ground, the otherworlder mmed his boots down on both of the imnted weapons to keep them seeded.

    "...Just where I want you!"

    Jae-Seong yelled out as he unleashed a vicious straight punch against the shadowy-veiled face of the giant knight, causing the knight only to seemingly flinch from the hit before retaliating with its two free arms.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Crap, forgot about those! Jae-Seong thought.

    With little time to react from his position, he evaded the reach of the top-right de which exhibited an abnormal, saw-like edge as its bloodlust-coated aura drove him to duck. However, this left him only being able to raise his left arm and amplify his reinforcement as the cobalt de mmed against his forearm.

    "Gh��!"

    He winced as the de managed to prate his skin and a few inches of the flesh underneath, quickly pulling away as his new wound gushed out with crimson.

    As he jumped back, the Knight of Sin methodically retrieved its de stuck in the ground as a miasmic breath seeped from its veiled face.

    ...I''m off my game today. Only reason I still have an arm right now is that I managed to clench my muscles to catch the de. Focus, Jae-Seong. This isn''t a game, he thought.

    Taking in a deep breath, he flexed his bleeding arm as tight as he could as blood trickled down to his clenched fist; bulbous veins pressed against his skin as sweat escaped his pores to mingle with his blood--finally managing to close the wound through strict muscle control.

    "If I''m being honest...I''ve been off my game for a while now."

    Jae-Seong spoke with a small smile as he let his arms hang down by his sides without any fighting stance held, standing in front of the malicious foe who cautiously circled him.

    "Intruder. Execute."

    The Knight of Sin spoke in a dark whisper, sliding the steel of the des he held against one another in an ear-grating screech of metal.

    "...Yeah, yeah. Be quiet for a second, would you? I''m having a moment here. Anyways, I guess in reality, I''ve been holding back without thinking just so I could have a bit of fun. It''s because of that immaturity that people died--because of me."

    As Jae-Seong spoke to the fiendish knight that didn''t seem to listen, the four-armed, amalgamation of a soldier interrupted the curly-haired man with a swift sh of his sable battle-axe.

    Jae-Seong didn''t budge from the strike as the moment the weapon made contact with his shoulder, the steel cracked.

    "I think it''s time I stop messing around...maybe just for a little bit. You see, when I really try, you can''t even hurt me, can you? If I let them see this, they''d think I was a real ass for holding out on them, wouldn''t they? Well, it''ll just be between you and me, big guy."

    Without batting an eye at the failed strike, Jae-Seong continued to speak calmly as he looked up at the Knight of Sin, who backed away after having his sh miserably fall short.

    That''s right; I''m strong. Too strong to let others die because of me. The question is: am I strong enough to not let the same mistake happen again? Let''s see, he thought.

    "Let''s do our best, knight."

    As if recognizing this challenge, the four-armed knight stood tall, straightening its hunched over posture as all four weapons it wielded held a mystical glow, holding them as if presenting their magnificence to his opponent.

    "A maximum threat. Must be handled immediately. Without fail. For the king."

    The Knight of Sin spoke as its imposing figure made thevish, marble lobby feel ustrophobic to the man.

    "...Knights of The Round: Mordred, Lancelot, Tristan, and Agravaine. For the king we betrayed, we will atone, we will execute any who challenge his authority. This castle is under our eternal protection; in death, we will aplish what we failed in life."

    Speaking each of its true names, the tall-standing knight''s des responded to each original wielder''s name.

    "Camelot."

    --A single word, but Jae-Seong quickly realized the intent behind it as the voice carrying it wasced with a deep, magical reservoir.

    A tertiary spell? Jae-Seong thought.

    In the next moment, a rumble came as the walls pushed outward, expanding quickly as the ceiling lifted higher--leaving them in a vast, open space as embedded in the ground, an uncountable number of forgotten desid in rest.

    "Intruder whose fangs could reach the king, stopping you will be our atonement."

    This time, the nebulous tone thatced the odd knight''s words were gone as an air of nobility coated the amalgamate knight''s speech.

 Chapter 361 - A Simple, Ordinary Punch

    "A fate worse than death", that''s what our role in Purgatory was meant to be. As knights who gave our oaths to King Arthur, swearing ourselves to him...as knights that betrayed those very vows that bound our legacy, this was our punishment.

    Subjecting us to this cruel form, it is maddening. Our thoughts converge, conflict, and gnaw at the pooled sanity we share. However, we have long since merged through the closeness of madness.

    Now, we stand eternally as a sentinel of a forgotten history; protecting the King we betrayed, a king we may never look upon with our unworthy eyes. Long since have passed the days of glory; guarding only this ruined domain from nameless faces. We''re nothing but a monster now, a beast with no sentience, simply armed with our des to cut any and all down.

    Even so, we ept this fate. If it in some way alleviates our sins, if it in some way rpenses the king, we will stand here for the rest of time. That is the proof of our undying devotion to the king, now and always.

    --These were the thoughts of the Knight of Sin as it stood in the vast, somber domain, facing off against the single intruder.

    Without any warning, it raised all of its des, striking them down without moving a single step forward to bring the sharpness of its weapons within range of Jae-Seong. However, range was simply a formality when wielding such legendary des.

    In response to the strikes of the mystical weapons, a howl of magical energy birthed itself near the ceiling.

    "Well, that''s new."

    Reflecting off of his golden irises, the array of wild, condensed energy shined as he muttered in awe, finally moving as he sprinted around the erged chamber to avoid the downfall of massive pirs of roaring energy.

    Like geysers born from Hell, eruptions of destructive magical energy shot up through the ground, leaving Jae-Seong to move swiftly to avoid meeting whatever fate waited in their roaring hold.

    It was utter chaos; from above, the crimson, gold, and azure columns of energy attempted to find the otherworlder, while from below, the same attacks hunted him all the same.

    This is getting really old, really fast; I''m not one for being on the defensive--it''s just not my style, Jae-Seong thought.

    "Yondung Halmoni: Still ins," it was an incantation not spoken, but thought by Jae-Seong as he stood in the center of the chaotic chamber as from every angle, the beams of magical light closed in on him.

    But as they drew near, a subtle pulsation echoed from the smiling man''s position, so gentle and devoid of malice it could be mistaken for a passing wind. With that drift of mysticism in the air, the approaching magic didn''t reach him.

    In the next moment, the malicious columns of light were absent from the exuberant room of the castle without a trace, leaving a deafening silence to fill the chamber as Jae-Seong smiled, looking at the Knight of Sin who remained statuesque.

    "Still ins," It''s a tertiary spell that does nothing after being cast, but the moment it extends--it simply overrides whatever magic already exists in the room. A clean te, a reset, whatever fits best. Pretty handy, Jae-Seong thought.

    "An impossibility. Fluke. Unreasonable. For the king."

    "Not really. In all honesty, you''re just pretty weak."

    Jae-Seong taunted while waving one hand casually; his words seemed to dig beneath the armor clinging to the skin of the four-armed knight as he became quaking with rage.

    "Die. Die. Die. For the king."

    "Saying it out loud won''t make it any more possible. But, if you''re that set on pursuing the unreachable, then have a go at it."

    His calmly spoken, yet stinging words invoked an attack from the towering, monstrous knight--though Jae-Seong vanished from the sharp edge of each of the four, swung weapons with ease.

    As the Knight of Sin shed at the air where the otherworlder once stood, the curly-haired man dressed in only a simple, sable tank top and baggy pants appeared directly behind him with an uncaring expression written over his fair face.

    I''ve never considered myself much of a "mage" while in this world. I guess sometimes that can give people the wrong idea; that I''m not very adept with magic.

    That''s just the problem though: I''m just way too damn good at it. Boringly so. It''s no different than my time on Earth. Anything I wanted to do, I did. I became a world-ss pop singer, ruling the music industry. Then, almost as a joke, I became a boxer...soon bing an undefeated champion. It''s just so damn boring.

    It was my intention toe to this ce for a bit of fun, but look where thatnded me...my own hubris got someone killed.

    I lost any right to have fun, Jae-Seong thought.

    "I''m an idiot, aren''t I?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Jae-Seong spoke to himself, looking up at the dazzling chandelier of opulent crystals that hang from the gilded metal.

    "Die. Die. Die. For The King."

    --From behind the spaced out man, the amalgamate knight dashed forth with each of its weapons reared back, trailing with a howling, malicious mysticism.

    However, in the moment that existed between the meeting of des and the flesh of a human, Jae-Seong turned back, looking straight at the iing knight with his golden irises that held no remorse--in fact, the opposite.

    An abundance of maliceid there in those eyes; a wave of ckness overtook the radiant sheen momentarily as a boundless bloodlust oozed off of Jae-Seong''s self.

    Sensing this was enough for the Knight of Sin to prematurely stop his attack, driving his boot against the marble floor with a resounding crack to halt his speedy maneuver before jumping back, all in one movement.

    Jae-Seong rolled his shoulders without any recognition of his opponent, who kept a cautious distance from the man.

    Ren Nakamura, it''s fair to say, I owe you my life. Even if it''s just until we reach the victory line of this realm, I will assist you with everything I have--that''s a promise, from one otherworlder to another, Jae-Seong thought, so let me prove myself.

    Raising a single fist in front of his chest, he smiled as his silver ne swayed, lifting his arm higher as his muscles tightened and bulkened--straining with visible veins as a stream of violent wind spiraled around his limb.

    "If you want to just stand there and watch, be my guess. But, if you want to give me your best shot--I''ll meet you halfway."

    Jae-Seong spoke to the statuesque knight who remained a safe distance from the otherworlder. His words seemed to fall with meaning onto the Knight of Sin''s ears as the sentinel paused for a few seconds before raising all four of its arms, gathering a spectrum of magical energy around itself.

    "That''s more like it. I know knights like you prefer to die in battle. Honor and all of that jazz," Jae-Seong smiled, "In that case, I won''t hold anything out on you; it''s nothing fancy, but I''ll throw a punch with all of my might...It''s about time I finally show off what it means to be a "Heavenly King", right?"

    Wordlessly, the four-armed sentinel epted this challenge by broadening its stance, sending a tremor through the royal domain as the mixture of crimson, azure, sable, and golden lights surrounded him with a miraculous disy.

    Well, even if I just call it a "punch", there''s only been two people to survive it: Doraku and that beastly general, Jae-Seong thought.

    In the moment it took to initially raise his fist, the preparations for his attack were alreadyplete; it was simply a formality that he waited for the maddened sentinel to prepare his own assault.

    The very moment the Knight of Sin carved his set of immacte weapons through the air, carrying in their path a blight itself with bountiful energy clinging to the steel, Jae-Seong threw his fist in response.

    It would be impossible to keep up with; the perfect form of Jae-Seong straight right punch. Surpassing the limitations of flesh, space distorted around his callused fist as his knuckles became the very instrument of destruction.

    From the knight''s four-set swing, the colorful energies mixed andbined into a radiant, potent tunnel of eradication that charged towards the otherworlder.

    --As quick as the mystical energy was born, it was erased; overwhelmed by the simple thrust of Jae-Seong''s wind-coated fist, the heavenly mixture of magical energy was parted, resulting in the flooring being carved apart as the wind wickedly cracked and boomed.

    Not very knightly of you, is that? Jae-Seong thought.

    Mixed in the assault, the Knight of Sin had thrown in a volley of unseen des, but they were simply discarded by the passing winds of Jae-Seong''s blow.

    "A simple punch," a term unrecognizable when witnessing the natural disaster that followed in its wake; the resulting winds gripped the very foundation of the tertiary spell''s domain, violently shaking it. To any unfortunate enough to ever find themselves in the vicinity of the Heavenly King''s "simple punch", their eardrums would likely rupture vtilely--if not the rest of their body; this was a fact Jae-Seong knew well, a fact that normally restrained this showing of power around hisrades.

    Traveling forward without hindrance, the wind from the thrown punch met the sentinel harshly--meeting its destination with a shock wave that decimated the tertiary magic, allowing the walls to close back in.

    Standing in the center of the chamber returned to its normal size, Jae-Seong lowered his fist as he looked at the state of his opponent, who was slumped against the dested, marble wall that had been cratered in.

    "You were pretty strong after all, knight."

    Jae-Seong spoke calmly, though it was unlikely his words met any listening ears as the Knight of Sin was obliterated; dead on impact.

    From every slight opening of the dented and caved-in armor the knight wore, blood poured out, though the knight''s grip didn''t falter from his weapons, even in death.

 Chapter 362 - The Grandeur Of A King

    The moment his heel left the softness of the verdant grass to dash forward, the same came from the floor guardian.

    In that moment, they both vanished from Iris'' sight as she concentrated her reinforcement around her senses to be able to keep up��witnessing the two sh steel against steel.

    They''re so fast��it''s taking everything I have just to watch them, Iris thought.

    As their des shed, a shock wave that signified their strength swept through the flowery fields with an ear-popping roar.

    Ren held on, pushing back against therge king''s legendary de as his arms trembled in the contest of strength before he was finally pushed back.

    Having his own de repelled, Ren caught himself, shifting his upper body to evade the swiftbo of sword shes that the king attempted to cut him down with.

    "There!"

    Ren called out as his ascended senses brought him to his optimal action; ducking beneath a vertical sh of the giant knight as he shot his palm up against his foe''s elbow.

    The swift strikepromised the king for a moment as his arm fell limp, giving Ren enough time to create space between them with a jump back as his ck cape flowed behind him.

    This power��he''s definitely stronger now; is it this ce that''s causing that? Either way, I''ve got to be careful, Ren thought.

    "Let''s try this one out."

    Ren spoke as he held his hand out towards the approaching king who sprinted towards him with his iridescent de dragging behind him.

    "Heaven", or rather, the mind, is the principle that allows me to manipte both my own spectrum of emotions and also whoever else I desire. Let''s see: are you an exception to that rule, King Arthur? Ren asked himself.

    "Fear."

    --The white-haired young manmanded through a single word as he snapped his fingers. An intangible quake shot through the fresh air of morning dew like a subconscious thunderp--halting the knight in his tracks as his oozing malice fell to a halt just as well.

    Groaning out through his clenched teeth, the hollow king stumbled about, backing away from the creator of the sudden, inexplicable fear.

    "Iris!"

    Ren gave his signal in a shout as the foe was temporarily halted, having been enveloped in absolute, primal fear.

    "Right! Helios: Olympus Arrows!"

    She yelled out her incantation, manifesting and releasing a potent barrage of light arrows from her extended palms towards the fear-stricken king.

    Running alongside these projectiles of mystical light, Ren carried Belus at his side with his golden-eyes set on the floor guardian.

    Piercing through the mystical air of the domain of utopian nature, the radiant arrows shot forward with a speed that left a trail of light in the wind before the first pierced the king''s armor, stabbing into his left arm.

    Nice, Iris! Ren thought.

    Though the moment the arrow struck the king, he was freed from his trance of fear, swiftly ducking his tall body beneath the volley of magical arrows as his light, golden locks brushed in the passing wind.

    As if connecting his evasion into his attack with one movement, he drug Excalibur through the patch of flowers to intercept the iing strike from his white-haired opponent, leaving Ren in another contest of strength with the king.

    Did he break out of it on his own? Or did the pain from the arrow knock him out of it? By the timing, I''d say thetter, Ren thought.

    Being brought to such close proximity to the king, he was on the receiving end of his lifeless, silent gaze devoid of the soul he previously spoke to; finding his position pressed as his boots began to slide against the verdant floor from the pure strength of the king.

    Even despite holding the inferior strength in this sh, Ren found his opportunity as he quickly spun to the side, causing the wordless guardian to momentarily step forward. Using this chance, the snowy-haired young man mmed his palm against the king''s decorated breastte.

    All of the bad karma you''ve got stored up inside of you...let''s see how you handle it being detonated from within! Ren thought.

    "Negative Karma: Extinguish!"

    With thismand from the enlightened warrior, a quake reverberated through the tall-standing knight, who was left stunned by the otherworldly power activated against his own spirit.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The paleplexion of the silent king shifted to a strained red as his dormant veins slithered across his skin, protruding as his sclera shared in a reddened hue.

    Keeping his hand pressed against the cold steel of King Arthur''s breastte, Ren didn''t let up--continuing to trigger the negative karma within his foe.

    While Ren managed to bring the rampant guardian back to a halt, Iris knew not to waste the opportunity as she interlocked her fingers, closing her eyes as a warm aura clung to her body.

    "Hear me, great son of the king of divinity, the sapling of that who brings the roars of the heavens down upon his foes, brother of the goddess who basks in the moonlight. Most reasonable of all who inhabit the heavens, he who has gifted us our music and culture, grant me the power to strike down my enemy with your blessings."

    Iris'' words linked to radiant great magic manifested in the form of an artificial sunshine peering down on the battlefield from above, spawning from a formless cloud of absolute light that lingered in the sky ruled by trees.

    Extending the duration of the extinguish to its maximum, Ren watched as the strained king finally began to move again, slowly raising his gant, gold-tinged de to the sky even as his nose poured out with ckened blood.

    It''s now or never, Iris��! Ren thought.

    "Apollo: Malicious Benevolence!"

    The yell pouring from Iris'' lips invoked the looming radiance, causing its golden light to crash down just before the king swung his de down--halting him as the light engulfed his entire being in a scorching, divine heat.

    Though the light was seething with malice for the king, it graced Ren''s skin like the soft touch of a masseuse, caressing his tired body back into peak condition.

    "Amazing��"

    Ren muttered as he felt the light reinvigorate him, momentarily losing his focus in battle as he watched the divine radiance trickle down like a heavenly snowfall.

    On the other hand, he looked up to see the coating of light berate the king with its malicious heat, causing the king to groan out as he stumbled back, swinging his sword around wildly at the unseen enemy--making Ren fall back as to not be coteral.

    "Excalibur: Expel!"

    --With a stoic voice that rose to a yell, the husk of a king pointed his treasured sword to the heavens as its luminescence overwrote Iris'' great magic, expelling it with a thunderp of brief, but powerful magic.

    "...So you can still talk, huh, zomb-king?"

    Ren released a sigh as he witnessed the sh of radiance, keeping his guard up.

    Clearing the seraphic light malicious only to himself, King Arthur returned to his lifeless stance with bubbling, welted skin that was scabbed and peeling, dripping blood from his bursted wounds.

    Perhaps even more unsettling, the sizzling was reced by a mist that scaled his wounds, closing his blemishes and returning his skin to its previous condition as if reversing time itself.

    "Regeneration? Talk about unfair��"

    Ren muttered as he reunited with Iris, keeping himself in a stance that allowed him to guard her in the event of a swift attack.

    "I didn''t notice anything like that before we were brought into his tertiary spell...There wasn''t any sort of incantation either; it''s probably something unique to this ce. Do you suppose it has limits?"

    "It''d be scary to believe otherwise--"

    As Ren spoke, his words trailed off as his eyes caught onto the harrowing scene before him; the king raised his de with both hands wrapped around its hilt while a viscous wind spiraled around his form.

    Iris recognized it at the same moment--the amount of magical energy gathered entered a stratosphere that sat beyond the norm of magic. Etching its existence into the seemingly boundless, utopian stretch of flowers, the imposing wind curved each de of grass under its gathering torque.

    "Grandiose Magic"--it was a term Ren only recently learned through studying the grimoire he obtained. It is the pinnacle of magecraft, categorized by its ability to ess a boundless form, only limited by the user themselves.

    Such was the case for the storm that gathered around the promised sword, a realization both Ren and Iris came to without speaking a word.

    My ears...it feels like someone is screaming directly into them! Ren thought, I can''t use Heaven on him if he can''t even hear my snap! This is bad...

    Commanded by both the king and his de, the air howled, increasing in turbulence to such a degree that the two could feel their position on the ground being contested by the wind''s abrasive pull.

 Chapter 363 - Believe In Me

    Above them, the colossal sky of branches and verdant leaves shook violently in the storm that focused around Excalibur.

    "You wouldn''t happen to have anything that can deal with that, do you?"

    Ren forced his words out through the suffocating gathering of wind, barely holding himself in ce as the sharp wind violently fiddled with his cloak.

    "...I was going to ask you that."

    Iris replied with an answer that left them both without any present options but to witness the birth of such vast magecraft.

    "...But, if it''s a st of wind, I might be able to stop it��! Hyperion: Protection!"

    cing her hands in front of herself, Iris shouted as she manifested a dense, golden shield of radiant magic between the violent wind and themselves.

    "Nice thinking!--Wait a second."

    --Something caught Ren''s attention once more; a droplet of cold, clear water fell onto his cheek. It wouldn''t have been such an unusual concept if they weren''t standing under a high-stretching ceiling of leaves.

    "Ren?"

    Matching his lifted gaze, Iris muttered his name before looking up as well--greeted by a few brisk rain drops.

    It was parting. The bed of endless leaves parted in way of the gathering wind, allowing in an enigmatic array of somber clouds that stretched themselves across the newly opened sky.

    This is all...one spell? Is this what the high-end of magic looks like in this world?...Ren thought.

    Cementing in the imposing magecraft, thunder roared out with a boom that sent a tremor through both the air and the dirt they stood on.

    Asmonly known, regretfully to Ren, thunder wasn''t one to travel alone with only hollow threats; shing through the newly arriving clouds, dormant lightning surged through the stormy clouds.

    An ungodly tempest; all born from the tall-standing, hollow king who remained wordless in his grand endeavor to annihte his challengers with one, fell swoop.

    "Sorry, but we have to move!"

    Without warning, he scooped the young woman up with one arm as she froze for a moment from the sudden, unexpected action. He didn''t say a single word before beginning to run with Iris in his hold, moving away from the stationary king as to avoid the finale of the crescendoing tempest.

    "Ren, what''re you--!"

    --Before she could even muster a sentence while looking up at the white-haired young man, her question was quenched by an azure smiting that crashed down upon the world directly behind them.

    The heat grazed Ren''s heel, pushing him to move faster as the heated wind that followed the lightning strike pushed him forth.

    Gotta keep moving! Gotta keep moving��! He thought.

    Not a secondter, the once magnificent, vibrant stretch of flower-filled fields was inhabited by a valley of lightning, each second, dozens of the malicious roars of the heavens crashed down--razing the world below.

    There''s too many--it''s impossible to dodge this much, Ren thought.

    "Cover our top!"

    "Got it!"

    Holding one arm up towards the dread-inducing sky above, Iris manifested her barrier of light above them like a holy umbre.

    While he did his best to dance around the malicious bolts of azure lightning that crashed down, Iris defended against the ones he couldn''t as they roughly pelted against the barrier.

    "Nnghh��!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    She winced as even defending against the abrasive smiting with a barrier still allowed her to feel the strength of it surge through her body.

    I won''t stop��! Even if it''s not much, I''ll do what I can! Iris thought.

    It felt endless; as many droplets fell in a nightly storm, the same army of bolts shot down--though Ren managed to evade most of them through his heightened senses and physical prowess.

    Even as he maneuvered swiftly with the girl in his arm, he held his de tightly, ncing at the stationary, storm-shrouded king as often as he could.

    I''m not just running around without a n; I can feel it--you''re about to unleash something pretty damn crazy, aren''t you, king? Ren thought, well, I''ll be ready for it. Give me your best shot; I''ll ept it as your parting gift.

    Atst, the flurry of lightning bolts seized as the thunder seemed to coalesce in the spiraling formation of clouds above the upheld, radiant sword.

    It was a sight that brought the two to a halt as sunlight began to pour in through the somber clouds; the massive tempestbined into a pir extended from the king''s origin. A storm born from the king''s call, loyal to the divinity of his treasured de, Excalibur--the gathered, condensed storm, filled with roaring, shing thunder, exhibited a size able to rival mountains.

    Cascading down, the grace of the long since absent morning star illuminated over the hollow king.

    There was no escaping it, this was a fact Ren knew well from one look at the immacte disy of grandiose magic.

    Something that big...it could swallow an entire region; he''s really going all-out, isn''t he? Ren thought.

    Setting the girl down, Ren stepped forward despite his senses urging him to flee before the unmatched, divine tempest.

    "Iris, we have to meet it head on. There''s no way around it."

    "...I know, but how? Something like that...it''s too much. Just standing in front of it, I can feel how powerful it is: magecraft on this level could destroy Grandeuve...how''re we supposed to fight against something like that, Ren?"

    As Iris asked this with a look in her eyes that sat between dread and awe, he remained silent for a moment as he looked down before taking in a deep breath. Looking at his own two hands, they trembled a bit; whether it was by the fearsome wind or his guing thoughts, he chose not to think about the answer.

    "I have something. It could work...it has to work. There''s really

    no other choice; you understand, right, Iris?"

    Ren looked back at the young woman as her lips fell agape for a moment as her eyes glistened, reluctantly nodding her head.

    "Just stay behind me and believe in me. Even if it looks bad, promise that you''ll stay back."

    "..."

    "Iris!"

    There wasn''t any time for doubt; if we was going to move forward andmit to this action that meant life-or-death for him, but more important Iris, he needed no doubts to be shared.

    As he looked at her for her answer while she shut her eyes tightly, keeping her hands close to her chest, he felt the shift in wind that signified a subtle change from the king--a shift from dormancy to taking action.

    "Iris! Promise me!"

    "I promise��!"

    "Good. Thank you��"

    Ren held a trembling smile as he looked up at the roaring tempest that gathered in the rough outline of a de, looming over them with an unavoidable, almighty shadow.

    "Leave it to me."

 Chapter 364 - Dragon Fall

    "This is my grandiose magic...King''s Rain."

    Macheo spoke as his magecraft was set into full-motion; the dazzling, hissing bullets of water moved with a blur as they gathered a melting heat.

    Surrounded by the untraceable projectiles of water, the white-scaled dragon unleashed its wrath upon its heated bindings, thrashing against the ming prison with its ws, teeth, and mes--to little avail.

    "...That''s my strongest barrier, so just sit tight and enjoy the show!"

    Valerie taunted the dragon as she smiled wide, watching from above as she maintained the stability of the fiery prison.

    Maintaining his control of the newly born grandiose magic, Macheo kept quiet as sweat trickled down his cheek, tilting one of the reflective seals. The subtle change in position caused one of the high speed,ser-like bullets of water to shoot against the dragon''s hide.

    Without any trouble, it pierced the immacte scales present on its side.

    "It went through��!"

    Aikomented in surprise, trying to keep track of the speedy droplets.

    "Amazing��please, keep it up!"

    The high elf cheered Macheo on with a yell enveloped in a new resolve.

    Again, Macheo remained silent as he meticulously shifted the position of the seals, causing another group of droplets to pierce through Albus'' defensive scales, shooting directly through its wings.

    This time, Macheo didn''t hold anything back, allowing a storm ofser-like bullets of water to barrage from the dragon from every angle as it becameden in steam.

    From the expected pain, a high-pitched roar escaped Albus'' maw as it writhed, mming against the fiery barrier as it finally cracked.

    "Crap��!"

    Valerie panicked, attempting to reinforce the barrier, but a yell from below stopped her.

    "Don''t! Prepare your own great magic! This is the final push��!"

    ��The Lucrauvian prince shouted without shifting his gaze.

    "Forget defense,mit to offense", that''s the Lucrauvian way, isn''t it? Macheo thought.

    With the angered dragon driven by savage bloodlust boasting its colossal talons and rows of endless teeth, it was a hard request to make.

    "��I''m trusting you on this one, brat."

    Valerie smiled as she began to prepare her own great magic, spinning hernce before pointing it directly towards the grounded dragon.

    A deep breath was required to be taken, calming herself in the scenery of ivory fields of grass, hovering below the sky of endless, upside down trees--but most importantly, settling her anxieties as the great dragon began to break free from its hold.

    "God of the hearth, the one who sits at the forefront of benevolence for mankind, yet is feared for his malice towards others, aid me now."

    Beginning her incantation, a ring of mes encircled her, spinning as three spheres of burning grace ran along the ring.

    As Albus mmed its massive ws against the barrier once more, it shattered its prison, breaking free as it roared out and began crawling forward rapidly towards the three on the ground.

    "Leave it to me!"

    Fedrin yelled out as he raised his aged staff, allowing the magic crystal embedded in its glow as he confronted the savage dragon.

    "Gaia: Enroot!"

    As the high elf shouted the incantation with everything he had, the soil that the dragon walked upon awakened--producing and extending like a set of massive, unyielding arms that sped around its legs.

    "Nice, Fedrin!"

    Macheo spoke without turning his gaze, swiping his arm as hemanded the water bullets to shoot against the binded beast.

    Parading down on its scales like an apocalyptic rain, the heated, fast-moving droplets pierced its thick hide, causing Albus to roar out in agony.

    "Don''t give it any chance! Give it everything you''ve got!"

    Once more, Macheo yelled, this time spurring Aiko into action as she swiftly dashed towards the encumbered beast, jumping up as a trail of light followed her legs.

    There''s one thing not sealed shut...and it''s this big mouth of yours! Aiko thought.

    Predicting that Albus would use its signature weapon--the mes born within the pits of its primordial stomach--Aikonded a viscous, radiant kick against its chin just as it began to part its maw.

    Witnessing the impact of her kick cause the imposing dragon to wince and falter in its viscous assault, Aiko fell overawe as shended back down on the ground.

    ...I couldn''t even hurt it before. It must be because King''s Rain weakened its scales...you''re amazing, Macheo, Aiko thought as she looked back at the prince.

    "Get back, idiot!"

    Macheo''s yell didn''t take her out of the moment as she smiled to herself, rushing back over towards the other two as they could all sense Valerie''s great magic nearingpletion. In the air absent of a true sky, the draconic knight sat like the radiant, morning star as mes birthed themselves around her.

    "For the betterment of civilization, you burn away those who seek to disrupt it. That is your scorching, bright kindness, God of the Hearth. That is why, I ask of thee, beseech that kindness onto this battlefield!"

    Valerie''s words were carried and enveloped by her ming aura that roared out as she raised her voice.

    --Before the great magic could reach its pinnacle, the desperate dragon set its own mes against its bound limbs, burning away the solidified soil that wrapped around its legs before pointing its oldened gaze to the draconic woman in the sky.

    Left silent for a moment as her mind was wrapped on the great magic she was weaving, Valerie watched as Albus parted its maw directly at her--witnessing the azure destruction bubble in its throat.

    Shit��! It''s ignoring my attacks now! It''s set on her! Macheo thought.

    Just as Macheo, Fedrin, and Aiko began to rush forward without a n--something else arrived. A miracle was needed, and it seemed one had been answered. Arge set of shadows, followed by a glistening trail that shifted between a kaleidoscope of lights, fell through the sky with their destination set on the malicious, great beast.

    "Humph!"

    "Hyah!"

    Together, two voices yelled out as a duo of figures crashed against the colossal dragon with a terrain-shaking force. From one of the two, the unknown entity unleashed a sword strike that razed the field, cutting through the soil cleanly with a divine elegance. However, the other fell on the opposite spectrum, mming down a blunt weapon atop the dragon''s head to force its maw shut.

    "What the��? It can''t be��"

    Macheo looked up after the shock wave dissipated, setting his eyes on the two, mysterious figures thatnded back down on the light, ivory grass.

    One was a slender man, dressed in immacte robes designed with the many flowers of spring--bearing lengthy, flowing locks of a verdantplexion that were simply unmistakable. Beyond that, the precious de he wielded was a one-of-a-kind.

    It''s that guy from the Champion''s Culling...Mencius. But why? And that''s...Macheo looked.

    But it was Valerie who recognized the second figure first, nearly falling to tears as the edges of her eyes held back the emotional aqua.

    "Hongse!"

    Calling out the name of the crimson-furred panda that stood side-to-side with Mencius, Valerie''s yell caught the attention of the ever-leisurely demi-human, who looked up at the draconic, crimson-haired woman with a goofy smile, waving his hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yo!"

    "...Get back, you big idiot!"

    Valeriemanded while trying to maintain her scaly, tough exterior. Noticing the immense aura around hispanion, Hongse simply let out an "oh!" before pulling Mencius back with him, reuniting with Macheo''s side.

    "You''ve got perfect timing, you know that?"

    Macheo spoke with a smile as sweat dropped from his chin, looking up at both the tall panda and the slender, Jinyuan man.

    "Well, I got lucky I ran into Mencius as I was on my way back!"

    pping his own chest, therge panda boasted his own luck--something that the others didn''t quite understand.

    "Really though...what''re you doing here?"

    The golden-haired prince turned his attention to Mencius, who stood out with his serene, spring robes not garnered for battle.

    "Heh, a silly question, isn''t it? I am a Purgatory participant as well; why would I ignore such a splendid opportunity? Two makes better than one...and well, your group is a lot bigger than two."

    "Either way...we''ve got it dead to rights, with your help. Finish it, Valerie!"

    Turning his gaze back to the draconic knight stationed in the air, Macheo yelled out from the top of his lungs.

    Still groggy from the dual-attack it suffered, the dragon finally regained its senses as it shook its head--but it was toote.

    "Kojin: Impurity Rinsed!"

    --Shouting out the true name designating the great magic, Valerie''s call ushered in a formation of shing mes that morphed above the dragon.

    "...That looks...dangerous."

    Menciusmented as he squinted up at therge coalescence of burning, bright mes that began to fall towards Albus.

    "Crap! You''re right!...Get back!"

    Realizing just how close in proximity to the mes they were, Macheo''s words ushered the group away as they sprinted in the opposing direction of the roaring inferno.

    Even from the distance it sat from them, its heat could be felt, stretching through the ivory fields as the grass was set alit. As if challenged by the great, descending form of mes, Albus roared out to it before the sphere of mes stopped midair.

    Decimate! Valeriemanded.

    With her will, the enormous sphere rapidly expanded, encapsting the direct area around the great dragon before settling into arge, crimson hearth that held Albus within it. A spiraling array of mes ignited the surrounding fields, razing the colorless foliage as a storm of steam unleashed from the oversized hearth.

    Stopping to witness this great magic, the group halted at a safe distance, still feeling the heat as the wind was reced by an inescapable warmth.

    "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

    Hongse let out a sharp gasp as he hugged his own, fur-d body.

    "Was she trying to kill us?!"

    Macheo released sharply as he held his arm out in front of him to mitigate the abrasive, hot winds that pelted against his body.

    Still, the agonized roars of the great dragon caught within the bowels of the godly hearth settled any contention to the magic.

    For the draconic knight, she could only feel pride from the howls of the ancient dragon, witnessing the vibrant glow of the colossal hearth as it elerated with boundless heat. It was a feat only possible by the fatal damage done by the Lucrauvian''s grandiose magic, leaving the thought-to-be unbreakable scales of Albus softened.

    I can feel it...the blood of my ancestors...they''re proud; pushing me forward with such vigor. What kind of luck is this? To be the one in my family to settle this, once and for all��! Fall and rest, Albus! Valerie thought.

    Atst, the temperature within reached its pinnacle as the formless top exploded, releasing a pir of steam that rose like a grand column--exhibiting such heat that it would surely reduce anything it met into nothingness.

    With that signal, the pained howls of Albus stopped, just as the massive aura of magical energy settled.

    "...Rest well, Albus."

    Valerie whispered as the massive hearth of mes dissipated, revealing the lifeless dragon, having been reduced to nothing but a steaming skeleton.

    "It''s hard to believe it''s actually dead��"

    Macheo muttered as he inspected the steaming husk of Albus, crouching down in front of its skull that dwarfed him a dozen times over.

    "That''s what it gets for munching on me! It''s a horrible feeling, you know!"

    "Isn''t that kind of karmic justice though��?"

    Aiko whispered in response to the panda''sints to the already deceased dragon.

    "No crimson coins, huh? Kind of feels like we got ripped off for the effort we put in."

    Standing back up, Macheo sighed as he ruffled his own golden locks, turning to Valerie who was reached down to retrieve something from Albus'' gargantuan hand.

    "Find something?"

    "Just a little souvenir, I guess. I''ll get something made out of it when I get back home."

    Valerie smiled slightly as she showed the group what it was she retrieved: one of the giant ws belonging to the fallen dragon of old.

    "The w of a dragon is extremely valuable. I''m sure in the right hands, something beautiful can be made."

    The high elf spoke with an aged smile as he looked upon therge, sharp bone. Clearly exhausted by the battle that had transpired, he had taken a seat on the steaming, bone-formed hand of Albus.

    "...That''s right! We need to help Ren and the others!"

    Aiko suddenly spoke up, causing the others to jump from the unexpected raise in volume from the quiet girl.

    "Argh, crap...you''re right. Damn, just when I thought it was over."

    Scratching his head, Macheo let out a disheveled sigh before looking at the verdant-haired guest who was remaining silent for the most part.

    "Mencius, right? I''m guessing you''re trying to tag along with us, is that it?"

    "Well, if it wouldn''t be of any trouble."

    Mencius gave his response with a warm smile, keeping his arms neatly tucked into their baggy sleeves.

    From the expressions present on everyone else''s faces, Macheo could surmise that they really didn''t care either way.

    More the merrier, eh, Ren? Macheo sighed.

    "Fine, but you''re just a temporary member for now!"

 Chapter 365 - Vajra

    Taking in one more breath that was fought against the dense, sharp storm, he marched forward with a throbbing heart.

    Calm down, he thought.

    It wasn''t just him telling himself it, hemanded it of himself--allowing the thumping of his anxious heart to settle as his breathing steadied.

    "This is weird��"

    Even standing before something as crazy as this, I can be as calm as if I was experiencing a tranquil dream, he thought.

    Atst, the king finished building his extensive grandiose magic, pulling his mighty de down as he brought with it the roaring tempest. As it began to fall down directly in the path towards the young man, an endless howl was apanied by a dozen thunderps that signaled its swift approach.

    It doesn''t matter if I die, I cane back. But, for Iris, that''s a different story. So...I''ll use this. It''s weird; it''s not like I''ve ever learned of its name or nature, but it''s just naturally known to my mind. It''s scary...there''s no other answering to my mind. So this is my only path to victory, isn''t it? Even so, I can sense it...my mind and body are telling me this ability is on a level I''m not ready to handle yet.

    Sounds like just the type of ability I need right now, Ren smiled.

    Readying his body, he rxed his stiffened, anxious muscles with a soft breath that was fought for in the wild tempest. Everything was blocked from his senses, everything but the warmth of his blood as it traversed his veins, and the melodic beating of his heart.

    Shout it out and win, he thought.

    " Let the chime of the world''s bell grant me strength. Be like a diamond; indestructible. Be like a thunderbolt; fearsome and surging with power. Godhead: Vajra!"

    Like the scales of a dragon, hexagonal patterns stretched over his form, taking on a celestialplexion as a mixture of divine energies anchored to him.

    Descending down as a personal apocalypse, the tempest crashed against his body with a blinding force. Immediately, he was engulfed in its viscous, spiraling nature that shredded any solid matter it came into contact with--but, even so, he withstood it, holding it back with his body.

    It hurts. It hurts. It''s so heavy...so powerful--I can feel it trying to peel me apart, rip me limb from limb--all across my body��! He thought.

    With such acute pain surging through his body as if a thousand daggers sailed across his skin, he used Heaven to nullify his own sense of pain.

    But, somehow, it didn''t work. Though the pain was dulled, it still existed��burning into his skin with enough pain to make a man foam at the mouth. It wasn''t just a tunnel of erratic, malicious wind that engulfed him in its somber form; shing around him and pelting his body was lightning that never rested.

    How is this possible? Don''t tell me his magic has a special property? Is it magic negation? No��that wouldn''t be able to interfere with an innate ability. It''s something higher than that, Ren surmised.

    As the wild tempest pushed against him like a hulking colossus, he dug his soles into the ground, pushing back against it with his mystical body as he roared out, though it came out in a painful groan.

    Keep it back, Ren! Keep it...away! He told himself.

    Pressured from all sides by the unbelievable weight and strength of the mountainous, controlled storm, he could feel the sensation of blood trickling from his ears and nostrils, tasting it against his tongue as his gums stung violently.

    I''m going to die��! He thought.

    It was a natural thought to be thrust forth in the belly of a grandiose beast; he could hardly see his own arms extended in front of him through the thick, blinding storm, but the evacuation of his own crimson blood through his pores was unmistakable.

    Grit your teeth and bear it��! If I can just survive this, I can win! He thought.

    Amidst such a ce, surrounded by nothing by sharp, eviscerating winds and burning shrouds of lightning that never ceased--he allowed his mind to retreat.

    "Keep it back,"--it was themand he gave to himself as the pain and pressure became too much, his lost blood being pulled into the colossal storm as it reddened with his essence.

    Against its ears it roared with never ending thunderps, mming against his body with its almighty pressure as he could only stand there and bear it.

    It seemed to be an eternity before it finally came to an end; the guided tempest dissipated, leaving him standing in a carved chunk ofnd as if it had been excavated for all it had.

    "...I did it?"

    Ren asked weakly, still standing as his vision was blurry. It took a moment for his senses to return as he looked down at his body; his cloak and coat had been evisceratedpletely by the wind--leaving only half of his torn, sable tunic over his torso.

    Every inch of his body seemed to be either coated in his own, running blood, or marked by a cut by the dissipated tempest. Stretching from his left shoulder, over his chest, and down to the right side of his waist, a ravine of fresh scarlet existed, born from a deep evisceration to his flesh.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He watched as the culmination of his countless wounds gathered; trickling down his arms, a small stream of blood rained down on the dested dirt.

    "Ren��!"

    Iris shouted painfully from her throat at the sight of the eviscerated young man. Even in the state he was in, the resolve embedded in his seraphic, golden eyes wasn''t worried--raising his hand to the air as he halted the young woman in her tracks.

    "Iris! Stay back."

    "Huh��?"

    "Remember what I told you��? Trust me. I''ve got this handled."

    As he spoke through heavy breaths with lips diced andden with blood, he looked back at her briefly with a small smile.

    A couple dozen meters in front of him, the hollow king lowered his de as he stood on the sole patch of flowers untouched by his destructive attack, watching the young man with his lifeless emeralds.

    That''s right, look at me, Ren thought.

    Clenching his trembling fist as he squeezed the freshly flowing scarlet from his wounds, Ren ced a confident smile across his bloodied lips as strands of lightning that exhibited an array of lights flickering between red, blue, purple, and ck danced around his raised arm.

    "...Vajra is a two-act performance, Arthur."

    Before the king could move, a column of celestial magecraft imprisoned him within its hold; reaching from the ground to above the the seeable heights of the sky above.

    "Unbreakable" The defensive ability that let me survive that st...that''s the first part of Vajra, but it''s not thest. Unbreakable also allowed me to convert the energy from that attack into mana...letting my tap into Vajra''s trump card! This isn''t something I''d be able to use by myself, not by a long shot, but you charged me right up! Ren thought.

    Shooting up from his raised arm, the colorful strands of lightning extended into the still present clouds, overwriting and shifting them into star-like, spiral seals that centered above the sky-high prison that ensnared the king.

    Iris could only fall silent, witnessing the beautiful array of cosmic lights that filled the cosmic domain as if the realm of stars brought itself down right in front of her.

    Shifting into ce like the gears of the heavens, the humming, celestial seals became ingrained with the column, spinning as the roar of pinnacle magecraft shook the foundation of the domain. As much as the hollow king attempted to escape his bindings, even the blessed strikes of Excalibur couldn''t dent the celestial prison.

    "Godhead: Vajra -- Asura ying Divine Instrument of Indra! Strike, Burn, and Erase!"

    At his call, striking his fist down, an unmatched radiance that shed with a spectrum nearly imperceivable to the naked eye, crashed through the celestial gates--filling the column and striking the king with impunity.

    The moment the celestial retaliation of Vajra fell upon the world like a howling divinity, the entirety of the verdant stretch quaked; heat waves fluctuated rapidly, distorting the space directly around the origin of the st.

    Witnessing the beam of cosmic destruction he summoned continue to batter down against the king now hidden by its utmost light, he huffed before it finally began to settle.

    "...There. I did it��"

    Ren spoke in a shallow breath as he witnessed the meticulous, dense magecraft vanish, allowing the skies to clear again as the flowery fields were left further desecrated.

    The gilded wheels vanished from his eyes, leaving them to burn once more with a familiar pain that left him unable to stand.

    "Hey��!"

    Iris shouted, catching him as he nearly fell over exhausted from the two-stage attack unleashed. Somehow, the pain was duller than thest time; it was still an indescribable pain, but he was able to bear it as he was kept close to Iris.

    "You need to rest��look at you. I''ll heal you."

    She spoke as the young man sat on his knees, cing her hands above his cut and bloodied torso, letting a soft light caress his wounds.

    With such an exhausted body, he could do nothing but sit there and breathe as his wounds were tended to by her magic, looking down at the cold, damp dirt. Staring at the ground, he realized something.

    It''s not disappearing....we''re still inside of this ce, he thought.

 Chapter 366 - Last Stand; A Kings Honor

    "Iris��"

    "Don''t talk. You need to conserve your energy."

    Though she tried to keep him from talking with her stern words, he didn''t n to stop as he gathered his breaths through his burning throat.

    "Iris. We''re still in his domain. That''s not normal, right��?"

    "Huh?...Wait, you''re right. That must mean--"

    Iris stopped short of finishing her words as both her and Ren looked towards the sight of the destruction as the smoke finally faded; standing tall still, though his armor was torn and burned away, the king stood.

    He wasn''t in any better condition than Ren; drenched in ckened, corrupted blood with one of his arms torn from not only armor, but its skin as itid limp at his side, drenched and useless. Even still, the king stood silently, wielding his treasured de with one hand.

    "Straight out of a hero''s tale," is what Ren thought, seeing the king of an old era, standing like an ancient tree embedded into the soil.

    "I should''ve known he''d be stubborn."

    Even that should be too much for you to recover from. No, you probably were going to die but managed to heal...and this is what you''re left with, Ren thought.

    Forcing himself back onto his feet, wincing from moving his body just after attempting to rx, Ren stood as well, much to the dismay of the girl.

    "You can''t��!"

    "I''ve been doing it already."

    This time, he retrieved both his longsword and his dagger as he huffed, struggling to take oxygen into his tired, scorching lungs. Drawing just a breath into his body delivered a wave of pain, brushing against his nerves.

    "But...if you''re so worried, then help me out."

    Ren smiled cheekily, though his lips trembled as his left eye became swollen and shut, already turning ck-and-blue.

    "...You don''t have to say anything. Of course I will."

    She ced herself at his side with a smile; standing together against the foe perceived as insurmountable.

    Just about everything hurts right now. I think I have at least a dozen broken bones. This aching...I''m definitely going to be bruised after this. My eyes are still feeling as if I drenched them in magma. I don''t really know how I''m still standing; is this "warrior''s spirit" or whatever? It doesn''t matter...all that matters is that I''m not done yet, and neither are you. This is ourst sh, Arthur. Just a little longer until you can finally rest, Ren thought.

    "Well, I think we''ll both get some rest."

    Ren smiled as he whispered to himself, raising his des despite his arms wanting nothing more than to hang limp at his sides.

    The moment he learned forward to move, the king followed--ensuing the final act of their battle; the many wounds scaling their bodies as a testament to this truth.

    Before he could fully close the distance, he watched as the bloodied and tattered king raised his glorious de with a single hand as his other arm hung limp, drenched with ckened blood. Even in the decimated state King Arthur''s body was in, it didn''t mitigate the imposing truth of Excalibur''s unmatched potency as it generated a golden radiance.

    "Araphel: ckout!"

    --Ren countered as fast as he could with what little time he had to act. As intended, a flicker of darkness engulfed the king''s senses.

    Temporary as it was, the momentary pause from his towering opponent was all he counted on. With that second awarded to him, he attacked; bringing the edge of Belus down against the king''s shoulder as he leapt into the air to bolster his strike.

    At the same time, arrows of light came in from behind him, striking against King Arthur''s bloodied, unarmored torso with a burning squelch.

    "...Ngh!"

    For the first time since the beginning of their battle, emotion expressed itself across the hollow king''s face as his eyebrows furrowed, coated in blood as the steel of the white-haired young man''s broadsword carved out a chunk of his shoulder.

    Pushing past the pain as if it simply didn''t exist, King Arthur dug the heel of his boots into the soil below, bringing his legendary de down once again.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ren!"

    Iris yelled out, but herpanion was well aware of what wasing; Ren allowed his de to retreat from the king''s hide as he ducked and rolled to the side, out of the zone of Excalibur.

    As the swing was fulfilled in its arc-pathway, the wind hummed and split, bisecting the soil in front of the de. It was a narrow miss, barely avoiding the result of splitting the young man in half, just as the ground had been.

    Ren felt his skin crawl just by feeling the change in air pressure that momentarily urred with the swing of the revered sword, standing still as he witnessed the result of the simple, singr swing while his ears rang.

    Even in that state, he has this much power? I can''t afford to be reckless, Ren thought.

    It was a mistake he realized he made; an error in judgment when entering this final bout. Looking upon the gant, towering form of the bloodied, eviscerated king, he thought he would be lesser.

    Normal logic doesn''t apply to a legend, does it?...He''s King-fucking-Arthur, he''s the King of Knights--for a good reason. I have to treat this fight as if he''s still at one-hundred-percent, or maybe even beyond that, he thought.

    Jumping back into the battle with a clearer mind, he kept his movements quick and unpredictable; dashing around the king beforemitting to any one attack--it was a simple n, maybe a desperate one, but it was all he could think of to avoid the mythical de''s reach.

    Come on, Iris! I''ve got hisplete focus on myself, so give him hell! Ren thought.

    He nced at the girl who upied the backline as if signaling her to strike, which she was already preparing for--weaving her own magic.

    Sweat trailed her cheek as she focused intently, having to decide with only seconds to spare what the proper spell was to use.

    I can''t use anything too destructive...not with him staying so close to the king. What can I do��? What will work? Just do something! Iris thought.

    "Helios: Exo-bind!"

    The pir of light originating from the summoned magecraft sprouted directly behind King Arthur, scaling above the king as a dozen tendrils sprouted like a revolting ribcage.

    Just as the wordless, hollow king turned to face the unknown spell, the writhing tendrils wrapped around his bruised-and-battered body, squeezing tightly without any hesitation.

    Ren corrected his hold is his des of differing sizes as he witnessed the king he ensnared by the luminescent limbs; honing his eyes, he prepared to strike.

    Exo-Bind! Of course--good thinking, Iris! Ren thought.

    From behind the bloodden king, he swung both his broadsword, "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Arge saw of darkness rent the bare back of the defenseless king, resulting in a ssh of corrupted blood.

    Being on the receiving end of this attack, King Arthur attempted to free himself of his bindings, but the tendrils intertwined and strengthened their hold the more he resisted.

    ��Again, Ren went for another sh, but was stopped as the king managed to rip apart the tendrils with his sheer strength. It wasn''t a feat of magic or trickery, but the natural gift of strength embedded into the king''s war-experienced body.

    "No way��!"

    Iris was in disbelief at her spell being dismantled by such means.

    Without any hesitation, the floor guardian resumed his battle as he pivoted with agility unbing of a man his size, facing the young man behind him.

    "Huh��?"

    Ren gasped as Belus was stopped by a swift, turnaround strike from Excalibur.

    It was the same finesse as always; unfettered by his injuries, the king was still amidst his final dance��pushing the young man back as he took to the offense, shing and guiding his de through the air.

    Ren was forced to evade the strikes while pacing backwards, keeping his eyes foremost on the de as its heavenly form cut through the air towards him many times.

    ��Then his luck was cut short.

 Chapter 367 - Warm Triumph

    Stumbling as he tripped over his own feet, he was leftpletely to the whim of that de that loomed over him. It was nothing short of the morning star, though it''s radiance came with dread rather than hope.

    Though a direct hit of the steel missed his legs, the golden air crushed down on his shins while leaving deep cuts in his flesh.

    "Ngh��!"

    Ren gasped in pain as his legs began to immediately bruise and swell up, turning to a shade of purple.

    In such a position, he could only hold his de in front of him as he sat on the grass, hiding behind his weapon as the king raised his own to the air once more.

    "��Licht: Arrow!"

    ��Her words were like a blessing to his ears as the sound of the arrows formed of pure light followed her incantation.

    Before the king could rain down death upon the young man, the arrows prated his back, giving him enough time to find himself on his feet again.

    As he stood, he winced, biting down on his bottom lip as tears lined his eyes from the sea of pain that sparked in his legs.

    It hurts. It hurts. It hurts. Is it broken? Fractured? It hurts so bad��! It feels like my legs are going to snap! Ren thought.

    The adrenaline he knew had to be surging through his body wasn''t aiding him with this pain.

    He attempted to use a proper stance, but he was unsteady as a gpole in a storm as he swayed from his fragile, bruised legs'' instability.

    Still, there was no choice but to stand, no matter the pain or cost--the finish line was agonizingly close.

    I can''t move. If I try to take a step, I''ll fall. Still...there is a way, he thought.

    As he drew in an unsteady breath into his ming lungs, he watched as the king once more went on the offensive, despite the arrows of light embedded into his back.

    Seeing the state he was in, Iris abandoned her position on the backline--rushing forward now despite knowing full well the reservations he had for this oue.

    But, the look in his eyes when he saw the azure-haired girl rushing to his aid told otherwise--he was relieved.

    I can''t win this alone--I know that now, Iris. Asking you to act as the damsel in distress while I shoulder everything...it was immature. We''re in this together! He thought.

    Still, it was simply impossible for her to reach him before the king could swing his gant de against thepromised young man--but Ren knew this already.

    Waiting until the exact moment it was swung, feeling the warmth of the overflowing radiance barely graze his skin--he moved. Not with his own two legs, but with his own, unspoken magecraft that flung him through the shadows.

    Shadow step, he willed.

    Dashing forward through the intangible realm of darkness, he appeared to the side of the king, witnessing a pulsation ravage the verdant field in front of the sword''s path.

    I''m alive!...Holy shit! Ren celebrated in his mind.

    Now he watched as Iris drew in, stopping at a distance safe from the direct edge of Excalibur before pressing her palms together.

    "Hyperion: Protection! Times two!"

    Her incantation confused Ren for a moment, but it was clear what her intentions were the moment both barriers of light formed.

    It wasn''t to protect her from any iing harm, but instead the opposite: it ensnared her opponent.

    Good thinking��! Ren thought.

    Manifesting directly in front of the king and directly behind him, the walls of light magecraft enclosed him in a ustrophobic binding.

    The king attempted to move, but only a few sparse centimeters were afforded to him--leaving him unable to so much as hold his own weapon properly.

    "Ren!"

    "Got it!"

    Knowing full well what had to be done, he moved closer to the trapped guardian with the assistance of another shadow step, stopping just in front of King Arthur, with only the translucent wall between them.

    This is thest of my mana, Arthur. I''m not holding anything out on you, you hear? Ren thought.

    Raising his fist and clenching it tightly shut, he pushed his knuckles against the humming wall as his eyesid on the king.

    "Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    --Forming directly against and within the weakened king, a rapid spiral of shadowy mana coalesced into the form of a drill.<novelnext></novelnext>

    King Arthur had no defenses to hold against the dark drill, sumbing to its violent torque as it prated directly through his abdomen--spinning as the rabid magecraft tore away both ensnaring walls as coteral.

    Only light groans escaped the taut, wordless lips of the hollow king as he stumbled back with the dissipation of the drill--leaving a massive, gaping hole straight through his abdominal region.

    Iris quickly covered her mouth at the grotesque sight, but Ren kept his eyes on the king--not holding anything out.

    "...You''re done, Arthur. It''s time to rest."

    Ren spoke to the guardian, who still remained standing as a river of ck blood poured from the clear passageway through his stomach.

    The king dropped his sword to the ground as the mortality that apanied such wounds finally began to set in on the bulwark of a guardian.

    "I made a promise to you, didn''t I? I''ll follow it through now."

    He spoke softly, sheathing his dagger as he only held Belus in his hands now, holding a somber gaze in his eyes.

    Just this once, listen to me, I need you, Ren thought.

    Asking this of whateverid in the depths of his soul, an answer was received: he could feel the peculiar warmth settle in his left iris--only that one eye shifted into the shape of a golden wheel as he stood in front of the dying guardian.

    "Manjushri."

    Renmanded softly to his de, igniting its beautiful silver with ayer of warm, golden mes.

    Standing next to him, Iris stood quietly at the serene sendoff, feeling a passing wind brush against the endless sea of verdant grass.

    It''s time to sleep, Arthur, he thought.

    There was no reaction from the king, who in his hollow nature was simply resigning to death. With thatck of a reaction came ack of resistance as the young man pierced the enlightened de through the heart of King Arthur.

    The moment the steelden in iridescent mes stabbed through the king, a light returned to his emerald eyes.

    Though it may be believed thevish mes of gold simply scorned negative karma, it was simply not theplete truth. What they bestowed was freedom; the veil of darkness and corruption over the heart of the king was lifted.

    As was done to the great Minotaur, a passage to rest was opened for King Arthur.

    "Ah...you did it. I wasn''t able to see it myself, but I''m sure it was a fantastic battle. I was right about you both��Iris, Ren."

    King Arthur spoke as he leaned against the young man, unable to hold himself as mortality clung to his form.

    He remained silent as the king''s weight rested motionlessly against him, still holding tightly onto the handle of his sword as he could feel the beating of the king''s heart beat melodically, slowing down with each moment.

    "...It''s all returning: myrades, my friends, my family...my people, the kingdom I built. It''s all there...it''s still with me."

    --As he spoke, his body began to resign to its true age; withering away as his essence became intertwined with the traveling winds.

    "Thank you, both of you, you''ve done a kindness to a man with nothing to his name. Go on and surmount this realm, champions."

    With his words as faint as a whisper, the gentle words spoken by the king of a lost kingdom apanied his full departure.

    The warmth of a beating heart, gone.

    There was nobody leaning against him any longer, Ren simply watched as the miniscule particles that were once part of the king carried off into the skies, pushed along by the winds.

    All that remained of the king was his treasured de, resting on the bed of emerald grass.

    "It''s over��"

    Iris finally spoke after a minute of the tranquil somberness persisted, standing directly beside the young man as they both looked down at the mythical de.

    "Yeah. We did it. We won."

    He replied quietly, not moving his eyes from the de; even as it sat there, priceless and unmatched, the thought to keep it for himself didn''t even cross his mind. For the first time in his life, he felt utmost respect for one deemed his opponent.

    Like a shower of rain, the utopian domain began to crumble as aspects of the sky itself glided down.

    Amidst that bittersweet downfall, Iris'' hand naturally guided to his own, holding gently while they patiently stood in the crumbling realm. It was a moment that couldn''t be intruded with words; spoken only with their own hearts, they didn''t feel true triumph, but only a somber victory--not fully for themselves, but perhaps for the king.

    Fading away, the boundless fields of flowers was gone, returning them to the quiet, deste throne room devoid of such beauty.

 Chapter 368 - Beyond The Gates

    Nearly falling over, he was caught by Iris as they both momentarily forgot the condition his body had fallen to. There was hardly an inch of clear skin to be seen; from head to toe, his body was covered incerations,den in blood.

    "Hold on, I''ll heal you��!"

    "...No need."

    --Ren held onto her hand, moving it away from his leaking chest as his rejection of her help left the girl confused.

    "Huh?"

    Iris looked at him with trembling eyes, though her answer came as she matched the direction of his exhausted gaze--arge tremor resounded.

    Behind thevish, engraved throne that sat atop a few, small steps, arge door revealed itself--hidden previously as it blended perfectly with the cobalt wall.

    "...Just beyond that door," Ren coughed up a mixture of crimson and ck, "...there should be a fountain."

    His words weakly met her ears, but Iris knew what he wanted; together, with the young man held close to her for support, they entered the enigmatic keep beyond the throne room.

    As expected, it was a different domain altogether from the castle; air decorated with walls of ck steel that glistened with a star-like pattern. Lining the walls were torches holding verdant mes, illuminating the engravings of humanoids across the metallic walls.

    In the center, the relieving sight of a fountain represented by the statue of a praying maiden waited for him.

    "There it is��"

    Ren smiled with his diced lips before stumbling forward on his own, sinking himself into the crimson pool that inhabited the mystical fountain.

    Being swallowed up by the lukewarm liquid, he could feel the aching of his bones settle as they were mended; the same result met the many cuts on his body, floating about in the crimson pool as his flesh closed and healed.

    ...Not too long ago, this fountain scared the hell out of me. Now I''m thankful for it...it''sforting, even. While I''m in here, I don''t have to worry about anything; I won''t be attacked, hurt, or killed again.

    For just a few moments in this hell, I can feel safe, he thought.

    --But, eventually, he had to resurface. By the time he popped his head out of the holds of the mystical, crimson liquid--and luckily regenerating his precious outfit due to the benevolence of the fountain--he was greeted by an unexpected sight.

    It wasn''t just Iris in the mediary chamber, but quite a few, familiar figures that seemed to have just arrived.

    "You guys��!"

    Ren smiled wide at the sight of hispanions, though most of them didn''t look in quite tip-top shape.

    "Looks like you already handled the Big Bad, bastard."

    Macheo teased as he approached the fountain, dipping his hands into it as his wounds began to close up.

    It wasn''t a few seconds longer before the others dipped their hands into the fountain that served as the confirmation of their triumph.

    After a few minutes, they all gathered around in the in-between chamber; though it became slightly ustrophobic with everyone being tucked in.

    "You really managed to handle that huge dragon? I gotta say...I wasn''t that confident in your chances."

    Ren ced his hand on his chin as he said this, averting his gaze as he felt the insulted stares of hispanions.

    "...Well, I can''t really me you for thinking that. We only won by a hair, really."

    Macheo scoffed as he folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the colossal fountain.

    "That''s true; it was quite the fearsome opponent," Fedrin added, seating himself on a stone bench present in the chamber.

    "Hongse got swallowed up."

    The draconic woman added in a piece of information, with utmost leisure, that met both Ren and Iris with a bit of irony to the gluttonous panda.

    "Don''t make it sound so trivial! It was a traumatic experience, you know!," Hongse barked.

    After they shared augh, Ren''s eyes lingered to the green-haired stranger in the room, who was awfully quiet.

    "What''s the deal with him?"

    His tone took a more serious approach as he stared past the others, straight at the uniquely-dressed man.

    Hongse was the one who chose to answer, "Mencius was already on his way to challenge the floor guardian himself when I bumped into him. He helped defeat the dragon."

    "I can attest to that; it was a glorious sight--they both swooped in like a pair of heroes, those two," Fedrin added with a tiny smile.

    "...I don''t know what would''ve happened if those two didn''t show up when they did," Aiko added while fiddling with her gauntlets.

    Still, Ren was hesitant as he squinted his eyes against Mencius, who nervously scratched his cheek being under such a scrutinizing re.

    "Ren��" Iris nudged him while whispering, "isn''t this for the better? If we''re heading into the final floor, we should have as many allies as possible."

    "I know that. I just want to hear it from him," Ren whispered back.

    He maintained his stern gaze as finally, the verdant-haired schr from Jinyue spoke up on his own, clearing his throat softly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "To be honest with you, I''m not particrly fond of any of you. I''m not looking for "friends" or rades" here."

    Mencius'' stinging words spoken with avender voice immediately sparked a fiery gaze from a few of the group.

    But, he continued before any others could speak up first, "However...I''m not arrogant enough to believe I''m at a level in which I can survive the final floor alone. The second floor would have swallowed me up whole eventually...and I''m sure we can all surmise the final domain of Purgatory is surely something else entirely. So, I ask of you: be allies with Mencius The Spring."

    As Mencius asked this, he bowed down, cing his forehead against the cold steel that made up the flooring.

    Looking between one another, most eyes naturally fell on Ren--it was unspoken, but somehow during their travels together, he assumed a leader position.

    Well, I can''t say no to that...He thought.

    Ruffling his snowy locks, he sighed, "Alright then."

    "Really?"

    Mencius raised his head, though Ren was already standing above him, extending his hand down to the verdant-haired schr.

    The hand was epted, helping Mencius stand as Ren smiled, "Just don''t let us down."

    Settling down, Jae-Seong told of his own battle, though the frivolous way he exined it with only a single, insignificant scratch on his body rubbed the others the wrong way.

    "If it was that strong, then you''re telling us you beat it with just a scratch?" Macheo asked, looking noticeably perturbed by the idea.

    "That''s right! I mean, that''s just what it means to be a Heavenly King of Lucrauv, right?" Jae-Seong confirmed, sliding his fingers through his curly locks.

    "Eh��" Aiko sighed quietly.

    "It''s just beyond this door, huh��?"

    Ren looked up at the ominous, sable gate that was embedded into the cold, smooth, metal walls; a colossal door engraved with an ancientnguage unrecognized to him.

    "The final floor."

    Aiko gulped, feeling a primordial air linger around the massive gate as only the sound of the running fountain of crimson filled the midway chamber.

    "Hey, check this out. Looks like there''s some sort of shop over here."

    Gathering the group''s attention, Macheo stood in front of a peculiar, unfitting door made of rich wood that sat against the leftmost wall. What gave him the idea was the small, easily missable sign with the symbol of a crimson coin drawn onto it.

    "Isn''t the door kind of...tiny?" Iris asked, kneeling down in front of it.

    "Now that you mention it, yeah...Hongse, you might have to sit this one out," Ren replied.

    Hearing his name be used in such a way, the crimson panda huffed and grumbled, "I''m not thatrge!"

    What kind of mirror is he looking at? Ren thought.

    Inspecting the door built half of his own size, he realized there wasn''t a door handle, but only a peculiar door knocker in the form of intertwined, copper fingers.

    "...Give it a knock," Macheo said, standing behind with his arms folded.

    "It''s kind of creepy though," Ren chuckled wryly.

    Hesitantly, he gripped onto the knocker, lightly knocking it against the door three times before releasing it.

    Silence; empty silence followed.

    "Maybe it''s abandoned?" Aiko asked.

    "I doubt that, for better or worse, this ce is actively and meticulously ran," Jae-Seong responded, stepping closer to the door as he squatted beside Ren.

    "Try giving it another shot, maybe?" Valerie said.

    With all of them gathered around him, he didn''t feel much of a choice but to reach for the skin-irking knocker again��but before he could touch it, the door suddenly swung open.

    "Greetings!"

    ��A face suddenly protruded from the other side of the door, greeting him first and foremost without any inclination for his personal space.

    "Huh?!" Ren naturally leaned back to create some room between him and the stranger.

    It definitely wasn''t human, the face that apanied the shrill, nasally voice. In fact, their pale, almost green skin seemed rotted, with strands of colorless locks that stood lifeless.

    Despite that, their eyes were as lively as could be; their entire sclera taking a cobalt glow.

    "Who the hell are you?" Macheo was the first to speak up in the face of the enigmatic visitor.

    "Oh, forgive me," The mysterious man said," I''m the shopkeeper!"

 Chapter 369 - Unexpected Solace

    "Who the hell are you?" Macheo was the first to speak up in the face of the enigmatic visitor.

    "Oh, forgive me," The mysterious man said," I''m the shopkeeper!"

    Though his exnation didn''t cease any of his oddities, still sticking out through the miniature door.

    "It''d be faster to show you rather than to tell! Come,e!"

    The odd man ushered them inside as he disappeared back through the tiny door. Sitting there in silence for a few moments, they looked between one another--questioning the risk of following such a strange figure.

    "...He probably sells shrunken heads," Ren muttered.

    "Don''t joke like that," Iris nudged him with her elbow.

    "You think I''m joking?!" He replied.

    After the group was indecisive on following through, of all people, the quiet, verdant-haired schr took the initiative as he squeezed between the others, crawling through the small entrance of the mystical shop.

    "Should you really be going in so recklessly��?" Ren reached out to Mencius, but the man already entered the shop.

    From what could be seen from the small, ustrophobic entrance, the enigmatic establishment lying behind the door was well lit with a sparkly clean, smooth flooring of wood with an almost nostalgic fragrance of pine to it.

    "...I suppose it''s worth a gander," Fedrin said as he suddenly pushed through, crawling through the door.

    With two already taking the dive, Aiko and Macheo followed through as well--leaving the remaining outside eyes on Ren as he finally caved in with a sigh.

    "Fine, fine, I''ll go!" Not wanting to be any morete, Ren followed through as well.

    He got on his hands and knees, crawling through the small entrance--adjusting the sword at his hip as it briefly got caught on the narrow threshold of the miniature door.

    Being helped onto his feet by Fedrin''s assistance, he rose--lifting his head to a scenery both unexpected and magical.

    "What the��"

    It was all he could utter as he looked up at the vast, immacte space belonging to the shopkeeper; by no means did the peculiar, small entrance represent what existed inside.

    Existing past the doorway as a different domain in itself; squeaky clean, wooden floors that wrapped circrly around an unorthodox tower in the middle of the domain.

    Sometimes this ce really throws me for a loop...sometimes good, sometimes bad, he thought.

    Connecting to the wooden walls, high-set bookshelves and corridors leading to unseen rooms sat high above the ground floor, all supported by velvet bridges. Above it all was a ceiling of stained ss that bore theplexion of the azure sky.

    By the fragrant aroma emitting from the open windows visibly, and by the homey structure of the wooden tower, it didn''t hold any ill intent. Around the colossal tower that stretched high into the ceiling of an unknown height, small shops were set up, run by beings just as peculiar as the self-proimed shopkeeper.

    Shuffling through thest few members of the Weltwanders entered the odd establishment, with the crimson-furred panda having to be assisted in by the pull of Jae-Seong and Valerie.

    "Just what is this ce exactly? This doesn''t strike me as just a simple shop," Mencius asked, stepping forward.

    "A fair question!" The shopkeeper replied, spreading his arms as if presenting the area, "This is Purgatory''s finest and final bazaar, ast reprieve for challengers before continuing to thest floor--"The Warrior''s Resting Ground"! I am Gerund, I call myself the shopkeeper, but it''s more urate to say it''s my job to keep things in check around this bazaar."

    "A name like that doesn''t sound very uplifting��" Ren muttered, peering over the gilded railings.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Below the base floor, a dozen shops waited, lifting a stomach-waking mixture of aroma that drew Ren down the stairs, with Hongse following without hesitation.

    "Oh, great, he''s discovered the food," Valerie sighed.

    "He''s going to spend all of his crimson coins," Aiko added worryingly.

    Though such notions were tossed aside as Gerund waved his hand with a cheerful smile, "Oh, don''t worry about such things for even a moment! Suchmodities are prepared specifically to reward your valor thus far in Purgatory! Eat your fill!"

    "...You''re going to regret saying that," Aiko chuckled wrly.

    "Oh?" Gerund peered back.

    By some fashion of unseen speed, the crimson panda was already gobbling up dumplings at a rapid speed like a fearsome animal ravaging the first food market he encountered. Taking his time, leisurely and without a care in the world, Ren blissfully consumed a pair of onigiri, holding three as he switched between each with every bite.

    "Just like home, but with the spices from this world...so this is what Purgatory is all about, huh? Maybe it''s not so bad after all," Ren spoke with a mouthful, though his words were aimed at the quiet, perplexed merchant.

    "Heaven!...It''s Heaven!" Hongse proimed with words thickened by the grub stuffed in his cheeks.

    "What do you have there? Let me try!" Ren squeezed by therge panda, fighting him for thest remaining, steaming dumpling.

    The others watched with a slight sense of shame, though Iris, Fedrin, and Aiko chuckled at the sight.

    Atst he is able to rx...You''ve worked so hard, Ren, Iris thought.

    "They''re already in their own world," Macheo muttered, though his stomach growled in response to his words.

    "Can''t say I me them. The game we''ve had to hunt isn''t particrly..vish," Jae-Seong smiled.

    A droplet of sweat trickled down Gerund''s cheek as he chuckled, "Well, that''s fine��Anyway, it''d be my pleasure to guide you all through the tower."

    "If you would, please," Fedrin bowed slightly with gratitude.

    As the group began to follow the short-in-stature keeper of the odd domain, Valerie grabbed both Hongse and Ren, retrieving them from their gluttonous indulgences.

    "Woah."

    Ren stopped in front of the group, looking up at the door that served as the weing entrance of the tower.

    Inplete contrast to the tiny entrance before, this door stood firm and tall, taking a more circr shape with amber wood, reinforced by well-kempt metal.

    "Right this way!"

    Gerund stepped up the triple-set of stairs before grabbing onto the handle of therge door, opening it with a wide smile.

    With the parting of the singr gate, a fragrance greeted the entirety of the Weltwanderers. In the midst of Purgatory, and that held in a mixture of wretched smells of death and disease, what met their noses could only be described as "heavenly".

    The moment he stepped inside the tower, he was engulfed by the busy, evermoving nature of it--having to dodge a quickly passing, peculiarplexion man dressed in white garments simr to a chef.

    "Wee to the Tower of Bm! This is the first floor: the lounge hall! It is the paradigm of rxation!"

 Chapter 370 - Treasured History

    "Wee to the Tower of Bm! This is the first floor: the lounge hall! It is the paradigm of rxation!"

    Gerund introduced the initial floor that housedfortable looking furniture, paired with a warm firece, snug rugs, and the overpowering aroma of savory delicacies. The bulk of the enticing aroma came from the window clearly leading to the culinary quarters, as workers dressed in white uniforms retrieved and delivered dishes.

    Naturally, Ren scanned the wide lobby, finding what he was looking for as he noticed a few, sparse other challengers resting in the lobby.

    One particr person caught his eye: arge, hulking man with unkempt hair as intense as mes. He only wore a sleek, dark-leather vest that was studded with what looked like magic gemstones, strapped in tandem with pouches that Ren surmised probably housed tools made for violence.

    Though his appearance was wild, he sat quietly at a table by his lonesome, eating his dish with proper etiquette.

    He looks strong, he thought, I guess it makes sense when I think about it: everyone in this tower has defeated Arthur. I don''t know if I could do it again if I tried��

    Arge, jagged scar stretched across therge man''s right eye, leaving his eye with corneal scarring--creating one, light blue eye while his other, intact eye, was ck and stern.

    ...I shouldn''t stare too much, he caught himself.

    It was mostly out of self-preservation when seeing just how big the massive greatsword strapped to the man''s back was.

    "It''s pretty busy," Jae-Seong spoke as he ced his hands on his sides.

    "As you''ve noticed, it''s our utmost goal to serve our guests," Gerund smiled.

    Walking forward, the small, well-dressed man wearing a golden-ented suit of ivory gestured towards the side of one of the round, bulbous chairs.

    What he pointed to exactly were the circr, white gems embedded in the side of the furniture.

    "What''s that?" Aiko asked.

    "Great question! You''ve got a good eye on you, youngdy! Each piece of furniture on this floor is custom fit with magic runes that cast aforting spell to any who upy them!" Gerund answered.

    "Huh? Is it really all that great?"

    Macheo muttered as he inspected the piece of cushiony furniture that was unorthodox, though the golden-haired prince''s inquisitive nature sparked a smile from Gerund.

    "Why don''t you give it a try?" Gerund offered.

    "...Fine."

    Macheo huffed, slowly lowering himself onto the furniture before droppingpletely into its soft embrace.

    "...?!"

    The moment his body was wrapped in the pillowy holds of the cushiony chair, his eyes widened before softening, taking a rxed, half-lid stare as his expression soothed.

    "So? How is it? To your liking, Sir?"

    "It''s...it''s not half bad��"

    He''s totally loving it! Ren''s thoughts shared what the others perceived.

    Without saying a word, the soft-spoken high elf took to the matching seat across from the young prince, sinking into theforting cushion wordlessly, closing his eyes. After a few moments, a light snore resounded from the usually refined-and-proper elf''s position.

    "Is he asleep?! Already?!" Ren asked in a sharp whisper, "that is some high-level magic...I need it."

    "Goodnight, Fedrin!" Jae-Seong yfully waved at the closed-eyed elf.

    --Before any of the others could be tempted by the slyfort of the enchanted furniture, Gerund coughed as if dragging away any guing thoughts.

    "We can move along now, if you''d like," Gerund smiled, "Oh, they''ll be fine to rest here. I''ll show them to the rooms myselfter."

    "Alright, then," Ren nodded his head.

    Moving on, the not-slumbering bulk of the group followed behind the small manager of the bazaar, traversing a flight of spiraling stairs.

    "Hold on, I''ming--!"

    Suddenly, Macheo''s voice followed as he caught up in a sprint, clearly having forced himself from thefort of the furniture as he wiped away a spot of drool from the corner of his mouth.

    "You could''ve stayed back, you know," Ren chuckled.

    "Yeah, if you need the rest, then--" Aiko began to say before being promptly interrupted.

    --Macheo abrasively shot his words between the girl''s, "I''m perfectly awake, alright?!"

    Knowing it was best to avoid arguing with the very young man who represented a brick wall, the group moved along the slightly ustrophobic stairs.

    "This ce is pretty huge, isn''t it?" Jae-Seong muttered, looking directly up.

    "...Watch it!"

    Mencius hissed as he bumped into the curious, curly-haired man--nearly dropping his own hat as he red at the back of the man''s head. Holding a yful, almost mischievous smile, Jae-Seong snickered.

    "My bad," Jae-Seong apologized without any inkling of guilt.

    "Cut it out, would you?" Ren sighed as he softly elbowed the golden-eyed man behind him.

    He''s even more immature than me, damn it. I feel like I''m chaperoning a field trip, he thought.

    Though a simple strike like that had no effect on the steel-like abs of Jae-Seong, the man quit his antics.

    After ascending what felt like a thousand steps, Gerund finally guided the band of challengers to the second floor, stepping off of the high-reaching staircase.

    Unlike the bustling floor below, the next one was immediately felt as different by theck of rushing servers and overall noise.

    There was an obvious reason for theck of overall noise; it was quick to realize by the towering stands formed of chiselled ivory that were stocked full of books that it was a library of sorts. Compared to the first floor, it held a certain, grand mysticism to itself; pieces of art scoured the domain of knowledge--decorating it with an evocative scenery.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "This is the second floor, the Library of Purgatory! As a reward for getting this far, every book you see is at your disposal," Gerund announced.

    Perhaps most different from the floor below, only a few walls closed in this shining, ivory room as bridges connected outside the tower, lined with more bookshelves.

    "All of these books?" Mencius spoke.

    "All," Gerund affirmed.

    The emerald eyes of the effeminate schr from Jinyue lit up at the scenery of shelved text around him.

    Wordlessly, the young Jingpohuai approached one of the many shelves housing endless text, running his lithe fingers across the spine of the resting novels.

    "I assume you''re going to stay here for a bit?" Ren asked.

    Mencius stayed silent for a few moments before nodding his head as his straight, verdant locks bounced slightly, "I shall. One who dedicated himself to the truths of this world simply can''t pass on a chance such as this...the lost texts housed within Purgatory--I must read them."

    "You''re free to stay as long as you''d like, but I''lle backter to show you to the rooms," Gerund informed him.

    Once more, Mencius simply nodded his head as his eyes were anchored to the books, retrieving arge book protected by white cloth and rope. It could be seen only slightly, but a smile inhabited the man''s lips.

    "...I must thank you for lending me this opportunity, all of you," Mencius spoke, "I should apologize for my harsh words earlier...I am in your debt."

    "Don''t mention it! You saved our butts back there!" Hongse bellowed.

    "Yeah, you''re one of now--so you don''t have to thank us," Macheo added with his arms folded across his chest, "it''s natural forrades to aid each other."

    It was a warming sight to see the previously taut man release his cold exterior in the sight of his in-reach dreams; moving forward once more, the group followed behind Gerund as they traversed the length of the expansive library.

    Great columns etched from unblemished marble supported the wall-free chamber as a brisk wind gently strolled across those who walked near the edge.

    "The books aren''t edible, Hongse," Valerie said without warning.

    "Huh?! I wasn''t thinking that!" The red-furred panda quickly defended himself.

    Sparking a chuckle from those walking in the group, the panda''s insulted frown caused Ren tough before his eyes moved over to a figure tending to one of the colossal shelves.

    It was a girl, that much was obvious from the unique angle given as she stood on a high-reachingdder, cing books in their rightful ce. Most prominent was the long, bushy, tufts of nightly blue hair that scaled down her back.

    Gazing at her, he noticed thedder begin to tremble--causing the girl to lose her bnce.

    "Kyaa��!"

    She yelled out as her feet slipped from the holds of thedder.

    Without any hesitation while the others could only react to the scream, he dashed forward with a quick, unhindered shadow step that brought him mid air--managing to capture the airborne girl in his arms.

    "Safe."

    Ren muttered with a smile to himself as he was sessful,nding on his feet. He gently set the girl down, only then realizing her stature.

    She''s pretty...short. Is she a kid? He thought.

    "Thank you��" She thanked him meekly, fidgeting with her hands as she lowered her gaze.

    From what he could tell, she was only barely taller than Aiko, who already bordered on looking like a kid. Before he could ask for her name, or even speak another word for that matter--he noticed a peculiar, red marking on the girl''s tan wrist--something she covered quickly from his eyes.

    "Splendid save, Sir," Gerund pped.

    "Oh, that was nothing," Ren chuckled bashfully.

    Catching up, the rest of the group looked worried, though the sses-wearing girl with hair nearly the length of her body was quick to get back to her task, bowing a few times with gratitude.

    "He''s totally gloating in his mind right now," Valerie sighed.

    "Whatever. I could''ve done the same," Macheo snarked.

    As they continued to move along the immacte library, Ren briefly looked back at the girl--catching her swiftly shifting her gaze away as she continued her task of organizing the bookshelf.

    Was she looking at me? Ren thought.

    "Nice one, buddy!" Hongse suddenlyplimented him.

    The massive paw of the crimson panda patted his head, though he epted it with a small smile as they moved forward as a group.

    Walking directly beside him, Iris was intently staring at his face--something that sparked a slight blush from his cheeks.

    "Ren...is something wrong?" Iris asked.

    "N-no, what makes you ask that?"

    "Well...you look like you''re worried about something," Iris replied.

    "...I''m fine," he assured her.

    Moving along, he gave her a smile as they all followed behind Gerund, passing by a peculiar, round-shaped bookshelf that was decorated with a silver veil.

    "Are all of these books lost in Gaia?" Ren asked as he looked around at the plentiful shelves.

    "Yeah, what''s so special about this library?" Valerie added, aiming her words towards Gerund.

    Without stopping, the entric keeper of the bazaar turned around, walking backwards as he answered, "A fine question! You are correct, Sir Ren! Each and every book you see here doesn''t exist in Gaia, whether it be text lost to time, brought here from Gaia, or books originating from the very realm you stand in--it is all exclusive to this chamber."

    Given this information, a new light was shed over the importance of this library and what it meant to have free reign within it.

 Chapter 371 - [Bonus ] EPISODE: Aelius

    Immeasurable. Invincible. Indomitable. That''s what I am seen as; the ultimate sword and shield of Mastorn, Aelius Van Eliades. Still, what has this strength and legend brought me?

    "Knight of Knights", "The Symbol of Mastorn", "Pir of Strength"--names, titles bestowed upon me that I never asked for. Curated to destroy enemies I hold no malice towards...Is this why I was born?

    The only reason I agreed to walk this path of not only knighthood, but of heroism, was just that--I dreamed of the feeling of having crowds of people cheer me on after returning from a victorious quest, children watching me giddily and telling their parents they want to be like me.

    Fear. That''s what I mostly see. All they see is a walking, talking form of destruction. So carefully choosing their words as if just the slightest hint of disrespect will spell the end of the world.

    I hate it.

    ying with his spotless, snow-white gloves, his locks of the sameplexion fell over his coral eyes, shifting and tightening the gloves over his wrists.

    "Sir Aelius!"

    Calling out from the left side of the pondering knight''s ear, he turned to see the familiar, jovial expression of a young man he knew well.

    "Adaire."

    He found himself somewhat embarrassed to be caught in such ax position, sitting on the railings of the grand quartz that overlooked the exuberant courtyard of the estate he found himself in, simply watching the sea of flowers gently sway in the soft winds.

    "What''s with that brooding look you''ve got going on? Something got you down?"

    Adaire approached Aelius, giving the knight of a simr, youthful age a yful smack on the back apanied by a chuckle meant to heal invisible wounds. The boy, a full head shorter than Aelius looked up at him with his vibrant,vender eyes held the radiance of a thousand volts.

    "Just thinking about some things."

    Giving a smile to appease Adaire, the white-haired knight slid himself off of the railing, stepping onto the pristine tiles that made up the walkway of the exterior manor.

    Adaire; one of the few knights--well, people in general, I can talk to freely. A free, unhinged spirit, he truly is. Like me, he''s part of the Victorious Eight.

    "The thoughts of The Great Aelius, huh? Mind indulging me in such exuberant details?"

    Saying this, the boy-knight with messy, blonde tufts earned a slight frown from Aelius, who simply looked down at him with those gentle, yet fierce eyes of his.

    "Just kidding, just kidding!"

    Adaire chuckled yfully as he nudged his elbow against his fellow knight''s arm, cing his hands back on the sides of his all-white uniform, matching Aelius'' own, save for a few, ornamental designs on the Knight of Knight''s outfit.

    "What''d youe here for anyway?"

    Sharing a softugh with the fellow knight, Aelius'' smile now came naturally as his mood was brought back under the graciousness of the orange rays of the sun caressing his shoulders.

    As if holding the very answer to his question, a paper was held up in between the golden-haired knight''s fingers, who held a smug smile before setting it in Aelius'' hand.

    "This is��?"

    "Look."

    Hesitantly, Aelius opened the folded parchment beforeying his eyes on what was inscribed in azure ink.

    Blue ink. That''s specifically how the Council of Iron addresses quests of a phantasm-rank for knights or adventurers. Let''s see...A beast near the Scardreim Hills, it took out a few adventurers already and some passing merchants. Seems pretty serious.

    "And you came to me with this, why?"

    Already knowing the answer, Aelius squinted at the young, grinning knightly friend of his as he held the paper up in front of the boy''s eyes.

    "You''ve been stuck here doing nothing, right?"

    "No--well, maybe. Protecting my household while my family is away is an important duty."

    Unable to deny it, Aelius muttered quietly as the young knight took the opportunity to sink his fangs into the opportunity before him.

    "Then let''s take this quest on!"

    Totally ignoring what I just said, huh? Aelius sighed.

    Not very impressed with the impulsive request by the youthful knight, Aelius folded his arms across his chest as he walked past Adaire, marching along the walkway surrounded by meticulously trimmed hedges that inhabited a variety of colorful flowers.

    "Wait--hold up! Sir Aelius!"

    "Sorry, but I can''t. The Eliades estate isn''t something that can go unprotected by one of the Eliades swordsmen. It just so happens...I''m the only one avable in the capital now."

    Following closely behind the tall, slender knight and son of the noble household, Adaire squinted and furrowed his eyebrows as he seemed to almost pout. The sight of which was something Aelius always remarked to be "unknightly" of the boy.

    "It''s because of that fabled armory, isn''t it? I wish I could see it, just once...An armory stocked with the des and artifacts passed down the legendary Eliades bloodline��I think it''s fair to say it''s every kid who swings a twig around''s dream to see it."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Now the frivolous knight seemed to set his sights on another passtime, holding his gauntlets close together as he spoke of this as if proiming his dying request.

    "Well, you can''t."

    "Why not!?"

    "Not a single person without the surname "Eliades" has stepped foot into that ce since its inception, Adaire. I''d be emunicated from the family in a heartbeat."

    Besides that, it''s too much of a risk. If the theory my uncle and father were discussing is correct, then Belmon might have their sights on something in the armory, Aelius thought.

    "You? Emunicated? Hah!"

    "What''s so funny?"

    Stopping in the middle of the walkway surrounded by near-perfect evergreen, Aelius looked at the boisterous boy beside him with a confused expression, his cape falling stagnant on his back.

    "You''re the star child, that''s what''s funny. I mean, you are the Eliades family now. The name Aelius is probably more well-known than Eliades at this point."

    "Mm��"

    Aelius frowned a bit, running his fingers, covered by the silken material of his gloves, through his colorless locks on the back of his head.

    "...Ah, my bad. It''s just...there really is no denying that your own name borders the line of myth. I mean, how awesome is that? There are tales about you despite still being alive!"

    "Yeah."

    He''s just a kid, I don''t really me him for saying things like this. But, it doesn''t make it hurt any less. If someone like him, gifted and talented beyond the waves of millions of others, he still looks up to me like I''m some sort of deity. I can''t escape it, it really is just who I am.

    "Can''t you just make an exception, just this once?"

    Adaire held his palms together with his plea, looking up at the royal knight with one eye shut yfully as he awaited his answer.

    "I told you; nobody can enter the Eliades armory."

    "Not that! I mean, can''t youe with me on this quest?"

    "Even you, huh��"

    Averting his gaze, Aelius affixed his quiet utterance with a sigh as he watched the passing winds stroll through the walls of exuberant bushes.

    "What was that? Did you say something?"

    "No, nothing important."

    Aelius gave a small smile to the curious knight who looked up at him with those pearly, vibrant eyes of his.

    They soon found themselves seated beneath the pearlescent gazebo that upied the center of the beautiful gardens of the Eliades family estate; watching the glistening ponds dazzle under the rays of the morning star, it was a rxing ce.

    "You know, I''ve always wanted to ask you something, Sir Aelius."

    "What''s that?...Don''t you have a quest you''re supposed to be taking on?"

    Completely ignoring Aelius'' softly spoken words, Adaire''s child-like, bountiful energy dimmed as his eyes narrowed a bit towards the pristine knight sitting across from him.

    "You''re strong enough to do it."

    "Huh?"

    "To y every monster pressuring Mastorn, to hunt down every otherworlder, handle Mastorn''s enemies. Why don''t you do it?...You could easily do it. And don''t try underselling yourself--I know how strong you are, Sir Aelius. I''ve seen it with my own eyes. You could do it. You could bring peace to the kingdom, with your own two hands."

    "..."

    Listening to this speele without any frivolity from the young, impressionable knight, Aelius fell silent for a moment, only returning the gaze of Adaire with his own. At first, he nned to give a half-baked response, but even if Adaire was still closer to child than man, he respected his strength and integrity as a knight of the Victorious Eight.

    "I''m not god."

    The drop in Aelius'' voice stopped Adaire from instantly butting in, but it wasn''t just that. It was a somber, yet intense look in those unnatural eyes belonging to the pinnacle knight. As a soft breeze pulled itself through the garden, the silence was once again decayed.

    "But!--"

    "What do you think will happen once I do that? I kill every monster, otherworlder--every enemy of Mastorn. Will I be praised as a hero?--or will I be seen as some sort of deity? Maybe a devil. Who will I be in the eyes of the people? That question has nagged my mind everyday. I''ve considered it, don''t get me wrong. Who wouldn''t? I understand...I was born with a "blessing", but it doesn''t give me the right to y god."

    These were the troubles of a man born with far too much power; the choices needed to be made to maintain a bnce of humanity.

 Chapter 372 - Newly-Discovered Reprieve

    Stopping for a moment, he looked at a row of books as the rest of the group halted as well.

    "Ren?" Iris looked at him.

    "Do you see a book that interests you, Sir? You''re free to bring it along with you to your room, but just remember to return it before leaving," Gerund offered.

    A question infiltrated his mind as the topic of "lost text" was brought into the air, running his fingertips along the tough leather of one of the books.

    "Does that mean you have books on Belmon then?"

    Ren''s question left his lips with an air that brought silence, causing the ever-cheerful smile belonging to Gerun''s lips to droop for a moment.

    "Yeah, I''m wondering that too," Jae-Seong added, losing hisckadaisical expression.

    "...I''m afraid we do not, Sir. Apologies," Gerund bowed slightly.

    As the small-in-height keeper rose back up, his smile had returned. Turning himself back around with a swift pivot, Gerund briefly looked back at the group, "Shall we continue?"

    Moving along through the vast library, silence mainly existed between Gerund and the Weltwanderers as they began to ascend anotheryer of spiraling stairs. Unlike the previous set, there were no walls to safeguard the steps; even worse, there wererge gaps of empty space between each marble foothold. Those unnecessary gaps allowed the taunting winds to slither by, sinking a fear of heights into him.

    "I''ve trained for this��!" Ren told himself in a whisper.

    Iris smiled, "Climbing the Grandfather tree...I remember that day. It''s how we met."

    As he heard the wordsced withvender tranquility reach his ears from the girl, he smiled and nodded his head.

    "I guess I can thank Tristan for my abnormal ability to climb a lot of stairs...is that really a useful ability?" Ren muttered.

    As leisurely as could be--with his hands situated in his pockets--Jae-Seong marched up the stairs, with Macheo keeping up behind him sorely out of some sort of one-sided contest. Aiko was forced to keep up with the prince''s unusual pace to stay at his side.

    I''m rooting for you, Aiko, Ren thought.

    On the opposite side of the spectrum, Hongse was clinging to each step as if he was a baby holding onto its mother.

    "Hurry up, would you?!" Valerie called back.

    The crimson panda was a dozen steps behind the rest of the group, slowly but surely ascending with a quivering body.

    "...Don''t rush me! I''ll fall! I''ll really fall! Then it''ll be your fault!" Hongse barked with closed eyes.

    I can''t really me him...Ren looked down at whatid beneath the stairs.

    There was no ground to catch any who would fall from the stairs, and by the midway point that they were at, it was high enough for the howling, passing winds to churn his stomach.

    Valerie held an almost pitiful expression, "What a baby."

    "That''s the warrior who almost defeated me?...I must train harder," Mencius whispered.

    That''s harsh, dude, Ren thought.

    It was an arduous wait, but eventually the red-furred panda managed to surmount the lengthy staircase as the others waited at the beginning of the thirdyer of the Tower of Bm.

    Much more confined than the previous floors, it was a long, butvish set of hallways that were apanied by plentiful doors.

    "This is where the chambers designated for you are," Gerund introduced, "it''ll be where you stay in your time resting here."

    Excited by the prospect of some rest, they all followed close to Gerund--though there was one condition set by the man.

    "It is very rare for a group asrge as yours to exist within Purgatory. It''s not a bad thing, but our rooms aren''t made to amodate suchrge numbers. You''ll have to split into groups of two-to-three for each room," Gerund exined.

    Onest thing was noted by Gerund before he left, "The usage of magic is prohibited within the tower. Please make sure to follow that rule."

    It''s not like any of them were in the mood to use magic after having to use it practically every minute of the daytely, but he found it slightly odd.

    Whatever, he shrugged.

    Quickly, most of the groups were decided: Aiko quickly ced herself at Macheo''s side, though he shyly hid his joy. Valerie and Hongse naturally, as they were long timepanions beforehand.

    Neither directly said anything, but Iris and Ren found themselves together, holding a slight pink to each of their cheeks.

    "I guess I''m bunking with Fedrin and that green-haired fe," Jae-Seong smiled.

    "We can fit a third in our room," Ren offered.

    Though this offer was promptly rejected as Jae-Seong waved his hand with a sly smile, making an O-K sign with his hand as he began to leave to his designated room, which sat directly across from Ren and Iris'' own.

    "I''d rather not be a third-wheel!" Jae-Seong joked before disappearing behind his door.

    Ren sighed, "What the hell does that even mean?"

    Looking to his side, the azure-haired girl was blushing deeply as they were the only two left standing in the hall now.

    "Urr...want to check out our room?" Ren offered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "S-sure!"

    Opening the oak door ented with gilded, wavy steel, the fragrance of flowers greeted him as he revealed the chamber designated for the two of them. Differing from the wooden floorboards that made up the corridors, the room was mostly covered by a silken, tiger-pattern rug.

    The source of the flowery aroma originated from avish, olive-tinted vase that sat on the stand beside the bed.

    Immediately, something wasn''t quite right.

    There''s only one bed?! He said it was two-to-three per room! This isn''t even the bare minimum of what he said! What is this?! Am I being set-up?! Ren thought.

    "Iris, ur, I��"

    Ren stuttered as he tried to find some sort of resolution for this very spicy problem set in front of them.

    "I''ll...sleep on the floor," he sighed.

    As much as the prospect of sleeping in not just a bed, but a bed as heavenly as the ones before his eyes, covered with half a dozen pillows, and a velvety, silken nket--he''d rather not lose whatever respect he''d garnered.

    Goodbye, sweet bed, he thought.

    It wasn''t all bad; the rug below looked morefortable than anything he''d slept on in recent times, and the room was kept running with a cozy warmth--supplied by the orange runes embedded in each wall.

    "No��"

    Iris spoke almost in a whisper as if pushing her words through a shy veil, gripping onto the back of his cloak before he couldy down on the rug.

    "Iris?"

    "...We can share," Iris spoke quietly.

    Though she averted her gaze, he could still see the cherry-pink tinge that inhabited her cheeks.

    "Oh...alright, then," Ren answered nkly.

    It was difficult to process the very concept of sharing a bed with a girl that wasn''t his own mother.

    Not that I''ve done that since I was a little kid! He thought, still...isn''t this kind of dangerous? What kind of situation have I gotten myself into��

    He sat down on the edge of the bed, taking the side closest to the door. Feeling a weighte down on the opposite side of the silken-covered mattress made him almost jump as he began to sweat, knowing full well that presence signified that he was now--technically--in bed with a girl.

    I can do this, I can! I won''t freak out--Ren Nakamura, can you do this? Are you going to do this?! Yes! He pumped himself up.

    "Ren?"

    "Y-yes!" He jumped as he heard his name.

    What is she going to ask me? Do I turn around and look at her?...No, no, no! What kind of thoughts are you having right now?! He thought.

    "Looks like there''s a bath behind that door...do you want to go first?"

    Iris'' words calmed him from whatever odd thoughts flowed through his mind, but immediately started sweating again at what type of revtion was just made.

    ...Bath? Wait, this is bad. I''m going to be in the same room while she''s bathing--while she''s na--stop it! You''re a grown man now, you can''t think like a middle schooler! He thought.

    "It''s fine, I''ll go after you," He replied with a nervous smile.

    Turning to look back at her, his blush intensified as he saw her uce her boots, removing them slowly as she moved to her silver legging, sliding them down her legs.

    He had never turned his head quicker than when she looked up at him as if feeling his degenerate gaze.

    Crap! Too close! Too close! He thought.

    He ced his hand over his chest, feeling his heart thump rapidly as he sucked in air to his lungs--keeping his gaze away as he only listened to Iris'' movements.

    After removing her boots and leggings, she grabbed one of the pale, white towels set neatly on the umber stand across from the foot of the bed before entering the door leading to the personal bath.

    As soon as it closed, he released the breath he fervently held in his lungs with a relieving sigh.

    "...Why the hell am I such a virgin?!" He whispered to himself in a hiss.

    ...Wait, was it a test? Was she hoping I''d offer to join her? "We can save some time and water if we go at the same time," wait, wait, wait--I''m not nearly charismatic or handsome enough to say daring crap like that.

    There''s no way. She''s too innocent; too pure! And besides...I think Beatrice would have a few words to speak with me if I did anything, he thought.

    "Bing stronger doesn''t make me any better socially, does it?"

    He smiled as he looked down at his hands, sliding the dark, leather gloves as he pulled them off from the fingertips.

    It''s a good thing. This is great, Ren, he thought, I got stronger--I got stronger, and I didn''t lose myself! He thought.

    Clenching his fists shut, he smiled warmly before moving on to removing the rest of the unnecessary equipment he traveled with; unbuckling his sheathed de from his belt and setting it beside the scarlet-draped bed.

 Chapter 373 - That Time I Got Reincarnated Into Another World And Had To Fist-Fight A Slime

    Finally taking his sable cloak off and removing his thick, warm coat, he sat down with only the light tunic woven of ck fabric resting on his tired torso, finally lying t on his back as he spread his arms as if making a snow angel.

    "...I''m on a bed," he smiled.

    It had be such a foreign concept to him within the bowels of the hellish realm; just feeling the soft, cushiony feeling of the bed pressed against his taut and tired back almost made him want to cry.

    "Fight, fight, fight," those are the words that embedded themselves into his mind--the words that represented Purgatory most.

    It''s fine if I rest, right? Nothing bad will happen?...Is it really okay? I suppose...I can, he thought.

    Settling himself into thefort of the cushiony bed, he ced his head gently against the softness of the pillow, allowing his eyelids to shut slowly.

    It''s so soft...It reminds me of home, he thought.

    Running his palm against the smooth, silkyfortersid on the bed, it didn''t take long for him to guide himself to slumber.

    Leaving thefort of the steamy water present in the ivory bath, Iris found a fresh change of clothing already prepared on the marble counter within the bath section; a delightful, light night gown holding a cobalt tinge.

    "Was this here before��?"

    Iris muttered, but she dly slid the light, minimalistic, but beautiful dress over her body, apanying it with a matching pair of knee-high socks that were set beside the dress.

    Holding a blush at the thought of showing the young man this new outfit, she ran her hands through her moist, azure locks before taking in a breath--marching outside of the bath.

    To her surprise, he was already fast asleep on the bed, curled up slightly with one hand kept close to his chin.

    "...He''s like a baby," Iris whispered.

    She gently poked his cheek before smiling; slowly, she sat down on the bed beside him in an effort not to wake him.

    Through his snowy tufts, she ran her lithe fingers through them delicately while watching his peaceful, slumbering expression.

    "...Mgh��"

    Shuffling in his sleep, he slowly parted his eyelids--being greeted by the unusually close image of the pale, blue-haired girl in front of him.

    "...Iris?"

    He asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes. Though he was half asleep, he could see the scarletplexion that overtook not only her cheeks, but the bridge of her nose.

    "Y-yes?"

    "Did I fall asleep?" He yawned, sitting up on the bed.

    By some miracle for her, his sleepy haze didn''t lend to him asking any questions that would send her into a clear fluster.

    Answering his groggy question, she nodded, "...Yeah, it wasn''t that long though. I only came out of the bath a bit ago."

    "Ah��" He replied, "A bath sounds nice right now...I think I''ll go take one."

    Ren got up from the bed as she watched him stretch his arms out, letting out a satisfied sigh as he shuffled to the bathing room without another word.

    "Phew��" Iris breathed out.

    The moment Ren closed the door behind him, the click of the lock helped lift him from his groggy, half asleep state as he blinked a few times while standing still.

    "Was I...in bed with her just now?" He asked himself.

    Just picturing it now made him quiver with feelings that he thought left during his time undergoing puberty.

    ...I hope I wasn''t talking in my sleep, he thought.

    Removing his clothes, it felt more like he was peeling them off from his skin as the mixture of old blood and sweat made for a rather persistent adhesive.

    Gross, he thought.

    Tossing them aside onto the smooth, wooden flooring that was stillden with a thinyer of water from the previous usage of the bath, he approached the rather sizable tub.

    "Mm...I guess it''s not too different from the one back home? I just press this and��"

    Slowly allowing his index finger to approach the cobalt rune embedded in the wall behind the tub, a simple press caused it to glow with magical energy before hot water began to pour from the faucet attached to the tub.

    A smile stretched across his lips at the sight of the steam that lingered above the tub, quickly sinking himself into the warm water of the bath.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ah...that''s the stuff," he sighed with utmost rxation.

    By all means, to him, it was heaven. Atst, his sore, overexerted muscles were allowed to rest as the heated water caressed his exhausted body.

    Looking at his own body, he lifted his snowy eyebrows as he yfully flexed his own biceps, doing the same with his triceps before poking his abdominals.

    Hold on, I''m pretty damn built, aren''t I? I mean, I knew I got kind of buff before, but Purgatory has really packed on the heat, hasn''t it? He thought.

    Chuckling to himself, he returned to his rxed state within the holds of the water.

    Mm...is it alright if I sleep here? He thought.

    He closed his eyes with a giddy smile as he was left in pure bliss.

    Plop.

    The sound of something falling against the water was a bit different, but he assumed it was the wonderful,st droplets of steaming water topping off the perfection that was this session with the bath.

    No, no, it''d be much better to get into bed after a nice, warm bath, right? He thought.

    Plop. Plop.

    The noises continued, but he blissfully swam his legs through the utopian water as the size of the bath allowed for him to fully extend his feet.

    ...Even better, I''ll be getting into bed with Iris after. Wait, is this ce actually Heaven? He thought.

    Plop. Plop. Plop.

    This time as he moved his legs, something different was felt; something notpletely liquid, but not fully solid either. It was squishy; definitely not something he expected to feel within the smooth, unbarred water.

    "...Mm?"

    Begrudgingly, he opened a single eye, peering down though it was impossible to see into the steam-coated bath that was filled with bubbles.

    --Without warning, whatever it was existing in the bathtched onto his leg, prompting an immediate fight-or-flight reaction from him as he jumped out of the bath.

    "What the--!"

    Hended on his feet, instinctively kicking away whatever it was that attached itself to his leg--by some miracle, it released its grip.

    Bouncing a few times before stopping at the other side of the wooden, personal bath chamber, the round, smooth creature that looked almost gtin faced him.

    "A...slime? The hell is it doing here?!" Ren asked himself.

    As he squared off against the slime asrge as a guard dog, a voice came from the other side of the door, "Is everything alright in there?...I heard a loud noise."

    Iris?! He thought.

    "I��" Just as he opened his mouth--he stopped himself.

    Wait, this is bad! She might try ande in if I tell her what''s going on��! I''m totally in the nude! Excalibur is unsheathed! He thought.

    "I��I''m fine! I just slipped a bit!" He yelled out to her.

    All the while, the slime crawled against the tile floor towards him slowly, forcing him to keep his guard up.

    "Oh...be careful!"

    "You got it!" He replied swiftly.

    Listening to her footsteps distance from the door, he let out a relieved sigh beforepletely returning his focus to the slime. He extended his hand towards it, focusing his magical energy.

    One piercer should do it--probably overkill, but it interrupted my precious bath time! He thought.

    --But before such measures could be taken, another realization came to him--one that changed the entire tone of the situation.

    Magic is prohibited, he remembered, I''d rather not break the rules and risk getting kicked out...if I lose this bath--no, if I lose this special one-on-one time with Iris��!

    Realizing this, he gulped as he raised his fists, "Alright, buddy....we''re doing this the old-fashioned way."

 Chapter 374 - That Time I Got Reincarnated Into Another World And Had To Fist-Fight A Slime II

    ...This is actually kind of bad. Even if it''s the weakest species of monster...physical attacks are practically useless, he thought.

    Fixing his stance, he lowered his body slightly as he fixed his hands in a more spear-like way. It was something that seldom saw the light of day, but he found the perfect opportunity to use it.

    Luckily, I''vee prepared! Fai taught me "Anti-Slime Martial Arts", that''s a martial arts savant for you, he thought.

    As the blue slime jumped towards him with a squishy hop up, he countered with a swift chop to the side of its bulbous, non uniform shape.

    "Hi-yah!" He gave his best impression of a seasoned martial artist.

    Hitting it sharply, it bounced against the wall like a pinball,unching from the right wall to the left, then smacking against the ground a few times.

    "...That was kind of over-the-top," he sighed.

    Looking at it, there wasn''t a single change to its translucent, gtinous form as it simply began to slide towards him again like a slug.

    Wait, he thought, nothing happened?! My anti-slime chop didn''t do a damn thing! Was Fai just messing with me?!

    He could imagine the childlike giggles of the hazel-haired Ounder in his mind as he gritted his teeth. With his only win condition snatched from beneath his feet, the snail-like crawl of the blue slime now felt ominous.

    Think, think! How can I get rid of it without resorting to magic? He asked himself.

    Running imaginary numbers through his head, searching his NEET mind for whatever information of slimes he knew from fantasy games and shows--he found nothing.

    However, it was the squeak of the sole of his foot sliding against the water that spawned a light bulb of revtion above his head as he looked down.

    ...A slime is normally extremely adhesive, right? Then how did I easily fling it away from my leg a minute ago? He questioned.

    There was really only one, foreign concept that existed on his body--water. It was as if every neuron in his brain lit up--as if every vein in his body surged with triumphant energy.

    Slimes must be weak to water, somehow!--It likelytched onto my leg because it couldn''t move within the water...that means--right, it makes sense now! It came in through the faucet! He surmised.

    Looking at the silver faucet that sat below the aquatic rune, he felt enlightened by this deduction.

    ...I''m a modern day Detective Canon, he chuckled.

    A viinousugh bellowed as he looked towards the ceiling, leaning back slightly as he soaked in his newfound path to victory,ughing at the slime as it blindly neared its own demise.

    It''s checkmate, my gtinous rival, he smiled.

    He abandoned any prior stances as he waited for it to draw near--already predicting the obvious patterns belonging to the creature devoid of any tangible intellect.

    Come, slime! Let''s end this feud, once and for all! He thought.

    --Hearing the wishes of his heart, the slimepressed itself down against the floor before jumping towards him with a spring-like hop.

    Just as it flung towards him, he caught it dead to rights, allowing his fingers to dig into its gtinous form. It clenched tightly around his hand, squeezing with an unexpected pressure that caused him to wince.

    "In you go��!"

    He roared out before dunking the bulbous, blue fiend into the steaming water inhabiting the tub. The moment it was engulfed in the holds of the indifferent sea that was the revered bath he worshipped, the squeezing ceased.

    Its slimy essence bubbled up, bing bloated with a fog as it was held beneath the steaming water.

    Come on, fizzle out, you sticky bastard! He wished.

    As expected, the slime''s formless body loosened from his hand--being swept up by the tub that was as lethal as a roaring ocean to the defenseless creature.

    It took a few minutes, but he watched it with a keen eye as it dissolved within the bath water.

    "Phew��" He imed victory with a breath of relief.

    Even so, he couldn''t look at the once alluring bath the same way with the prospect of faucet-slimes being an existing threat.

    "...I guess that''s it for me," he sighed.

    No one will know of the tale of the faucet slime; I''m bringing this one with me to the grave, he resolved.

    As he turned around to grab his clothes, he found that a new set of garments were already neatly ced on the countertop.

    "Was this here before��? Am I going crazy or something? Well, that''s always been a possibility��"

    With a wry chuckle, he slid the pale-gray tunic over his chest; a nice fit, and as soft as could be. Although the underpants were a bit tight on the crotch region, he made do as he slid the silky, bedtime trousers over each leg.

    Feeling as fresh as he''s felt in recent memory, he left the bathroom with a beaming smile--though that confidence was immediately tested by the existence of the young woman on the bed.

    "Did you have a nice bath? It sounded...eventful."

    "Something like that," he answered.

    The room was kept alight by a set of fragrant candles atop each stand present in the room, giving a calm, rxing atmosphere that also lended itself to a promiscuous nature when just upied by two members of opposing genders.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After a few seconds of awkward silence, he found his way back to his naturally decided side of the bed.

    "...Excuse me," he said politely.

    He lowered himself onto thevish bed befit for royalty, finding his limbs stiff with anxiety, yet jittery with excitement from the situation.

    It wasn''t any different for her, a blush remained on her soft cheeks, though she didn''t avert her gaze as they locked eyes.

    "It''s nice, isn''t it?" He broke the ice.

    "Mhm...being able to stay in a ce like this; it''s been so long��" She replied, smiling gently.

    Perhaps it was the flowery fragrance of the colorful flowers that sat in the voice, maybe the nostalgic, warm scent of oak that emitted from the candles, or the mixture of both--but the mood settled his thumping heart as he was able to rx.

    Looking at her as her deeply blue irises twinkled between an azure and a depth of the faraway ocean, he was enamored by her beauty.

    It wasn''t the first time, or thest--it was practically anytime he saw her that his heart fluttered like so, but in this particr moment, she was a radiant star.

    "...Beautiful," the word escaped his lips naturally.

    Though it was an ident that it left his lips, he didn''t regret saying it; that eptance didn''t dissuade a light blush from filling his cheeks, however.

    "Ren��" Iris softly spoke.

    As they stared at each other a moment more with their hearts athump, an unexpected knock on the closed door to the bedroom pulled them out of the serene trance they found themselves in.

    Ren quickly sat up, holding an intense blush as he was now realizing just what sort of situation he was just in.

    "Who''s knocking at this time? Do you think something is wrong?" Iris asked in a whisper.

    "...It''s probably just Jae-Seong or something; I imagine he''s the type prone to breaking things. Maybe he got into a fight," Ren sighed.

    Getting up, he begrudgingly made his way to the door--swearing against whoever it was interrupting his precious time.

    I swear, if it''s some dumb crap...he thought.

    Squeezing the door handle, he swung it open, prepared to be face-to-face with one of hispanions, ready to throw whatever quips necessary.

    But, the face of apanion it was not; still familiar, but unexpected as he had to look down to properly make eye contact with the nightly visitor.

    There wasn''t any possible way to mistake the body length, blue hair of the meek girl who stood no higher than his waist.

    It''s the girl I caught in the library. What''s she doing here? He thought.

    "Urr...hello, Sir," she greeted him meekly.

    "It''s Ren," he introduced himself with a smile.

    It seemed to take a herculean effort for her to raise her eyes to him, looking up at him with her unique, blue hexagonal irises.

    She''s a demon alright; no mistaking those eyes, he deduced.

    "...I''m Rimira," she responded.

    "Nice to meet you," he smiled, "is there something you needed?"

    Though as he asked her this question, he noticed she held something in her arms--it was a book, tucked close to her chest as she didn''t seem to use her hands to hold it, perhaps since they were tucked under her oversized sleeves.

    "I...I wanted to thank you," she answered, "please...take this."

    She promptly ced the ck-cloaked book into his hands as her pale cheeks were flustered with a violet tinge.

    "What''s it--"

    Before he could so much as ask what it was, she already scurried off without a single word. Confused, he closed the door before returning to the room, gazing down at the mysterious book.

    "What''s that?" Iris asked, sitting up on the bed.

    "No clue," he replied, "I guess it''s her way of thanking me...but why this?"

    Sitting down on the sizable bed directly by the azure-haired girl, he ced the rather hefty book down as they both stared at it.

    "It kind of smells��" He scrunched his nose.

    "I didn''t want to say anything, but it''s sort of creepy��" She added.

    They were hesitant about the gloomy, unappealing book, but at the same time--it was that unorthodox, dreadful appearance that made it that much more appealing in contrast.

 Chapter 375 - A Dream, Far Away, Near

    "...Well, might as well check it out, right?..." He looked at her.

    "Right��"

    Slowly, he lifted the veil of tattered, ck cloth from the thick tome, uncovering the even more peculiar covering thatid beneath.

    Etched onto its cover, a sable, wood design bore some resemnce to a shrouded maiden, though it was difficult to tell with how aged it clearly was.

    The moment his fingertips grazed the unveiled cover of the seemingly ancient book, a cold, tangible chill ran through his body.

    ...What is this feeling? It''s like there was a slumbering mana residing within it--the moment I touched it, it connected with my aura��? I can taste it in my mouth; it''s damp, salty...and there''s ayer of horror to it. What the hell is this? He thought.

    --It was something only visible to him, as if time itself stagnated while an air of darkness surrounded him in that still moment. The essence of that terrifying darkness inteced itself with him, sliding into his pores, beneath his skin, and caressing his heart with its sable reach.

    Embedded into him, a seed rested.

    [...Reunited atst, betrothed of depravity. The geass is formed��]

    It wasn''t something he heard, but the meaning was understood as if the words were already ingrained into his soul.

    I don''t understand...what''s going on? He thought.

    As quick as it came, it left--snapping him out of his trance as reality returned to normalcy around him.

    "Ren?" Iris worryingly called his name.

    "Huh?" He lifted his gaze to her.

    Sweat clung to his pores as his breathing had shifted; rapidly inhaling and exhaling.

    ...It''s weird. Unnerving. I didn''t see or hear it, yet I know it. I understand it perfectly, it''s natural to my mind...this magecraft, it''s so foreign to me...yet I know it? Did the book give it to me? I can''t tell her.

    A dreadful sense of powerlessness clung to his body as he trembled silently for a moment, parting his lips as nothing coulde out.

    I want to tell her, I know I do. But...there''s this fear that''scing my heart--if I open my mouth, only fits of aire out instead of what I intend to say, he thought.

    "Ren?" She asked again.

    "...It''s nothing. I''m fine," he answered.

    As his fist quivered, he clenched it tightly, looking down at the enigmatic book with a new outlook.

    "Ars"...I swear I''ve heard it before. I won''t use it for now...I can''t risk something like this, he decided.

    "Should we look at it another time? You don''t look like you''re feeling well," Iris suggested.

    She followed her words by cing her hand against his forehead, bringing herself within close proximity as they both blushed.

    "I''m not sick," he muttered.

    "It doesn''t hurt to check."

    As she checked his temperature, he had no choice but to meet eye-to-eye with her, a hard task as her sublime, azure jewels felt overpowering to be on the other end of--especially when being close enough to feel the warmth of their breaths intertwine.

    After what felt like a heart-thumping eternity, she removed her hand from his head.

    "So��?" He asked.

    "...You''re cold. You should get some rest, Ren. You''ve been running on small spurts of sleep for a while now...that''s probably why you spaced out like that," Iris told him.

    There was really no arguing with the words that came from her lips like a doting mother; this much he knew well. As curious as he was to the contents of the book, he veiled it once more before slipping it under the mattress.

    It''d probably be bad if someone found this, right��? I don''t want anyone else experiencing that...he thought.

    "I hope the others are settling in well," hemented as he pulled the scarlet nket over his body.

    "Don''t worry; I''m sure they are," she smiled.

    Theyid with their backs facing one another; it was simply the only way for them to coexist without setting off into a crimson-cheeked fluster.

    Even still, he could feel his heart thumping against his chest like a wild beast as he listened to her faint, but soothing breaths.

    "Goodnight, Ren," she spoke softly.

    "Night," he replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Closing his eyes, he blushfully set off into the hardest quest of sleep he''s endured throughout his twenty-years alive and conscious.

    It wasn''t as if he opened his eyes or even really felt himself be transported, but sometime after he initially set off to sleep--he found himself standing in an enigmatic, abyssal ne.

    Beneath the soles of his feet, he stood on a gravelly, chalky ground that felt unstable to stand upon. Above him, the sky, if it could be called that, existed as an ominous, ever-moving stride of darkness that hummed with enigma.

    "Huh? Am I dreaming?...That''s weird, I feel...conscious?" He spoke.

    Looking at his hands, there wasn''t the usual, fuzzy blur that came with vision within the world of dreams.

    ...That was easier than I expected. Guess I was more tired than I thought, he surmised.

    "You''re partially correct," a masculine voice answered.

    It came from directly behind him; so clear and suave that he found himself immediately spinning around to meet its source.

    But, there was nobody standing at his back--only the dreadful scenery of the unknown, unrenderednds swallowed by shadows.

    It was not meeting with his eyes whatever the words belonged to that sent a stiffening anxiety through his body as he fell still for a moment.

    As if taking advantage of this anxiety, a simple, light tap to his shoulder was apanied by the same, elegant voice, "Boo."

    "Gah!"

    He jumped, turning around this time to actually meet face-to-face with the unknown entity existing in the dreamlike world with him.

    To put it simply, he was towered over. It wasn''t a matter of simply being outssed in height--he found himself having to arch his neck to look up at the tall-standing man.

    Staring back down at him were eyes of utmost elegant and exuberance, but at the same time--power and authority; unlike any he had met with before, they were ck pearls imbued with a veil of the shifting cosmos, meeting his gaze with sharp, but gentle, golden pupils.

    ...Who is this guy? He''s unlike anyone I''ve seen, he thought.

    d in a refined suit that without question had to be tailored specifically for a man of his size, it was decorated with a wrinkle-free mantle that exhibited violet stripes on its underside, ented with hints of crimson and violet.

    It was clearly not just some dream, he knew this by the painful throbbing of his heart that was all too real.

    "Who are you? Where the hell am I?!" Ren asked.

    Looking down at him still, the man who looked to be in his mid-twenties stayed silent for a few moments as his neatly-kempt, jet-ck locks gently moved with a passing wind.

    "I''ve been waiting quite a long while," the man spoke with a silver smoothness.

    His question was seemingly ignored, but the man leaned down, bringing his face closer to the young man''s--ufortably so as he naturally tried to lean back.

    "Don''t be so afraid. I don''t bite," the man smiled.

    "...Yeah, well, I don''t know you--so don''t mind me, but I''d like to keep our breaths from mingling!" Ren stepped back with a huff.

    Smiling, the mysterious, towering man dressed with his tailcoat suit stood up straight, cing the heels of his dress shoes together as heid his right hand, d in a white, silken glove over his chest.

    "A name is what you want, is it?" He asked with a smile.

    "It''d be a good start."

    The ck-haired man took delight in his cheeky attitude, smiling mysteriously as he bowed slightly.

    --Though his smile soon faded, "...I''m afraid a name is something Ick," the man told.

    It became clear as day once the man bowed that he wasn''t human, at least not entirely; a sable tail extended from his back, bearing crimson stripes to match his suit.

    "Huh? You''re telling me you don''t have a name?" Ren asked.

    With a gentle somberness about him, the man softly shook his head in confirmation, taking to a knee as if showing utmost respect for the young man.

    What''s up with him? I don''t get it��? Why''s he acting like this with me? He thought.

    "To be quite honest, my name was never important to me. In all of my time spent here in solitude, I worked earnestly to remember you. I lost count of the days, months, years...decades, and centuries. All that matters is that we''ve reunited, master. Even in my forgetful heart, I never forgot why it was I waited here, or who it was I was waiting for," the nameless man spoke.

    By all means, he didn''t see any reason to believe the words that should be nonsensical--but the genuine air that guided his words felt nothing less than truthful.

    "We''ve met here because you''ve received your authority...or rather, it was returned to you. It would seem the foolish Marquis failed to return it to you themselves...but they nted it in that tome. How conniving...even if it was for a good cause, their deception with you is a grievous mistake, my master. Nheless...you should read that book, when you get the chance."

    Even though the man spoke, his words hardly met Ren as he was experiencing a debilitating spectrum of emotions flowing through his mind.

 Chapter 376 - Warm Feelings

    I don''t get it...I don''t understand this at all, he thought.

    He ced his hand over his face as his head began to throb; it wasn''t pain, but it was as if his memories were resonating with something lost.

    A pain struck his heart as if remembrance reverberated through his body; a sadness erupted within him as he looked at the somberly smiling man.

    Why do I feel this overwhelming sense of nostalgia when I look at him��? It''s as if I''m reuniting with a long, lost childhood friend, he thought.

    "...I don''t know you--I don''t recognize you at all, so why��? Why am I crying?" Ren asked as tears strolled down his cheeks.

    It was only for a split second as he blinked; a flicker of a memory that shouldn''t exist--he saw the nameless man, kneeling down the same way on a pathway of stone as autumn leaves sprinkled down gently. In that momentary resurfacing of a foreign, yet familiar scenery--it wasn''t just the two of them.

    There was a woman at my side...no, we were...holding hands? It looked like there were a couple others--it was so serene...what was that? He questioned.

    As he raised his hand to wipe the perplexing tears from his cheeks, he noticed a stray tear traverse the knelt man''s fair face.

    Why is he crying��? He thought.

    "There is no need to rush it, my master. What matters is that you''ve made it to this point," the nameless, well-dressed man returned to his feet.

    It was starting to be hazy; the astral world subsidiary to reality. A flow of static hampered his outlook on the scenery as it felt to clump together.

    "...What''s happening? You never told me where I am!"

    "Of all the things to forget, master, this is not one I expected��" the man answered, "look around once more, I implore you...perhaps it will jog your memory."

    A sadness inhabited the tall man''s voice more than anything else when it came to the question of where they stood.

    ...Huh? What''s he talking about--his thoughts fell.

    --His thoughts became stagnant, lost for a moment as he looked down at the ground. A field of flowers existed at his feet; shining white with a blissful iridescence that lit the abyssal domain. More than ever, nostalgia filled his heart at the sight of those flowers.

    Flowers? These weren''t here a moment ago, right? He thought.

    "...It may only be in the darkest corner, but I believed if anything, it''d help return your memory if we met here. It''s as you said; we''re meeting in somece...between dream and reality."

    "Just what is it? I''ve never dreamed of something like this," he asked.

    Just as he imposed the question on the somber-expressioned man, the world around him became impossibly blurry as his consciousness began to flutter.

    Even the towering, unmistakable figure of the darkly-dressed man became a swirling blur to his fading vision. His question wasn''t answered as the nostalgic figure stood there silently before speaking one,st time:

    "As you are right now...you''re iplete. However, I will still assist you in any way I possibly can, my master. If you should truly require my service...with full intent, just speak the word: "Arrive",", the man spoke hushedly, "maybe not today, tomorrow, but when it''s right...let us meet here once again...in the garden of the abyss."

    As smooth of a transition as could be, the moment thest sybles of the man''s words graced his ears, he parted his eyelids--blinking a few times drearily as he stared up at the velvet, almost translucent curtain that loomed over the bed.

    For a moment, all he could do wasy there motionlessly, trying to piece together the puzzling dream that sat in his mind as a haze; a jumble of information that he desperately tried to make sense of.<novelnext></novelnext>

    What was all of that?...It felt so real, he thought, I guess that''s even more on my mind to think about...great.

    Letting out a brief sigh, he rolled to his side--surprisingly being greeted by the azure-haired girl''s conscious self.

    "Good morning," Iris greeted,"...or, whatever time it is here...I don''t know."

    Rather than being shy, he couldn''t help but chuckle at her awkward morning greeting, "Morning, Iris."

    --The question came to his mind for a moment how she could even tell if it was "morning" time, or more urately: time to get out of bed. But, he found his answer when looking at the mirror stationed at the wall behind the bed.

    An almost seraphic, warm light flowed through the transparent panels of ss; seeing light like that, albeit not natural, his heart felt at ease.

    "It''s really like we''re back home, isn''t it?" He asked with a smile.

    Following his gaze, she turned her sight to the light that mimicked the grace of the morning sun with her own, gentle smile, nodding her head.

    "It is, but somehow...experiencing it like this...it makes it feel even more far away, somehow," Iris responded.

    Hearing it from her lips, he couldn''t help but recognize the feeling himself as he spectated the false morning alongside her.

    As he looked at the somber smile present across her lightly-pink lips, he reached his hand out to hers--stopping just short as he withdrew it.

    She''s right; it''s all a facade...but at this point, I''m happy to ept even that. Whether that''s a good thing or bad, I don''t know...maybe I''m weaker than I imagined, he thought, but none of that matters. She''s not ready to ept it--that means I''m not either.

    "Iris," he said, mustering up the courage to take her hand.

    "Y-yes��?" She looked at him with flushed cheeks.

    For some reason, he was able to maintain eye contact while doing something so daring, he''d usually prefer to shrink away.

    "We''re making it out of here," he told her with confidence.

    "I know," she replied, shying away from his gaze.

    A gentle squeeze of her hand brought her eyes back to his as he gave her the most genuine smile he could, "I mean it; I don''t mean an eternity from now--not years, not months--we''re getting out of here soon. We''ll return to them: Sirius with his entricities, Sora and his loud mouth, Donatien''s cold gaze, Tristan''s uncaring, but warm attitude, Charlotte''s adorable self, Natalia''s snarky remarks, Lucas'' bratty attitude, Fai''s constant persistence to spar. That''s home. They''re waiting for us--worrying, no...they''re confident we''ll return!"

    His words spoken with utmost conviction, truly believing in what he told her, met her deeply as her bottom lip began to tremble before soon, a trail of tears journeyed down her cheeks.

    "As long as you remember that, there''s no damn way you''ll doubt yourself!" he assured her.

    "Mhm��!" All she could do was nod as the tears made it impossible to speak.

    --Though it was only a temporary boost of confidence as the moment his spiel ended, a cherry-pink took over his cheeks as he quickly let go of the girl''s hand.

 Chapter 377 - Trouble Around Every Corner

    "...Sorry," he muttered, turning away.

    Silence filled the width of the room for a few, still seconds as he felt the cool chill of self-embarrassment run over his body.

    "I probably said a lot I shouldn''t have--"

    --Before he could apologize further, a foreign sensation was felt against his cheek that immediately warmed them with a crimson blush.

    Was that? He thought.

    cing his hand on his cheek, he was left still for another moment as his brain--gone hazy from fluster--processed what had just happened. It was aplete surprise attack--one he was not in the least bit prepared for.

    A kiss, he surmised.

    As he finally turned back around to face Iris, she held just as much of a scarlet blush as he did, if not even further.

    "Don''t apologize, dummy," she muttered, fiddling with her hair, "...you helped me. I just don''t want to be coddled. I''m not a kid that needs to be spoiled anymore, I''ll show Mother that when I return...I want you to know I can handle myself, Ren. I''ll protect you, as well."

    "I see...well, I have faith in you! And...Oh, urr...you''re wee," he responded, still keeping his hand against his cheek as if trying to preserve the kiss.

    Once again, awkward silence; they were both painfully inexperienced when it came to such feelings--leaving a mutual uncertainty between them as they sat wordlessly on the bed.

    "We should probably go down to the first floor, right? I bet the others are headed down there too," Ren offered.

    "Right," she replied quietly, still holding a blush.

    After utilizing a more than useful contraption present in the room that used runes topletely clean their garments, they took turns using the bathroom to get properly dressed.

    Though his bedtime clothes were objectively morefortable, it felt right to slide his sable coat over his torso as he strapped his boots on and cing his sheathed sword at his hip. He found himself hesitant to bring it along with him, but he retrieved the ck book from beneath the mattress, hiding it beneath his coat and cloak.

    The same couldn''t be said when he looked at Iris; though she looked beautiful no matter what she wore, he came to appreciate the night gown she disyed the previous night.

    "All set?" He asked.

    "Yup," she answered with a smile, tucking her hands behind her back yfully.

    As they approached the door to set out from their room, he stopped for a moment while in front of her, staring at the door in front of him, though paying no mind to it.

    It''s now or never, Ren, he thought, this is thest chance we''ll have alone together the rest of the day. I was wrong to believe emotions like these shouldn''t exist within Purgatory. It''s the opposite...they can flourish--even in this hell, love can bloom! It''s up to you to let it grow!

    "Ren?" She called his name.

    Be a man, Ren! Sirius, Sora, Fai--I hear you, loud and clear! He thought.

    Clenching his eyes shut while drawing in a breath that allowed fresh vigor to flow through his youthful veins, he turned around to face her.

    I''ll be damned if you one up me in this field, Macheo! He told himself.

    "Listen, if you don''t want this, then p me!" He announced boldly.

    "Ren--?"

    --Answering her not with words, he ced his hand on the back of her head, allowing his fingers to be enveloped by the veil of her azure locks before pulling her into a promation of love; a meeting of their lips.

    A bold move; one so disconnected from intimacy himself could only dream of beforehand. It had to be done withplete confidence, allowing zero hesitation to seep through as he brought his lips against her own.

    There was no resistance; she epted the endearing kiss wholeheartedly as it was held in a shining moment, allowing the artificial sunshine to cascade down on them.

    "Soft," was the only word that came to his mind as he felt her sharine lips, producing a vibrant warmth through his body that flickered fromplete shyness to gratifyingfort.

    Fully embracing the moment, her hand reached out to his, interlocking their fingers as her stomach fluttered with the butterflies of love.

    Less than an action formed out of tangible, physical satisfaction, it was a promation that bonded their feelings, allowing them to blissfully intertwine their unspoken thoughts that converged in the silent, serene exchange.

    "I want to be with you."

    "Keep me at your side."

    "I''ll protect you."

    "Let''s share this life."

    "...I love you��"

    Without words, their most vibrant thoughts were inteced and shared, proimed through a single kiss.

    When I''m with you, the pain goes away...if just during our time together, it fades as if your smile provides a healing warmth to my heart.

    The constant pain, the guing thoughts, the dark impulses...Iris, none of them exist when I''m with you, he thought.

    --As their lips parted, they both exchanged the same tender smiles as their cheeks were ablush with a light pink; though most of which, it was their eyes that smiled with utmost joy, glimmering and shining.

    "Let''s start today--together, and the day after that...maybe the next week and month as well," he told her, "you get what I''m saying, don''t you?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her heart was caught in a trance in the way his words were bolstered by the radiant light reflecting off of his pale skin, glimmering in his hazel eyes.

    Nodding her head, she responded, "Mhm! Let''s."

    They left the room shoulder-to-shoulder with unfading smiles, traversing the corridors with a certain bliss to their step that left any troubles swept away.

    You miss any shots you don''t take, right? I guess it''s true, he thought.

    Naturally, their hands met as they walked together, joining in a slight embrace as they twined their fingers halfway.

    --Such innocent bliss didn''t seem capable of existing uninterrupted, however. Ren noticed it first: the malicious presence now blocking the corridor; it was a man, half a head taller than him with a sizable build of muscle that fit his wild, crimson locks.

    Supporting the problematic appearance of the scruff man, he wore a sleeveless, umber shirt with a red cor, brandishing blood-stained bandages over his fists.

    The moment his eyes met with the man''s narrowed, orange irises, the stranger''s hands clenched with an audible pop.

    "Ren��" Iris whispered.

    "Stay back," he spoke to her with a calm tone.

    --Though calmness was thest thing he felt as a potent fire rushed through his veins, reaching his head as a rage bubbled up.

    "What do you want?" He asked the man.

    Staying silent for a moment, the tall, crimson-haired man with a gauze over his nose answered, "Everything you''ve got. Crimson coins and all."

    Figures, he thought.

    "You should walk away," Ren warned.

    The man raised his hairless brow, "And what makes you think that''s the way things are headed?"

    "There''s two of us and one of you. In addition, magic is forbidden here��Fighting amongst each other is also prohibited," He answered, cing his hand on the pommel of his sheathed de.

    Thest part was a lie, Iris and himself knew that, but it was a gamble he decided to take.

    Augh bellowed from the wild-haired man, causing Ren to narrow his eyes out of confusion--trying to decide if it was simply the man having a screw loose, or something more.

    "Sorry, but you see, I can''t help butugh when someone is just so damn cocky...yet wrong," the bandit grinned.

    "...On what part?" He asked.

    "It''d be easier to tell you what you got right," the crimson-locked man answered, "magic isn''t allowed, yeah, but everything else is fair game! That''s the nature of this tower! The Tower of Bm is heaven for guys like me! And also...I''d say our numbers are about even."

    More so than anything else said, thest portion drove a nail through Ren as he quickly turned around,ing to the realization that there was another person stationed behind the both of them.

    A frighteninglyrge beast of a man who barely fit the width of the narrow corridor with his hulking, scarred arms at his sides.

    Noticing the look of shock present on the young man''s face, the bald-headed giant of a man grinned ear-to-ear with a twisted joy taking ce on his scarred face.

    Shit, they''ve got us on both sides, he thought, and fighting is allowed��? No, it sounds like it''s almost supported. I see...scumbags like this would take advantage of that.

    "Iris...I know you don''t want to, but please--let me handle this. I know you can handle yourself, but if you really don''t have the Pact,..." Ren urged her.

    To his surprise, she nodded her head with a reluctant smile, "I know, Ren. You can handle this. I believe in you."

    A fire was lit under him when hearing the unconditional support from her, "I think a kiss on the cheek would seal the deal."

    "Don''t push it," she teased.

    As she said it, though, she ced a light kiss on his cheek that left him with a confident smile.

    "I think after that, I might be strong enough to lob one at God," he joked.

    The red-haired bandit clicked his tongue before drawing a dagger from an ankle-sheath, "Try and save the day then, Prince Charming."

    "I''d like to see him try," the beastly man cackled, cracking his fists as he began to approach from behind.

    A two-front war, eh? I''m used to fighting three people at once, so you''re ill-prepared, you jackasses, he thought.

    Preparing to draw his de from its sheath, the action was halted while he looked behind him at the colossal man--stunned for a moment as the bald-headed giant lurched forward as if being hit from behind.

    "Hey, hey, hey...you''re in my way, you fat piece of shit," a familiar voice spoke.

    That voice, he thought.

    "Is that��?" Iris began to say, staying tucked near one of the indented spaces where a door sat.

    "That''s Macheo, no doubt about it," Ren smiled, "there''s no mistaking that attitude!"

 Chapter 378 - The Fiery-Haired Man

    "Is that��?" Iris began to say, staying tucked near one of the indented spaces where a door sat.

    "That''s Macheo, no doubt about it," Ren smiled, "there''s no mistaking that attitude!"

    It was hard to see past the hulking, bald man covered in scars and a fur-lined set of leather armor, but his eyes met with the much shorter inparison young man behind the bulky bandit; golden-locks and crimson eyes that were filled with exhausted contempt for the man who was nothing more than trash in front of him.

    "You two were taking forever toe down, so I came up to check. Looks like trouble always finds a way to you, huh, Ren?" Macheo asked with his hands in his pockets.

    But he came from over there...did he get lost?! Stop trying to look cool! Ren thought.

    Holding a wry smile, he nodded, "You can say that again."

    "Well, let''s get to it then. Aiko will chew my ear out if I let my food get cold," Macheo spoke calmly.

    Finding his bnce again, therge, scarred man in front of Macheo finally turned to face the Lucrauvian loyal with saliva coating the edges of his lips from the sheer anger he snarled with.

    "You''re dead, brat! I''m going to enjoy snapping your little arms...arm," the bald-headed man corrected himself.

    "Don''t worry, I don''t even need one arm to handle the likes of you," Macheo smiled.

    Thanks, Macheo, because of you...I don''t need to resort to actions I''d rather notmit to, Ren thought.

    With the number of enemies halved, Ren found the necessity to draw his lethally sharp de gone, instead facing the crimson-haired bandit with his two fists unsheathed.

    "Let''s get this over with," he said.

    "It''ll be my pleasure, boy," the bandit replied.

    --But once more, the prospect of a fight was interrupted, but this time it was the crimson-haired bandit that was on the receiving end of an unseen force.

    "Gah! What the!" The bandit gasped.

    Holding the back of his head, the crimson-haired man winced as he turned around--immediately falling silent as he faced a figure that loomed over himpletely.

    Who the hell is that? Talk about tall, Ren thought.

    "...B-boss Rengoku��!" The red-haired man stammered out.

    "Boss?!"

    "Rengoku"? Ren thought, a name like that...in Purgatory? What''re the chances? He must be Japanese--or, well, Akiteinien.

    Hearing the title, the bald-headed manpletely halted, swiftly turning around to abandon his fight without hesitance.

    Coming into light, the figure was revealed as he stepped forward, forcing the crimson-headed bandit to stumble backward, falling onto his rear as he looked like nothing more than a frightened child now.

    Even inparison to the bald giant, the so-called boss held a presence on an entirely different level of imposing.

    Like the proud mane of a lion, the man possessed bright, fiery, red-orange locks thatplimented his physique that could only be described as a divine temple; perfectly carved with muscles honed to human perfection.

    Unlike the grungy-looking bandits, his attire spoke of high-status, wearing a pristine, white uniform that was outlined with ck. An orange cloak hung from his shoulders, holding ents that resembled mes as studded, leather armor could be seen just beneath his mantle.

    A look of impunity sat in his crimson eyes that bore a special, golden outline around his irises.

    "Richard," he spoke with a deep,manding voice, "Pierre."

    The crimson-haired man trembled at the first name, while the bald giant shook with the second; a small detail Ren picked up on.

    Without hesitation, the two bandits ced themselves in front of the man named Rengoku, prostrating before him as the others could only watch.

    Must be their names. Just who is this guy though? He thought.

    Two, sheathed swords sat at each of the man''s hips, while two more swords were crossed behind his back.

    Sucking in a breath through his mighty lungs, Rengoku shouted, "You fools!"

    It was enough to make the three that were uninvolved to cover their ears as the corridor itself shook from Rengoku''smanding shout.

    ...Huh? The ground is vibrating--just from his voice? He thought.

    "You leave my sight for a few minutes and I find you both regressing back to such barbaric ways! I ced you both under my wing, only under the condition you''d better your ways!" Rengoku''s words continued to shake not only the walls, but the two bandits.

    "--I''m sorry, Boss! Please! I-I-I...my judgment was clouded! I swear--it''ll never happen again!" Richard pleaded as tears streamed down his cheeks.

    There was genuine fear embedded in his wide eyes as he looked up at the towering, imposing man.

    "It was a mistake! A mistake, Boss!" Pierre begged with his hands held together in a prayer.

    Rengoku remained unmoving to their words, stomping his spotless, snow-white boot down as the shock wave that resounded silenced the bandits.

    It could be felt in the air like a sudden, expanding heat; the indifferent bloodlust of the stoic-faced man. Ren recognized the intent behind it, stepping forward for the first time after being caught in a silent trance in the face of the man''s imposing aura.

    "Don''t kill them��!" He yelled.

    His judgment was proven correct as he watched as the man with bountiful, orange locks ignored his words, reaching both of his hands to the sheathed des at his hips.

    Unable to watch, Iris shielded her eyes while Macheo didn''t much care to step in--but more so found himself frightened by Rengoku''s aura.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This guy is something else, Macheo thought, an aura like that...I''ve only felt it from a few of the Heavenly Kings back in Lucrauv.

    It was untraceable, none of them could see it; in a sh, Rengoku drew both des and returned them to their proper scabbards before the wind could crack, returning to his prior stance before the visceral shes left their mark upon both of the prostrated bandits'' backs.

    A sh?...I couldn''t see it at all. Magic is forbidden, right? Am I seriously supposed to believe he did that without magic��? There''s just no way. His speed is on apletely separate level. I doubted it for the other two, but this guy...I can''t see Arthur even standing a chance against him, Ren thought.

    "...It is only because of the benevolence of one you sought to harm that I''ve spared my des from tasting your necks. Remember that, and never cross my sight again, scoundrels," Rengokumanded the two.

    Even with such brutalcerations across their now bloodied backs, Richard and Pierre heeded the words well--getting up and bolting in the opposite direction from their former boss.

    It was a bewildering sight; almost surreal, but it all felt real once Ren found himself now on the other end of the mighty man''s gaze.

    "You three," Rengoku spoke.

    "Yes��?" He replied, unsure of the man''s intent.

    As Rengoku walked forward with each of his steps feeling as if a mountain was approaching, Ren gulped down, looking up at the colossal man, who stopped right in front of him.

    "I apologize greatly for those fools'' unnoble ways," Rengoku spoke humbly.

    It was perplexing, yet immensely relieving for him to realize the man wasn''t intending on cutting him down with the same impunity as the bandits.

    "...You''re their boss, right?"

    "That''s what they called me, but I was more like their guardian. I mistakenly chose to take pity on those weaklings. I knew they would''ve found an ill fate on the second floor had I not aided them, but it seems some aren''t prone to change," Rengoku answered.

    There was no change in his bright eyes no matter what he said; it was unnerving to be on the receiving end of his zing gaze.

    "I see��" He replied.

    After a moment, a smile perched across Rengoku''s face as he folded his arms across his gant chest, "I must say though, it''s quite a rare sight to see a couple in Purgatory!"

    Heughed with such volume that the floor vibrated subtly.

    Of course, his words brought a deep, scarlet blush to fill Iris'' cheeks while Ren somewhat suffered the same fate, but he didn''t shy away, cing his boots down firmly.

    "Yeah, that''s right, we are a couple!" He proimed.

    Macheo''s expression dropped to shock for a moment before a smirk reced it, walking over behind the white-haired man before pping him on the back.

    "It''s about time! I thought you were never going to man up," Macheo teased, "I ced my bet that you two would finally get together on the third floor. Close enough."

    Wait, the group was putting bets on this?! He thought.

    An embarrassed hue of pink found his cheeks at the realization of how obvious his crush was this entire time.

    Still, the golden-haired prince lightly tapped his chest with his palm, whispering to him, "Looks like we''ve both got something to fight for now, right? How did two guys like us get so lucky in a hellhole like this?"

    "You''ve got a point there," he smiled.

    He looked back at Iris with the same smile, who was still blushing intensely��though a tiny smile found her lips as their eyes met.

    Turning his gaze back up, Rengoku was still staring at him as if judging his entire being.

    "A fine group of challengers; I can see why you''ve managed to make it this far," Rengokuplimented.

    epting the kind words, he nodded, but looked up at the imposing man, gulping before finally asking what they all wanted to ask, "Urr, Rengoku��?"

    "Now hold on," Rengoku interrupted him.

    Being so promptly stopped by the monumental man, a chill swiftly ran down his back--even with his impression of the man being one of fairness.

    "Yes��?" He gulped.

    Rengoku stared down at him with his massive arms folded across his chest, still holding that grandiose aura that thickened the air with his sense of undeniable greatness.

    "I don''t know any of your names!" Rengoku proimed.

    "Ah��?" He hung his mouth.

    It was such a bold, striking promation as if the man endured great shame for not knowing such pivotal information.

    Squeezing his right fist as the leather of his orange glove seemed to squeal from such tight strength, tears streamed from Rengoku''s hardly-blinking eyes, "I am ashamed! I did not think to ask any sooner��! My heart aches with such injustice! I have shamed myself dearly!"

    Is he crying?! Ren thought.

    While Iris was mostly left agasp still, Macheo held a slight space between his lips, crinkling his eyebrows as if disgusted at the scene that suddenly became flooded with the tears of the still-imposing man.

    "R-really...it''s alright," Ren tried to assure him.

    Though words felt feeble against the entricities of the colossal figure of a man.

    --Suddenly, Rengoku stomped his foot down, standing high and tall as he straightened out his expression.

    "I am Rengoku! It is a pleasure to meet you!"

 Chapter 379 - Rengoku, The Radiant Hero, The Victorious Seven

    "I am Rengoku! It is a pleasure to meet you!"

    His voice boomed like a vicious storm, but Ren somehow managed to save his eardrums from bursting.

    "...I''m Ren, nice to meet you��" He introduced in return.

    Are my ears bleeding? He thought.

    Stepping up, the blonde-haired Lucrauvian gave his name without much etiquette, simply spilling out, "Macheo."

    "My name is Iris...good to meet you," the azure-haired young woman bowed her head slightly.

    Given their names, a gleeful smile perched itself across the imposing man''s gant lips as he raised his hands to the air, allowing his fingertips to graze the ceiling of the hallway quite easily.

    "Fantastic names! You all were heading down to the first floor for breakfast, were you? What a fantastic coincidence! I myself was getting ready for a nice meal to celebrate an even nicer day, but I felt something aloof in the air--utter betrayal by those bandit scoundrels," Rengoku spoke.

    Trailing his words for a bit as he folded his arms once more, he continued as his wild, orange locks moved with each boisterous word, "Cariel did warn me they''d be no good...I suppose I''ll have to tell him he was right."

    "Cariel?" Ren repeated the name he heard.

    Rengoku stuck out his chest with a proud smile as his mammoth-like hands were kept at his sides, "Yeah! That''s my partner! He''s a pretty reliable guy, but he''s a bit on the meeker side."

    "...I didn''t think you''d need toe here with anybody, Rengoku," Iris spoke politely.

    "Oh? Well, I suppose you''re right! It''s a lot more fun withpany though! Ha-ha!" Rengokuughed with that world-shaking boom once more.

    Purgatory is...fun? Ren thought.

    After the tremor-inducingughter from the colossal figure settled down, the three could only sigh in relief as Rengoku remained smiling.

    In an unexpected twist of the morning, they found themselves in newpany to the first floor in the form of the smiling, radiant Rengoku.

    "That reminds me...I wonder if he''s made it here yet," Rengoku ced his hand to his chin.

    "Who?" He asked.

    Without stopping in his march down the narrow corridor, Rengoku answered, "One of the other people in my party--Andraste."

    Hearing such an unexpected name leave the man''s lips, the others halted in surprise while Rengoku continued walking--only stopping once he noticed they had stopped.

    "What''s the hold up? I''m starving here," Rengoku asked.

    "A-andraste, you said?..." Ren gulped.

    Rengoku nodded his head, letting out a burly sigh, "Yeah, he''s a difficult one to handle. He separated from the group because things were honestly a bit too easy here. I can''t say I me him, but...it doesn''t really matter. Cariel, Athan, and I cleared the second floor on our first day."

    It sounded like a joke at first, but the nonchnt way the information left Rengoku cemented it as truth.

    "...First day?" Macheo asked.

    "That''s got to be a joke, right?" Ren muttered with a twitching smile.

    Iris was the only one to hear his words, but she could only softly shake her head, "For some reason...I don''t doubt it."

    "I can''t tell what''s worse...that, or the fact Andraste is part of his group. Well, Andraste doesn''t seem to be with them right now, at least��" He sighed.

    Their whispers only seemed to aggravate the radiant man as his stomach roared, "If you''re noting, I shall go myself! Hunger calls!" Rengoku proimed.

    With such sensitive information now known, it fell on him to make the choice to continue walking at the side of a man of such power. Both Iris and Macheo looked to him for an answer as he looked upon the back of Rengoku.

    It was you who told me the more the merrier, right, Macheo? Wouldn''t hurt to have some powerful friends down here, he thought.

    Recing his doubt with a confident stride, he walked with the orange-haired giant of a man down the spiral staircase as Iris and Macheo followed his judgment.

    "...By the way, urr, Rengoku," He spoke as they descended the lengthy stairs, "that name...are you from Akitein?"

    For some reason, it was only when this question was left in the air did a realization strike Iris, connecting Ren''s question to the sigil etched onto the back of Rengoku''s pristine, white uniform.

    It was unable to be seen previously as his cape veiled it from other eyes, but as the man descended the stairs, his cape fluttered in such a way it was visible.

    Seven stars gathered in a circr formation around a Mastornian hieroglyphic she recognized; a letter that bore the meaning: "Immutable Sword of The Immacte Kingdom". And just below it, in smaller text, it was a personal title, one that likely belonged to Rengoku.

    "You''re indeed right in your guess that I originallye from Akitein, "Rengoku answered, "but Mastorn is the kingdom I serve under."

    It was as this answer came from the man who didn''t turn back that she read the title etched with ck letters on his back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The Radiant Hero."

    ...How did it take me this long to remember?! "Rengoku, the Radiant Hero"--he''s a living legend. One of the Victorious Seven of Mastorn��! It wasn''t just Andraste--there are two of the Seven here? Why?! Iris thought.

    Though Ren didn''te to the same realization just yet, the very fact that the man hailed from Mastorn brought pause in him as he stopped for a moment, ncing back at the young woman as he noticed sweat escaping her pores nervously.

    "Iris, what''s wrong?..." He whispered.

    Is he some big shot that I don''t know about? He thought.

    It seemed the same realization came to Macheo without any exchange of words as well as he stopped alongside the others, though Rengoku continued his descent.

    "Is he��?" He furthered his question.

    With his mind approaching the conclusion that Rengoku was indeed their enemy, his hand naturally fell to the sword at his hip.

    The moment it did, the thundering footsteps that spoke of the immacte man''s descent down the stairs came to a halt. He didn''t turn around or speak a word, simply standing still and towering as ever with an unnatural silence to himself.

    ...If he''s our enemy, I can''t hesitate, Ren thought.

    Keeping his fingers subtly tracing along the fabric covering the handle of Belus, his eyes remained on the broad back of Rengoku in the still, tense moment.

    It wasn''t any different for Macheo; words didn''t need to be spoken, requests needn''t be made--if it was an enemy to Ren, it was an enemy of his as well.

    But, before such a conclusion could be hastily reached, Ren found his left hand that stayed at his de interrupted by the gentle, benevolent touch of Iris'' own hand.

    "It''s fine," she smiled.

    Her light touch guided his hand away from his sheathed sword, disarming the unspoken situation before a single move could be made, or a single usation could be had.

    It was clear by the slight tremble of her lip as she smiled that there was something more to Rengoku that he didn''t quite understand, but it was no longer his decision alone to make.

    "Alright," he returned her smile.

    I trust her, he thought.

    The moment his hands returned to his sides, Rengoku continued his descent of the stairs with the others following behind him.

    Reaching the end of the lengthy, swirling staircase, the towering man dressed in avish uniform came to a stop without turning himself around.

    "Ren, Iris, Macheo," Rengoku spoke.

    "Yeah?" Ren answered.

    Another tense moment that felt as if the air was stripped tight by an unseen heat; it thumped as if resonating with the kingly heartbeat of Rengoku.

    "Let''s eat," Rengoku turned back with a smile.

    --Just like that, the stiffness present in the winds vanished as Ren could only blink nkly before slowly nodding his head.

    "Ah, there they are."

    "Oh, they''re over there."

    In some miraculous feat of perfect unison, both Rengoku and Macheo found their respective groups--it wasn''t an urrence born out ofplete randomness, however.

    Rengoku''s eyes wereid in the same direction that the Lucrauvian prince was pointed towards, prompting both Iris and Ren to look that way.

    It was child''s y to recognize the group with how standout the crimson-furred panda was, sitting at a table with a mountain of dishes while Aiko and Valerie looked almost too disgusted to eat from their own tes.

    Sitting at a table to the side, Jae-Seong gobbled down something that resembled sauceden noodles while Mencius ate with a more refined nature, keeping his eyes closed and his movements smooth.

    --But neighboring their table was what Rengokuid his eyes on, apletely quiet in contrast seating arrangement of two men who were handling their own meals.

    "Cariel! Athan!" Rengoku called out with a smile.

    The voice booming from the man prompted the two men stationed to turn their gazes to the impossible-to-miss towering figure who beamed with a radiant smile.

    Rengoku turned around briefly, ushering for the three to follow, "Come! Don''t be shy now! They don''t bite--well, Athan does, but I assure you he will not drink the blood of a friend of mine!"

    That doesn''t make me feel any better, Ren thought.

 Chapter 380 - Nasturtiums Benevolence

    "What a delightful coincidence!"

    Rengoku''s words came at the realization that hispanions were seated directly by the Weltwanderers.

    "Yeah...delightful," Ren muttered.

    Approaching the table, he halted--realizing Macheo abandoned ship, moving to sit next to Aiko. Now it was just Iris and himself left alone to meet two figures who by virtue of being allies of Rengoku, were intimidating.

    But being attached to Rengoku''s name wasn''t their sole reason for being intimidating. Lounging casually at the table with his legs kicked up on the pristine, white fabric, the man with long, unkempt, jet-ck locks kept his hands tucked into the pockets of his baggy, dark coat.

    "Athan! What kind of etiquette is it to sit like that when meeting a guest?" Rengoku asked.

    --Slowly, the ck-haired, enigmatically-dressed man raised his gaze that had been obscured by his unkempt fringes and the shadows cast by his fedora.

    Eyes as deeply red as running blood; Ren questioned why such a shade sent a chill through his body as Macheo''s eyes were simr, but there was a stark difference.

    Athan''s eyes were that of a predator; a killer which housed a primordial bloodlust that rested within those scarlet jewels.

    "And why should I give a damn about some pale-faced brats?" Athan asked with a deep, exhausted voice.

    The scarlet-eyed man stood up as his ck coat trailed behind him like a veil of darkness; his height just barely fell short of Rengoku''s, but still towered over the young man easily.

    Still, anger or contempt wasn''t present on Athan''s face; in fact, he was smiling in amusement--an expression that briefly revealed two, iconic and sharp features: fangs.

    Fangs��? Is he a vampire? He thought.

    "I''d like to believe a man who has lived hundreds of years would have spent at least a fraction of that time learning proper manners," Rengoku reprimanded him,"I''ve befriended them, so show them some courtesy!"

    We''re friends? Ren thought.

    "You would like to believe that, wouldn''t you?" Athan smirked, "also, try more like a few thousand years."

    After such words, Athan turned his gaze to the snowy-haired young man; it was paralyzing being on the other end of such old, mystical eyes, but he stood tall.

    "Well, if this guy took a liking to you, you might be worthwhile," Athan grinned, "I''m Athan, please to meet you, h h h, all that jazz."

    The man introduced himself without much care, not even extending a hand as they remained slid into the pockets of his obscuring, baggy coat. There was a certain ruggedness to the man; his coat looked as if it was freshly swept from ayer of dust-- an absence of exuberance that separated him from the pristine, well-dressed Rengoku, but his own dense aura elevated him to the same level.

    Even in the midst of the conversation, the other member of Rengoku''s group remained silently seated at the table, tending to his meal without allowing any interruption.

    "Ren Nakamura," he introduced himself.

    "Iris," she bowed her head subtly.

    Athan''s eyebrow twitched slightly at their names. He sniffed the air that hung around the two, primarily catching the scent of the pale-haired adolescent.

    So, that''s how it is, isn''t it? Athan smirked, how amusing. I''ll keep this little secret to myself, Ren Nakamura.

    Though his smile persisted as he stared at the young man for a moment longer before dropping back down onto his seat, stretching his lengthy, thin legs onto the table once more.

    "Don''t mind him, he isn''t exactly fond of humans," Rengoku added.

    "Not fond...of humans? So you mean��?" He asked,

    Rengoku nodded at his trailing words, looking down at both him and Iris, "Athan is a vampire."

    "Hey, that''s a bit disingenuous of you, isn''t it?" Athan smirked, "I love humans! Their taste is exquisite, but their personalities��let''s see...yeah, I can live without that part."

    Does that make it any better? He thought.

    Ren chuckled nervously, choosing to interpret the vampire''s words as jest as he sat down across the round table, watching as Iris moved her chair directly beside him.

    Yeah, can''t say I me you...we''re stronger in pairs! He thought.

    Before Rengoku took his own seat between Iris and Athan, he peered down at the leisurely, pale-skinned vampire with his unmoving, powerful eyes.

    After prolonged seconds on the receiving end of that statuesque stair, Athan finally let out a groan, moving his legs from atop the table, "Alright, alright, just sit down already, would you?"

    "Much appreciated!" Rengoku finally resumed.

    It felt like gravity grew heavier as the colossal, fiery-haired man took his seat, barely fitting on the much smaller, cushioned seat.

    He found his gaze naturally watching the man named Cariel, who seemed to possess a simr build to himself--in that he was much smaller than the other two entric men in his group. Getting a closer look having been seated at the same table, he found that Cariel''splexion was youthful; seeming around the same age as himself.

    He''s young, he thought.

    There was little to be found when peering at the ck jewels that made up his irises, though his sable coat that reached past his knees, bearing some decoration as a crimson jabot was visible through his red cor.

    Despite his adolescent appearance, Cariel ate with a certain, refined elegance; emitting a tranquil air around himself that felt almost suffocating to approach further.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Something about the darkly-dressed man caught his eye, however.

    Huh, what''s that? He thought.

    Briefly shown under the lengthy sleeves of his coat and peeking under his cor were bandages that seemed to cover his entire torso and arms.

    Looking at Iris for a moment, he gulped before returning his gaze to the three, rtively unknown men.

    "I have a question," he stated, gulping as the eyes of Athan and Rengokuid on him.

    Even still, the one man with faded, neatly-kempt,bed-over, ashen locks continued to quietly enjoy his meal. It was almost as unnerving as the blood-like eyes of the vampire; the man didn''t budge at anything, and even the entric Rengoku didn''t interrupt him.

    "What is it?" Rengoku asked with a vibrant smile.

    "...What''re you eating��" He began to ask, "��Cariel?"

    The question pointed at the adolescent, gloomily-dressed man who hadn''t spoken a word thus far as even Rengoku seemed to be taken aback, raising his bushy eyebrows.

    Cariel stopped before his spoonful of whatever sauce-covered delicacy could reach his lips, turning his eyes up to Ren.

    Whatever it was, resembling mashed potatoes with scarlet sauce, it bore an enticing aroma, clearly still at peak temperature as steam rose from the spoon.

    Oh crap, did I piss him off?! He thought.

    ��However, Cariel quietly extended his arm, bringing the spoon near the snowy-haired young man''s face.

    "Try it out," Cariel spoke atst.

    Surprisingly, his voice was delicate to the ear; though the situation still presented him with a predicament.

    "��You want me to try it? From your spoon?" He asked to confirm."

    Cariel nodded, "Mhm."

    Okay, I''m not crazy for assuming that then��well, it''d be rude to reject it, right? He thought.

    Hesitantly, with a droplet of sweat gliding down his cheek, he parted his lips, allowing Cariel to guide the spoon into his mouth.

    It was gently set on his tongue, introducing him to the culinary delight that Cariel was so inclined to.

    A light blush was left on his cheeks from the embarrassing exchange, feeling eyesy on him, but he managed to ignore it as the taste of the dish left him taken aback. Confirming his guess, it was indeed akin to mashed potatoes, but with a sweet and spicy kick to it.

    As Cariel pulled the utensil back, he stared wordlessly at him--awaiting his thoughts.

    "It''s...amazing!" He proimed.

    Instantly, a small smile formed on Cariel''s expression as the snowy-haired young man sitting near him shared in his appreciation of the dish.

    "The sauce...it''s kind of spicy, but bnced by something sweet in the mix��" He held his hand to his chin as if trying to figure out what the taste was.

    "Cinnamon," Cariel answered,"it''s a cinnamon and apple puree. The spice is made from a special flower."

    "Just what kind of dish is that, anyway? I''ve never tried anything like it," he asked.

    He brought his gaze to the bowl that sat in front of Cariel, that was stacked with a small mound of the vani-colored mashed dish that had beenden with the unique sauce.

    "It''s something I specially requested from the chefs here; it''s a...family recipe," Cariel answered gently, "...it''s called,"Nasturtiums'' Benevolence"...it''s rare for someone outside of my family to take a liking to it. It can be an...acquired taste."

    Rengoku roared withughter that abrasively charged into their conversation,"That''s indeed true! I found that dish utterly repulsive! However, if you like it, I am happy for you!"

    Does he have an inside voice? He thought.

    Finally looking to the side at Iris, he realized she had witnessed that entire exchange, and was holding a slight blush of her own.

    "Urr, Iris, you okay there?" He asked.

    His question seemed to catch her off-guard as she frantically waved her hands, "perfectly fine! Don''t worry about me!"

    Cariel seemed to open up from his quiet stance as he looked at the snowy-haired young man with a certain softness present in his ck, pearly irises.

    "Maybe I''ll ask the chefs for the same dish...Nasturtiums'' Benevolence, huh?" Ren smiled.

    "It''s not quite on the same level as the one my brother makes," Cariel replied, "perhaps one day you can try the real deal."

    "I''ll take you up on that offer!" He replied with a smile.

 Chapter 381 - Departure From A New Friend

    Cariel seemed quietly overjoyed with his eptance of the offer, fiddling with his ash-colored fringes as he continued to wordlessly enjoy his meal.

    Turning his attention back to Iris, his stomach growled as he chuckled with embarrassment, "Should we��?"

    "Yeah," She replied quickly, "I''ve grown a bit of an appetite watching them eat��"

    Without much further dy, the two newlywed practitioners of romance made their way to the selection of food presented along the wall, stationed on elegant, velvet id.

    "It''s a full buffet," hemented in awe, "doesn''t look like they held out on anything!"

    After an eventful morning and nothing to restrain their stomach''s indulgences, the two newly-solidified lovebirds filled their tes--dumping whatever looked appetizing with their stomachs acting as their eyes.

    "That''s quite the appetite you possess, Nakamura!" Rengokuughed.

    As he set his te down on the table, all eyes from the other three set on the towering dish mixed with an uncountable number of other foods.

    "I call this one "Mt. Fuji", it''s the ultimate dish!" He proimed.

    He is pretty hungry today, isn''t he��? Iris thought.

    Presenting his te, he caught Cariel eyeing it quite intensely, causing him to smile as he found his chance to return the favor.

    "Want to try?" He offered.

    Cariel softly shook his head, "It''s alright."

    Not giving up, Ren grabbed one of the battered pieces of some sort of unknown seafood item with a crimson tail sticking out, extending it towards the gray-haired young man.

    "Come on!" He insisted, "I promise you''ll like it."

    I don''t even know exactly what it is, but if it''s anything like tempura--it should be great! I love some tempura, he thought.

    Cariel stared at it for a moment, looking between the snowy-haired adolescent and the piece of battered seafood before gulping.

    "...Alright, then," Cariel epted.

    Expecting the pale-skinned male to simply retrieve it either with a utensil or his fingers, he found himself flustered as Cariel opted to simply eat it from his grasp.

    ...This guy, he thought.

    Sitting back down in his seat, Cariel consumed the golden-crusted seafood for a bit before swallowing.

    "How is it?" He asked.

    Cariel smiled lightly with a small nod, "It was...good."

    "d to hear it!" Ren then turned to Iris, "you next!"

    Caughtpletely off-guard, the azure-haired girl had no time to prepare for the medium-sized piece of battered fish being slid between her lips while Ren chuckled mischievously.

    "...Mmgh!" Iris muffled.

    For once,ughter was spurred from Cariel, sharing between him, Ren, and Rengoku; the drearily dressed vampire remained mostly silent--mostly looking indifferent to human interaction.

    After a rowdy breakfast to start the day, the three newly-acquainted men sat up from the table at Rengoku''s call.

    "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ren, Iris," Rengoku smiled wide, "but, it''s about time we set out."

    Ren was slumped in his seat, feeling the post-binge regrets as his stomach felt as if it were going to burst.

    "Set out? Going back to your rooms or something?" He asked tiredly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though as he looked at the three men, he could tell his assumption was wrong as Rengoku softly shook his head, causing his mane of fiery locks to shift.

    "Duty calls, my friend," Rengoku answered, "it''s time to finish our mission."

    "Mission��?" Ren sat up.

    It was toote to drive out any further information as Rengoku and Athan already began marching outside of the tower.

    Only Cariel remained, though it was clear his leave would only be a few moments after as he looked at the snowy-haired young man.

    "You''re heading to the third floor, I guess," Ren muttered.

    Cariel remained silent, only extending his hand down to him after a couple moments, "Ren Nakamura."

    "...What is it?" He looked at the man''s bandage-wrapped hand.

    Silence befell Cariel''s ck pearl''s as he peered down at him before finally speaking, "One day, let''s meet each other again--outside of this ce."

    Given this agreement, he looked at Cariel''s hand for a moment longer before grasping it, shaking it as he epted with a smile.

    "Yeah. Let''s."

    A smile formed across Cariel''s lips, allowing him to finally make his leave as he tucked his hands back into the pockets of his dark coat--catching up to hispanions as they left the bounds of the tower.

    "Just when we just got to know them," he sighed, leaning back in his chair.

    Iris looked at him with worrisome eyes, causing him to sit in his chair normally as leaned towards her.

    "What''s the matter?" He asked.

    "...Ren, those people," She began to answer, "I don''t know about the other two...but, Rengoku is part of the Victorious Seven."

    Even in the bustling diner area when surrounded bypanions and absent of enemies, she still chose to speak in a whisper.

    "Victorious Seven?" He repeated, putting his hand to his chin, "I feel like I''ve heard that name before."

    Iris nodded, "...The man at the Champion''s Culling, Andraste, he is also one of the Victorious Seven."

    As the name spilled from her lips, his memories were finally able to connect the dots as he snapped his fingers.

    "Yeah! That''s right! Now I remember��Makes sense, he and Rengoku are in the same group," He found, "the Victorious Seven...they''re a group of elite knights in Mastorn, right?"

    "Not just an elite group...they''re the strongest force within Mastorn--no, it''s more urate to say they''re the strongest group in the world, probably," Iris answered.

    Hearing such words densely packed with a damning reality, he felt his spine run over with a chill at the thought of how close he was to such a figure.

    "...I knew just by looking at him that he was some sort of monster, but I guess it''s true. Rengoku, huh? I guess one day he''ll be our enemy," Ren sighed, "what about the other two? Athan?...Cariel? Are they--"

    Iris quickly denied what he was alluding to by shaking her head, "...They''re not part of the Victorious Seven, but that''s all I know. The Victorious Seven was drilled into our heads by Beatrice��"at all costs, avoid conflict with them," that was her main advice when it came to them."

    His eyebrow twitched at something from her words, though he kept it to himself--only exuding his frustration with a sigh.

    She didn''t tell me a damn thing about it...did Beatrice assume I was going to die in Purgatory or something?! He thought.

    Rejoining the Weltwanderers amidst their feast that took up every inch of tablespace, a time of reprieve was found in the tower as stomachs were filled andughs were had.

    After such an eventful breakfast, they were once more approached by the frail-seeming manager of the tower, who guided them to the one thing they were most interested in.

    The Bazaar....let''s see what it''s all about, he thought.

 Chapter 382 - The Bazaar

    After such an eventful breakfast, they were once more approached by the frail-seeming manager of the tower, who guided them to the one thing they were most interested in.

    The Bazaar...let''s see what it''s all about, he thought.

    As he followed behind Gerund while the rest of the group was either at his side or behind him, he checked the small pouch attached to his belt, counting the crimson coins to make sure his savings were all there.

    It was the floor directly above the dorms, attached by a much morevish, gilded stairway that was decorated with scenic paintings.

    "No participants are allowed to enter the Bazaar unattended by staff," Gerund said, "it should be fairly obvious why that is."

    After recounting his encounter that transpired first thing in the morning, the snowy-haired adolescent knew well what he meant, as did Iris and Macheo.

    "Thieves, huh?" He followed.

    Gerund didn''t answer, only silently stopping as they reached a tform at the very top of the lengthy, violet-carpeted staircase.

    A golden door engraved with what looked like gilded serpents stood tall, bearing a magic crest that symbolized a six-pointed star with crimson gems iid in its form.

    Gerund quietly ced his palm against the crest before speaking amand in a tone unbefitting of his small-stature, "Open."

    A simplemand invoked the door to click before opening on its own with a metallic roar.

    They all stood with eager eyes as the door revealed the area behind its secured state; finding a mixture of lights hitting their eyes as Gerund turned to them with a smile, bowing.

    "Wee to Bm''s very own bazaar--please, shop to your content--with your eyes and your wallet!" Gerund introduced.

    Stepping to the side, he allowed the group to enter the rather spacious shop. At first nce, the gold and crimson lights that spawned from embedded runes and hanging torches gave a sense of exuberance to the domain.

    "Holy��" Ren scanned the bazaar with his eyes.

    There were too many choices; dozens of shops run by rather inhuman-looking shopkeepers. All at once, these shopkeepers urged the newly arrived customers to view their products: weapons, artifacts, gear, runes--it was all there.

    "...Where do I even begin?" He sighed.

    Suddenly, it felt like the crimson coins he had acquired didn''t feel like enough, even without knowing the prices--the sheer quantity of shining, mystical gear made it feel like Christmas itself.

    The group naturally separated, finding the need for different equipment. Though Ren was still left pondering on what he needed to upgrade on the most.

    I don''t need weapons...some runes might be a good idea; I went through all the ones Lucas gave to me. Maybe some armor? He thought.

    Macheo had his sights set on a vendor disying artificial limbs and such enhancements, approaching it with a curious gaze to his scarlet eyes.

    "Something catch your eye, boy?" The blue-bearded vendor dressed in a multiyered, beige set of robes asked.

    Without saying a word, the Lucrauvian prince answered by lifting the sleeve of his coat, showing his wooden arm to the man.

    The vendor whistled, stroking his beard as he poked the young man''s wooden arm with the pipe he held, "That''s no good, boy."

    "Huh? What''re you trying to say?" Macheo hissed.

    "I''m saying that arm is shoddy work, at best. It''s not doing you any favors in battle, is it?" The man asked.

    Macheo remained silent, though his wordlessck of a response confirmed it for the shopkeeper who smiled.

    "An artificial limb isn''t supposed to merely make up for your lost limb, boy. It''s not a shoring; it''s a blessing in disguise."

    "The hell are you talking about?" Macheo pressed.

    Taking a huff from the pipe of ck, smooth wood he held, the shopkeeper shuffled to one of the tables disying his products, reaching beneath the snow-white veil to retrieve a pitch-ck case.

    As he brought it back over, he popped it open, using his own fingerprints to unlock the sealing mechanism.

    "What''s that?" Macheo asked curiously.

    "What you should have attached to your left shoulder," the man answered.

    He revealed what was stored within the ck case--an artificial arm made of stygian metal, lined with golden, exuberant stripes that centered around slots containing gemstones.

    As the hot-headed prince saw it, he was left speechless at its exuberance, looking back up at the blue-bearded shopkeeper.

    "How much is it?" He asked.

    "I''d venture to say more than you could afford," the man answered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Hearing that, Macheo''s hopes were dashed at he quickly replied, "then why--"

    --He was interrupted by the stout shopkeeper raising his pipe to quell his words. The wisened, old vendor looked at him with his tired, navy eyes.

    "As a magi-smith, it pains me to see someone toting around such primal handiwork; it gives us a bad name, I''d say."

    It took a moment for Macheo to process what the man was hinting at, but the cheeky smile and wink the man gave allowed him to understand.

    "...Wait, you don''t mean?..." Macheo began to ask.

    "Consider it my investment in your victory in Purgatory, boy. With "Aster", your triumph is all but guaranteed!" The manughed.

    He was left silent at the selfless gift bestowed upon him, having to let it settle for a few moments to certify it was indeed the truth.

    "...Thank you," Macheo bowed his head.

    "Don''t mention it," the man waved his hand, e here, I''ll help switch it out. I''m not trusting anyone but myself to attach my own craft!"

    Gratefully epting this, the Lucrauvian prince sat by the shopkeeper--allowing his wooden arm to be reced by thevish, mystical arm gifted to him.

    "How''s it feel?"

    The question came after the arm was fully attached to the young man, looking at the prince as he moved the artificial limb, clenching his fist and moving his fingers to test it out.

    "Great. It feels perfect," Macheo answered, "thank--"

    Before he could give his thanks, he was stopped once more by the blue-bearded man, "Thank me by surmounting this ce."

    "Got it," he nodded.

    As Ren was still left pondering on what he needed, passing by a few vendors as he found himself constantly tempted by the mystical, over-the-top looking swords and armor--his attention was grabbed by one vendor directly in front of his path.

    Differing from the far-too-heavy sets of armor he found at the other shops, the humble-seeming shop in front of him instead housed much lighter apparel.

    "Now this is more like it," he smiled.

    After gathering the items that caught his eye, he headed into the dressing room stationed behind the vendor to try everything on.

    "Ta-da! How do I look?"

    He asked as he stepped out, pointing his words to the vendor--not realizing Iris was waiting in front as well.

    "Looks great! Spin! I want to see the back as well!" Iris said as she pped her hands happily.

    Following her words, he spun around as his new, fur-lined cloak fluttered, softened with snow-white, silky fur on the id, ck cape that held a square pattern of white stripes.

    In ce of the gambeson coat he wore, he opted for a more simple, long-sleeve, ck shirt that was reinforced with light armor made of ashen leather that made it easier to move about.

    "Like it?" He asked.

    Iris nodded her head with a bright smile, "it looks fantastic on you!"

    "You think?" He bashfully ruffled his locks, "it''s not just a stylistic choice, you know; the cape and armor is enchanted!"

    As he exined this with a certain childlike wonder, she couldn''t help but share in his happiness as he showed off the silver gloves he found as well.

    Finding his eyes lingering on what she held in her hands, he saw a medium-sized rod of amber metal in her grasp, "Did you find something?"

    "Oh, right! I asked Fedrin to help me find a staff, and he helped me find this one! It should really help me have an easier time casting," Iris answered.

    "That''s great!" He chuckled.

    Picking out a scabbard for his dagger, hepleted his set of purchases that cleared three quarters of his crimson coins, joining Iris as they explored the rest of the bazar together.

    It was a good few hours spent there, with each of the members of the group opting to spend everyst coin they had as it was theirst stop. After hoarding the crimson coins for so long, he was only slightly reluctant to part with them, but soon caved.

    With these new additions to their strength, an increase in confidence came--an invaluable asset in pushing them forth to thest step that had to be made in the time soon toe.

    A moment of respite, much needed in the bowels of Purgatory itself, however...they wouldn''t be aware of just how badly such moments would be needed.

    Unbestknownst to them, a tragedy would soon befall them all; a tragedy far beyond the likes of any faced thus far.

 Chapter 383 - The Third Floor

    After the hardships we endured throughout Purgatory, we decided as a group to extend our stay--resting at the tower for a week. Although I''d say it was paramount to make sure we were fully rested...I''d be lying to say the main reason was just because we were scared of what awaited next.

    But soon, you have to face reality.

    [Purgatory, Intermediate Chamber Between Floor Two & Three -- One Week Later]

    That ominous, cold gate that oozed with ancient maledictions; all they could do was stare at it as only one decision sat between them and the final floor of the hellish realm.

    "This is it," he stated, "beyond that door is our final trial."

    Looking back as he stood at the forefront, he looked at the members of the Weltwanders that left the final choice to him.

    Our group has grown so much...it really makes me feel like nothing can stand in our way, but when I look at that door...I just can''t shake this feeling. It''s like my primal instincts warning me--no, my instincts are shivering--it''s justpletely dread coating that steel, he thought.

    As doubts clung to his mind, a gentle grasp of his hand dug him out from the suffocating depths of such guing thoughts.

    There was no mistaking the small size of her hand, feeling her lithe fingers against his own--recognizing them even through the material of his glove.

    "Iris��" He looked at the girl.

    She bestowed upon him a smile that lit his heart with a light that tossed away the aching shadows, "We can do this."

    It was an infectious smile, causing him to return her expression as he nodded, intecing his fingers with her own.

    "Yeah. We haven''t lost yet, have we? No reason to doubt ourselves now," he said.

    Turning back once more to the rest of the group, it seemed the same sentiment was shared between them as they held smiles of confidence themselves.

    "...Here we go."

    He ced his hand against the chill steel of the ominous gate, pressing his strength against its dense form as it slowly began to part with a croak.

    As it started to part, allowing the space between the two sides of steel to widen, he desperately looked at that space in hopes of getting a glimpse of whaty beyond the door before having to face it fully.

    But, nothing could be made out. There wasn''t any semnce of light that seeped between the cracks, only an all-epassing, silent darkness.

    Iris joined him in the parting of the final door; soon it was fully parted--revealing its bare threshold to the challengers.

    "What is this?" He asked quietly.

    Nothingness.

    There was nothing behind the doors; a scenery of silent, pulsating darkness existed beyond the threshold with an unweing, yet enticing cold. It brought a still silence that overwhelmed him greater than any beastly roar, exhibiting a dense darkness that gripped his body with an aura of enigma.

    "Are my eyes ying a prank on me? All I see is ck," Valeriemented, leaning in for a closer look.

    Jae-Seong stepped up, curiously and cautiously cing his hand beyond the threshold; it began to vibrate subtly, being tugged on slightly as his eye widened with a bit of surprise before he withdrew his hand.

    "What was that about?" Macheo asked, keeping a safe distance from the enigmatic doorway.

    "I get it now," Jae-Seong spoke, seeming to ignore the prince''s words, "they''re being pretty secretive, huh? It''s a teleportation veil."

    His words only seemed to mean something to Iris, Fedrin, and Mencius as the others were left perplexed at his realization.

    "I guess I''ll be the one to ask...what''s a "teleportation veil" anyway?" Ren asked.

    Iris turned her gaze to him, keeping her hand tucked close to her chest, "Mother told me about it a long time ago...she said it was outdated, and that very few people in the world used it. It''s a type of magecraft thatbines spatial and dark magic, setting a doorway to another, disconnected area wherever the caster chooses--but it''s usually meant to exile criminals as the doorway casts a ckout spell on whoever walks through it."

    As impatient as ever, it was the golden-haired prince hailing from Lucrauv that stepped forward, looking at the darkness past the door as if ring with contempt.

    "So we just walk through it, what''s the problem?" Macheo said with a certain sass as he looked back.

    "...Right. Why didn''t we think of that, oh-so-smart prince?" Ren sighed, "but I guess you are right."

    He stood by Macheo, peering into the space absent of anything as he could feel the coldness of the darkness brush against his skin.

    "Nothing left but the road ahead, right?" He looked at Macheo.

    "Damn right," Macheo smiled.

    As the most reckless duo of the group, the two young men stepped forward with a powerful stride in unison.

    His stomach felt as if it sank into unknown depths as he stepped into the formless space, unable to see any tform in which the soles of his boots would meet with.

    "Macheo?" He asked.

    As he looked to the side, thepanion who was directly beside him wasn''t to be seen--only daunting darkness.

    It took him a moment to realize the truth of what he saw--it wasn''t an all-epassing darkness that blinded his view, but a totalck of any of his senses in general.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "..."

    He uttered hisrade''s name again, but didn''t hear it this time.

    So, this is how ckout feels, huh? Scary stuff...He thought.

    There was nothing to do; he knew it wasn''t simply an absence of his senses, but he truly was in a separate space from where he once was now.

    Without any warning, the darkness engulfing his senses vanished--revealing the space in which he now stood in.

    Immediately, his bnce was tested as the surface he stood on rocked unnaturally. It was as if the ground beneath his feet was being subject to a light tremor that shifted the floor side-to-side beneath his boots.

    "Huh?"

    --Nearly falling to the side, he was caught by a hand grasping his arm, helping him stand up straight. Turning to see the source of the helping hand, it was none other than the long-haired, high elf.

    "Thanks��where are we?" He asked.

    Finally looking around, it was a vast world of darkness with a ground of unseen depth--but that wasn''t quite right.

    Looking down, he realized the unnatural shakiness to the ground beneath his feat originated from the fact he was stationed on a small, shoddily made boat.

    It was then a stomach-churning realization was made as he looked at the scenery around the boat: it wasn''t a dark pit surrounding him, but a far-stretching sea of ck, abyssal waters that allowed no view to what was beneath.

    "If I had to guess...this is the third floor," Fedrin answered.

    As a sea was expected to be, it seemed endless to his gaze; the ck, enigmatic waters apanying the natural darkness to the dreadful domain. Passing by, the winds existing in the enigmatic realm brought along a sharp cold.

    "I see...where are the others?" He asked.

    Looking in front of him, there was nobody else he could see, though it was difficult to trust his eyes after the sensory deprivation he just experienced.

    "Well, I''m right here, but...I''m thest one on this ship besides you two," a familiar voice called.

    As he turned to face the masculine voice, he found Jae-Seong standing at the back of the roughly-crafted sea vessel, who held his same frivolous look, but with an air of caution.

    "But��"

    "Don''t worry, it looks like they just split us up between boats--look there," Jae-Seong pointed with a turn of his chin.

    Upon further inspection, he could make out other simr boats traversing the chilling, abyssal sea--though they were too far for any words to be exchanged.

    "This ce��" He muttered.

    Looking up, the only sources of light were colossal trees of gray bark that wereden with amber, firefly-like spores that clung to the towering, mystical cedar in abundance. Though it wasn''t nearly enough light to settle his anxiety.

    As far as he could see, the sky above was nothing but an abyss of its own; filled with darkness and little else to be seen.

    "It''s huge," hemented.

    "Indeed it is...I presume we''re all headed towards the same ce, though," Fedrin spoke, "there is an ind in the far distance--quite arge one."

    He questioned how the high elf could see anything as he saw nothing but darkness in the far distance, but the existence of vision reinforcement was reeled back to his mind. Centering his reinforcement on his pupils he looked straight ahead.

    As noted, it was a massive stretch ofnd, seemingly walled off by high slopes that rivaled mountains.

    "I don''t like this at all," Jae-Seong took a seat on the untrustworthy floor of the boat.

    "What?" He looked at the man.

    "...I''m not good with the sea," Jae-Seong answered, covering his mouth.

    The usually carefree man held his stomach and mouth, seeming to use all of his willpower to contain whatever should be left in the pits of his stomach.

    Please aim that off the side of the boat, he thought.

    --Without warning, a presence was felt at the forefront of the ustrophobic sea vessel that slowly moved across the ck sea.

    "Who''s there?" He asked, cing his hand on the handle of his sheathed de.

    Acting just as quick, Fedrin raised his staff, standing at the side of the snowy-haired man as they faced the unknown presence. Though the same couldn''t be said for Jae-Seong, who remainedpromised by his sea sickness.

    It was a familiar sight--the small cat he had discarded long ago.

    "Bifrons?" He looked.

    The ck cat remained silent for a few moments before speaking, "This will be our official goodbye, Ren Nakamura.. It is the duty of at least one of the participants'' attendants boarding the ship to inform you of the nature of the final floor."

 Chapter 384 - Imminent Battle, A Woeful Greeting

    "Bifrons?" He looked.

    The ck cat remained silent for a few moments before speaking, "This will be our official goodbye, Ren Nakamura. It is the duty of at least one of the participants'' attendants boarding the ship to inform you of the nature of the final floor."

    He wasn''t exactly pleased to see the enigmatic, ck cat as he kept his hand at his sword--a gesture that Bifrons simply smiled at as his tail waved in the abyssal air.

    "It''s the same as the other two floors right? Just find the floor guardian and kick his butt; simply as that," He replied.

    Bifrons shook his head slowly, flicking his sable tail, "Not quite so."

    The high elf lowered his staff as he stepped forward to approach the envoy of Purgatory, looking down at the cat.

    "Exin," Fedrin insisted.

    A smirk persisted across the mystical feline''s expression, "dly; that''s why I''m here after all. You see, the third floor, more aptly named "The Stretch of Dread" is different from what you''ve experienced so far. There is no destination you must reach, at least in the traditional sense. No guardian awaits you. Simply...you must survive for thirty days."

    "Survive for thirty days? That doesn''t sound so bad," Ren muttered.

    --But, of course, things were never so simple--that much he realized by the mischievous glint in the cat''s eyes.

    "What''s the catch?" Fedrin asked.

    Bifrons remained wordless for a moment before answering with words that settled on those in the boat like maledictions, "...The Pact of Undying is revoked henceforth; there will not be any second chances in a fateful meeting with death."

    "What?!" Fedrin''s eyes widened.

    The snowy-haired young man felt his skin run over with a chill, "You can''t be serious��!"

    Even as he stammered those words out from his throat tightened by dread, he knew it was the truth.

    "...Thirty days without dying? I''m guessing that''s not all there is to it, is there?" Jae-Seong said, finally entering the conversation as he slowly stood up.

    Bifrons nodded, "How perceptive of you. There are indeed two more features of this floor: first, mana can''t be restored naturally--you may only replenish it by means of consuming mana-dense nutrients, or by finding potions scattered around the Stretch of Dread."

    It was almost as daunting as the realization of their own mortality within the realm--hearing that mana was strictly limited.

    What the hell��?! That''s not fair at all! He thought.

    "...And thest feature?" Fedrin asked with sweat clinging to his pores.

    Only the rocking of the shoddy, small boat against the unsettlingly still, ck waters filled their ears as the cat took a moment to respond.

    "You may reduce the time you need to survive here by five days if you should eliminate another participant," Bifrons answered.

    The only thought he could think from this news was akin to "as expected"--as dreadful as it was, that was the way Purgatory was; there was no avoiding it.

    "Now, I am strictly forbidden to answer any questions you may have, so I suppose this is ourst goodbye," Bifrons'' words mostly aimed themselves at the young man, "however, let me bestow you onest token of advice: aim to retrieve as many of the scattered magical tools as you can find. They will be invaluable in your fight here. Good luck--you will all need it."

    With those parting words, the mystical cat vanished into particles of darkness that perfectly fit in with the abyssal realm around them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Once more, it was only the subtle waves that knocked against the sides of the boat that bore any noise for their eardrums.

    "Well...that''s a lot," he sighed, slumping down against the wood of the boat.

    Fedrin shared the same sentiment, sitting down across from the young man, "...I have to agree. I knew thest floor of Purgatory would be an arduous one, but this is something else entirely."

    With nothing left to do but wait, they remained seated on the murky, croaking boat as it sailed over the dreadful, ck sea.

    Minutes passed without any inkling of time passing by or distance being gained; it all looked the same in the vast realm of darkness--a fact that already began to chip at his nerves.

    This is agonizing, he thought, I want to meet with the others already--

    As his thoughts flowed, they met a sudden stopping point as a loud hum traversed the stretch of stygian.

    All three men shared the same, surprised look in their eyes--stopping and listening before a more potent, acute sound repeated--this time a bang resembling the pound of a drum.

    As they stood up on the rocky boat to find the source of the ominous drumming, their eyes met in unison with its origin--bestowing a paralyzing stillness to their lips at the otherworldly sight before them.

    It was headed straight in the direction of their meager vessel; a proper, colossal ship slithering across the ck seas, d in grimeden wood and reinforced by dark steel. Representing its status among the abyssal seas, the ship unted a ck g, bearing the symbol of a messily-drawn skull and crossbones.

    "A ship��?" Fedrin muttered.

    "It''s heading straight for us," Jae-Seong released in a contempt-filled breath.

    Once more, the sounding of the drums that roared with malice vibrated the stygian waters that surrounded them.

    As they watched cautiously, a figure inhabiting the enigmatic ship walked atop the colossal figurehead of the ship that resembled a horned skeleton. Armor of stygian steel was d to the bulky, towering figure--though it became clear that it wasn''t a human--that much was obvious by therge tusks that curved up from its bottom jaw.

    "Fresh meat is on the menu! Prepare for battle!" The figure roared out, raising his battle-ax high.

    Following this promation from the distant figure standing at the forefront of the ship''s bow, a mixture of battle cries resounded like the howls of violence incarnate.

    Cementing the contract of bloodshed, a war-horn parted the stale, cold winds tomence the prospect of battle.

    "...What the hell are they?" Ren muttered.

    The high elf gulped, maintaining hisposure, "Orcs. Though I''ve seldom seen any that can use ournguage. On that same note...they normally aren''t equipped with such armor; let alone seen manning such a ship."

    "Is there any point in questioning such things now?" Jae-Seong smiled, "Purgatory never makes it easy. Looks like we''ll be a littlete catching up with the others. Better us than them, right?"

    "I''d venture to say it''s an arrogant way of thinking, but...not a bad thought process," Fedrin replied.

    "...He''s right. I''d rather it be us that has to deal with this. There''s no way I could handle sitting back while they fight��" Ren muttered.

    Jae-Seong smirked at his words, nudging the young man, "Worried about your girl?"

    A small blush formed on his cheeks, but he didn''t deny it as he nodded with a look of resolve in his eyes, "Of course I am!"

 Chapter 385 - Amongst The Black Sea

    Recognizing the imminence of battle, both the high elf and the Heavenly King seemed ready for battle, and he wasn''t ready to fall behind. It was less than optimal footing, but the snowy-haired young man found no other option but to draw his de.

    An idea crossed his mind, bringing his focus to the high elf at his side, "Fedrin, you can use water magic, right?"

    "...That''s correct," Fedrin confirmed.

    "--Then can''t you create some sort of wave to crash against that ship? Better yet--you can use the water around us! There''s a helluva lot of it!" He asked fervently.

    Though by the solemn look present on the elf''s expression, he knew the answer he would receive would be ill-met on his fears.

    Fedrin shook his head as his flowing, ck locks moved, "I''m afraid I can''t. My mastery of water is serviceable, at best. And...I''ve tried to manipte the water around us, but as you can see...it''s not natural in the slightest. It is something dark and primordial...I have no hopes to control such a dreadful element."

    It was beginning to sink in just how helpless things were feeling; the environment in which to fight couldn''t be any lesspatible.

    "What do we do?" He asked, "...how do we even fight back? I don''t think this piece of crap can survive us stomping a little too hard!"

    "You''re right," Jae-Seong responded, "which leaves just one option."

    As he looked at Jae-Seong for a moment, he turned his eyes to Fedrin--trying to see if he wasn''t the only one left out of the loop.

    "And that is?" He finally asked, gripping his sword tightly.

    The golden-eyed man smirked, cracking his neck side-to-side before ncing back at him, "We take the battle to them."

    "...Pardon?" He asked.

    Even Fedrin seemed to realize it truly was their only avenue as he hesitantly smiled, "Unfortunately, that may be our only path to victory...as risky as it is, it''s far better than holding our ground here."

    On all fronts, it sounded like a n bordering on madness; with a vessel thatrge, their numbers had to be in the dozens.

    Even worse...we don''t even know exactly what''s up with these orcs. Like Fedrin said: they seem more intelligent than normal, so who knows what they''re capable of? Not to mention...we''re really just going in blind if we hop on their ship, he thought.

    "Dammit...I guess there''s no point in worrying about what could go wrong," he smiled wryly, "nothing left but to worry about winning."

    "Atta'' boy," Jae-Seong smiled.

    With such a reckless n settled between the three, they could only wait as the massive, imposing vessel approached them--listening to the ominous, resounding drums as the roars of the orcs aboard the ship grew more audible.

    Even if they fronted confidence, he could see hispanions were just as nervous as he was by the subtle trembling that exhibited itself from their hands.

    It was a foreign battleground for them all; stranded on a solemn hunk of wood in an abyssal sea, feeling the surrounding, enigmatic waters hum with the vibrations of the beating drums and the curtains from the weight of the approaching vessel.

    As they stood patiently, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, a question struck through his mind. It was an urrence to the mind that came withmon sense: why would they simply approach us and let the ying fields even out?

    "What happens if they have bows?...Or cannons? Actually, any projectile magic, at all��?" He asked.

    Silence befell the dinghy for a moment as his question seemed to bring some form of light to Jae-Seong''s immacte n.

    "Jae-Seong?" He asked, cementing his question.

    The curly-haired man finally answered with a trembling smile, "...If that''s the case, we adapt."

    "We...adapt?" He repeated the words that met his ears.

    Uncertainty brewed in the pits of his stomach more than ever now as he could tell the words that spilled from hispanion''s lips were nothing short of an improvisation.

    How long until it reaches our position? Five...no, three minutes? I can''t tell--it''s too damn dark to properly make anything out, he thought.

    The high elf''s pointy ears flicked as if something inaudible to his humanpanions'' own ears met his.

    "It''sing," Fedrin suddenly warned in a focused whisper.

    No further rification was needed; Ren held both Belus and his sable, pearlescent dagger with a readied stance. Relying solely on his fists, Jae-Seong reinforced them with the brunt of his strength-enhancing mana.

    Just as the three stood readied for what wasing with a whispering breeze trickling by--the air hissed.

    It filled the abyssal skies like the celebrations of a nighttime festival; countless arrows lit with radiant mesunched into the air. As scenic as it was to witness the ming projectiles take to the solemn skies, their curvature and downfall towards their position tossed to the side any fleeting distractions.

    It''s now or never--I haven''t had the chance to use this one in battle yet. Magic manifests in the heat of battle, right��? He hoped.

    "Get behind me!" He called out.

    Stepping to the very edge of the dinghy''s front as the vessel rocked side-to-side from his swift, sudden movements, he raised his hand to the air.

    Back-to-back, Fedrin and Jae-Seong heeded his words as they nted themselves directly behind the pale-haired adolescent.

    "Araphel: Sunless Blossom!" He shouted out.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was a sensation he seldom felt in recent times, but it was familiar; the surge of magical energy through his body that resembled a pressure bottling up with him as if mana would simply burst through his pores. A side effect of casting a new, powerful spell that sat close to his limits as a mage.

    Invoking the unmastered magecraft sent a sharp pain through his arm, though it faded quickly as he sprouted forth a colossal, violet-and-ck flower that blossomed into a multiyered shield.

    ...Come on! He gritted his teeth.

    Holding the shield with hisplete focus, he stood his ground as the arrows finally descended upon them, crashing against the flower-based, mystical shield with tremendous force. Each impact caused the semi-transparent, sable petals of the mystical, defensive flower to flicker with a burst of magenta light--giving radiance to the dark surroundings.

    Those that missed the stretch of the flowery barrier sank into the ck waters with dozens of plops, casting away the illumination of the mes as the abyssal depths swallowed the fire without hesitation.

    "Ghh��!" He breathed past his clenched teeth.

    Fedrin pointed his staff up, but his efforts were stopped by the young man''s yell, "No��! We have to conserve our mana--! Just leave this...to me!"

    The high elf was left silent for a moment, but Jae-Seong''sck of hesitation to trust in him helped the elf follow the same result.

    "...Alright," Fedrin nodded, "keep it up, Ren!"

    While the storm of arrows continued to cascade down upon the shield that blossomed in front of the fragile dinghy, the war-horns hummed out once more as the waters vibrated, allowing such pulsations to be felt through the floor of the wooden boat.

    "Sunless Blossom"...with Veil being practically obsolete, I learned this to make up for it. It''s strong...that''s for sure, and despite looks, it''s cheap on mana. The thing is...it takes its toll in other ways. The damage the blossom receives...it transfers the equivalent pain to me.

    If I just grit my teeth and stand tall, there''s no problem��! He thought.

    Roaring out, his yells battled the warring thud of the approaching drums as the volley of arrows finally came to an end.

    "...It''s about time," he huffed.

    Letting his arm fall limp at his side, the ck-and-purple defensive flower vanished into fleeting particles as he let out a heavy breath.

    Aforting pat on the shoulder came from Jae-Seong who brought the young man back, taking his ce at the vanguard as he woke his knuckles up with melodic cracks.

    "Nice one, Ren. Looks like you bought enough time for the party boat to arrive," Jae-Seong smiled.

    It was an abrasive truth that was confirmed by the ear-filling beats of the war-drums filling the surrounding airs as the ck-steel d ship was now directly before their dinghy. Now within such a close proximity, the true size of the colossal vessel of the abyssal sea was disyed--looming over the three on their makeshift boat like a mountain over an ant mound.

    "We''re really boarding it...right?" He asked again.

    Somehow, he wished for a conflicting answer toe from his words, but no such reprieve was avable.

    Anchors were tossed from the side of the steel-embroidered warship as the iling, ck sails moved ominously.

    "Looks like they have the same idea," Fedrin spoke, standing by Jae-Seong.

    "Yeah," Jae-Seong nodded, "so let''s bring the battle to them!"

    Without any further words as the ship came to aplete stop from the weight of the dense anchors, Jae-Seong leapt high into the air as Fedrin followed with a more graceful movement.

    ...Let''s do this, he thought.

    Following hisrades, he got a small, running start before jumping from the end of the dinghy with reinforcement backing his leap.

    Traveling through the brisk, dark airs, his stomach fluttered as nothing but the air separated himself from the unseen depths of the horrific, ck sea below.

    Being in the air for a few, slow-moving moments, he could see what awaited in the main deck of the skeleton-unting ship belonging to the armored orcs: as expected, there were arge quantity of enemies awaiting.

    Not that I expected anything else! He thought.

    Landing just a moment after the other two, hended with a smooth, seamless roll onto the main deck.

    They found themselves in the center of therge, main deck that still wasn''t exempt from the rockiness of the dark sea, swaying as the mmy wood below assisted in creating an unnatural foothold.

    His first thought was just how bad the smell was aboard the grimeden ship; a repugnant stench of wet, spoiled meat like a stomach-clenching pungence infiltrated his nose.

    Though the stench that clung to the mmy ship was the least of the worries as the stygian-armored, broad orcs surrounding them.

    "Looks like they prepared a weing party for us," Jae-Seong held his fists up.

    "...It''s been quite some years since I''ve experienced a party of this scope," Fedrin added, flipping his lengthy staff before holding it up.

    He could only smile as fear was secondary whenrades were at his side, "Let''s not disappoint them then!"

    It didn''t need to be spoken that they had each other''s backs, each facing their own direction before engaging with the crew of tall, red-eyed orcs around them.

 Chapter 386 - Dark Impulse

    Approaching the snowy-haired adolescent was a towering member of the orc crew with lengthy, ckthered tusks. In the meaty paws of the savage creature were two, jagged-edged greatswords that looked like normal length swords in itsrge hands.

    "Come on, big guy," he muttered.

    I can''t afford to use any spells this early on; even my usual level of reinforcement might be too much. Slow and easy...let''s just see how strong these guys are before I decide anything, he thought.

    Watching the gray-skinned, muscr orc raise one of his unrefined swords, he flipped around the downward swing with ease.

    It''s slow, he thought.

    Given a window of opportunity to execute upon, he shed Belus against the unprotected space between his dense armor, slicing the side of the orc''s knee--jumping back before it could retaliate with a roar-fueled sh.

    Standing his ground, he flipped his dual-wielded weapons between his fingers as he kept his guard up, watching as the orc snarled before returning to its feet.

    After Arthur, I guess I''m used to swordsmanship of that level. Compared to him, this guy is just a slow-moving mass of muscle, he thought, I can do this.

    Evading a pair of strikes from the orc, he spun around, pivoting and ending up behind the sluggish foe--bestowing him with a reinforced sh that pierced its armor; a sh of the orc''s blood sprayed as it keeled over.

    Easier than I expected, he thought.

    As his confidence evolved to hubris, a chill ran up his spine as such delusions were swept to the side amidst the stygian ship.

    --Behind! He thought.

    A sharp edge nicked his right tricep as he rolled forward at the veryst moment, turning to face a second orc that held a wicked smile as itughed low.

    That''s right...why would they fight fairly? This isn''t a contest of honor...this is life or death; simple as that, he thought.

    The newly arrived foe possessed a more bulbous, broad form that stretched his grime-covered armor to its seeming limits. What he initially believed to be a broadsword that was swung towards his arm turned out to be a savage instrument of merciless ughter--a ded whip. Its brutal weapon was coated in battles of the past; tainted with dried, old blood and sparsely exhibiting what looked to be bits of flesh that were never cleaned away.

    It was a type of weapon that induced fear into the one on the other end; he found himself thinking of nothing as his caution was raised to the maximum.

    ...It''s bad enough that I don''t have much experience, if any, fighting against that sort of wild weapon...but I''ve got one enemy at my front, and one behind me, he thought.

    Even worse, he could still feel his entire body throbbing with the pain transmitted from his Sunless Blossom, causing his reserved strength to feel more fleeting than it already was.

    "Scared, little human? Ge-he-he," the whip-wielded orc taunted.

    He held his ground, responding as he put on a smirk, "What''re you, a mind reader or something?"

    The orc''s snout twitched a bit as it readied its weapon, spinning the ded whip as steam exuded from its nostrils, "No...I can smell it. Your fear is leaving your pores like a sweet nectar; I want to taste it for myself."

    He couldn''t find any quips to shoot back with as his skin ran over with a chill, knowing full well those words weren''t a lie.

    Not that there was any time to speak as he dashed forward, keeping his body as low as he could as he avoided a sweeping strike of the savage whip.

    Get a taste of this! He thought.

    Kicking forward to cover thest meter between him and the whip-using orc to his front, he swung his sword towards its chest--only for it to be stopped midway.

    In a fit of speed unseen previously, the tusked-creature wielding two greatswords intervened, blocking the strike with a cross-guard of his dual weapons.

    Wasn''t he on the ground behind me? Where did this speede from?! He thought.

    --Almost as surprising, his thoughts were halted as a roar that propelled the orc''s repugnant breath directly to his breath supplied enough raw strength to send him sliding back on the soles of his boots.

    Now the two, towering orcs that were triple his size stood together, facing him with eyes that craved for his flesh.

    "I call dibs on his upper-half, Buljin. Eyes and tongue are my favorite," the orc with two swords chuckled.

    Replying with a breathy, unnervingugh of his own, the whip-wielding armored creature nodded, "Fine with me, Cajo. The bottom has the more...juicy parts."

    Another chill traversed his body as he listened to the dreadful words shared between the man-eating, abyssal orcs. By the abundance of saliva that dripped from their scarred lips, their words were cemented as nothing less than their most truthful desires.

    "Oh, yeah? Try me," he held himself high with stern, challenging words.

    If there was one respite that softened the malicious air at his back when standing in the belly of the beast, it was that he heldplete faith in hisrades--hearing their battles transpire behind his back.

    All I''ve got to do is handle my end of things, he decided.

    As he stabilized his footing on the uneven, mmy nks that were littered with muk, bones, and other repulsive factors, he drew in a breath as he gripped his weapons with a conviction to kill.

    It was at the slightest, swiftest showing of either of the two orcs beginning their assault--catching the whip-wielding, pig-faced creature d in grimy armor lifting his tail-ended weapon, spinning it around.

    By the point that the whip already began to rear back, he was moving forward swiftly, setting his sights instead on the slimmer, muscle-bound of the two.

    "Impatient to fit yourself into my gut?" The sword-wielding orc taunted.

    With a resounding, heavy stomp, the orc exuded steam from its snout before rearing both des back into the air, mming them down towards the swift human.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As I thought, he surmised, you''re predictable. Being able to talk doesn''t mean you''re intelligent.

    Pivoting in such a way that he shifted his body to the side, allowing both of the massive, ill-maintained weapons to miss him, he used the slippery nature of the ship''s deck to slide forward.

    Such an unorthodox movement caused the viscous whip topletely miss him in unison, only slicing apart a few stray barrels.

    "What?!" Cajo reared back in surprise.

    He had ced himself as close to the orc as possible, making it impossible for any swings of his greatswords to be brought in retaliation.

    Using the momentum of his slide, he spun swiftly, bringing the visceral edge of Belus down on the tough skin of the orc''s meaty neck-cerating it as a fountain of crimson rained down.

    One down, he thought.

    With the ck-d orc being left feeble and at death''s door, he pushed his shoulder against its belly, using the bleeding orc as arge, mobile shield as the ded whip struck rapidly--hitting the living shield without mercy.

    As overwhelmingly heavy the bulky, towering creature was, especially dressed in abundant armor, he managed--mustering his natural strength with the aid of slight reinforcement, marching slowly but surely across the mmy, death-filled deck of the ck ship.

    "I''ll eat you alive, you little shit! Don''t you fucking dare think you can challenge us!" Buljin roared.

    He remained silent as crimson showered down atop his head; his focus was tempered, continuing to push forward as the orc-shield finally fell limp from his back being brutally pelted by the powerful whip.

    ...It''s deadweight now, I''ll expend too much energy pushing it now, he thought.

    Just as he went to push the fallen orc down to clear his path, both of his arms were suddenly grabbed as a chuckle crescendoed from the maw of the orc directly before him.

    "What?!" He let out in shock.

    It surpassed any logic; the creature he just witnessed fall lifeless, sumbing to wounds far beyond just fatal was now gripping fervently onto his arms with massive hands that flourished with strength.

    Ending its ominous, garglingughter, the pig-faced brute met him face-to-face, staring directly into his eyes with his shining scarlets.

    "Surprised, little human?" Cajo grinned with blood coating his rows of teeth.

    "...How are you--!"

    "Alive?...You''ll have to do a bit better than that little bitch-cut you gave me, human," the orc tilted his head to the side, disying therge evisceration still present on his neck.

    Caught up in the shock of the situation, he wasn''t able to properly respond in time to the brutish creature lifting him from the ground simply by pulling on his forearms. He was brought into the air, up above Cajo''s own head as the orc simplyughed out before mming him back down with a harsh, resounding impact that shattered the nks below.

    All of the air was forced from his lungs by the force of the impact,nding directly on his sternum as he gasped out silently.

    Can''t breathe. My lungs...on fire, he thought.

    While he was left unable to move from his lungs refusing to bring in any air, the heavyset footsteps of Cajo moved past him, retrieving his two des.

    "They always fall for it, don''t they? Cocky little shits," The whip-wielding orc''s words fell on the human''s ringing ears like distant whispers.

    ...That''s right, he thought.

    For some reason while he wasid out on the ground, feeling his cheek pressed against the pungent, cold, mmy floor as splints of shattered wood pressed against his skin--a thought urred. Whether it was born of a frazzled mind, or a realization bestowed from a guardian angel, he chose to follow this instinct.

    "Kill them, no matter how it must be done," was the concept that etched itself into his mind. A dark impulse that left him unclouded in his path. It was the same feeling he felt when pushed to the edge by the ex-Argonaut; a sense of justified bloodlust, devoid of doubt.

    I guess it was dumb to try and hold backpletely. You can''t expect to win a battle at your lowest, he thought.

    Releasing his grip of both of his weapons, he listened closely to the footsteps of the chuckling orc grow closer.

    Sharp edges aren''t the only thing I can use, he thought.

    As the air shifted directly above him, he was able to decipher that Cajo had raised a greatsword above his head.

    "Nighty nighty, little human," the orc taunted.

    Just as he brought the de to a descent, the floored human made a swift, unorthodox movement--spinning himself so that he was able to grasp the orc''s ankle between both of his legs.

    "What the--!" Cajo called out in shock.

    Before he could react, the burly,rge-set creature found himself no longer standing--instead having fallen onto his back.

    "Cajo!" The other orc yelled out.

    The whip-wielding, gray-skinned orc was nearly fast enough to begin spinning his weapon as the wordless young man retrieved his des without any wasted movements; mounting the massive orc and stabbing the dagger between its eyes, while cing Belus through its heart.

    "I couldn''t figure out if destroying your brain or heart would put you down," he spoke calmly, "so I decided to try both."

 Chapter 387 - The Black-Caped Captain

    "I couldn''t figure out if destroying your brain or heart would put you down," he spoke calmly, "so I decided to try both."

    No response was released from Cajo as his functions were instantly seized by the merciless assault--his eyes rolling back as his breathing stopped only seconds after the attack.

    "Die, you piece of shit! Die! Die! Die!" Buljin roared.

    Though the angered orc''s retaliation for hisrade was silenced as the lengthy, de-studded whip was stopped dead in its tracks as the young man swiftly withdrew his des from the fallen orc''s husk, catching the whip with his steel.

    He stood up, flicking the whip away with his des as he began to approach Buljin, "Are you mad that I killed your friend? I wonder how many people you ughtered, or better yet: how many people who begged for their lives? Not that I care; I just don''t like hypocrites."

    An immutable malice veiled his eyes as he watched Buljin without so much as flinching as he repelled the flurry of whips.

    "...So you better not cry when my de is right in front of you," he warned calmly.

    Fear clung to the orc''s skin as he backed away; the speed of his attacks lessening the closer the snowy-haired human drew closer without any emotion disyed on his face.

    The moment he dashed forward with both of his eyes aiming at the jugr of the beefy brute, a sudden smirk wiped itself across his enemy''s face as the orc''s eyes nced to the side.

    "Got you," Buljin taunted.

    As he looked to the side amidst a step in a moment that seemed to be dragged to a halt, he saw a tiny, thin creature less than half his height, shrouded in ck leather. By the salivating, high-pitched shriek of augh the tiny, olive-skinned creature unleashed, he knew something was off.

    ? But even that realization wasn''t the end of it; he noticed with open eyes that there were multiple of the same, small creatures stationed around the deck, all facing him. They all stood with war-horns equipped to the belts at their hips, also standing near the drums attached to the edges of the ships.

    Goblins? He thought.

    In their hands, he noticed they held crossbows--click.

    Just as he recognized its existence, the bolts were released from the holds of the weapons, shooting towards him as he was still within the range of the orc''s whips.

    His immediate instinct was to dodge backward, but he knew not only would that movement be slow--it was likely expected.

    ...Fine, you win. I guess I have no choice, he thought.

    Begrudgingly, he held a contempt within his eyes as he opted for a mystical approach to the coffin of lethality around him; with a brisk step, his form vanished into darkness.

    "What?!--Where did--?!" Buljin gasped.

    As the orc lost sight of the young man, the immediate reaction of the savage brute was tomand the child-sized goblins, "Find--"

    Before hismand could be released, a squelch interrupted his slurred utterance as blood mixed with the saliva that drooled from the orc''s lips.

    Belus stuck out from Buljin''s broad abdomen, dripping with the fiend''s blood at the very tip of the de before it was pulled back with a hiss of death and steel.

    As the orc''s body dropped with a heavy thud, the goblins froze at the sight of the snowy-haired human that was revealed to be behind the orc.

    "Stay down," He muttered, swiping his de that was slick with the blood of the fallen orc.

    Turning his attention to the goblins, they shuddered, scrambling to reload the crossbows that were far toorge for their small, feeble bodies.

    After taking down the towering orcs, it was child''s y; with a single sh against each of them, he brought down the goblins with impunity. They werecking in readiness for his swift, unhesitant assault as a singlep around the left edge of the boat allowed him to cut through each of the small, yellow-eyed fiends.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Catching his slightly-off breath, he flicked the fresh, arterial fluid from his de as the dark temperament faded from his mind.

    I wonder how the others are doing, he thought.

    Turning to look back, he was relieved that Jae-Seong and Fedrin seemedpletely unharmed--still amidstbat.

    Perhaps not surprising was the fact that Jae-Seong seemed to relish the magic-less battle he put himself into, fist fighting with an orc that dwarfed him--yet he was the oneughing with glee.

    On the other hand, Fedrin seemed to be using reinforcement to make up for his naturalck of close-quarters finesse, having to dance around the orcs and goblins, using his staff as a blunt weapon.

    "Looks like I was the first to finish," He smiled, "I should help them--"

    As such a thought fell from his lips, it was stamped out by a thunderous stomp that vibrated through the ship.

    It originated from the colossal, fully-armored entity ascending from the lower deck, who arrived with a flowing, sable cape behind him as he stood tall with a horned helmet.

    What the hell is that? He thought.

    Everyone on the deck froze in the presence of the ungodly-looking being; Jae-Seong and Fedrin came to a halt as even the enemies they fought did the same--all bringing their eyes to the newly arrived entity.

    "You miserable, weak sacks of shit!" The being roared with a voice as deep as a chasm, "You can''t even handle a couple measly humans and an elf?! I brought you onto my crew, and for what? For you to be ipetent? No!"

    Carrying a colossal, stygian club studded with silver, blood-stained spikes, the being that towered even the orcs stomped forward, stopping in front of one of the orcs.

    "...No! Captain...it''s not like that, we just--"

    Before the orc could make any such excuses, the being d in ck-armor plummeted his mighty club down atop the orc without a word--splitting the burly giant in two and squashing whatever was left.

    The flooring below was obliterated in the process, leaving a smoke of the shattered, rotted wood to traverse the dank air.

    ...Huh? He thought.

    Only a mess of crushed steel and crimson chunks was left in spot of the orc as the captain of the ship lifted his club that was now dripping with fresh crimson.

    Before he could even decipher what was truly going on, his twopanions quickly rendezvous with him, taking to his sides as they raised their guards.

    "We''re shit out of luck," Jae-Seong smirked wryly.

    Fedrin nodded with a gulp,"Perhaps the worst case scenario��"

    He was left confused at what their words fully entailed, looking between them before asking,"What?...Do you guys know what that thing is?"

    The ck armor the colossal juggernaut wore was devoid of any beauty;yered in scratches and dents from the battles it lived through. A curtain of charred bones entangled like a mortifying trophy wasced around his waist like a kilt. In the centermost section of his breastte was an engraving of the skeletal symbol of his ship; presenting an air of death.

    It was the high elf who answered, keeping his staff readied and pointed directly at the colossal, heavily-armored captain, "...It is an incredibly rare evolution of ogres--it can only be achieved by living a life of war and triumph for decades; a rare feat for ones that live in a constant state of warfare. That one there is an ''Ogre Tyrant''--it is something of vast strength."

    As if listening to its identity be uttered, the Ogre Tyrant roared out with a booming voice that vibrated therge ship, "All of you will be me sustenance! Failure is not permitted! I shall feast on your feeble flesh and find myself a new cry!"

 Chapter 388 - Ogre Tyrant

    As if listening to its identity be uttered, the Ogre Tyrant roared out with a booming voice that vibrated therge ship, "All of you will be me sustenance! Failure is not permitted! I shall feast on your feeble flesh and find myself a new cry!"

    With this promation, the tyrannical captain stomped across the deck, catching a pair of goblins in his mighty hands that easily dwarfed the small creature--squeezing his gauntlet-d fist shut as a stomach-churning squelch released from the crushing of the goblins.

    Around his arms was fabric, aged to an old gray that had been stained with blood and other liquids--wrapping around his arms like winged sleeves.

    "No way��" He muttered, holding a look of disgust.

    They watched as the Ogre Tyrant reared his head back, opening his fist above his mouth as the mangled mess of twisted goblins and blood fell into his maw.

    Jae-Seong''s smile was tested at such an abhorrent site as he spoke to hisrades, "...Hey, Fedrin, correct me if I''m wrong...but it''s ogres that grow stronger with the more they eat, right?"

    Silence exuded from the high elf for a moment before he begrudgingly nodded his head, "Unfortunately...that is the case, yes. Anything with an amount of mana within it is added to the ogre''s being."

    Witnessing the vile consumption the Ogre Tyrant indulged in, sweeping up terrified archer goblins into his hands before crushing and swallowing them whole--it began to dawn on him just what type of foe existed on the ship.

    It didn''t matter if in the process he chewed their armor or bows, the tyrant was a fiend for their flesh.

    He gulped, "Aren''t monsters in Purgatory usually around for decades--no, even centuries, sometimes?...If that guy has been around that long, eating during that time��" His words trailed as their meaning was already set.

    Fedrin answered quietly, "It''s as you say; that ogre has likely been consuming and growing stronger for countless years. This is not a battle we can win with frugality restraining us."

    As they spoke amongst each other in whispers, staying near the forefront of the ship, the colossal, merciless captain of the ship continued his path of abhorrence--smashing, squashing, and tearing apart any orc or goblin that was in his path.

    Each step forward the ck-armored ogre made with his lengthy, ck cape, that more so resembled a ship''s sale, rocked the entire ship against the abyssal waters it sat on. It was a theatre of horror; the screams of those who were their daunting enemies filled the ck air as the monstrous ogre painted the ship in a new coating of crimson as innards were flung about with each pull and bite he took.

    "What''s the n here?" Jae-Seong asked, "We don''t know how strong that big guy is--I''d prefer it if we don''t rush in like frantic rookies."

    He paused for a moment, looking down at the two des he held before nodding to himself.

    We obviously have to conserve as much mana as we possibly can. But...trying to be too careful can result in an early death. It''s fine if I use a bit, or even Fedrin...but Jae-Seong is the strongest member of our group, no doubt--we have to converse his strength the most, he thought.

    Raising his gaze, he answered hisrade''s question, "...Since I''m the only one with des, I''ll handle trying to bring him down."

    Fedrin added, "I see...not a bad idea; going for his tendons?"

    He nodded his head as his snowy fringes brushed by his eyebrows, "Let''s just call it "Operation Chihuahua"...bite his ankles. Anyway, I hate to ask you to waste mana...but I''ll need you to cover for me and keep him distracted with some magic. It doesn''t have to be anything crazy, whatever you can throw his way will do."

    His words were dulled by the booming stomps of the Ogre Tyrant, who reached the middle of the deck by this point--nearly running through the hulk of the crew as his gluttonous rampage didn''t seem to cease in the slightest.

    The high elf shook his head with a determined look inhabiting his purple eyes, "Don''t think twice about it, Ren. We high elves pride ourselves on our high mana reservoirs--I''d be ashamed if I couldn''t handle such a role."

    "Thanks, Fedrin," he gave a slight smile before turning to Jae-Seong, "once he''s down, I''ll leave the finale to you."

    Of course, such a pivotal role was something the curly-haired otherworlder couldn''t reject as he smiled with his golden-irises glistening, "You picked the right man for the job! I''ll give you a finale you''ll never forget!"

    Hey now, don''t sound so excited! He thought.

    With a final sweep, the Ogre Tyrant''s pathway to the three was cleared as he huffed through his veiling helm; his maw dripping with the blood and remnants of his freshly consumed meals.

    "...Looks like it''s my time to shine, right?" Ren muttered before yelling out to the towering brute, "bring it on, you glorified tutorial boss!"

    His sword was pointed directly to the being of colossal height, who responded with a voice that haunted his ears with a deafening boom to them.

    "I don''t care for your meaningless words! I''ll tear you apart, rip you limb-from-limb, like the rest! This is my ship--you boarding it was you serving yourself on a tter for myself!"

    Through his explosive words, the massive ogre lifted his pir-sized, studded club--an action that signaled the young man to engage in battle with a swift dash.

    As he sprinted around to lose the persistent, gluttonous eyes of the ogre, he shifted direction swiftly with his des aimed at the massive, armored ankles of the tyrant.

    But, it seemed the captain of the ursed ship anticipated such a movement as he began to move his gargantuan weapon towards the young human.

    "Luft: Shifting Breath!" Fedrin yelled.

    --A st of unseen air mmed against the armored giant, knocking his bnce off enough to make him briefly stumble, interrupting his attackpletely.

    With his pathway clear, he reinforced the edges of his des; broadsword and dagger, setting his eyes on the ankle that rivaled the size of his entire body.

    Nice one, Fedrin! He thought.

    He didn''t stop as he swiftly dashed by the ogre''s leg, leaving behind two, deep shes that cut right through his sable armor--conjuring a spill of crimson from the tyrant''s shed achilles'' heel.

    "Grgh��! You seething sack of shit! I''m going to turn every bone into powder...I''ll bathe in your screams of agony��!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The Ogre Tyrant howled his threats as he fell to one knee, though he was slowed in the slightest as he went for another strike while the young man was directly before him.

    ...He''s going for an attack?! Is this guy crazy?! He thought.

    As the brutal captain was already halfway through a downfall of his bludgeoning tool, the high elf had no time to cast a spell--it was left to Ren in that moment.

    Waiting for the absolutest moment, he jumped up just as the club crashed against the wooden nks below, flipping over onto the giant ogre''s bolstered arm. As he scaled the lengthy, d arm of the tyrannical captain, he drug his des along the exposed portions--leaving a trail of releasing blood in his wake.

    "Ren!"

    --The yell of his name came from Jae-Seong; though he had no inclination as to why his name was called so desperately. That was, until he felt the reason why hit him against the very core of his being.

    Thinking the ogre had no way to retaliate as he scaled its arm, reaching its shoulder--he felt a massive force collide against the right side of his body as if a boulder had mmed into him after gaining immense momentum.

    It was the densely-armored fist belonging to the Ogre Tyrant, mming against his side and knocking him against the metallic railing of the ship with such force that a shock wave emitted through the air.

    "...Ren!" Jae-Seong yelled out with such fervor that his vocal cords were strained.

    But as he took a single stride forward with the intentions of aiding the young man, he was stopped by the high elf''s arm.

    "Why''re you stopping me, Fedrin?!" Jae-Seong asked through his teeth.

    "Because," Fedrin answered calmly with a droplet of sweat scaling his cheek, "We put our trust in him."

    Jae-Seong opened his mouth to contest the man''s words, but he stopped as his lips parted before clenching his teeth.

    ...Dammit, Ren. Don''t be like me, Jae-Seong thought.

    "Don''t get me wrong: I''m not saying that we should stand aside so that his honor isn''t tarnished. I wouldn''t allow a friend to die for such superficial reasons. However, this is his n; if we interject now...we''ll ruin it all," Fedrin said.

    "I get you," Jae-Seong replied, maintaining himself, "...sadly, I really get you."

    Letting out a sharp cough that exuded dust from his lungs, Ren slowly lifted himself from the shattered nks.

    ...I think I inhaled some wood chips. Shit, he wryly smiled to himself.

    A stream of dark crimson leaked from his left nostril, though the brunt of the pain was felt throughout his entire skeleton.

    Using bare minimum reinforcement...is not fun. A hit like that would normally sting, but right now...just the force felt like it punched me straight in my lungs, he thought.

    "As expected: weak and feeble, worthless and good for nothing, except for being my own sustenance," The Ogre Tyrant taunted.

    The ship-shaking stomps of the colossal ogre approached him with a dreadful aura oozing from the captain. Though it was clear the mammoth of an ogre wasn''t unfettered; a limp inhabited his stride--a strike to his pride that bolstered him with a malicious air.

    "Come on, get up, Ren��!" Jae-Seong gritted his teeth, "if he''s not up in a few seconds...don''t try to stop me."

    "Stop you?" Fedrin replied, "I will assist you if that''s the case."

    As their confidence in the silver-caped, white-haired young man was tested by the daunting situation--such fleeting feelings were dashed by an uncanny movement from the one in question.

    Without a seamless kick of his legs, he returned to his feet as if he didn''t just experience such a brutal hit.

    "You pack quite a punch," Renplimented, wiping the blood from his nose, "I''m going to definitely feel that in the morning."

    The Ogre Tyrant stopped just in front of him with a look of confusion inhabiting his radiant, scarlet eyes, "How? How are you standing?!"

    Jae-Seong couldn''t help but grin wide at the sight, while Fedrin smiled subtly, though he raised his staff in preparation to follow the lead of the snowy-hairedpanion.

    "I''d like to say I''m just built a bit differently than the rest, but in truth...Purgatory has really trained my body to endure," he answered, spitting out fresh blood from his mouth with a slight smile.

    A quick nce to the high elf gave a wordless signal understood between the two, prompting Fedrin to nod as the mystical sphere embedded in his staff began to glow.

    "Nonsense! It matters not! I will tenderize your flesh all the same!"

    As the ogre brought his club to the air with a weight that caused the air to shift against the young man''s eardrums, the monstrous foe was interrupted by a st of fire straight to the side of his helmed head.

    "Grghh��!" The ogre grunted, faltering for a moment.

    Thanks, Fedrin, he thought, I''ll get to finally try this one out in battle, thanks to you.

 Chapter 389 - Disgust Beyond Comprehension, A World Of The Vile

    Thanks, Fedrin, he thought, I''ll get to finally try this one out in battle, thanks to you.

    He rxes his shoulders as he allowed his arms to hang limp at his sides, stepping forward. Though he allowed his body to relieve into a form without intensity, weing minuscule stress--his mind endured a heavy strain born from propulsing concentration. Once more, blood slicked his lip, falling from his nose, though this time by his own actions rather than his enemy''s own.

    This one required me to master Shadow Step before even considering using it. I''m not very experienced with this...but in order to utilize this, I have to use reinforcement on my brain in order to process information at the rapid speeds this spell requires.

    All in an instant; it''ll be done, he thought, even if it''s just for a moment...I''ll transcend my limits with speed that I can''t even fathom. If I can master this...it can be my very own trump card.

    Letting out a shallow breath between his blood-slicked lips, he closed his eyes momentarily.

    Sink into it; the darkness all around. With violence being the centerpiece of the parade of thoughts in my mind��fall silent.

    Dance with the abyss, he thought.

    "Araphel: March of The Unseen," he whispered.

    As the cold, mystical words left his lips, he vanished; only traces of dark particles left behind.

    "Hmgh��?!" The ogre held his burnt face, looking for the vanished human.

    ��One.

    ��Two.

    ��Three.

    All instantaneously and without space between, three, visceral shes were bestowed on the towering ogre''s ck-d temple.

    One sh took out his other Achilles'' tendon, while the other two left the back of his knees to shreds.

    After the unseen, rapid assault was finished, the snowy-haired young man appeared back to the same spot, watching as the Ogre Tyrant was brought down to his knees.

    Fresh fountains of blood surged from the sliced weak points of the keeled over ogre.

    "��What did you do?!" The ogre growled, salivating with rage.

    He cracked his neck, looking down at the felled ogre, "I was tired of looking up at you, so I brought you down."

    From the rapid movements he just endured, the stream of blood returned from his nose, running down his lips as he hid the sign of weakness from the ogre--swiftly wiping it away.

    ...That went better than unexpected, he thought, most of my practice with the spell back at the tower resulted in me flying straight into walls...it requires an incredibly precise n, then an even stronger concentration to let it run smoothly. A wrong move there, and I could''ve flung myself off the ship.

    Turning his eyes to Jae-Seong, he gave the man a nod with a smile, who traversed the distance in a blink of an eye. The speed in which he moved left both Fedrin and Ren surprised, but it was a weing feeling.

    "Yo, ogre," Jae-Seong greeted.

    No response came as the sweatden ogre only looked up as the curly-haired man with golden eyes brought his fist back; a surge of air coiled around his reared back fist, causing his ck tank top to flutter.

    "Do what you must--"

    --As the ogre gave his words, they were cut short as the lean, but muscr otherworlder propelled his fist like a cannon, carving through space as it crashed against the snout of the tyrannical ogre.

    Contrary to the massive size the ogre possessed, a valuable lesson was learned: strength trumps size. From the force of the simple, straight-right, the captain was sted from the ship with a crack of the wind that grazed the wooden nks around.

    By the orchestra of bones being shattered to a fine powder that filled their ears, there was no contesting the fatality of such a blow as blood trailed from the ogre''s many pores as he was flung back through the enigmatic, solemn air.

    Ren whistled, watching the ogre violently spin through the air, "Nice hit."

    "Not my best, not my worst," Jae-Seong smiled, cing his hands on his sides.

    The high elf joined at their sides, watching with them as the ogre finally plummeted down towards the sable waters.

    Just before the massive, armor-d figure could sink into the dark depths, a set of colossal, unnerving tentacles sprouted from the dreadful sea, wrapping around the ogre and pulling him into the depths without hesitation.

    Silence befell the trio for a moment at the unexpected oue, though they all felt the same sensation of their skin crawling from the creepy, gargantuan tentacles that briefly showed themselves.

    "Well! Remind me to never touch those waters," Fedrin shuddered.

    The young man nodded,"...Same here."

    Stumbling as he took a step forward, he was caught from either side by his twopanions, who helped him stand.

    "Are you okay? You took a pretty gnarly hit back there," Jae-Seong asked.

    Fedrin added, "Your nose is bleeding ck...there is a lot of blood flowing out, Ren. You should take a seat."

    He shook his head, wiping his nose with a reassuring smirk as a blood stain was left on his cheek, "I''m alright. This is just the price of a little experiment of mine--don''t worry."

    Though they didn''t seem to buy his faux confidence, they chose to trust his words as he stood himself up.

    As their less than gentle introduction to the third floor came to an end, they headed back to the side of therge ship--peering over the edge at their humble dinghy.

    Or at least, the dinghy that should''ve been resting on the ck waters.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Urr, it was on this side, right?" He asked.

    "Indeed," Fedrin confirmed with a sigh, "Indeed, it was."

    Jae-Seong didn''t hesitate to brush off the disappearance of the sea vessel they arrived on with a heartyugh.

    "Why''re you so happy?" He looked at the fellow otherworlder with a raised eyebrow.

    The golden-eyed former pop-star stepped to the middle of the ship before turning back to face the other two, "We can just use this ship, obviously!"

    It was something Fedrin and himself didn''t consider, but it wasn''t because of an absence of thought--there was another problem.

    "...First off, do you even know how to operate a ship like this?" He asked.

    Though his words were pointed at Jae-Seong, the high elf stepped forward, "I can do it. I''ve seldom had the chance to but...I''ve read it in books."

    As shaky as that reasoning was, it was their best chance as they epted Fedrin''s proposal.

    "Okay, secondly...do we really want to use a ship littered with...all of this?" He asked with a look of disgust.

    The disgust originated from the abundance of mutted corpsesid out across the desk, creating not only an awful sight, but a worse smell.

    "We can handle that," Jae-Seong smiled.

    "''We''?" He looked at the man.

    Jae-Seong ced his hand on the young man''s shoulder, giving him a thumbs-up, "That''s what teamwork is all about, my friend!"

    Oh, no, he thought.

    --With no other choice, the decision to im the spoils of battle and seize the ship was made. As Fedrin upied the helm of the ship, operating the wheel, the other two got to work clearing the mess of orc and goblin bodies from the ship.

    Each and every time he was forced to listen to repugnant squelches as he lifted mangled corpses, he felt his stomach rise into his throat--expelling such disgust tangibly off the side of the ship.

    "All done!" Jae-Seong wiped his hands.

    "...Yeah, all done," he slumped over against the gpole of the ship.

    He watched as the ship was headed, slowly but surely, to the colossal ind that seemed so distant still.

    "We''reing, Iris," He whispered.

    Once more, it was an absence of noise that allowed for a mixture of tranquility and looming dread; hearing the ship sail through the abyssal seas as the ck water sshed when being parted by the bulk of the vessel, it made him feel miniscule within the bounds of the vast sea.

    "Hey, Ren," Jae-Seong tapped him on the shoulder.

    "Huh? What is it?" He looked up to see Jae-Seong standing behind him.

    The frivolous man pointed towards the stairway that led to a lower level of the deck, holding a smile as he spoke, "Want to check out if these guys were holding any treasure?"

    Although by the grimy state of the blood-stained ship, he didn''t expect anythingvish--there really wasn''t anything else to do, other than waiting.

    Standing up, he let out a small huff, "Sure, why not?"

    "I knew you''d share my thought process!" Jae-Seong pped him on the shoulder, taking the lead as the two began to descend the stairs.

    Immediately, an ungodly stretch was carried by the isted winds of the lower deck, pelting against their nostrils.

    Covering his nose, he squinted his eyes that quickly began to water from the smell, "What the hell is that smell��?"

    "No clue," Jae-Seong replied, pulling his shirt over his nose, "well...I have some sort of clue, but I''d rather just assume I''m wrong."

    A part of him wanted to stop right there and return to the top deck, but his curiosity fueled his steps-cing the soles of his boots with humanity''s boundless curiosity as he followed Jae-Seong.

    The curly-haired man was the first to reach the lower deck; standing still as he froze at the sight of something, leaving the young man to question what awaited.

    As he joined Jae-Seong at the bottom of the staircase built on damp, deteriorating wood, his eyes widened with horror as he felt his gut churn in shock and disgust.

    "Ghh��!" He gasped, covering his mouth.

    Chains to the walls were those unfortunate enough to have fallen into the hands of the ruthless crew that once upied the ursed ship; none were left breathing, left in a mutted state.

    It was a stench that passed the boundary of simply "horrid", but ventured into something that clenched his innards with a repulsion that made him want to spew out whateverid in the depths of his bowels.

    His knees lost their strength as he fell down, spewing out bile from the pits of his stomach--though what came from within him was not nearly as grotesque as what stained the floor with such vulgar, meaty grime.

    Somehow managing to maintain himself, Jae-Seong helped him back to his feet, shaking his head at the grotesque scenery.

    "...Why?! Why the hell is it always like this?!" He screamed out.

    "I wish I knew the answer, friend," Jae-Seong replied quietly, "this world is beyond me."

 Chapter 390 - The Skyborne Whale

    The unfortunate souls wereyered in bite marks that took chunks, if not entire body parts from them--as he begrudgingly surmised they were likely kept alive while being sustenance. There were dozens--lingering the bottom deck with an air of death that could never be cleansed.

    He could only watch as Jae-Seong moved forward towards the back of the deck, kicking open the dual-doored chamber.

    "Looks like I found the spoils of battle," Jae-Seong turned back to him.

    Forcing himself to reunite with the man, he dragged his feet forward--ignoring the death around him as he peered into the room.

    By the size of the gargantuan bed, it was clearly the chamber of the oversized captain of the ship. But what caught his eye was what Jae-Seong was referring to: the massive, ivory chest positioned near therge desk in the room.

    "You do the honors," he waved his hand, having to focus on now spilling his insides out through his throat from sheer disgust.

    "Gotcha," Jae-Seongplied, giving a reassuring pat to the young man''s shoulder.

    As expected by the personal room of the former, brutal captain of the vessel, it was a dank mess, absent of cleanliness.

    Jae-Seong walked across the gray rug, kneeling down before he popped the lid of therge chest open.

    "Jackpot," Jae-Seong''s eyes lit up.

    "What is it?" He asked, keeping his nose and mouth covered.

    The man with messy, frizzy hair pulled out a sack that wasid within the chest, lifting it so that he could get a look at what sat inside.

    There was no mistaking the mixture of azure bottles that filled the sizeable sack.

    "Mana potions?" He asked.

    "Yup," Jae-Seong answered.

    Walking back towards him, Jae-Seong tossed him one of the small vials containing the blue, mystical liquid--which he caught with a swift swipe.

    "What''s this for?" He looked at the man.

    Jae-Seong smiled, slinging the sack over his shoulder, "I''d say you earned it today, you tough bastard."

    A small smile perched across his lips, though a somber veil remained over his hazel eyes as he still found his mind lingering on the plentiful dead all around them. Hesitantly, he popped the cork from the bottle, gulping the mana restoring liquid down before pulling away with a relieved sigh.

    Jae-Seong noticed the ufortability lingering around him, patting him on the shoulder, "let''s get out of--"

    Just as his words parted from his lips, a thunderous tremor shook the entirety of the ship, causing the two to catch their footing as the entire vessel tilted to the side with a loud, prolonged hum.

    It felt as if something crashed against the side of the reinforced ship, causing it to shift onto one side before settling back down with a booming return.

    "What was that?!" He gasped, holding onto the threshold of the door.

    Jae-Seong looked around, "I don''t know! Let''s get to the main deck!"

    Rushing behind Jae-Seong as they sprinted along the damp, shifting floor of the bottom deck, his worries centered around the high elf at the helm of the ship.

    Be safe, Fedrin! He thought.

    Just before reaching the stairs, another violent crash pelted against the core of the ship, shaking it so vigorously that he lost his footing.

    "Gh��!"

    Before he could fall, he was kept on his feet by a swift grab onto his forearm from Jae-Seong, who pulled him forward.

    "I''ve got you!" Jae-Seong yelled.

    "Thanks!" He replied.

    Together they rushed up the stairs as the ship continued to shake; inhabiting an intense vibration that was felt through his bones as he ascended each step.

    As they reached the summit of the grimy staircase, they immediately turned to look up at the helm of the ship. Rising tides fortunately just narrowly missed engulfing the ship, though still managed to sweep over the deck with ayer of ck water that washed over the wooden nks.

    "Fedrin, are you...okay?" He asked.

    He found his words trailing as the high elf was in mint condition, but his gaze waspletely fixated on something in front of him, or rather in a trance with something in the distance.

    As he turned to Jae-Seong, he found that he was looking in the same direction as well, with the very same agape expression, lost in some sort of mystical trance.

    "...What is it?" He asked.

    Slowly, he turned his gaze to match theirs, feeling the vibrations and tremors continue without fail, feeling them hum beneath the soles of his damp boots.

    He then saw it: that which shook the foundation of the ship, the seas, and the meager understanding of this world he believed himself to have.

    It was in the process of emerging from the ck waters that coated its vast temple; releasing a guttural roar that filled the air with a melody of surreal, fantastical horror. Though no malice could be felt, it was simply a byproduct of them being so very insignificant to the creature.

    Colossal didn''t do it justice; it engulfed the scenery around them, blocking all that could be seen to the left with an endless wall of pearlescent, white blubber as he could find noparison in his mind to its size.

    "An ind" or perhaps "a city"; it fell in the spectrum of being sorge that it was no longer quantifiable to his mind. On that end, he found the one, single word that aptly described it: "unfathomable."

    Though it ascended by their ship, it wasn''t directly by it; even so, its melodic roar was enough to vibrate the entirety of the ship of steel-reinforced wood as the weight of its emergence shook the surrounding seas.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It didn''t simply leave the holds of the ck sea for a brief moment of respite from the waters, but instead took directly to the abyssal skies that it lit up with its pale-white form, wagging its towering tail behind it as the wind pressure felt like a momentary storm.

    "Is that...a whale?" He finally asked, finding the words from his throat.

    "I believe it''d be more urate to say...is that what whalese from?" Fedrin corrected, holding his astonished expression.

    Above them a rain of the abyssal waters fell from the emergence of the boundless, glisteningly-white whale.

    In the midst of its bellowing call, it filled his ears with a hum that engulfed any and all sound.

    Jae-Seong smiled ear-to-ear with a glisten to his eyes, "I''ll be damned...this world is beautiful sometimes, isn''t it?"

    "Yeah," he nodded, unable to stop himself from smiling as well.

    It wasn''t something isted to just their eyes; with such size, all of the members of the split-up group saw the mystical behemoth of a whale as it took to the skies, continuing to unleash its bellowing melody.

    Like those parted watching the moon in unison as it lit the somber skies of the dreadful realm, they each forgot that which gued their mind, body, and souls.

    Fedrin caught himself from the moment, quickly tending to the wheel as the winds formed from the whale''s passing tilted the ship, causing the sail to flutter madly.

    Even in the most hopeless of ces, where not even flowers can bloom, a moment, fleeting as it may be, can return a glimpse of beauty, he thought.

    Hongse.

    Valerie.

    Macheo.

    Aiko.

    Mencius.

    Iris.

    It''s beautiful, isn''t it? He asked.

    Divided across the unforgiving, violent seas of the abyss, though separated they may be, the Weltwandered were together when looking upon the moonlit whale.

    Across the vast, ck seas--just far enough away to be unable to witness the battle aboard the ogre''s ship, the Lucrauvian prince and the azure-haired Ounder sat quietly on the rickety, old dinghy as it slowly traversed the enigmatic waters.

    Macheo clicked his tongue, sighing to himself, "What kind of damn entrance to a floor is this?"

    "...I just hope the others are alright," Iris muttered, hugging her knees.

    Only brisk winds greeted them in their abrasive, cold passing--causing the small, shoddy boat to shudder at the slightest increase in wind.

    "You don''t have to worry," Macheo huffed, "those bastards are tough."

    Though his tone was as callus as ever, she could tell his words were meant to be reassuring as she watched him tinker with his new, sable arm, fiddling with the amber gemstones embedded in the sockets of the enchanted limb.

    "I know, but...without the Pact of Undying, and a restriction on mana��" She set her head on her arms.

    Macheo stayed silent for a moment as he stopped fiddling with his arm, looking down at his ck, leather boots for a moment. A chilly breeze pushed his unkempt, golden locks as the parting of his fringes momentarily showcased the full regality of his crimson eyes.

    "Yeah," he finally replied solemnly, "I hear you."

    It was in the moments of silence that followed did that brief time of little noise be sparse by the distance bellows up in the skies.

    They looked up in unison towards the unmissable behemoth of the skies.

    "What is that��?" Macheo looked up.

    Though Iris was unable to find words, only watching the creature with eyes filled with awe. Even at the heights it flew at, swimming through the darkness of the void above, it could be seen clearly by virtue of its unmatched size.

    Scars were iid in its sh, providing a hint of its primordial life as it gracefully moved through the absent, ck skies without any malice.

    ...Ren, she smiled, it''s going to be okay, isn''t it?

    It was a miraculous showing; one that none looking upon it realized--a creature that seldom showed itself, only once every century--a sight intertwined with myth in the already mysterious realm of Purgatory.

    "The very incarnation of peace itself; such a being that you despised the very concept of so fervently that you brought him to Purgatory, away from Gaia. "The magnificent ocean star in which no wars can be fought in its presence; the very sight of it engulfs all malice with a trance of benevolence." To allow the Great White of Tranquility to emerge...Lord Togae, you''ve really taken a liking to this group, haven''t you?

    Standing in his lonesome atop a peak unseen by any on the level of the abyssal sea, a man dressed in a wrinkle-free, magenta suit with matching, abnormal irises spoke.

    He watched from a simr level to the pale, gargantuan whale as it swam through the high-altitude darkness.

    As he looked up from his spot amongst a colossal peak, his eyesid on a floating fortress, surrounded in statuesque, stone hands the size of a giant''s own; it was the only object that was bathed in the faint, gray light of the summit of the realm.

    It was bathed in an enigmatic aura that rivaled divinity, yet stood in the luminal space between the seraphic and the devilish; the unorthodox fortress formed of uneven, cube-like building blocks was cradled in the winged, inanimate fingers of such unknown forces.

    "....That whale is a bittersweet happening; it brings a temporary respite to those around it, but it only shows in the advent of a great tragedy," he said, "what sadness shall befall you, Ren Nakamura? I, Bifrons, would like to witness it, wholeheartedly."

 Chapter 391 - Another Journey

    "It''s not often you call me to your chambers anymore, " Donatien spoke, "ack ofpany during your tea time?"

    Sitting in the room appointed to the old, yet youthful in appearance sage with flowing, tinum locs, the navy-haired man took a small sip from the porcin cup.

    Beatrice smiled with a quiet and brief chuckle, swirling her spoon in the warm beverage as she looked at the sses-wearing Ounder with those ever-curious eyes of hers.

    "That''s only because I had to renovate a bit; the security wasn''t up to par--I had to set up my own spells," Beatrice smiled.

    A few moments of silence lured Donatien to speak as he adjusted his sses, "So? What is it you''d like to talk about?"

    "Is it so abnormal to simply want to converse with one of my precious Ounders? It is my duty to overlook your health--both physically and mentally. I know the passing of Lucas has been difficult for all of you--"

    "--Don''t," Donatien promptly stopped her words, "Not another word. You don''t have the right."

    Silence upied the sage''s lips as she could recognize the seriousnessid in the intense, hazel eyes sat behind his clear lenses.

    "We''ve all wept. We''ve grieved. We''ve regretted it. Sora and Sirius, most of all. Don''t you dare for a moment try and act like you understand it," Donatien scorned.

    His words were cutting, leaving his lips with full intent to leave like cold, bitter ice.

    "...We only put up with you and your goal because there is something waiting for us at the end--at least, we all like to believe that''s the case. All we have to go on is your word; the word of one who thinks of us as nothing more than tools," Donatien spoke, "Don''t deny it, Beatrice. You''d be wary of insulting my intelligence at this time."

    In response to these words, the sage nced at the dozens of books that rested on the timber bookshelves of her personal room before lifting her special cup, taking in a sip before gently cing it down on the small, white te.

    "You''repletely right, Donatien. I don''t care. I am unable to. That''s the investment Iid into this mission," she said.

    "Wait, you''re serious?...To do such a thing--I guessed as much, but I didn''t want to believe it," Donatien looked at her, "you removed your heart; your emotions...you."

    Beatrice''s silence confirmed it for him as she held her constant, hollow smile that apanied her boundless, cosmis eyes.

    "I assure you, what I promised you all will be granted--when your mission isplete. Once the throne of Mastorn is usurped, what you wish for wille. That''s the geass I have sworn myself to; should I betray it, my existence shall be revoked," Beatrice assured.

    Solidifying her words, she pulled the cor down of her sable, red dress, revealing a verdant seal that sat on her bosom.

    "...You''re telling the truth," Donatien squinted.

    "Indeed, I am," She nodded.

    After a silence that propelled the man''s thoughts with these new revtions, the sage finally spoke after sipping her way through two servings of her favorite tea.

    "Donatien," she said softly, "I did call you to my chambers for a reason."

    "You have a really roundabout way of telling me that, don''t you?..." He sighed.

    Adjusting his sses that rested on the bridge of his nose, he looked at her as if confirming he wanted to hear what she had to say.

    "In theing days, war ising. We don''t know when, or how, but it''sing," she warned.

    Donatien leaned in closer, taking this information seriously as he ced his elbows atop the white tablecloth.

    "Who is it? The Argonauts?...Perhaps the Victorious Seven? If they think the Hollow Foundation is harboring us, I believe they''ll use it as an excuse to finally attack...the Victorious Seven would surelye if that''s the case," Donatien asked, though it seemed he was simply speaking out loud.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "..."Who" is what I can''t say for certain. That''s because, simply, it won''t be just one party. Everything is beginning to set into motion; the pieces are moving, ns are being set, revtions made. Violence and destruction, creation and conquestition...the nature of man. I''ve lived through many ages...one begins to recognize the pattern of fate through many iterations," Beatrice said, "we''re on the precipice of a convergence--a singrity, a coalescence of war--it is the time in which the direction of the world is decided by the victor."

    Donatien''s eyes fell wide as his irises shook with the information he unfortunately knew was true. Though he quickly organized his breath, letting out a sigh as he rested his brow against his hands.

    "I see. So, you want me to be prepared. Prepared for nothing specific; just ready. You underestimate me, Beatrice," Donatien spoke, standing from his seat as he adjusted the cor of his light-gray, neat suit.

    "Pardon?" She looked at him.

    "I happen to always be prepared," he stated.

    That''s my responsibility as the one they ce their trust in, Donatien thought, only together will we make it through this mission.

    [At the same time -- Reid Guild: "Hall of Sessors"]

    Though it was a guild, just like the Ounders and the Sky Dragon Conglomerate, there was a clear difference that Sora recognized when walking through thevish hall of the Reid guild.

    There''s so many members, he thought.

    It felt more like a military force than a guild, passing by many stationed guards, all wearing the representative uniform of the guild, both man and female. He gulped his doubts down as he traversed the hall behind the young guild master, who he couldn''t quite figure out if he was younger or older than.

    Despite the age belonging to Liam Reid, that likely didn''t surpass the early twenties, there was an unspoken loyalty from each of his subordinates that seemed to hold in reverence. Such distinguished favor for their guild leader was a famous concept, making the name of Liam Reid famous as the "Uncrowned King".

    He''s something else, Sora thought, he''s got the sameck of emotions as Beatrice with the pragmatism and genius of Donatien. Just what kind of life have you led to turn out this way at such an age, Liam?

    It was difficult to see it past the cor of his sable undershirt and hook of his red tie, but a scar etched itself across his neck--the only blemish present on the skin of the guild leader.

    Well, I''ve got some inkling of the past that led you to this point...though I wonder if it''s only rumors. For someone bearing such a highborn name, it''s rare to join the Hollow Foundation--a ce for outcasts. If it''s true you did what you did, well...I see why you''re here; killing your own father, a powerful noble...then another, heh--you''re much more exciting of a guy than you looked, he thought.

    "Are you certain that is all you''d like to bring?" Liam asked.

    Standing in the spotless, mature lobby of the guild of Reid, Sora nodded his head with arge smile as he pped his breastte--wearing his standard, heavyset armory of mystical ivory.

    "As long as you''ve got the grub covered, I''m good to go!" Sora answered.

    "...Well, I suppose that''s fair," Liam looked at him, "and what about Sirius? Is he runningte?"

    Sora shook his head, "He, well...he wanted to take his time; stop and take in the scenery, you know? Don''t worry, I gave him the coordinates you told me about...though I''m still curious about that guy''s spatial magic."

    "I''m not arrogant enough to doubt the capabilities of an Ounder," Liam said, adjusting his uniform, "especially a man such as Sirius. As long as he arrives in a timely fashion, I can''tin."

    A moment of pause sat between them as the soft, orangenterns hanging on the fine walls flickered slightly. A question came to his mind as looked at the guild leader--one he had to ask above all else.

    "Is it really a good idea for you toe along on this mission?" He asked, "it sounds like it''s going to take awhile...weeks, maybe even months--and you have a pretty incredible guild here. You''re their leader. And if something happened��"

    Liam''s stoic expression was lightened with a small smile as he turned his gaze to arge painting of a forest ced on the wall, "I understand where you''reing from. But, the reason I have such fantastic subordinates is that they know I have their backs. I prefer to lead from the vanguard, not behind my desk. That''s just the way Reid is; I can''t expect to reach the summit any other way."

    "...I see your point. Well, if you''re fine withing along, I don''t have anything else to say. I''m looking forward to seeing the famous leader of Reid in action," Sora cheekily smiled.

    The youthful guildmaster looked at the vermilion-haired man for a moment more before pushing the two, oak doors open to enter the room stationed behind their pine fragrance.. As Liam stepped forward, his grandiose cape that represented hismanding position flowed behind him like the wings of a taut king, waving with the sigil of Reid on its back.

 Chapter 392 - The World Continues To Move

    "Caelia, is everything prepared?" Liam asked as he marched into the chamber.

    It was vast in its own right, reminiscent to Sora of the metallic chamber that the sage used for summonings, except it didn''t discard itsvish, noble style in exchange for being used for magecraft.

    Liam''s question had been pointed to the man standing in the center of the lightly illuminated magical seal that bore aplexion that resembled the cosmos.

    "It is ready whenever youmand, Boss," Caelia answered.

    Like the rest of the Reid members, Caelia wore her umber uniform reminiscent of military garments, decorated with silver buttons set down in a clean, organized pattern. Though a unique, violet ent ran along her umber uniform.

    Though, her uniform couldn''t quell the entric, flowing, curly locks that mixed with a ck primary as her roots remained magenta.

    The lecherous part of his brain couldn''t help but focus on the two, standout "assets" ced on the woman''s chest.

    Double Ds, at least, he thought with a quiet chuckle.

    "Good," Liam nodded, turning to face the three members waiting near Caelia, "you''ve two got all of your things in order, right?"

    He''s pretty on it for it being sote at night...Sora thought.

    "Yup!"

    The slender, youthful-looking boy with snowy-locks held his packed bags up with a frivolous smile.

    "All set, Boss."

    --Inplete contrast to the lithe boy, the burly, red-haired man held his bag up with a gruff confirmation.

    "...I''m ready��"

    Withplete meekness, the short, hazel-haired girl wearingrge, circr-rimmed sses nodded in response.

    Liam nodded his head, turning back to look at Sora, who was caught with a fit of silence while being around the unfamiliar faces, "Ah, that''s right. You aren''t quite acquainted with the task force yet, are you?"

    "Can''t say I am, no," Sora smiled wryly.

    Following this answer, Liam snapped his fingers as the four guild members standing close immediately stood tall, keeping their arms tucked to their sides and their expressions taut with diligence.

    Man, they''re pretty serious, aren''t they? Sora thought.

    Stepping forward first, the lithe woman weaving the seal held her hands behind her back, "Caelia Lavinia. Spatial specialist of Reid; a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

    It was only when she was brought closer to his gaze did he notice the beauty mark below her crimson lips--a feature that invoked a speedened beating of his heart.

    She''s sexy, he thought.

    Next, the thick-bearded, burly man took his step forward,"Gerard Armstrong. Enforcer of Reid; let''s kick some ass together!"

    Differentiating from the others who seemed tock any visible armor, Gerard wore a broad cape that seemedyered with chainmail--allowing therge cape to wrap around him for constant protection.

    Okay, not so formal, Sora thought.

    With the sses-wearing girl''s turn being next, her entire body seemed to tremble with the attention falling on herself, opening her mouth a few times as she had to lure the words from the bottom of her gut.

    "...C-c-clover Maisraugh," her fingers shook as she adjusted her sses,"rookie of Reid. Please ept my assistance��"

    It was difficult to get a good look at her eyes that sat behind her lenses as she constantly averted her gaze, but they seemed to take on avish, amber tinge.

    Unlike Caelia, who wore the same umber pants natural to the Reid uniform, Clover wore a scarlet skirt that seemed too short for a girlcking in forwardness; that much was obvious as she constantly rubbed her legs together.

    Though simr to Caelia in one regard, her uniform had a special crimson patch on her chest; a sigil that resembled a four-starred shield.

    Holy crap, she looks like she''s about to pee herself! Talk about shy...He thought.

    Last, but not least, the small, snowy-haired boy who remained smiling hopped forward with his hand raised high, "Charles Yuvelion! Vice Leader of Reid! Let''s get along!"

    It was only when discovering the position Charles held that he noticed the special design of his uniform that set him apart; the feathers of an avian, running along the sides of his dark breeches.

    Vice leader��? He thought, him?

    After a moment of silence, being on the receiving end of all their gazes, he realized it was his turn to introduce himself; standing still, he gave his most weing smile.

    "I''m Sora, a member of the Ounders...I hope we can work together!" He gave a thumbs-up.

    --They only looked at him with wordless gazes for a few, dreadfully slow moments as he stood there without a further word himself.

    Crap, was that too casual for them? He thought.

    Finally, the silence broke with splendor as Charles skipped forward, "Wow! I''ve heard rumors about the Ivory Knight of The Ounders! You''re even bigger than I expected! Hey, hey! Are you bigger than Gerard? Want to try arm wrestling him? What type of food do you like? Is Gaia''s food better than your worlds?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The barrage of questions from the hyper, young-seeming vice leader of the guild came from extremely close proximity; Charles'' dazzling, silver irises glistened with joy as he spoke.

    "I, uh, hmm��" Sora found himself at a loss for words.

    Charles was promptly pulled back by Gerard tugging on his umber cape, "Cut it out, would you? How many times have we told you to stop harassing people with your endless questions?"

    After reprimanding Charles, who seemed to be a higher rank within the guild, Gerard turned his eyes to the Ounder, extending his hand that was d in a thick, ck glove.

    "d to have you on our team, Sora," Gerard spoke with his rough voice.

    He looked at the man''s hand for a moment, still feeling his mind fumbled by Charle''s array of questions, but smiling warmly as he epted the handshake, "Yeah, d to be here."

    He seems easier to get along with than I expected, he thought.

    "Me too! Me too!"

    Not wanting to be left out, Charles ced his hand atop their embraced hands, looking up at Sora with an innocent, gleeful smile.

    Clover hesitantly moved her hand towards the joined group, but began to withdraw it before Liam assisted her, guiding her hand to the others as her hand atop Charles''. With her hand joining the others, a blush that overtook her entireplexion set in as she lowered her gaze.

    "...I guess this is our official deration of our team, is it?" Liam spoke.

    It was unusual for the stoic guild leader to hold a smile; an expression that lifted his fair, prince-like face to a warmness it presented naturally as he ced his hand atop the other four.

    "Are you joining in, Caelia?" Liam looked back.

    Caelia was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh, "Guess I have no choice."

    With all of their hands met in the center, the formation of the special task force readied for a quest of the highest order was officialized.

    "Let usmence our journey," Liam dered, "to briefly review our next step, we were given special coordinates to warp to; it''ll bring us directly to Jinyue, and bring us to meet our assigned guide."

    "Guide?" Charles tilted his head.

    Liam nodded subtly, "Jinyue is an isted region, as you may all know. It ispletely foreign to anyone outside of it. Not a single map has left its border; that''s why it is essential we have a guide ustomed to thend."

    "Oh, okay!" Charles nodded fervently.

    Does he really understand? Sora thought.

    They all gathered within the seal, making it slightly ustrophobic as Sora''srge frame called for a sharing of space between the four of them and all of their belongings they decided to bring on the journey.

    "I''ll ask only once more: are you all ready?" Liam asked, shifting his determined, hazel eyes to check on the others.

    Looking at the five others present within the lightly glowing seal, he could see in their eyes none of them contested moving forward.

    "Then let''s depart," Liam announced,"Caelia."

    "On it, Boss," Caelia epted.

    With a raise of her hand wrapped in jewel-studded leather, Caelia''s movements allowed the inscribed seal to illuminate with a radiant, orange hue as mirror-like refractions of the now spinning seal lifted, creating a soft barrier of magic around the members.

    "O''Gaia: Transport!"

    As it was already formted topletion beforehand, all it took was that simple call for the spatial specialist to invoke the teleportation magic--engulfing all members in a beautiful array of light.

    On the opposing spectrum of things, the rival of Liam Reid--Nikko Jim--stood atop the Unbezwingbar, a mythical tool in the form of a colossal, metal-d vehicle.

    The tank-like, windowless tank etched with primordial magic was already stationed at the summit of the Hollow Foundation''s colossal, sable tower, sitting alongside a bed of clouds as Nikko kept his hands in his pockets while the high-altitude winds pressed the tail of his sable coat behind him.

    "It''s about time we head out ourselves, isn''t it?" Nikko spoke to himself with a smile.

    Knocking the bottom of his boot against the roof of the mammoth of a vehicle, he gave the signal for the members of the Sky Dragon Conglomerate present inside of it to start their journey. With a hum of its mystical propelling-device, the Unbezwingbar began to propel through the sea of clouds while the entric leader of the guild continued to stand tall atop its roof.

    Flicking his sses tinged with aplexion that showed the world to him in gold, his stance remained unmoved despite the incredible velocity he traveled, allowing his fluffy, brown tufts to be fluttered in the rampant winds.

    "To Jinyue we go," Nikko smiled, "let''s see who wins this battle, Liam."

    His smile persisted,ughing as his enjoyment was carried by the wind and to the heavens, "To pass on this view from the top...I wonder how you can im to be some sort of "Uncrowned King", Lia. This view--it''s everything; the skies, the heavens, the world below--this isplete, unrivaled freedom. My view is of the world, from a throne riding above even the clouds!"

    A magical reinforcement was ced on the soles of his feet as the vibrant winds tugged on him, but he only smiled with glee in return.

    If you n to be on top, you damn well better know what sits below, he thought, someone who turns their eye to it can''t hope to find their fingertips even within reach of the summit. Without any fear in your heart, you must spread your arms out and wee Gaia, even if the windscerate your skin or the world pulls you back down into an early grave. That''s the difference between you and I, Liam: I''m not afraid to be a little crazy.

    One day, I''ll rule the Hollow Foundation''s most powerful guild, and with that rule, I''ll conquer the Continent of Titans; I''ll turn that hell upside down once and for all, atst--for humanity.. That''s my duty, as the inheritor of "Nikko".

 Chapter 393 - Prologue - Syrniki Dreams

    "What''s up, Donatien?"

    Without even turning around, he discerned the presence of the man who joined him on the high-reaching balcony of the sable tower built for the Hollow Foundation.

    As no walls repelled the unchained winds, his new, all-ck cape fluttered by the constant pull of the entric air.

    "It''s rare for just the two of us to talk, Sirius," Donatien spoke.

    The magenta-eyed man standing near the edge of the balcony, leaning against the intertwined railing, was dressed in a uniform contrasting his old, somber gray garments: spotless and as white as the clouds sailing by, ck ents stretched across the perfectly-fitted uniform to match is dark cape.

    Sirius nced back with a smile, "I''d say there''s a natural reason for that: you and I are pretty different."

    He ran his fingers, covered in soft, ck fabric, through his ck, fluffy locks that were caught in the constant, hissing breeze.

    Donatien fixed the position of his sses, smiling just a tad as the ambience of the sky''s traffic persisted--the hum of the passing winds as clouds neared their position.

    The sses-wearing otherworlder had changed his garments to something a little more ''flexible'', as he called it, wearing an azure waistcoat over his spotless, white dress shirt while keeping his sleeves rolled up.

    "Only in our approach to things," Donatien spoke, standing beside his friend, "I have to be hands on with everything--it must be perfect; I believe that''s our only way to finding a happy ending here. You, on the other hand, leave all of that busy work to others, and take a more...unorthodox approach to things."

    "You can just say I''mzy," Siriusughed.

    "But that''s not what I mean," Donatien kept his eyes on the azure sky, "you worked harder than anyone else, I remember it well: you''d leave each morning only to return at night, covered in sweat, usually bloody, bruised, and blistered from rigorous training. You garnered a level of strength that set you apart from the rest of us."

    A moment of silence transpired between the two as the echoes of the travelling breezes swept across the smooth, refined balcony.

    "You want to return home. I believe...we''re simr, in that regard. Everything we do is for that goal. Even still, we have to protect what we have in front of us," Donatien said.

    "And I can''t even manage that much, can I?" He replied.

    There was a certain mncholy to his deep, purple eyes as he spoke somberly, looking up towards a colossal cloud that slowly trudged the endless blue.

    "Expecting to be able to protect everyone is a child''s dream," Donatien said with his hands tucked into the pockets of his gray dress pants, "...but we all strive for it anyway. There''s no faulting anybody for that, I believe. At the end of the day, some of the me falls on the ones who fell."

    Sirius'' eyes remained unmoving, though he clenched the bar just enough for it to creak from the pressure.

    "Do you believe that? You would say it was Lucas'' fault for being too weak to survive against that monster he was put up against? Was Sebastian also not strong enough, so it waspletely on him for dying?" Sirius spoke with a crescendoing emotion to his voice.

    "I don''t know. There''s a lot I don''t know," Donatien looked at him, "but I think at some point, we have to stop ming ourselves."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As their eyes met for a moment, Sirius let out a small sigh before ruffling his dark tufts, "Man, I really don''t want to think about this sort of stuff right now. Still, I can''t stop worrying about Ren and Iris. It''s been a couple months already--sooner orter, I''m going to have to jump into Purgatory myself."

    Seeing the man revert to his usual,ckadaisical attitude, Donatienughed quietly, covering his lips with his hand partially.

    "Before you do any of that, isn''t there a mission you''re supposed to be tending to?" Donatien asked.

    Sirius'' eyes widened for a bit as shock inhabited his face, "That''s right! Ha-ha! I almost forgot, thanks, Donny!"

    He was already halfway over the railing as he waved to the sses-wearing man, who looked less than pleased with the nickname given to him.

    "I''ll take my thanks in the form of never calling me ''Donny'' again, your wee," Donatien sternly spoke.

    But his words fell only on air as the white-uniform wearing Ounder already sailed from the cloud-inhabiting balcony, flying through the clouds with speed that allowed him to disappear within a moment.

    Traversing the free, bright skies, he kept his hands in the pockets of his white pants, spinning around as he took in the boundless scenery secluded to himself.

    "Woo-hoo---!"

    In the freedom of the skies, he was able to yell as loud as he wanted as he traveled alongside the clouds, sometimes even through the fluffy entities.

    It''s a recent hobby I''ve picked up. Sometimes, being in this world full of magic for so many years now, it''s easy to forget about the things I dreamed of doing as a kid.

    Freely sailing through the azure skies like the birds I watched from below--it was something that seemed possible only inic books or dreams--I wonder what lil'' Sirius would think of seeing me now.

    The feeling of the refreshing, pure air constantly running against my skin like the breath of a benevolent deity, the beautiful istion that leaves responsibilities, stress, and all that jazz down on the ground floor, and the absolute, unstoppable freedom of it all--I love it.

    Don''t get me wrong, I love myrades--they''re my family.

    But...we all need a break sometimes, right? He thought.

    Sailing with his back facing southward towards the ground, he kicked one knee over the other as he took to aid back position in the air.

    "I wonder if I can nap up here?" He asked himself.

    Even at the speed at which he propelled through the cloud-filled skies, there wasn''t any sort of brutal, abrasive wind that fiddled with his experience.. A natural veil of reinforcement protected him from any of the lesser, seldom wanted effects of such an unorthodox method of travel.

 Chapter 394 - Mysterious Silence

    After the sighting of the colossal whale, the ck seas died down as a serene near-silence filled the luminal time on the moving ship.

    "It seems we shouldn''t have to wait much longer," Fedrin said, stepping down the steps from the helm.

    Jae-Seong and Ren remained on the main deck, sitting on the damp floor to wait out the time to reach the gargantuan ind that now sat closer than ever.

    "Is it a good idea to leave the wheel like that?" He asked, looking up at the elf.

    Fedrin smiled a bit as he sat himself on one of the umber crates, "...It''s a bit embarrassing, but it seems my handling of the ship didn''t really make a difference. It''s approaching the ind, without my assistance."

    He could only chuckle wryly at this information, looking up at the fluttering sail as the abyssal wings pushed it.

    "I guess that''s their way of telling us there''s no avoiding going to that ind, is there?" He muttered.

    Jae-Seong yawned, stretching his arms out as he stood up, looking at the ind that sat in the near distance now.

    "I don''t think there''s any avoiding a ce that damn big," Jae-Seongmented.

    The words from the curly-haired man brought him to join in his gaze, looking up at the colossal walls of mountains loomed over them with such size that it made his stomach flicker with a slight, unnerving tickle.

    "We''re going to have to climb those mountains, aren''t we?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

    Jae-Seong folded his arms over his chest with a smile, "Climb? I bet we''ll have to fight our way up them."

    "...I''d say don''t joke like that, Jay, but you''re probably right," he sighed.

    "Jay? Is that a new nickname or something? Guess I kinda like it," Jae-Seong smiled.

    All three stood at the forefront of the ship as it sailed over the still, ck sea, entering through a zone surrounded by moderate bodies ofnd that acted as the corridor to the behemoth of an ind.

    It was only then in the abundant darkness that clung tightly to the atmosphere of the hopeless realm that it was seen;rger than any he had seen before, a tree of unmatched size reached up from the seeming center of the unseen bowels of the ind.

    Unlike the white-leaved trees, it also bore magenta lights that danced around the glowing, white livelihood of the immense cedar. It''s many, leaf-d limbs stretched over the height of the ind, creating a ceiling that made it seem all the more imposing to enter.

    "The Stretch of Dread; that''s what it was called, right?" He said as his eyes were locked on the gate of forest-d mountains that reached into the depths of the abyssal sky.

    "I''ll assume it''s a fitting name," Fedrin added, "...I''d advise you both to think the same; thinking of this trial as anything less than the bottom of hell is thest mistake you may possibly find yourself making."

    Entering through the corridor of sky-reaching mountains,den with ashen trees that sprouted only leaves of an ominous white, a rainfall began to descend.

    It started with a slight trickle that caught their attention, then a shower of abyssal rain, falling upon the somber ship as it traversed the narrow passageway to approach the ind.

    "ck rain," Hemented.

    As he slid his glove off, he stuck his hand out to feel the cold, dark water fall against his pale skin with a refreshing briskness.

    "Does everything have to be so...ck and gloomy here?" Jae-Seong sighed, looking up as the shadowy rain ran across his pale skin.

    Fedrinughed a bit, covering his mouth to maintain himself, "My friend, look at where you are; we stand in the very ce darkness itself calls home."

    "...You got me there," Jae-Seong conceded as he ruffled his own curly locks.

    If there was one respite from the gloomy nature of the isted world of darkness, it was the glowing, white leaves that bundled the branches of the many surrounding cedar, supplying a close light in tandem with the faraway lights of the distant, colossal trees that inhabited the sea.

    While the ship passed under protruding foliage from the walled-in, non-sentient leviathans of stone around, he looked up at the ceiling of looming nature as his white locks became damp by the rainfall, sliding his glove back over his hand.

    It''s weird. I''ve been in the darkness of Purgatory for so long now that...it feels like home. It''s peaceful; serene...the luminal darkness, devoid of anything, it''s rxing, he thought.

    It was a soothing scenery; no longer surrounded only by the vast stretch of ck waters as the homely, natural walls guided the ship through the narrow path.

    "You think everyone made it?" Jae-Seong asked with a hint of a somber tone.

    The question struck him as he nodded, "After everything we''ve been through, a little water won''t stop them."

    Fedrin smiled as if agreeing with the young man''s sentiment, holding his staff close to his body, "I agree. If anything, they''re worrying about us. That little tussle with the crew of this ship likely put us inst ce."

    He yfully sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "...I really hope Macheo doesn''t lord something like that over me."

    They shared in softughter as the somber rain continued to descend in surplus, filling the once stagnant air with a briskness that settled a slight, obscuring fog around them.

    Even with such partial joys existing, they only persisted for moments before the unsettling aura traversing the air returned to him an unceable, somber feeling.

    I can''t shake it. This ind...I don''t have a good feeling about it at all. After going through the first and second floor, all of that pain, suffering, and fighting...this ind is the apex of Purgatory--this is where it all culminates.

    If it''s the peak of hell, then just what is waiting for us past those mountains? He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking up at those mountains shrouded by foliage and dark, looming clouds that solidified the heights he would have to traverse, his heart thumped with a bubbling anxiety.

    The slight veil of mist coalesced, growing thick enough to the point that the ck waters around them became difficult to view.

    "Mist? I don''t like this," he muttered.

    Fedrin shared the same thoughts as he raised his staff, "Illuminate!"

    A radiance emitted from the tip of his aged staff, parting the dense mist that gathered around them, allowing a view of their immediate surroundings to return.

    "I don''t sense anything around us, we should be fine," Jae-Seong assured, standing at the vanguard of the ship.

    "Better safe than sorry--I''d rather not release my vision to Purgatory," Fedrin replied.

    "Fair point," Jae-Seong waved his hand.

    While the two men spoke, he peered over the railing, feeling the chilly air that came with looking over from such a height, though the air was only bolstered in its coldness by the mixture of rain and mist.

    "Looks like we''ll be docking soon," Fedrin stated.

    He turned around to see the high elf extending his illuminated staff over the end of the ship, revealing an enigmatic dock in the distance. As he joined the two at the front of the ship, he noticed a pair of dinghies already stationed at the fogden port.

    "There''s two boats already there, looks like some have already made it," he said.

    "Seems we were indeed thest if it''s three to a ship," Fedrin added.

    A smile came over his lips that soon faded as another question came to his mind, "But...where are they? I don''t see anyone at the dock."

    Even as he asked this, there was a possibility in his mind that was answered by Jae-Seong, "Look how dense the mist is over there--we wouldn''t be able to see them past the first few feet of the port anyways."

    What he heard was Jae-Seong''s nice way of telling him to keep calm and stay patient; which heplied to as the ride on the ship would reach its end within a couple minutes, he guessed.

    As the ship passed the almost ustrophobic passageway of rocky mountains, a dense domain of nature awaited; thick, length vines strewn across the moss-covered walls of the colossal walls of natural stone.

    After a couple minutes of taking in the rather unexpectedyer of nature within the territory, the ship naturally stopped itself at the dock.

    "...Here goes," he said, looking down over the side of the boat.

    Jae-Seong took the initiative, hopping off the side of the ck-d ship as hended on the misty dock.

    "Really, man?" He looked down at Jae-Seong for his impatient, almost reckless behavior.

    "Come on, slowpokes," Jae-Seong waved, "we''ve got to meet up with the others, right?"

    That was enough to make him follow along, tossing himself over the edge of the dreadful ship as hended on the mmy, wooden nks of the dock beside hispanion.

    Fedrin followed in the next moment as his lengthy robes fluttered from his jump.

    As they stood there for a moment, surrounded by the ustrophobic mist, he turned to the high elf.

    "I hate to ask you this, but��" He began to ask.

    Fedrin shook his head gently with a small smile, "It''s alright, I was about to cast it again anyway: Illuminate!"

    Once more, the elf summoned a bright light to his staff, taking the vanguard of the trio as they followed closely behind the man wielding the mist-parting light.

    There was a peculiar, sweet scent that greeted his nose; like fresh, honey-like pollen.

    It smells...nice? He thought.

    Though he shook his head, bringing his focus back as his thoughts lingered to what was paramount.

    "As I thought...doesn''t look like they waited at the dock," he said with a worrisome tone.

    The old, wood-built docks they traversed creaked with each step of their boots, embedding them in the enigmatic area as they slowly walked.

    "I don''t see any reason why they wouldn''t wait for everyone to arrive before moving��" Fedrin added in with a furrow of his eyebrows.

    "I''ve got a guess," Jae-Seong added, cing his hands into his pockets.

    The silence that fell over the small group ced the wordless attention of the other two onto the frizzy-haired man.

    Jae-Seong looked down as the rain continued to dampen the wood he walked on, "I think the only possibility of them moving along would be that something forced them to."

 Chapter 395 - Frosted Trance

    "Are you saying they encountered a monster��?" He asked, feeling his heartbeat begin to climb.

    "I''m just saying that something had toe along that made them realize they couldn''t just stand around," Jae-Seong affirmed.

    It was a possibility he didn''t want to ept, but it was the most reasonable exnation for the group marching ahead without them.

    Fedrin kept his free hand close to his chin as he nodded to himself, "I see. That would be the most usible reason, wouldn''t it?"

    It was sparsely seen through theyers of gray, damp mist that skewed his vision, but he could make out thend that they were introduced to: a gaping cove that seemed to lead into the innards of the mountain walls--thriving with thick, intertwined foliage and flowers--unseemly for the dank realm.

    A ceiling of protruded stone from the mountains that enclosed around them loomed over their heads now.

    He briefly nced back at the abandoned dinghies as they gently rocked in the still, ck waters before continuing to move ahead with slowness inhabiting his steps.

    But it was as they walked along the lengthy, rickety bridge, finally arriving at the end of the dock as their boots met with grassden soil, did hee to his own realization.

    If something arrived that forced them to run ahead...it wouldn''t make much sense. The reason why is because the other two groups likely arrived at different times--so how would a singr entity drive two, separate groups away.

    Unless...he thought.

    As he came to a stop, looking down as his eyes began to widen with the only oue of his thoughts coalescing, the others stopped as well, looking back at him.

    It seemed the mist grew in intensity further; shrouding the pathway of Fedrin''s illumination as they stood alone on the patch of thick, verdant grass.

    "Ren?" Jae-Seong called his name, "everything alright?"

    With the abyssal rain pattering his silver cape with a repetitive, ominous melody, he looked up with his damp, white fringes hanging over his hazel eyes.

    "It has to be because there is something that''s guarding this area," he let out.

    Such words seemed to spark the guards of his twopanions as they immediately tensed up; he drew his broadsword from its sheath, while Fedrin kept his staff held in front of him, and Jae-Seong kept his fists raised into a stance.

    "...Is it just me, or did it feel like a presence showed up right when you said that?" Jae-Seong asked as his breath left his lips in a cold mist.

    "I can second that," Fedrin added, "there is, without a doubt, something watching us."

    They were surrounded by nothing but dense mist that damped the illumination the elf provided; entrapping them in its enigmatic hold.

    He turned around, feeling eyes on his back as he trusted his twelve o'' clock to hisrades. Though all that he found from the direction they came was the fog-dense dock that possessed an eerie silence.

    I feel it everywhere. It''s like a million eyes are watching me--from every angle, so intently with a bloodlust, he thought.

    "Maybe we should push ahead...try to rendezvous with the others--"

    --As he turned around with his words, he found that his twopanions weren''t at his back any longer, only the shrouding mist.

    "Fedrin? Jae-Seong?" He called out.

    Thump. Thump. Thump.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Against his chest, his heart thudded with a growing intensity as sweat began to escape his anxious pores.

    "Fedrin! Jay!" He repeated their names louder.

    Silence. All that met his ears was the crunching of the grass beneath his boots as he spun around for any sight of his lostpanions, but all he found was a nauseating solitude within the mist.

    After running his throat raw from the shouting, he fell silent--now, more than ever, he felt the endless eyes locked onto his body.

    His entire body began to quiver as his breaths left in a dense, white mist. Encased in the abrasive mist, his mind began to stray towards survival, birthed from his natural instincts.

    It''s cold. When did it get so cold? He thought.

    He hugged himself, soothing his arms with his hands as he watched his breath mix with the chilly mist surrounding him.

    A bright, azure light came from beyond the entrance of therge cave just ahead; the light carried a certain lull that called him forth.

    ...It looks warm, he thought.

    Beginning to hesitantly walk forward across the verdantden soil, he naturally moved towards the entrance of the cave that led to the innards of the great mountains.

    That''s right...of course, they probably went into the cave since it''s so cold out here...that makes sense, he thought.

    As he trudged forward, the mist grew in intensity, guided by a wind originating from the cave ahead that pushed against his body with a cold that made his fingers and toes grow numb despite them being d in warm garments.

    Each breath left in an icy mist as he maintained his self-embrace, keeping his eyes on the blue light that guided him forward.

    "Loneliness," it was an inexplicable sense of this concept that ingrained itself into his body as the mist so fervently drowned him in this solitude. The harsh coldness grew as his desperation intensified; wanting to seek out his lostpanions.

    It began to shift from a desire to make sure they were safe, to a child''s own reliance--desperately seeking hispanions as he now felt stranded and afraid in the endless mist.

    Finally reaching the entrance to the vast cave, he let out a breath of white, cold air before stepping into the rocky domain,den with nature that seeped through the cracks of the stone environment.

    It was close now; the azure light that was a beacon in the dense mist sat only a few more steps ahead.

    There it is, he thought.

    Though even those few steps became a struggle that he hadn''t quite realized; his limbs were encumbered by the biting frost, each step forcing him to muster all of his body''s strength.

    Atst, he found the source of the light: arge, bulbous flower with white petals that surrounded the glowing, azure pistil in the center.

    As the petals fluttered, giving off a cold air surpassing any he felt up until this point, he surmised it was the origin of the unmistakable cold. Being so enveloped in the overwhelming cold as his teeth chattered violently, there was nothing more he wanted than to end it--feeling his entire body run over with an itch that seemed toy under his own skin.

    Gripping the handle of his sword tightly, he lifted the de above his head with the intention of stabbing the gargantuan, mist-inducing flower.

    ....I''ll end this cold, then find them, he thought.

 Chapter 396 - One Step Forward, Two Back

    "...Ren, stop it!..."

    "Ren!"

    It was distant, but he heard his name being called like whispers of the winds, bouncing off the rocky walls of the cave.

    "Huh?" He muttered, hesitating for a moment.

    But the cold that ensnared his body wouldn''t wait any longer; the moisture coating his eyes began to freeze--striking him with an unbearable pain as his lips became dried and cold as he could no longer taste anything within his numb mouth.

    I won''t wait any longer! He resolved.

    --Just as he swung his sword, his arm was stopped by a powerful grip, though it was strong, it held onto his arm gently.

    What...who stopped me? He thought.

    Looking to the side, he was greeted by the familiar sight of the tall, well-dressed man d in abundant ck. It was the butler-suited man he had encountered in one of his previous dreams, though he couldn''t tell if the sight of him spelled good or bad.

    "That was a close one, master," the man spoke soothingly, "I''d advise you to listen to the voices calling your name."

    Though he tried to speak, it was simply impossible as the cold had overtaken such functions of his body.

    "Ren!"

    "Wake you, you damn idiot!"

    He heard it again, but this time it was clearer to him--he recognized the voices that were once faint howls of the frost-bound cave.

    Iris? Macheo? He thought.

    "There you go, master," the man said, "it seems my job here is done."

    The moment the darkly-dressed, towering man let go of his arm, the reality around him was reced.

    Wait, he thought.

    Though it was too little, toote as he wanted to speak with the mysterious, self-proimed servant of his.

    Just like that, the cold was gonepletely--he was in the cave still, but the mist was absent, revealing its natural, beautiful scenery of moss-covered, natural stone.

    "Ren!"

    --Now the voice directly hit his eardrums, turning to see the weing face of the azure-haired woman at his side.

    "Iris?" He said to her.

    "...Finally! That was too close��" Iris replied with tears lining her eyes, giving him a relieved, but damaged smile.

    Confused, he looked down as he felt two grips on his right arm--it was the pale, lithe hand of the girl''s, and the unmistakable, artificial, sable hand belonging to the Lucrauvian prince.

    Why''re they grabbing my arm? He thought.

    Something trickled down his glove; a warm sensation that finally allowed him to move his grabbed arm down.

    "...Huh?" He muttered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In his hand, he was wielding his broadsword, though the edge was slicked with a thinyer of blood. As he noticed this, he finally adjusted to reality--feeling the sharp, jagged pain that burned fervently at his neck.

    "How damn strong are you?! I couldn''t even budge your arm...how intent were you on dying?!" Macheo barked.

    "...Dying?" He looked at the golden-haired young man with wide eyes.

    Feeling his own neck, he felt the unnerving existence of warm, fresh liquid before flinching as an acute pain jolted through his body--it was a cut he had identally felt.

    ...Why is there a cut on my neck? My sword...I was holding it there. Was I��? He began to piece together.

    "What happened?" He asked.

    "You were trying to slice your own damn throat open!" Macheo answered.

    It was clear by the shaken looks present on both the prince''s expression and Iris'' that what they were stopping him from doing was unnerving to them as well.

    "...I thought--I thought we weren''t going to be able to stop you. You wouldn''t listen at all...you weren''t budging," Iris exined shakily.

    Beginning to realize what was happening, his hands trembled as he looked at his sword, sheathing it to get it away from his sight as he ran his hands over his face.

    "What the hell happened?...Why was I doing that? I thought I was attacking the flower--so why?" He asked.

    Macheo and Iris helped him stand to his feet, with the Lucrauvian prince being the one to answer as he stomped his boot against the small flower embedded in the ground, "It was some sort of illusionary trap set by this damn flower. It got everyone, but Mencius was the one that helped most of us break out. Guess he has some sort of resistance to crap like this."

    "Illusion��? Was it the fog?" He asked, caressing the wound on his neck.

    The woman pulled his hand away, tending to the bleeding wound with a usage of restoration magic as the cut slowly closed.

    Iris shook her head, answering as she healed him, "Mencius said with nts like this, it''s likely from inhaling some sort of pollen they give off."

    The answer struck his mind as he remembered the scent that greeted his nose immediately upon stepping off of the ship.

    "...I see. Is everyone okay? Where are they?" He asked.

    With the sh on his neck closed, he caressed it��feeling the prominent scar that now was etched into his skin.

    As silence fell in response to his question, he looked between the two who were standing at either side of him.

    "Is something wrong?" He pressed his question further.

    It was a silence he didn''t want to experience after the sort of question he asked, feeling an unnerving sensation travel over his skin as the hairs on his body stood up straight.

    "Iris? Macheo? Talk to me," he said.

    A solemn look was present over their expressions, but it was Macheo who finally gave him some sort of answer, softly shaking his head as his golden tufts swayed.

    Macheo opened his mouth with words that struck his skin with a chill more intense than any cold, "...Fedrin. He didn''t make it."

    "What? What did you just say?" He asked with wide eyes that didn''t want to see any truth from what he had just heard.

    A ringing filled his ears, listening to the thumping of his heart louder than any words from hispanions, though he still heard Macheo loud-and-clear.

 Chapter 397 - To The Other Side

    Macheo opened his mouth with words that struck his skin with a chill more intense than any cold, "...Fedrin. He didn''t make it."

    "What? What did you just say?" He asked with wide eyes that didn''t want to see any truth from what he had just heard.

    A ringing filled his ears, listening to the thumping of his heart louder than any words from hispanions, though he still heard Macheo loud-and-clear.

    "By the time we found him, it was already toote. It looked like he tried to st the flower with fire magic, and ended up hitting himself with it in the process," Macheo said solemnly.

    His blood ran hot with a flurry of emotions, though in his mind, he fervently wanted to reject such a reality.

    He could hardly feel the embrace of Iris as she wrapped her arms around him; the reality of death felt as if he was ensnared in yet another illusion.

    "Well, he''s not all the way gone yet...but there''s nothing we can do. None of our heal users could save him from those types of wounds��" Macheo muttered.

    Hearing this, he immediately grasped the Lucrauvian royalty by his shoulders, shouting at him, "Where is he?!"

    Macheo''s scarlet eyes looked at him before looking down towards the ground, putting one of his hands on the adolescent''s wrist, "Look, Ren...I don''t know if you want to see him like that. I don''t know if that''s any way to remember a friend."

    He clenched the prince''s shoulders tighter, causing him to wince slightly, "I need to see him."

    Begrudgingly, Macheo epted with a nod as the two guided him through the cave, though the spot where the elf remained wasn''t but a minute''s travel away.

    It was a tucked away patch of nature within the vast, open cave,den with abundant vines and flowers.

    He saw the entirety of the Weltwanders, gathered around something he already could surmise was there.

    "Fedrin��" He whispered with tears lining his voice.

    Stumbling forward, he pressed past therge, crimson-furred panda and the draconic knight before he fell to his knees beside the high elf. The once noble, wise high elf with illustrious, sable locks was unrecognizable.

    Most of his upper-body was leftpletely charred, his skin having been melted away by what could only be a powerful release of fire magecraft.

    It was clear the elven man could recognize nothing around him as his eyes were zed over with theing veil of death; only weak, sparse breaths exuded from his absent lips.

    Even as a flood of sorrow swept over him, he couldn''t fixate on anything; trying to focus only intensified the ringing in his ears, and the blur in front of his eyes--meddled by tears as the smell of charred flesh filled the room.

    "How could this happen, Jay? We were with him��" He asked.

    Though no words could reach the ears of the man who was without skin, hearing, or sight any longer.

    Kneeling beside him, Jae-Seong caressed his back with a regretful expression. As he looked up at the usually vibrant, frivolous man who tried tofort him with a smile, he could only remark to himself how sad his puffy eyes were; stained with tears.

    "I wish I could answer that, Ren," Jae-Seong somberly embraced him.

    I''ll be askin myself that for a long time, Jae-Seong thought.

    "...I''m sick of this ce," Aiko spilled her words out,ced with tears, "nothing ever can just be...good. It never goes right."

    Her words echoed what they all felt; it was the grim reality of Purgatory shoved right into their faces.

    He grabbed onto the man''s burnt, feeble hand��letting tears spill out as he felt a weak return of his hold as the faint sensation of his fingers grasping his hand was felt.

    "Fedrin��you told me, didn''t you? You have to find your wife and daughter��that''s why you''ve endured this hell for so long!" He shouted with a voice strained from grief, "so get up, dammit! You can''t fall here! Not when you''re so close!"

    His emotion-driven spiel brought a painful silence embroidered with fresh, potent anguish to the others.

    "Ren��"

    Hongse gently pulled him away, giving the young man aforting embrace against his soft, crimson fur.

    Silence sat in the air for a bit, but it was the newest member, Mencius, who stepped forward, kneeling beside the man who was on hisst breaths.

    "It saddens me to say��I didn''t have the opportunity to know you very well, my friend," Mencius spoke gently, "but at the very least, I can give you a soft departure."

    They could only watch with tearful eyes as the tranquil, verdant-haired man of effeminate features closed his eyes, holding his hands together in some sort of prayer.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As if calling the very spirit of spring itself, flowers bloomed from the grass around Fedrin, flourishing with brilliant colors as a gentle wind centered around him.

    "��What is this?" He asked, watching the petals of varying flowers dance in the air.

    Mencius remained in his tranquil stance, slowly returning his verdant eyes to an open state before answering, "''The Bridge of Final Blossoms''��it is an art practiced in my homnd; it is a way to painlessly allow one to pass��and to let them experience happiness in their final moments. Even if we can''t save those who''ve already stood themselves on the threshold, we can help them gently depart."

    The circr flow of flowers: sky blue, rose red, yellow like the morning star; they all ushered in an air of tranquility that stifled the painful tears of the Weltwanderers.

    As he looked down at theid out elf as hisst breaths were exuded, faint tears that evaporated upon meeting his burned skin were seen.

    Ushering forth the finality of the gentle art, Mencius waved his hand to the air, "Shishi."

    With the air of flowing, blossoming natureing to a serene close, the final breath from Fedrin left his lips.

    "...Where am I?"

    Surrounded in a realm of warm,forting light, the high elf turned side-to-side, looking down at his own hands. To his surprise, no sign of the mes were left on his body.

    "Papa!"

    A voice called to him from behind; a young voice so familiar, yet had grown so distant all of these years for him.

    Hearing it, he stopped for a moment--his blood running still as did his heart before he swiftly turned around to face the voice.

    "L?!"

    The shout released all of his emotion as his voice fell apart with tears brimming as his eyes met with those waiting behind him in the enigmatic, butforting realm.

    A young girl with locks just as dark and straight as his greeted him with a smile, and a woman with radiant, golden tufts awaited him with the same, warm expression.

    "L...Morcia��"

    I get it now...he began to realize, this is...what awaits beyond the end, isn''t it?

    As much as the sight of them made him want to copse with a spectrum of emotions, he rushed forward instinctively, embracing the two tighter than he had ever held anything.

    Only a small patch of gently fluttering grass sat around them, apanied by a peaceful, verdant tree hanging over them.

    "I''m not letting go. Never again...I''m never losing either of you ever again!"

    All this time, were they waiting for me? So patiently, for over a hundred years, they waited for me? Was my quest inherently a waste? No...I''ve found them, haven''t I?

    Isn''t that all I sought to do?...Yes. I suppose it is, he thought.

    Holding his beloved wife and daughter close to his chest, so fervently and tight as he feared they may just be carried away by a passing breeze if he let go, he smiled atst.

    I suppose even a feeble, old soul such as myself can attain his dreams.

    Thank you, everyone...Ren, Iris, Valerie, Hongse, Jae-Seong, Macheo, Aiko, and Mencius...I''ve found them now, he thought.

    "I suppose it''s time we finally go, isn''t it?" He smiled softly.

    "Yeah!" L replied giddily.

    Morcia nodded with a tranquil smile to him, "Let''s go, Fedrin. It''s time you finally rx."

    Pulling away from the embrace he never wanted to leave, he stood as he held his daughter''s hand, while his wife held her other.

    Walking off together, there was no uncertainty in his heart; in that moment of passing respite, he was truly happy.

    I guess it is about time this old fool takes his leave.. Goodbye, everyone.

 Chapter 398 - Melody Of The Rain

    Tears were shed in unison by the group as a close embrace was shared amongst them; even Mencius silently ced himself by their warmth.

    He found his snowy fringes hanging in front of his eyes, blurred with tears as he held Iris close to his chest��sharing the resonance of his heart with her.

    "We''ll make it out of here," he resolved, "we''ll defeat this ce��for him."

    After they ended their embrace, it was Mencius who handled the burial before they decided to take a break to gather their bearings.

    Sitting mostly in solemn silence together, it was Jae-Seong who spoke up.

    "��Listen, I''ve got something to say, but don''t call me crazy for putting it out there," Jae-Seong said as he fiddled with the chain hanging from his neck.

    "What is it, Jay?" He asked, sitting by the man while keeping Iris coddled close to his body.

    Jae-Seong lifted his gaze, looking at the others, "I don''t know if it''s the truth, but the main rumor is that once you reach the end of Purgatory, you''re granted a wish, right? So��can''t we use that wish to bring him back?��and anyone else who fell."

    It was clear who the other was in his mind on this topic as his golden eyes came over with a tint of guilt.

    Silence sat in the tucked-away, cavern of verdant nature before Mencius was the one to put his word forth.

    "I am against the idea of this," Mencius said sternly.

    "Why?" Jae-Seong''s gaze pierced the man.

    Mencius maintained himself, "It''s a fatal w in one''s thinking to believe death can be reversed. In all of history and tales alike, such endeavors have only ended in further misery. Allow those who have fallen to rest; don''t return them to a hell they don''t wish to return."

    These words seemed to trigger something within Jae-Seong for a moment as his veins pressed against his fists, but heposed himself as his aura settled.

    "��Whatever. We can save that talk for when we reach the end, right?" Jae-Seong said.

    "Right," Mencius nodded.

    None of the others were in a very talkative mood with the potent freshness of death still looming over them.

    He sat with his arm around Iris'' shoulder, gently soothing her as he looked up at the flowery ceiling of the cave.

    Resurrection, huh?...I''ve thought about it everyday since Gramps told me about it. I still don''t know what the right call is, Meinhard.

    Do you want to return to this cruel world? Am I cruel enough of a man to force you back? I don''t know if you''re yearning for it, or if you vehemently reject the idea. How can I know?

    I wish��you could tell me, Meinhard. Talk to me. I miss it��your voice, your kindness, the way you treated me like I belonged.

    If it wasn''t for you, where would I be? I wouldn''t have been able to cope with it, or adjust...I probably would''ve found my journey at an end quickly.

    That''s why...I want to save you, Meinhard. But--what does that mean? he thought.

    A single tear strolled down his cheek as he quickly hid it with a brush of his hand against his face, swallowing the emotions stuck in his throat that had spurred from such thoughts.

    As the group took their rest in the silent cavern, the sound of rain, though dulled, could be heard pouring outside.

    "Sounds like it''s going down pretty heavy out there. Maybe we should stay here until it settles," Macheo advised.

    "As long as it''s safe here, there''s really no reason to move forward, right? We just have to survive for a month," Hongse stated as he munched on a piece of bread.

    It was a point brought up by the giant panda that seemed to somehow fall from some of their minds.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That''s right...we don''t have to move any further," Aiko said, tucking her knees close to her chest.

    She remained seated close to Macheo, who was busy blowing air between his lips to y with his hanging, golden fringes.

    Mencius, who elegantly consumed one of the green-skinned pieces of fruit the group had supplied, shook his head softly, replying with his eyes closed, "I believe that''s the wrong move here."

    "What do you mean?..." Aiko looked at him.

    Macheo stopped fiddling with his hair boredly as he sat up, "What he means is that acting like sitting ducks is a surefire way to get ourselves killed."

    The draconic knight who had been busy cleaning hernce with a handkerchief butted in with a sigh.

    "I hate to admit it, but I have the same suspicion as those two," Valerie added, ncing at Hongse, "this hellhole is obviously not going to let challengers just tuck themselves away in a safe, little ce...not by a long shot. If there''s one thing I know about Purgatory, it''s that it''s simply not fair."

    He remained mostly silent while tending to his thoughts, but the discussion piqued his interest as he lifted his head.

    "So you''re saying if we stay here, in this intermediate cavern, it''s probable that ''something'' wille for us?" He asked.

    Mencius answered, "It''s all conjecture, really, but I''d say it''s the safer bet to make when it''s Purgatory we''re talking about. I''d rather not wait around and find out if something decided to strike us down with impunity. I believe once we''re on the "true" ind, it''ll be fair game to set up camp."

    ncing to the side, he looked down at the blue-haired girl who was coddled close to him with her headid on his chest; seeing her like that, he wanted to make whichever choice led to that moment more than a fleeting respite.

    "Then we''ll head out once the rain stops," he decided, "with the mana potions we have, we can afford to explore around. We have to lean on the strengths we have."

    Jae-Seong yawned as heid back with his hands acting as his pillow, "I agree. Wake me up when it''s time to go."

    It seemed no further discussion needed to be had as the Weltwanders epted this proposal, returning to either their restful approaches, or filling up their empty stomachs with natural nutrients.

    "Thanks, Jay," he smiled at the man with gratitude.

    With an absence of conversation filling the tucked-away, somewhatfortable cavern area, the ambience of the falling rain sounded clear as if pelting against a windowpane just by his bedside.

    As the cold grew in response to the dense rainfall, Valerie took it upon herself to create a small fire in the center of the enclosed cavern, allowing aforting warmth to greet them.

    As he sat with his back leaned against the wall of the cave, watching the flickering orange, he found rtivefort as it was softened by ayer of verdancy, keeping the girl close to his chest as he gently caressed her shoulder.

    Eventually, by the small, quiet breaths he listened to escape her lips, he looked down to realize she had fallen asleep against him. Even despite what they''dmitted to already, he still found himself shy of even his own flustered heartbeat being heard as her headid close to his chest.

    Still, he couldn''t help but find himself smiling as he lightly ran his fingers through her silken, azure strands.

    I guess today has been a long day, he smiled slightly.

    Removing his silver cloak, he wrapped it around her body for further warmth andfort as she naturally moved closer to him in her sleep--prompting a small blush to exist on his cheeks as he smiled.

    Looking up, he found both Macheo and Aiko spectating the rather sugary scene--giving him a thumbs-up that made him want to tuck away into a corner.

    "Idiots," he muttered yfully.

    Sitting there with little to do, he ran his fingertips against the rough, grated skin that existed as the new scar across his throat.

    Never thought a NEET like myself would be a scarred warrior, but here I am...how long has it been? Almost two years now, hasn''t it? It''s impossible to track time inside of here...and I remember Gramps telling me time moves differently in this ce.

    All I know is--it''s been too long, he thought.

 Chapter 399 - Arachnid Anarchy

    Soon it wasn''t just the melody of rain drops; roars of ominous, howling thunder resonated through the dark skiesying outside the cavern. By no means did it sound like normal thunder; possessing an almost clear malice to its existence, roaring out as if threatening those below of the impunity of the storm.

    "...We might be here for a bit," he said with a sigh following as he looked up at the roof of the cave, looking at the hanging vines.

    "It sounds like that''s the case," Mencius confirmed, "I shall take my rest then."

    The man with flowing, emerald locks removed his cap, using it as a pillow as heid down against the ground.

    Looking around, he realized Aiko and Hongse had also fallen asleep, leaving only himself, Macheo, and Valerie as the only ones still awake.

    "If you want to catch some shut-eye, I''ll keep watch," he offered.

    "I''m fine," Macheo swiftly rejected.

    Valerie nodded, "I wouldn''t be able to get good sleep under a storm like this anyway."

    It was an expected answer from the two most taut, prideful of the group as he smiled, leaning his head against the wall, "Guess I''ll catch some z''s then myself."

    "Go ahead," Macheomented as he tinkered with his artificial arm, "I don''t care what you do."

    Shutting his eyes with a smile at the usual, abrasive remark from his friend, he foundfort quite easily with the warmth of Iris pressed closely to himself.

    It felt as if the moment he closed his eyes to fall into slumber, he was woken up just as swiftly.

    "��it''s time to move out!"

    ��It was Macheo''s voice yelling with such intensity.

    As soon as he opened his eyes, he realized he was thest to wake, though it didn''t seem he was trailing behind.

    "What the��what''s going on?" He asked, jumping to his feet.

    Though he came to realize that although he was woken by a yell, nobody looked to be in a rush.

    "Nothing," Macheo answered, "the storm''s over. Damn rainsted forever."

    "��Oh," he sighed.

    Looking to his side, he was greeted by Iris'' soft gaze and even softer smile as he returned the expression. Returning the cloak he temporarily gifted her, she wrapped it back around his shoulders, tying thece for him.

    Hongse, being the resident mule of the group by virtue of his natural strength, carried both the mana potions and the food supply.

    "All set?" He asked, pulling his gloves back over his hands as he stood at the entrance to the hidden cavern.

    The subsequent nods affirmed his question as the group set out through the nature-overtaken cave.

    "Think we''re through the first day yet?" Jae-Seong asked.

    "Probably, you all slept for a good while," Macheo answered.

    They marched up an incline of mossy stone that shifted into a bridge, looking over a deep chasm that whispered with eerie winds below.

    Being above the barren chasm, a cold updraft howled against the group, causing the short, beige-haired girl to shiver.

    "Are you alright, Aiko?" He asked, looking back at the girl.

    "��I''m fine��perfectly fine," she replied while hugging her own body.

    Looking past the girl, he stared at the golden-haired prince marching behind her, giving him a wink.

    Macheo clicked his tongue before removing his cape, wrapping it around the cold-feeling girl with a faint blush tinting his cheeks.

    "Thanks��" Aiko kept her head down, tucking the sable cape around her body.

    "Don''t mention it," Macheo quietly replied while averting his gaze.

    Watching this, he and Iris smiled before continuing to march up the flowerden, rocky bridge.

    With Jae-Seong whistling to himself as he stood at the forefront of the group, they eventually reached the summit of the vast cave system.

    "Now hold on��just what is this ce?" He said in awe at the scenery waiting atop.

    Waiting at the top was an open-space within the hollow cave inhabiting the innards of the colossal mountains.

    It flourished with abundant foliage; housing enough natural green that it was hard to see the gray of the stone beneath.

    Through the center of the mystical area, ake existed��holding natural, clear water instead of the abundant ck sea outside.

    "Amazing��simply amazing," Mencius smiled, fitting right in with the spring-filled cavern.

    "I don''t trust it for a second," Valerie spoke on the contrary.

    The crimson-d, demi-human knight kicked a pebble as she folded her arms across her chest.

    Just moving around required them to swipe hanging cobwebs out of their way; they seemed to litter the cave plentifully.

    "I''m with her," Macheo added, "this ce reeks of a trap."

    "Too good to be true?" He asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The crimson-eyed prince nodded, "Something like that."

    It was difficult to imagine such a serene ce existing in the unforgiving realm, he understood that well. After what had just happened on that solemn day, there was no chance of acting thoughtlessly.

    "Jay, Macheo��stay at the front with me. Stay ready," he said.

    Keeping his broadsword drawn, he and the two others at the vanguard led cautiously while the others followed��keeping watch off anything that may approach from their nk.

    Pressing past the lengthy, low-hanging vines, the sound of water leaking from the cracks embedded in the cavern ceiling filled the area with a subtle fear.

    There''s no way this ce is vacant. It was the only passageway through this cave, save for blowing through it with magic.

    If they''re forcing challengers through a predetermined path then��there''s no other conclusion, he thought.

    Using his sharp-edged de to cut through the sea of vines inteced with cobwebs obscuring his path and vision, a foreign sound was heard.

    After listening to the weight, pattern, and frequency of each of hispanions'' steps, the leaf-crunching stomp stuck out.

    "You hear that?" Macheo asked in a whisper.

    As they stopped, the rest of the group did; they were surrounded by a forest of intrusive, verdant limbs that left most of their vision mitigated.

    "��Yeah, something is here," He answered quietly.

    Jae-Seong wordlessly confirmed on his own end as he cracked his knuckles.

    They all took on a vow of silence before the enigmatic situation.

    Complete and utter silence��so still, so soundless that all that he heard was the slight ringing in his ears.

    Until, a flurry of steps intruded into the quiet space with a jarring, flood of footsteps.

    ��But that wasn''t quite correct.

    Footsteps?��no, it sounds more like��poles mming against the ground? Dozens��from every direction, he thought.

    Unable to see the approaching, unknown enemies, he tightened his fingers around the blue-strapped handle of his sword.

    "Cover each other''s backs!" He shouted out.

    Without hesitation, the group naturally fell into a defensive stance with each of them covering the backs of one another.

    "What the hell ising? It doesn''t sound human!" Macheo yelled.

    "There''s a lot of whatever it is!" Hongse shouted, wielding his hammer.

    As the rapid marching grew closer, the unseen enemies released a high-pitched hiss as ifying eyes on their prey.

    "They''re here!" He yelled.

    Just as he yelled, he shed his sword through the vines in front of him��striking away the obscuring veil and repelling the enemy that leapt towards him.

    By the weight he felt in that momentary sh, whatever it was held a hefty weight, d in some sort of armor.

    I didn''t feel Belus cut through��it''s tough, he thought.

    As the sliced vines danced down, he finally saw his enemy as he could hear the battle beginning for hispanions as well.

    d in a tough, white exoskeleton with eight, lengthy and eerie legs, the creature stood a few times his size��hissing with its fangs as its beady eyes watched him. It wasn''t of a foreign shape, though the size it possessed was anything but what he was used to--it was a creature that struck him with an almost primal fear.

    A spider, he surmised.

    His skin crawled at the sight of the hellish rendition of the arachnid he was faced with, holding his de up as it hissed at him again, mming its spiky legs as if trying to intimidate him.

    By the barrage of hisses echoing from every direction, there was no chance of anyone else in the group lending a hand to one another; they were severely outnumbered.

    "...I knew I''de across something like you in this world eventually, but still...I was hoping that day would nevere," he muttered with a wry smile.

    Just watching the sharp, tall-standing of fuzzy strands protruding from its exoskeleton vibrate as it hissed, moving its bulbous abdomen side-to-side, sent a wave of disgust over his body as he naturally took to a defensive stance.

    It dashed towards him with blinding speed, without warning as it raised its front legs, sending them down like spears as they pierced the stone he once stood on--already rolling back to avoid the swift strike.

    It''s fast, he thought.

    Before he could retaliate from his half-knelt position, it quickly withdrew its rtively thin, sharp legs from the stone, hopping back with unbing agility of its size.

    Close to his left, Macheo defended against an iing strike by using his ck-d, artificial arm as a shield, counter-attacking with a spinning kick that managed tond against the side of the many-eyed spider''s head, though it quickly shook it off.

    "These things are tough, huh?" He called out.

    "They''re a good warmup," Jae-Seong replied with a smile.

    The curly-haired otherworlder retained his smile as he dodged around the swift, spear-like strikes of the umber-spider''s legs, leaving quick jabs to its body that forced it back.

    I can''t unleash anything close to a normal strength punch--not with the others around, Jae-Seong thought.

 Chapter 400 - Through One Side, Out The Other

    Near the back, Aiko and Valerie fought shoulder-to-shoulder, with the beige-haired girl relying on her martial arts finesse to dance around the spider, leaving powerful blows against its exoskeleton.

    Utilizing hernce as a proper, physical weapon for once in an effort to reduce mana consumption, Valerie jabbed it against the giant arachnid--though it possessed a level of dexterity unforeseen as it attempted to snatch the weapon from her grip.

    Although it had no fingers to grip with, it managed to attain a stiff hold on thence somehow as the horned woman attempted to yank it away.

    How is it holding on so damn tight?...It must have tiny little hairs on its legs that are adhesive, she thought.

    The thought was repulsive to her, but she grinned as she stopped trying to y tug-of-war with the armored arachnid--instead awakening the magical usage of thence.

    I''ve got you just where I want you! She thought.

    "--Take this!" Valerie yelled with a smile.

    With the end of thence being pointed directly between the mandibles of the creepy crawler, a burst of mes sted directly against it.

    It unleashed a shriek, convulsing from the hungering mes as its lengthy legs contorted while it squirmed on its back.

    Within moments of the inferno''s gluttonous destruction, the gargantuan arachnid stopped moving--sumbing to its wounds as Valerie let out a huff.

    Back to the vanguard, the snowy-haired otherworlder struck his de through his eight-legged foe''s head with a squelch that released a spurt of purple blood before he kicked it to release his de from its flesh.

    "One down��" He muttered.

    As he looked back, it seemed everyone in the group had just about finished off their arachnid enemy, but a weight dropping in front of where he stood, followed by the sound of many more dropping around their held position, brought his gaze back.

    Another one stood in front of him, twitching its salivating mandibles at him with ravenous intent glittering in its beady eyes.

    "...A lot more to go," he huffed.

    With another round of arachnid-battling beginning, they were confined to a small, circr portion of the cavern with all of their backs held together to ward off the iing spiders.

    Hongse mmed his hammer down against one of the insectoid''s heads, sttering it against the sturdy stone below, "You think these things are edible?"

    "If you wanna try, be my guest!" Mencius answered whilebating one of the arachnids.

    While Hongse and Mencius had little trouble brutalizing the giant spiders with raw strength and finesse, Iris found herself in a troublesome situation.

    With only her staff wielded in her hands, what was on her mind was trying not to consume mana--but it was seeming impossible as the mandibles of the arachnid grew closer despite the swings of her staff.

    "Ghh��!" She gasped.

    Stumbling back as the arachnid pushed closer with saliva spewing from his maw, she raised her staff with a trembling hand.

    ...I have to do it! She thought.

    As it loomed over her with hungering mandibles twitching, she pointed the end of the magic-focusing staff towards the creature.

    Through the usage of the staff, she was able to cast a spell with only intent, manifesting an arrow of light that pierced through the arachnid''s head, shooting out from the other side of its body with a harsh squelch.

    As purple fluid spilled from the newly made holes through the eight-legged fiend, it slumped over lifelessly.

    "...I did it," she muttered.

    At a certain point, with the density of the cave-dwelling, armored arachnids growing as they began descending from the ceiling--it became painfully clear that attempting to hold out on magic usage would be a futile endeavor.

    Back-to-back, each of the Weltwanderers stood, united in a circr formation as they were surrounded by dozens of the creepy crawlers.

    "There''s an army of these creatures!" Mencius shouted, holding his treasured de in front of himself.

    "Keep ''eming!" Hongse roared, "the way I see it, we''ve got an infinite supply of crab legs!"

    "Stop focusing on food! We''re in a battle right now!" Valerie barked.

    "Isn''t it time to stop holding out? If we continue at this rate, we''ll be overwhelmed��!" Aiko said as she pushed one of the arachnids back with a swift strike.

    "Sorry, if I don''t hold out, you''ll all die--so let''s avoid that~" Jae-Seong answered in a cheeky, melodic tone.

    "Unfortunately, I know you''re not lying," Macheo huffed, "I''ll handle this--but I''m going to need Nakamura with me."

    "Why Ren?" Iris asked, looking to the side at the golden-haired prince.

    "I don''t mind, but," He looked at Macheo, "what''s the n here?"

    Without any sort of warning, Macheo dashed towards him, grabbing hold of him and bringing him into the air as they traversed mystical tforms formed by the prince''s magic.

    Macheo smiled, "The n is...follow my lead!"

    "Huh?!" He let out in surprise.

    From below, the rest of the group watched as the two ran through the air by utilizing the tforms, though Ren stumbled a bit to regain his footing.

    Macheo looked back, watching as most of the army of arachnids scurried--rushing behind them as they crawled over the mossy ground, walls, and even the ceiling.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Just as I thought," Macheo smiled with sweat lining his cheek.

    "''Thought''? Though what?!" He asked, keeping up behind the golden-haired young man.

    Macheo raised the elevation of the tforms, causing the two to ascend closer to the ceiling as he stopped, turning around, "These things aren''t risking even a single meal escaping! Most eyes are on us now! Just as I like it!"

    "This is a good thing��?!" He looked back.

    "We''re giving them back there less of a burden to deal with! This is the best way to do it!" Macheo replied.

    But what about us?! He thought.

    His skin crawled at the sight of seemingly countless, giant arachnids rushing towards them with theirrge mandibles twitching with savage hunger.

    "What''s the n here, Macheo? There''s like a hundred of them��" He muttered.

    "We crush them--not letting even a single one escape," Macheo answered.

    He looked back at the crimson-eyed Lucrauvian, "...It''s a n, I''ll give you that."

    It was something he began to realize from how differently the prince seemed to act in situations like this. The exuding confidence, joy, and trust he held--it all flourished in battle when they fought side-by-side.

    I don''t think he had a particr n in mind, but he trusts my strength...I guess this is his way of trying to protect Aiko, isn''t it? Well, who am I to let down young love? He thought.

    "Nakamura! I''ll bind them and supply you with footholds--just focus on cutting those bastards down!" Macheo shouted out.

    "Sounds like I have my work cut out for me," he smiled wryly while muttering.

    Flipping his broadsword and dagger between the fingers of either hand, he took in a calming, focused breath before leaping forward, hopping against each of the tforms as he greeted the iing flood of arachnids.

    Macheo held his artificial, sable arm forward as the gemstones embedded in it glowed.

    Let''s try this puppy out��''high magic control'' let''s see about that! Macheo thought.

    "Achelous: Drowning Angels!"

    --Shouting out this incantation, an unseen flood erupted from the stone corridor that contained all of the scurrying arachnids--reaching out mystically with aquatic limbs that wrapped around the giant, armored fiends.

    "Nakamura---!" Macheo shouted out as a signal.

    He smiled to himself, "I hear ya''--loud and clear."

    Maximizing his reinforcement, while it did have a toll on mana, it was less than utilizing even a single Araphel spell.

    With a single leap from one of the tforms, he carved through half-a-dozen arachnids with a single, dark-d sh that sliced deep into the stone below.

    It was a feeling he missed since arriving at the third floor; the pure, untampered strength of full-force reinforcement. A single leap pushed him at such a speed that none of the arachnids could react--before their heads were swept from their bodies.

    In a waltz from tform-to-tform, he left a trail of violet blood behind him that rained down in his wake. With Macheo restraining the foes with his water-formed bindings, it was a perfectbination.

    No longer than a minute; that''s what it took to eradicate the plentiful arachnids that chased after him as he finished, swiping his blood to rid it of the purple, repugnant blood that hung onto its steel.

    "Well, I didn''t expect the n to go that well," Macheomented as he jumped down by the adolescent''s side.

    He replied with a slight smile, walking past the graveyard of spider corpses, "I guess sometimes just brute-forcing it is best."

    Meeting back up with the rest of the group, they managed to handle their end of the eight-legged crawlers.

    As was the rest of the cavern by this point, the area was cluttered with the punished bodies of the fallen arachnids--prompting the Weltwanders to waste no time in moving forward to wherever the other end of the cavern led them.

    "After today, I never want to see another spider again," he muttered with a grossed-out expression.

    "...I still think we should really test out if they''re edible," Hongse added.

    "No!" Valerie, Aiko, and Mencius shut the red-furred panda''s proposal down instantly.

    Being so fervently rejected, therge panda let out a sigh, waddling forth with a saddened expression as the group traversed a new section of the expansive cave.

    "Look! I think I see an exit!" Aiko pointed out, rushing to the front of the group.

    As a cold, fresh air pushed against his skin, it seemed her discovery rang true as he continued marching up the now soilden section of the cave.

    "Let''s hurry and get the hell out of here then. This ce stinks like shit," Macheo huffed.

    "Although I would put it in a more...eloquent way, I agree. This cavern houses a rather unpleasant aroma," Mencius agreed.

    "I think ''shit'' is a pretty urate description of the stench in here," Jae-Seong said, keeping his hands tucked into his pockets.

    Trying to forget about the conversation he heard going on behind him, he marched up the incline of moist soil as the sensation of fresh, brisk air grew more tangible the higher he climbed.

 Chapter 401 - Hunter, Gatherer

    "This is it," he said, "it''s the end of the ''tutorial''."

    "Ren��" Iris looked at him.

    He chuckled with a hint of embarrassment, "Sorry, I forgot you don''t really understand those terms...I mean that we''ve reached the real start of the final floor."

    Iris gave him a smile and a nod as together, they were the first to reach the summit of the cavern slope, standing at the gaping exit of the vast cave system.

    It wasn''t but a few secondster that the rest of the group caught up--they each stopped to take in the awaiting scenery.

    "It''s huge," he muttered.

    He referred to the colossal tree that sat in the center of the ind, reaching high and stretching far with its ceiling of white, radiant leaves.

    "I''d say that is an understatement, Nakamura," Mencius added while in awe, "that tree is greater than any I haveid my eyes on before."

    Directly surrounding them was a forest, densely packed with ashen trees that bore illuminating leaves.

    "No point in gawking at it. You''ll be seeing it for the next month," Macheo spoke abrasively as he stepped past the others.

    "Where are you going?" Valerie stopped him with a raised eyebrow.

    The young prince stopped, looking back as if insulted by the question, "We need to make a camp for the time being, right? I''d rather get that done sooner rather thanter."

    Ascking in tact as his words were, they held truth as they pulled themselves from the trance of the fantastical forest of mystical white.

    "You know, that kid''s attitude pisses me off sometimes," Valerie huffed.

    There wasn''t any sort of trail to move along as the group pushed past the dense foliage together, with Valerie hanging near the back alongside Jae-Seong and Hongse.

    "He''s a prince, what do you expect? It''s in his blood to be a bit..manding, you know?" Jae-Seong smiled, pushing a low-hanging branch out of the way.

    "I don''t give a damn if he''s a prince or a king, a little respect wouldn''t hurt," the draconic knight red at the back of Macheo''s head, who marched at the front.

    Jae-Seongughed herment off, though the draconic demi-human gave him a burning re for hisckadaisical behavior.

    It wasn''t just her, Mencius found the casual, nonchnt way the brown-haired, golden-irised man simply strolled along.

    He''ll be the death of me, Mencius sighed to himself.

    Walking alongside Macheo, he cut away the overgrowth with his sword, pushing past the thick foliage. It was a tiring endeavor; the density of the natural growth required him to cut away with every step he took.

    "Are we heading anywhere��specific?" He asked, stepping over a protruding tree root.

    Macheo pped the branch away from his face, "Preferably, a clearing of some sort��if that exists in this damn ce."

    "If that''s the case, we could probably make one," Iris spoke up.

    The two young men leading the group stopped, turning to her. With their stop, the rest of the group halted as well.

    "Yeah? Might be our best bet," he sighed, "my arm is gonna fall off by the end of this��"

    Before he couldmit to that long-winded process, she stopped him with a shake of her head.

    "Not that," Iris said, "we should use magic for it."

    "Listen, right now magic isn''t a substitute for hard work. Mana is limited as is," Macheo rejected the notion.

    Again, she shook her head, this time letting out a huff as it seemed whatever she was implying didn''t exactly strike home.

    "It''s better to use some mana than to leave ourselves exhausted physically! If we do that, we''ll wind up helpless if something attacks!" Iris insisted.

    Aiko, taking her side, fervently nodded her head as her short, beige hair bounced, "I agree with her. And we have someone that can handle the task perfectly!"

    By the way Macheo was absent of words with his tough exterior shattering, it was clear to recognize his weakness had been exploited.

    Way to go, Aiko, he thought.

    "��And that is?" Macheo asked.

    As the two girls turned around, they faced the unsuspecting, verdant-haired member of the group, who was paying little attention while he fiddled with one of the low-hanging leaves.

    "Mencius!"

    The Jinyuen schr snapped into focus, pointing to himself, "Me��? What about me?"

    There was nothing he could do to reject the job bestowed upon him; utilizing his Gaia magic, the effeminate, spring-robed man cleared away a small, tucked-away patch of the dense forest.

    He withdrew the foliage back into the soil, or rather, he converted the living green into nutrients for the surrounding trees.

    With the finishing touches of his natural magecraft, a clear, unlittered territory of soft, verdant grass was left, guarded by walls of trees.

    "Is that good enough?" Mencius asked, wiping sweat from his brow.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Perfect!" Ren pped his hands.

    He could still sense that the mood was somber from the fresh wounds they endured from loss, but he tried his best to hold the group together.

    We''ve all learned...even in times like this, we have to smile, he thought.

    The encumbered panda dropped the supplies he was carrying, setting them on the forest floor before dropping onto his rear with a heavy, relieved sigh following.

    "I''m beat��walking is not my strong suit," Hongseined.

    Aiko sat down by the panda with a smile, "Aren''t you an adventurer? I think that requires a lot of walking��"

    "Doesn''t mean I like it," Hongse replied.

    It didn''t take long for the crimson-furred panda to begin munching on a loaf of bread while the rest of the group settled down.

    After settling down for an hour, a chill caused the group to begin trembling slightly and embracing themselves tobat the change in temperature.

    "It''s pretty cold out��I imagine it''ll only get colder," Jae-Seong looked up towards the abyssal sky.

    "You''re not exactly dressed for the cold, Jay," He chuckled wryly, "I''ll grab some firewood. Val, can you light it up when I''m back?"

    "Sure thing," Valerie waved her hand while sitting down on a log beside the panda.

    "If you''re going out, try to find some clean water, and some berries," Mencius asked.

    "Got it," he nodded.

    Before he could head out into the densely-packed forest of white, illuminated leaves, he was stopped by Jae-Seong.

    "I don''t think going alone is a good idea," Jae-Seong advised.

    Mencius added, resting on the ground, "I don''t think it''s a good idea to go out at all. We have no idea what''s out there yet."

    "True, I don''t n on going too far...but around here, yeah, alone isn''t the way. I understand it''s dangerous, but that''s why I''d prefer to scout around just a bit before we all head out together. Arge group sticks out, you know?" he stopped, looking back.

    It was a contentious decision, he expected as much.

    I get it. We just lost a member of our own group, and this floor is unknown to us, but still...we won''t get anywhere by huddling together under the trees. If there''s one thing Purgatory rewards, it''s being proactive, he thought.

    "I agree with Ren," Iris supported his decision, speaking up, "I trust him to be cautious."

    Nice save, Iris! He thought, giving the girl a thumbs-up.

    Valerie spoke up herself, though she kept her eyes closed as if barely paying any mind, "As long as he brings somebody else with him, it''s fine. If you go alone, it''s a death sentence, but with somebody to watch your back...well, that''s one hundred times better."

    After her words, the silence around the camp seemed to indicate there was no further questioning of his small mission.

    "urr��Aiko? Want toe with?" He offered.

    I think Iris needs some rest, and I''ve got a headache so��Macheo is out of the question, he thought, I think Aiko has been waiting for some chances to prove herself.

    Choosing mostly at random, he pointed his words towards the beige-haired girl.

    He gave a small wink to Iris, who reciprocated the gesture with a tired smile beforeying back.

    Good; you need some rest, he thought.

    Although she tried to hide it, her expression lit up as she jumped to her feet, "Alright!��I-I mean, sure!"

    Macheo clicked his tongue, leaning back and closing his eyes��though he took it as a sign of approval.

    Anything short of him yelling is his approval, he thought.

    "Let''s go, then," he waved his hand for the girl to follow.

    Following close to his side, Aiko ventured into the unknown forest with him.

    A few steps into their mission, Aiko stopped the snowy-haired young man, "You should mark the trees. It looks easy to get lost in this ce."

    He stopped and smiled, "Good idea."

    Using his sword, he nicked the nearby tree before the two continued their stroll.

    Every third tree they passed, he marked with a swift cut before continuing their voyage through the packed foliage.

    "You''re looking for firewood, right? Why not just cut away from one of these trees?" Aiko asked.

    He answered without looking back, cutting away a veil of vines in front of himself, "These are all drenched from the rain. Besides, we have an endless supply to choose from anyway."

    That being said, he did find himself not wanting to venture any farther than he had to; when their steps and words came to a stop, the ambience of the enigmatic forest made him question why he left the camp at all.

 Chapter 402 - Unreachable

    The sounds of leaves rustling periodically--each time a subtle shake of foliage was heard, it came from a different direction.

    If it wasn''t the evergreen that made noise, then it was the wildlife that inhabited the dense territory; chirps, howls, and growls--most of which were unrecognizable to him.

    "...I think we''ll have to make-do with whatever wood we can find," he muttered, trying to keep quiet.

    "Yeah��" Aiko nodded her head.

    He faced towards a rtively dry tree, running his hand along the rough, ashen bark before gripping his sword with both hands.

    "Watch my back," he said to the girl in a half whisper, "this is...going to back some noise."

    "Got it," Aiko nodded.

    With his back secured, he coated the sharp edge of Belus in potent reinforcement, taking in a breath through his lungs before swinging his sword directly against the hip of the gray-skinned cedar.

    As expected, the impact echoed through the quiet forest shrouded in a permanent night, making him fall still as he realized just how far that sound likely carried.

    ...Okay. Just one more swing; I underestimated how much reinforcement to use, but it''s alright, he thought.

    Rearing his sword back, he swung once more as it carvedpletely through the body of the tree, causing it to croak as it slowly fell over to the side.

    The resounding thud of the fallen tree might as well have sounded like a bomb going off in a small box--it felt as if he had just awakened the entire forest with that single swing.

    "Ren?" Aiko called his name worriedly.

    "Yeah, let''s get the hell out of here," he huffed.

    He only intended to bring a small portion of the tree''s wood back, but not wanting to wait around for whatever nightly fiends prowled the forest, he sent another slice through the cedar, picking up a sizable log before following Aiko back towards the way they came.

    A howl traversed the nightly wind, sending a shiver against his back as he picked up the pace, though encumbered by the hefty corpse of the tree.

    --Then another. And another. An orchestra of spine-chilling howls cascaded, all feeling as if they were aimed directly at his back; though the silver-lining being that he found himself no longer focusing on the harshness of the bark against his neck, nor the weight of it as he sprinted full force.

    "I''m starting to think this was a bad idea!" Aiko called out.

    "Hindsight is twenty-twenty, Aiko! Just keep moving!" He returned while running behind her.

    After a minute of running at full-sprint, it began to ur to him that it didn''t really make much sense.

    Just how far did we go?! He thought.

    "Aiko!" He yelled to the beige-haired girl in front of him.

    "--Yeah?!" She called back.

    "Are we going the right way?!" He asked in a yell, expelling it in a huff.

    His words brought the girl to a screeching halt as she turned back to him with wide eyes that made her amethyst irises stand out like glistening jewels.

    "Urr...I...I--I...urr��" She stammered out.

    "...You just ran without a second thought, didn''t you?" He sighed, dropping the log down on the forest floor.

    Aiko blushed out of sheer embarrassment before barking back, "Y-you followed me!"

    "That''s because you were supposed to keep watch, idiot!" He replied sharply.

    To reprimand his junior, he bestowed a flick to her forehead that caused her to release a small ''Ough'' sound from her lips as she caressed the small, reddened spot of affliction on her head.

    "I''m sorry��" She apologized meekly.

    Being looked at with a ssic case of puppy dog eyes, he let out a small sigh before patting the girl on the head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t worry about it. We''ll figure this out," he assured her.

    Although the monstrous howls that sounded closer than ever chipped away at whatever bolstering words he could provide.

    Great. Another mess on the second day here...how the hell are we going to survive a month like this? He thought.

    The only constion was the very thing that entrapped them in their predicament: the dense, endless swarm of white-leaved trees and boundless foliage. ying the stealth game seemed like the optimal choice with such an environment, but even that idea was shaken from his head.

    No...if it''s monsters, or better yet, Purgatory monsters, then just relying on ack of vision on their end won''t do it. Forget just them sniffing us out with their noses, they can probably track mana signatures as well, he deciphered.

    "Ren?" She tugged on his sable coat.

    "Yeah, I''m working on it," he shrugged off her words while he continued his thoughts.

    There''s no point in trying to make a run for it, either. We have no clue where we are, and I''d rather move once I''m able to take my time and think without worrying about something nipping at my heels.

    It might be best to stand here and fight--, he thought.

    "--Ren," she tugged on his coat a bit harder.

    "I heard you, Aiko. What is it?--"

    As he turned around to look at the purple-eyed girl, he found his answer as waiting in the enigmatic darkness inhabiting the treeline, was the presence of something malicious.

    Oh, shit, he thought.

    Even as they hid in the veil of the surrounding darkness, their glowing, blood-red eyes stood out as if signalling their bloodlust.

    They werepletely surrounded; no two-ways about it. By the low growls that resounded like a melody of savagery, he surmised what was dealing with would only stop once his flesh was in their stomachs, or his steel was through theirs.

    "Aiko," he quietly called her name as they were back-to-back.

    "I can do it. I''ve got your back," she assured him.

    If I''m being honest...I have my doubts. As harsh as it may sound, Aiko is the weakest of our group. It''s no fault of her own--she''s the youngest, of course. But, that''s even more reason why I''m hesitant.

    It will cost me more mana than I''d befortable with, but I could probably take these all on by myself, barring the reality that these things really are just next level.

    Still, she can''t grow if I coddle her, right? He thought.

    "Be careful," he advised her with a small smile, "I don''t want to imagine what type of headache I''d have to endure from Macheo if you got hurt."

    "You have nothing to worry about!" Aiko proimed, "He''s got no room to talk, anyway!"

    It seemed bringing up the prince''s name lit a fire under her--an intended result that he was delighted worked so well.

    Holding his entrusted broadsword in his right hand, and the ck-crystalline dagger in his left, he tightened his silver gloves as he lowered his stance, slowly sliding the soles of his boots against the slick grass.

    "Unreachable," it was the name of the stance drilled into him by Sora. Although the boisterous man himself didn''t use it, it was a perfect fit for someone of a smaller frame such as himself.

    Relying on minimum reinforcement to enhance myself, I have to get creative. Keep your feet sealed against the floor like a statue, your body condensed and locked--allow your stance to be so natural that all of your brain power is lent to your eyes, ears, and nose--detect any shift in the area around you.

    React before anything else: unreachable, he thought.

    Even in the midst of such an unsavory situation, he steadied his breathing to a faint whisper as his eyes steadied.

    Against his ears, he listened to the subtle, but audible sounds of leaves and twigs crunching beneath the feet of the prowling, growling fiends in the shadows.

    --A shift in the heavy, huffing breaths around.

 Chapter 403 - Against The Pack

    The calm, restrained breaths of the savage creatures shifted into a more constant growl. It was that slight shift that he recognized that lent him the information to act first.

    Just before the creature directly in front of him, veiled by the foliage, leapt out from its hiding, he stomped his boot forward against the ground.

    He was already midway through carving his de through the air as the growling fiend jumped at him, baring its teeth at his jugr as its crimson eyes locked onto him. Backing his swing with the strength of the stomp, the air hissed as the steel took a slight curve before pushing through the beast.

    "Graah!" He roared.

    In a bloodied mess, his strike taken as a pre-initiative bisected the ck-hided creature directly down from its nose to its tail as it fell to the grass in a mess of two halves.

    Looking down momentarily while he could feel the warmth of the blood that sprayed onto him, the general shape of the dark creature was that of arge canine that possessed a size roughly asrge as himself.

    Along its back were spikes, running down its spine to aid in its intimidating appearance. It bore a set of curved fangs, almost like husks that hung outside of its lips.

    A dog? No...it''s a monster, alright, he thought.

    Without much time to stop and investigate it, rampant shuffling in the foliage ced him back on his guard as Aiko pressed her back close to his.

    "I think that was just a test," he whispered, "I think now...they''re pulling no stops."

    Aiko gulped and nodded her head without replying with a single word, keeping her gauntlet-d arms raised.

    Don''t forget--your top priority is protecting Aiko, if things go for the worse, he thought, no...I can''t think like that. Just trust her, Ren!

    Gripping the handle of his des fervently, the allowance of thoughts was halted as multiple of therge, muscr canines sprouted from the treeline, bearing their fangs with malicious growls emitting from their maws.

    "Come on, you overgrown mutts," he taunted them in a mutter, squaring off as he held his des up.

    The leftmost of the two charged forward with each stride it took rumbling the ground beneath its weight as it let out a snarl.

    As it leapt to him, he raised his broadsword up to halt its fangs from digging into his throat--managing to catch the steel of his sword into its jaw. It fought against this hold, biting down against his de with its powerful jaws that practically locked it in ce as he held on fervently.

    It''s strong!...It''s heavy, too! He thought.

    With the broad, hellhound pressing its entire weight against him as it salivated down the silver of his de, he got a peek at the other one--it already began to move towards him at a rapid pace.

    Knowing full-well that two at once could spell bad news, he jammed his left hand up, stabbing his dagger into the thick throat of the red-eyed beast.

    A whimper released as its jaws rxed from his broadsword; retrieving his dagger from its neck, a fountain of crimson spilled out as the canine fell to the ground. Not risking any sort of shenanigans, especially with the girl fighting her own battle, he swiftly double-tapped the canine with a quick stab to its skull, ending its whimpers in an instant.

    It was just in time for him to duck and roll forward before the other could pounce on him with its giant, steel-wed paws nearly pushing him down.

    "Bring it on, big guy," he muttered as he squared off with the hellborne hound.

    He could only see it out of the corner of his eyes as he focused on his enemy, but Aiko was holding her own--utilizing the sturdy nature of her gauntlets to defend against the hounds'' attacks and retaliate swiftly.

    Attagirl, he thought.

    Though his secured, one-on-one battle with the salivating, ck hound was feeling cut short as he heard rustling in the bushes directly behind him.

    With one foe in front of him, and one behind, he had to make a swift decision: he sprinted full force to the visible hound as it met him halfway.

    It leapt towards him; a predictable move after facing the others, allowing him to drop down to his knees, using the damp, slick nature of the grass from the previous rainfall to slide forward. Using his lowered position, he raised his sword as the sharpness of the de slid through the underbelly of the leaping hound.

    As it fell through the air, its parted under section left it disemboweled as it crashed down against the ground while the young man jumped back to his feet just in time to be greeted by a set of swiftly approaching hounds.

    "--Ghh!"

    He was forced to use his de as a stopgap once more, holding two of the ravenous canines back as they snapped their jaws at him--their maw filled with razor-sharp teeth only narrowly missing his face as their saliva flung onto him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Struggling as he pressed his strength against the pair ofrge, powerful hounds, he kept his boots pressed against the soil below--pressing his hand against the backside of his de for further leverage.

    "Ah��!"

    The scream came from Aiko; a sound that etched into his soul a desperate, unforgiving feeling as if everything needed to be tossed aside in an effort to help the girl.

    He couldn''t see past the overbearing canines that continued snapping towards his face--even managing to graze his cheek as they drew blood.

    Shit��! He thought.

    Not wasting another second, he vanished with a swift dash into the shadows that caused both of the dark hounds to stumble forward as all of their strength suddenly lost its resistance.

    Appearing directly above them, he spun, allowing his de to carve through their muscr, thick necks that were indifferent to the sharpness of his steel.

    In his desperation, he found himself identally using too much reinforcement as he managed topletely separate the hounds'' heads from their bodies.

    Though he was more worried about what was going on behind him, swiftly turning around as he yelled the girl''s name, "Aiko!"

    She was surrounded--though it wasn''t as bad as it could be; he could only make out a small wound to her shoulder that dyed the pale-white fabric of her robes to a crimson in the afflicted area.

    It seemed that the only reason she hadn''t been mauled yet by the pack of hounds facing her was she resorted to using magic--enhancing her fists with an aura of light.

    Why did they group up on her? Did they decide she was the easier target and prioritize her? He thought.

    Not wasting any time thinking about it, he rushed to her side--cutting away the two hounds that approached her from behind as he ced himself at her side.

    "How''re you holding up, Aiko?" He asked with a drop of sweat clinging to his bleeding cheek.

    "...I''m fine. I can keep going," She answered.

    Although he wanted to point out the wound on her shoulder, he wasn''t exactly in any ce to talk as he felt a stream of warm liquid run down his burning cheek.

    ...If I try to call her off or handle everything by myself, she''ll feel useless. I''ve known her for a while now...I''d like to think I understand her, just a bit.

    I understand it myself. I''ve felt like that: helpless, weak--only able to exist on the sidelines while others protect me. I know that pain well.

    Everyday, with every action I take, I question myself; "Am I capable of doing this?", "Am I really someone that deserves their respect?", "Why do they listen to a useless nobody like me"..."What if the decision I make gets everyone killed?"--I can''t stop it. In my head, I''m...adequate, but that''s enough. As long as you ce your trust in me, I can trust myself, then. So, I''ll do the same for you, he thought.

    "Hey, Aiko," he called her name.

    "Yeah?..." The girl replied quietly.

    The hounds continued to encircle them, bearing their gnarly fangs as their beady, crimson eyes were filled only with hunger.

    "I''ve got a crazy idea," he said with a trembling smile.

    He could hear her visibly gulp as she looked at him with her purple irises, "...What is it?"

    After a sinct exnation of the entric machination that he formed, Aiko hesitantly nodded her head as she fixed her short, beige and crimson locks.

    "It sounds crazy...but, I trust you," she gave him a small smile.

    He responded with a thumbs-up, "d to hear it!"

    Though there was little time to discuss anything further as the cautious hounds seemed to grow more persistent in their approach.

    Lifting his sword in a peculiar fashion with the t side facing up, he called out, "Alright! It''s now or never, Aiko!"

 Chapter 404 - To The Limit

    Lifting his sword in a peculiar fashion with the t side facing up, he called out, "Alright! It''s now or never, Aiko!"

    The desperation of the prowling, spiked hounds forced her to make a quick decision as she stood still for a moment; allowing a calming breath into her lungs, she jumped into the air before nimblynding atop the t steel of the young man''s de.

    With the girl standing atop the sword, he was surprised how light it felt, even with how small and lithe she was.

    Holding a smile that bordered between excitement and pure desperation, he roared out, "Let''s do this!"

    Swinging as hard as he could, he flung the young woman into the air as she managed to just briefly summit the tree line while the nightly winds brushed against her white, flexible robes.

    "Khh��!" She gasped a bit, shielding herself from the cold winds.

    Though she quickly forced herself back into focus, aiming her gaze down below at the hounds on the ground.

    As expected, the unorthodoxunching pulled the attention of the murderous hounds for a moment as they lifted their heads.

    Unleashing a battle cry of his own, he swept forward with a spinning strike of his de against the momentarily distracted beasts.

    Cutting down the few in front of him, he managed to back the cautious, spiked hounds into a cluster as they snarled at him while drooling against the forest ground.

    Right where I want them, he thought.

    "I''m about to introduce you mutts to "Operation A.I.K.O"! A.K.A: Operation Airborne Infallible Killing Offense!" He proimed with a smile.

    Somehow, his loud words and boisterous posture seemed to fortunately keep the hounds on the defensive as they kept together, moving back as he took a step forward.

    "Yeah, that''s right! Scared is right! In ten years time, they''ll be singing songs about the military genius of Ren Nakamura! My name will be right there with Sun Tzu and Miyamato Musashi!" He continued, pointing to himself with his thumb.

    Just like that! He thought.

    Falling through the air, Aiko held her gauntlets together as her soft, light locks fluttered in the wind.

    Valerie was right before: I was weak. But, not anymore! All it takes is something--anything, to cling to. A person, goal, or promise--it doesn''t matter! I found my drive again, for my brother, my family...and for Macheo, I''ll be the best me I can be! Aiko thought.

    A glimpse of it caught the top of his eyesight; the bolstered, diving light he had nned for.

    "Go!" He signaled just in time, though it was mainly for show.

    In that moment, like a falling star, a sh of light crashed down atop the group of hounds-pletely smashing them as a crater was left in the forest soil.

    "Nice one, Aiko!"

    Hispliment was bolstered by a thumbs-up as he watched the girl catch her breath for a moment before giving him a thumbs-up in return.

    She was surrounded by the mangled bodies of the ck-hided hounds, though she was mostly exempt from the spilling of blood due to the armor of light she reinforced herself with during the crash.

    "...That actually worked," she sighed in surprise.

    "You should learn not to doubt my strategic mind," he smirked.

    Aiko gave a smallugh in response to his yful quip, though the girl was suddenly pushed aside by him as he stepped in her ce, raising his sword.

    "...What was that for--?" She asked, having fallen onto her rear.

    Though she witnessed what it was as she looked up: he stood there with his sword raised, intercepting a lunge from an unseen hound.

    Even though he managed to halt its slobbering jaws, its ws dug into his shoulder as he winced. Each of its unclean ws were like vicious daggers, sinking past his leather armor protecting his shoulder, piercing both skin and flesh as he felt a gnawing pressure pushing down on his bone.

    With a bolstering yell, he repelled therge hound while digging the toes of his boots into the damp soil below.

    "Are you okay?!" She rushed to his side.

    He held his left shoulder, sweating profusely as he nodded, "A-OK. Though...that one looks a lot meaner than the others."

    Now looking at it, they both stared at the massive, bulky hound that looked to be twice the size of the alreadyrge species of hellish canine.

    "It must be their pack leader��" Aiko gulped.

    "Guess that''s our field boss then. Let''s take him out and go home!" He proimed, letting go of his bleeding shoulder as he raised his sword.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Alright!" She nodded.

    My body is starting to feel hot. My limbs feel heavy...like lead. Am I running a fever? I wonder if it''s from the cut it just gave me, he thought.

    As he pondered while they squared off against therge alpha of the pack, his thoughts were silenced as an odd development urred.

    The crimson-eyed beast began to vibrate intensely, convulsing without losing its posture as a malicious aura emanated from its form.

    "I don''t think that''s normal," hemented.

    Aiko was left silent by the jarring sight, holding her gauntlets up as the two stuck close to one another.

    A ground-trembling howl unleashed from the alpha''s maw as the fallen corpses of the other hounds began to convulse in the same, intense way before suddenly levitating in the air with their bodies being brought to the alpha''s position.

    Sprouting from the silver ents in the beast''s fur, mouths opened around its body, showcasing vile, sharp teeth as a tongue writhed from within.

    In a repulsive fashion, the bodies began to merge with therge pack leader''s own as the lesser hounds'' corpses were condensed and mangled further, their bones crunching as they were forced into spherical shapes before being assimted into the alpha''s grotesque, extra mouths.

    ...That''s Purgatory for you, was the only thought in his head.

    As much as he hated the idea of watching as it evolved, there was nothing else he could do--running in could potentially result in haphazardly getting killed.

    Assimting the entirety of the fallen pack into itself, a scarlet wind emitted from the alpha as it snarled, cracking the soil beneath its paws as it rapidly grew in size while the spikes on its back bolstered in the same way.

    Hold on, it''s not just growing in size...it''s aplete metamorphosis, he realized.

    In ce of its light coat of ck fur that coated its dark hide, the alpha''s flesh protruding, letting a thick coat of lengthy, spiky fur grow in. The thin, stygian tail that lengthened from its backsidepletely shifted, bulkening as an exoskeleton of reinforced bone pushed past its flesh, wrapping around its tail like armor to create a powerful whip.

    "Ren, should we��" Aiko stopped herself, swallowing her words.

    No...I can''t run away. I won''t run, she thought.

    "As scary as that oversized mutt may look, if we run now...we might wreck our own group. They aren''t ready for battle right now, but we are, Aiko," he assured her, "in order to protect everyone, we have to fight."

    Aiko nodded her head, "Right...thank you."

    That conviction was tested as the metamorphosis that sprouted from the garngatnaun hound coalesced into something monstrous; verdant mes softly exuded in ce of its breaths as its crimson eyes shifted to a matching emerald.

    By this point, the weakness inflicting his body made the thought of using magic sickening--stirring his gut with an unwanted, fluttering sensation. Every heavy breath he exuded from his heated lungs felt as if he was exiling his own strength from his body as his head felt as heavy as a boulder.

    Looking at the girl, he could tell she was feeling the same affliction; her breaths came out like pants through her parted lips as herplexion grew more pale than usual, patching together that she received it from the cut to her shoulder.

    Amidst the isted clearing, spectated by softly glowing, white-leaved cedar, the two sat in a suddenly much more precarious situation than the previous minute--holding their ground with heavy breaths and weakened bodies.

    "Looks like the injuries inflicted by those pups cause some sort of sickness. I don''t know about you, but this feels like just about the worst fever I''ve ever felt, " he mentioned.

    "Yeah," she replied with a heavy breath.

    "It feels like it''s draining me more than ever now that the big guy is here. I''m betting taking that big guy down will get rid of it," he surmised, "if I had to guess further...using a bit of am''s Razor here, those things weaken their pretty before feeding."

    "Yeah," she responded in another exhausted breath.

    Magic is probably out of the question for the both of us. She already has mana sickness naturally...guess this is going down the old-fashioned way, he thought, might as well make it fun.

    "Say, Aiko," He spoke with a smile infused with confidence he mustered from his bowels, "how about a bit of friendlypetition?"

    Aiko lifted her amethyst gaze to match his, watching as his snowy tufts were made unkempt by the wind generated by the morphing hound.

    It was clear just by a single nce at him that he was under the weather; his skin was d in sweat as the wounds on his cheek and shoulder had drenched him in his own crimson.

    "Yeah?" She matched his smile, finding whatever courage was stranded within her, though it was difficult to smile when seeing him in such a state.

    He rested the dull side of Belus against his unafflicted shoulder as a light breath came out foggy.

    "The first one to resort to magic loses: reinforcement only," he smiled.

    She returned his smile, raising her hands in front of her chin, "You''re on."

 Chapter 405 - A Promise Within

    He rested the dull side of Belus against his unafflicted shoulder as a light breath came out foggy.

    "The first one to resort to magic loses: reinforcement only," he smiled.

    She returned his smile, raising her hands in front of her chin, "You''re on."

    As its bulkening, form-changing metamorphosis seemed to reach its climax as it unleashed a howl that sent the surrounding nature into a convulsion, they pressed forward at the same time.

    Aiko utilized her nimbleness, subverting a snap of the massive, ck-d alpha''s monstrous jaws with a jump over its head.

    While it was momentarily distracted by the small girl''s move, he dashed across the nightly grass before attacking its frontmost leg with a quick swing of his sword.

    "---Huh?"

    He was left briefly shocked as only a shallow cut was felt from his de sliding along the beast''s leg, expecting to carve out a chunk of its flesh in the process.

    It''s hide is tough--no, it''s that fur! I felt it in my swing--that fur redirected most of the force, he thought.

    Before he could conclude his thoughts, he was forced to flip back as it attempted to snatch his head into its maw filled to the brim with spiky, hellish rows of teeth. That movement alone caused him to nearly fall onto his rear as he caught his tipsy feet before he could trip.

    This weakening effect is throwing me off more than I ounted for...we''ve got to end this fast, he thought.

    ? Aikonded atop itsrge back, descending with a crescent kick--though she found a simr result to herpanion as the impact didn''t seem to encumber the monstrous alpha in the slightest.

    "Watch out!" He yelled out.

    Just in the nick of time, by virtue of his yell and the sharp, shift of air behind her, she threw herself to the side as the whip-like, studded tail of the hound missed its target.

    That was close��! She thought.

    Landing back onto the grass, she smoothly rolled back into her feet; now the two found themselves on either side of the gargantuan, emerald-eyed hound.

    As he looked at her, he could tell by the heavy breaths she exuded through her opened mouth that she was feeling it just as rough as he was.

    No matter what, I can''t let her get hurt further��! He thought.

    Aiko nearly fell backwards as the ghastly hound turned its head towards him, beginning to charge with its repugnant maw stretching open with a verdant me bubbling up within its throat.

    "Ghh��!"

    Attempting to move, she fell to her knees as her body didn''t respond to hermands, leaving her unable to evade the iing alpha.

    "...No, you don''t��!" He yelled out.

    She watched as the silver-cape wearing young man jumped on top of the hound from behind, wrapping his arms around its neck as he diverted its maw.

    It was just in time as a howl of verdant mes unleashed with bone-chilling potency, causing the air to hiss and sizzle as the mystical mes charred the foliage in front of its writhing maw.

    "Aiko...! Get up...!" He shouted.

    His words came out between grunts as he fought against the hound as it thrashed around, swinging its neck side-to-side violently as it attempted to fling the white-haired human, but he maintained his vice grip.

    She found herself momentarily caught in a trance witnessing the ridiculous act that bordered the fine line between stupidity and bravery, but she picked herself up as her arms trembled beneath her weight.

    Just standing brought a constant, aggressive uneasiness to her legs as her body felt deprived of most of its strength by this point. Even a single step forward nearly caused her to return to the bed of soft, cushiony grass that yearned for her.

    ...I''ve got to do something. If I don''t, we''ll both die! She resolved.

    "Bad dog! Bad dog��!" His yells continued.

    Though his attempted strangle on the oversized alpha hound found its end as he felt a new sense of weightlessness flow across his body.

    "Huh?" He let out quietly.

    The grass below seemed oddly distant; it was as if he was growing taller, but that wasn''t quite it.

    Oh, we''re in the air, he realized, why are we in the air--?!<novelnext></novelnext>

    A fluttering sensation bore itself within his gut like a gathering of butterflies; though his first instinct was totch on tighter to the hound''s bushy neck, he realized what fate it would lead to, and what the intention of the beast was.

    ...It''s trying to crush me! He thought.

    Just as the hound began to turn itsrge body around to flip over, he released his grip beforeunching himself from its body.

    As he attempted a smooth return to the forest floor, he earned himself a mouthful of dirt as his legs gave out beneath him.

    Forgot about that. Yeah, I earned that one, he thought.

    It was only a momentter that a heavy thud that sounded like an explosion unleashing came from the hound as itnded back-first onto the soil.

    Slowly picking himself up, he spit out an entree''s worth of natural, unsavory dirt from his mouth.

    "...It''s really not my day, is it?" He muttered to himself.

    Wiping his mouth, a disgusting mixture of soil held together by saliva and blood was present on his glove.

    "Maybe someone wille," the thought urred to him, but it was only afort of his own mind.

    No...I can''t rely on a miracle. Miracles don''t surmount trials like this, he thought.

    Sparse time was awarded to them to regain their breath as the hound slowly picked itself up amidst the cloud of dirt kicked up from its reckless crash.

    This thing is intelligent. There''s no damn way a mindless beast would think of a move like that in that type of situation. I might have to abandon rationality here, he thought.

    ncing at his hand that held the blue-wrapped handle of his sword, a memory surfaced to his mind in the heat of a battle; it was a thought that came with adrenaline fueling him, with desperation searching for any path to victory.

    Just one word, right? That''s all I need to say...and you''lle? He thought.

    Seeing the pale, frail state of Aiko, he clenched his fist, "Arri--"

    Before he could unleash the word from her cut lips, he was stopped by a sight that made him question his decision--turning the clock and reversing what oue he had signed himself to.

    Aikounched an assault that took his blurry gaze by surprise, witnessing her toss a kick that must''vee from mustering every single ounce of strength in her body as her foot shot itself against the hound''s chin.

    A smile came over his lips as he expelled the breath from his lungs.

    What the hell am I doing? This isn''t just my fight...it''s her fight, just the same! He thought.

    With only the rapid beating of his heart filling his ringing ears, he pushed himself forward without any sense of power in his body; crimson fluid continued to spill from his wounds, leaking his tangible strength from his body.

    --Even so, it was that state that brought out everything.

    Unleashing a dozen-swingbo onto the legs of the hound while it was stunned from the girl''s kick, he momentarily brought it down. Before he rendezvoused with the beige-haired girl, he attempted a stab--finding the same result as the strands of thick fur seemed to act on their own ord to divert his attack.

    As I thought, physical attacks are superficial, at best, and spells are out of the picture, he thought.

    "Aiko...that fur is special. It''s able to redirect and divert most of the force from attacks," he informed her with heavy breaths.

    "...I see. I was suspicious of something like that��" She replied in a huff, "what do we do?"

    "I''ve got a n," he answered, wiping blood from his cheek, "I''d say leave the crazy parts to me...but I''m not in a position to be selfish."

    He gave her a small smile, though parts of his white teeth had been coated in a crimsonyer. They were both in a sorry state; devoid of strength or options, leading to Aiko slowly nodding her head in approval.

    "Alright, good," he huffed out his exhaustion, leaning on his sword that he nted into the soil.

    Straightening himself out, he drew his de from the soft soil before pointing it to the growling alpha as it began to rise back to its feet itself.

    "If attacks on its fur don''t work, then we focus on other parts instead! Aiko, I''m leaving the eyes to you! Once you''ve got that...I''ll handle the gross part," he muttered thest part.

    "Got it," Aiko epted with a nod, though stopping herself, "wait...the eyes aren''t the gross part?"

    "Yeah, let''s not discuss what my end of the n is," he assured her.

 Chapter 406 - Together, Finish It

    With the grossed out look present on his expression, she trusted him as she readied herself for the final confrontation with the gargantuan, emerald-eyed alpha.

    Just as it returned to its feet, she nimbly scaled the verdant battlefield.

    "Come on, you''ve got this, Aiko," he muttered.

    It''s painful, but I have to be patient and trust that she can hold her hand, he thought.

    It took total willpower tomand her body to move with its inherit swiftness as he dodged around its massive paws, managing to climb its body before standing atop its snout.

    "Gahh!" She yelled out.

    ��The war cry bolstered her resolve tomit the repulsive act as she dug both of her silver gauntlets into the beast''s glowing eyes.

    A squelch echoed as she reached into its eye sockets, causing the alpha to howl in pain as it began thrashing.

    Come on��! She gritted her teeth.

    Yanking her arms back, she plucked the emerald eyes from the hound''s sockets before jumping back.

    As shended on her feet, she discarded the eyes with a disgusted "yuck!" resounding.

    Left blinded as its empty sockets spewed a mix of blood and pus, the beast writhed in agony.

    "��Nice job, Aiko. Guess it''s my turn," he moved forward.

    He was able to safely approach the agonized beast as it howled in pain, though the problem rose in getting close enough to reach it as it thrashed around violently.

    It''s massive ws dug up the soil while it''s tail smashed against the surrounding trees. With no sight to guide it, the grotesque mouths present on the sides of its body opened, releasing verdant mes that sprayed the nearby grass.

    Hot! Hot! He jumped back.

    Waiting for the mindless barrage of mes to end, he approached once again with abundant sweat clinging to his skin.

    Nice and steady. It was necessary to blind it for this next step��otherwise, I''d be turned to ash, he thought.

    Waiting for the perfect moment, he found it as the beast momentarily lowered its head with its maw parted to unleash its pained howls.

    "Got you!" He yelled.

    Stomping his boot down on its lower lip, he managed to hold its jawpletely open while holding its upper lip with his free hand.

    It wasn''t an easy feat; not only did he make up for his weakened state through reinforcement, the beast''s jaw attempted to close, bestowing a sharp pressure on his injured shoulder. Maybe worst of all for him, the deathly breath inhabiting the beast''s mouth caught his nose like a storm that carried a sewer-dwelling skunk.

    ��Let''s get this over with! He thought.

    As a glimpse of verdant smoke peeked from its throat, he didn''t hesitate to flip his de in his hand, roaring out as he stabbed it upwards through the roof of the alpha''s mouth.

    Without hindrance, the steel reached into the skull of the monstrous entity, piercing its brain as a whimper released, only followed by the lifelessness of the hound.

    "��Done," he huffed.

    However, an unseen, final retaliation from the hound came in the form of a powerful swipe of its paw that mmed against his chest--forcing the air from his lungs.

    Crap!...I wasn''t expecting that--my reinforcement wasn''t active��! He thought.

    Stumbling back, he was caught before falling as Aiko supported him from behind. For a moment, he nked out from the sheer impact of the unseen, final hit from the monstrous hound.

    Despite the full-body ache that resounded through his bones like an agonizing chime, he forced himself to his feet.

    "Thanks," he forced a partial smile.

    "You smell pretty bad right now, you know," Aiko said between breaths.

    "Yeah," he chuckled, "I don''t think you can talk."

    After a minute of regaining their breath, the young man walked over back to where he ced the tree log, bringing it back atop his unafflicted shoulder with a sharp exhale.

    ...I think I should be fine, he thought.

    "I don''t think they''ll me you if you don''t return with wood after this��" Aiko spoke worryingly.

    He chuckled wryly, wincing a bit asughing brought on a sharp pain, "...Listen, I did not just fight a pack of dogs just to return empty-handed. Besides, the sickness did seem to disappear with that big one."

    "Still��" She muttered.

    Looking at the worry that shined over her amethyst eyes, he sighed before standing beside her.

    "If that''s the case, then why not lend me a shoulder?" He asked with a small smile.

    She seemed delighted to help, assisting him in carrying the gray-skinned tree log as they slowly traversed the forest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Any clue on which way to go?" He asked.

    Aiko shook her head slowly before answering, "...Not at all."

    "Looks like we''re in for a bit of a journey, then--" his words ended with a chain of coughs that spilled blood from his lips.

    Nearly keeling over, he dropped the log to the ground, only saved from falling by the girl''s assistance.

    "Ren?!" She called his name desperately.

    "...My bad, looks like I got a bit reckless back there, huh?" He answered quietly as his voice became hoarse.

    Lifting the garments covering his torso, he revealed the state of his upper-body to both himself and the girl: a ck, extensive bruise scaled over his chest, making even the slightest breaths send a visceral pain through his body.

    "Ren, that''s��" Her voice quivered as she saw the affliction.

    He dropped his coat back down as he huffed, "I didn''t feel it then with all of the adrenaline...but the big guy hit me pretty hard back there."

    Shit, just breathing is taking everything I have. Each breath feels like a dozen knives, all pressing against my chest with a sharp pressure. All of the blood I''ve lost...my body feels mostly numb, he thought.

    "We...we have to--" Aiko stammered out.

    She was stopped as she watched him slowly shake his head. It was that look in the eyes; without him saying anything, she understood what it was he intended by that somber veil over his hazel irises--a pain he tried to hide with a smile.

    "Aiko," his voice came out weak and raspy, "...I can''t move."

    "What''re you saying?" She asked quietly with wide, trembling eyes.

    He didn''t answer as he looked down at his hands, witnessing his vision swirl and blur from abination of the weakness of his body and the realizationing to his mind.

    I must be bleeding internally...quite a bit, he thought.

    The noises of the wildlife inhabiting the mystical, deadly forest seemed louder than ever, as if cementing the situation he found himself in.

    I messed up. Just one, little mistake, and...bam. Just like that...I''m probably going to die, he thought.

    "I''m only going to slow you down, Aiko," he finally answered.

    "Why? Why''re you telling me this?" She asked in a quiet tremble.

    He focused on breathing for a few moments before answering, "You have to go without me--"

    Before he could properly finish his words, a pnded against his unafflicted cheek as his head turned, mostly out of surprise.

    For a moment, he sat there with apletely perplexed, shocked look inhabiting his eyes before he held his cheek, looking up at the girl as he was unable to stand.

    Even though he was the one that just received an abrasive smack, she was the one that looked to inhabit far more pain than him as tears flowed down her cheeks; with futility, she attempted topose herself, yet the waterworks didn''t stop.

    "You really think I''m that weak?! That useless?!" Aiko shouted.

    Her tearful yells traveled against the ambience of the forest, unnerving him as he tried to stop her, "Aiko, calm--"

    "Even after all this time, you still won''t trust me��!"

    "What''re you��?" He let out slowly.

    Through the tears that traversed her amethyst eyes, she took a moment to answer as shepiled her breath, "...Do you really think I''m so weak that I''d abandon a friend��? Do I seem that helpless? That scared?"

    Hearing such emotion-filled words fall from her lips as they were apanied by her tears, he couldn''t find any words to respond with.

    ...Is that really how you feel, Aiko? I guess...it''s true. I''ve treated you like a child all this time, like a little sister I have to shield from the harshness of this ce. But, you came here of your own volition, didn''t you? You came here with a goal of your own...hell, you even cleared the first floor alone, he thought.

    "Aiko, I''m sorry��"

    "No more talking! You''reing back with me!" She affirmed.

    "But--"

    "No ''buts''! Now,e on!" She rejected his words.

    There was nothing he could do; the usually meek girl took on theplete, unmatched stubbornness of the Lucrauvian prince as she helped the young man back up by lending him her shoulder.

    "...Thanks," he muttered through an arduous breath.

    "Mm," she nodded.

    Slowly, but surely, they trudged through the dreadful forest in search of their camp.

 Chapter 407 - EPISODE: Aiko, The Blooming Flower

    Akitein, thend without summer. Days where the sunlight bathes the humblend below are sparse, but the people don''t mind.

    That''s because, even in the cold, the flowers of Akitein bloom with more beauty than any othernd.

    One might believe the scenery of colossal mountains encircling the entirety of thend may be a dull sight, but none such thoughts ur as the mountains, carved by deities and maintained by Tanjou, flourish year round with an array of magnificent flowers.

    In Akitein, the isted kingdom is kept stable by three, united figures: the benevolent primordial, Tanjou, who oversaw the protection of the kingdom''s walls. The graceful Emperor Asagao, who through a pact with Tanjou, has served as the kingdom''s most just ruler for centuries.

    Last, but certainly not least: the iron-skinned, immutable Shogun Hisashi, the strongest warrior in all of Akitein who oversees their military growth.

    Amidst the walled-off kingdom, prosperity has flourished through the perfect unison of what the people of Akitein refer to as the ''Three Seraphic Powers.''

    I love it. The mornings in Akitein are cold, but the morning dew always smells so pleasant.

    She sat on an engawa, an edging extending from the home, free of tatami matting that let her casually sip on a cup of tea while experiencing the brisk, calm morning.

    It was a scenery present for everyone in Akitein, one she never found herself tired of: the famous mountains that wall in the region, flourishing with splendid waterfalls. Even as the god-formed mountains sat at such a distance, obscured by a light veil of mist, their verdant, natural coat scaled with flowers of all shades: violet, gold, crimson, sky-blue and all, its beauty wasn''t diminished by distance.

    The scent of light mint filling the brisk air alwaysforted her as she watched the violet-leaved trees sway in the passing breezes, watching as the swept away leaves danced across the still pond.

    The sliding door being opened caused her to nce back as a familiar man joined her on the quiet deck that overlooked thevish backyard.

    "Uncle Atsushi," she greeted him.

    "''Morning, Aiko," the man with well-kempt, beige hair just as hers greeted with a closed-eye smile.

    He sat himself beside her on the slightly damp, wooden edge. There wasn''t much of a presence he held; though he had a face etched with scars, he exuded a gentle aura from his soft smile and benevolent, purple irises.

    Uncle Atsushi, contrary to his connective title to her, was young, being a full decade younger than her father as he sat in his early-thirties.

    It was a frequent urrence, his morning visits on the engawa, one she looked forward to at the start of each week.

    Uncle Atsushi is one of the few permitted adventurers of Akitein. I heard it''s extremely difficult to pass Great Tanjou''s trial to be given permission to pass through the Cloudborne Walls of Akitein. I had him tell me the story a hundred times when I was younger; apparently you have to summit the Cloudborne walls, walking amongst the clouds in order to leave Akitein, she thought.

    "How''re things holding up?" Uncle Atsushi asked with a small smile.

    She swung her legs slowly as they hovered just above the grass below the engawa, answering while looking towards the damp, morning grass, "Father is fine. At least...his condition hasn''t seemed to worsen."

    Uncle Atsushi shook his head slightly, leaving a pat on his niece''s head, "I mean you, Aiko. How''re you holding up? It''s a lot of responsibility you have...I regret that I''m not around more often, but with the density of monsters getting through the barriers...I''ve been awfully busy."

    "Please don''t feel guilty, Uncle...it''s alright," she assured him with a smile.

    The tired-looking man epted her words with a small smile as he turned his gaze back to the morning gray that inhabited the skies.

    As she looked at him, she found herself as curious as always about the abundance of bandages his body was wrapped in beneath his all-white kimono.

    Uncle Atsushi is a frail man...I guess weak bodies run in our family...I''m no exception. Even so, he didn''t let it stop him from pursuing his dreams, no matter how much grandpa and grandma tried to stop him.

    He trained me and brother in everything we know--I aspire to be like him, she thought, not a single time in my life have I heard him fall back on his frail body as an excuse for his shorings.

    Each time he failed, he''d simply smile and tell people--"I''ll do better next time."

    "...Aiko, it may be time to consider bing the head of the Sumire estate," Uncle Atsushi spoke somberly.

    She quickly spun her gaze to him with her amethyst eyes almost taking on a glow of emotion as she fervently rejected the idea simply with a look.

    "No...that''s just as good as admitting that my brother is dead!"

    "You must be realistic, Aiko!" Uncle Atsushi yelled sternly in return.

    It was rare for the gentle man to yell--that much was crystal clear as the look in his eyes settled with guilt the moment after the words left his lips, seeing the frightened expression present on his niece''s face.

    "Aiko. You''re a kind girl, but you''re also hard working. Not to mention, you are looked at kindly by the spirits--that''s a sign that you''re worthy...no, it''s a sign you''re one that Akitein would be lucky to have as one of the leaders of the great houses. The Sumire family would flourish with you at its head," Uncle Atsushi spoke gently, watching the gray clouds above, "I''m not saying today, or tomorrow, but someday...it might fall into your hands. I just want you to be prepared."

    She knew what the secretive meaning to his words was, an unsaid reality they both feared equally.

    He knows...Father might not be around much longer...I know that, but still...She thought.

    "...We can''t give up on them, though. Not Father, not Isamu," She spoke faintly as tears lined her eyes.

    Though the next words toe from her uncle were unexpected, at the very least:

    "Tomorrow, at dawn, I''m going to leave Akitein. I''ll look for Isamu," Uncle Atsushi informed her.

    They were words that lit up her heart with joy as she looked at him with wide, bright eyes, though he purposefully averted his gaze--that look was a known weakness of his.

    "You will?!" She asked.

    The man nodded, "I feel responsible...it was my rmendation that allowed Isamu to be an adventurer. But, Aiko...while I''m going, there is something you can do."

    "What is it?" She looked at him.

    Uncle Atsushi mustered his words from a reluctant ce deep inside of him, "I spoke to a friend of mine...I''ve retrieved for you the role as this year''s candidate for Purgatory, Aiko. You don''t have to do it...I''d rather you not, but if you truly want to do something--I want to make sure I can help you to the best of my ability."

    Of course, I epted it gratefully. After a lifetime of acting as the prim-and-proper daughter of the Sumire estate, I finally had the chance to do something with my own two hands.

    Uncle Atsushi knew that, he knew how badly I yearned to do something to find Isamu--even if it meant risking my life, he wouldn''t deny me a path.

    It was only after Uncle Atsushi left on his expedition to find Isamu that I learned who that ''friend'' was he acquired my rite to set out for Purgatory.

    The man I saw as grand, but humble--though I admired him, I didn''t know just how famous he really was.

    That request was made to Emperor Asagao himself...a personal request to a friend from the ''Garden of des'', Atsushi Sumire--the man supposedly revered as the ''Fourth Seraphic Power.''

    However--it wasn''t a free pass that simply allowed me to talk out of Akitein. Before that, I had to reach the ''Tengokuden'' which sat atop the legendary ''Mountain of First Blossoms''.

    [Shizukana Vige, North Akitein]

    Standing at the steps at the base of the mossden mountain, shrouded by wisteria, she found herself intimidated by the imposing aura that exuded from the mythical mountain.

    Looking up, it seemed to stretch up endlessly with its summit being hidden in pale fog that disguised themselves as clouds.

    "I have to do it, right��?" She asked herself as her breath left in a mist.

    "That''s right!"

    --The masculine voice was definitely not something she expected as she was sure she was alone in the quiet, empty woods that led to the tucked-away entrance to the mountain.

    "Huh?!" She jumped back.

    Standing at her side with a bright smile was an adolescent man who seemed to have a year or two on her, with wild hair that mixed between crimson and light-brown.

    It was clear he ventured on the more reckless side of life as he wore a bandage across his nose, and another over his left eyebrow.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His garments were anything but ordinary; though he wore a lengthy, umber scarf wrapped around his neck and shoulders, he wore a short-sleeved, leather-armored tunic made of red fabric beneath the protected sections.

    Continuing the pattern of garments aimed for warm weather, he wore ck shorts that seemed to hold many trinkets; his outfit was finished with worn, dark-brown boots he likely used quite a lot.

    "Sorry, did I scare you? I have a bad habit of sneaking up on people! Ha-ha!" Heughed, ruffling his own hair.

    Parting his eyelids after his one-sidedugh, he looked at the perplexed girl with his bright, orange irises, extending his hand that was dressed in a fingerless, crimson glove.

    "I''m Beniyoshi, nice to meet ya''! Oh, I''m an adventurer, if you''re wondering," he introduced himself with a smile.

    She looked at his hand for a moment, still suspicious, though the innocent, childlike smile he held convinced her to ept his hand.

    "...I''m Aiko. Aiko Sumire," she introduced herself quietly.

    "Aiko? That''s a good name! Ha-ha!" Beniyoshi spoke with such volume that it made the empty, overgrown forest feel lively.

    He''s...interesting, she thought.

    Looking at him for a moment, a single question came over her mind as she watched the entric young man adjust his striped, metal-ted headband.

    "Why''re you here?" Aiko asked, "I mean...the Mountain of First Blossoms is dangerous. "

    Beniyoshi set the thin, ck pole that he held over his shoulder down against the ground, leaning against it as the silver rings attached to it jingled.

    "I was going to ask you the same question," Beniyoshi responded, "you look a little too young for a ce like this."

    With her youth put into question, she felt challenged as she sharply replied, "You don''t look much older than me!"

    Beniyoshiughed yfully, "Ha-ha! You''re probably right, but I''m a certified adventurer--see?"

    He reached beneath the vest of his leather coat, showing her the shining, silver insignia embroidered with an emerald gem.

    "You''re a silver-rank?" She asked.

    "Yup! Pretty awesome, right?" Beniyoshi smiled.

    Even though he was showing the insignia to the girl, he looked enamored with it himself as his gleeful, orange irises glistened at the sight of the badge.

    Aiko pressed him with her words, "You still didn''t answer the question. Even if you are an adventurer...why''re you here?"

    "I''ll tell you after you answer my question," Beniyoshi flipped his badge before tucking it back under his coat.

    "But I asked first," She followed.

    "So?" He smiled, "as I see it, a helpless, little girl is trying to trespass onto a dangerous mountain. It''s within my jurisdiction as an adventurer to escort you away--that''s unless you have a reason for being here, of course."

    Beniyoshi winked as it was clear she was now all out of rebuttals. As she looked at him with an annoyed furrow of her pale eyebrows, she gave in with a huff.

    "I was chosen as this year''s Purgatory candidate! Great Tanjou personally requested for me to meet her on the Tengokuden!" Aiko answered with an annoyed tone.

    Hearing this, Beniyoshi raised his light-brown, almost hazel eyebrows out of astonishment before whistling.

    "Purgatory candidate? I didn''t realize they came so small," he teased.

    A sharp punchnded against his right arm, causing him to wince as he held it,ughing even then as followed up, "I deserved that one, he-he."

    "Satisfied? Now, it''s your turn."

    Beniyoshi straightened himself out, picking up his blunt staff, spinning it before setting it on his shoulder, "Alright! I''m on a quest to find a lost pet that just-so-happened to find its way up this mountain--supposedly."

    Exining this with a boisterous announcement as if it was some grand, world-changing mission, he was met with a stale, disappointed look from the beige-haired girl.

    "Huh?! Don''t look so disappointed!"

    "Lame��" She sighed.

    Beniyoshi sighed as well, "Anyway...if we''re both heading up, why not help each other out? It''s pretty dangerous, I hear."

    As he spoke of this, a howl cascaded down the tremendous, ominous mountain as both of their gazes looked up with a bit of worry.

    ...He has a point, she thought.

    "Alright, Beniyoshi," she agreed, "but I''m ditching you if you slow me down."

    "Awesome!" He celebrated before stopping, "wait--wasn''t what you just said kinda'' messed up? That''s mean!"

    Even though their words were settled, it was still a giant step before them to cross onto the fearsome mountain.

    Guarding the mossy, stone entrance to the spiritual, rocky domain were many talismans acting as wards to keep whatever inhabited the mountain at bay.

    "Ready?" He asked.

    "Mhm��" She nodded.

    Though they both shared a cautious sweat, together they took their first step onto the cracked, stone steps of the Mountain of First Blossoms.

    She couldn''t realize why, but these memories surfaced to her mind in the situation she was in--walking alongside the bloodied and bruised, snowy-haired young man.

    No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

    I don''t want to. I don''t want to. I don''t want to. I don''t want to. I don''t want to. I don''t want to.

    Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. Please.

    Don''t let me remember that.

    "Aiko��!"

    She was snapped out of the entrapment of her own memories by the sharp, rugged call from the one at her side.

    "...Ren," her voice came out shaky.

    He cupped her cheeks with his blood-covered gloves in order to shake her free from whatever she was dealing with in her mind.

    "Are you alright?..." He asked, barely able to speak.

    "Yeah...sorry," she nodded her head.

    Though she did her best to ignore the resurfaced memories that were once repressed, she was still left shaken, but she forced herself to continue marching, for the sake of her injured friend.

    I can''t stop now, she thought.

 Chapter 408 - Desperate Solution

    As they marched, he felt angry with himself as he gritted his teeth; through all of the pain his body was in as blood seeped from his lips, the strain in his heart was the most visceral.

    The pain began to lessen as the exhaustion intensified, cloaking his body with a numbness that increased the difficulty of his stride with each step.

    "I wonder...if anyone went to look for us," he spoke in a faint breath.

    Aiko focused on supporting him as he walked, though the more they walked, the more she had to support his weight as his steps became unorthodox; tripping over his own feet, stumbling, and sometimes not even taking a step.

    "Ren...just focus on moving, okay?" She spoke to him in a reassuring voice.

    "Yeah...got it," he replied quietly.

    Though he assured her, it was only a few secondster that he fell to unconsciousness, slumping over as the girl barely caught him before hended face first into the soil.

    "Ren��!" She shook him.

    He waspletely limp; as hard as she shook him, he didn''t so much as flinch as he waspletely sunken into the realm devoid of consciousness.

    "Ren--!" Aiko attempted to wake him further, though nothing came.

    For him, the moment his eyes closed, they opened upon a new scenery--it was a familiar sight to him; an abundant darkness that encapsted him like a curtain.

    In this dreamy realm, his exhaustion was cleared, his pain soothed, and standing in front of him was the towering, darkly-dressed man in a butler-esque suit.

    "...What''s going on? Why am I here again?" He asked, grabbing his head.

    "You fell unconscious," the man answered, "though, that is only half the reason why you''re here once more."

    The slender man knelt down, assisting him to his feet; the curious look he gave to the ck-sclera being brought a further answer.

    "To be blunt: you''re dying," the man informed him.

    "...Dying?" He repeated.

    "That''s right. Existing on the threshold separating life and death, you were able to enter the astral ne once more. That''s why we''re able to meet," the ck-haired man told him.

    Although it was a result he expected, hearing it from the mouth of the enigmatic man seemed to solidify it like a brick thrown at his soul.

    "I see��" he spoke quietly.

    That''s it for me, isn''t it? He thought.

    It hurt. Like a sun born into his chest, his heart ached with regret; tears lined his eyes as he thought about that which he''d miss.

    "I tried my hardest, right? I did everything I could, didn''t I?" He spoke out, clutching the fabric over his chest.

    Kneeling down in front of him, the man ced his hand on his shoulder, "I''ve watched over you all of this time, so when I tell you this, remember that well: Ren Nakamura, you were amazing."

    Validation--even if just from a stranger he hardly knew, such words coaxed the tears from his eyes in full force. Though he had begun to ept this fate, it was the flurry of memories, and the spectrum of emotions he felt that brought rise to a single thought.

    Iris, he thought.

    A pause was brought to his heart; though the foundation that carried the light inside him fell to ruin, another radiance shined through him.

    Sirius, Sora, everyone...Meinhard, he thought.

    "That''s right, master," the man recognized the shift, "you won''t sit back and ept it yet, will you? There is plenty to live for--you''ve remembered that, haven''t you?"

    Even if it was just small sparks, the man''s words reached into the slight ember still burning within him, attempting to stoke the mes to his resigned soul once more.

    I can''t leave them. Not yet. It''s too soon, he thought.

    "You can''t waste the life that many have fallen to give you, can you? When so many are awaiting your return, can you fall, Ren Nakamura? Is that the type of man you are?"

    "No."

    Minuscule sparks they may be, his words found the mes, drowned by sorrow, and rekindled the fire within.

    "I''m not. I can''t die...not yet," he finally answered in full.

    "Then stand."

    Before he knew it, he naturally brought himself to his feet; it was what he inherently wanted--he yearned to live.

    "What can I do? Refusing to die isn''t enough to stop it��" He looked up at the man.

    Without answering just yet, the man extended his hand that was covered in a silken, white glove. He looked at the hand extended towards him for a moment.

    "I''ll need you to trust me, fully, master," the man asked.

    There was no semnce of doubt in the ck-eyed man''s voice as he spoke those words, and there was little choice left to him anyway.

    "Alright," he epted.

    Firmly grasping the man''s hand, he was greeted with a tight, butforting grip as the man gave him a somber smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "For this to happen, you''ll need only to call me by my original name," the man informed him.

    He nodded in response, though for some reason the man seemed saddened by the entire process; a glint of gloom veiled his eyes.

    The tall, well-spoken man spoke, "Astraeus; that''s my name."

    For some reason, the same returned a sense of nostalgia to him as he heard it; connecting the name to the appearance of the man, for some reason he felt as if he couldpletely entrust himself to him.

    It was just for a moment, but in the shroud of darkness that made up the unseen sky, a glint of luminescent stars showed themselves.

    "I''m leaving myself to you, Astraeus," he smiled wryly.

    Astraeus nodded slowly; with relieving himself to the aid of the enigmatic man, once more, his consciousness faded.

    Back in the physical ne, Aiko continued to shake the young man''s body, "Ren!"

    Her desperation grew as the sounds of critters in the forest creeping closer drowned her in a sense of urgency.

    A miracle urred before her eyes as she watched his eyelids part atst, though his hazel eyes were now reced by ck, colorless rises.

    "...There''s not much time, I must return him to the others," he whispered.

    "Ren?"

    "Let''s hurry back," he told her.

    Without her assistance, he rose to his feet, much to the surprise of the beige-haired girl though she followed by standing herself.

    Not a single word left his lips as he swiftly grabbed des of grass, holding each between his fingers.

    "What''re you doing��?" Aiko asked.

    No answer came, though the strands of verdant grass stiffened as they were imbued with the young man''s dark mana.

    He flung the grass as if they were immacte knives without moving his gaze��the targets they were meant for weren''t seen by the girl, but the animalistic whimpers hidden within the foliage enlightened her.

    He reinforced��grass? I couldn''t even detect any enemies around. Wait, he couldn''t even move before, she thought.

    "Are you able to move fast?" He pointed the question to the girl.

    The pragmatic, almost monotone way he delivered his words was jarring to her, but she replied with a slow shake of her head.

    "Alright, then," he followed.

    Without hesitating, he scooped the girl up in his arms, not even so much as batting an eye though an embarrassed pink filled her cheeks.

    "Ren?!" She called his name.

    "Hold on," he said, seemingly ignoring her, "I''m going to move at maximum speed."

    Before she could say anything else, she found her arms wrapped around his neck as he broke off in an incredible sprint.

    There was no emotion inhabiting his expression; that much she realized as she looked at him while being held in his arms amidst his fervent dash. Passing by a dozen trees with every stride, it seemed his eyes locked onto something in the direction he headed.

    Found them, he thought.

    "Brace yourself," he warned.

    "I thought this was your maximum--''

    As she said this, an even faster burst of speed that blurred the natural scenery sent them bursting forth.

    Peeking through the surrounding foliage, more hounds made themselves present, but as they attempted to lunge towards them, an unbing agility was presented by him as he danced around their reach, eliminating them with singr attacks that wasted no movement.

    He used only his dagger, piercing it swiftly through the skull of any approaching hound without flinching even in the slightest.

    Within what felt like seconds of the ludicrous speed, they pushed through the thick veil of a white-leaved tree, arriving back in the camp.

    It felt surreal; seeing the group present in the isted clearing in their makeshift camp.

    Immediately, all eyes fell on them as everyone jumped to their feet, even those who were dozed off found themself jumping up from the following yells.

    "Aiko? Ren?!" Iris rushed over.

    "What the hell happened?!" Valerie yelled with worry.

    Without saying a word, he set Aiko down on the grass before the ck inhabiting his irises faded back to their natural hazel. Just as his eyes returned, his consciousness seemed to evaporate as he fell face-forward.

    Jae-Seong managed to rush over just in time to catch him in his arms, "I gotcha, buddy!"

    Though his consciousness flickered in-and-out, he could somewhat hear the many voices of hispanions while his vision was absent.

 Chapter 409 - Scraping By

    "...This is bad! You idiot--what mess did you get yourself into?!" Macheo''s voice was heard.

    "Get his coat off! And his tunic! Hurry!" Mencius yelled out.

    Most of what he heard only sounded like slightly abnormal ringing in his eyes as the world felt as if it was spinning beneath his back.

    "Ren?! Can you hear me?!"

    It was Jae-Seong''s voice, apanied by soft, continuous pats to his cheek as if trying to coax him back into the conscious world.

    ...I...can...hear you, he thought.

    His only response was spitting up blood that rained back down onto his face as he felt himself momentarily choking.

    "Iris! I''m going to need you to help me! Keep yourselfposed--for him!" Mencius yelled.

    "...Okay," the girl''s voice came out through plentiful tears.

    Why is she crying? What''s making her so sad? He thought.

    An extreme warmth overtook his body while he was motionless against the grass, seeing only darkness as his eyelids refused to part.

    He recognized the feeling instantly; restoration magic--from two sources. Against his numb body, the warmth was all he felt; like a calm, nurturing wave of waver, flooding over his skin, it plucked the strain from his pores.

    In the darkness isted to himself, he felt a presence by his side; an entity with a cold origin that separated itself from the living warmth of the others.

    "...Astraeus''|" He spoke, only to himself and the darkness.

    He knew the man was there, somewhere beside him, but even in the abyss secluded to himself, his eyes could not find him.

    With the voices bing blurred against his ears like the muffled rain past the window, his consciousness fleeted from him.

    --It would be a temporary respite as he suddenly jolted awake with a long, drawn in gasp for air. All at once, feeling returned to his body as every square inch ached from the marrow of his bones, from his head to his toes.

    His eyes were as wide as could be, though as he instinctually sat up, a visceral pain stretched across his torso, forcing him to fall back down as he winced through clenched teeth.

    "Don''t move so suddenly!" Iris'' voice met his ears.

    The familiar sensation of her lithe fingers caressing his body was met against his bare skin, though he could hardly see past his incredibly shaky, blurred vision.

    "Grhhh''|!" He groaned.

    It was a migraine worse than anything he had ever felt, holding his own head as though it was going to split open.

    Even past his blurred vision, he could make out Iris looming over him by her lengthy, azure strands. More surprising was the close presence of Mencius, who also held an unmistakable set of locks with his emerald hair.

    "Bear with the pain, Nakamura," Mencius advised him.

    "...It feels like my head is going to explode''|! Grruagh''|!" He held his face as even the slightest light against his eyes made his head throb with more intensity.

    "Forgive me, but it was the only way to heal such egregious wounds. Neither Iris nor myself are true healers, so to handle such wounds, we had to also elerate your own body''s restoration process," Mencius told him.

    Though the words of the Jinyuen schr fell on deaf ears as he was mainly focused on surviving the gue of agony etched into his skeleton.

    "Is he okay?...He doesn''t look so hot," Jae-Seong''s voice sounded distant, yet close.

    "I''ve seen this before. He''ll be alright," Hongse assured.

    "Ren''|" Aiko''s meek voice traveled.

    "Rest, Nakamura," Mencius'' voice was the most potent to his ear.

    It was different from the side-effects of his ability; contrasting the burning sensation that crawled over his skin, the agony resembled his skeleton being hammered with nails being driven into the marrow of his bones, contorting his muscle fibers and fiddling with his sensitive nerves.

    There was no control he had over his body, unable to pilot it as he convulsed from the overwhelming flurry of muscle contortions, limb spasms, and overall pain sent through every inch of himself.

    Such pain was enough to make him foam at the mouth as his eyes ran bloodshot with such extreme strain--before again, he passed out.

    It wasn''t until a rest in the empty abyss that filled a thoughtless, slumbering mind that he once more awakened; this time, slow and gently as his eyelids parted.

    He was greeted by the soothing sight of illustrious, sky-like locks and a smile he could never mistake.

    "Iris''|" He spoke faintly.

    The pain he experienced previously had faded away, but its memory was left in his body in the form of an exhaustive soreness.

    "You''re a handful, you know that?" She smiled small with her gentle words.

    "...Yeah, I know," he replied quietly.

    He recognized the feeling under his head; it wasn''t one he''d forget even if he lived a hundred years without it.

    Thighs. Yep. Soft. Yep. That''s herp pillow, alright, he thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking up at the darkness that embodied the absent sky of the paramount floor of Purgatory, it was impossible to garner any sense of time--at any point, the darkness remained in its same, stagnant state.

    "How long was I out?" He asked.

    His answer came from one of the others he didn''t notice were sitting right beside him--specifically, the golden-eyed, fellow otherworlder.

    "Just about two days," Jae-Seong answered.

    "Two days?!" He called out in surprise.

    Attempting to sit up, he was pulled right back down by Iris as his head plopped back onto her cushion of ap.

    "You need to rx, Ren. You''re still not fully covered''|" Iris told him.

    It was when he looked at Mencius, who sat quietly, did the passage of time seem real; clear wounds, though tended to, persisted on Mencius in the form of small bruises, and some cuts.

    "She''s right. You were lucky to even be alive, I''d say," Mencius told him, "we made a mistake, Ren--all of us."

    "Yeah''|" He replied slowly, "...even with what happened with Fedrin, I still thought it was the right choice to go out. This ce is no joke."

    That much seemed awfully clear by now to the entire group as a dreary atmosphere hung over their heads.

    "Is Aiko alright?" He asked.

    Though the azure-haired girl nodded her head to confirm this, a further answer came from Macheo, who was sitting beside the girl in question.

    "Luckily, she wasn''t in as sorry a state as yourself," Macheo huffed.

    By theck of words from Aiko herself, or hardly movement for that matter, he could gather was slumbering quietly from the single nce he took.

    "That''s good''|" Heid his head back down with quiet words.

    Even though he apparently had been out for two days, it didn''t feel as if that rest afforded him any luxuries as his entire body still felt like a hunk of lead; dense and arduous to make even the smallest movements.

    Looks like I made it--somehow. I guess I have you to thank for that, Astraeus, he thought.

    After spending the rest of the day resting while the group stayed cautious in their ventures; it was a new rule to head out in no fewer than groups of three, and to keep the distance they travel to a minimum.

    "You sure you should be up and moving?" Valerie asked.

    He bent over to stretch before straightening himself out with a smile, nodding to the draconic knight.

    "I''m fine! I slept for a whole two days--it''d be embarrassing if I was still out ofmission," he assured her.

    Hongse slumped his fluffy arm around the young man''s shoulder with a heftyugh bellowing from his maw, "Ren''s tough! I heard he gave those dogs hell!"

    "Rest assured, it''s for the best if he moves his body. Movement will help his body readjust; it likely hasn''t had such a long resting period since before Purgatory, I imagine," Mencius added in.

    Speaking from his position in the center of the small camp, he tossed a few sticks into the constantly burning campfire.

    Meanwhile, Jae-Seong was on the other side of the campfire,ying inplete rxation--quietly getting shut-eye as he used the toasty warmth provided by the mes to sleep like a log.

    As always, Macheo and Aiko sat close together, and even though the prince held that tough exterior expression--it was obvious he was enjoying herpany.

    Looking at the group, he couldn''t help but smile as their spirits seemed to be good; even in such dreadful conditions, respite was found in one another.

    We''ll make it. I just know it, he thought.

    As he looked to the side, he was greeted by a soft smile from Iris; a smile that hadn''t dulled in the slightest, no matter how many times he saw it.

    Even as he postured himself high, a sickening sensation flooded his body as for a moment, he grabbed his stomach, almost keeling over before stopping himself.

    I don''t feel good. I don''t feel good. I don''t feel good, he thought.

    "You''re really feeling okay now?" She asked.

    "Well, I''ve still got a bit of soreness, and a headache, but otherwise--I''m fine!" He assured her with a smile, "ah--hold on, I''ve got to...uh,..."

    By the way he shuffled his legs, she let out a quiet sigh as she understood the universal gesture for having to use the restroom.

    Not good. Not good. I feel sick. I feel sick, he thought.

    "Go use the bushes then," Iris sighed.

    "Be back in a jiffy!" He set off.

    He raced off past the treeline, not venturing far enough for danger, but far enough so that he couldn''t be seen or heard doing what he had to do.

    Spilling from his lips, he released a buildup of bile that felt like it was going to force its way out if he didn''t relieve it then and there.

    I can''t let them see this.. After how much they''ve worried about me these past two days, I can''t worry them any further, he thought.

 Chapter 410 - Return To Hell

    Again, the repugnant fluid from his stomach flew from his mouth and onto the poor, inanimate foliage as he coughed and hacked. As he seemed to finally expel it all from his guts, he stood there for a minute to catch his breath, wiping the residual bile from his mouth.

    Perhaps it was the very ambience of the forest shrouded in constant night, but something didn''t feel right.

    Silence.

    It was deathly silent; the rustling of bushes, the squeeks of small critters, the howls of predators--none were heard. Not even the passing winds hummed against his ears; it was still, far too still.

    Swallowing his own breath, he fixed his zipper as a chill ran up his back; it felt as if it were some sort of supernatural warning, some sixth sense attempting to tell him not to turn around.

    ...Why does it feel like if I turn around...something will happen? He thought.

    He stood there for an entire minute, simply looking off into the distance shrouded by white trees, but staring at nothing as he felt an inexplicable, irrational fear to turn around.

    Cold. It''s cold. No...I''m trembling on my own. Why am I so scared? Nothing''s wrong, he assured himself.

    Gulping down whatever irrational roadblocks stood in his way, he finally began to turn himself around, slowly and with trembling eyes.

    It was seamless.

    There wasn''t an abrupt change in scenery as if warping intond or being swallowed by newly risen walls, but as he turned around, he was no longer surrounded by silent, pale trees.

    Gone without any trace, the forest he was just in vanished, being reced by cold and smoothed, stone walls that gave off a deathly stench.

    While shocked enough to be left frozen still, he wasn''tpletely confused--he recognized the likely exnation.

    "Hell''s Hell," it was simr to what he had encountered with the maddened Marquis of Rot previously.

    Standing there frozen was all he could do as a wave of inescapable dread clung to his skin like a newyer of non-sheddable skin.

    Turning back around briefly, a solid wall met his eyes, closing him offpletely to the singr path that was the enigmatic, cold corridor.

    "...Iris? Jay! Macheo!" He shouted.

    His voice echoed against the narrow walls of the lengthy corridor, but his voice was all he heard. Nothing; apleteck of responses ingrained into his skin a building horror.

    "Aiko! Hongse!...Valerie! Iris!" He continued to shout.

    Even as nothing came, even as his expectations fell to null, he felt that as long as he shouted, he didn''t have to walk forward through that hell.

    But after running through the reserves of air in his lungs, there was no other choice but to walk the grimy, dank path ahead.

    He drew Belus from the sheath as his hip before beginning to take his slow, cautious steps; ncing at the dark walls around him, he watched as the chains protruding from the walls fell to aplete still as no wind found its way into the enigmatic territory.

    Even as he took a few strides forward, he halted as an unknown quiver took to his legs; a tremor of fear persisted beneath his skin.

    It wasn''t horror, or a fear or something monstrous waiting in the unknown, hellish corridor.

    For some reason he couldn''t quite figure out, he feared what scenery--what haunting reality may be waiting for him at the end of the hall, shrouded in such suffocating darkness that not a single shred of light came through.

    "Iris!...Iris," he called once more.

    Though he yelled, his voice fell the second time he called the girl''s name as an inexplicable sense of despair drove over him; he had yet to see or experience anything, yet his heart felt as though it had been wrung.

    Looking down as he raised the hand that held his de, it trembled; trembling so uncontrobly he questioned if his grip on the handle would even hold.

    What''s this feeling?...Why am I so scared? I''ve been through this before--it''s going to be alright. It''s going to be alright. Ren, it''s going to be alright, he thought.

    But, his hand continued to quiver; there was no stopping it as the fear was deeply ingrained into his body.

    I''m telling you it''s alright...so why won''t you stop shaking? He thought.

    Beginning to be swallowed in his irrational emotions, he forced himself away from such thoughts, forcibly clenching his hand before continuing to march down the dreary, cold corridor.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Overwhelmed with a liminoid experience, alone in the halls in which he felt the presence of others should exist, he finally began to reach the seeming end of it, though even as he neared it, the darkness was too abundant to see through.

    As he dragged his feet to the summit of the path he trudged through, a single step beyond the end of the shadowy corridor brought him to a statuesque halt.

    It was a smell, so horrid, so foul, so abhorrent, so repulsive, bringing such a loathsome experience to his senses that he instantly turned away, releasing bile from his guts onto the stone beneath him.

    No. No. No. No. No, he thought.

    Tears had already lined his eyes as the sickening stench persisted; he gripped the loose b of stone in the wall beside him, clenching it tight enough that it felt as if he was wing at the material.

    It''s not what you think. It''s not. It can''t be. It''s impossible. There''s no way. I won''t ept it. That''s false, he thought.

    He recognized what it had to be immediately, though he didn''t want to consider it; even as it dug to the forefront of his mind, he tried to ignore it, but he absolutely could not.

    It was the stench of death.

    Such a stomach-churning smell brought him to his knees as he refused to turn around to discover whatid in the chamber, waiting.

    All he could do was hold his hand over his mouth as his eyes quivered, trying to guide his mind away from the flurry of thoughts all centering around ''death'', attempting to flood it so rapidly with iprehensible snippets of his mind that would turn him away from the one possibility he did not want to recognize.

    He sat there, exhaling and inhaling light, frequent breaths as his chest tightened, feeling as if being contorted by a tangible force of fear.

    Even as he stared at nothing but the hall he came from, he refused to turn around and face whatever reality sat behind him in that enigmatic room.

    Memories he intended to bury somewhere deep, never to be found, had resurfaced in the undesirous environment; memories that etched themselves into his skin, flesh, bone, and soul of the dreadful night at the nobleman''s estate.

    It was the reawakening of these memories in their full potency, apanied by the stench of death he seldom wanted to remember, that brought his entire being to a freeze as he felt like shrinking away; to curl up into a ball and let it all pass.

    Eventually, he found his way to his feet, pushing himself through the veil of miasmic stenches to enter the room beyond the wall.

    It was a small room, and another corridor sat at the end. Though something else sat in the dim room, a slumped over figure that seemed to be the source of the horrific smell.

    Even in the darkness, he recognized the armor the figure wore, and the horns extended from the female''s head.

    "Valerie''|"

    Drawing closer, he used the wall to guide himself as he could hardly see in the quiet, dank chamber.

    "Are you''?"

    As he knelt down to check on the draconic woman, he extended his hand to touch her shoulder, only for his slight touch to cause her to lifelessly slump to the side.

    "Huh''|"

    A thick coat of bloodyered the wall where her head once rested.

    An anguished yell left his throat from the core of his body as he realized the reality of thepanion of his. A massive wound was present on the back of her head, made from a curved de embedded in the back of her skull.

    "No, no, no''|"

    He fell back, dragging himself away from the abhorrent sight before he spewed bile from his gut, exuding it onto the floor behind him.

    Everything about the dim chamber now trapped him with its horrors as his palms ran across a puddle of lukewarm blood, brimming with chunks of material he wouldn''t allow his mind to decipher.

    As he attempted to crawl back to space himself from the sight he wanted to reject, he stopped as his hands touched something soft behind him, though a squelch resounded.

    Slowly turning his wide, trembling gaze, his eyes met with the crimson-furredpanion to the draconic knight.

    Another wail left his lips as he fell back again, seeing the state of the fallen panda, stuck with a dozen des as blood continued to leak from the demi-human.

    "How''|no, no, this isn''t real''|it''s a dream''?an illusion!" He stammered out.

 Chapter 411 - The Stench Of Death

    "How��no, no, this isn''t real��it''s a dream��an illusion!" He stammered out.

    He messily returned to his feet, covering his mouth as he shook his head, only able to nce at the bodies of hisrades that filled the chamber with a dreadful atmosphere.

    With his eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness of the small chamber, he could see what transpired; a mess of des were embedded in both bodies of hisrades, skewering them mercilessly as the gray walls were painted in their blood.

    Across the floor, blood-soaked desid alongside loose chains and medieval contraptions that looked to be nothing other than torture devices.

    "It''s not real, right��?" He whispered to himself through his fingers.

    It was false; an illusion, a dream, a nightmare--this is the answer he brought his mind to, clinging to that fragile wish fervently.

    It''s not real. It''s not real. It''s not real. Just...keeping moving. I have to get out of here--the enemy is trying to y tricks on me. That''s it. That''s all this is, he thought.

    Staying in that room any longer would rot his mind; he knew as much as the bile-reeling stench aided in pushing him forward as he slowly dragged his feet down the next corridor.

    Over and over again, he flooded his mind with the idea that everything he just saw was an illusion; even so, he squeezed the handle of his de so tightly his hand ached.

    "Iris��" He muttered.

    Thinking of the one he loved being in a ce of such dread, her name escaped his lips in anguish and worry as he pushed himself forward.

    "Not again," as he passed through the next chamber, more bodies awaited, this time recognized as the verdant-haired schr and the curly-haired man.

    "...Jay," he let out quietly.

    "Not again," he didn''t repeat this continuously in his head to wish for ack of death before his eyes; he wished it to deny the repeat of the very event that introduced him to this world.

    As tears left his eyes and bile from his mouth, he managed to push himself forward in hopes of finding her.

    Push, and push, and push, and push, and push, and push. Each step he took forward required everything; his legs beneath him felt like groups of air, dispersing and challenging his bnce as all he did was want to fall to the ground and cry.

    It was all too real; the smells, the visuals he saw, the emotions flooding through him, the tears, the pain in his heart--all of it.

    ...Damn it. Damn it. It''s not real. It can''t be. It just can''t be, he thought.

    Before reaching the next room, he fell to his knees, turning himself around as he wanted to reject the very notion of having to see it one more time: the sight of his fallenpanions.

    The possibility, which grewrger with his experience in this unknown domain, of the same fate befalling the girl, gripped his chest with a restraint on his breath as he huffed.

    p-tap. p-tap. p-tap.

    The sound of steps entering the domain behind him hit his ears like a sharp wind; each uniting of the unknown''s figure''s shoes against the cold, echoing stone heightened the beating of his heart as it mmed against his chest.

    Expecting the steps to continue until reaching him, he found himself at a loss for breath as suddenly--the repetitive footsteps stopped from what sounded like the middle of the echoing chamber behind him.

    In ce of another ck of the enigmatic entity''s soles against the stone, a solid thud resounded through the repugnant chamber behind him.

    "Will you sit there and quiver forever?"

    A voice spoke from the chamber; in the emptiness of the darkness, the words could be meant for no other person except himself.

    "It''s a perfectly valid option; you have freedom over your own body, do you not? What kind of heartless fiend would I be to take that right away from you, I ask? Sit there and shake all you like, I suppose."

    It was a voice that thought spoke cohesive strings of words, wasced with a certain, inexplicable tune that harmonized with madness.

    He ignored it; for some reason, thest thing he wanted to do was turn around.

    That is, until the unknown man spoke once more:<novelnext></novelnext>

    "However, if you don''t do anything, she will die. You''ll be the reason for it; your own weakness, helplessness, cowardice, reluctance, hesitance, fear, inhibition--she''ll die because you did nothing. She''ll scream because you''re unable to stand. Those yells will crawl past your skin, embedding into the marrow of your bone, yelling over and over, day and night--"Ren! Ren! Ren! Why did you let me die? Why did you let me die? Why did you kill me, Ren?!"--all because the man she loved was a coward."

    Such words were spoken fervently through a mix of tones as the mysterious man contorted his own voice with a harmony of unrestrained madness, even mocking the girl''s own voice in his words.

    Even if he wanted to reject the words, iming them as lies, such thoughts were tarnished as the muffled screams of the girl could be heard.

    His breath was hastened, bing thinner as the taunts of the man drilled past his skull, causing his thoughts to cease.

    He was driven to his feet at the threats standing against who was without a doubt the girl he loved, forcing himself up.

    The return to his feet drove a cackle from the man''s lips that spilled out like a vile orchestra, pleased that his words coaxed the result he wanted.

    Finally, he turned around, and as he did--faint torches gave a slight light to the chamber he found himself in.

    What his eyes first saw in the darkness was the shadow behind the man who spoke to him; an array of limbs, human and monstrous, waving and contorting behind him in a dance of shadows before the light cast his horrific nature away, showing only a bright, harrowing smile.

    "No��"

    Tears immediately strolled down his cheeks, leaving his shattered gaze as he realized the source of the death-ridden stench of the chamber.

    They were all strung along the bloodied floor; each member of the Weltwanderers--bloodied, limbs twisted, eviscerated, and worst of all--lifeless.

    "No, no, no, no, no, no," he began to shake his head while repeating the single word.

    He fell to his knees, releasing his flood of unknown emotions and disgust onto the floor as he wailed out. As much as he tried to deny it, attempting to wash the morbid reality before his eyes with his childish rejections, it only grew stronger.

    Not a single one was spared, save for the azure-haired girl he held dearest to his aching heart.

    "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Stand, Ren. Stand, stand, stand, stand, stand, stand! All hope is not lost! Even in the middle of such despair, this is where heroes shine, yes? The damsel is in distress! Alive, and waiting for you, Ren! Save her! Save her!" The enigmatic man coaxed him.

    He lifted his head hesitantly with dripping lips as his quivering eyesid on the form of the man, though his appearance was shrouded by the dimness of the room, and the dark, obscuring robes he wore.

    Even so, his eyes focused on the girlid on the floor with her arms tied behind her back, muffled by rope caught between her lips.

    "...Iris! Iris! Iris!" He stammered out in a strained voice.

    He picked himself up, nearly falling back over as his body was drenched in hopelessness; a weakness that sapped the strength and will from his legs.

    Falling back to his knees after taking only a single step, he pressed his forehead to the stone, warm and damp with fresh blood as his tears mixed in with it. He held his position, prostrating himself to the unknown assant.

    "...Please." His voice came out muffled as if his nose was stuffed from a cold.

    The abnormal man leaned forward, holding his hand to his ear as if trying to listen closer, "Please? Please, what, Ren?"

    "...Please. Let her go...please��" He begged, keeping his head down.

    It was all he could think to do. Failing to protect hisrades, all of the strength he believed he umted had vanished; every ounce, every droplet of faith he had in himself evaporated.

    There was nothing; no will to fight burned within him--all he could think to do was simply beg, simply wish for an act of benevolence from the one who stood at the pinnacle of malevolence.

    As he held his head down, waiting for an answer, his sobs didn''t stop as his expression contorted with grief and sorrow, creating a mess of his pores that unleashed his emotions.

    "How disappointing. How absolutely,pletely, unequivocally, purely, disgustingly, disappointing. You''re a coward. You can put on that tough exterior all you like, but when ites down to it, you''re nothing but a shell, Ren. Powerless, meager, repulsive, impulsive, greedy, yet weak, boastful, yet you''re nothing; devoid of any courage. You''re depraved, Ren."

    By the way the words slipped from the man''s abhorrent lips, starting with contempt, they ended with glee as if the man was smiling as he spoke.

 Chapter 412 - In The Face Of Madness

    Finally, some semnce of a fight fueled him as he wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his sword again, picking himself up from the floor as his garments were now stained in blood, snot, and tears.

    As he lifted himself, he finally met eyes with the man, seeing the face appearance of the one who bestowed such anguish onto him.

    His skin was as pale as could be, with prominent, protruding cheekbones and eyes so wide they seemed without eyelids; all giving him a surreal, uncanny appearance as if bordering between human and something supernatural.

    By all sense of the imagination, he was a nightmarish sight.

    Every subtle movement he made caused his surprisingly neatly-kempt, cobalt locks to bounce as they were kept in a bowl cut that reached down to his neck, except for his shortened fringes.

    As he''d seen before, the man''s eyes took on a ck swirl, inhabiting a madness within them that exceeded understanding.

    He must be a Marquis...it''s Belmon again, isn''t it? He thought.

    "Oh! The boy has some balls, after all! Once more, the hero stands with his sword in hand! That''s what you believe, right, Ren?"

    "..." He failed to respond.

    A shocked expression came over the man''s face for a moment as his lips contorted in surprise, "How rude of me! Ipletely forgot to introduce myself!"

    With an unnaturally swift and low position, the man bent forward, sliding his right hand over his heart and extending his left arm outwards.

    "First Marquis of Belmon, Decartes Martus of Madness, that''s right!" He introduced.

    With the confirmation of the man''s allegiance to Belmon, he felt his stomach drop slightly as his fingers felt uneasy around the handle of his sword.

    All he could do was re at the man with eyes that held little in them, but what they held besides grief was rage; a me that kindled itself by the enigmatic, horrible man''s taunts.

    "That look! That stare! Don''t look at me like that, I''ll lose control! Such passion, such emotion, such resolve, such will! A hero backed into a corner is a most frightening thing, I hear. But, you aren''t a hero, are you? After all, look at what you failed to save. One wonders if you even intended to protect them in the first ce, seeing as how miserably you failed," the man continued to taunt him with a voice that switched between high and low, cing a finger on his chin.

    As he spoke so fervently, his blue tufts bounced with each movement, swaying like curtains in a storm.

    It was only noticeable now with the torches being lit, but the vast chamber was revealed to contain more than just the unknown, maddened man: many beings shrouded in ck robes quietly stood in wait by the man, who presumably was their leader.

    In the room, contraptions of horrific intentions sat; dirtied and bloodied from the previous tortures the items had to have been used for. Embedded into the tall, stone walls was stained ss like that of a church, but without the sunbeams to enlighten their darkness.

    There was something about the swirling, inhuman eyes the man possessed that made his skin crawl with something transcendent to fear; a look that made his fighting spirit be questioned, if not shattered just by a single nce.

    ...I have to be smart about this. That''s how it is, right? It''s...if this is all real, I have to save what I can. Iris is still alive. If I can avoid fighting...if I can just get Iris, I''ll make do, somehow, he thought.

    "Give her back��" Hemanded through his teeth.

    "What''s that? You want her back, you say? Ren, Ren, Ren...if that''s really, truly what you desire, then do you think a request will work? You have a weapon in your hand, don''t you? Make your own wishe to," Decartes continued to taunt him.

    "I...I don''t want to fight. Just, please, let her go��" He pleaded quietly.

    Aically intensified frown came over Decartes'' lips before an ear-to-ear smile appeared, "Now, now, now, that just won''t do, Ren. How can you expect your enemy to simply heed your requests, nice and easily without anything in exchange? That''s a bit shortsighted, isn''t it? It''s unfair to me and all of the effort I went through to bring you all here," Decartes spieled.

    It was clear something was desired from the smiling Marquis, something from him specifically by the look he received.

    "What do you want?" He asked, "...I''ll do anything, just let her go--please."

    "Anything?" Decartes'' expression lit up.

    It was unnerving to look at the man''s white-skinned face that expressed itself with almost rubbery sticity.

    "Anything," He confirmed with a slight nod.

    As Decartes snapped his fingers, two of the quiet, enigmatic Belmon followers arrived at each side of the restrained girl on the floor, lifting her to her feet.

    Finally, their eyes met as she was lifted, though the amount of pain and anguish embedded in her azure jewels, that usually sat at the forefront of serenity, shot his heart with guilt as tears escaped continuously.

    "That''s all I wanted to hear, Ren. I''d never do anything without your permission, you know? I''m not a bad guy," Decartes smiled with his hands kept behind his back.

    "...That''s all? You''re...you''re going to let her go?" He asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Of course," Decartes assured him, never losing that smile of his.

    It felt surreal, but a weight was lifted from his soul as the girl was brought to him by the two enigmatic followers, dropping her into his arms.

    Falling to his knees with her held against him, the flow of his tears swept across his cheeks like a boundless river of relief.

    "Iris��"

    He had never squeezed another person that tightly, still holding shock in the pale-white of his wide eyes as he held her with every ounce of strength he retained in his quivering body.

    In his reunification with her, he nearly forgot to take her bindings off, hurrying to do so as he struggled with his trembling fingers.

    "Iris!...Iris!"

    It felt like if he didn''t continue saying her name, she would slip away from his fingers.

    Finally removing her bindings, both from her arms and her mouth, he embraced her once more, forgetting the chamber in which he sat for the moment of respite he yearned for.

    "Ren��" Her voice came out weak.

    It was clear in her eyes that the experience had engrained itself into her; iid in those azure jewels was pain and exhaustion that they both felt.

    "I''m never letting you go again!" He proimed.

    If it was her in his arms, he could handle loss, he could grit his teeth through the pain of sorrow. That''s what he felt; he didn''t care what it was the Marquis wanted from him--if she was fine, he would feel the same.

    As tears left her eyes just the same, she brought on a smile, just for him as her cold hand was ced on his cheek.

    "Ren," she spoke quietly through her smile as their eyes met, "I love y--"

    Snap.

    Instead of the words he needed to hear more than ever, what pelted against his ears in ce of them was the cackling, maddenedughter of the Marquis, echoing against the walls as it repeated against her ears endlessly in the still moment.

    Even as his eyes wereid on her, he couldn''t see what was in front of them.

    His vision wasn''t lost, his eyes weren''t tainted, and nothing covered them--he simply didn''t want to recognize what it was in front of them.

    "Iris��?"

    As his eyes adjusted to the reality he wanted to look away from, he finally saw it.

    By some unseen force, her neck had been contorted, wrung and snappedpletely around in such an unnatural way.

    Even in his arms, the one ce he could keep her safe, that lie had been broken; he could only watch in horror and stagnation with a body encumbered by the frost of shock and grief as blood spilled from her lips.

    The sounds of her bones being bent in ways they should not, snapping, contorting, and popping--it was a hellish melody he''d never forget.

    "Iris?"

    Saying her name again, he didn''t know what he expected.

    Nothing came.

    In an instant, she was taken from him, convulsing in his arms as though he held her so tightly. It wasn''t but a minuteter that she was motionless, growing limp as the warmth of her body seemed to grow more and more distant by the moment.

    "Iris. Iris. Iris. Please, Iris. Don''t leave me. Please. Please. Please," he begged.

    He ignored the howls of Decartes''ughter that meant nothing to his ringing ears; it felt as if it was just him and the body of the girl he held in his arms.

    But that liminal silence was broken as the Marquis'' twisted, depravedughter broke him from his solitude of grief.

 Chapter 413 - Marquis Of Madness

    "Look what you did! Look where your love brought you! Onto your knees, crying and broken, holding the girl you loved, loved, loved! By loving that girl, look what pain you brought--not only onto yourself, but her! So thoughtlessly, so painfully, so arrogantly, you proimed your love! You killed her! With your own two hands, you twisted her! Yes, yes, yes! It was you, Ren! You! Your selfishness, your weakness, your depravity--all of that led to--this."

    As the Marquis released such twisted words through his wicked lips, tears of his own fell down his pale cheeks as if mocking the sadness that wrung the young man''s heart.

    "No...it wasn''t me," he shook his head as his eyes trembled, "I didn''t do this. I didn''t do this."

    Decartes continued through his lips that spilled his maddening words, "It may have been through my own hands, but you forced them, Ren! If only you embraced the Mistress, if only you recognized her love, and only hers, this wouldn''t have happened! There is nobody to me but yourself--you cursed her, you cursed her, over and over and over and over and over, with your love!"

    Following his ursed words, Iris'' body began to convulse once more in the young man''s arms as dark blood escaped her pores.

    "No...no, Iris!...Iris!" He cried out.

    There was nothing he could do with his trembling, shaken fingers as he tried to caress the girl--only feeling as if he was worsening her body as he attempted to help.

    "Useless! Helpless! Unable to do a single thing! That''s your depravity, Ren! No matter where you go, your ursed being brings ruin to those around you! Everything you do, everything you''ve done from the moment you arrived here up until now was in vain! That is all your actions amount to--nothing, nothing, nothing!" Decartes howled.

    The maddened words embedded themselves into his body as he rocked back and forth, holding the bloodden girl as he became dyed in the crimson color, himself.

    However, all of the skin-digging words fell to null as he heard faint breaths from the girl in his arms--so faint and weak he hardly believed what he heard, but he immediately embraced her, bringing her closer.

    "Iris?!" He called her name through tears and desperation.

    Guiding her eyes as he caressed her cheek, their eyes met, though the resignation of life sat in hers; only a small glint of life persisted in her azure jewels.

    Weakly, she sat her hand on top of his, holding it with what little strength persisted in her body.

    "...love...you��"

    Even as a whisper, it was more powerful than the most boisterous yells as he felt his chest tighten with a burning, contorting force of utter anguish.

    The moment her words faintly escaped her lips, thest bit of glow left her eyes before he could give his reply.

    Alone. Without a doubt, he was alone now, though the final words persisted in his heart, he slowly set her body down, gentle before he stood himself up without a word.

    The maddened, inexplicable tears of the Marquis continued as his crazed spiels came to an end as he looked at the young man.

    I don''t care anymore. I''ve lost everything. What little I had, I was happy with. I thought there was a future for myself.

    Again, I''m thest one standing in a massacre. A bloodshed that came from my existence. All because I had to be born. No...it''s because of evil bastards like him. People like Rouge, people like Decartes--it''s because of them.

    I don''t care if this is the end--I''ll kill him. I''ll kill him. I''ll kill him. I''ll kill him, he thought.

    "Have you finally realized it, Ren?" Decartes asked, leaning back unnaturally.

    Lifting his gaze, his eyes were bloodshot with tears as he finally let out all of that anguish, sorrow, and guilt in one scream.

    "Decartes----------------------! I''m going to kill you---------------!"

    Without any restraint for the wellbeing of his throat, his continued, held scream felt as if it tore apart his throat as his yell trailed into a rugged, tearful howl.

    There was no grace to his movements, no strategy or technique, he simply moved with the intent to kill, and to die.

    Decartes lit up with a wide smile that stretched ear-to-ear in delight as he weed the enraged young man.

    "Come! Come, show me!" Decartes called.

    As he stood there with echoingughter, the Belmon followers dressed in ck robes got between the Marquis and Ren.

    Throwing their daggers at him swiftly, mostnded, embedding into his shoulders, arms, legs, and some into his abdomen. Even so, with the flood of emotions coursing through him, he didn''t halt but for just a moment, pushing his body even as it was skewered.

    "Decartes---!" He yelled again.

    Apanying his yells, he cut through the two frontmost of the followers, carving through them ruthlessly with his de as a mixture of tears, blood, and saliva trailed from his screams.

    Through his mind, memories of his time with Iris flourished; each time he saw her warm smile, it felt as if he was supplied with enough strength to take another step forward even as his body was stabbed with steel.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Iris----! He thought, gritting his teeth.

    Blood began to seep from his lips as he held himself together, not falling even as one of the followers stabbed a dagger directly into his side.

    Maintaining his anguished call to vengeance, he gripped Belus with both hands before bringing the steel directly through the hooded follower''s neck, decapitating him without a second thought as he screamed out.

    The memories continued, ying side-by-side in his mind as he continued thoughtlessly carving through the hordes of enigmatic, robed men in an effort to reach the smiling, pale-skinned Marquis.

    It was too painful; the throbbing in his heart--he already missed her far too much. Even as he cut through the, he couldn''t halt his tears as his grief still flourished.

    "I''ll kill you---! I''ll kill you, I''ll kill you, I''ll kill you------!" He howled.

    His mind was too disrupted for magic, but with his reinforcement alone he managed to paint the stone floor in the blood and entrails of whichever of the followers came at him. There was nothing inhibiting him; he simply swung his de, cutting down whoever he had to, all the while the Marquis''ughter continued.

    Clearing the path between him and Decartes, he strengthened his grip.

    Though before a single step could be taken, he was halted by memories of the girl, still. All of it at once--all of the times sheforted him, smiling, caressing him with care.

    "Live," it was her voice, somehow it resonated within his mind as if amand etched into his soul from the memories with her.

    "Iris��" He held his head.

    Before he could fix his thoughts, a sharp impact embedded itself into his shoulder de before another followed, another de digging into his back.

    ...I...I can''t...die. I have to...live, he thought.

    Only one word came to his mind on the thought of living, only one aspect he could trust, only one word, entrusted to him, "Arrive---!"

    From hismand, shouting it out through his strained through as blood seeped from his countless wounds, he ushered for his familiar toe.

    --Nothing.

    "Arrive��! Arrive!" He repeated.

    Nothing came in response to his desperate calls as each yell spewed further crimson from his lips.

    "Oh? I see. You''re trying to manifest him here, aren''t you? Ren, Ren, Ren," Decartes shook his head with a devilish cackle, "have you not realized yet? Have you not opened your eyes, ears, nose, your very pores to realize where you are?"

    He stopped as his summoning failed, huffing as the Belmon followers seemed to halt the moment he did.

    "I''m going to kill you, Decartes��" He muttered through his teeth.

    "You have a one track mind, don''t you? Kill, kill, kill--have you ever actually stopped and thought about saving the ones you care about? Either way, it''s simply not possible with the state you''re in now. I''d say you''re minutes from death, even fewer if you continue this childish tantrum. You''re in my Hell, Ren, what do you think you can do?" The Marquis asked with a wide smile perched on his twisted lips.

    "..." He stayed silent while huffing.

    "I''ll take your silence as intrigue," Descartes cackled, "you want to know what I''m talking about, right? Why you can''t summon your precious, little familiar, right? It''s because I don''t permit it. It''s as simple as that; in here, you''re subject to the shades of my madness--the moment you and your friends stepped in here, it was allplete."

    As he stood there, the constant blood loss made it impossible for him tosh out as he could only stand there and listen, focusing on staying conscious. Soon, his de dropped from his loosened grip as his vision began to sway.

    All that flooded his mind was blinding emotion; sorrow, guilt, rage, regret--most of all, he was anguished, dearly missing hisrades, and most of all, the one he loved.

    Decartes slowly stepped towards him with his hands held behind his back, holding the same, ever-present smile that disyed his crazed-self so tantly.

    "It was clear Liber would fail in capturing you, though he aplished whittling your sanity by killing those other two. Such a revolting, disgusting, loathsome, disappointing one he turned out to be--no matter," Decartes momentarily lost control of himself as he gripped at his hair, rummaging through it before stopping andposing himself, "All that matters is you''re here now, with me, in my domain."

    "...I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you, Decartes. I''ll kill you," he repeated.

    "You can''t even lift your de anymore, so I''d think twice about what sort of threats you''re making, Ren," Decartes leaned his face close to his, "Drip, drip, drip...you''re bleeding, Ren. Two minutes? One? Forty seconds? How long do you think until you sumb to blood loss? Do you truly want to die for nothing but your own little tantrum? Do you want to waste the life given to you? By Iris...by Meinhard, hm?"

    The moment that name spilled from his lips, he attempted to swiftly draw his dagger and stab it into the side of the Marquis'' skull, but his attack was halted by an unseen force.

 Chapter 414 - In The Bowels Of Madness

    It was as if an invisible wall sat between the tip of the obsidian dagger and the flesh of the Marquis; he simply could not be reached.

    "Oh? Did I hit a button, perhaps? Look at that expression, Ren; even as wounded as you are, you''re still so intent on killing me. You''re a depraved one, there''s no mistaking it."

    "...I''ll kill you," he repeated, unable to look the man in the eye.

    Decartes only seemed to take delight in the constant threats as he loomed over the wounded young man, gripping him by his white tufts to keep him standing.

    The pale, white fingers that touched his hair were covered in scabs; so skeletal and disfigured as if they had been broken and battered endlessly. His nails were no different in their abhorrence as they sat at an abyssal, ck shade.

    "If you''re so set on it, then keep that conviction close to your heart. Remember the sounds of her bones crunching, her neck snapping like a feeble, little twig. Anything to keep that anger kindled in your stomach; think about what you could''ve done, what paths you could''ve taken, which actions would have led to her living. Let that regret seep into your pores, shift into guilt and anguish as it bites away at your sanity, then cultivate it into strength at the cost of everything you are--everything that makes you...you," Decartes'' tone lowered as he spoke close to his ear.

    Sliding his tongue from her lips, he ran it against the young man''s ear in an abhorrent fashion before dropping him to the ground as he released his grip on his tufts. By this point, he was barely holding onto any sense of consciousness as his senses were nothing but a blur, only focusing on the low words meeting his ear from the Marquis'' repulsive mouth.

    "Only then will you be able to aplish anything."

    Sumbing to the heavy loss of his arterial fluid, his body shut down--with his consciousness being the first victim as all fell--to ck.

    There wasn''t a dream world he could seclude himself to.

    There was nothing; darkness that could hardly be perceived--unrealized and stagnant, his mind sat in nothingness for an unknown before--he awakened.

    Slowly, his eyes parted as his body felt as stiff as solid lead, and as heavy as stone, though to his surprise--he was alive.

    "...Nngh��" He groaned quietly.

    It was dark; all he could see in his awakening, blurred gaze was that he sat on dirtied, ufortable bs of stone that were stained with blood, bile, and other unsavory fluids.

    His arms ached painfully, having clearly been sitting in their extended, strained position for an unknown, prolonged amount of time.

    Attempting to move, that freedom was quickly realized to have been restricted as his hands hardly budged from the ufortable, spread state they hadid in. The sound of metal chiming filled his ears in response to his movements.

    Turning to check, he found his wrists cuffed in ck restrictors that were tightly bound to the wall behind him.

    Beginning toe to, the stomach-churning stenchid in the damp, dim cell fully opened his eyes as he realized what sat in the chamber with him--the bodies of hisrades, all lumped together in a pile as if discarded trash.

    "Ghh--!" Clenching his teeth, he couldn''t stop it.

    Naturally, a scream left his throat as he thrashed his arms, but he couldn''t move--there was nothing he could do.

    It was real. He had wished that it was all a dream, or at least the part pertaining to the lives of hispanions. He wanted to turn away from it, but there was no avoiding the truth that so vibrantly shoved itself to his face.

    "No, no, no, no, no, no, no��"

    He repeated to himself quietly as he wept, feeling everything in his body ache with utter despair as he could gather no stability in his heart or mind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Even the slight movements he was able to make as he tried to throw himself forward shot an overwhelming pain through his body; stopping for a moment, he looked down to see he was shirtless.

    Countless scars now inhabited his flesh as he looked down with flowing tears, unable to even gather a single thought.

    p-tap. p-tap. p-tap.

    It was a presence he didn''t want to realize; the footsteps belonged only to one as the metallic, creaking door to the cell was opened.

    "Good morning, Ren!" The Marquis stepped in with his arms d in ck fabric stretched out, greeting the groggy young man with an almost maddening frivolity, "Hm, that brings a question, doesn''t it? Is it ever truly morning in Purgatory? Even further, we aren''t exactly in Purgatory, are we? We''re sitting in my personal realm, but s, the sun doesn''t shine here, either."

    "..." He remained silent.

    Decartes shrugged his shoulders with a smile, stepping closer in almost a dance, "The way I see it, morning is whenever you wake up! What is your concept of morning, Ren? I''m sure it''s changed in your time in Purgatory, right?"

    No answer came from him as all he did was look up at the pale-skinned, ghastly man withplete contempt embedded in his eyes. Attempting to move even the slightest, the chains thattched him to the wall jingled.

    The Marquis moved his hands in an odd, wavy fashion as he spoke, "Ah, you''ll have to forgive me for the restraints. Useful, aren''t they? In their hold, not even the mystics of this world can be utilized. You''re simply reduced to a normal, helpless human in the embrace of the cold, ck steel. It may seem a bit harsh, but you were quite rowdy earlier, but it''s expected you''d have a bit of a tantrum at first, isn''t it? I don''t me you at all, don''t worry. My men were more than honored to die for their mission. That''s love, isn''t it? Such a beautiful thing; good and evil both embrace it, and act on it."

    It was something about the fast-paced words that flooded from the Marquis'' lips that set him off despite his exhausted state, trying to lunge at the man, though his bindings stopped him from ever reaching close.

    Even as his face was but a half a dozen centimeters from reaching the man, with the spit spilling from his lipsnding on his pale, dreadful appearance, such a distance might as well feel infinite.

    "I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you! I''ll kill you--!" He repeated.

    "You see, that''s what those restraints are for, Ren. You''re quite the stubborn one, yes. Kill, kill, kill--I don''t believe we''ve had a proper, genuine conversation yet. Truly, we''re getting nowhere here," Decartes contorted his lips into a frown.

    Tugging with everything he had as the Marquis'' words fell on ears unwilling to listen, his wrists began to bleed from the violent, continuous pulls as he slobbered out his enraged, repeated threats.

    The swirly gaze of the Marquis turned to the pile of dreadful bodies stacked against the wall; though he held a frown, the natural fixture of his lips still somehow looked gleeful.

    "A shame, really. If you wouldn''t have resisted Liber or Zeno, it wouldn''t have had toe to such a saddening result. No...that would be a lie; you were always going to be resistant. That''s the truth, and nothing but the truth. For the Mistress, I am always diligent, always hard working, always trying my best--so without fail, I''d aplish my mission. You need to be properly guided; not by those Ounders, but by us. Loss is necessary, Ren. Such pain, such sorrow--it sparks growth, doesn''t it? You feel it right now, don''t you? So much anger; so boundless that you''ve abandoned all restraints. That''s the way, Ren. Abandon it all; abandon them, abandon yourself, and wee the depravity," Decartes spieled.

    Though he returned to a frown as it seemed his words met unwilling ears.

    After a moment of standing there while he continued tosh out angrily as saliva trailed the air in which he attempted to lunge forward with, the Marquis reced his frown with a smile seamlessly.

    "Well! I came here for a reason besides morning greetings!" Decartes said, ignoring the repeated threats and yells by the chained young man.

    Retrieving from his enigmatic, ck robes, the Marquis retrieved a dish with food as unappetizing as ites, setting it down on the ground while humming to himself. All the while, the white-haired adolescent continued repeating his threats to the Marquis'' life as his restraints chimed.

    "Normally, one of my subordinates would deliver your meals, but...I believe you''re quite adept at killing them--if your showing earlier is anything to go off of!" Decartesughed casually, "ah, not even that sparked augh from you? What a bore you are. I''d be lying if I said that was the only reason I came though; I just simply can''t resist an opportunity to chat with you, Ren. It''s quite boring talking to my subordinates, you see. Such solemn, quiet men. Diligent, though, I''ll give them that.. Don''t worry, I''m not mad at you. Such hurdles must be ovee to lead to a flourishing rtionship, wouldn''t you say?"

 Chapter 415 - In The Confines Of Madness

    Eventually, he tired himself out, falling to his knees as he leaned his head against the mmy, stone floor, lightly banging his forehead against the stone. Fresh droplets of crimson dropped from the edges of his ck-steel cuffs, falling monotonous onto the stone as the pain was null on his aching body.

    "...I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you. I''ll kill you��"

    Decartes loomed over him for a moment, listening to the repeated mutters of the young man before spinning around as his long, sable robes fluttered behind his sudden, exaggerated movement.

    "It seems you''re a bit preupied at the moment with faraway delusions. I''ll be back, Ren Nakamura! Make sure to eat your fill; today is going to be a long, productive day!" Decartesughed sadistically, waving as he marched off into the depths of the dark corridor beyond the cell.

    It was just that; the frivolity that knew no limits, his constant, unbreakable way of somehow never being on the bitter end of an exchange--always turning it into augh for himself, no matter how low the situation.

    He was the epitome of madness; it''s embodiment. The Marquis of Madness, Decartes Martus: the man he hated most in this world.

    Continuously, he brought his now bloodied and bruised forehead down against the stone; part of him simply wished that it''d eventually lead to his own death, while most of it came from a desire to overthrow the memories constantly reying through his mind--attempting to rid them through continuous hits.

    "I''ll kill you, I''ll kill you...Decartes��" He muttered repeatedly.

    It all fueled the haze of his shattered mind: the overwhelming, vomit-inducing stench of death that hanged so potently in the cell, the presence of hispanions'' corpses, filling his mind with utter anguish that was simply inescapable, and the ever present questioning of his own vision of what reality was.

    Leaning forward as far as possible while continuing to lightly bang his head, his weight was centered on his chained wrists, causing them to swell, bruise, and bleed.

    Despite it all, pain didn''t even register for his fractured, uneven mind; he was lost in it--his desire for the Marquis to be undone, and all of the agony persisting in his heart.

    "...Kill you...kill you��" He continued.

    Time wasn''t perceived by him as it seemed only momentster, the haunting footsteps approached once more.

    Immediately, he lifted his blood-stained head as his crimson-painted, white tufts hung over his eyes. He couldn''t see it yet past the darkness clinging to the corridor past his cell, but the footsteps could belong to none other.

    It took his constantly ringing ears to adjust and realize that it wasn''t just a single pair of footsteps that approached, but a set of three.

    Even with the rage that persisted through his veins, his body trembled at the approaching presence of the malevolent man dressed in ck, loose-fitting robes.

    "Good evening, Ren!"

    --As his unmistakable, skin-crawling voice greeted him, Decartes'' appearance was revealed as he stepped from the shadows of the faintly lit corridor, and into the cell.

    Beside him were two of the cloaked, masked subordinates that stayed wordless and enigmatic. He noticed something held by the leftmost of the ck-robed, silent followers: a veiled, tubr object with contents unseen.

    Decartes peered down at the te that was still present with food, untouched; a frown overtook his expression.

    "You need to eat, Ren. It''s not good to starve your body of the nutrients it needs, even more so considering the stress it''s going to undergo these next few days. Don''t trick yourself into believing you can off yourself in here by simply neglecting to eat; if need be, I''ll feed you with my own hands," Decartes smiled.

    "...I''ll kill you, Decartes��I''ll kill you��"

    Of course, his reply was expected as a wide smile came over the Marquis'' face as he leaned down, spreading his arms in a mboyant pose as he reveled in the contempt of the chained, young man.

    "I see you''re holding onto that anger quite lovely. It''ll bring you forward, yes. With rage such as that, nothing can stop you from the ''spiral'', hm?" Decartes grinned close to his face.

    In the face of such madness, he was wordless, though his contempt didn''t fade even as it was overpowered with fear.

    Decartes'' head was tilted to an unnatural, almostpletely twisted angle before he swiftly withdrew, standing himself straight as his blue, neatly-kempt locks bounced.

    "Now, now, now! I have a gift for you! It''s so absolutely fantastic, amazing, gorgeous, unmatched, lovely--oh, you''ll just love it," Decartes spoke while his hands danced through the air.

    Halting his erratic movements, the Marquis held his hand out with a straight expression, "Give it!"

    Though he barked hismand in almost a shriek, the hooded follower silently bowed before cing the veiled, tubr object on the Marquis'' palm. A smile wider than any before persisted on the pale, ghastly man''s expression as he held the unknown object, holding it in front of him.

    "This is a moment that will be marked in history. The returnal of love, the reawakening of passion, the rekindling of depravity!...You feel it, don''t you? Something amazing, vibrant, grand...what I hold here is your gift," Decartes leered, "hold him!"

    Suddenly amand was given, shaking up the shattered young man as the two, ck-d subordinates took to either side of him, tightly restraining his arms even though they were bound by chains.

    It was a perplexing move that he couldn''t understand, only immediately falling to tears as he was unable to slur out any cohesive words as Decartes only seemed to revel in his broken, unmended mind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Instead of words, only fearful, vowelless groans left his lips as theplete restraint of his body sent his instincts into overdrive--fearing whatever the item was that Decartes held.

    Sliding the stygian veil from the object, its contents were revealed: a tubr object that housed ck liquid that made it impossible to see anything that may rest in its abyssal cage.

    "It''s alright to feel fear, Ren. It''s reasonable to be afraid of what you don''t understand. It may hurt today, but joy will be felt tomorrow. We''re patient. The Mistress is patient."

    As Decartes spoke in a low voice, the young man''s eyes could only tremble as they watched his bony fingers methodically twist the cap off of the repulsive sk.

    His snow-white hand sunk into the depths of the ck liquid held in the tube, fishing for something thaty within it before slowly retrieving something while his smile persisted, keeping his gaze on the shattered adolescent.

    Retrieved from the holds of the deathly liquid was something peculiar: an eye that held a spiraling iris.

    It took a moment for his hazed mind to piece together what was about to happen, but once he realized, he rejected it.

    "...no, no, no, no��" he shook his head.

    There was something off about the eye; by no means was it ''human'' by the abnormal shape of its iris, or the root-like tendrils that protruded from the back of its bulbous form.

    Though his input had little weight on what the Marquis did as Decartes used his free hand to spread the eyelids of the young man''s right eye, peering closely at it.

    "Yes, yes...this will do nicely," Decartes spoke out loud.

    He wanted to plead for whatever was about to happen to be stopped, but only faint breaths, and sometimes jumbled mixtures of sounds left his lips as his teeth chattered.

    "...op...it...op...it��"

    --No such request found its way to the Marquis.

    In the next moment, the bony fingers of the maddened man sunk into his eye socket without any hesitation.

    Immediately a scream left his mouth as his body jolted, convulsing from pain and instinct, though he was held firmly by the ck-d subordinates.

    Blood seeped from his socket as the Marquis'' fingers fiddled around before wrapping around the form of his eye without any sense of gentleness. His screams continued as did his thrashing, though he could hardly move as the men held him still.

    Feeling the rigged, abrasive digits of the Marquis scrape the interior of his socket as if reaching into the depths of his skull, he truly felt delved into hell--only being able to watch the persisting smile of the Marquis with half of his vision.

    "...Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!...top it!...top it!" He writhed as his words slurred out.

    The chains jingled in a viscous melody as he thrashed wildly with his entire body, helpless to the pain by his constraints.

    "I see you can speak words besides ''kill''. Pain is a great motivator, isn''t it?" Decartes smiled.

    Without batting an eye, the Marquis spoke the same as ever while his fingers inhabiting the innards of his eye socket while a mix of crimson and yellow pus seeped out.

    At once, the worst of it came as the Marquis began to tug on his right eye with a full grip held on the ocr orb.

    In a parade of agony, his only respite was in the fact that the Marquis retrieved his eye with one, solid tug that tore it outpletely in a singr movement.

    Resigning to the agony, he slumped his head down, watching with his halved vision as a putrid mixture of fluids rained from his vacant socket. More than anything, he wanted to spew the stomach-whirling wake of pain from his body in the form of bile, but his body was far too exhausted to do so as he hung forward with his wrists bearing his weight by the chains.

    "Why?" it was the question that persisted in his head. Even in an unfair, unequal world, he felt as if it simply didn''t make sense why he specifically had to endure such pain.

    Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?!

    As the intensity of the gnawing pain grew in potency, he salivated, thrashing once more as he looked up at the Marquis, who was momentarily inspecting the bloodden eyeball.

    "Why?! Why?! Why?! Why?!" He screamed out, being held by the ck-robed subordinates.

    "Why?" Descartes repeated, "That''s a silly question. It''s because you''re special, Ren."

 Chapter 416 - In The Wake Of Madness

    "Why?" Descartes repeated, "That''s a silly question. It''s because you''re special, Ren."

    It sounded so ridiculous, like an awful, mistimed joke meeting his ears as he sat there, tearful and bloody.

    "Special��?" He repeated.

    Decartes leaned down, meeting him face-to-face with a smile before nodding, "That''s right. You''re loved, Ren. It''s a special thing to be one loved by the Mistress. Such pure, absolute, unmatched love--it is the greatest passion in which one could receive. Everything we do is out of that love. All of the pain I must inflict on you; it is for the betterment of tomorrow. That''s the truth, and nothing but it. Yes, yes. So...endure."

    --Before he could process the words, he was unable to react to the Marquis extending the hand that held the wicked, spiral eye towards his empty socket, jamming the ocr organ into his empty socket without a single warning.

    More than pain, it was shocking; the squelch resounded from within his skull as his singr visiontched onto the harrowing smile stered on Decartes'' expression.

    However, the wave of pain was only dyed.

    After properly cing the new organ into his bleeding socket, the Marquis allowed his fingers,thered in a mixture of blood, pus, and tears of the socket to retreat, bringing them to his lips as he ran his tongue across his digits.

    "It is finished. The first phase, that is. Now it is time to let the Eye of Goetia settle into its new home," Decartes'' words rolled from his slimy tongue.

    He could only sit there, huffing heavily as he faced towards the ground; it pulsated in his socket, the new eye vibrating intensely.

    Suddenly, the ufortable pulsations shifted to visceral pain as the tendrils protruding from the back of the foreign, ocr organ shot out, embedding themselves into his flesh.

    Within seconds he was writhing in agony worse than anything he had previously felt; like the roots of cedar, the eye''s tendrils ran over his skeleton, piercing his flesh and mending with his body in a repulsive process he could feel all too closely in detail.

    Veins protruded across his skin, all over his body as hisplexion reddened from the strain; his left eye growing bloodshot as residual blood continued to seep from hispromised, right socket.

    "Bear it. Endure it. Take it in. Savor the pain. That is growth. Writhe, cry, scream, yell--let it out. Those are all signs you''re walking down the proper path, Ren," Decartes'' words met his ringing ears in a haze.

    There was simply no way for him to bear with the pain of the ursed eye embedding its roots in his body; he couldn''t embrace himself with the chains, he couldn''t curl up, he couldn''t scratch his skin--all he could do was bite his lip until it tore and bled.

    Beneath his skin, the roots entangled with his flesh, caressing his nerves as violent torrents of pain went through his body like a never-ending chain of lightning.

    Tha-dump. Tha-dump. Tha-dump. Tha-dump-tha-dump-tha-dump-tha-dump.

    Rapidly, his heart pulsated with such an intensity, experiencing palpitations that appeared visibly on his chest; sweat exuded from his stressed pores as his own screams fell muffled on his own, ringing ears.

    "Ovee it. Endure it. Endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure," Decartes'' continuous, repetitive words hastened his panic.

    It was a process that forced his mind to mend, for no other reason than to try and find a way to circumvent the shock overtaking his heart.

    All at once, he was returned; his thoughts began to string back together though the panic of his body kept him unable to focus.

    I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die, he thought.

    "Endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure, endure," Decartes continued endlessly, locking his spiraling, maddened eyes with the young man.

    I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die. I''m going to die, he continued to believe.

    Pushing frequent, even breaths past his clenched teeth, echoes of the Marquis'' words and his own thoughts melded as his vision swayed from the fever overtaking his panicking body.

    --Before he knew it, it was over.

    The pain finally began to subside, leaving his body exhausted beyond belief as his muscles went limp as if justpleting a strenuous marathon.

    Though he remained conscious, he slumped down with his swollen, bruised wrists still hanging above his head. All he could do wasy there silently, drooling onto the blood-stained stone as he further messied it with fluids from his eye.

    Decartes stood straight, cing his hands behind his back with a smile, "You endured, Ren. Today, that is. Over theing days, let''s see how your gift flourishes. Just remember: on the seventh day, your stay here will end, and you''ll be plunged back into the depths of Purgatory. Perhaps you''ll soon appreciate this respite I''ve given you."

    Without any further words, the Marquis and his subordinates took their leave from the torturous cell, leaving him alone in the quiet, deathly prison once again.

    I want to give up. All that''s keeping me from truly losing my mind or simply resigning is a thirst for vengeance. Even more than getting revenge, I want to just give up. I want to fall over and let the world run along without me, let the breezes pass me like any other piece of unmoving nature as I fade away.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A single wind could blow me away right now.

    When the past looks so alluring...bright and warm...seeing the present just fills me with nothing. What future is there with this darkness? If life is so painful, then why am I still persisting?

    ...I guess...I don''t have the right to die. Iris...you would want this, right? No matter how painful it is without you, you would want me to keep fighting, right?

    Even if I''m useless, dying, agonized, even if I want to give up...I can''t. The Ren Nakamura you loved...he wouldn''t give in, would he?

    I bet he''s amazing, isn''t he? Always smiling, always joking...if only that''s who I really was...but, I''ll try, he thought.

    As his mind finally came back together just enough to return to reality, he felt his own hunger kick into full force as his stomach cramped up; the strain his body experienced elerated his need for nutrients.

    The te left earlier still remained on the floor, even as unappetizing the dark, bean-like paste and stale bread looked, he didn''t care for vor.

    "...Come on��"

    He tried to reach for it, but it was impossible to grab with the bindings around his wrists; the position forcefully kept him on his knees, causing them to redden and blister.

    Even attempting to grab the te with his teeth, it was just out of reach. Straining forward to the best of his ability, his strenuous attempt only resulted in spilling the te over, mixing the food with the fluid-stained, damp stone.

    "...Damn," he muttered.

    Suddenly, the sound of weight shifting caught his attention--though it came from a direction he wished not to look.

    The pile of bodies belonging to his dearrades; it was a sight he cklisted for himself--attempting his best to erase it from his mind as he fell still.

    The shifting continued, though slow and between silent pauses, it sounded as if someone were moving in the hill of decaying corpses.

    No, no, no, no, no, no, he began to shake his head.

    Tricks of the mind; he was used to the madness that inhabited his mind by now--the constant falsehoods that attempted to deceive him.

    As he kept his gaze low, unable to keep his new, right eye open, he flinched as the thud of weight dropping against the floor to his left resounded.

    "...Grngh��" A groan left quietly.

    It wasn''t from himself; it was masculine, but not particrly deep.

    "...Ren��" The voice called faintly.

    He recognized it now; even as weak and feeble as his name left their lips, he couldn''t mistake it--not after constantly remembering all of their voices, over and over, endlessly.

    "...Macheo?" He responded, slowly turning his gaze.

    The once shining, golden-haired prince was nearly unrecognizable, on the ground andpletely drowned in blood that stained his entirety; barely any life hung in his crimson irises as he crawled forward with his singr, untwisted arm.

    "How''re you��? How''re you alive��?! Macheo!" Tears escaped only his left eye, though part of him wanted to smile.

    Even if it was a single person, someone was there.

    "...Achelous: Scarlet Depths��"

    Macheo ignored his words, having to focus his feeble strength to let out just those words as he pointed his artificial fingers towards the young man.

    "...Huh?" He looked back at his cuffs.

    Following the decimated prince''s call, a concentrated assault of water, that utilized the element from his blood, targeted the metallic cuffs, shattering them as the captive adolescent fell forward from his suddenck of restraints.

 Chapter 417 - In The Face Of Hope

    Bringing his own hands in front of him, they trembled naturally; his wrists had turned to a deep purple, bloodied and swollen as he winced from a single, light touch.

    Returning his attention to hispanion, his tears continued to slide from his left eye.

    "Macheo��?" He called with worry.

    Crawling over to hispanion that sat on the threshold of death, he helped him stand, though he had trouble getting up himself after being knelt down for such a prolonged amount of time.

    Macheo''s warmth was faint, he felt, nearing on a more distant, harrowing cold as his skin that was undyed by crimson was as pale as a ghost''s own.

    "Ren...get out...of here," Macheo whispered through his dried, bloodied lips.

    He looked at the Lucrauvian, keeping his arm slung over his shoulder as he supported him, "...I''m bringing you with me."

    Macheo was unable to reject his insistent will; together, they traversed the dark, deathly corridor slowly with weakened steps. Hanging lip at his side, Macheo''s flesh-bound right arm was twisted and broken; with the fabric being torn from his sleeve, the purple-and-ckplexion of his arm made its condition stand out all the much worse.

    Waiting in the hall was a pack that by some fortune contained his belongings; though his tunic was full of holes, he attached his sheathed de and dagger to the belt of his trousers before sliding his boots back on.

    I have to cover this eye...he thought.

    Ripping a portion of the ck fabric from his skewered tunic, he formed a makeshift eye patch that covered the right side of his face.

    Comforting his injured, feeblepanion, he shrouded Macheo in his silver cloak, continuing their dreary march. Seeing the state of his once proud, powerful friend, now reduced to such a mutted, broken state with a trembling body and sparsity of words, his anger flourished further.

    "...I''ll kill him for what he did. For everyone," he resolved.

    A tear strolled down Macheo''s crimson-stained cheek as they walked, "...I couldn''t protect her. It...it happened so fast. Aiko...thatst smile she gave me...dammit, I...I''m sorry, Aiko."

    "We''ll get him,'' he assured him.

    The hall seemed to stretch for an extensive length, passing by rows of dank cells that mostly contained decaying corpses, or entire skeletons.

    Macheo brought his gaze to the sight of his friend, looking at the scars that embedded his body, and the bloodied, deeply bruised area of his transnted right eye.

    "...They did all of this to you?...I''m sorry...I wanted to help...sooner," Macheo spoke faintly before coughing, hacking up spurts of blood.

    He shook his head softly, making sure he supported Macheo''s weight properly over his shoulder, "Don''t worry about that. Let''s worry about getting out of here. I just don''t know how to do that much��"

    Turning down multiple corridors that led to rows of chambers of torture and other malicious, unsavory rooms, they were getting nowhere.

    "Is it even possible to escape��? If this Hell''s Hell is like the other, then��" He muttered.

    Macheo coughed up before responding, "...It might have a special name, but it''s a territorial spell, still...if it''s thisrge and staying materialized for this long, then it has to inhabit a weakness��"

    "I see...you''re saying there has to be an exit with a spell this powerful?" He asked.

    Only a slight nod came from the barely conscious prince as they then continued their slow search down the endless, dreary halls.

    ...I hate to admit it, but I can''t risk any fighting right now...Macheo is barely here as it is, and so am I...I can''t let him go now, not again, he thought.

    Down a flight of chipped, stygian stone stairs they stepped, leading into a dim, hardly lit chamber that reeked of spoiled meat. It was difficult to make out, but it seemed to be yet another room for torture by the contraptions thatid in weight; stretching tables, saws hung by contraptions, and beds of spikes.

    "How''re you feeling right now?" He asked, keeping his guard raised, at least to the best of his ability.

    "...Shit. You?" Macheo replied.

    "Yeah...same," he nodded his head with his quiet answer.

    Just being able to move around was a freedom he didn''t realize he missed so dearly��especially alongside apanion. Even in the abundant emptiness in his heart, swallowed by anguish, just a single friend made it somehow bearable.

    It may only be enough strength to walk, but it was enough.

    Feeling the coldness of the prince''s body against his, he hastened his steps as they searched through the mostly vacant realm.

    "Ren��I''m slowing you down," Macheo said faintly.

    "Don''t. I won''t even consider it, you hear me? So��save your breath for the march ahead," he replied.

    He halted for a moment, checking either side of the uing corridor for potential enemies before passing through the threshold alongside Macheo.

    The golden-haired prince chuckled quietly, "��In Lucrauv, it''s expected of a wounded soldier to be left behind. "Only the strong have the right to move ahead"��or something like that."

    "This isn''t Lucrauv, luckily for both of us," he replied quietly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At this point, the extensive, blind tour through the dreary, death-filled realm filled only with prison cells and torture chambers was taking its toll.

    Supporting Macheo with his shoulder, he wasn''t far off himself from being unable to walk; his knees were bruised and bleeding, his body deprived of nutrients, and ack of sleep induced by immense stress had weakened his body.

    "...Any idea what type of exit we''re looking for?" He asked in a whisper.

    Macheo shook his head, "It can be anything: a normal door, a trapdoor, a window...something. In a territorial spell like this, the exit has to be obvious, though."

    After curving through hallways and managing to sneak by the quiet, haunting followers of Belmon, they found themselves in a spacious, well-lit room with a singr, metallic door sitting at the end of it.

    "You said the exit should be obvious, right?...That looks like a shining beacon of hope to me," he said, looking at the door as he gulped.

    "Yeah, that''s probably it," Macheo responded faintly.

    Just as they stepped into the empty room formed of stone bs, a chill ran over his body as in the next moment, the ck-robed, enigmatic cultists appeared through the floor like intangible spirits.

    "...Shit," he muttered under his breath.

    "It''s to be expected...of course they''d be guarding the only exit��" Macheo coughed as he spoke.

    All he could do was stand there with his barely conscious, injuredrade at his side; the idea of fighting was something he rationally knew would spell his own death, but even so--he had to try.

    "Ren��" Macheo spoke his name.

    --His name being called halted his fingers before they grazed the handle of his tucked-away sword, bringing his eyes to look at his half-consciouspanion.

    Pulling away from his side, Macheo stumbled a bit before correcting his slumped-over stance, standing up straight as he looked as if he just crawled out of a grave.

    "Macheo?..." He looked at the prince.

    Macheo coughed as droplets of blood spilled from his lips, "Get the hell out of here."

    "What''re you talking about?" He asked.

    It wasn''t even an option in his mind to leave his friend behind, so much so that he couldn''t even believe what the prince was implying.

    Macheo wiped the blood from his lips before ncing back with his crimson irises that seemed to return some of their natural shine.

    "This is...the rational choice. Even if we escaped from here, I''d probably kick it before a day''s passing. There''s no point...if we both die��" Macheo spoke between heavy breaths, stumbling a bit as he was barely tugging onto consciousness.

    The enigmatic, dark-robed men stayed stationary, only seeming to act as sentinels that would make their move if they did.

    He shook his head, almosting over with anger at the thought of abandoning him; he couldn''t ept it.

    "...Hell no! Do you really think I''d abandon a friend?! After everything that''s happened?! I''d rather fight here and die alongside you than leave you behind, Macheo!" He shouted.

    Before he could stand by the Lucrauvian prince''s side and draw his de, the golden-haired prince yelled out with strength mustered from his frail, half-dead body.

    "Think for a moment, you dense bastard!" Macheo shouted from the top of his lungs.

    He stopped dead in his tracks with wide eyes from the abrasive yell, "...Huh?"

    Macheo nced back at him, "Do you really think I''m just throwing my life away for no reason?! Ren...they can be saved!"

    Those words were like light; a sh so bright that it momentarily suspended him from his abyssal anguish for just a moment--a moment long enough to make him enthralled for further light.

    "What''re you talking about?..." He asked.

    "Do I have to spell it out for you?...The wish! Defeat Purgatory and use the wish to bring everyone back!" Macheo answered, still yelling as he strained his throat.

    It suddenly all clicked for him.

    In the haze that inhabited his fractured mind from the absolute grief he experienced, he wasn''t able to think back to that simple piece of information he knew all along.

    "The wish��" He repeated in a whisper, caught in a trance for a moment.

    "You''re our best bet now, Ren! For Iris, for...Aiko--for everyone! You hear me?! I''m dying because I have faith I''ll be back, you got that?! I''m not going down for along--because I trust that you''ll surmount this hell! This is a temporary death, you hear me?" Macheo assured him abrasively.

    "My life is my wager that Ren Nakamura will defeat Purgatory!" Macheo proimed further.

    It was something he didn''t know he needed to hear so badly; theplete, immutable belief in his own strength.. For once, despite his failures, someone still trusted in him enough to aplish something so oundish.

 Chapter 418 - A Lonesome Quest

    The small, barely lit me inside of him was rekindled by the words of his friend.

    "Macheo��" He said.

    He was interrupted by the crimson-eyed prince tossing the silver cloak he borrowed at his face, pulling it off as he looked back at Macheo.

    "Didn''t you hear me? Get the hell out of here!...It''s on you now: I''m counting on you--you''re my best bet to...to save Aiko, okay?! You''ve got Iris waiting on you, too!" Macheo roared out as the cultists began to slowly enclose around them.

    Clenching his fist tightly, he nodded his head--epting the mission bestowed upon him as for the first time in what felt like forever--he could smile.

    "Go---!" Macheo shouted.

    Following his words, the Lucrauvian prince made a clearing in the abundance of ck-robed foes with a burst of his aquatic magecraft, parting a path for the scarden young man.

    "Achelous: Antean!"

    The Lucrauvian prince yelled out through his strained throat with his right arm limp at his side, pushing forth with his artificial limb as his conjured water took the shape of a massive, spinning drill. The cultists in the way of the aquatic drill were ragdolled by the viscous torque gathered by the azure magecraft, resulting in a mess of blood.

    Without any hesitance, he ran withplete faith in hisrade making sure his pathway waspletely open.

    As he sprinted with strength that shouldn''t even inhabit his malnourished body, he fell to a knee sharply.

    Crap��! He thought.

    Enclosing around him were the wordless, enigmatic cultists that loomed over him like deathly shadows.

    "Out of the damn way---! Achelous: Stride of the Leviathans!"

    Macheo''s voice cleared through as his visceral, leviathan-shaped water magic cut through the cultists that attempted to seize the young man, giving him enough time to get back up and continue running before he reached therge, metallic door.

    Grabbing the handle, he looked back at his friend, watching as he fought off the overwhelming cultists with magecraft withrge, monstrous formations of carnivorous water that chewed through the de-wielding cultists.

    "...I''ll definitely bring you back! I''ll save everyone!" He shouted at the top of his lungs onest time.

    Macheo ced a wide smile on his face, "Yeah! You better!"

    Somehow forcing his gaze forward with his new conviction, he pulled the heavy, dense door open as its doorway was indeed detached from the rest of the dank realm, leading back to the innards of Purgatory.

    "Here goes," he whispered to himself.

    Sucking in a breath to push himself forward, he leapt from the mystical gateway leading from the territory formed from magecraft.

    Passing through the threshold, the rotten air was cleared and reced by a cold, somewhat fresh wind as the sounds of Macheo''s magecraft was gone from his ears.

    "...Uff��!"

    Hended harshly on the ground, copsing onto a bed of white, frosted grass as heid there for a moment to gather his breath.

    Lifting himself with a few, hoarse coughs falling from his lips, he raised his halved gaze to find himself back in the camp ground.

    After wandering around for a few moments, he quickly found tears leaving his eyes after it all returned to him�Cwhat had just happened.

    "Why is it always me?! Why am I always thest one left standing��?" He asked himself harshly, pushing his forehead against the harsh bark of the tree.

    He allowed himself to fall into this spiral for a few minutes before gathering himself, regaining his breath as he etched his resolve into his heart.

    "Thanks, Macheo...I owe you one," he muttered weakly as he straightened himself up.

    I was spiraling into an endless well of self-pity. At the rate I was going...I would''ve lost it. It...still hurts--more than anything else. Even right now, I want to cry...just break down and curl up in a ball. But, now''s not the time to wallow in grief...it''s on me now...do-or-die...I''ll do it, Macheo. I''ll bring you all back, he thought, no matter what it takes. No matter what the cost.

    Though it didn''t seem as if anything had been taken or destroyed, the real difference sat in the weather that clung to the area. While it was somewhat chilly before, now it was a freezing, deathly cold that was entuated by the white frost that clung to the once verdant grass, lining the bodies of the surrounding trees as well.

    This isn''t going to be fun, he thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Hugging himself as he gripped onto his cloak slightly to embrace himself with it, it was hardly enough tobat the cold as his breaths exuded in a fog. Most of this vulnerability to the cold stemmed from one, simple fact: he was without a shirt of any sort.

    Checking the beige bags of supplies that sat in the camp, there was an adequate amount of bread left, but certainly not enough tost the rest of the time needed. The other sack, containing the mana potions, was still primarily full, but the questionid in how much mana he''d have to use when it''s just him--doing everything.

    "...Shit," he muttered.

    Turning back to look at the campfire, or what once was a burning, bright beacon of warmth, there was no hope in reigniting the warmth--not in the storm of snow that would engulf any kindling embers without mercy.

    There''s no way I can stay here now. I have to find somece warm...a cave, maybe? Anything with at least a roof from the snowfall would be a nice start, he thought.

    Throwing the remnants of yeast into the sack with the potions, he slung the pack over his shoulder before beginning to move, scarfing down a half loaf of bread as he marched into the unknown depths of the frosty forest.

    His entire body ached with a pain that repeated with each beat of his heart; beneath the veil over his right eye, he could feel a constant, burning sensation as if the foreign organ was set aze.

    It still persisted within him;mentation, regret, guilt, anger, sadness--a spectrum of negativity that continued its spiral.

    All that''s changed is the existence of a goal to help him look past it all; a potential future in which that darkness is turned to light.

    I don''t know for sure, but I''m pretty sure this is the sixth day...almost a week. It''s doable. Three more weeks...I can do it, Macheo...thank you, he thought.

    As much as he wanted to simply walk forward with his arms wrapped around his body, he had to keep his sword drawn due to the sheer unpredictability and hostility that was the natural element to the third floor.

    The frost-bitten foliage crunched beneath his boots as he walked through the snowy, quiet forest in lonesome, exuding breaths that added to the thin veil of fog that persisted.

    It was eerily quiet; more so than the noisy, critter-filled forest once was as it now seemed devoid of such wildlife.

    "...So cold," he breathed out in a cold breath.

    After marching for what felt like an hour without encountering a single change in the scenery of boundless trees, he finally found his way to something new as he slid past a tall, frostden, spiky nt.

    He was standing at the edge of a tall hill, looming atop the precipice that looked over the heads of snow-topped trees. Though there was something that stood out; a sight visible from his elevated position.

    A building; it inhabited arge hill that protruded from the forest no more than a kilometer ahead. By the looks of the slightly frosted, mossy nature that clung to the weathered stone that stood the unknown domain in a towering, rectangr shape, it seemed to resemble a dungeon of sorts.

    "It''s better than wandering around aimlessly, right?..." He asked himself quietly.

    Though it did worry him somewhat, the constant snowfall was beginning to get to him as his body itched all over in an attempt to heat itself tobat the cold.

    Looking at the distant structure for a moment more, he reluctantly chose his path as he carefully slid down the slope, continuing his path onward to the enigmatic building.

    As the lonely cold churned, filling the misty atmosphere with a shower of snow, sparkling, azure crystals began to dance in the air around him as he trudged onward through the corridor of frosted cedar. Looking up at the glistening, abstractions of the gliding frost, he found himself smiling despite the sight also conjuring a throbbing in his chest.

    They were the same shade as her eyes; that same, almost mystical serenity embedding the falling kes of dazzling blue.

    Holding his hand out, he watched as the concentrated, azure snow crystalnded atop his bare palm with a vibrant frost that bestowed a slight numbness to the skin of his hand.

    "...Just a bit longer. I''ll save you...so just wait a bit longer for me, Iris," he muttered.

    Continuing his slow, but steady march, he was seized for a moment by a sudden fit of visceral, striking pain that originated from his new, covered right eye.

    "...Ghh--!"

    Leaning against the rough bark of a tree, he ced his hand over the makeshift eye patch as he gritted his teeth, waiting for the pain to pass before it settled.

    I don''t know what kind of eye that bastard put into me...but, it''s trouble, he thought.

    Regaining his breath as a bit of stressed-induced sweat clung to his skin, he looked down at his held broadsword for a moment as a thought urred to him that could only ur when questioning the worth of the agony he had to endure from his ocr organ.

    It was only a fleeting thought, far too insane to go through with as he pushed himself to continue marching towards the structure inhabiting the bowels of the frosten forest.

 Chapter 419 - Snow-Lurking Enemy

    Though it was unnervingly absent of malicious creatures during the storm of coldness, there was another enemy that served as an obstacle; the cold itself.

    As droplets of snow rained down on his body, it began to fall numb inpletion as he quivered, feeling his strength begin to dwindle in the challenging weather epassing his march.

    In the stretch before the structure ced atop a hill, a clearing existed, devoid of any trees to create a spaciousnd.

    ...I''ve got to hurry and get in that building before I freeze to death! He surmised.

    Beginning to move at a faster pace, the frosted grass became a thinyer of snow, then that thinyer of snow became a thick, deep floor of the white, soft powder of concentrated frost that made each step result in his boots sinking into the cold walls of white.

    It''s getting colder and colder by the second...what is going on?! Is this some sort of real-time event?! He thought.

    As each step seemed to sink him into deeper and deeper snow as the entire, barren field around him had be a sea of snow before he realized it, it suddenly became a real threat to his life.

    The next step he took sunk him down to his waist in abundant snow, having to w his way up an uphill battle as there was no leverage to be found from the mushy, unstable frost.

    "Gngh��! Come on��!"

    He iled, having to sheath his de as he used both hands to dig his way up from the depths of the malicious snow that attempted to swallow him.

    There was little respite in returning to the surface as he now found himself surrounded by the sea of chilly white as far as he could see around the mystical forest.

    Intense winds howled, carrying sheets of pale white that coldly pelted his barely covered body as he shivered, embracing himself as he barely maintained his own footing while remaining mostly still.

    Something is definitely up...this isn''t normal. It wasn''t this bad just a minute ago--not even close, he thought.

    His fingertips became red as he attempted to swim against the sea of constantly rising, building snow, huffing out cold mists as his nose turned beet red as well.

    Something began to rumble within the snow; small waves were sent through the tall, deep ins of white frost as he stopped for a moment, keeping still.

    Something is in this snow with me, he thought, I''ve got to improve my situation...and now!

    "...Araphel: Inverse Hand!" He yelled out.

    Protruding from him came a limb formed of shadows, managing totch onto the snow with a grip that acted almost as a strengthened adhesive.

    With the shadowy hand acting as a tethering rope for him to bnce on the snow with, he managed to stand himself onto the smooth surface of the frosty sea of white.

    "Wait��" He muttered

    A sudden absence of weight was realized as he touched his own back,ing to a daunting realization.

    "The supplies��!" He called out in surprise.

    In his frantic struggle with the sea of swallowing snow, he inadvertently dropped the sack containing his food and mana potions into the deep trenches of white.

    Before he couldment his lost items, his attention was stolen by the increasing vibrations felt throughout the enigmatic snow.

    Should I use a Shadow Step from here��? It''s too far to reach the building in one step...it''ll take three in session, maybe four...but I don''t have the mana pots anymore--shit, he thought.

    Being unable to see what lurked within theke of pale snow, only feeling the reverberations of what felt like arge, heavy entity, his heart thumped intensely within his chest as he weighed his options.

    Interrupting any sort of decision being made, the pain in his right eye returned with an acute sharpness, causing him to nearly keel over if not for the shadowy limb acting as a stopgap from his own fall.

    "Not again��! Ghh��" He winced.

    It felt like a dagger being lodged straight into his eye socket and into his skull, releasing an echo of continuous, hammer-like throbs within the interior of his head.

    That momentary distraction was enough for him to be caught off-guard, as a sable tentacle lunged from the innards of the snow, wrapping around his leg with a quickening tightness.

    "Huh--?" He gasped out of confusion.

    In the next moment, he was weightless, being pulled into the air by the strength of the limb disembodied by the enigmatic sea of snow, being spun around as he let out a natural yell from his throat.

    What the hell is this?! A tentacle in the snow--?! He thought.

    Attempting to posture his arm for a strike of his de, gravity worked against him in full force as his bearings were lost in such a chaotic spin; his vision swung around wildly as dizziness set in, beginning from his abdomen.

    "...Ghh! Do you want me to throw up or something?!" He yelled out.

    Can''t think...can''t focus! I can''t use a Shadow Step like this--! He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After being spun around for long enough that he felt his brain bounce around his skull like a pinball, the lengthy, powerful tentacle flung him forth as he glided through the snow-filled air.

    "Hrooo--!" He gasped as the air left his lungs.

    It was as if he wasunched from a cannon, finding himself overshooting past the structure before beginning to plummet atop a further stretch inhabited by the snowy sea.

    If I fall from here, I''ll sink right in...who knows if I''ll be able to make it out--especially with whatever is lurking in there. Now''s the time to try something risky out--it''s do-or-die! He resolved.

    Flipping himself to take control of his own momentum, hended atop his feet on the field of smooth frost.

    He didn''t sink--he was standing perfectly on top of the material that should''ve swallowed him whole with its loose, abundant mass.

    "...I did it," he huffed with a surprised smile.

    On the bottom of his boots, reinforcing his soles, a small space was created between the soles of his footwear and the top of the snow, inhabited by gathered darkness.

    I lucked out. It''s...a bit hard to focus, but I think I''ve got the hang of it, he thought.

    Even a single step forward had to be taken slowly as he maintained his concentration on the perfect bnce of reinforcement maintained on his soles.

    "...Now, for the real problem��" He huffed.

    His focus shifted to the approaching vibrations that shot through the ins of white like an earthquake, pulsating beneath his soles as he remained still.

    Whatever this tentacle-monster is, I''m fighting it in its natural element. I''m at a clear disadvantage here, no two ways about it, he thought.

    The thought of having to fight atop the snow was a pressing idea; while he managed to position himself on top of the river of frost, it was an action that required most of his focus.

    Fighting and maintaining my bnce on this...give me a break, would you? He thought.

    But before the tremors of the burrowing, giant foe of his could reach him, they stopped at a distance over a dozen meters away as everything fell silent, save for the frosty, whistling winds that carried droplets of snow.

    "...Huh?" He muttered.

    He watched in perplexion as a set of sleek, ck tentacles shot out from the snow in front of him, though they didn''t attempt to grab him--if it was even possible from their distance.

    All he could do was watch the swaying, elongated limbs as they wriggled in the cold air before the tips pointed at him as if seeing his form.

    ...I don''t like this, he thought.

    An azure glow manifested at the ends of each ck tendril, forming intorge, clear icicles honed for violence as they pointed directly at him.

    "Magic?!" He breathed out in surprise.

    He was barely left with enough time to dash to his left to evade the iing projectiles of ice as theyunched like bullets, embedding into the snow behind him as clouds of frosty mist rose in their downfall.

    Having to sprint across the snow, he momentarily lost focus of his impromptu reinforcement, dipping one leg into the holds of the barren, white mountain of frost for a moment.

    "Gah!" He gasped.

    Shit! He thought.

    Arge, sharpened icicle was hurling directly towards him as he was busy picking himself up from the snow.

    Only in thest moment was he able to apply the same technique to his hands, throwing himself forward before rolling onto his feet--returning his focus as he regained his breath.

    "...Phew. Almost had me for a second, there," he wiped his chin.

    The tentacles continued to sway in the air while remaining pointed towards him as if possessing the gift of sight.

    I don''t see any eyes...I wonder if it''s working off of sound, or maybe vibrations? Its main body is down in this snow, so that might be the case. Still...that information doesn''t really change anything, he thought.

    "How the hell do I make you show your real body, though? That''s the million dor question, I guess��" he whispered to himself, flipping Belus between his fingers.

    Well, I''ve got an idea...but, mana is the real issue there, he thought.

    As he stuck to his thoughts for a moment, it seemed his foe was a little less patient as another set of six tentacles protruded from the snow, wriggling intensely as they spawned from the same general area of the other two.

    "Bingo.. So that''s where you are? I don''t have to flush you out then--''n A'' it is, then," he smiled to himself.

 Chapter 420 - Plan "A"

    Taking in a focusing breath through his lungs, he maintained his calmness while the tentacles began to cast their ice-bound magic once more, in greater numbers.

    Speed is the essence here: if I''m too slow, it''ll maneuver itself away and probably try to distract me with some more magic so I lose its position. With that said...my only option is something I''ve yet to try in battle. That''s fine, though--practice makes perfect, and there''s no better practice than the real thing! He thought.

    Shrouding his body in a heavyyer of shadows that mixed between shades of magenta and swaying ck, he kept his eyes locked on the tentacles as their spells grewer topletion--just as his did.

    Feeling his heartbeat resonate against his ears as he breathed out heavily, he couldn''t help but feel a natural smilee over his lips.

    It felt like he was right back there alongside everyone; fighting against another monster as they all stumbled and tried to work together despite their differences.

    Somehow, he didn''t feel alone.

    ...I don''t know why I''m thinking of this now, but I''m finally starting to understand.

    Being a gloomy hero doesn''t fit me...being a hero doesn''t even fit me! But...if I have to be your hero, I''ll do it with a smile while cracking jokes! I''m not going to survive here if I''m brooding andmenting my own weakness...I can only make it if I can smile and move forward. Besides--I don''t want to greet you with a frown, but a genuine, unshattered smile! It might beme and cheesy, but that''s who I am--Ren freakin'' Nakamura! He thought.

    "Araphel: Dusk Waltz."

    Leaning forward into a stance made for sprinting, he kicked off as he manifested his magecraft with his call, bursting forward with a speed that blurred his own shape; bending the space around him momentarily in the moment ofunch.

    For that brief, minuscule moment of eleration, the scenery around him contorted, stretched, and condensed as it seemed everything came into his view for that one minute of distorting speed.

    It was a multi-step spell that required multiple, synchronized concepts to act as cogs into one machine to produce one effect--utmost speed.

    Around his body, he coated himself in a type of reinforced tailored to not only allow him to embody the lightness of his shadows, but allow his body to function within such speed.

    Propelling himself forth, he used a burst of mana that acted as the fuel for the vehicle that was his body, creating a shock wave that parted the snow around him into a storm of frost.

    Finally, he maintained theyer of shadows on his soles to allow him to slide against the floor of abundant snow.

    The result was ''Dusk Waltz'': the pinnacle of agility he had achieved thus far as a mage, now racing across the boundless sea of white with enough speed to make the wind roar against his ears.

    It''s working!...It''s hard to get used to, but this speed is something else! He thought.

    Flying towards him, the malicious icicles missed their markpletely as he glided past them, carrying his swiftness across the snow sleekly, opting for long strides that slid him across the snow instead of an orthadox sprint.

    Even a single downfall of his soles when inhabiting such speeds brought down a shock wave on the unsuspecting snow as a storm of white frost was left in his wake, flying forth with speed that shattered the sound barrier like a hammer to a walnut.

    More than the howling waves generated from his velocity was the heat he conjured from such speed, rapidly melting the snow surrounding him as steam followed his position.

    Focus, focus...focus, he repeated in his head.

    It was simply a speed he was not used to; even with his reactions enhanced, it was a new environment for himself.

    Spinning around, he shifted his direction before the ck tendrils could wall him off with a structure of roughly-shaped frost, carrying himself with his immense momentum as he took strides like an ice-skater.

    As he approached one of the towering, wriggling tentacles, it was like guiding a hot knife through butter as the speed at which he traveled allowed his de to inhabit an unrestrained sharpness.

    "Hyraah---!" He shouted out.

    Bolstering the sharp steel he swung with a yell, the ck tentacle as thick as his own body was bisected cleanly, causing it to fall to the snow and writhe like a disembodied insect''s head.

    Being within range of the hard of tentacles'' reach, he was forced to continue his speedy stride without wasting a single moment.

    Like spears raining down from the sky above, the tentacles strained before crashing down in an attempt to pierce him, though he maneuvered freely with his amplified agility, leaping and spinning his body to evade their assault.

    "...You''re getting nervous now, aren''t you?! I must be close to your body then!" He yelled.

    Clouds of snow were kicked up from the force of each stygian, lengthy limb crashing down as he raced around their reach before running up the length of one of the surprisingly sturdy, towering tentacles.

    "And up we go��!" He muttered through his teeth.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sprinting directly up at a slope impossible if not for his speed, he leapt into the air above the reach of the aggressive tentacles, focusing his attention on the clearing directly below him.

    There wasn''t a single tentacle protruding from the space hetched his eyes onto, and the formation of the limbs seemed to center around that one, particr area.

    At the exact moment he reached the summit of his leap, the amplifying veil of ''Dusk Waltz'' vanished from his body as he pointed his bare, cold-stricken hand towards the ground directly below.

    Found you, he thought.

    "Dunkel: Piercer! Times Five!"

    Using his hand pressing downwards as guidance, a set of five, shadowy spears manifested around him before shooting towards the snow-inhabited field below.

    Launching towards the general vicinity below, the shadowy, unstable spears embedded themselves in the snow as the meeting of the heated darkness and the frosty snow formed a hiss in the air.

    "...Now,e on out, you big scaredy-cat! Araphel: Detonation!" He shouted from the top of his lungs.

    With a clench of his fist, he released the unstable, vibrating spears as their form was unleashed into a vtile reaction of stygian explosions,unching a storm of parted snow that directly pelted against his body.

    The mixture of bubbling, vtile heat and the sheer coldness that the sea of frost inhabited gave birth to a rapidly-expanding, shock wave of steam.

    "Gotcha!" He smiled.

    He was kept afloat for a moment longer as the air pressure released from the detonation pushed upwards against his body before hended back down on the snow.

    This time as he stood on the snow, he didn''t question the stability of his own footing; finding himself engrossed in the airs of battle, the special reinforcement came naturally now.

    His eyes were sat on the massive coalescence of steam formed from the crater in the snow his chain-attack left, pointing his sword forward.

    "Show yourself, you NEET!" He called out.

    epting his challenge, the entity burrowed within the snow unveiled itself as its plethora of sleek, ck tentacles sprung out beforetching into the snow, dragging its body out from the steaming, melting frost.

    "Woah, there," he backed up a bit with a wry smile.

    It loomed over him with a stature gargantuan enough to cast a shadow over the clearing he stood in; in its sable flesh, it was a creature that should by all means reside in the depths of the great blue--a giant, monstrous squid.

    More like the damn Kraken itself! He thought.

    Though it was tantly not the type of squid he was used to--that was a simply observation by the very fact it inhabited snow; across its sleek, all-ck body, azure gemstones were embedded in its flesh like natural jewelry, shining and glistening with a mystical glow.

    "You don''t look too happy to be out in the open, do you? Too bad, too sad," he taunted through cold breaths.

    There was an obvious exnation for his flurry of taunting remarks to the towering, mythical creature in front of him that looked less than willing to partake in conversation.

    It was his natural response to nervousness.

    ...I really, really, really hate squids! He thought, shivering from a mixture of effects.

    Only ghostly, white eyes that were hollow of any pupils stared at him; giant as they festered with a savage anger pointed directly towards him.

    "...Oh yeah, he''s mad," he muttered to himself.

    A dozen of its elongated, ck tentacles waved around in the snow-filled air before the azure jewels around its body glowed with a loud hum emitting off of them.

    So that''s how it is��! Those little jewels telegraph its spells! He thought.

    Realizing this, he began to sprint as a storm of sharpened, lethal icicles flooded the cold skies, shooting towards him at viscous speeds.

 Chapter 421 - Cold, And Further Cold

    It was simr to hail; small chunks of frosted material raining down on his position and leaving little room for him to weave through--however, it wasn''t quiteparable to the somewhat inconvenient weather.

    He could hear it each time a piece of the half-foot long icicles zoomed past his head; the air contorted, hissed, and howled like a bullet curving by his ear.

    Attempting to draw close to the giant air-breathing squid was a difficult task as he found himself having to run circles on the field of snow as the rapid, sharp ice prevented him from reaching close to its body.

    If a single one of those hits, it''s going to hurt, he thought.

    This time he didn''t try to use ''Dusk Waltz'', and there was a simple reason for it: precision.

    While it granted him an immense boost in speed, it didn''t allow for small adjustments or clean turns--at least not at the mastery he possessed of it, orck thereof.

    I could try a ''Piercer and Detonationbo'' but the problem is those icicles...it''ll probably shoot the spears right out of the air or block it outright with ice. ''Ultima Darkness'' would beplete overkill--not only that, but I''d run myself dry.

    Guess we''re doing this ''that'' way, he decided.

    Sprinting forward as he bobbed-and-weaved through an assortment of lethal hail, he stomped his foot down to break from his gathered speed before swinging his de with a strengthened tug.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Emitting from the edge of Belus, an extension of its sharpness left as the slice of shadowy energy hurled towards the giant, snow-dwelling creature.

    A shield of ice erupted from the snow in a storm of white frost, rapidly rising up as it shielded the spear-headed squid from the visceral edge of darkness. Though the shield of magically-conjured ice was shattered by the collision, the squid remained unharmed, seeming to celebrate with a weird churdleughter.

    As expected, he thought.

    In the moment that it halted its assault to protect itself, he was able to draw closer with a swift dash, holding a ball of condensed shadows in his palm.

    "Araphel: ckout!"

    With a toss that he summoned his inner baseball pitcher to bolster, the shadowy orb was flung in front of the perplexed squid before bursting into a sh of utter darkness.

    I thought about using the snow to take away your vision, but you work off of sound, don''t you? If that''s the case, let''s see how you handle having all of your senses robbed! He thought.

    A whistle-like howl emerged from the circr maw of the squid that was filled with razor-sharp teeth, pelting against his ears like a chime from hell; even with his ears being attacked so brutally, he pushed forward while wincing.

    Desperate, are we? It won''t work! He resolved.

    With one, final stomp into the ground, heunched himself with a powerful dash as he felt his entire skeleton being attacked by the assault of sound from thepromised squid.

    In his hands, the handle of his de was squeezed so fervently that his hands reignited with a fiery warmth; swinging his hips back, he flung them forth for an attack that left no effort spared.

    It''s time to turn into takoyaki---! He thought.

    "Dunkel: Slicer! Times Seven!" He yelled out.

    A single cleave of his de, once more.

    A single strike brought with it seven, malicious edges of darkness that diced right through the tentacle-bearing magician with ease.

    The ear-piercing whistling stopped without a trace, reced by fleeting stratifications that cut the sound from the wind momentarily.

    The flurry of strikes decimated the squid right before him as he managed to dash right past the position it stood as its body crumbled into a half-dozen pieces onto the snow.

    A moment had to be taken for the brutal finisher to be processed before the temple of ck flesh exploded onto the snow, raining down purple, oozing blood onto the once pure white.

    "...Phew," he released a tired breath.

    After taking a few breaths while watching the remains of the gargantuan squid crumble onto the snow like a desecrated building, he realized just how far the coldness of the snow had embedded itself into his flesh.

    "I''m going to get hypothermia at this rate...hopefully that building is warmer inside," he shuddered, sheathing his de as he began to move towards the stone structure.

    The only reason the cold didn''t overtake his body before was the adrenaline warming his body with the heat of battle, pumping blood rapidly through his veins that now calmed, allowing the frost to be felt in its entirety.

    What made it worse was the seeming impossibility of warmth: he had no further garments to wear, and creating a fire would make a herculean task in the current, wild storm of snow.

    I can hardly feel my fingers, toes, or nose anymore...just great, he thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though the only respite was that the hill-inhabiting, stone structure was now only a few minutes away.

    Trudging through the sea of snow, he climbed the rocky, natural staircase that led up the snow-carpeted, oversized rock. Beginning as a normal, almost relieving hike up rock-carved steps transformed into an arduous, rock climbing journey as it grew steeper and steeper.

    "Deep breaths, deep breaths''|" he told himself.

    Using his freezing, numb fingers as an anchor for the weight of his body was almost aical task from the frostenden hillside, but he had to oblige.

    Even the tiniestndslides of loose sediment falling against his hands and face made him flinch and quiver as his cold-sapped strength was tested.

    Clinging close to the side of the white-coated hillside, he found himself lucky by the amount of finger holds embedded into the natural formation, climbing up at a steady pace.

    "Hyup!"

    --He took a risk, lunging from his position that solely relied on the strength of his fingers and toes as he managed totch onto a protruding piece of the hill that was just out of reach previously.

    "...Gotcha!" He celebrated through a quick breath.

    Looking back momentarily, a cold, waking wind brushed against him as he realized the height he had reached without realizing.

    Though heights were hardly a problem in the realm of magic, it was still a primal feeling in his gut that churned enough to make him return his gaze up, and only up.

    His destination loomed over him; the mossy, yet frosted structure formed of gray, solemn stone was all that inhabited the singr hill that stood out in the snow-filled clearing.

    If it ends up being safe, it''ll make a good rest stop, he thought.

    Huffing through his lips, he summoned the strength in his body as he did his best to reserve his mana by omitting the usage of reinforcement. One movement after another; repetitions of him moving one leg to a spot higher, and one hand to a hold slightly higher. Monotonous and painful in the blistering cold, these repetitions had to be natural, otherwise he would have surrendered to the climb.

    "...Come on''|!" He gritted his teeth.

    Utilizing his only natural physical prowess, he reached the summit after what felt like an eternity of climbing, digging his fingernails past theyer of snow above and wing into the dirt below for stability.

    It was when the goal was reached that it seemed the hardest to end his rock-climbing adventure with onest pull of his weight, dragging himself onto the summit of the walled hill.

    "Phew...screw this ce," heid on his back while regaining his breath.

    Looking up, the abyssal sky almost looked ordinary as coalesced clouds of snow hung up above, looming over him.

    ...Alright. Let''s move--I''d prefer not to get frostbitten out here, he thought.

    Bringing himself back to his feet, he was face-to-face with the entrance of the enigmatic, stone tower; the entrance wasn''t secured by a door, but by a tunnel of melded trees that could only have been forcefully bent over to form such a way.

    The peculiarity of it made him stop for a moment; though it was an awe-striking sight, such things were dulled behind his sense of caution.

    Slowly walking into the tunnel walled by gray oak and frosty leaves, he moved carefully as the fallings of the trees crunched beneath his boots. It felt as if the moment he entered the new, ustrophobic scenery, the air shifted away from the gnawing cold to a more subtle, cool wind that breathed silently.

    Lightly, he knocked his knuckles against the melded oak that made up the tunnelway, feeling a sturdy response that resonated to him with rock-solid stability.

    Careful now...we know how Purgatory goes, he remembered.

    With that cautionary reminder to himself, he kept his hand stationed near the handle of his sheathed weapon while walking through the quiet, liminal tunnel of pale nature.

    Ahead of him, a door didn''t sit at the end of the tunnel, only leading directly into the innards of the enigmatic structure.

    As tiny, pale leaves glided over his head like snowkes, he approached the unsealed doorway, stepping into it before stopping to look around.

    The tired soles of his boots stood on the mossy stone as he felt a change in temperature.

    "It''s warmer, at least''|" He muttered

    It was a singr, mainly empty room shaped like a cylinder; only a few, cobweb-covered boxes alongside torn fabric resided on the stone floor--except for one other thing inhabiting the room.

    A staircase leading downward, shown only by the subtle light given from the flickering, orangentern clinging to the far wall.

    "....Talk about sketchy," he whispered to himself.

 Chapter 422 - Chamber Of Traps

    Looming over the less-than-weing staircase, he couldn''t see what it led to as shadows clung abundantly to the passageway below.

    I could probably just rest here...right? He thought.

    Looking around, it didn''t seem to be a bad ce to stop and rest, though it would hardly befortable. Sitting down with his back to the wall and his eyes on the entrance, he attempted to rx, but found himself restless at the existence of the stairway.

    It wasn''t exactly that he had a boundless, unquenchable curiosity pertaining to that stairway; it was that sitting there in silence resulted in his mind wandering,tching onto anything else it could find.

    Minutes passed of him simply trying not to think, but it was an impossible task to ask of his fractured mind. All of the bravado he forced from himself during his journey alone fell to ruin once he was finally allowed to sit in silence, alone with his thoughts.

    I still don''t get it, he thought, what the hell does ''Belmon'' want with me? Clearly, they expect something of me...but, what is it? I don''t know a damn thing...they can burn in hell, for all I care. I''d prefer that. It''s just...I can''t shake this feeling: a cold uneasiness causing my heart to beat as if I''m constantly afraid.

    What''s so special about me to them anyway? Why the hell would a cult want me?

    I don''t want to think about it right now...I just want to sleep. I can save those questions for after I make it out of here--with everyone.

    If he attempted to sit there with only the gently swaying mes of the litnterns filling his ears with a slight crisp, all he could think about were the dreadful memories etched so abhorrently into his mind as if carved by a wicked dagger through the grooves of his brain.

    Lamentation was all he could experience during stillness; if nothing else was felt, it was painful regret.

    "Iris��" He muttered to himself.

    Her smile was etched so deeply into his mind; the kindness, beauty, and serenity of it was enough to bring him to tears even as a memory.

    Even that pristine memory was tainted by the repulsive events of recent; attempting to remember her voice brought with it the gurgles of blood, and the crunching of bones. If anything, it served as fuel--an anger that constantly rekindled itself as his conviction was reinforced.

    I won''t let you be a memory. I promise, I''ll save you...I''ll save everyone, he promised, clenching the fabric over his right eye.

    More than anything, he remembered the haunting face of the Marquis responsible for it all--remembering the agony he suffered at his hands, all while listening to his harrowingughter.

    The restlessness manifested itself into an itch across his body that shifted into a bubbling heat radiating through his veins if he didn''t scratch. After indulging his itch, he found his chest bleeding as he was lost in his guing memories while fervently scratching.

    "...I''m a mess," he whispered to himself.

    Slumping his shoulders, all he could do was look up at the stone roof that was absent of a few bs, allowing for a gentle, light sprinkle of snow to find its way inside. He ced his hand over his covered eye, still experiencing a constant, slight ache, though it was nothingpared to the episodes of agony it spurred on randomly.

    Falling into slumber, he woke up every few minutes, umting only a sparse amount of sleep over the course of a few hours; only finding sce in those minimal sections of rest.

    Waking up again for the dozenth time, he yawned quietly, sitting still with his body wrapped as much as possible in his silver cloak, watching the faint amount of snow trickle down through the fractured roof.

    Alone in Purgatory again, huh? I guess it''s not too different from how I started, he thought, slumping his shoulders.

    Forcing his eyes shut, they popped open a few secondster as he huffed, walking back over to the stairway.

    "Dammit, there''s no way I can ignore this��" He muttered.

    Only the crackling of the toasty mes filled his ears with a slight ambience as he looked around briefly onest time before venturing into the depths below.

    Here goes nothing...hopefully, he thought.

    Swatting away the veil of cobwebs guarding the stairway, he began his descent--slowly and cautiously.

    The steps beneath his boots felt unstable; the mossy, damp stone seemed to sink just slightly beneath each slow step he took, resulting in small squelches of the mmy overgrowth beneath his soles.

    Does anybody take care of this ce?...Stupid question. It''s definitely abandoned...I hope, he thought.

    As he stepped down the lengthy, gloomy staircase that was filled with an aroma of stagnant, old air, he pushed low-hanging veils of overgrowth away from his path. The mixture of vines, leaves, and roots that seeped through the cracks of stone intrusively worked to obscure his vision as they acted like curtains.

    Continuing his slow stride in an attempt to maximize caution, his next step sunk into the stone b below unnaturally--resounding against his ears with a clear ''click.''

    "Huh?" He muttered.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed the gray square to his left open to reveal a false window.

    It was almost a moment toote; leaning back from pure reflex, he avoided the object thatunched from the trap door embedded into the wall.

    From how ustrophobic the narrow walls at either side of the dank stairway were, there was little time given to him to react in the first ce as he stood there for a moment out ofplete shock.

    "I''m...alive?" He muttered in surprise.

    In front of him, he saw the tricky weapon that attempted to take his life: a long, metallic spear that was now lodged into the right side of the staircase.

    It still hummed quietly as the metal wiggled lightly from its swift departure. There was no doubt in his mind that a hunk of sharpened steelunched so violently would have brought him to a premature end of his journey.

    What the hell? Why was there a trap here? He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking at the hole in the left wall that was now revealed, a dustden contraption inhabited the secretive spot, giving off small, used-up particles of mana.

    "Was it set by magic?" He asked himself in a whisper, inspecting it.

    --He wasn''t particrly knowledgeable when it came to engineering, preventing him from really figuring out how such a lethal trap existed.

    All he knew now was that whatever caution he carried himself with had to be multiplied several times over.

    Ducking beneath the spear, he continued traversing the creaking steps while keeping his eyes dead set on each and every square-inch of the stairs.

    This ce is rigged, that''s obvious now, but the question is...who set it up? Is it something Purgatory itself set up? Or is someone else using this ce? He questioned.

    That question lingering in his lead to further hesitation as he slowly descended the deadly stairs; after cautiously stepping down a few more steps, his eyes found the bottom of the shadowy, enclosed stairway.

    As if each step carried a bnce between life-and-death, he traversed the final few steps before reaching the floor made of smooth, moss-carpeted stone below.

    "That wasn''t so bad��" He let out a sigh of relief.

    --cing his hand on the edge of the stairway, his palm pressed against a loose section of stone that resounded with an eye-widening ''click.''

    "...Wha--?!" He let out in shock.

    He had yet to so much as get a glimpse at the area he found himself in yet before having to quickly decipher from what direction the activated trap came from.

    It was a barren corridor overtaken by such abundant overgrowth that it almost seemed to be a verdant tunnel rather than one of stone; only a sparse few, orangenterns hung from the walls like miniature chandeliers.

    From the unchanging appearance of the hall before his eyes, he deciphered in less than a second where the trap would spawn.

    Below! he thought.

    Spinning to the side, his deduction was proven violently correct as a spearunched from a false door below, propelling into the stone ceiling as sediment rained down from the harsh impact.

    "I''m alive...again," he breathed out.

    Clutching his chest as he regained his breath, he looked up at the silver spear that embedded itself into the verdant-coated ceiling.

    Just before he could take another step forward after catching his stolen breath, he was stopped abruptly.

    It was directly at level with his eye: an incredibly thin line running from the left wall to the right. Such a minuscule string could only be noticed because of the subtle shine it gave off,pletely stopping him in his tracks as he froze like a statue.

    "Close...way too close," he whispered to himself.

    Moving only his eye, he attempted to find whatever contraption bumping into the line would trigger, but the veil of moss made it impossible to see the fine details of the stone beneath.

    Ducking beneath the string, he moved past it beforeing to yet another stop.

    "...You have to be kidding me," he muttered in disbelief.

    It seemed almostical, but even more so--it was harrowing: like an impossible maze, dozens of lines ran from wall-to-wall, and ceiling-to-floor.

    But, more than that, he realized something after looking at the assortment of barely visible threads:

    It wasn''t meant to be passed through.

    Even the most flexible, world-ss acrobatic would be unable to pass through the barrier of strings, that much was painfully obvious.

    "I really don''t want to find out what touching these does, so I''ve got one option��" He breathed in-and-out.

    His eyes were set on therge, iron-d door that sat at the end of the enigmatic hall, aiming his eyes on the abundance of moss and roots that scaled over it.

    It''s weird to have to yell it out now...but I''m not taking any risks! He thought.

    Focusing himself as he stood on the tips of his toes with his entire body flexed, he was ready.

    "Dunkel: Shadow Step! Times Three!"

    Yelling it out, he flung himself through the shadows at a distance multiplied by a sessive use of the spell.

    Landing harshly against the broad, metal-reinforced threshold of therge set of doors, he smiled at the sess of his n.

    He looked back briefly at the army of strings thatid in the hall, still fearing that even the subtlest movement might still set off a string.

    "....Again, I''m alive," he celebrated wryly.

 Chapter 423 - Donovan, The Nebulous Man

    Facing forward, he was face-to-face with the root-covered metal door. His curiosity was piqued as he could see a glimpse of the engravings etched into the door; pushing the overgrowth aside, the symbol etched into the mighty dore was that of a bull''s face, with horns protruding from its head.

    "Sorta creepy," he muttered.

    The horns sticking out from the bull''s head acted as the handles for the sturdy door, allowing him to grip onto the cold, rough steel.

    Here goes, he thought, please don''t blow up right in my face as I open you!

    "Open Sesame��!" He exuded through his gritting teeth.

    It was heavy, but he began to push open the dense, broad doors slowly as a wave of stagnant dust fell against his face. The doors roared from their interrupted slumber as they were parted; he pushed as the bottoms of his boots slid across the flooring below.

    With one final push of strength through his arms, he fully parted the grand doorway as the room behind it was revealed to him.

    Or, more urately, the deadly trap awaiting him was revealed.

    Pointed directly between his eyes as a barrel of sorts, inhabiting a magenta glow that spiraled within the umber cylinder with a malicious hiss.

    It was a gun-like object, held in the hand of the enigmatic person stationed within that room.

    As he focused on the mystical barrel pointed right at his precious face, all he could see from the one holding it was the metallic mask they wore thatpletely shrouded their head-and-face; only a crimson glow emitted from the slit running down the middle of the silver helm.

    "Urr...nice weapon you have here," he said nervously.

    "State your name, species, age, and reason for being here," the masked-man asked in a monotone, but stern voice.

    Though his first instinct was to reject the request for such hefty information, he could tell there was utmost sincerity in the threat presented by the unknown, masked man.

    Holding his hands up, he answered fervently, "Ren Nakamura, human, urr...twenty-years-old, and I came here looking for shelter from the snow!"

    After finishing his flurry of an introduction, he remained silent and still for a moment, feeling his heart thump wildly in his chest.

    --To his surprise, the long-barreled weapon was lowered by the unknown man as he set the mystical tool onto the table to his side.

    "You''re not one of them," the man muttered beneath his breath.

    "Urr��" He muttered, confused by the inexplicable change in situation.

    Not one of them? One of who? He thought.

    Before he could figure out what the mysterious man meant, he was interrupted by a request from him.

    "Close the door behind you," the man told him.

    "Can do!" He happily obliged.

    After shutting therge doors that acted like immutable gates, he gazed at the man''s unorthodox garments.

    He wore a long, baggy coat simr to those aristocrats wore, made of dark-brown fabric and ented with beige designs. What made it weird was the seeminglyfortable, high-end coat being worn over a silver chestte in tandem with his hefty gauntlets and knight-like helm.

    Each movement the mysterious man made caused the ne around his neck to jingle, bouncing as he fiddled with his assortment of tools.

    Seriously, is itundry day for him? He thought.

    Finally having the opportunity to actually take a look at the room, it wasn''t any different in it being flooded by verdant overgrowth, but it seemed the man had taken his abode there.

    Tables were stationed, covered with a plethora of tools that made it quite obvious as to who set the traps that nearly took his life.

    "...So��" He lingered his word.

    "Donovan. That''s my name. That''s all you need to know about me. What''s more important is what''sing," the man told him without turning around to face him.

    The mysterious figure, without a shred of his appearance to be seen beneath his armor or helm, fiddled with the barreled-weapon, tightening screws and embedding tiny gems into the sides of its engraved, beige side.

    "Huh? "What''sing," what''re you talking about? And who am I ''not''? You said I wasn''t "one of them", didn''t you?" He asked, stepping beside the helmed man.

    Donovan continued to tinker with his weapon, taking his name before finally stopping to reply, "You sought refuge here, but I regret to inform you none shall be found here. Most likely, you''ll die here."

    From theck of nuance to his monotone words, their seriousness couldn''t be questioned as he felt a wave of cold air brush over his body as they met his ears.

    Narrowing his eyes on the helmet-wearing man that stood half a head taller than him, he pushed for more information, "Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what''sing!"

    Donovan looked at him with the absence of expression that his sleek mask created, holding his violet-luminescent, barreled tool up as if presenting it to him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...At the moment, I am being pursued by a group of three; all of which are vampires," Donovan finally told him.

    "Vampires? Like ''bite-your-neck-and-suck-your-blood''? Those vampires?" He asked with a slight look of disbelief, but more so horror.

    Donovan nodded, "Fiendish ones, at that. They already have my scent--once they have that, even attempting to mask it won''t work. Any minute now, I imagine they''ll arrive here."

    He stood there for a moment to process the information as Donovan casually strolled over to one of the tables, fiddling with enchanted tools that looked honed for murder.

    "Wait, why''re they hunting you?" He asked after staying silent.

    Donovan froze for a moment with his back turned to the young man before answering, "...There isn''t much of a reason needed to hunt another within this floor. There is enough incentive in reducing your time needed to survive here if you kill another. But more than that, they''re simply hungry--or perhaps ravenous is how to best describe them. I imagine it is quite difficult to find a stable supply of humans within Purgatory."

    He found himself quiet after this answer, realizing it was the hard truth of a ce like Purgatory: a realm that embodied the very concept of ''only the strong survive.''

    "...So what''re you''re saying is...I have no choice now but to help you fight off these vampires," he huffed.

    "Precisely," Donovan answered.

    Figures, he thought.

    Slumping his shoulders for a moment, he folded his arms over his chest as he kicked a pebble across the mossden floor while trying to find some further answers.

    "So...do you have garlic? Some wooden stakes, maybe?...Holy water?" He asked, looking around the plethora of contraptions stationed around the room.

    Donovan stopped for a moment, "What''re you talking about, I wonder? Perplexing. Anyway, you have silver at your side, don''t you? That''ll suffice, if you have the strength to back it up."

    After further silence inhabited the chamber while Donovan made his various preparations: stationing spear-cannons to face the door and attaching strings to them, the armor-wearing man was the first one to speak for a change.

    "Ren, was it?" Donovan called his name, "you managed to bypass the traps I set, didn''t you? I only noticed two by the stairs be triggered, but nothing further was disturbed."

    He held a bit of a confident smile as he tapped his own chest, "Yeah, that was me. I went through them with a ''Shadow Step.''"

    "I see. If you can maneuver through those, you''re unquestionably more fit forbat than me. I''ll leave the close-quarters battling to you, then," Donovan said with his voice that slightly echoed against his metallic mask.

    After receiving a single pat on the shoulder as the masked, coat-wearing man passed by him to tinker with another item, his expression shifted to surprise as he swiftly turned around.

    "Wait, wait, wait!"

    "Yes, what is it? I''d be focused on preparing for battle, if I were you," Donovan replied.

    "You''re leaving the vampires to me?! I''ve never fought one before! This is your mess, not mine, you know!" He exuded from his lips in contention.

    Without replying, only a brief sigh left from Donovan''s unseen lips before he turned to face the eye-patched young man, holding the brown-barreled weapon in his secured, gray gauntlets.

    "We''re in this together now by virtue of your choice toe down here," Donovan assured him, "I am unfit for physicalbat. However, don''t mistake that as me simply leaving you to fight them alone. I will give you support from the backline; that''s optimal for our victory in theing battle."

    No further words needed to be said--at least that''s what Donovan seemed to believe as he moved on, approaching the closed, tall-standing doors.

    He stood there silently as he watched Donovan reach into a liftedpartment attached to his meticulously-crafted gauntlet on his right hand, opened by a simple tap to the square of ck steel, retrieving a set of threads that extended from his metallic gloves.

    Like a spider weaving a web from its abdomen, the man stretched the thin threads from the hardly noticeablepartment of his gauntlet, flicking it around seamlessly as he attached an array of lines in front of the door. Only just enough space was left for them to be fully parted to allow for whoever may step through that door to find the sharp embrace of the threads.

    "What do those do? The threads, I mean," he asked.

    Donovan remained silent as he meticulouslyced the door with a web of the glistening strings before he stopped, cutting the end of the strings from his gauntlets to cement their cement.

    He found himself curious because it initially seemed the strings were meant to work as a trigger for a contraption, but here the man was simply using them as a defense of sorts.

    "..."Moon Anchors," that''s what they''re called in thend theye from: Derjun. In and that sparsely births mages, they had to adapt in order to survive against the all-powerful armies of mages that seemed to exist at every corner," Donovan told, "one such tool they developed were the ''Moon Anchors'', special threads borrowed from the spider deity of Derjun, Arachnaroane."

    With context given to the significance of the strings, he saw them in a new light, enamored by the glistening, mystical shine they gave off.

    "Hold on...spider deity? Tell me you''re joking," he asked worriedly.

    "They''re quite powerful; even steel is unable to withstand their immacte sharpness," Donovan continued on his own, presenting the threads.

    "Wait! Don''t just ignore this spider-god-thing!" He huffed, "...wait, you''re telling me those threads are straight out of some godly spider?"

    As he asked this, he inspected the threads closer, unable to even get a clear look at the shining material as the subtle brightness made it impossible to see its thin form.

 Chapter 424 - Vampire Rumble

    Donovan moved around the room, attaching small objects to the vacant slots on his seemingly custom-built gauntlets as he answered, "Not quite. I simply used a sample of authentic ''Moon Anchors'' to create my own version."

    "You would just have to create some pretty durable threads, right? Doesn''t sound too bad," he asked.

    The enigmatic man replied, "The sharpness and toughness of the threads are only one factor. What was truly pivotal was deciphering the true aspect of ''Moon Anchors''--their ability to weaken magecraft one cutting into someone."

    "Weaken magecraft? Is that possible to replicate?...that sounds like a godly ability, to me at least," he questioned, cing his hand against his chin.

    Donovan adjusted his coat after hiding magical utensils underneath their obscuring fabric, "It is possible. Anything is possible with wisdom, dedication, and science."

    By the urgency Donovan marched with after answering, he could tell something was up now as the man picked up his barreled-weapon.

    "They''re here."

    "Who? The vampires? How do you know that? I haven''t heard a thing," he asked.

    By the silence of Donovan as the man walked over to the right side of the room, fiddling with the loose, stone bricks that wereyered in miss, he knew what was said to be the truth.

    "...Hold on, you''ve encountered them before, right? Do you know how they fight? What kind of magic they use? Anything?" He asked.

    Donovan answered without turning, "Worry not, Sir Ren. You''re a third floorbatant, are you not? They''re strong, but if you''ve made it this far, you will not fall on this day. However...if you must know--I do not know what they''re capable of. But, if we''re going off of the capabilities of a vampire in general, then know that they possess vast physical capabilities and regenerative abilities."

    "Got it...what''re you doing?" He nodded before asking further.

    The armored man was running his hands over the wall before suddenly plucking a loose stone from its ce, revealing a hollow hole sitting behind.

    "A fool''s death would await us if we simply waited here with only a single, sealed entry point. Victory is earned by the diligent," Donovan answered.

    With another pull of the wall, the man crumbled the loose stone as the decayed bs broke once meeting the ground.

    The new,rge hole opened in the wall revealed a secret space that Donovan stepped into without any further word. All he held in his hand was the barreled, shining weapon as the crevice of his helmet shined with a sable glow.

    A rumble resounded through the entire structure, sending a tremor along the walls as dust rained down atop both men. It was clearer than ever that the enemy had arrived; a realization that forced him to swallow his doubts as he clenched his sword tightly.

    "What do you want me to do?! You''ve barely told me anything!" He asked urgently.

    Donovan turned back briefly, patting ayer of stone dust from his shoulder, "Wait. The battle wille to you, and victory wille to the patient."

    "What about you?" He asked.

    Donovan paused for a moment before answering, "I''ll nk the enemy and use the walls to my advantage. Worry not."

    Before he could even ask him for further details, the armor-wearing man disappeared into the false room, leaving him alone in the trap-filled chamber. Respite was at least found in the fact that this time, the traps were on his side.

    Standing there in silence, he realized just how tired he was--he had only earned a wink of sleep before being thrust right back into action.

    "This guy��" He sighed.

    Should I just make a run for it? He thought.

    ncing back at the wall behind him, the eroded, mmy stone that was flooded by nature looked easy enough to knock over with a single spell.

    I could st through and escape...I''d be back in the snow, but I think I''d rather take my chances with the cold than a group of blood-sucking vampires, he thought.

    Weighing his options he left out a perturbed sigh before ruffling his snowy locks, drawing his de from its sheath. Just the thought of holding his sword made him tired, but he learned a long time ago how to push through exhaustion.

    "Dammit, having a conscience is a real pain in the ass��" He huffed.

    Leaning the dull side against his shoulder, he kept his eyes diligently forward on the guarded door.

    I''m not doing it just out of the goodness of my heart, okay...if I help him out here, he''ll return the favor. Having allies is never a bad thing in Purgatory, he thought, and I''m for sure earning a full eight hours of sleep after this!

    Any such thoughts were concluded by an abrasive, body-stiffening thud that mmed against the heavyset doors.

    The force alone that shoved itself against the metallic doorway caused the entire structure to echo under the immense strength straining it. Gulping his fears and doubts down his throat, he intertwined his fingers with the blue-handle of Belus, holding forward.

    Here theye, he thought.

    All he could wonder is what part in this Donovan yed from positioning himself in such a weird area--but there wasn''t much freedom to ponder such things.

    Wait, hold on a second...they''re in front of the door already? Wasn''t there an entire assortment of threads in the corridor? How?! He wondered.

    "Open up!" A voice roared from behind the doors.

    By the sound of the rough,manding voice, it was surely a man--and a burly, frightening one at that.

    Wait, is this like in the movies how vampires can''t enter without being invited in?! Did I luck out?! He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    That momentary respite waspletely rejected as another m collided against the doors, busting them open as the metal cavedpletely from the force.

    He fellpletely frozen for a moment as the wind generated by the impact brushed against him, blowing his snowy locks as his hazel eye stayed wide.

    Stepping onto the threshold was the one responsible for the breaking of the door, stomping down with enough force that the stone cracked beneath his step.

    "Huh? It''s just a damn brat in here?" The man growled.

    As expected, the strength and voice matched his appearance as he stood tall enough to have to bend over to fit through the doorway; his physique apanied such harrowing height as his muscr, uncovered arms were as thick as tree trunks.

    Despite the frosty weather that inhabited the floor, the man wore a sleeveless, scruffy jacket that looked to barely fit over his massive pecs. The oak-brown jacket matched his hazel, bushy locks that hung down to his waist like an overwhelming mane.

    "Are ''ya with that creepy, helmet-bastard?" The gargantuan man asked with his scarlet eyes locked onto the young man.

    For pants, all he wore were trousers that were ripped and dirtied, with dirtden boots thatpleted the man''s rough aura ofcking any sense of properness.

    The man didn''t hold any seeming malice towards him, as if unchallenged by the snowy-haired young man''s presence. Stepping into the room, a single grasp of the corner caused the man''s grip to crush the stone that made up the wall as he approached the human. Every step taken resounded through the entire stone structure like a boulder mming down against the ground repeatedly.

    The threads ced in front of the entrance caught the man''s body, though he only smiled in glee at the challenge.

    Veins pressed against his bulging muscles as he stepped forward, tearing away the threads with seeming ease as he left out a joyful sigh.

    "Nice! Those were pretty strong!" Heplimented the torn threads.

    Is this real? He said those could carve right through steel...and he just walked right through them? I''m supposed to fight someone like this? He thought.

    It was impossible to coax a single word out of his mouth as he was face-to-face with the vampire who stood at twice his height, with legs that were the size of his body.

    An unmatched aura of a warrior is what emitted from the muscr man; though he looked to be youthful, in histe-twenties, his arms wereyered in hair as was the portion of his chest protruding from his strained jacket.

    Around his hulking biceps, he wore ck bands that almost seemed to constrict his bulging muscrity.

    "I-I''m��" He stammered out.

    "You''re?...C''mon, spit it out, brat," the man folded his arms across his burly chest.

    Before he could answer the surprisingly patient, brutish man, an explosion sounded out, echoing off of the mossy, stone walls as both he and the vampire were caught off-guard.

    A yell from within the bowels of the stone keep resounded---one that the giant man seemed to recognize as worry stered itself on his face.

    Donovan is engaging with one of the others?...That''s right, there were three! He remembered.

    "Crap! Vale!" He turned around.

    It was as if he didn''t even register the young man as an existing threat. As the burly vampire took a single, thundering step to go check on hispanion, he was stopped.

    Though he felt a sense of relief in the fact the man was going to spare him, something stood out more: his pride. Being so utterly ignored as if as insignificant as a bug, he felt the mes of battle roar within him.

    "Stop right there��!" Hemanded through his teeth.

    He gripped tightly onto the thick forearm of the man, stopping him from taking another step. In confusion, the messy-haired, scarlet-eyed man turned back.

    "Hey, brat--"

    --Before he could say anything further, his forearm was squeezed with such a grip that his bones began to crack. A temporary expression of shock and pain overtook the man''s expression, but it was quickly reced by joy.

    "So, ''ya want to fight?!" He smiled like a giddy child, "I don''t rmend it, brat."

    "Shut up, and fight me!"

    He confirmed his intentions as he jumped up,nding his knee directly against therge vampire''s nose, all the while he maintained his hold on the man''s forearm.

    Shaking off the blow, the hairy, tan-skinned manughed as a bit of blood dripped from his nostrils.

    "Not bad, brat! What''s ''yer name?" He asked.

    It was worrying to see his opponent smile and continue talking after receiving a full-strength knee directly to the bridge of his nose, but he obliged.

    "Ren," he answered.

    The man smiled ear-to-ear as he stood uppletely straight, escaping from the young man''s grip as his forearm muscle flexed with enough strength to do so.

    "...Ren? You''ve got balls on ''ya, brat. I''ll recognize ''ya as an opponent! I''m Leonid! Nice to ''meetcha!....Now die!"

 Chapter 425 - Leonid, The Brutal

    Without any hesitation, Leonid roared out in joy as he stomped his boot against the ground, shattering the stone like ss as fractured pebbles flew around like bullets from the sheer impact.

    Like a steel beam swinging towards him, he ducked beneath the attempted clotheslining Leonid attempted to crush his throat with, having to slide against the shattered ground.

    This time he witnessed first-hand the strength iid in Leonid''s body, experiencing a shift in air pressure as his ears popped from the sheer power behind the simple movement.

    This is totally not fair...Wait, did Donovan set all of this up because he knew this big guy wasing--so he left it to me?! He thought.

    Standing up as he found himself looking upon the man''s back, he struggled to return air to his lungs.

    After taking in a breath, he dashed forth with his de already swung--shing it towards the man who swiftly turned around, guarding it with his hairy forearm.

    "--Huh?" He gasped.

    It was apletely unorthodox move; blocking sharp, refined steel with one''s own flesh was nothing short of madness.

    But Leonid was an exception to the rule, standing there with a bright smile as the silver was shakily pressed against his arm, having only dug a small, surface-level cut into his skin.

    "Really? C''mon, Ren! ''Was better when ''ya used ''yer knee!" Leonid roared.

    With a single movement of his arm, he tossed the young man back with little effort, causing him to slide his soles against the stone to stop himself. Tucking his de back into his sheath, he followed the rough advice of his foe as he raised his fists.

    I can''tpete with him in a battle of strength. I''ll have to rely on what you taught me, Fai��! He thought.

    "Bring it! C''mon!" Leonid coaxed with a rough roar.

    Stomping like a lumbering giant formed of flesh, the man swung his arms around without any elegance, using them as nothing more than bludgeoning tools while he evaded them as his very life depended on it.

    It was bing crystal clear that his halved vision resulted in difficulty in maintaining his prior finesse, but he managed through sheer grit.

    If one of those connects with my head, I''m done��! He thought.

    Slipping by a passing fist that hurled by like a cannonball, he grabbed onto the muscr wrist belonging to the vampire brawler, using the man''s weight and momentum against him as he flung him over his shoulder.

    "Hraaaa---!" He yelled out.

    Even using the technique birthed to counterrger opponents, he still strained himself in doing so as he mmed the mangy giant onto the ground below, cratering the helpless stone beneath the impact.

    "Grrhh��!" Leonid grunted as his weight dropped harshly.

    He stood there for a moment, huffing as he looked down at the opponent he leftying in the crater formed in the verdantyered stone.

    Suddenly, Leonid''s pearly-white smile returned as he spoke, "Hey, Brat, ''ya made one mistake just now! ''Wanna know what that is?"

    "Huh?"

    Before he could react, the brutish man grabbed him by the ankle, standing himself up wlessly as he dragged the young man to the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "...''Ya didn''t follow up ''yer attack while I was down, ''ya rookie!"

    --As he roared out, Leonid spun around to gain momentum before tossing the snowy-haired adolescent like a baseball, crashing him against the back wall as the loose stone shattered without much resistance.

    Immediately, he recognized the cold, frosty wind against his back while dazed from the harsh impact.

    What��? I''m...outside? He thought, faintly.

    All he could see in front of him from his blurry gaze was the hairy, gargantuan sentinel of muscle and violence hop through the hole in the wall, or rather thepletely opened side of the tower.

    "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Leonidughed with pure joy in the heat of battle.

    They fell through the snow-filled air in tandem; only the echoing, thunderousughter of the vampire brought him back into focus before hended atop the sea of snow.

    Barely sticking his ownnding, he looked up just as the massive mannded firmly on the snow with an impact that kicked up a wave of snow, caking his wide smile with an icy breeze.

    "You''re crazy, you know that?" He said wryly, coughing up the dust he inhaled after being mmed through the wall.

    Leonid onlyughed with his joyful roar that caused the ground to vibrate slightly, "I''ll take that as apliment! ''Yer pretty durable, I''ll give ''ya that. But, ''ya won''tst a minute once I get serious."

    As he stood there, regaining his breath, he watched as the temple of muscle that was his opponent wed into his own jacket before tearing it away. The shredded pieces of fabric were carried off into the wind as the man stood with his bare torso, seeming unbothered by the extreme cold.

    They have the same aura. Him and Rengoku are like kindred spirits; that all-powerful, force of nature-like strength thatpletely does away with conventional fighting, he thought.

    Waiting as Leonid marched towards him while taking his time with each smiling stride, he focused himself, rxing his throbbing body.

    Even if I can''t turn this into a contest of strength, I''ll need to use full-power reinforcement just to keep up. I''ll focus on redirection and using his own power against him...hopefully it''ll work, he thought.

    Shrouding his entire body in a dense amplification, he readied himself--a moment toote.

    Against his raised arms, the hulking arm of the vampire was already mmed against his guard with speed he couldn''t even react to.

    "Ha-ha-ha! Let''s get this party started!" Leonid proimed.

    It felt like a train ramming against him without hindrance, dragging the bottom of his boots along the snow harshly before being promptlyunched backward.

    ...My eye. I couldn''t see it because of my vision...shit! He realized.

    A feeling of pure, helpless weightlessness before overwhelming strength radiated through his feathery body in that short, but elongated moment.

    Holy---! He thought.

    The release of theriat sounded off like an explosion as Leonid''s hulking arm acted like an immutable whip to the air, cracking it brutally.

 Chapter 426 - Gargantuan Power

    While in the midst of flying back through the air, he regained hisposure, summoning his strength as he willed himself forward.

    ...Shadow Step! He thought.

    Stopping his backward momentum, he dashed through the shadows, managing to catch the rough man off of his guard by his sudden reappearance.

    Without a moment of hesitation, he dropped down to swing himself, curving a sharp kick to take out the vampire''s legs.

    "Wah--!" Leonid let out.

    Falling into his rear with a thud onto the soft snow, Leonid held a surprised look as he sat there for a moment.

    A moment was all he needed, using another step into the shadows to disappear before the scarlet eyes of the brutish vampire. Reappearing directly behind the fallen vampire of a light-brownplexion, he took advantage of hispromised position.

    I''ll get nowhere in a punch-out, so��! He thought.

    Around the girthy neck of his foe, he wrapped his arms tightly before securing the grip by bringing his legs around the man''s waist topletely lock his position.

    "What the--?! ''Yer a slippery one!" Leonid roared out.

    Coming to his senses, the abrasive, bristly-haired man stood up as if there wasn''t an entire young man clinging to his back, frantically turning side-to-side in an attempt to look at the snowy-haired foe of his.

    "Hey! What''re ''ya doin'' back there?!" He shouted.

    He didn''t answer with a single word, only focusing on tightening his hold around the man''s neck as tightly as possible; squeezing with all of his strength, his one goal was to rid the vampire of blood traveling to the brain.

    Fai called this one the ''Rear-Naked Spider Choke'', a technique for taking outrger, stronger opponents by stopping their blood from flowing to their head! He thought.

    The clench he held ferventlypressed around the sides of Leonid''s bulging, veiny neck that became strained, beginning to cause the giant to choke out.

    Leonid gripped onto the arms stationed around his neck, alleviating the hold just slightly from a tug.

    "...I see how it is. He-he��''yer a proper fight after all!" Leonid spoke hoarsely.

    It was now a battle of attrition; Leonid gripped fervently onto the young man''s arms, contesting his old. Though the difference in strength wasn''t wide enough for the vampire-born man to pry his way out, his resistance was enough of a weapon.

    As Leonid pulled on his arms, he gritted his teeth as he struggled with all of his might to keep them locked in ce, squeezing either side of the vampire''s neck.

    He needed to oust the persistent, vigorous man while his hold was tested, and Leonid needed to ovee the hold before he would pass out from his constricted blood flow.

    Simply, it was a contest of who would give in first.

    --However, that would only be the case normally.

    Leonid was anything but the standard.

    "...''Yer fun, brat. But, little tricks like this are meaningless before overwhelming power!"

    The entirety of the man''s body bulkened, taking a red, strainedplexion as his vascrity peaked.

    With his arms wrapped around Leonid''s neck, he sensed the sudden warmth that radiated from his skin, quickly bubbling into a fiery heat.

    Then he heard it.

    Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

    It was the heartbeat belonging to the vampire, growing not only in rapidity but volume as it resonated wildly.

    Immediately, a change in the grip that wrapped around his arms was experienced; the fingertips of the rough, giant man clenching with strength that was felt against the marrow of his bones with an immense pressure.

    This strength! He thought.

    "Ha-ha-ha!" Leonidughed boomingly.

    With ease, the bulkened vampire pried the young man''s arms from his neck before mming him down against the in of snow.

    Even against the soft, cushiony nket of cold white, he found all of the air in his lungs vanishing as his entire body ached from the sheer force of the m. There was no bounciness to the snow, yet his body bounced from the ground harshly.

    "...What the hell is that?"

    It was right at that moment that his covered, foreign right-eye began to pulsate with a ming pain once more, causing him to quickly cover it as he tried to hide the pain.

    "Confused, are ''ya? Feast your eyes!" Leonid roared.

    Hisughter was bolstered by the monotonous, audible beating of his heart as his veins seemed to pulsate beneath his reddenedplexion.

    Aplete shift in aura emitted from therge, bristly-haired vampire as he touted his new, bulkened form.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He''spletely different...this is a whole nother level, he thought.

    "...''Crimson System'', it''s a technique passed down to the Razrushitel n''s most gifted warriors. It lets me elerate my heart rate, pumping my blood with the vigor of one-thousand Razrushitel warriors!" Leonid exined, pping his bare chest.

    "Razrushitel��?" He asked, finding his footing on the snow.

    Wait, then did he increase his blood flow in order to prevent passing out from my chokehold? Man, that''s unlucky, he thought.

    He tried to draw out a conversation while allowing the sharp pain embedded in his eye settle down.

    As he looked at the burly vampire, steam emitted from the man''s body as the cold air carried by the snowy tide pushed forth.

    Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

    The resonance of his elerated heart continued to beat like a drum, sending a hum through the coating of snow they both stood on.

    Okay, I think it''s fine now, he thought.

    Taking in a deep breath, he exhaled slowly a misty breath as he looked forward.

    It sounded ridiculous to him; the strain of increasing one''s heart to such a degree that it could be heard audibly would surely be fatal. However, he found the clear w in his thinking.

    He''s a vampire; it''s safe to assume he''s just built a bit differently than the rest of us, he thought.

    Leonid cracked his neck side-to-side with a viscous smile, "The Razrushitel are the most feared n in Vellochia kingdom, the homnd of vampires! We raid, we hunt, we kill--our prey are the weaklings of our race! Vampire blood: that''s the good stuff!"

    No further dy came; Leonidunched from his position with a speed that caused him to momentarily feel his feet sink against the ground like lead.

    It was fear.

    Such brutal, unstoppable strength hurling towards him with a beaming smile apanying his boundless bloodlust--he only found himselfposed at the very moment he had.

    Snap out of it, Ren! It''s do-or-die! Stop talking so damn big if you can''t back it up with your very next step forward, you arrogant piece of shit! Win...Win! For them! He reprimanded himself.

    Stomping forward, he reared his fist back, preparing to meet the giant fist of the steaming, reddened vampire head-on.

    "That''s the way, brat!" Leonid yelled out in joy.

    Though just as they were about to collide, both bringing their boots down into the snow with a resounding thunderp--he ducked beneath the hurling, mountainous fist.

    Idiot, of course I won''t challenge you in a bout of strength! He thought.

    It was something that both Brahmi and Fai drilled into him during his training: the importance of stomping one''s foot.

    Bringing the sole of his foot down to the world below, he borrowed the strength of the ground beneath as he ducked down before lunging his palm up directly towards the vampire''s unsuspecting chin.

    With a swift, sharp motion, he brought the base of his palm directly against Leonid''s chin with enough force to generate a thunderp that spiraled the surrounding frost.

    "Gruhhh--!" Leonid spit out.

    The vampire''s head was forced to an upward tilt as his mouth was forced violently shut by the impact.

    Leonid stumbled back after receiving the unseen blow, shaking his head as a bit of drool coated his bottom lip from his temporary daze.

    Holding his head, the vampire grinned wryly, chuckling, "Was a helluva blow ''ya just gave me, brat...no, Ren."

    He had yet to move from his position postunching his counterattack, slowly lowering his palm that pointed towards the abyssal sky as he straightened himself out with a slight smile.

    Despite all odds, hended a meaningful blow; even if it didn''t secure the victory, there was meaning in confirming the foe could be hurt.

    "I''ve got more where that came from," he muttered, issuing a challenge.

    The frost no longer held him in its abrasive embrace; the stiffness in his limbs vanished as he briefly shook them, letting out a misty breath between his lips as he eyed down his vampiric foe.

    Even now, it was a terrible sight; the hulking, battle-loving man that smiled in utter joy at the prospect of a fight. He had no ce in the serene frost, standing there as a red-skinned devil with his malice emitting from him in a hot air from his burdenedplexion.

    Without warning, the brutish vampire set off into thunderingughter as heunched his fists against the air repeatedly, in quick session.

    He recognized instantly what wasing: utilizing his seemingly boundless strength, Leonid hit the air to release massive volleys of viscous air pressure, howling towards the young man.

    In an effort to evade the shrieking sts of wind, he flipped himself while running, having to leap to avoid the booming shock waves that shoveled through the tform of snow.

    Each time the wind sted from Leonid''s fist passed by, it yelled into his ear like a de being jammed into his head.

 Chapter 427 - Beyond The Threshold Of Innocence

    Sprinting in a circle to avoid the repeated air-sts, he circled around before dashing towards Leonid''s blindspot.

    Leaping into the air, he spun into an axe kick that aimed his heel directly above the head of the gleeful vampire.

    Before it could reach, the towering vampire drew in a breath sorge that his chest puffed out like a balloon.

    Somehow, as out there of a move as it was, he recognized what it was the man intended to do at the veryst moment. It was toote to move his hands to his ears, but he focused his reinforcement around them for protection from sound.

    "AAAAAAAAA---!"

    Like a hellish, ogrish banshee, Leonid let out a howl that sent a tremor through the sea of snow, vibrating it aggressively as a shock wave released from the abrasive yell, knocking the young man back.

    Talk about unorthodox! he thought.

    Landing on his feet after flipping his body back, he caught his breath before returning his gaze up.

    This is it. This is what I have to ovee if I want to save them. Right here, right now--I have to win. It doesn''t matter if it''s clean or dirty, exciting or dull...win.

    That''s all I need to do. That''s my burden: win and survive. Even if it hurts, even if you want to cry, that''s not a privilege I have right now.

    Even if I have to do things I can''te back from, He thought.

    By the nce they both shared; the vigorous vampire, smiling in glee, and the white-haired human, holding an indifferent look of resolve--it was a look that had them both ept that the next sh would spell the end of the battle.

    This time, he drew his de once more before shrouding it in abundant mana.

    "Good, good! Show me, Ren! Show me a battle worth dying for!" Leonid grinned.

    "If you''re that impatient to die, then I''m right here," he responded.

    Taking their stances, they both stood still for a gnawing moment as winds of snow pushed by. At the faintest increase in wind, they both dashed forward with their utmost speed.

    Spurring on an unseen spell, his de was coated in unstable, howling shadows that vibrantly clung to his silver steel.

    "Araphel: Dead Man''s--"

    --However, before he could unleash the magecraft as he neared the smiling brawler, a yell came.

    "Stop---!"

    It was a feminine voice, one that immediately brought Leonid''s battle-lusted expression into surprise as he haltedpletely, digging his heels into the snow to brake.

    The moment he came to a full stop, his heartbeat settled as his bolstered muscles deted back to their normal, still-gargantuan form with hisplexion shifting back to a sweatden, light brown.

    "Vale?!" Leonid called out as he turned towards the voice.

    He stopped as well, turning his eyes up towards the gaping hole in the side of the tower overlooking the field of snow.

    It was a girl that looked to be around his age; pale as the snow with light, blonde locks sat on her shoulders in curls.

    Unlike Leonid, she dressed properly, almostvishly, in fact. It seemed the cold didn''t affect her either though as she wore a verdant skirt that stopped just short of her knees, with a matching, fur-lined cloak that was ented by brown-and-gold designs.

    Though she bore the signature, scarlet eyes of a vampire just as Leonid, they glistened with a certain benevolence.

    That look in her eyes; the condemnation of violence--a natural kindness that felt familiar to him.

    "Iris��" He muttered.

    "Huh? Who''s Iris?" The youthful girl called out from atop the structure.

    It took him byplete surprise that his whisper was heard as an embarrassed hue took over his cheeks, shaking his head a bit.

    She heard me? Who is this girl, anyway? Wasn''t Donovan supposed to handle the other two��? He thought.

    Vale ced one hand on her side before pointing directly at Leonid, "Stop fighting the human!"

    The giant, long-haired man gasped as if distraught, "What?! Why should I?!"

    All he could do was stand there in confusion as the two vampires held their conversation between one another, feeling the tension of battle that burned through his veins settle down.

    The youthful girl huffed before leaning forward to bolster her words, "Isn''t it obvious? Donovan manipted him into helping! He''s a victim, too!"

    "Victim? What''re you talking about?" He finally interjected.

    As he finally spoke up, Vale stopped before hopping down from the structure without much trouble, getting closer to him as her eyes looked him up-and-down, seeming to inspect him before answering.

    "That guy you think is an ally is a real bad apple," she answered.

    It was difficult to maintain hisposure when on the receiving end of her glistening, scarlet eyes that seemed to read his soul, but he held his ground.

    Even though he registered the vampires as enemies just a minute ago, for some reason there was no malice he could feel emanating from either one.

    "...''Bad apple''...what do you mean? He told me you were hunting him for sustenance," he replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking up towards the building as something caught his eye, he witnessed what looked to be the third of the group, hoisting with him a beaten-and-battered Donovan.

    "Donovan!" He yelled out.

    Before he could take a step forward in an attempt to assist the masked-man, he was stopped as Vale ced her hand on his chest to halt him.

    "We''re not your enemy. He is," Vale told him before looking back, "Armen, bring him over here."

    She''s awfully bossy, he thought.

    The third vampire of the trio carried the armored man down as his flowing, silver locks danced with the cold wind. Of all of the three, he stood out to the young man as the most fitting image of a vampire: gloomily dressed in a sable, tail-coated suit with a red cor with matching trousers and old, wisened eyes, though youthful in appearance.

    Donovan was dropped in front of him, falling onto the snow as the group surrounded him while Vale kept her eyes on the snowy-haired adolescent.

    "He told you we were after him to satiate our hunger, did he? That''s a lie. We were specifically looking for him because he killed one of our own in cold-blood," Vale said.

    By the way she spoke, her tone and words didn''t seem to match her young appearance as a wisened look inhabited her pale expression.

    Hearing this, he turned his eyes down to Donovan, who remained silent as he sat on his knees in the bitter snow.

    "Why��?" He asked.

    It was the slender, silver-haired vampire who spoke up, "For ''research''...that''s why he killed a child. All to fuel his boundless greed. Mayrie...she was a happy child; kind and selfless, and he took advantage of that to lure her."

    Anger fumed from Armen as he spoke, looking down in contempt with his scarlet eyes at the masked man. It was the same for Leonid, who cracked hisrge knuckles as if prepared toy them down on the masked man.

    "A child?..." He repeated what he heard.

    Vale nodded her head, "We''ve been after him for a while. He''s an infamous criminal who''s subjected countless helpless victims to his sick experiments. It would''ve been no different for you, if you stuck around him. Eventually, he''d make you his next victim."

    As he looked down at Donovan, the silence from the man only confirmed the abhorrent allegations that were melded into reality.

    "A vile creature. He ventured into Vellochia without permission, and took my niece. This isn''t about humans versus vampires, young one. This is about recognizing someone unfit for this world," Armen said.

    "He''s sick and depraved. Someone like him...he''s a danger to vampires and humans, alike," Vale added.

    ...I was manipted. Again, he thought.

    Standing there, only the whispers of the frosty wind persisted as they stood around the malevolent schr.

    For some reason, he remembered; the golden locks of the girl he first met in this world--the one who lured him with mystery and assuring words--the one who betrayed him.

    It was that rememberance that let his blood boil.

    Vale looked up at him once more, keeping her arms folded across her chest, "You understand now, don''t you? He has to be removed. For the things he''s done, for the things he will do��"

    "Yeah," he nodded without a shift in expression.

    An irrational judgment was made in his mind: "if he nned to manipte, betray, and eventually kill me, that''s as good as killing them. If I die, I can''t save them. He intended to hurt Iris," it was thin reasoning at best, but he believed it.

    "You can look away. Armen, you--" Vale began to say.

    --Interjecting her words, it was the snowy-haired human who stepped forward to each of their surprise, holding his azure-handled sword in hand.

    "I''ll do it."

    As he approached, Donovan continued his vow of utter silence, as if epting the fate that had found him.

    Armen halted before he could draw the ck-steel rapier at his side, looking at the young man that stepped forward as his sable tail-coat fluttered in the cold.

    It was that dark impulse inside of him; an instinct that took over, guiding his step as his mindforted in the decision he had already decided upon.

    He has to die. If he isn''t stopped here, he''ll continue to hurt others, he thought.

    It felt as if he marched across a stretch of eternity, traversing a limbo that continuously asked him if this was the path he wished to talk.

    To save everyone, I have to have the strength to make this choice. I can''tment the person I''ll be--I can''t. No...I can''tment the person I''ll leave behind. Meinhard, I can''t be Ren you saved. That person...is too weak, he thought.

    "Do it."

    The words that left Donovan removed him from his moment of questioning, resulting in him now standing just before the knelt, monstrous human.

    He remained silent, standing there with his de held firmly as droplets of snow danced around the biome of quiet white.

    "Hesitance is poison. If you walk with such burdened shoulders, then you''ll learn that. Or perhaps you already have," Donovan spoke calmly, "it''s a cruel world, and an even crueler destiny for the one that walks with a heart that loves. If you can discard that love, then you''ll have a heart you can trust, above all else. Remember that, Ren."

    All his words built were contempt; in that moment, all Ren Nakamura felt was a burning anger--one fueled by the past, and the desired future.

    Without any further hesitation, his silver was cast against the neck of the knelt man. Through the snowy wind it sliced, parting the masked man''s head from his shoulders in one, clean movement of his de.

    In that action, he crossed a threshold that one cannot return from.

 Chapter 428 - A Day After Crossing

    A look of surprise took hold of the eyes of each of the vampires who spectated the merciless action.

    A fountain of bubbling blood flowed from the open cavity of the headless man''s neck as his body lifelessly fell forward onto the abrasive white.

    "He was a danger to us all, right? That''s what you said...For the ones I have to protect, he can''t live. Right?" he said, swiping the fresh crimson from his blood as it painted the snow.

    Standing quietly, he froze for a minute, attempting to process the actions he just took even as words left his lips.

    Blinking, it felt as if he just snapped out of a trance--attempting to allow his brain to adjust to what just happened.

    He squinted a bit at the repulsive sight as he returned his de to his sheath. For a moment, the three of vampire blood stood in silence before looking at him.

    "Damn, ''ya got ''im good," Leonid muttered as he ruffled his bristly locks.

    Armen knelt down as if confirming the death of the man, though such confirmation didn''t seem necessary by the state of his body.

    Looking at him, Vale remained silent as her crystalline, scarlet eyes seemed to try and read him, only speaking after their eyes met.

    "I see. You''re able to make that choice then: one to take one''s life," Valemented.

    "...I did what had to be done, right? Right?" He looked at her as his words left his cooled lips.

    For a brief moment, Vale remained silent before nodding her head, "It was the right choice. But, you didn''t need to do it."

    "Why?" He asked.

    "You still have life in your eyes. Or rather, your eyes still hold purity in them. That''s why I knew with one look that you weren''t a truepanion of his...you weren''t devoid of emotion," Vale said with her fingers close to her lips, "...was I mistaken in that assessment? I can''t tell which side of the threshold you stand on now, young one."

    Ignoring her question, he felt his entire body shake after what he had just done finally sunk in.

    It took a minute to settle in, but for some reason he just realized it.

    It didn''t feel voluntary; his body moved on its own to aplish what felt like the instinctual, optimal choice.

    What did I do? He asked himself.

    Looking down at his hands, they were painted in fresh, still warm blood.

    ...Why did I do that? Huh? He thought.

    All that he could hear was the running of flowing blood, listening as if it was urring right beside his ear as it flowed and flowed. Such an intrusive, abhorrent ambience filled him with disgust as he stood still, beginning to huff.

    Grabbing his own wrist, he attempted to take hold of his trembling fingers, but he couldn''t stop it.

    Immediately, a sickness set into his stomach as he covered his mouth--the sight of blood dying the once pure snow invited unwee memories. The sight, the smells, the taste of death; he remembered it vividly as he fell to his knees.

    No, no, no...this is wrong, it''s wed--terrible. I''m not that kind of person. I...I don''t kill just because it might be the path of least resistance. Why did I do that��?

    It wasn''t to protect anyone. I was angry. I was furious...so I swung my de. I made a choice--a choice that wasn''t mine to make.

    Iris wouldn''t want this...she wouldn''t want to be saved by a Ren who isn''t even Ren anymore! He thought.

    Releasing onto the snow his sickness, he looked at the tainted frost as Vale knelt beside him.

    "...I don''t know. I don''t know what the right path is��! I don''t have a single damn clue what''s right��!" He strained his words from his throat as he gripped the snow beneath him.

    Broken.

    Shattered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fractured.

    Conflicting.

    Inside of him, it felt as if two halves were being tugged on, each trying to overtake the other and cement the person he was. Two, conflicting, opposite paths that wanted to do away with the other entirely. It was a battle that left his mind fractured and without unison.

    It felt like his brain was pulling itself apart at the seams, unable to process what he truly felt was the correct way.

    The gentle hand of the mysterious, youthful seeming girl caressed his back as she looked at him.

    "Hold onto that. That disgust of what you''ve just done. Never be indifferent to taking a life. But don''tment it; remember what you''ve saved by acting. Just be able to swing your de when it needs to be swung," Vale spoke softly to him, "now, young one--rest."

    Listening to the gently spoken words that fell to his ears like a luby, all of his pent up exhaustion finally hit his boiling point.

    With fading, swaying vision, he fell face first into the cold snow as his consciousness fell into a state of much needed rest.

    I''m not there yet. I''m...I''m not a killer.

    It''s just not in my blood, is it��?

    But if that''s the case...then what does Belmon want with me? He thought.

    Even if he stepped over the threshold, he kept one foot left on the other side.

    Not fully, not yet at least, he hadn''t lost himself.

    Parting his eyelids, the soft whispers of a lit me met his barely waking ears. What first met his hazy vision was the gentle light emitting from the orange fire; blinking slowly, he sat up.

    "Ngh��" He groaned.

    His head throbbed wildly, but caressing it with his hand seemed to dull the pain somewhat as he found his back pressed up against the rough back of a tree.

    "Evening," a voice greeted.

    The sudden presence startled him into full consciousness.

    Sitting across from him was the silver-haired, pale-skinned man from earlier, cleaning his thin-ded weapon casually.

    There wasn''t anyone else sitting around the campfire, just him and the quiet man.

    "...Evening," he hesitantly greeted.

    All his eyes could fixate on was the shining, pointy silver weapon the vampire quietly held, running the handkerchief over its immacte steel.

    "Vale used a sleeping spell on you. You were beginning to break down, so she spared you from losing it further," Armen told him.

    It seemed as if the stone-faced, pale man read his mind by the way he exined the situation without needing prompting.

    "Oh...I see," he replied.

    After seeming to finish cleaning his rapier, Armen returned it to the thin sheath stationed at the hip of his lengthy, sable coat.

    Armen brought his scarlet eyes up to the young man, resting his chin on his ck-gloved hands. It seemed the noble-faced man with illustrious locks wasn''t much for conversation as he simply sat there silently, staring at him with those inhuman, scarlet eyes.

    Around them, the grey-skinned trees sat around like listening walls that somehow added an air offort in their tall, obscuring form.. It seemed the era of frost had passed as the grassid verdant once more like an empty spring.

 Chapter 429 - Supper With The Three

    He averted his gaze slightly, rubbing the back of his neck, "...So, where are those other two? Urr...Vale and the big guy, I mean. And...why did you take care of me?"

    Armen replied swiftly with his emotionless tone, "They''re scouting the area for food. And, is it not obvious why one would be saved from being left unconscious in the cold snow?"

    "Food��?" He repeated.

    In his mind, there was only one thing ''food'' could be referring to when speaking to one of vampiric essence.

    Don''t tell me...He thought.

    "Yes, I imagine you''re quite hungry yourself, and the same could be said for us. I spent a bit too much energy taking down that fiend," Armen answered, clenching his hand shut as the leather of his glove creaked.

    The words from the stoic vampire left him slightly relieved as he breathed out the breath stuck in his lungs.

    "So...not humans?" He asked hesitantly.

    Armen raised one of his silver eyebrows, "Humans?...Ah, that''s right. You''re an otherworlder, aren''t you?"

    It was out of nowhere, and he knew for sure he didn''t disclose such information, only giving his name to the burly vampire previously.

    How does he��? He thought.

    "Wait, how do you...I mean, what makes you think that?" He asked out of surprise.

    "Your scent," Armen answered.

    "My scent��?" He repeated quietly.

    Looking down, he grabbed his cloak before bringing it below his nostrils for a quick whiff--not gathering much evidence from the musky, unwashed fabric.

    I guess it does smell kinda bad now, doesn''t it? But how does that equate to me being an otherworlder? He thought.

    "Not that. The air of ignorance around you, and the aroma of a world distant from Gaia. It is quite unique and potent; there isn''t any way around it--you''re an otherworlder, no doubt," Armen told him.

    "...I see. No point in trying to hide in, then," he said with a sigh," but what''s me being an otherworlder have to do with my question?"

    Armen squinted slightly at him, taking a moment to respond, "Otherworlders are known to be fearful of vampires because of their status in their world. "Fiends that feast on human blood", "cold-blooded man-hunters"...those types of things, right?"

    As he was on the receiving end of those discerning, scarlet eyes, he had no choice but to reluctantly nod as what he said wasn''t incorrect.

    "It''s different here?...I mean, your group seems nice, but I just thought you were a standout bunch."

    "In general, we like to stay within our homnd, Vellochia. That makes interactions between humans and vampires sparse, as you might expect. So clearly...we do not require human blood as sustenance, you see. Animal blood works fine, and normal food is still nutritional, but blood is what replenishes our mana," Armen exined.

    He seems awfully open now, he thought.

    Retrieving something from beneath his coat as he momentarily revealed his beige undershirt, the silver-haired vampire retrieved a yellow-skinned, square-shaped fruit.

    He watched the man grip it before snapping the yellow fruit in half, revealing the juiciness held within its core before suddenly tossing one half to the young man.

    "Ahh--thanks," he said as he caught the fruit.

    Inspecting the mysterious, weirdly-shaped food, he looked back up to watch as Armen took a bite from the sulent item, chewing and swallowing it.

    I guess vampires in this world can eat normal food, huh? He thought.

    Taking a bite out of it for himself, he found a single chomp to release a waterfall of juices into his mouth--something much needed to solve the dryness that gued it.

    Armen watched as the snowy-haired human looked at the fruit in awe before gobbling it down ravenously.

    "I take it that you like it?" Armen asked, taking another small bite from his half.

    "It''s delicious! How''d you get fruit like this in Purgatory? All I found were musty monsters to eat��" He asked, finishing off his portion.

    Armen smiled slightly, "That''s because it''s not a fruit native to this realm. It''s a "Wak", a fruit grown in Vellochia. The Tower of Bm somehow managed to get their hands on it."

    Any residual tension had eased as the calm fire sat between them, filling the air with a smoky,forting aroma as they sat warmly across from one another.

    "Is there a lot of fruit like this grown in Vellochia?" He asked.

    Armen shook his head, "Thend of Vellochia isn''t quite fertile, you see. It''s a kingdom in which the sun never sets, as it has never risen."

    His eyes widened slightly at that bit of information, finding any tidbits on the homnd of vampires to bepletely new to his ears.

    It seemed in the stagnant campgrounds, Armen found himself urged to continue by the curious eyes of the adolescent watching him.

    "In utter darkness, growing food isn''t much of an option, but it''s possible. My wife, Freulia, and I have such a garden ourselves. It''s difficult work to maintain it, using magic runes and such, but it''s worthwhile to bring forgotten seeds back to life," Armen exined with a small smile.

    "You have a wife��?" He raised an eyebrow.

    Armen lookedpletely perplexed by the seemingly out-of-nowhere question asked by the white-haired human, but there was a clear reason the question was spurred on.

    This guy hardly looks old enough to have a wife and garden! Those are stereotypical senior activities! He thought.

    "Is it hard to believe? Freulia and I have been together for ny-seven years now. Speaking of which, I hope to return to Vellochia in time for our ny-eight anniversary."

    It was easy to forget that vampires likely hid their true age behind youthful appearances, as Armen hardly looked a day beyond histe twenties.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Ny-seven years married...phew, he''s an older timer, isn''t he? He thought.

    A question came to his mind on the subject of time, "Oh! How long was I out?..."

    "A few hours," Armen answered.

    The meager amount of time passed reeled a sigh from the depths of his being as he hoped to slide past more time having to be spent surviving in the hellish realm.

    Before they could further their conversation, the nearby foliage rustled--causing him to tense up, though Armen''s calmness settled him down.

    Stepping through the lengthy bushes, Vale returned to the camp as behind her, Leonid lugged a massive, red-skinned boar behind him, holding a triumphant smile.

    "Holy��" He was left awestruck at the size.

    "...We''ll need a bigger fire for this one," Vale said, looking at the silver-haired man.

    "Understood," Armen said.

    Without hesitation, the silver-haired man stood up, brushing his gloves off with a new task set.

    All he was able to do was sit there and watch as the campfire was expanded, and the gargantuan boar was attached to what looked like an entire tree log to station it above the crackling mes.

    "Ga-ha-ha! Big bastard got me good on my leg!" Leonid roared.

    Sitting around the campfire, they watched as Leonid pped his thigh that had a circr scar, still covered in fresh blood.

    Quietly, Armen kept watch on the boar in question as he poked it with a long twig to test its temperature. Though it was clear Leonid''s boisterous, unrestricted volume annoyed him as a singr vein bulged against his pale forehead.

    "Looks like you got out fine, at least," he chuckled wryly.

    Vale sighed, "Only because I stepped in. He was about to challenge it to a head-on-head charge."

    A slight blush hued his cheeks with pink as he nced to the side, noticing just how close the golden-haired, lithe vampire sat to him.

    Her slender shoulders were revealed from her verdant cloak, with sleeves that split to reveal the pale, blemish-free skin of her arms as she sat in a way that leaned her chest forward, though she wasn''t exactly standout in that area.

    What was standout was the way her verdant, id skirt revealed her thighs that were just slightly on the plump side--a visual that challenged the heart of the adolescent man.

    Don''t fall for it, Ren. That''s a Grade-A loli baba! Just think of Iris! He thought.

    Leonid roared back in response to Vale''s earlier words, "Hey! I had ''im, dead to rights!"

    Cooked thoroughly, the giant, mean-looking boar finished cooking, leaving him holding a ratherrge, juicy portion of the creature held in his hand as he gulped.

    Is this...edible? I don''t know why, but I''m scared, he thought.

    Though watching how fervently Leonid chomped down an entire leg of the crimson-hided boar, his doubts somewhat were soothed.

    "Eat up, Ren," Vale told him, "...trying to survive on an empty stomach is a sure way to failure."

    "Yeah, I know," he breathed out.

    He watched as the youthful-seeming girl ate her portion of meat with rtive manners, kicking her legs as she did from their seat atop a fallen tree.

    "Can I ask you something?"

    The question arose from Vale while he was in the middle of taking a bite from the tough meat of the boar.

    "Mm?" He looked at her with his mouth full.

    Vale peered at him with her glistening, scarlet eyes, "You''re a young one. Much younger than anyone else I''ve seen here. What does Purgatory have to draw in someone of your youth? You must be searching for something."

    As he swallowed his food, he stayed silent for a moment as he looked down at the meat he held.

    That''s a good question. After seeing what Purgatory really is, it sounds dumb to say I came here simply to "get strong" now, he thought.

    "Forgive her. Vale is quite curious, andcking in tact," Armen said.

    "Shut it, you!" Vale barked back.

    By now, their eyes were on him, though Leonid seemed hardly interested in small talk as his full attention was on his meal.

    He slowly shook his head, "No...it''s alright. I came here to get stronger so that I could be a proper ally to myrades. Sounds stupid, doesn''t it? Who knows if I''ll even make it out of here."

    "You''ve made it this far, haven''t you? I''d say that''s pretty amazing," Vale told him, looking up at him with a small, reassuring smile.

    Though her words were anything but uplifting as it made him remember only one thing: the way he got where he is now.

    "I didn''t make it by myself," he said.

    "Oh, I see��" Vale replied quietly, lowering her expression.

    The campground grew silent as only the whispers of passing winds, shuffling against the tall-standing trees made for any noise.

    Breaking the awkward silence, he put on a smile, "What about you three?"

 Chapter 430 - A Fleeting Comfort

    Breaking the awkward silence, he put on a smile, "What about you three?"

    He immediately regretted asking the question as he knew the most likely reason why the three vampires were in Purgatory. A veil of gloom hung over the orange-lit campfire for a bit after his question left.

    They were after Donovan, weren''t they? Not exactly a dinner-side topic, he thought.

    Armen answered, brushing a tuft of his silver locks behind his ear, "It was my own personal mission toe here to hunt down Donovan, the other two simply assisted me in that goal."

    "You really wanted to bring him down, didn''t you? Going into Purgatory is no joke," he replied quietly.

    Vale broke any tension with a smallugh, "It''s nothing, really."

    "Yeah? Why''s that?" He asked, looking at her.

    "Armen used to be one of the ''Dusk Stars'', the oh-so-perfect protectors of the king," Vale answered with a yful tone.

    Though he had trouble processing just what impact a title like that had, he could tell it was a big deal by the sound of it.

    "A ''Dusk Star''? Must be pretty strong then," he said before taking another chunk out of the boar meat.

    Armen let out a soft breath, "It''s a title that means nothing. I''m simply a loving husband now."

    "Give me a break! ''Ya whooped me a new one all those years back! Ha-ha-ha!" Leonid boisterously interrupted with a howl ofughter.

    Again, theughter of the oversized, hairy man shook the grass beneath as the sounds of forest critters evacuating the booming noise apanied.

    His eyes widened a bit as he looked at Leonid, then at Armen, pointing at the silver-haired man who was of a slight build.

    "You...beat Leonid?" He asked.

    Armen tried to ignore his question, lowering his gaze as he awkwardly chewed on his serving of boar flesh. Though it was a futile effort as Leonid plopped himself right beside the silver-head vampire, pping him on the back with a wide smile.

    "C''mon, it''s a waste of a perfectly good story! That battle was somethin'' else!" Leonid coaxed.

    "...I''m eating here, Leonid," Armen red.

    Immediately, the smiling, ogre of a man caught his words in his throat before backing off with a slight chuckle.

    "Almost woke up the "Silver Emperor", didn''t I?" Leonid teased,ughing with a mouth full of meat.

    He was leftpletely baffled by what the seemingly close group of longtime friends were talking about, looking at Vale for some inkling of an answer.

    Vale was still swinging her legs while taking small, delicate bites from her meal as she nced up at him, seeing his questionative look in his eyes.

    She patted her chest lightly to help her food go down before talking in a whisper so that only the young man was privy to her words, "Armen was a big shot in Vellochia; being a ''Dusk Star'' is the greatest height a blood knight of Vellochia can reach. Even then, he stood out from the rest as he carved out a name for himself: the "Silver Emperor, Armen Brandt". His most famous act that cemented his name was when he wiped out the cannibalistic Razrushitel n, by himself."

    "Wait, the Razrushitel? Isn''t that''|?" He replied quietly.

    Vale nodded her head, "It''s the n Leonides from. He was the champion of their n, and the only reason they still exist today. Armen spared thest few members of the Razrushitel out of respect for the fight Leonid gave him. After that...Leonid became friends with Armen; he''s a man that recognizes strength above all else. He didn''t hold any sort of grudge for what Armen did."

    It was surreal to hear such a tale as he brought his eyes forward again, watching as the two men on the other side of the cackling me bicker with one another.

    "What about you?" He asked after a minute.

    "Mm?" Vale looked up at him with her shining, scarlet eyes.

    He took another bite from his meat, "Where do you fit into this group?"

    A smug smirk ced itself on the girl''s face, though her cuteness factor was dwindled slightly by the stray piece of meat stuck on the corner of her mouth.

    "Me? I''m the first princess of the Vellochian throne," she informed him with a smile.

    "Huh?"

    --An unexpected answer.

    All he could look at was the smug, self-satisfied smile ced across the golden-haired girl''s lips as he processed what he just heard.

    "Princess?"

    "Mhm."

    "You?"

    "Mhm," she nodded again.

    With how casually it came from her lips, it was hard to gather that information into a workable, understandable reality.

    Vale finished her serving of boar meat, cleaning off her fingers with her tongue in a way that was all too provocative for the adolescent man who felt as if he was still going through his pubescent phase.

    After finishing her suggestive cleaning, she smirked before hugging her knees closer to her chest, looking up at the snowy-haired man with cheeks as red as roses.

    "Does knowing that change how you see me?" She asked with a yful smile.

    "How I see you''|? I don''t know what you''re talking about," he brushed off her question, attempting to distract himself with a mouthful of still-hot boar meat.

    "Oh, don''t y coy, young man," she leaned against him, bringing her bare shoulder against his.

    What''s up with this girl?! He thought, you may be cute, but if you think there''s a chance I''m betraying Iris--you''re dead wrong!

    Moving his arm away, he scooted away slightly to bring some distance towards the zero that existed between them.

    With a bashful huff, he asked her, "Young man? You look younger than me, you know. I mean...you''re probably older, but it''s still weird to me!"

    Vale smiled,ughing a bit, "I''m just teasing. Your reaction was worth it though," she held a pleased smile, covering her lips with her fingers, "if you want to know my age, I don''t mind telling. Let''s just go with "beyond two centuries", for now."

    "Two hundred?!" He shouted in disbelief.

    After hearing her yful chuckle, he couldn''t help but ept the broad age range given to be the truth.

    "...Anyway, why is a princessing into Purgatory, then?" He asked.

    I guess I shouldn''t be too surprised. Macheo is here, and he''s a prince. But, that''s different--I mean, Lucrauv is and where strength rules all. Even if Vellochia might be simr, she''s a princess, he thought.

    "Well, to be honest, I was pretty bored sitting around in the pce all the time," Vale answered with a smile.

    "So...you came to Purgatory?" He asked.

    Looking at Armen, the silver-haired man''s stoic, unmoving expression cemented the truth, though even he didn''t seem too pleased about it.

    Vale nodded, rocking back and forth as she twirled her curly locks around her finger, "Armen and Leonid had toe to my Father to gain permission to enter Purgatory. I overheard them and insisted oning along. Father always gives me what I want, so it was easy."

    "...It was only because he ced faith in Leonid and my own strength, for better or worse," Armen looked as if he was suffering from a headache now, "Leonid joined without asking, too. But...I''m thankful."<novelnext></novelnext>

    After his words, their humble feast continued as the gentle, orange mes continued to pop with resounding warmth.

    Though the silence was soon broken by the golden-haired girl.

    "Speaking of which, we only have five days left to go, don''t we?" Vale asked, looking at the silver-haired man.

    Five days? He thought.

    He watched as Armen retrieved a brass pocket watch from the pocket beneath his coat, flipping the cover from it as the clock ticked.

    "Five days and eighteen hours," Armen informed.

    "Not too much longer then," Vale smiled.

    "You guys will be gone in just five days?" He asked.

    Their attention was brought to him as his words left his lips solemnly. It was a piece of information that warped the expectations he had.

    I guess it''s my own fault...they never said anything about sticking around, he thought.

    "How long have you been in here?" Vale looked at him.

    He answered quietly, "One week, give or take."

    "I see," Vale looked up towards the abyssal sky, "well, you''ll make it. I''m sure of that much."

    "How do you figure?" He asked.

    "Just a hunch," she winked.

    He couldn''t answer as he found his words stuck in his throat for a reason he couldn''t figure out. Only looking up at the sky absent of life or stars, he let out a drawn-out exhale.

    I hope you''re right, he thought.

    It would hardly befortable under normal circumstances, but the softness of the grass beneath him, the warmth of the quietly crackling campfire, and the safety of others with him--for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he went to sleep peacefully that night.

    [Five dayster...An Unnamed Field]

    As they walked through a field of verdant grass together, the group came to a stop as enigmatic, disembodied hands appeared from the unseen skies of Purgatory, possessing a size that dwarfed even Leonid.

    For a moment, it was a sight of terror, but the sheer absurdity of it made him freeze.

    Three hands, each waiting by each side of the vampires. Even as enigmatic as it was, it was clear what the arrival of the mystical hands meant.

    I guess that''s their ride to the finish line, he thought.

    "I guess this is it, isn''t it? You guys did it," he looked at them.

    Alone, he stood in the darkness without the light they shared. But, he smiled--to see Purgatory be surmounted, it was a relief to his heart that he couldn''tpare to many others.

    "Looks like it!" Leonid looked up with a big smile.

    "I suppose this is where we part ways, Ren," Armen looked back.

    He smiled, nodding his head, "I suppose it is."

    Pausing for a moment, Armen slid his coat off of his body before tossing it to the young man, leaving himself to wear the long-sleeved tunic below.

    "...It gets cold here," Armen told him.

    "Thanks," he nodded.

    He slid it over his arms, finding it to be somewhat baggy as Armen did stand a few inches taller than himself, but after wearing nothing but his silver cloak over his body the past few days, it was a weingfort.

    Buttoning it up, he adjusted the red cor as he smiled, embracing the new resistance to the cold he was gifted as he threw his trusty, silver cloak over his shoulders.

    Armen looked at him with scarlet eyes full of resolve, "Though it''s and shrouded in darkness, the dawn is not necessary for the beauty of it to flourish. Luminescent grass, cities that reach the clouds...When you make it out of here, consider visiting Vellochia. Just tell them the "Silver Emperor" sent for you."

    For once, Armen held a warm smile that they both exchanged as the snowy-haired adolescent nodded his head.

    "You bet," he said in return with a nod.

    Vale remained mostly silent, but signaled for him toe closer as she waved her hand.

    He stood there in confusion for a second, but obliged as he stopped just in front of the young-seeming princess.

    Suddenly, her arms wrapped around his neck into an embrace.

    "Keep fighting, okay?" She told him with a smile,"that''s an order from a princess."

    "Got it!"

    The other two shared in the same smile; the moment she left his embrace, the trio of hospitable vampires embarked on the silent, giant hands of blue-gray skin that lifted into the abyssal ceiling up above.

    "I guess it''s just me again, isn''t it?" He muttered.

    A single breeze passed by as the silence surrounding him felt deafening.

    Not a problem, he thought.

    It was only for two days, but the three stuck with me and gave me the tools to victory I needed in order to surmount Purgatory.

    Two days...it''s amazing what such a short time can do. It was brief, but at the same time, it was everything. Thefort of camaraderie when previously alone, aimless, and afraid--it''s something beyond price.

    In the darkness, all I can do is reach out for the light, and...I found it, even if just for a passing moment.

    Once again, I found my expectations of this world shattered. One bad experience, and you might expect the whole thing to be rotten--but that''s far from the truth. They didn''t need to treat me with kindness, or give me anything, but they did. I''ll always be in their debt for that.

    Brief as my moment of respite was, what they gave me was invaluable.

    "Hope", something easy to forget down here in the bowels of hell.

    But, there''s a reason they had me steel my resolve.

    I fought alongside them thesest five days...so I understand something about this floor now.

    During thest week, the real fight for survival begins''|"The Era of Hell" will begin for me soon.

    It''s during the "Era of Hell", thest week one has to survive here, that everything begins to hunt you.. It''s all aplete game of life-or-death, more than ever.

 Chapter 431 - Rainbow Peaks

    [Rainbow Peaks, Mastorn, One Month Prior]

    "Sir Damien��" Getrude spoke as she watched from the carriage window while the rolls passed over dirt.

    "What is it?" The verdant-haired knight asked as he was busy cleaning his weapon.

    Damien ran the white cloth over the smooth, refined steel of his de, keeping it over his knee as he did so.

    From the view the princess knight had beyond the carriage, she could see the famous "Rainbow Peaks", a set of mountains that were wrapped with a mystical, disc-shaped rainbow along its base.

    Her words stood still for a moment as she looked upon the fantastical peaks as a sea of clouds marched past their summits, finding the inexplicable worry that ced itself in her heart having no real basis besides her instincts.

    "Nothing��" She reced her worry with a faint smile, "the "Rainbow Peaks" mark three days out from the capital, if I remember correctly."

    "Sounds about right," Damien confirmed with a smirk, giving his sword one more wipe before returning it to his sheath.

    "It''s quite a long journey," Getrude said with a smile, resting her chin on her silver gauntlet, "from Old Treyna to Mastorn. I think I''d like to establish a proper route to Mastorn once I have the proper authority."

    Damien chuckled, ncing out of the window on his side of thevish carriage with his glistening, silver orbs.

    "What''s funny?" Getrude asked with a raise of her golden eyebrow.

    "It''s just��" Damien replied, "You speak longingly of such a day��but I think you''ll be queen sooner than you believe, Captain."

    It was a rarity, but a small, minuscule, but present, blush inhabited her cheeks as she looked on at her subordinate knight in surprise, then with a smile.

    "Well, let''s hope your intuition proves�C"

    �CJust as she replied, an impact crashed in front of the carriage, not visible to their eyes as they both had their eyes widened in surprise, rising from their seats.

    Just as the sudden impact came, as if a meteor had just crashed from orbit, the screams of the escorting knights escaped in a bloodcurdling manner.

    After a moment of stillness, more impacts came, and so did more screams�Cmixing with the crunching of bones before the knights finally acted.

    Damien kicked open the carriage door, reaching out to Getrude as he yelled out, "Come on!"

    She paused for a moment before epting his hand, "...Right!"

    Together, they leapt from the carriage right before another, unseen impact fell down upon the transportation vehicle like a hammer dropping from the clouds.

    After rolling across the slope of grass to the side of their road, the two knights looked on at the dested carriage, or rather, the mess of wood that was once a vehicle.

    The bodies of their escorts, alongside their steed, wereid out across the path, bloodied and crushed brutally.

    "Bandits?" Damien asked as he drew his de, but answered his own question, "no��they aren''t this daring. Nor possess skill such as this."

    Getrude''s eyes wandered to the whereabouts of the two demi-humans that were escorting their carriage, finding the stoic man knelt on the grass a dozen meters away, holding the girl in his arms.

    "Sir Malune!" Getrude called out, looking back at Damien, "Stay ready!"

    "Got it!" Damien kept himself on-guard.

    She rushed over to the knelt over, well-dressed, demi-human man, who sat there solemnly with a broken and battered body as he held the younger girl in his arms.

    "Sir Malune��are you alright?" She asked, but knew the answer already upon a single nce.

    In his arms, the girl he held took in no breaths,den in blood and maimed by the unseen, attacking force.

    It all happened in a moment; she was still processing the sudden, abrasive assault.

    "...She''s gone."

    �CThis was repeated, in whispers that resembled faint breaths, from the torn lips of the demi-human man.

    "Sir Malune, get it together!" Getrude grabbed his shoulders.

    Even as she threw thismand into his face, his eyes remained unchanging from their bulbous form as his utterances didn''t halt in the slightest bit.

    ��He''s gone. He''s inplete shock, she thought.

    �CUnable to spare any further time, she turned back to check on Damien, who had his eyes on something that was obscured by the clouds of kicked up dust that walled in the area.

    She returned to his sword with her sword drawn, "Any sight of the enemy?"

    "Nope," Damien answered, "how''s Malune holding up?"

    "He''s in shock," She answered begrudgingly, "Luna��is gone. It''s just us."

    A wry, trembling smile took to the verdant-haired man''s lips as his ponytail flicked in the passing wind, "Figures. Whoever did this is targeting us�Cthat''s for sure. If they wanted our possessions, they probably wouldn''t have wrecked everything in one go."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It seems we''ve reached the same conclusion," Getrude replied while keeping her emerald eyes forward, listening to the approaching steps, "...that means this is kill-or-be-killed."

    "Roger that," Damien readied himself.

    The two knights stood side-to-side in front of the wrecked carriage with their des readied forward, and their capes flowing behind.

    It was a single pair of steps, approaching slowly as if taking a nonchnt stroll forward.

    Stepping out from the haze of dirt and dust was a slender figure, dressed in pristine, noble white.

    "Brother��?" Getrude uttered out, absent ofposure at the sight.

    For that moment, her bodyxed out of sheer perplexion as she lowered her sword, looking at the fair-faced sibling of hers who approached with a smile.

    "...Watch out, you idiot!" Damien yelled out.

    She was pushed to the ground before she could realize, falling with her back to the soil as she looked up, blinking a few times.

    "Sir Damien��?" She uttered out.

    Protruding from the back of her trustedrade, the tip of a de pierced through his body, slick with fresh, dripping blood.

    The locks as green as pure nature itself swayed in front of her eyes as the knight looked back at her with blood escaping the corner of his mouth.

    "This isn''t like you, Captain��" Damien smiled weakly, "this guy is your enemy�C"

    Just as his words fell from his lips, the de was withdrawn from his body as the abrasive, sharp-edged silver scraped against his insides, leaving the knight to fall face first.

    All she could do was look up in horror at the man who held her brother''s face, who stepped over the fallen body of the verdant-haired knight, looking at her without an ounce ofpassion in his eyes.

    "Good evening, dear sister," The one who wore Barnabas'' face greeted her, smiling as he swiped his de, flicking the fresh blood from its steel.

    "...You''re not my brother��"

    "How very perceptive of you," the man sarcastically replied as the very skin that clung to his form began to shift, melting and moving unnaturally.

    "...What are��?" Getrude let out quietly, unable to move as shock and fear ingrained itself into her.

    Before her eyes, the familiar form of her elder brother shifted, melting and reshaping into apletely different form before what was left before her eyes was a fundamentally different being; carrying a different physique, face, and aura.

    He wore a skintight, ck bodysuit while silver bandages loosely wrapped around his form as crimson locks flowed and curled down his shoulders.

    "Too little, toote, though, princess��" the inhuman youth taunted.

    The crimson-haired, enigmatic being raised the hand that once wielded a de, now formed into a limb that took on the same shape and steel-material of that de, though possessing a more unrefined, grotesque shape to its metal.

    ��Why? I don''t get it at all�Cwhat''s happening? Why did hee to me with the face of my brother��? Damien��I''m sorry, she thought.

    Just as the appendage-de came down towards the shock-strucken knight, she closed her eyes out of reflexive eptance of her fate.

    �CBut no such cruelty came down to her flesh.

    "...The hell are youying on the floor for��?"

    "...Sir Damien��?" She released from her barely parted lips as she opened her eyes once more.

    Looking up, standing in front of the path of the de was the verdant-haired, vice captain of her squad�Cbut what she saw was a man on hisst legs, yet standing, on death''s door, yet fighting.

    Damien held his de against the mysterious, shapeshifting man''s, struggling as his legs visibly shook�Cno, it was his entire body.

    "The boundlessly proud, even sometimes arrogant, Captain Getrude has no ceying in the dirt��! That''s not the captain�Cno, that''s not the woman I know!" Damien yelled out through his blood-drenched lips, pushing back against the assant''s de.

    "...You''re still alive?!--" The red-haired enigma replied, pushing back against the knight''s tautly-wielded steel.

    Damien mmed his forehead against the pale-skinned assant''s, "Shut up! I''m talking here!"

    As he momentarily caught the shapeshifter in a stun, he knocked the shorter-of-stature man back with a st of unspoken wind magic thatpletely caught him off-guard, creating distance as he turned back to the astonished knight captain.

    "The proud, yet unpampered princess I know wouldn''t lose her cool this easily," Damien huffed out through heavy breaths, reaching his hand down to her, "...get it together, would you, Captain?" He finished with a smile.

    Though a smile she could not return as her eyes could only focus on the dire state of herrade''s body. Even the hand he reached out to her was d in dirt and blood, as was the armor he wore.

    "Damien, you''re��"

    "I''m fine," he stopped her words, "I''m the vice captain of your strict squad�CI''d be caught dead years ago if I was stopped by a flesh wound like this."

 Chapter 432 - The Bravery Of A Knight

    "Damien, you''re��"

    "I''m fine," he stopped her words, "I''m the vice captain of your strict squad�CI''d be caught dead years ago if I was stopped by a flesh wound like this."

    Even so, his words were only that�Cwords, and not reality. Still, she epted his hand with a faux smile, if only to give herrade respite as she was hoisted to her feet with the assistance of Damien.

    "We need to retreat," Damien told her as he grunted, wincing as he reflexively held his abdomen which was gushing plentiful crimson.

    "Damien, you''re not��!"

    "I''m fine!" Damien replied sharply, collecting himself as his breaths came heavy, "...listen, your safety is top priority. I''m pretty sure there''s a town a few miles past the Rainbow Peaks��Irideyle, I think. Should be some local adventurers stationed there��maybe some knights��"

    Getrude begrudgingly epted, giving her shoulder to him, "First, we have to grab Malune."

    "And if he doesn''t want to move?"

    "We''ll make him," Getrude answered as her illustrious, golden locks flowed behind her convicted words, "that''s our responsibility."

    "Your wish is mymand, Captain��" Damien wryly chuckled before coughing out blood.

    As they moved forward with whatever haste they could, in hopes of escaping whilst the assant was knocked away, they approached where the grief-stricken demi-human was left on the cratered road.

    Though he was partially obscured by the persistent cloud of dust that hung in the area, Malune was standing there�Cas still as a statue, facing them as the enigmatic nature of the haze hid his expression.

    "Malune�C"

    Calling out to the man, what Getrude found standing there was not a breathing man, but one battered beyondpared with limbs twisted and ttened, bloodied and torn.

    The maimed, mangled corpse wasn''t standing, but being held by a grip around its head, held like an inanimate doll.

    "Astonishingly fragile," the brutish entity holding the corpse spouted in a voice low, yet powerful, "I was under the impression that demi-humans possessed respectable strength,pared to that of normal humans, anyway. I see it is not enough to matter."

    Looking upon the towering brute, d in a temple of muscle with an inhuman, grayplexion, she recognized the aura she felt right away.

    It''s the same feeling as when we were first attacked�Cthis is the one who did it, not the shapeshifter, she gathered, ��I don''t understand, still�Cwhat are they after?

    "That was rude, but not bad."

    From behind, the youthful voice of the stringy, red-haired man in a ck tight suit came as they were now faced on either side by enigmatic foes.

    "...What is it you''re after? If it was money, you''ve missed your mark," Getrude demanded an answer, though she was attempting to buy time, "did one of my siblings put you up to this to further their im to the throne?"

    "Hate to break it to you, princess, but we''re not the kind of bad guys that tell you our n in intricate detail�Ceven if victory is certain," the sly shapeshifting man leered.

    "Come now, Leviathan, we can at least give our names," the inhuman, gray-skinned brute smiled as he dropped the lifeless demi-human to the ground like a discarded toy, "it is also our objective to spread fear, and unease, is it not?"

    Leviathan��? She thought.

    The shapeshifting assant smiled ear-to-ear as he flicked his crimson locks over his shoulder, "I guess you''re right�Cwhat fun is it otherwise? Renata, Leviathan, either name works for me. Oh, right, you probably know me better as one of those "Beasts of Sin"--in that case, "Envy", it is."

    Both Getrude and Damien fell wide-eyed at the identity of the lengthy-haired, youthful, yet abhorrent figure.

    "One of the Beasts of Sin��? What shitty luck��" Damien chuckled quietly.

    I thought the Beasts of Sins were monsters, primal forces of nature�Cbut this one seems��human, in appearance, at least. And this attack is nned, no doubt. Who is behind this? I''m not getting the sense this is an inter-family conflict, she thought.

    Cracking his calloused, unnaturally bulbous knuckles, the robed, colossal man stepped closer with a smile, "I''m Ark, the Marquis of Brutality. It''ll be my honor to guide you both to the angels."

    "Marquis of Brutality"? It''s vague, but some part of that sounds familiar��but that''s not important right now, she thought.

    As they were being slowly approached by their named assants, who seemed to take pleasure in the act, she found little options avable as she held herrade close, feeling his body weaken as blood left his system.

    "Get out of here��" Damien whispered to her, sweating as his body worked overtime to function.

    "I will not," Getrude firmly ced her words, "Sir Damien, I will not leave you behind!"

    Assuring this to her silver-eyedrade, she looked at him with tearful eyes that knew of the fate that likelyy in staying by his side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Getrude��please!" He pulled his strength from his throat in desperation, trying to convince the captain to flee as their enemies grew closer.

    "I will not, Damien!" Getrude insisted further, keeping her de held in her right hand as the other supported herrade, "As a knight, that''s the one thing I can never do!...This is an order from your captain."

    Damien looked up for a moment before forcing himself to stand straight on his own, begrudgingly swallowing the obvious doubt he held, "...You''re stubborn, you know that?"

    Finding her resolve finally resounding with the man, she smiled, holding her de upright towards the approaching, red-haired man as they stood back-to-back, "You would prefer me no other way."

    "That''s right," Damien breathed out quietly, "...That''s why you can''t fall here, Getrude��"

    "...Damien?" She called his name.

    �CJust as she turned back to look at him, a st of wind knocked her back several dozen meters,ing straight from the palm of her half-deadrade''s hand.

    Finding herself separated from the trail, she brought her confused gaze towards her now distantrade.

    "Sorry, Captain," Damien smiled smallly, "that order is just impossible to follow."

    "Damien��!" She screamed out, gripping the soil beneath her gloves.

    Just as the two assants realized what was happening, it was toote: Damien nted his de into the soil, releasing from his lips a grand incantation.

    "Zephyrus: The Wind That Brushes The Hero''s Back!"

    Oncest, bloodden smile was given from him to her before a barrier descended from the sky, forming a viscous prison of wind around Damien and the two enigmatic attackers.

    I''m sorry, Getrude��I never cared about being a knight, and all of that chivalrous bullshit.

    I cared about my friend�Cthe person who stood by my side.

    You have a lot ahead of you in this world�Cgrand goals that only you can achieve. This dark world needs a star like you.

    On the other hand, I''m just a drunkard, no-good knight��my life is a cheap price to pay for you to live another day.

    Even if you hate me for it, even if your pride is wounded�Cyou''ll be alive to hate me. That''s good enough for me, Damien thought.

    "Barrier magic?" Ark smiled, inspecting the thick wall of visceral wind behind him, mendable, but no such thing will hold me."

    As the giant of a man-monster smiled confidently, he casually raised a fist, clenching it tightly as his veins protruded against his stone-like skin like surging electricity before bringing it down against the barrier of wind.

    Like a resounding cannon, Ark''s attack resounded, however�Cnothing happened. Though the impact of the Marquis'' fist was enough to emit a deafening shock wave, the veil of sharp wind didn''t falter one bit.

    "What?" Renata looked in surprise at hispanion''s effort amounted to nothing, "You hit it, didn''t you?! What happened?!"

    Ark simply looked more impressed than anything at the durability of the tornado-like barrier, "Interesting. Physical strength alone can''t pierce this prison."

    Lifting his sword from the bed of soil beneath, Damien smiled confidently as he forced himself to stand straight, wiping the warm crimson from his lips, "I don''t know what you want from her, and frankly, I don''t give a damn�Cbut let''s get one thing straight: you''re not lifting a finger on her."

    As he held himself high, heavy, drawn-out breaths left his lips as he felt a warm trail of crimson continuously escape from the hole through his gut; the fountain of heat that oozed from that wound embedded the bleak reality that awaited him.

    �CBut, such fears had no ce in his mind.

    I''ve got to buy as much time as possible. Coax them, talk to them, run�CI don''t care, even if it doesn''t look pretty, he thought.

    The slim, androdgynous figure with lengthy, red locks inspected the barrier, ncing back at the knight who used the sparse time to steady his breathing.

    "If the big guy here can''t break it, that either means your magic is stronger than his fists�Cwhich I doubt, or there is a condition set in ce here," Renata said as he pushed his crimson locks behind his ear, "...and if you''re in here with us, that must mean you''re the condition."

    Crap, this guy is more perceptive than I thought, Damien thought with a wry chuckle.

    By his silence, it seemed that Renata''s prediction was correct as a smile perched across his wicked lips, just as one did across Ark''s own.

    "....Guess it''s time," Damien resolved with a small, cing his de against his shoulder.

 Chapter 433 - The Fissure Between Hope And Despair

    Just then, it began to rain; starting as droplets, and quickly turning into a shower as he briefly looked up at the gloomy weather that cemented the primordial fear that resided in his abdomen.

    "Kill him, kill him, kill him! Then we get the little princess," Renata leered out as he moved abnormally, lowering his stance as he flicked his arms limply as they began to shift.

    Losing their appearance of arms, his slender limbs shifted into lengthy, razor-linked chains honed for nothing else but maiming.

    The Marquis held no sense of urgency in his smile as he cracked his neck to both sides, beginning to walk towards the knight, as Renata stayed in ce, using his range to his advantage.

    I see, Damien thought, the big guy will keep me upied in the close-range while the runt attacks me with those chains. Pretty damn annoying, I''ll say.

    Gathering hisst chance of a fulfilling breath, he met the colossal, silver-skinned hulk of muscle that was d in nothing but a ck loincloth, dashing forth.

    Bringing himself closer to the muscle-bound brute who stood two heads taller than himself, he brought his de back as he prepared for a sh�Cbut it was a ruse.

    No way I''m meeting you head-on, he thought.

    Pivoting off of his right foot, he spun around after leading Ark into a false attack, maneuvering away from him as he dashed with greater speed this time, setting his sights on the shapeshifting man who bore the title of sin.

    "Oh? You''re not a knight for little reason, I see!" Renata grinned, parting his lips as an enjoyed yell left.

    Both lengthy, violent limbs of ded-chains were cast towards the knight, whipping, curving, and eviscerating the soil as they aimed towards his flesh.

    "I''m feeling woefully underestimated right now�C!" Damien forced a smile on his lips as he hopped and spun his body to evade the blur of chains, repelling those he couldn''t evade with his de.

    From behind, he could feel the colossus of muscle stomping towards him, prompting him to swiften his counterattack.

    "I should tell you," Renata smiled as his de-chain limbs multiplied, wielding six on either side, "nobody has seen my true face and lived�C!"

    "Sorry to tell you then, that''s changing today!" Damien yelled, flipping his longsword as wind gathered around its steel.

    Just as the array of ded whips came at him from all directions, making dodging impossible, he swung his de forth, generating a domal st of wind that repelled them back�Ccreating an opening towards the adrogynous inhuman.

    I''ve got you now�C! He thought.

    As he pushed forward with air propelling him towards Renata, what he was greeted with was a smile more twisted than ever, contorted into utter glee as if the sin-bearing inhuman was holding backughter.

    "You fool for it~!" Renata howled out.

    What�C? He thought.

    Just as his instincts coaxed him to retreat, he attempted to break his momentum, jumping back�Cbut it was toote.

    From the form of the red-haired, leering inhuman, flesh-formed spikes protruded out like a monstrous rendition of a porcupine''s natural defenses.

    They pierced through his armor like butter, lodging into his abdomen, shoulders, legs, and arms�Censnaring him in the web of flesh-formed spears from the shapeshifter.

    I can''t move��he thought.

    Along the pale spikes, his blood trailed, pouring from his new wounds as he sat there unable to move.

    So much blood��lost��I''m losing consciousness��he thought.

    "Die~! Die~! Die~!" Renata taunted, "I want to watch it~! Let me see the life leave your eyes, oh-so brave knight~!"

    It was only by the pain as smaller spikes protruding from the ones already embedded in his flesh that he held onto his consciousness, forcing himself to move once again as he dropped his de, pulling himself from the spikes.

    Not yet, he thought.

    Not until I''m sure, he told himself.

    Not until I''m certain she''s made it out of here, he resolved.

    "Graaaagh��!"

    He yelled out from the top of his lungs as pulling himself from the spikes tore away at his flesh further�Cthe tiny, dozens of razor-sharp protrusions dragging alongside his interior mass.

    It was just in time before Ark reached his position: he fell from Renata''s bodily protrusions, left with a dozen holes in his body as his momentary fall to his knees allowed the Marquis'' boundless fist to miss its target, unleashing a wicked air pressure.

    Using whatever was in his reach at his disposal, he dug his finger into the dirt before flicking it upwards, sending the hail of natural sediment directly into the brute''s eyes.

    "Grh�C!" Ark winced, wiping his eyes as he found himself blinded.

    With that momentary opening, he lifted himself from the ground�Can act that came with tremendous pain as every hole in his body bled profusely from the slightest movement�Cpushing himself past the Marquis. He uses the colossus'' size to his advantage, making sure the shapeshifter couldn''t attack while hisrade was in his way.

    Finding himself with adequate space to work with again, he huffed, attempting to gather his breath as he was left without his de.

    "Ark, it''s time to stop messing around," Renata''s tone became serious as his limbs shifted back to normal arms.

    The titanic being stood straight as his chiseled, hulking back was to the knight, "It was your idea to make this a game."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Renata gritted his teeth, ''Well, ns change! This guy is a damn cockroach, and the princess is hauling herself out of here�C!"

    The Marquis of Brutality clenched his fists as all of his knuckles cracked in unison like an orchestra of looming violence�Call while a calm, collected smile resided across his pale lips.

    "Understood," Ark said, slowly turning to face the wounded knight, mendable effort so far, knight. Damien was it? I''ll do you the honor of remembering that name."

    "Shove your honor up your ass," Damien huffed out between heavy breaths.

    Just then, he felt something different emanate from the one who called himself the "Marquis of Brutality"; an aura more potent than anything he had ever felt, yet it wasn''t born of magic.

    For once, it seemed Ark stopped "restraining" himself, or rather, suppressing the natural aura he gave off.

    It was the natural emission of his strength; the primordial instinct that recognized an unbeatable adversary�Ca predator whose jaws must be avoided.

    Inparison, the red-haired, youthful Beast of Sin didn''t even do that much�Cthere was simply no rtivity between the two, to the eyes of the knight.

    "The Unequivocal Embodiment of Strength," in that moment, that''s the title Damien''s mind bestowed to Ark.

    ��Getting scared? Horseshit. I know I''m going to die��but still, that guy there is a monster. Not like anything I''ve ever seen before. I could hack away at him through dusk till dawn, and he''d probably justugh in my face. That''s even more reason why I can''t let him reach her�Cnot as long as breath still fills my lungs, he thought.

    "Leviathan," Ark spoke to hisrade without turning to him.

    "Got it," Renata covered his ears.

    It was a confusing action to the knight, but he quickly surmised why the shorter of the assants did that as he watched the colossus of strength rear his fist back with a smile.

    From that distance��? Is he really nning to attack me with a spell? From that stance? He thought.

    �CHis predictions could not be more incorrect: it was much more simple than that.

    The Marquis propelled his fist forward towards the air, supplementing a massive release of air pressure that burrowed towards the path of the knight.

    Before he could perceive what wasing, his ears popped from what sounded like the world itself falling down atop his head--not figuratively�Cblood spat from either side of his head as now all he could hear was ring ringing.

    It was only at thest moment that he recognized the hardly-visible stratifications of the air, raising his hand just in that perplexing moment as he used his magecraft to cancel out the iing air pressure.

    ��What was that? I can''t hear anything. My ears are shot. It was a st of wind��from his fist? That��doesn''t make any sense�Cthat much power, just from wind pressure alone? He thought.

    As he looked forward, he witnessed Ark vanish from before his eyes with blinding speed, then feeling the colossal entity appear behind him.

    Before he could turn around to witness him, Ark held a wide smile as he spread his long arms out before swiftly pping them upon either side of the knight''s head with a propelling shock wave.

    "Ghh��"

    �CCompletely dibobted, Damien fell face forward, t onto the dirt as his mind went into a haze, only feeling the trickle of blood running from his ruptured ear canals.

    As heid there, disabled, the barrier of wind dissipated.

    "Killing you is the condition to remove the barrier, isn''t it?" Ark spoke, though his words reached not his brutalized ears, "however, as if with any active spell�Cdisabling the caster''s focus usually works."

    Laying there, he looked with his blurry, shaking gaze onwards�Cpraying he didn''t see her.

    Though his prayers were shortly whisked away as just outside the perimeter of the now disappeared barrier, the golden-haired woman stood there in tears, with bloodied fists as she seemed to have been trying to get inside the barrier.

    "Ge��true��"

    He wanted to scream to her, tell her to run, scold her�Cbut all he could do was weakly utter her name.

    "Looks like we got lucky," Renata grinned, "the princess couldn''t abandon her dog."

    "It seems fate has sided with us on this day," Ark smiled.

    Run, he repeated in his mind.

    All he could do was watch as the two, seemingly unbeatable viins marched towards the grief-stricken knight, who was still set on saving him.

    �CSuddenly, without warning, the clouds spiraled, coalescing into a single point before parting unnaturally, as if giving way for something to befall the world.

    They all looked up in unison as something, moving so fast as it was nothing more than a passing blur, crashed down onto the world,nding on the very road they stood on.

    "When the "Age of Gods" came to an end with the efforts of the founding hero of Mastorn, Elias, the world''s bnce was forever shifted. Rather than being decided on the whims and might of the gods, decisions were forged by human ingenuity and strength.

    However�Cthat bnce was once more altered, with the birth of one man.

    The moment he was brought into the world, it was forever changed; Aelius Van Eliades��the man who embodied the "Age of Gods", the one who carries their will into the age of man.

    He, alone, dictates the course of history."

 Chapter 434 - The One Who Embodied The Age Of Gods

    "When the "Age of Gods" came to an end with the efforts of the founding hero of Mastorn, Elias, the world''s bnce was forever shifted. Rather than being decided on the whims and might of the gods, decisions were forged by human ingenuity and strength.

    However�Cthat bnce was once more altered, with the birth of one man.

    The moment he was brought into the world, it was forever changed; Aelius Van Eliades��the man who embodied the "Age of Gods", the one who carries their will into the age of man.

    He, alone, dictates the course of history."

    �CIt was so fast, so swift, yet so seamless, that he hardly recognized the trail of light that shone beside him, bringing with it his saving grace.

    "Sir Damien, you did well." from beside him, the soft, yet firm, familiar voice spoke, "rest easy."

    He forced himself to look up, only able to get a glimpse of the one d in a seraphic, all-white uniform, with pearlescent locks to match.

    "Sir��Aelius��?"

    "That''s right. I am here now," Aelius assured him, looking down at him with a smile, "I''m sorry it took so long, but I came the moment Gaol informed me�Cit was only because of your efforts."

    Shifting his attention to the two assants, who were frozen in surprise, his coral eyesid on them sternly as his handid by the handle of his de.

    "Step away from the princess," Aeliusmanded, "or face the consequences by hand of one of the Victorious Seven, Aelius Van Eliades."

    Getrude was at a loss for words, "Sir Aelius��?"

    Though what she truly felt, besides surface-level confusion, was hope�Ca hope that the man who stood in the face of death for her, would not have to be swallowed by that fate.

    "Aelius Van Eliades?" Ark repeated.

    Renata tugged on the silver-skinned man''s humungous arm, impatiently and with desperation, "It''s time to go, Ark!"

    "Huh? Why? Our target is right in front of us still," Ark asked, looking down at the short, androdgynous figure.

    "Yeah, well, we''ll have no mission toplete if we''re dead!" Renata urged him, "that''s Aelius! The Aelius! Pride said he was off-limits! Run on site! Abandon mission! Understand?!"

    Ark seemed to only hear half of what was said as he smiled, "Then that means he must be quite strong, yes? Intriguing."

    Noticing the battle-thirsty look present in the pupiless, white eyes of the colossus, Renata stood in front of him as the others watched with their guards raised, "No! Not intriguing! We''re getting the hell out of here!"

    "Out of the way," Ark brushed Renata away with a casual brush of his hand.

    Though the result was the crimson-haired, ck-leotard wearing man having his shoulder dislocated before being buried into the soil.

    "Aelius? If you''re as strong as they said, then maybe you will prove as worthy sustenance for my growth," Ark grinned, cracking his knuckles and neck simultaneously.

    "Approach further and I will be forced to respond ordingly," Aelius spoke sternly, yet with utter calmness to his tone.

    As Ark slowly approached the white-uniformed knight, the air fell still with razor-sharp tension as Getrude could only spectate the encroaching battle of titans.

    "...That''s it! Want to y like that?!"

    �CRising from the ground, Renata bore an annoyed tone as his form began to shift, melding into a different being entirely.

    Standing in ce of the adrodgynous, youthful entity was a tall, fair-faced man dressed in illustrious, silver robes with avish magical staff in hand. As the multi-colored, ck-and-purple cape fluttered behind the shapeshifter''s back, the knight captain recognized the symbol of cosmos embroidered on the back.

    Is that the sigil of the "Veils of The Cosmos"...? Why would he take a form like that? Getrude thought.

    "O''Gai: Transport!" Renata, in his new, taller, masculine, and frosted-haired form announced.

    "--What?" Ark looked back.

    �CIn a sh of light, both Ark and Renata vanished without a trace from the instantaneous magecraft.<novelnext></novelnext>

    After a moment of processing what just transpired, a sigh of relief left Aelius'' lips, "...That''s a relief. I''m d we were able to settle things without resorting to violence."

    "Damien��!"

    Getrude rushed to the side of her vice captain without any hesitation, dropping to her knees tofort the hardly-conscious, blood-soaked knight.

    In that moment, Aelius almost seemed to forget about the state Damien was in, assuming an urgent expression himself.

    Even as the illustrious-haired princess ced her hands on him, shaking him, Damien didn''t seem to even register the sensation of her touch as heid there with eyes that stared off.

    "Damien!...Damien, stay with me!" Getrude cried out desperately.

    Aelius knelt by her side, though he bore a calmness to his demeanor�Ca calmness that took the woman of royal blood aback as she watched him.

    "Allow me," Aelius gave a small smile before cing his hand upon the blood-soaked back of Damien''s armor.

    Just then, a tranquil aura emanated from Aelius'' position as his revered cape flowed gently in the iridescent wind.

    "Authority: Apollo," Aelius spoke out, quietly, yet assuredly.

    The mystifying words invoked a power unknown to Getrude as she witnessed a wave of condensed, pure healing energy engulf theid-out knight, flooding into the many wounds of his body with golden wind.

    Though it was mystical in nature, it didn''t resemble magecraft, but something of the divine; a seraphic force separate from magic.

    "This is��?" Getrude spoke slowly in awe as the light shined warmly around the three.

    "The authority of Apollo, the god of healing," Aelius told her with a reassuring smile, "he''ll be alright, Lady Getrude."

    As the words of reassurance came from the coral-eyed, youthful knight''s lips, she finally rxed as she sucked up her tears, though it seemed she wanted to cry even harder now.

    It didn''t take more for a minute for the wounds of Damien''s to bepletely closed, but he remained unmoving.

    "Is he��?"

    "He''s unconscious. After suffering wounds like that, and fighting like he did, his body needs rest," Aelius said, hoisting the unconscious knight onto his back.

    "Thank you, Sir Aelius��if it weren''t for you�C"

    "It''s nothing," Aelius smiled bashfully, "Sir Damien is who you should thank��still, who were those unsavory fellows that attacked? To assault one of the princesses, and a knight��they must be rather confident."

    Getrude remained silent for a moment, finally taking in the destruction that hadid waste to the road as she looked back at the mangled bodies of her escorts.

    "...I do not know, truthfully. One called himself by two names�C"Renata" and "Leviathan", he came to me bearing the face of my brother, Barnabas."

    "Barnabas? That''s odd," Aelius responded.

    Getrude nodded, "He used Barnabas'' face to deceive me��but Damien saw through it, and��he took a de for me," her expression saddened for a moment, "...the other called himself "Ark", but he also said he was the "Marquis of Brutality"...I do not know what a brutish title like that implies but�C"

    Just then, Aelius'' expression stiffened with shock, "Marquis? This is bad��they''re making their move."

    "Who?" Getrude asked, "Who, Sir Aelius?"

    "...I must report this to the council," Aelius told her, extending his hand, "let us return to the capital. I''ll send soldiers down here to recover the fallen."

    She was perplexed what he meant by extending his hand to her, and how it corrted to them returning, but she epted his hand.

    "Excuse me, but I''m confused on how�C"

    �CBefore her question could leave her lips, it was answered as through a sparsely-heard incantation, Aelius warped the three of them from the desecrated spot.

 Chapter 435 - Era Of Hell

    I experienced it with them, but it''s a whole different story with that group.

    They had numbers, and not only that...I''d say each of them: Vale, Leonid, and Armen...they''re at the very least equal to me, if not stronger.

    And with their regenerative capabilities and no need to sleep, they were perfectly built for Purgatory.

    But now, it''s just me. A human way in over his head, in hisst seven days--what they call the "Era of Hell"--henceforth, Purgatory will throw everything it has at me to make sure I die.

    The hell if I''ll roll over and take it, though.

    [Purgatory, Third Floor. Seven Days Until The End]

    Shit. Shit. Shit, he thought.

    Moving with the spirit of stealthiness about him, he moved with his back hugging the damp, stone wall behind him, slowly sliding himself as to ensure he made zero noise.

    All he could do was sit still as he waited, listening to the rhythmic drops of stale water from the cracked ceiling of stone.

    Thud. Thud. Thud.

    Heavy footsteps rang through the gloomy, dark dungeon like an earthquake rumbling between brief pauses.

    It was a narrow corridor he resided in, sitting at the side of a barely lit, main hall that was upied by countless skeletal remains, all inhabiting a deathly stench that added to the miasma of the dungeon.

    He found himself hiding against the wall, clinging to the shadows, in an attempt to hide his presence from the towering monster stomping its way down the main hall.

    Thud. Thud. Thud.

    By the brutal orchestra of bones snapping each time it took a step, it was clearly stomping out the bones beneath its feet without any care. Each of those steps, growing closer and closer as he could hear the heavy breathing of the monster, filled him with unease.

    He had yet to get a look at it, though its presence alone was enough to put him on the side ofplete caution.

    This thing is trouble, he thought, I came to this dungeon to find mana potions...so I''m not exactly looking to expend any more mana.

    He breathed out quietly as his lightly damp, snowy locks hung near his eyes; his hand was kept by the hilt of Belus, stationed there in case his stealth failed him.

    Do I make a run for it? There''s a staircase down the main hall, but that involves actually stepping into the main hall--right into its path. That staircase will lead to the main lobby, but I snuck past a couple undead to make it up in the first ce. If they get in my way, the big guy here will get to me.

    Shit...is it really just my best bet to hope it doesn''t notice me here? He thought, weighing his options.

    The heavy breaths that protruded from the mouth of the unseen, lumbering enemy filled him with an indecisive unease.

    Closer, and closer, it grew: by the sounds of the heavy, wall-vibrating steps it took, it woulde into view in its new few strides.

    Fiddling with his pocket while trying to make the least amount of noise as possible, he retrieved one of the light-blue vials he came to the dungeon to retrieve. He silently popped the lid off, cing the end of the mana potion past his lips as he held it with his teeth, not drinking a single drop of it yet.

    Making sure to time it with the thundering footsteps, he took timed sips from the mana potion as the rejuvenating liquid traversed his exhausted body.

    Feeling it draw closer, he opted to stay put as he pressed his back as tightly to the wall as possible, keeping his gaze up as he didn''t even register the existence of the cobweb he looked at.

    Just pass, he thought.

    cing his hand over his mouth and nostrils, he muffled his own breaths as the exertions of his anxious chest grew too loud. His ears were filled with the rapid thumping off his own heart as he tried to quell it.

    Finally, a colossal thud resounded as the towering enemy in the midst finally revealed itself as it crossed by the intersection of corridors he hid in.

    Bare of any flesh, only tainted, ivory bones were on disy of the giant''s essence; a skeleton.

    As he thought, it was by all means a giant; having to hunch over as the ceiling that was twice the young man''s height was too low for the undead entity.

    All it wore was a long, ck cape that hung over its shoulders like the feathers of a dark crow, veiling most of its body.

    ...An undead? A big one, at that. Must be the boss of this dungeon, he thought, no, that can''t be it. It crashed through the roof of the dungeon while I was looting a chest...I guess the ''Era of Hell'' has started, hasn''t it?

    Dragging against the ground, the colossal skeleton wielded a massive greatsword that screeched as its sharp steel was drawn across the stone flooring.

    Seeing the size of the blood-stained, unkempt de, he gulped instively.

    "---"

    A machine-like growl emitted from the skeletal giant''s unmoving maw as it came to aplete stop, facing forward as the young man stayed silent in the darkness to its left.

    Come on, just keep walking! He thought.

    He was forced to perfectly bnce the ss vial he held between his teeth as he remained hidden--dropping it would result in the worst case scenario; a route he''d prefer to avoid.

    Crack.

    With an uncanny, swift movement, the greatsword-carrying skeleton snapped its head to the left, bringing its gaze directly down the shadow-abundant corridor.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Shit, shit, shit, he thought.

    There were no eyes in the abyssal sockets of the ivory-skulled skeleton, only a lifeless darkness that seemed to peer a thousand miles.

    Does it see me?...Can it even see? He thought.

    Hepletely halted his breathing, maintaining as little movement from his body as possible as he quelled even the smallest trembles that persisted.

    All he could do was watch with his singr, left eye as the cape-wearing undead began to shake as its bones jingled, cking repeatedly for no apparent reason.

    --And it stopped.

    Silence, silence, and more silence as the skeletal sentinel stood there motionlessly.

    Until it didn''t.

    Suddenly, it''s jaw unhinged before releasing a banshee-like scream that traveled with enough force to rumble the entire structure. He could feel it by the force of the deathly howl unleashed in his direction; it was a deration of malice.

    And that''s how I should have believed this would go...He thought.

    Just as the crow-caped skeleton turned to fully face him, he jumped back from his spot amongst the shadows, swiftly turning his head as he tossed the ss vial with his mouth. It crashed against the skeleton''s ivory face, exploding into a mess of ss as it was cleaned of its blue liquid.

    "---?" The skeleton paused in confusion as the ss sprinkled over its hollow eyes.

    The momentary distraction gathered from the undead''s confusion as the unorthodox action allowed him to bolt past the giant figure, sliding down the staircase swiftly as he made a mad dash for the entrance of the dungeon.

    "Try and catch me, you big bastard!" He yelled out.

    By the time he flipped over the railings of the windy staircase to find himself at the bottom floor, the wandering, lifeless skeletons guarding the first floor were waiting.

    Without wasting any time to stop and battle the frail, sword-wielding undead in his way, he sprinted past them as his eyes were set on the entrance that led back into the depths of the deathly forest.

    "Hyup!" He let out.

    Using the smooth skull of one of the skeletons as footing, he pushed himself outside with a powerful kick.

    Hended onto the grass waiting beyond the entrance to the grimy dungeon, rolling forward a bit before stopping on one knee.

    Made it--he thought.

    Just as he turned to look back at the stone building hidden by curved, white-leaved trees, the entirety of the front crumbled as an echoing roar apanied the disy of savagery.

    From the broken down exterior, the giant undead stepped out as stone crumbled around its form, allowing the gray material to slide off of its feathery, ck cloak.

    "Well, you''re persistent, aren''t you?" He muttered, standing up.

    There was hardly any time to react as the skeletal giant roared out while stomping forward, continuing to drag the hunk of steel in its right hand as it carved up the soil in its wake.

    As he took a quick backstep, the towering sentinel was in his face without a moment to adjust. It was already mid-swing by the time it was before his vision.

    ...It''s fast! He thought.

    His ears popped as the tower of stained steel missed his head, feeling the breeze formed by its weight and power brush against his light locks.

    After missing its target, the b of metal crashed into the soil beside him,nding with a tremor.

    It''s strong too, but I could''ve figured that out just by looking at him, he thought.

    While its greatsword was momentarily lodged into the damp soil, he retaliated with a singr movement; unsheathing his de and swinging it swiftly against the abdomen of the skeletal giant.

    "--Huh?"

    There was little resistance to his de; shing through the crow-like cape, he realized there was nothing to be hit beneath it--a vacant spot.

    That''s right. How do I even go about cutting down a skeleton? Magic would be my first instinct, but I''m not exactly packing a surplus of mana right now, he thought.

    --Interrupting his thoughts, a stomp of the giant undead''s foot came down, forcing him to flip backwards to avoid the thunderous downfall.

    It was only whennding back on his feet did he realize the secondyer of dread that approached in this battle: marching out from the crumbled entrance of the dungeon, undead poured out.

    "Just great," he muttered.

    The only silver-lining he could find in the pressing situation was that the other skeletons joining the battle were nothing more than cannon fodder, at least inparison to the giant amongst them.

    Little ones first, or the big guy? Well, that''s an easy one to answer....no damn way I''m going to fight the big guy while avoiding his underlings, he thought.

 Chapter 436 - Hunted, And Cornered

    Little ones first, or the big guy? Well, that''s an easy one to answer...no damn way I''m going to fight the big guy while avoiding his underlings, he thought.

    With that settled, he dashed between the giant''s bony legs before its massive greatsword could crash down above him, pushing forward as dirt scattered all around him.

    The thin, meager undead were easy targets as he mmed his de against them without much elegance; the singr impact was enough to shatter their form into a pile of bones.

    "---"

    Another metallic screech howled from the empty bowels of the giant from behind him, causing him to roll forward to dodge whatever strike was crashing down from behind.

    The force from the overhead swing of the unrefined greatsword was enough to form a gust of wind that tugged on his silver cloak.

    "It''s just you and me now, big guy," he muttered.

    Removing his dagger from its tiny sheath, he wielded both his broadsword and his dagger in each hand before taking off in a dash towards the boss-skeleton.

    I was hoping to save this for another time, but I guess now is as good as ever, he thought.

    "---!"

    It roared out again with a melody that assaulted his ears like razor des before throwing another swing of its towering de towards his flesh-bound form.

    Here''s the problem with swinging a sword this big around--! He thought.

    Jumping up, he managed tond atop the t side of the broad, oversized sword as he traversed its length swiftly while it still moved.

    An unorthodox move like that took the undead byplete surprise as it didn''t seem to react to his nimble assault in time.

    He dashed up the de and over therge, lengthy arm of the skeleton, finding his way to his shoulders before mming the obsidian dagger directly into the top of its skull.

    "Release!"

    By hismand, the mystical dagger unleashed the mana it had built up, cascading a ck, viscous array of raw mana through the hollow body of the skeletal giant.

    From the vtile release being exuded directly into the ivory temple of the undead, its body shattered into an uncountable number of withered fragments of bone. Having leapt away before he could crash with the shattered skeleton, he huffed, sheathing his des as he looked back at the dungeon.

    "Well, easy pickings now, I guess," he muttered to himself.

    And easy pickings it was, finding himself casually strolling through the tucked away dungeon amongst the contorted trees of the forest.

    Though it wasn''t exactly sprawling with riches, he managed to find another metallic chest hidden in the back of the damp structure. He flipped open the lid of the chest as it creaked with dusted age, revealing an azure glisten to his eyes that made him smile just a bit.

    "Bingo," he whispered in celebration.

    Grabbing the set of four mana potions, he tucked them away safely in the inner pocket of his coat, patting his chest for good measure before making his leave with a sessful run of the dungeon.

    Moving back into the forest of white leaves, he made a small, minimal camp for himself that included only a small campfire, and a few sharp-toothed abyss bunnies that made for a good meal.

    Just one more week. It might start in a few hours, or maybe it already started��the "Era of Hell"--it''s myst trial before I can save you, he thought, just you wait.

    Sitting on a halved, mossy log, he chewed on the makeshift shishkebab of cooked bunny meat in his lonesome. It was tough meat, likely due to the way he cooked it, the natural toughness of the monstrous bunnies, or both, but all he cared about were the nutrients it brought.

    Using a makeshift pot he melded tediously from discarded, ck metal, he boiled water found from a nearby pond, making sure to rid it of its impurities a few times over, for good measure.

    After taking a few sips of the heated water, he leaned back against the sturdy tree behind him, feeling his eyelids grow in density.

    When was thest time I slept?...I think it was when I was with those three. Two days then, I think. Thank goodness for the inner clock this ce seems to give you...though I can''t tell if it''spletely urate--it just...feels right, he thought.

    Just as his eyes closed, they opened back up.

    It was the whistle of something soaring through the wind with malice; shot directly towards him.

    Without any hesitation, he jumped up with a kick of his legs, bringing himself back to his feet just in time to evade the passing arrow.

    From where? He thought.

    Looking to the left, where the missed projectile shot from, he wasn''t able to discern anything beyond the shadowy veil that naturally clung to the gloomy forest.

    ��Another whistle.

    This time, he sensed iting from directly in front of him.

    Temporarily amplifying himself with utmost reinforcement, his altered senses allowed him to catch the arrow by its timber length, allowing the firm material to be caught in his taut grasp.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was face-to-face with the arrowhead, stopping for a moment out of sheer shock he was able to catch it just before the tip could touch his skin.

    "Huh?"

    An odd, resonating cold ram over the hand that held the arrow, prompting him to toss it to the ground before ducking behind the tree to evade the next shot.

    Keeping his guard up, he nced down at his right hand that had caught the arrow, finding a ck substancethered across his palm.

    What is this? Who the hell is attacking me? He thought.

    There wasn''t much time to think as he picked up the sounds of leaves crunching beneath the weight of steps.

    He stayed silent even in his thoughts as he focused only on his senses. Only his dagger was drawn from its sheath as hetched to the side of stealth, pressing close to the tree for cover as the footsteps drew near from behind.

    Just as they drew close, the steps wentpletely silent.

    For a few moments, all he was left with was the utter absence of sound--knowing full well something was definitely lurking just behind the width of the tree.

    As he brushed the sole of his boot across the soil subtly, moving as slowly and carefully as possibly, even that amount of sound was enough to trigger his lurking foe.

    "---!"

    It leapt out from the right side, nearly taking him by surprise as he reacted swiftly with a stab of his dagger.

    Sinking into the skull of the stealthy enemy, the dagger was withdrawn as he looked down to find it was a goblin, wielding a small bow.

    "A goblin��?" He whispered to himself.

    It was different from the ones he had encountered previously; it wore ck attire that stretched over its arms, legs, feet, hands, and even its head.

    That''s weird. Goblins usually are pretty vtile and dumb creatures. But this one acted with tactics in mind, he thought.

    Inspecting it, he couldn''t find anything besides a red-hide quiver and some arrows that werethered in the same ointment on his hand.

    Just as he saw the substance, the true nature of it finally kicked in as he felt a sudden release of strength exude from his pores.

    "What the��?" He muttered.

    Grabbing his own face, he swayed a bit, or so he thought--his vision became skewed, his bnce shifted, and everything spinning.

    Some sort of drug? This isn''t good, he thought.

    He reached up to a low-hanging branch to guide himself back to his feet as he leaned his shoulder against the sturdy cedar, gathering his breath for a moment as he tried to adjust to the miasma of his senses.

    It was when the sounds of bushes being rattled by many steps was heard from north of his vision did he remember one, unchangeable fact about goblins.

    ...They always work in groups, don''t they? He remembered.

    A concerning realization, considering the fleeting strength in his limbs as his legs felt like wet noodles under the weight of his body.

    Attempting to quickly circumvent any further spread of the mysterious ointment, he spit on his palm before vigorously wiping it with his cloak.

    "Come on��" He muttered, continuously looking up as the footsteps drew closer.

    He managed to clean most of it off, but the damage had already been done as the weakening effect settled in his body, causing him to nearly fall as his legs attempted to give in to the spell.

    Looking around for a path out of direct confrontation with the unseen goblins, he tried to discern such a route through the walls of white, lightly luminescent trees.

    It was easier said than done in such repetitive scenery, though with his halved vision--he found a path shrouded in heavy foliage, perfect for a stealthy escape.

    Bingo, he thought.

    Moving himself, his right arm hung at his side as the potency of the weakening ointment was strongest on that limb. He brought himself into the obscuring maze of the tall-standing verdancy, shuffling through it.

    He soon found himself shifted into a field of the towering grass, moving in no particr direction but away from his pursuers.

    His thoughtless movement came to a halt as the footsteps returned--this time they were all around, but scattered. Crouching down, he kept his breaths as low as possible as the weakening brought a feverish aspect to his lungs, making it difficult to hold onto air.

    All he could do was listen closely to the slow, quiet steps as they passed through the high grass; at any moment, one could make themselves appear from any side of him.

    They don''t know where I am exactly; that''s good. Still, it seemed like they were hunting me specifically. I guess this is what the ''Era of Hell'' really is, isn''t it? Seven days of this....He thought.

 Chapter 437 - Fluttering Consciousness

    Looking at his hand briefly, he furrowed his eyebrows before raising his dagger, keeping it up alongside his guard.

    I''m stupid. Making careless mistakes at this stage of Purgatory...it''s like I''m trying to die or something. I can''t slip up anymore, I can''t afford to, he thought.

    The steps were so light it was impossible to listen to unless he focused all of his attention on the minuscule sounds they produced, only audible by the nature of the verdant-ridden field.

    Whispering as low as he could, he chanted, "Araphel: Particle Shade."

    Through the des of lengthy grass, the shadowy particles gently bloomed, carried by an unseen wind as the additional sense acted as recon for him.

    Two on my right; one close, one far. One to the left, three behind...one ahead, close, he thought.

    The range wasn''t far-reaching due to his low-call, but all that mattered to him were his immediate surroundings.

    Regaining whatever faint breath he could fill his heated lungs with, he began to once again move slowly while remaining crouched, keeping his vision steady as it attempted to sway and swirl.

    Letting a small wave of air slip away from his lips, he suddenly reached forward, taking hold of the goblin just beyond the veil of grass in front of him.

    He covered its mouth tightly, clenching its jaw while it attempted to resist, stabbing into the back of its neck with his ck-pearl dagger.

    Just as he felt the resistance of the goblin in his hold fall, he slowly lowered its body to the ground to maintain his unknown location.

    --But, he made a fatal error.

    In the hand of the enigmatic goblin, it held an amber stone--a confusing sight to him that he only realized just as the dying creature tossed it directly into the air.

    Shit! He thought.

    Reaching up above the field of towering grass, the magical stone released into a bright sh that emitted directly above his position, shining down on him.

    As the light radiated as if the sun had cast itself down aggressively, swift steps could be heard moving from every side now.

    It used its dying breath to give away my location? I have to--he thought.

    --His thoughts were interrupted just as he stood, listening to the distinct sound of a bowstring being pulled back.

    Swoosh.

    Two arrows came swiftly with only seconds passing after the light came, one narrowly missing as he stepped back, and the other plunging into his right bicep.

    "Ngh��!" He winced.

    Though it hurt, he was forced to sprint forward without any hesitance as the orchestra of bowstrings being tugged filled his ears.

    All carefulness was flung out of the window as the immediate threat of the intelligent goblins pulsated through his mind like his thumping heart. He attempted to converse as much mana as humanly possible, but the enemy proved to be too much for such a risk as he felt their presence even while sprinting through the field.

    Though the weakness still thrived through his veins, he forced past it temporarily with reinforcement.

    More arrows came, most missing by a hair, though another grazed his leg with a sharp nick that made him stumble slightly in his run.

    Looking up, he squinted as he looked directly at the overflowing light; waiting as its sh ended before countering with his own action.

    "Araphel: ckout!"

    He tossed the shadowy orb directly into the air, allowing it to explode into a wave of sensory-deprivation magic.

    By the sudden stoppage in the storm of hastened footsteps and drawn bows, it was clear the ''ckout'' had filled its role as he made his escape.

    Through the towering, olive verdant he pushed through without any inclination of what waited ahead before finding himself in a rocky field, surrounded by stone hills, white cedar, and a small, running stream.

    I made it, he thought.

    Catching his breath quietly, he held his guard while sitting down next to the narrow stream of water.

    Looking at his right arm, he felt the dizziness return as he made sure to wrap a few bunched-together leaves around the arrow before gripping onto it.

    He sat there for a second, gathering his strength before--he tugged, pulling the arrow embedded in his bicep out in one, solid pull. From the jagged shape of the arrowhead, forcing it back out the way it came proved to be an action not without consequence as his flesh was skewered by the brutal edge of the wide arrow.

    "Gah��! Shit!" He let out.

    Blood seeped down his arm plentifully now as the unsightly wound was left on his crimsonden bicep.

    Without any proper medical supplies, all he could do was form a temporary fix as he ripped a piece of fabric from the interior of his coat. He tightly wrapped the sable piece of cloth around his afflicted flesh, feeling it immediately be drenched in blood as he tied it off.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The bleeding stopped, though his arm was leftpletely numb as the ointment spread itself in full, causing him to sweat through his pores as his breathing became louder.

    Moving his attention to the small cut left on his calf, all he could do was wash it with a few sshes of the stream''s water, feeling the weakness strengthen itself.

    Not good. This substance of theirs is what''s going to lead to them wearing me down and killing me off, unless I y this right, he thought.

    It was an observation that was easier said than done, though. Coursing through his body, the mysterious drugthered on the arrows imprinted on his body a weakness that supplemented his already exhausted state.

    He could feel each blink he took was used as an opportunity by his brain to attempt to fall into slumber, causing his eyelids to feel like lead.

    I have to stay awake. If I fall asleep...I''m gone, he thought.

    It was a bad enough sign that the stress of being hunted wasn''t enough to supplement his body with the necessary energy to simply bypass his exhaustion in the moment, but he didn''t have the luxury toment that.

    Sshing the cold water from the running stream onto his face, he took a few, controlled breaths before standing back up.

    Cold, he thought.

    Feeling the briskness of the water he sshed against his face, he gathered an idea on how to ovee the gue of exhaustion biting away at his mind.

    If I keep myself cold, I won''t fall asleep...at least, not as easily. I''ll constantly be ufortable, he surmised.

    With that idea in mind, he unbuttoned his sable jacket, leaving it open as he exposed his bare chest to the chilly elements around him. A shiver ran over his body, though it was one that was quickly followed by relief as he felt a small boost in his conscious state.

    "Alright," he muttered to himself.

    Maintaining his momentum in evading the organized goblins, he bottled up some water for the road before pushing back into the holds of the lethal forest.

    At some point, his steps turned more into drags as the strength to lift his feet became more and more of a heavy task. Pushing through the dense foliage became a challenge in itself as each passage felt like pushing against steel doors.

    Whatever it was, the goblins'' mysterious poison could be felt tangibly mixing through his body like an oozing warmth, attempting topromise his strength at every turn.

    With no indication of where he was heading, surrounded by cedar at every step, he simply moved through the path of least resistance before finding himself in a new, unknown section of the deathly forest.

    The scenery of white-leaved trees was reced by long, interconnected trees that merged at the very top, forming a maze of branches that almost felt like a ceiling of sorts. No leaves clung to the interconnected, countless branches.

    Hanging from the peculiar timber were endless drapes of overgrown vines, reaching down to the floor of moss and gross.

    It felt like apletely different environment; a cinnamon-like, brown mist hazed the air just slightly; obscure enough to leave his vision untampered, but visible enough to give it a unique distinction.

    Where the...hell am I? He thought.

    In his exhausted haze, he didn''t recall the past hour of wandering that led him to this location as he looked around, finding that the ground quickly became absent just a few steps ahead.

    A massive dip waited just a stride beyond, allowing him to overlook a deep chasm below; the only way forward was to use the natural bridges of the colossal, enigmatic trees as their countless branches served as such.

    "...I guess I have no choice," he whispered.

    Looking over his shoulder, he could still sense that he was being followed, leaving little doubt in his mind that he had to enter the valley of timber bridges.

    An upward draft passed by him as he stood on the branch-bridge, making him immediately question his decision, but by this point, there was no turning back.

    It wasn''t particrly difficult to walk across, as the colossal trees produced branches that were the width of his body. The arduous part came with the looming reality of the chasm awaiting below, and the enigmatic fate it held in its bottomless hold.

    I''d rather not find out what''s down there, he thought.

    Looking up, the maze of branches were decorated by spread out, giant nests formed of bundled-up, scattered twigs from seemingly the same trees by the shade of the oak. To his dismay, giant cobwebs also seemed to stretch across some sections of the towering trees.

    Just great, he thought.

    Moving forward slowly, he kept his pace steady through sheer will, crossing from tree to tree as something finally made itself visible in the far distance.

    The verdant tinge of nature couldn''t be mistaken, but enticingly, a running waterfall could be faintly seen; it looked to be a basin.

    "...There''s no way I''m reaching that soon, at this pace at least," he muttered to himself.

    He could feel the sweat exuding from his pores as he stood there, breathing heavy puffs of air from his lips as he looked at the distant scenery that felt like a utopia in contrast to the nightmarish terrain he found himself on.

    Either way, he epted that taking a moment to rest would likely benefit him more than pushing on.

    If I keep forcing myself forward....I might crash, and falling in an environment like this isn''t exactly without risk, he thought.

 Chapter 438 - Through The Valley Of Branches

    Looking up, he stood directly under a branch that held a massive nest of bundled brunches. From what he could tell by the stillness of it and the silence around him, it was empty.

    "Better than nothing," he thought.

    He took a few breaths in and out while looking at the giant tree trunk in front of his eyes, clenching and releasing his hands as he readied himself for the task.

    If simply standing was a challenge, then climbing would be the ultimate trial.

    Here goes, he thought.

    Beginning his ascent, hetched onto the tan-brown hide of the tree, slowly dragging himself up its length as he winced through his clenched whites.

    Just the weight of his garments and weapons were enough to feel like an anchor weighing him down as he climbed at a sloth''s pace; digging into the bark with his fingernails, he slowly, but surely crawled upwards.

    After an hour''s fifth of the arduous climb, he reached his destination while huffing heavily, resting on the high-ced branch as he regained his lost breath.

    As he thought, the bowl-shaped nest was devoid of any inhabitants; even the rugged, branch-made home for avians lookedfortable, by this point.

    "Beggars can''t be choosers, right?" He muttered wryly.

    After sitting down on the t, natural bridge, his body refused to stand back up as he chose to crawl into therge nest, having to pull himself over the wall of melded, intertwined branches before sliding down its bowl-like interior.

    Finding himself in the center of the nest, he fiddled with his light locks for a moment before looking up; the size of the avian-built home only registered now that he was dead in its center.

    What was usually no bigger than the size of a bowl meant for eating was now rivaling that of a modest house.

    "Alright...this is as good as it''s going to get for a rest stop," he muttered.

    Laying back against the surprisinglyfortable bed of branches, his eyes shut without him even having tomand them to do so.

    If worsees to worst with things here, I can call on Astraeus...at least, I can try to, he thought as heid there.

    It wasn''t a minuteter that his eyes were shot back open as the nest shook beneath a heavy, sudden weight.

    As he sat up with a disgruntled curve to his eyebrows, he didn''t see anything in front of his groggy, uncovered eye, but a shadow now loomed over him.

    "Huh?"

    Tilting his head back, he looked directly up to find himself face-to-face with a crimson beak and ck, pearly eyes.

    For a second, he remained absolutely still as his groggy self limated to what his eye disyed to his brain.

    After that second was over--

    "What the?!"

    He rolled forward, drawing his de and facing the mysterious visitor just as it parted its crimson-tinged beak, unleashing an echoing screech.

    Though it was a gargantuan avian, lying inside of its beak were countless, small, but razor sharp teeth that could be for nothing else but carnivorous tendencies.

    Itsrge, red talons clung to the side of the nest as it spread its wings, disying its snow-white feathers in all of their daunting glory. The wingspan it possessed was triple his own height, and its size alone dwarfed him by enough that those talons or its beak could carry him off.

    I get it now, he thought.

    "This is your home, isn''t it? Listen, I was just on my way out of here so--" he began to say.

    Another high-pitched screech left the avian''s malicious beak as it sounded off like churning lightning.

    Obviously resolving something peacefully never works here, does it? He thought.

    Letting out a quiet sigh, he firmly held onto the fabric-wrapped handle of Belus, standing ready with such heavy, dark bags under his eyes that he could tangibly feel their existence. Thest thing he felt like doing was getting into a fight, but by this point, he was more than used to having to fight.

    "Come on, then," he muttered.

    He stood still, waiting for it to make the first move as it stood there with its wings spread as if trying to intimidate him with sheer size.

    After it seemed to realize he was refusing to move, it finally made its move; rearing its head back, it unleashed swift, repeated pecks of itsrge beak directly towards him.

    "Humpf--!" He grunted.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Blocked each jab with his de, the sh of tough material echoed; ng, ng, ng.

    It''s like I''m fighting a spear-user, he thought.

    As tired and out of it he was, it was child''s y to guard against the rtively slow, predictable attacks. It was at times like this that he realized the natural growth he had undergone; thankful for it in his tired state.

    Even if it was easy to guard, the strength behind the monstrous pecks still resounded through his body like chimes of pain.

    "Ghh...it''s time to end this, already!" He muttered through his clenched teeth.

    Repelling the avian''s crimson beak with an expulsion of breathing that bolstered the push of his de, he gathered his mana for a finishing strike.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    --What resulted was a bit more grotesque than he initially nned, but the job had been done as the release of visceral darkness cleaved the bird''s head right off.

    Standing there for a moment as he looked at the slumped-over body of the white-feathered bird, he sighed before sheathing his weapon.

    "I guess sleep isn''t really an option until I''m out of here," he muttered.

    Descending from the nest, he kept himself wrapped in his silver cloak as he traversed the windy series of daunting bridges.

    His posture was slightly lowered as his tired, cold body didn''t have the energy to hold itself properly as he kept moving one foot in front of the other, repeating the process manually as the neighboring updrafts brushed against him briskly.

    Sleeping for just a few minutes somehow made me even more exhausted. Just great, he thought.

    All he could do to keep himself supplemented with the strength to walk forward was to continue to look on at the distant, but steadily closer, basin awaiting beyond the chasm of branches.

    Though a fire was constantly lit within him as not for a passing second did he forget the existence of the ones he was fighting for.

    Thoughts didn''t popte his mind in his haze of exhaustion while he marched forth, leaving him to be surprised when he stopped to find himself in a peculiar section of the already unorthodox environment.

    Many of the widthy branches coalesced into a tform, connecting to an array of bridges that led to the surrounding, colossal trees of seemingly boundless size.

    Looking around a bit, he decided it was as good a ce as any for a short break spot as the tform was definitely moreforting than the bridge that constantly inhabited the fear of the chasm below.

    How far have I made it? I honestly...can''t tell, he thought.

    As he plopped down on his rear, he let out an unrestrained yawn that echoed through the vast region of trees, carried through the empty space between each cedar.

    Feeling the jingle of ss meeting ss in the pocket of his coat, he reached into it to retrieve one of the vials containing lightly-luminescent, blue liquid.

    "I could probably use a bit of mana right about now," he muttered, "maybe it''ll help with the exhaustion?"

    Popping the vial off, he opted to chug the entire content of the bottle as the cold, azure liquid slid down his throat.

    He let out a satisfied breath before tossing the bottle off the sound of the naturally-formed, wooden tform. Through his veins, a surge of awakening cold flooded before a warmth reced the brisk sensation; his declining mana reservoir had been restored.

    "Hmm��" He hummed quietly.

    With a swift side-to-side movement of his neck, he cracked his tired bones, doing the same for his knuckles and his back.

    He rotated his arms as if stretching the exhaustion away before doing the same for his legs, leaning forward as he touched his toes to simultaneously stretch his back. After his routine of stretches was finished, something he tried to do daily, if possible, he stood up to his feet with a freshened vigor.

    "That hit the spot. I guess I was lower on mana than I thought," he mumbled to himself.

    Looking behind himself briefly, all he could really see were the pirs of towering oak by now, long passing that from which he came.

    I need to keep moving. I just can''t shake the feeling that I''m still being tracked down, he thought.

    Through the nature-filled chasm, it wasn''t a particrly eventful journey forth; encountering oversized insects, birds, and such, he found the real foe to be the terrain he had to traverse through.

    It was another two days of his slow-paced march, with some minuscule breaks, before he found himself just before the basin, standing at the border between the endless chasm of trees and the natural, verdant valley flourishing with water.

    He knew there wouldn''t be much respite in the beauty of the new environment, but it looked a hundred times better than the current terrain he stood on.

    Please, just have something to eat over there, he thought wishfully.

 Chapter 439 - The Jungle

    The distinct separation of the valley of branches and the jungle ahead was clear, and what needed to be done to reach the jungle was even clearer.

    "You''re really going to make me jump, aren''t you��?" He sighed to himself.

    Standing at the very edge of thest, far-reaching branch, a vast space devoid of any footing sat between his position and the cliff of the verdant jungle beyond. If he failed his daunting leap, the harrowing chasm was awaiting below.

    Well, no point in dragging things out, right? He thought.

    Taking a breath into his lungs, he got a small running start before jumping from the branch--slipping as the very end of the brittle limb snapped off the moment he pushed from it.

    "Shit--!" He called through his gritted teeth.

    His stomach dropped into harrowing depths as the feeling of utter weightlessness took hold of him. There was no way he could reach the rocky, moss-covered edge of the awaiting jungle as he iled his hands nheless.

    With the absence of anything below the soles of his fluttering feet, there was only one path to salvation.

    "Araphel: Inverse Hand!" He yelled out at the top of his lungs.

    Summoned from his body, the shadow-born limb stretched out like a flung rope,tching onto the side of the cliff as his position was secured.

    Though he wasn''t at the top yet, ''Inverse Hand'' was merely his anchor while he himself swung harshly against the stone-made, rigged side of the barren cliff.

    "...Close one," he sighed out.

    Looking back while he remained tethered by the dark limb, he gulped as he was surrounded by utter darkness and the roots of the colossal trees.

    The shattered limb of wood seemed to be falling in slow motion, gliding downwards for a seeming eternity as the darkness revealed no limit to its depth.

    "Well, I''ll just count myself lucky for now��" He muttered to himself.

    With that heart-stopping event waking him up, he climbed up the rigged cliff without much trouble, surmounting it as he dragged himself onto the natureden terrain he had aimed for.

    As he stood back to his feet, he took in a breath at the scenery he found himself in.

    Unlike the white-leaved forest, or the maze of branches, the new biome was inhabited by trees of many colors and shapes: lengthy, curved blue ones, some short, stocky and crimson. Some even sat on the side ofplete oddity with golden bark and circr-shaped branches.

    "Did I just step into a children''s book?" He jokingly asked.

    The nt life inhabiting the colorful jungle was no different, taking on obscure shapes and shades as he slowly traversed the corridors of trees. Above him, the tallest of the trees were so neatly snuggled up that their leaves formed a ceiling above his head, shielding his eyes from the abyssal sky of the floor.

    Five more days. Just five more...I can do it, he thought.

    An illusion of the daytime was made; fireflies were scattered around, clinging to the ceiling of leaves up above as if mimicking the orange rays of the sun, itself.

    I wish I could''ve seen it with you. I''m sure you would''ve loved this ce, no matter how cruel it was. That''s the kind of person you are, Iris. You can...look past the bad. I guess that''s how Inded myself at your side.

    I''ll just have to tell you all about this ce once I bring you back, he thought.

    Even as eye-catching as it all was, he stayed on his guard, keeping his hand stationed near the handle of his sword.

    As he moved forward, a sweet smell resembling sugary candy met his nose, enticing his empty stomach as it growled from one whiff of the mysterious aroma.

    What is that? He thought.

    Somehow it was so potent that he was able to guide himself by smell alone, stepping over a moss-taken stone as he pushed through the array of oddly-shaped trees.

    He found himself standing in front of an amber-petaled flower, with a white stem that granted it a height up to his knees. The pistil bore a yellow tinge, oozing a caramel-like liquid that produced the delectable scent.

    "...Is it safe?" He whispered to himself.

    Kneeling down in front of it, he gulped as he could feel just how empty his stomach was; so devoid of anything that it began to cramp up, resonating with a slight sickness through his body as he craved sustenance.

    So sweet. It smells so, so, so, so sweet. Just one lick. One lick won''t hurt, right? I''m just so hungry. I''ve never been this hungry in my life before. I could eat everything, anything--I don''t care. One lick will be fine, he thought.

    His vision became blurred and his heat hot as if running over with a building fever; every second he knelt there, contemting on consuming the sweet smelling substance, he felt his resolve dwindle.

    The scentpletely held his sense; the sweetness made his mouth water so intensely that he drooled without noticing, overflowing like a flood against a dam.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it. Do it," it was his voice, but not himself repeating this over and over in his head.

    Closer and closer, he slowly leaned forward as his tongue out as he prepared to get a taste of the enticing liquid.

    Just before he could savor the alluring sweetness just in front of his tongue, he was stopped by another voice in his head.

    "Ren," it was a feminine, kind voice he could never forget. With the call of his name resonating through his mind, he briefly visualized the young man, recalling her flowing, wavy locks of an azure beauty.

    "Iris��" He muttered, strained by building tears as he grabbed his own face.

    It felt as if he just woke up in his body, though he was never unconscious; it was an inexplicable feeling of helplessness he awakened from.

    Falling back, he shook his head as he looked at the sweet-secreting flower in a new light, disgusted at what transpired.

    "That wasn''t me��?! I don''t know what just happened! I don''t know! I...I almost did it. I had no control!" He grabbed his own head as he yelled out.

    The delicate aroma was now sickening to him, making him want to spew out from his bowels as he pulled away while covering his nose with the cor of his coat.

    Huffing as he found himself walking down a barely-visible trail in the vibrant jungle, he gulped as he wiped the saliva from his mouth.

    I wasn''t even able to react to the threat before it yed with my mind. Itpletely ensnared me without me even realizing. I was lucky this time...shit, shit! How am I supposed to defend against things like this?! He thought.

    Even if he rejected the allure of the mind-ensnaring flower, it didn''t change the fact that was hungry in reality.

    Thebination of exhaustion and starvation was a deadly duo, one that hindered his own travels as he stepped to look around for anything edible. He was surrounded by ntlife, finding his eyes falling on a bush holding pink berries.

    It was torture to his empty stomach; he knew there was no way he could risk eating anything naturally grown from the jungle, not after the close-call he just suffered.

    "...I have to find something. An animal, a monster...I don''t care--just something," he muttered weakly.

    Wandering the humid jungle, pushing through sticky vines and avoiding malicious flowers, he walked with his stomach as his top priority.

    I wonder how we''d be doing if everyone was still here right now. Hongse would still be eating up our supplies, and Valerie scolding. Jay would be napping whenever he got the chance, and when he didn''t, he''d mess with Mencius, who is always so serious.

    Aiko and Macheo would be shoulder-to-shoulder, with her always smiling at him, and the bashful prince doing his best to avoid direct eye-contact with her.

    Iris and I would be at the front, smiling andughing at the antics of everyone behind us.

    Even in a ce like this, we were able tough, he thought.

    He smiled just a bit at these thoughts, though it was more painful thanforting as he shook his head slightly to regain his focus.

    Just as he brought his gaze up, wiping some fallen leaves from his snow-white locks, an animalistic call echoed through thebyrinth of nature.

    It sounded...like a monkey? He thought.

    He wasn''t one-hundred-percent sure, but it was his best guess as he stood still with a droplet of sweat trailing down his cheek. Naturally, his hand fell to the handle of his sword, gripping the handle tightly.

    It was an impossible, unknown environment to keep watch of; looking around, the colorful mixture of trees only served to overload his senses.

    Another monkey-like call resounded, sounding as if it wasing from all directions at once, but it was a singr shout.

    Where is iting from��?! He thought.

    All he could do was stand there helplessly and defend the very spot he stood as he waited; the malicious, visceral shouts continued, growing closer and closer as they bounced from tree-to-tree.

    From nothing, the leaf-and-vine covered floor began to vibrate beneath the soles of his dirtied boots as the distinct sound of branches being shaken under a heavy weight sounded out.

    All at once, it felt like the jungle hade alive, as if reminding him of one thing: he wasn''t wee there.

    It''sing! He thought.

    --Thud.

    It was directly behind him; a heavy weight hadnded from his blindspot as the ferocity of the unseen entity could be felt tangibly.

 Chapter 440 - Battle Of The Humanoids

    As he turned around in horror to face the creature, he was forced to look up to meet eye-to-eye with the silver-furred ape. The leaves kicked up from itsnding were still gliding down around them; spiraling around the two as if isting their meeting.

    It towered over him, hunched over with its massive fists pressed against the ground as if acting like front legs; it stared down at him with primal, crimson eyes that were shrouded by hanging locks of silver hair.

    "��-"

    Streaks of ck fur ran up its wide forearms; its furless, sable-skinned fists were scarred and marked with red, star-shaped symbols.

    Dripping from its underbite, saliva rained down as it stood over him, breathing visible, powerful breaths as it exuded an aura of brute strength.

    "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

    "Oo-ah! Oo-ah!"

    "Ah! Ah! Ah!"

    --It wasn''t just the knuckle-dragging ape in front of him, but a whole group of branch-swinging, silver-furred monkeys following the burly leader of theirs.

    As he moved his pupils up, he could see them watching from up above: the smaller, but stillrge, human adult-sized monkeys, of varying species, were stationed on the curly-branches around him. They bounced, squealed, and yelled with their fangs bare.

    It was as if they were standing by and spectating the battle that was about to ur between the gargantuan ape and the snowy-haired young man, disying their excitement in their frantic movements.

    Not good, he thought.

    Though a peculiar observation was made as he looked back at the giant ape standing in front of him, as if waiting for him to strike first. It wore a ck-leather piece of armor over its torso; an item that a primal creature should have no business wearing.

    Looking up swiftly, the same peculiarity was found with the spectating primates of differing species: they all wore garments, though mostly tattered, shoddily-made robes.

    Weird. Definitely weird. But, this means they may be intelligent...if that''s the case, then, he thought.

    "How about this?" He said, cracking his knuckles, "If I win, I get some damn food. I don''t care how, or what it is."

    Atst, the towering ape began to move as it began to m its fists against the soil below, beating it like a drum as it roared out.

    The sudden, jarring movement forced him to jump back as every movement by the ape three-times his size felt malicious.

    I guess that marks the start of the battle? He thought.

    Each p of its knuckles against the mossyered floor of the jungle resounded like a cannon; the savage disy brought the spectating primates into an excited frenzy as they let out anxious calls.

    Once the silver-furred ape lifted its head again, looking at him with its crimson eyes--he knew what it meant.

    "It was time to battle," he realized.

    With a primal roar, baring its fangs, the massive ape charged forward as the fallen leaves in its path were kicked up like a storm of verdant snow.

    By the weight beneath its steps, caving into the ground below with such strength, he knew it wasn''t something he could take lightly and test the waters with.

    I''m starving, so I''ll end this quickly, he thought.

    As it reached his position, it began wildly mming its boulderous fists down without any elegance, beating the ground as each hammer-fist missedpletely.

    He back-pedaled to avoid the reach of the primal savage, having to deafen out the ear-filling yells of the watching primates as he kept his focus on the giant beast before him.

    Just as another m of the ape''s fist missedpletely, he used the opportunity to spin around into a kick directly against its chin.

    "Grugh---!" The ape spit out.

    Clean hit! He thought.

    The gargantuan, hunched-over beast stepped back, shaking its head as slobber trailed down from its bottom lip. The spectators seemed to enjoy his counterattack as their screams increased as the trees shook beneath their bounces.

    It was a scary fact to him that the beast was even still conscious, as the kick he justunched was just about his maximum reinforcement.

    Not only that, but it also seemed to make the muscle-bound primate even angrier as the red of its eyes seemed to glow with a savage rage.

    Without any sort of warning, the silver ape began to beat its chest with impacts that manifested into small shock waves. The leaves around its feet trembled, being lifted from the ground briefly from the force of his chest-beats.

    ...This isn''t good, is it? He thought.

    Keeping himself on his guard, he decided to draw his sword from its sheath as he watched the violent beaste to a stop in its rageful song.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the next moment, it was gone before his eyes. Even though it stood at a height doubling his, and a weight even more skewed, it disyed a speed that left him dumbfounded at its possibility.

    --How the��? Where? He thought.

    Though he received his answer indirectly as he felt the creaking of the trees around him, looking up to find the long-haired ape swinging from tree-to-tree with abnormal speed. If it wasn''t swinging from a blue-bark branch, then it was kicking off the trunk of a scarlet-skinned tree instead.

    He didn''t notice it before, but it possessed a lengthy, strong tail unlike normal goris, using its hind appendage to allow it to swing from branch-to-branch. Though he already figured it wasn''t any sort of orthodox gori, by any means.

    After jumping around above him for no apparent reason, the ape suddenly crashed down with immense speed, only allowing him a brief window to evade its impact.

    Close. This guy is fast--way too fast for his size, he thought.

    Again, he was forced on the defense as the aggressive beast charged him, constantly mming its fists where he stood, but missing each time. Even though none of its wild hitsnded, it was a closer battle than it looked.

    Each of its sable-skinned fists that were as tough as boulders moved through the air so sharply that the wind hissed each time they passed, leaving small shock waves in the air with each thrust of its hands.

    In my current state, one of those connecting would be bad news. I can tell just by looking at him; the way he holds himself, his breathing, the force leaving his fists--this ape is on a simr level to that minotaur, he thought.

    To make it worse, the jungle floor produced footing he was foreign to; the protruding roots, uneven spots of firm soil and muddy soil, and strewn vines--it made it a challenge in itself to not trip while backstepping.

    He could smell its unwashed, heated breath as it roared out continuously while unleashing its neverending barrage of hammer fists, urging him to put an end to their dance as he spun around the next iing fist.

    After a nimble counter to its chin once more, he halted its assault for a brief moment.

    This time, he decided to take the initiative before the ape could try and go another round through the trees, jumping up as he spun around into a spinning sh against the ape''s chest.

    Utilizing the sharpness of his steel, he cut directly through the leather over its chest, slicing across its bare chest.

    It hardly flinched at the deep cut as fresh crimson spewed out from its parted skin, pushing forward with its fangs out and roars leaving its maw.

    As its massive hand gripped his leg, he was pulled up into the air; it didn''t take him more than a moment to deduce what the ape wanted to do: it wanted to m him.

    Being swung up into the air weightlessly brought upon a certain, unexpected side effect that he loathed: his already empty stomach swirled and churned, forcing a sickening feeling through him that sent him into fight-or-flight more than anything else prior.

    Okay! That''s enough! y time''s over, big guy! He thought.

    Before it could, he left its grip with a swift ''Shadow Step'', appearing behind the scar-ridden ape before leaving a strengthened sh against its back.

    "Gruuugh--!" The ape roared in pain.

    The sh was released with heightened reinforcement, this time leaving more than just a superficial cut as the silver fur of the primate began to be dyed in its flowing blood.

    Hunched over, the ape seemed closed to falling over as the sh seemed to leave more damage than expected.

    Taking advantage of the ape''s weakness in the moment, he stood in front of the lowered primate, pointing his sharpened de directly in front of its bowed head.

    As he looked up, the watching primates fell silent at the unexpected victory, looking down at him with eyes that were unable to be read.

    "Isn''t this enough?" He asked, "I won."

    I really don''t want to kill it if it''s surrendered already...He thought.

    Though he didn''t know what sort of answer he expected, but the one he got surprised him--so much so that he didn''t quite believe it with his own eyes.

    "--You''re the victor," an old voice told him.

    A talking monkey?! He thought.

    It came from atop the trees where the spectating primates stood. Looking up, he found the words toe from the lion-tailed macaque sitting in the center of the group. It had a fluffy mane of white fur that contrasted its sleek, ck main coat.

    "What is your name?" The talking macaque asked.

    He stood there for a moment, questioning reality before answering, "Ren."

    The wizened primate descended the tree with its fluffy tail trailing behind it, approaching the young man before stopping just in front of him and the submitted ape. Around his small body, he wore scruffy, tan robes while guiding himself with a small stick as he walked upright.

    "You have defeated our champion inbat, a rare feat; even more so, you showed benevolence in sparing his life," the macaque told him, "therefore, you are now our new champion, Ren."

 Chapter 441 - The Primate Council

    "You have defeated our champion inbat, a rare feat; even more so, you showed benevolence in sparing his life," the macaque told him, "therefore, you are now our new champion, Ren."

    "...Pardon?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

    "Forgive me, I haven''t introduced myself," the macaque bowed his head, "I am Rohan, one of the elders of the Umber Cloud vige."

    Even with an introduction, it only left him with more questions than answers as he now found himself helplessly perplexed. The injured ape lifted himself back up, standing beside the much smaller elder as the other primates joined alongside them.

    "Umber Cloud vige��?"

    Rohan nodded, "Yes, it is our home in the Bareaminon jungle. It is where all of our kind live together to survive the harshness of this cruelnd. We''re the ''Velren'', we''re not monsters of Purgatory."

    Before he could ask any further questions, his stomach interrupted his mouth with an audible grumble.

    Holding an embarrassed hue to his cheeks, he chuckled as he held his stomach, though Rohan simplyughed with his hoarse, old voice.

    "Come, new champion, there is plenty of food in the vige."

    Just the allure of something to eat was enough to convince him to at least humor the mysterious, intelligent primates.

    "Food��? Lead the way, old timer," he replied.

    Once again, he found himself in another, fantastical situation in the cruel realm--though it seemed for once, he found a fortunate respite.

    Let''s see what this vige of primates is all about��"Umber Cloud vige", yeah? He thought.

    Following the primates through the jungle, he was forced into a foreign way of travel as he leapt from branch to branch. It wouldn''t normally be such an imposing task, except for the fact the trees of the Bareaminon jungle were exotic, to say the least.

    Though they assured him it was necessary to avoid the "awaiting predators" below��a vague warning he listened to wholeheartedly.

    Compared to the things I''ve done in Grandueve��this is no biggy, but my stomach isn''t really helping, he thought.

    He followed directly behind Rohan, who despite his wrinkled appearance, moved nimbly by using his tail to swing swiftly.

    Meanwhile, he was forced to hop with reinforced jumps while feeling the swift monkeys following behind him as well.

    "Are we close yet?!" He asked in a yell, having to shout to surpass the howls of the wind in their speedy travel.

    Rohan answered without looking, "Just a bit further, yes."

    Looking forward as he hopped continuously, he questioned how the elder macaque could even tell the difference between any of the sections of the colorful jungle.

    Around him, he couldn''t help but feel a bit ufortable by the dozen of primates that traveled alongside of, most of which didn''t seem capable of speech like the elder. The entire time, they looked at him with beady eyes, curious of him, though he couldn''t exactly me them as he felt the same way himself.

    This is definitely in the top five weirdest situations I''ve been in here��He thought.

    "I imagine you''re famished. Don''t worry, you will be presented with a proper meal when we arrive," Rohan assured him.

    "That''s good��" He replied while finding a rhythm to his jumps, "but what''s this vige of yours like? Just want to know what to expect, you know?"

    I can''t let my guard down. I don''t really feel any bad intentions from them, but it''s better safe than sorry. But, the primorelves were nice enough so��I don''t doubt a vige can exist on the third floor, he thought, if i''m beingpletely honest with myself though��I probably need to take a risk like this if i''m going to back it through thesest five days.

    Rohan came to a sudden stop, standing on a t, moss-covered branch as he turned to look up at the young man whonded on the branch right beside him.

    "Well, you''ll find that out for yourself by guiding your view upwards," Rohan told him with a soft smile.

    "Look up��?" He repeated, slowly bringing his gaze up.

    He found himself in awe as above them, the high-reaching trees inhabited a civilization of its own. A series of bridges connected the trees, with dome-like living spaces made out of wood, vines, and sometimes soil were attached to the bodies of the tall trees.

    It was impossible to notice without looking up, due to the obscuring nation of the dense foliage of the jungle. But once he saw it, he was enamored by the mystical, natural territory amongst the trees. A wholemunity existed there; young, old, small, andrge--he found himself speechless for a moment.

    "Is this��?" He muttered.

    "Wee to Umber Cloud vige, Ren," Rohan told him.

    As he was busy taking in the view, he witnessed the primates that returned with them to the vige climb up the assortment of lengthy trees, returning to their homes in swift fashion.

    Rohan motioned for him to follow, looking back at him as his fluffy, sable tail swayed. Of course, the elder macaque was climbing thergest tree of them all within the vige, sitting in the center with a thick, verdant trunk that possessed the width of a sports stadium.

    "Well, I''m no stranger to climbing at this point��" He muttered, holding his stomach as it growled.

    Taking in a breath, he followed Rohan as he hopped a few branches before beginning to climb the grand tree, finding it rtively easy as the protruding bark and vines made it easy to find holds.

    With the prospect of sustenance awaiting at the summit of therge abode positioned high on the verdant tree, he climbed swiftly while looking past his exhaustion.

    "Impressive, you''re a fitting champion for the vige," Rohan greeted him once he reached the wooden tform high up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He pulled himself onto the flooring, huffing a bit as he stood himself up, wiping the sediment from his coat, "So, is this your home?"

    In front of him, a domal abode made of orange-wood stood without a door, bearing an entrance lined with a carpet formed of some type of brown animal fur.

    "It''s the home of all five elders of Umber Cloud. Come, I''m sure they will be ecstatic to meet the first new champion in two years," Rahon said as he waddled through the entrance.

    ck symbols were engraved in the exterior, likely anguage he didn''t have any clue about. What he did have a clue on was the nice scent emanating from the interior, weing him with avender aroma.

    Guided by the emptiness of his stomach, he entered the enigmatic home of the elders. Passing through the initial corridor, he realized the true nature of the abode.

    It''s not just some cottage...the actual house is the inside of the tree itself. I''m getting some major deja vu right about now, he thought.

    Stationed in thevender-scented hall, chimpanzee guards wearing shoddy, metal armor stood taut and silent with spears pointed upright like statues. There was even art; perfectly made vases, pots, and even paintings of abstractndscapes.

    It all felt uncanny, yet incredibly intriguing to him.

    Pretty official, aren''t they? He thought.

    After ascending a brief staircase of smoothly-mended y, he was led by Rohan into a room filled with the smoky aroma of lit incense.

    Sitting in the middle of therge room, which was mostly upied by art and bedding, four primates sat in a circle, each seated on a cushion. It definitely felt reminiscent of human architecture, but was clearly not; the leaf-made veils that spiraled over the ceiling, it had its own vor of something not man made.

    The only empty seat was filled as Rohan lowered himself onto it, raising his gaze to the young man who stood still at the entrance of the toasty, humid chamber.

    "Five elders, today I present to you a momentous figure--Ren, the new champion of Umber Cloud!" Rohan presented.

    On the far left, arge, yellow-haired orangutan sat quietly with a smoke-exuding stick between his lips.

    "Momo, the chief of hunting-and-gathering!" Rohan introduced the orangutan.

    Next to him was a stone-faced gori d in crimson fur that was further d in white-metal armor. By the corneal scar inhabiting his eye, it was clear he was one well versed in warfare.

    "Goroba, the chief of the vige soldiers!" Rohan introduced.

    In the center, Rohan sat, holding his weing, soft smile as he held little presence of his own inparison to the other four elders.

    "I, Rohan, the chief of warfare!" The macaque smiled, presenting his role unfit of his small appearance.

    To the right of Rohan was a ck howler monkey, wearing a hooded robe that entuated their dark, beady eyes as they stared intently at the human.

    "Yon, the chief of magic development!"

    Last, and certainly notst, on the far right, a pale-furred baboon sat with an expression that looked as if he was one moment away from assaulting the snowy-haired adolescent.

    "Perrei, the chief of education!"

    That guy is the teacher around here?! He thought.

    Even knowing their names, he didn''t feel any morefortable as all of the eyes of the primates were locked on him, and sealed behind their mysterious gazes were their thoughts. Though by Rohan''s gesture, he forced himself to sit across from the elders as he settled himself on arge, beige cushion.

    "...This one defeated Makabar?" Goroba asked, keeping his metal-armored arms folded against his protruding chest.

    Rohan nodded a few times, "Indeed. He stepped onto our territory and promptly defeated Makabar with a single stroke of his de!"

    The tiny, ck-furred macaque made a motion as if swinging an unseen sword, reenacting the earlier battle with an entric smile.

    Wait, I trespassed��? I guess that exins why that ape fought me...He thought.

    "It''s been many...years since a Purgatory entrant has managed to stumble...into our territory, and even longer...since one has been our champion," Momo spoke slowly with a deep, bellowing voice, removing the smoking twig from his lips to speak.

    Yon nodded as her hood bounced slightly, "Be it as it may, it''s our one tradition we must upkeep for Togae if we inhabit his world. Any who defeat our champion be the new champion during their stay here."

    The name caught his attention as he tilted his head slightly, looking at the dark-furred howler, "Togae?...I feel like I''ve heard that name before."

    It was the angry-faced baboon that answered in ce of the chief of magic, "Togae is the creator of Purgatory. He created this vige for us to live and grow in. We all owe our lives to Lord Togae."

    Rohan nodded to further confirm Perrei''s words, "He is all-powerful, but not unfair. I believe it is the one condition for those residing in Purgatory to assist the challengers as much as possible."

    "...That doesn''t sound right," he muttered, clenching his fists.

    "Mm?" Rohan looked at him.

    He slowly shook his head, whispering, "Nothing. Forget it."

    No way the one who made Purgatory is "fair" or "kind"--no way in hell.. Whoever it is that made this ce is a sick, depraved bastard, he thought.

 Chapter 442 - A New Prospect

    Sitting there as he brought his gaze down, he was suddenly greeted by a small, beige-furred capuchin offering him a cup of some kind of freshly-brewed, hot liquid and a triangr pastry.

    "For me?" He asked, pointing to himself.

    The capuchin silently nodded, handing the wooden cup to him along with the pastry wrapped in a leaf-made wrap.

    "Thanks," he smiled a bit.

    He didn''t know exactly what it was, but the emptiness of his stomach and the dryness of his mouth removed any pickiness from him.

    "It''s monmon bread, made from sweet wheat," the elder orangutan informed him.

    He nodded, looking at the pastry before taking a bite out of it, "...Tasty!"

    Though hispliment came from a full mouth, both Momo and Rohan smiled at his satisfaction.

    Washing down the bread, he took a gulp of the warm, surprisingly sweet liquid.

    "What''s this?" He asked.

    "Tea made from pika leaves, very tasty," Momo informed.

    "It is," he confirmed with a smile.

    All it took was a bite of food and drink into his stomach to limate him to the unknown vige as he finished within the next minute. After finishing his tea, he set the cup down, letting the silent capuchin retrieve it as he looked up at the elders.

    "So...if I''m getting this right, this whole "champion" system is not something native to your people, but something Togae implemented?" He asked.

    The stern-looking gori answered while shoving an entire triangle of monmon bread into his maw, "That''s right! Obviously you''re not expected to be a proper "champion" of the vige, but it''s more of an honorary title for a special guest!"

    Rohan added, stroking his white mane with his thin digits, "Goroba is correct; as the ''champion'', you''ve earned the privilege of entering Umber Cloud during your time on the third floor. Think of it as a reward for managing to defeat Makabar inbat."

    Given his answer, he nodded his head silently as he pondered it, nibbling on another pastry that the wordless capuchin offered to him.

    So I got lucky with a random event?...I was always pretty lucky with stumbling across easter eggs in video games. Looks like I really hit the jackpot, he thought.

    "...So I can stay here for the rest of my time in Purgatory?" He asked.

    "That''s right," Rohan nodded, "you can rest easy, Ren."

    The words from the macaque seemed to be directly pointed at the dark bags hanging under the young man''s eyes.

    "Almost sounds too good to be true," he chuckled while ruffling his snowy locks.

    It was as he scratched his head andughed that he suddenly stopped and realized something. Suddenly a cold air came through, followed by the slow crescendo of small sprinkles turning into a full blown rainstorm.

    "Looks like it''s reallying down outside��" Goroba said, looking up towards the ceiling.

    Rohan nodded, looking at Perrei, the light-furred baboon who stood up and turned his attention to one of the chimpanzee guards stationed in the elders'' chamber.

    "Go out and make sure everybody gets indoors!" He issued hismand.

    The chimpanzee silently nodded before rushing out of the door in a rush that seemed peculiar to the adolescent human.

    "What''s going on? It''s just rain, right?" He asked.

    The elders all held wide-eyed expressions as they looked at him in response to his question--further cementing his perplexion.

    "There is only one urrence that brings rainfall into the Bareaminon jungle," Yon spoke direly, "--the "Stormfallen" are here."

    "...the "Stormfallen"...?" He repeated.

    It didn''t ring a bell to him, but the dire look present on all of the elders'' faces equally cemented his own unease.

    Goroba coughed, clearing his throat as he stood up, nodding to Rohan who got up with him, "They''re a n of extremely dangerous goblins. They specialize in hunting those who challenge Purgatory, but it seems sometimes they''re brought to our doorstep...vile raiders."

    "Goblins?" He repeated quietly.

    Hold on, it can''t be...right? He thought.

    "...I think they might be here for me," he admitted, sitting on the cushion still.

    After a moment of silence as he stared down at the straw-twined floorboards, a smallugh left Rohan''s wizened lips.

    "Huh?" He looked up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Rohan smiled, keeping his hands behind his back, "You''re feeling responsible, aren''t you? Well, you shouldn''t."

    All he could do was watch in confusion as the macaque elder strolled past him as Goroba followed.

    "Why��?" He asked, standing up.

    Goroba answered for him, "The Velren aren''t helpless, that''s why! This is our chance to wipe out the Stormfallen, once and for all! They''ve hunted our people for years now--this ends now!"

    The red-furred gori huffed with his armored-arms unfolding as he marched out of the room. His shoutedmands to the stationed, primate soldiers were stillpletely audible once he left the elder chamber.

    "All soldiers, prepare forbat! Go! Go! Go!" Goroba barked.

    Looking around, he watched as all of the other elders were already on their feet and setting out.

    "I''ll prepare��the rations," Momo said, slowly waddling out of the door.

    Yon followed, "The ck Clouds will be assembled around the perimeter of the vige."

    Following her own words, Yon vanished into the darkness without a trace.

    The light-furred baboon scratched his head as he began to leave the room, "All of the women and children will be kept safe, I''ll assure that."

    All with a goal and role, the elders set out, all leaving the room except for Rohan who seemed a moment away from leaving as well.

    "Wait!��What do I do?" He asked.

    Rohan stopped before he reached the door, looking back as he seemed to ponder for a moment before smiling.

    "Well��you don''t have to do anything, if you wish. You''re our revered guest, after all. I''d sit tight for a while��get some rest."

    He looked dumbfounded, "You want me to sit here while a battle is urring?��A battle I''m at fault for?"

    Rohan shook his head, "A final battle with the Stormfallen was always going to happen, one way or another. Don''t trick yourself into believing we''re fighting on your behalf, Ren. The Velren and the Stormfallen have been enemies for many years now. We''ve lost countless strong-willed warriors, mothers, and even children. Our homes have been burnt down, our people vited...this is a war we''ve been waiting for. However, the Velren are not a reckless bunch that act solely on emotion. We may not be capable of defeating those raiders in straightbat, but we can oust them."

    It was difficult to understand what the elder primate''s words meant when paired with his wise smile. Even with that smile, however, the oldened rage embedded in the macaque''s wrinkles was tangible.

    "Oust?"

    Rohan nodded, "If they want what''s in this vige, they''ll have to make it through our walls."

    Again, he was left confused as there were no walls he saw whening to the jungle-formed vige, and if there were, they would''ve been too small to aplish anything.

    Suddenly, a surge of mana was felt, surrounding the perimeter of the vige as he stood up, looking at the walls in confusion.

    "...Magic? Is it the Stormfallen?" He asked, keeping his hand near the hilt of his de.

    Racing out of the elders'' base, Rohan followed behind him as he found his way back out into the outside, being drenched in the downpour as he looked around.

    Rohan stopped his earlier assumption, shaking his head, "Those are the "ck Clouds"--the Velren''s own mage unit, led by Yon. These are the walls I''m talking about, Ren."

    He finally saw it: lifted around the vige, colossal walls formed of ckened mud, reinforced by wood, stood around the tree-based vige. Greeting his nose was the strong, but pleasant scent of rain coating the sturdy trees.

    The mixture of verdant, scarlet, and azure leaves that hung around the vige like ever-present walls glistened under the rainfall, yet it wasn''t a gloomy sight.

    Racing across the bridges that were connected to the magically-formed walls, dozens of armored soldiers marched, carrying bows and arrows, all led by Goroba as he barkedmands.

    Meanwhile, Perrei could be seen going door-to-door, retrieving the woman and children as he guided them to the elder''s hut.

    "It''s amazing," he muttered.

    Rohan smiled, "Now do you understand, Ren? The Velren can handle themselves. You just have to sit tight until their champion arrives."

    The words from the knee-high primate stuck out to him as he looked down at the salt-and-pepper furred macaque.

    "Wait until their champion arrives? What do you mean?"

    "Makabar was injured in your duel with him. While he''s recovering in the medical tent, it''s impossible for him to battle. As such, Ren, as the acting ''champion'', that responsibility will fall on you--when the timees," Rohan answered.

    As they stood just in front of the elder''s abode, he found himself conflicted on how to feel about this information.

    I guess it makes sense...but why do I feel like this is all ording to what Rohan wants? It seems like the old timer was looking for a war with the Stormfallen...then he made me be the champion, as well.

    He really is sly, isn''t he? He thought.

 Chapter 443 - Side-Effect

    Watching as Rohan gave orders to the passing chimpanzee soldiers,manding them even though they stood thrice his size, he began to realize the authority the seemingly feeble elder held.

    "So...this champion of theirs...he''s going to be pretty strong, isn''t he? I encountered the Stormfallen before, and they really let me have it," he asked.

    As he spoke, he disyed the wounds he had received in his skirmish with the coordinated goblins, showing Rohan the nasty gash left on his bicep.

    The macaque''s eyes went wide as he saw the wound, swiftly jumping up and tugging on the young man''s sleeve as he guided him across one of the bridges.

    "Hey! What''s the big idea, old timer?!" He asked.

    Rohan answered without looking back, "You should''ve said something earlier! I''ll have the doctor look at your wounds! You won''t be able to win with afflictions like that!"

    He was more so worried about crossing the shaky bridge that seemed to sway with each step--even worse, there were an array of frantic vigers passing by as well as impatient soldiers marching to their stations.

    "I''m alright, okay?" He said, pulling away from the elder''s grip.

    Rohan grumbled, stroking his white mane, "I don''t know what kind of hardships you''ve endured that an abhorrent wound like that is ''alright'', but I won''t question your own knowledge on your body, Ren. However, I will insist you at least let the Doctor take a look. You never know what he may find."

    He couldn''t argue with that; between the wounds and the weakness he was inflicted with previously, there wasn''t just a small chance something else could be harming his body.

    "Do you understand? The Stormfallen kill--by any means. They''ll poison you, ambush you, ensnare you--it doesn''t matter, as long as they kill you," Rohan spoke tautly.

    "Alright, alright, I hear ya''," He sighed, nodding his head.

    Without any further dy, he followed the small macaque across a series of bridges; some leading up, some leading down, before arriving at a straw-formed hut positioned at the center of a blue-barked tree.

    "Tell him Rohan sent you, Dr. Kuregura is an entric man so...be patient," Rohan told him, already beginning to walk up the bridge of swirling branches.

    "Wait, where are you going?!" He asked.

    If there was one thing he didn''t want to risk, it was potentially being left with an unknown doctor who didn''t speak the samenguage as him. Even further, the thought of primal medical tools frightened him more than anything.

    "I''ve got matters to attend to. I am the warchief of Umber Cloud, after all," Rohan assured him, "you''ll be fine, Ren."

    Not stopping at any further words from the young man, the small elder left swiftly. He was left standing where the rain continued to fall heavily,nding against the many, giant leaves around him in an orchestra birthed by the storm.

    Well, I''d better not walk out of here with an amputated arm, that''s all I know, he thought, I guess it''s just one fight and into another.

    As soon as he stepped through the doorway veiled by an orange quilt, he was greeted by a giant goldenngur wearing a white, lengthy set of robes that resembled the coat of a doctor.

    Therge, golden-furred primate was already fiddling with an olive-wood drawer, hurrying around and pacing back and forth without acknowledging the existence of the young man.

    "Urr, excuse me��"

    "--Yes, yes, one minute!" Dr. Kuregura hushed him, walking past him before rummaging through another drawer.

    As the hunched-over, human-sized monkey looked through the drawer while his lengthy tail flicked back and forth, the young man finally took a look at the room he stood in.

    There were two tables, for two patients, though one was already upied by a figure he was familiar with: therge ape he had defeated in a duel, now wrapped in bandages as heid there, seemingly unconscious with his tongue hanging from the side of his mouth.

    Olive curtains draped around the tables, though they didn''t obscure much, swaying slightly in the faint winding through.

    "A-ha!" The Doctor let out in celebration.

    He watched in silent confusion as the robe-wearing doctor hurried past him while holding a vial of brown liquid in the air, moving almost in a dance as his feet pattered against the carpeted-ground happily.

    "Give me a hand!" Dr. Kuregura looked at him, ushering him over.

    "Urr...alright," he hesitantly agreed.

    He was forced to watch his step as the beige carpeting was stained with a mixture of fluids--not exactly reassuring to him.

    As he stood on one side of the unconscious, silver-furred ape, the entric doctor stood on the other.

    "Alright, now keep his mouth open!"

    "..."

    "Hurry, would you?" Dr. Kuregura hastened him.

    He sighed out of disgust, nodding, "...Alright!"

    Begrudgingly, he pried the slumbering ape''s mouth open as he was immediately hit with a st of repugnant breath, causing him to wince as he averted his nose. Even with gloves on, he regretted every moment of it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Humming to himself, Dr. Kuregura popped the cork off of the bottle before pouring theplete contents of it down Makabar''s throat.

    "...And--done!" Dr. Kuregura told him.

    Without wasting a moment, he released his hold on the ape''s slobber-lined lips before fervently shaking his hands to rid the fabric of the primate''s drool.

    "Gross��" He muttered to himself with a furrowed expression.

    Dr. Kuregura rinsed the bottle by dunking it in a barrel of water a few times, wiping it with a white cloth.

    "So, what do you need, kid?" Dr. Kuregura asked, setting the empty vial next to an assortment of the same item.

    He was distracted by the snoring ape for a moment before he snapped out of it, looking at the tall, goldenngur before answering, "Ah...Rohan told me you''d take a look at my wounds."

    "Old Rohan, eh? Hm...so you''re the new "champion", are you?"

    Dr. Kuregura inspected him, walking circles around the adolescent human as he looked his body up and down, keeping his sable fingers tucked close to his chin as he nodded a few times, adjusting his small sses.

    "How''d you know I was the champion?" He asked, not really knowing what to do while the entric primate inspected him.

    Dr. Kuregura stopped, ushering for him to sit on the table opposite of the slumbering ape, "You''re a human, what the hell else could make it more obvious?"

    "...Fair," he sighed, sitting on the smooth, wood table.

    He already knew what the golden-haired doctor was going to ask him, so he did it himself; removing his cloak and coat, removing the makeshift tourniquet from his bicep as the bloody wound on his bicep was on full disy.

    "Oh, they got you good, whoever did this," Dr. Kuregura said, leaning close as his eyes were brought directly in front of the wound.

    By now, it had mostly stopped bleeding as his arm was dried with old crimson, though some streams still continued to run from the shredded wound.

    "...Yeah, it was the Stormfallen. They got me with arrows...oh, right...I''ve got another wound right here," he said.

    Taking in a breath as he lifted his left leg, he rolled up his pants leg as he showed the cut across his calf.

    "It''s not as bad...hasn''t really stopped me from moving," he told the doctor.

    "Mm...I''ll need to stitch that one up," Dr. Kuregura spoke, "this other one though--you said it was the Stormfallen that did it, yes?"

    As he nodded, he watched the entric doctor walk over to his assortment of fluid-filled vials, reaching out and moving his finger as he searched for one, specific jar before grabbing the one with light-green liquid inside.

    "Well, they alwaysce their arrowheads with a substance called "Moonlight Respite", it''s the extracted essence of a flower in the jungle that uses pollen to put prey to sleep--before it eats them whole," Dr. Kuregura exined.

    "Sounds scary��" He muttered.

    d I didn''t run into that one, he thought.

    The doctor hopped back over, shaking the vial as if loosening the interior substances as he gestured for the young man to bring his arm closer.

    "Indeed, it''s a powerful substance. They use it to weaken those that their arrows don''t kill. Tenacious folks, those ones. If it stays in your body for too long, it''ll actually have the inverse effect--you''ll be unable to sleep as you''re so tired it bes painful. Eventually, you die," the fuzzy doctor exined.

    "And that stuff, in that bottle, it''ll get rid of it?" He asked.

    Dr. Kuregura nodded with a smile, popping the cap off as a daunting smoke emanating from the innards of the bottle, "Oh, yes, indeed. It''ll get rid of it in a jiffy."

    As he was reassured by the jovial doctor, he watched as the verdant liquid was poured into the wound on his arm, feeling the cold, soothing liquid instantly inject itself into his system.

    Immediately, he recognized it as something mystical in itself; it felt alive--the liquid pushed itself through his veins with a vibrant cold that seemed to lift the poison from his body.

    "Ah��" he groaned.

    "Oh, I forgot to warn you of one side effect," Dr. Kuregura said.

    "Side effect��?" He asked, holding his head as the room spun around him.

    It looked as if the form of the golden-furred doctor was being contorted, spinning around him as he was unable to focus on a single thing.

    "As the ''Moonlight Respite'' is removed from your body, you''ll crash into a deep sleep as your body recovers fully. Don''t worry, I''ll tend to your wounds as you rest!"

    --And those words from the entric doctor of Umber Cloud bode true as within the next few seconds, his entire body went limp just as his consciousness retreated.

 Chapter 444 - A Dream Of Respite

    Perhaps his escape from the constant fighting, pain, andmentation--dreams.

    Sitting on a bed of flowers, somehow he knew he sat in a world of dreams; overlooked by an endless, bright horizon as if the sun red with a greeting of beauty.

    Against his back, he felt someone else''s; without having to turn back or say anything, he just knew who it was.

    "Iris��" He said as he smiled smalley.

    He kept his gaze down, watching the sea of roses, lilies, osmanthus flowers along with many others, swaying gently in the passing breeze of spring.

    "Isn''t it weird��? I can still smile, somehow," he said while looking up.

    There wasn''t any response except for the warmth of his azure-haired lover against his back as he sat on the serene sea of nature, holding one knee tucked to his chest.

    "I don''t even know if I should be allowed to smile anymore...I''m not happy, so why should I be smiling? It doesn''t make any sense to me...I don''t know what makes sense anymore--it feels like my brain is tied into knots," he spoke somberly.

    As he kept his gaze down, tears strolled down from his left eye, trailing down his cheek as he watched the spider lily below; his tears rained down on the crimson petals gently like the soft droplets from gloomy clouds.

    They were all he sat on now as his mind fluttered in a cloud ofmentation; a sea of the crimson-petaled flower, stretching as far as he could see.

    "...I couldn''t protect you. I couldn''t protect any of them. Not Aiko, not Macheo, not Jay...nobody. I''m aplete and total failure. So...why? Why was I brought into this world if I can''t do anything? It seems like the harder I try, the more I lose...it''s just too much," he shook his head as tears moved more plentifully, "I''m trying my best. I am. I...I don''t trust that my best is enough, though. Not anymore."

    Even though it seemed to be a one-sided conversation, theck of response didn''t stop him as he simply exuded whatid in his mind.

    ...I don''t know if I''ll have a chance like this again, I might as well use it, he thought.

    There was no point in trying to stop it anymore, so he didn''t; he let it all out.

    "After Adide betrayed me, I still believed I could be somebody, in this world. I was just so damn desperate to be anyone, anything, worth mentioning. I did absolutely nothing in my life up until that point--nothing at all. Then when Meinhard came into my life, I started to believe...I didn''t need any of that. I had a friend. Though, I wanted to impress him--I wanted to stop being a hindrance and finally show him something worth praising me for. I cooked, no matter how many times I burnt or cut my fingers. I read and wrote, even though I felt like a total idiot. I tried to learn magic...I tried, but by that point...it was toote. I lost him. I didn''t get to have that moment yet--that moment where I showed him, "Hey! I can be awesome, too!" It never came. Once that happened, I was angry...I vowed to be stronger so I never lost people again. That''s a lie though...I was just scared. I was scared of experiencing that grief again; my heart tightening so much that I thought I''d die, the tears...I didn''t stop crying myself to sleep for months. I didn''t know it could be so painful...up until that point, I never really had anyone like that. I was an empty shell throughout my life, buting here...I became someone--I tried to be someone. The Ounders took me in and treated me like family. I couldn''t ask for more, but still...I did. Just so impatient...I couldn''t stop for a moment and just tell myself, "Hey, it''s alright now. You have a family." No. I was still angry, but even more so--I was confused. "Why am I the only one who lived?" I asked myself that, every day. I wanted to make myself into somebody worth living. Somebody that it made sense was allowed to continue on. That''s why I was so impatient, and why I came to Purgatory. And because I was so impatient, so childish...you came along with me, to make sure I didn''t die. It''s my fault. That''s the simple, undeniable truth of it all: it''s my fault. I tried to tell myself it was because I was weak--that I couldn''t do anything anyway, even if I tried my hardest. But...I didn''t try my hardest. How could I be sure, then? It wasn''t because my body was weak...it was because I was a coward. I knew it all along, but...I wanted to try and fix it, make it right. Doing that just caused more things to be lost. It feels like it''s my fate to chase around this idea of a "reliable" Ren Nakamura: someone that people can smile when they think of and say, "That guy? He''s great! He''s helpful, kind, and dependable!" But, it''s just a childish dream, I guess. That''s never who I was, or who I can be."

    After letting it all out, he sat there, huffing and regaining his breath as his vision quivered from restrained tears. Even though it was a dreamscape, it all felt so real; the emotions he felt, the rity of his words--it hit him all the same as it would in reality.

    "But you''re still trying, aren''t you?"

    --Her voice finally met his ears with words that made him pause with a spectrum of emotions, though his first, most natural instinct was to allow the chained tears flow freely.

    "Even if you are as weak and helpless as you say, even if all of this has hurt you as much as you say, you''re still walking forward, right?"

    "I��"

    Before he could say anything in return, his cheeks were suddenly caressed as he was gently turned back, meeting face-to-face with her, meeting eye-to-eye with her azure jewels. She wasn''t upset, nor did she hold any semnce of gloom on her bright expression; what he expected to meet with was scorn.

    "Why didn''t you save me?" "Why did you let me die?" "Why did I fall in love with somebody so useless?"...in his mind, those are the words he expected to hear from her lips.

    But what he was met with was her serene smile that lifted his heart from the depths of his own self-pity, dragging him from that suffocating well just with a simple smile.

    "I didn''t fall in love with you because you walked a perfect path, but because you always stand back up, no matter how many times you fall down. Every time you fell, you''d be so frustrated, immediately trying again, that time with even more vigor. It doesn''t matter how small or feeble your steps are, you''ve never stopped moving forward. Ren, all you''ve told me is that no matter what happens, you''ll never give up. All of these hardships, losses, shorings...yet, you''re still here, trying your best. That''s what you''ve said...that''s what you haven''t realized."

    Iris'' words left her lips as she gently held his face close to her own while he remained at a loss for words, simply staring at her with eyes that seemed midway through a realization.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The Ren I know...the Ren I love, once he sets his mind on something, he never stops until he gets it. In that regard, you haven''t changed one bit, have you?" Iris smiled.

    "...Hell no," he answered quietly through tears.

    Around them, the crimson spider lilies altered, re-blooming into pure, white dahlia flowers as a powerful breeze swept across the field of marvelous flowers.

    cing his hands on top of hers, feeling her distant warmth as though it was right there, he continued as he met her eye-to-eye, "--Not until you''re back in my arms! Not until I can tell you "I love you, too!" With all of my heart! Everyone will be there, and I don''t care how damn embarrassing it is--I''ll say it! I''ll say it until my throat bleeds! You got that?! I''m not giving up on you--not for one damn second!"

    He kept his forehead pressed against hers as he held her hands, twining his fingers with hers as he felt his heated tears stroll down his pink cheek.

    You''re one-hundred percent right, Iris. Everything I''ve gone through, I''ve lost, I''ve suffered...I''m still here, aren''t you? Even with everything stacked against me, I''m still moving forward. How could I not see that? I was so caught up in self pity that I didn''t even see what was right in front of me.

    Ren Nakamura...he''s somebody that never gives up, that''s who you see, he thought.

    "I''m just part of your dream, you know that, right?..." She asked with teary eyes and a smile.

    He responded with a small smile, still keeping close, "Yeah, but that''s enough for me. So...if you don''t mind, I''d like to stay here a bit longer."

    Sitting on the bed of dahlia flowers, they embraced quietly as the vibrantly woven dream persisted with a seemingly real warmth; in his arms, it felt real.

    Thank you for letting me remember...something besides those terrible memories. In all of the awful things that have happened, it''s hard to remember the smiles,ughs, and good times. That''s what I have to focus on--the good things, the parts of them I love.

    Thank you...He thought.

    It felt like an eternity he sat in that beautiful dreamscape, yet at the same time it didn''t feel like nearly enough time as he opened his eyes.

    Patter. Patter. Patter.

    The sound of rain falling against the roof heid under greeted his waking ears as he blinked groggily. It wasn''t a roof he was familiar with, and the material under his back didn''t feel like the stiff table he initially went to sleep in.

    Beneath him was afortable cushion, though a bit prickly, but nothing toin about in his previously sleepless state.

    ...How long was I out? He thought.

    As he sat up, yawning and stretching his arms, he looked around to find that he was in a small room,ying on a bed made of heavily intertwined grass to form something reminiscent of a mattress.

    This doesn''t look like that doctor''s ce, he thought.

    On the chair beside the surprisinglyfortable bed, his sable coat and silver cloak rested alongside his sheathed de and dagger, making him realize he was left shirtless as he looked down to check his wounds.

    "Gh��" He winced as he lightly felt the bandage wrapped tightly around his bicep.

    Around his left calf, a simr measure was taken as he stood himself up, sliding his coat back on and throwing his cloak over his shoulders.

    It''s pretty quiet, he thought.

 Chapter 445 - The Elders Call

    Attaching his sheaths back to his belt, he slowly walked around the room as the wood croaked beneath the steps of his boots. Inspecting the yellow-wood drawers, he found nothing of interest as he finally decided to venture out of the room.

    In front of the bedroom entrance, veiled by a hanging curtain, he stood in silence for a moment as he listened to the rainfall continue to pour down.

    More than the natural smell of the wood-made home, the smell of precipitation meeting with the vibrant foliage outside met his nose.

    It''s still raining hard, isn''t it? That means the siege is still going, probably, he thought.

    Finally pushing aside the curtain, he stepped into the main section of the abode as he was immediately greeted by a warm, sweet smell that had an uncanny resemnce to cherry jam. It definitely wasn''t the medical tent belonging to the doctor; decorated with the trophy heads of in beasts on the walls, rugs made out of those beasts'' hide, and therge cushions--it was definitely somebody''s home.

    "...Where the��?" He muttered to himself.

    "Finally awake, are you?" An unknown voice called to him.

    The words coaxed him to swing his gaze towards the source, finding himself looking into a kitchen that was upied by an orange-furred chimpanzee, dressed in thevish garments of a noble; tie and all.

    "Sorry, but wasn''t I at the Doctor''s ce��?" He asked.

    The primate spoke without turning, tending to whatever sweet delicacy he was busy baking, "Dr. Kuregura''s establishment became incredibly busy once the siege began. A lot of soldiers wound up injured, and you weren''t in need of care anymore, so I was asked to take you in, for the time being."

    "I see��" He ruffled his snowy locks, "Excuse me for asking, but who are you?"

    It was a question that arose from the peculiar state of the house, and the owner; the primate spoke with an eloquence beyond the others he had met, and his attire waspletely different.

    The orange-haired chimpanzee stopped, looking back at him as he adjusted the circr-rimmed sses stationed on his nose.

    "I am Regibald Carnarian, at your service," the eloquent chimpanzee introduced himself, "A humble hunter, that''s what I am, if that''s the question you meant to ask."

    "Oh, alright, I see...wait, not really, but whatever," he scratched his head, "how long was I out for, anyway?"

    If the infirmary was overrun with wounded soldiers...it can''t be a good thing, he thought.

    Regibald shifted a pot containing fresh, pink liquid as he took in a prolonged inhale before answering, "You''re curious as to the state of the battle against the Stormfallen, aren''t you? Worry not; Goroba''s men have managed to keep them from infiltrating Yon''s walls the past two days."

    "Two days?..."

    "It''s not surprising. By the bags under your eyes, I imagine you haven''t had proper rest in a good while," Regibald said while moving the sweet-smelling, pink liquid into pastries.

    After his question was answered, he watched the well-dressed primate finish filling the basket of pastries before lifting it from the wood counter, walking towards the young man before stopping in front of him.

    "What''s this?" He asked, looking at the basket.

    The aroma greeted his nose pleasantly like a freshly baked pie, straight out of the oven--a scent he long missed.

    Regibald ced the handle of the basket in his hand, "It''s for the children of the vige. Take it to them, they''re all at the elders'' sanctuary. A siege is certainly not aforting time; I''m sure they''re all afraid....this is the best I can do."

    "You don''t want to do it yourself?" He asked.

    Lifting the basket to get a better look at its contents, Regibald already began to shuffle away. It was difficult to discern the age of the primates, but he could tell by the hunched-over stature of the eloquent man and the way he spoke, he was up there in age.

    Regibald grumbled, scoffing quietly, "...I''m a busy man. If you''re up, then get going, already. Besides...the sight of the "champion" will be much better for those kids than one of a forgotten, old man."

    The words of the wizened chimpanzee drifted into mncholy as he stared up at a painting of a snowynd, keeping his back to the young man.

    He could tell there was a reason for the hunter''s reluctance to go, so he put on a smile and a nod, "Alright, then. Thanks for taking care of me."

    Showing his gratitude, he bowed his head, though the gesture couldn''t be seen by the painting-spectating chimpanzee as he grumbled again in response.

    "Thank me by delivering those pastries while they''re still hot," Regibald told him.

    All he did was smile and nod his head before leaving through the front door, finding himself standing on a balcony of giant leaves that overlooked most of the vige.

    The bridges werepletely empty; no vigers could be seen at all now as only soldiers persisted outside the elders'' sanctuary.

    "Woah, we''re pretty high up...this guy must be some sort of big shot, or just an introvert," he muttered.

    Though he stood at a high vantage point, he still couldn''t see over the colossal walls of reinforced dirt that protected the vige. Connecting to the main series of bridges that acted as the way of travel throughout the entire vige, steep-sloped steps of dirt were formed from the walls, shoddily connected to the wood bridges.

    Along the walls, he could see the soldiers; they took turns between resting and shooting arrows down at the goblins below, sometimes tossing rocks off the side of the wall.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The sight made him stop for a moment in silence; many soldiers were wounded, stuck with arrows and daggers, some pelted by fire--agonized screams apanied the rainfall that struck the dreadful sight.

    Every ten seconds or so, an explosion would ring out; crashing against the northern walls as mes hissed in the precipitation, quickly fading out, though leaving a mark each time as the primate soldiers tucked themselves against the barricade.

    Though they couldn''t be seen, the Stormfallen''s presence could be heard and felt against the walls, and by the expressions of anguish on the Velren soldiers'' faces.

    This is what war looks like. Don''t get it twisted, he thought.

    Shaking his head, he regained his focus as he scaled the interconnected bridges between the towering trees, making his way to the gargantuan tree of the elders.

    It felt odd for him: carrying the basket of treats as he crossed the empty bridges by himself while the war was fought without him.

    Bringing himself through the sanctuary inhabiting the innards of the colossal tree, he found himselfpletely surrounded by the entirety of the vigers; stationed in the guest rooms and inhabiting the halls, as well.

    "Ah, is that...you...champion?" A familiar, low voice called.

    Turning to his side, he found the lumbering orangutan at his side, carrying a basket himself that was filled with an assortment of bread and berries.

    "Oh, urr, yeah," He responded with a smile, lifting the basket of pastries he carried, "Regibald wanted me to deliver these to the kids."

    Momo peered at the pastry-packed basket before looking at the young man, beginning to walk through the halls as he ushered him to follow.

    "I see. That''s quite...like Regibald," Momo said.

    It was difficult to match the pace of the sloth-like primate who walked as if stuck in slow-motion; he was forced to match the sluggish pace of therge orangutan as they passed through the corridors filled with lingering vigers.

    "It is?" He asked.

    Momo nodded, "He is...a difficult one. Rather, he...makes it difficult...for himself."

    By the inquisitive look he gave to the orangutan, the elder seemed to garner enough justification to continue speaking, "Regibald used to be...one of the elders. Not only that, he was the executive."

    "Huh?! Really? He''s that much of a big shot?" He asked in surprise.

    Momo raised a finger to his lips, silently shushing the young man after he had suddenly raised his voice. It wasn''t because what the elder said was a secret, but because of the resting vigers that upied thebyrinth of the tree-made sanctuary.

    Along the way, he began to pass off pastries to the young ones of the vige; earning excited smiles as they gleefully epted the treats.

    After walking around the length of the timber-built halls, he ran through the contents of his pastry basket, having bestowed the sweet treats to the primate children.

    "...T...t-thank...ya''," one of the small chimpanzees said in gratitude.

    "No problem! But, if you really want to thank someone, thank Old Man Regibald!" He smiled, patting the kid on the head.

    After being jumped on by the various children and experiencing the fuel that such sugar-filled treats supplied to the kids, he returned to Momo with ruffled hair and a sigh after a few minutes.

    "They''re pretty energetic, considering the circumstances��" he sighed yfully.

    Momoughed quietly, "They like you. As the champion...your sight alone is a relief for them. I believe...Regibald knew that. Though, knowing him...it was an excuse for him...to avoiding here."

    Hearing the orangutan''s words, he stopped for a moment after ruffling one of the young gori''s hair with yful vigor.

    "That''s what I''m wondering," he looked at Momo, "what''s the deal with Regibald? You said he used to be the elder, but he''s not anymore. Did something bad happen?"

    Momo fell silent, fiddling with the cor of his beige shirt as he adjusted the violet fabric that decorated one of the corridor stands.

    After a moment, the quiet elder finally spoke, "It was his own choice. Please don''t think...there is bad blood...between us. Regibald made his choice...it was his to make."

    It was obviously something he had little room to speak in, so he just stood there silently as he followed the elder on his way.

    "Anyway, champion Ren...you''re awake now, I believe...Rohan wanted to speak to you," Momo told him.

    "Oh, that''s why you were tagging alone? Could''ve told me that sooner," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

    "Apologies...some thoughts just...slip from my mind," Momo grumbled tiredly.

    Following the lumbering orangutan down the halls, he found himself back at the chamber of the five elders, though only one elder awaited inside.

 Chapter 446 - A Price To Pay

    Sitting in the center on his purple cushion, Rohan was busy inscribing something on a horizontal parchment, using some sort of thin, ck stick for ink.

    "Warchief Rohan," Momo called out lowly.

    The small macaque looked up, his eyes widening a bit as he saw the young man standing beside the orangutan elder, "Ah, Ren! You''re finally awake!"

    "Yeah, I guess so," he replied with a bit of confusion, not knowing what it was that Rohan wanted from him.

    Well, I do have some sort of idea. It probably has to do with the champion of the Stormfallen he mentioned before, he thought.

    Taking a seat across from Rohan, they were the only two left in the chamber as Momo resumed his duties with distributing rations to the vigers.

    "How''re you feeling, Ren?" Rohan asked, nibbling on a straw of wheat.

    It was a good question; not one that he had exactly asked himself yet after waking up. As he briefly clenched his fists and flexed his body, he could feel a renewed vigor flowing through it.

    Though most of this resurgence of strength could be attributed to finally having a proper meal, rest, and care, there was another factor he knew yed well into it.

    It''s weird, but...that dream really helped me bring it together. Even if it was just in my head, seeing her again with a smile reminded me of what I''m fighting for...three more days--that''s a piece of cake, he thought.

    "As good as I''m going to be," he answered with a smile.

    "Hoh, I''m d to hear that," Rohan said, "Dr. Kuregura might be a bit on the entric side, but he is practically a mage with the miracles he performs."

    Again, he was offered a piece of monmon bread and some tea as he sat there in the revered room of the elders--which he dly epted.

    "That''s right," he said with a mouth full of the luscious bread, "that doctor is handling all of the wounded soldiers by himself, isn''t he? Must be rough."

    Rohan shook his head lightly, "That''s just the thing about Dr. Kuregura: he prefers things to be a bit "frantic" in his workce. As abnormal as it may be, we should be thankful he is the way that he is."

    Though the chamber was mostly silent between their words, it felt as if a lot was being said by the eyes of the elder macaque as a hint of distress was born within them.

    "Listen, Ren, I have yet to tell you why I wanted to speak," Rohan suddenly said with a more dire tone.

    "It''s about the Stormfallen champion, isn''t it?" He guessed, taking a sip from the cup of freshly-brewed tea.

    Rohan nodded his head slowly, "...That''s right. Things aren''t going quite as well as expected."

    Contrary to the jovial attitude he just held, the warchief of the Velren seemed gued by an overwhelming stress on his mind as he kept his head down.

    It was a surprise to him, but at the same time notpletely. The walls seemed to be holding up well against the attempting raid by the Stormfallen; that was undeniable.

    There were a lot of injured soldiers''?surprisingly, a lot. It''s weird that they''ve been able to inflict that much damage while being held back by those giant walls. If I had to guess''|it means that the Stormfallen just outss the Velren that much.

    The walls are their only saving grace, he thought.

    "Judging by your expression, you figured it out, didn''t you?" Rohan asked.

    "I think I have some sort of idea," he replied quietly.

    A moment of silence persisted in the room before Rohan let out a drawn-out sigh, "What I''m about to say can''t leave this room. Well''|we''re fighting a losing battle."

    It was as he figured, but hearing it from the usually jovial elder came out with a certain, immutable reality that couldn''t be denied.

    Rohan''s wizened expression was contorted by stress as he gnawed on the string of straw between his lips.

    "The Stormfallen are stronger than expected. Or rather, we are weaker than we had thought," Rohan begrudgingly admitted, "it''s not even that their numbers are greater. In fact, they''re much lower''|but, the strength of just a single one of their elites is enough to wipe out a whole squadron of our soldiers."

    "Yeah, I kind of have an idea how dangerous they are myself," he scratched his head, "They acted inplete unison, using tactics''?it''spletely unlike how goblins usually operate. Beyond that, when I killed one''|it used its own life to help itsrades find my location. So yeah, I get it."

    As he spoke, he caressed the wound that was scarred onto his left arm. It wasn''t difficult to remember the injuries they left him with, as it led to miserable days.

    "I believe what you encountered was just their reconnaissance squadron. In truth, their real strength is much, much more devastating. Most of their hobgoblins are strong enough to give even Makabar a challenge, and their mages can contest Yon''s magecraft. But, the worst is likely about to arrive''|" Rohan spoke with a dire, gloomy tone as he huffed silently.

    As he looked down at his cup of tea, the liquid trembled, rippling lightly; the constant battle ongoing at the walls caused the abode to constantly shake--a constant reminder of the times that fell on Umber Cloud.

    "And what''s that? The champion?" He asked.

    Rohan stayed still for a second before gentle shaking his head, "The "Abyppoes" areing. When they arrive, the walls will crumble beneath their strength."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He was understandably confused by what the elder was referring to, "An "Abyppo"? What''s that supported to be, some sort of special unit they have? They can definitely work on their names''|"

    The small elder ced his palm down against the beige rug that stretched across the ground, feeling out the subtle vibrations as he took a sip from his cup of warm tea.

    It was the silence that persisted around Rohan in those sparse moments that cemented to him the trouble that was approaching the mud walls.

    "They aren''t a unit persay; not of goblins, at least. Abyppoes arerge, territorial creatures in the Stretch of Dread that are able to snap the trees of the jungle in half with just a snap of their jaws. Somehow, the Stormfallen managed to tame them into their steed...with the power of those fiendish creatures on their side, the walls won''tst another few hours."

    "Why the hell didn''t they use them right away then? It''s been two days, hasn''t it? They''ve lost some men because they neglected to use whatever these "Abyppoes" are, so what''s the deal?" He asked.

    It was a question that didn''t seem to be held by the stressed warchief either as sweat could be seen exuding from his pores.

    "...I have to correct you on one assumption, Ren."

    "Yeah?"

    Rohan looked directly at him, "We haven''t managed to kill a single one of the Stormfallen, yet."

    His eye widened in surprise at this information before he suddenly clutched the eyepatch over his right eye, wincing a bit as he tried to restrain the stifling pain.

    "Is something the matter?" Rohana asked worriedly, removing the straw from his mouth.

    He put his hand up to reassure the elder, holding a wry smile, "I...I''m fine, it''s just...a condition I have."

    Luckily, it was a brief sh of pain that faded from his throbbing, veiled eye as he continued to caress it as asting sensation of burning persisted.

    "I see''|" Rohan mumbled as he rxed.

    He took in a gathering inhale before slowly breathing out, "So...I''m guessing all of this is your way of asking me to help out, right?"

    It was all but confirmed by the silent expression worn on the elder''s sable, wizened face before he finally nodded his head with a released breath.

    "Astute of you. We know that as a Purgatory challenger, you''re already one under enough stress, as it is. Nheless, we find ourselves with no other option...but, I am not asking you to fight solely out of the goodness of your heart."

    Standing up as he said this, Rohan waddled over to the veiled entrance stationed at the back of the room, gesturing for the young man to follow.

    What''s he trying to show me? He wondered.

    He followed the elder past the patterned, golden curtains, finding himself in a small room that contained only the statue of a mighty, pole-wielding primate with arge, metallic chest resting beneath it.

    "What''s this?" He asked, looking at the tall, rock-made statue.

    "The Shrine of The Monkey King," Rohan answered as he made sure the curtains were properly closed behind them.

    There was something peculiar about the statue of the man-faced ape that smiled with a brazen energy; it felt distinctly familiar as he looked at its form. Despite it being pure stone, the exuberant attitude of the one who bore the revered title could be felt as if he was standing there, alive, in that very room.

    "Monkey King"...could it be who I think it is? It seems impossible, but King Arthur existed in this world, in some capacity, at least, he thought.

    "Is he the one who founded this vige?" He asked curiously.

    Rohan shook his head with a brief, quietughter, "Oh, no. The Monkey King''s time far precedes the birth of Umber Cloud. However, he was the progenitor of the Velren. You see, we''re not exactly like the primates of Gaia you may be familiar with. Most are savage, unorganized, and unable tomunicate, I''m aware. That''s because we''re all the descendants of the Monkey King, who was in fact one blessed by the knowledge of a great deity; what he gained was true sentience, which we''ve all inherited from his reverence."

    It was starting to fit the pieces into the puzzle, for him. The existence of the intelligent, organized primates was something he previously chalked up to the "weirdness of this world" but now he had his answer.

    So they''re descendants of this Monkey King? I can''t really say for certain if it''s the one I''m thinking of, but I feel like if I ask''|I''ll raise more questions than answers, he thought.

    "I''m just a bit confused. What''s this have to do with what you were saying before?" He asked, cing his hands on his sides.

    Rohan looked up at him with a smallugh, "Impatient, I see. That''s fine. I guess in my old age, I find myself rambling on at times."

    The small macaque moved over to the sealed chest that was many timesrger than himself.

    Acting as the lock for the chest, an abnormal mechanism sat without any sort of keyhole, instead exhibiting a spiral engraving.

    "We, the Velren, are a prideful people, Ren," Rohan said while running his hand over the lock, "as such, we don''t ask for favors with the reliance of one''s own goodwill being the groundwork."

 Chapter 447 - Mission Set

    "We, the Velren, are a prideful people, Ren," Rohan said while running his hand over the lock, "as such, we don''t ask for favors with the reliance of one''s own goodwill being the groundwork."

    As Rohan exined this, he used the sharp nail of his index finger to slit the palm of his right hand, pressing it against the steel surface of the lock.

    "What''re you''|?" He began to ask, but stopped.

    Filling the spiral grooves, the blood seeping from the elder''s cut palm reced the emptiness of the lock with a fresh crimson as a click resounded.

    ...Just what the hell is he trying to offer me? I''d feel bad for taking something this coveted, but I don''t think he''ll take no for an answer, he thought.

    Without answering, the macaque elder stood up as he ced his hands on the edges of the chest''s lid. Rohan strained himself to lift the heavy lid, but surprisingly managed to lift it before he could try to assist him.

    He''s...got it? He''s pretty strong for his size, he thought.

    A heavy thud resounded as the old, dense cover was flipped, releasing a cloud of old, gathered dust as the contents of the chest had likely been in stagnation for many years.

    What the elder macaque retrieved from the old chest wasn''t what his vision expected toy on; a small, gold-sped ring.

    ck engravings ran along the edges, embroidered with crimson and emerald jewels; by all means, it was avish item.

    "What is this?" He asked, enamored by the object.

    Rohan held it with a handkerchief wrapped around its immacte form, "It''s "The Shifting Seraphic Gilded Ring", a treasure that was wielded by the Monkey King, a time long ago. It is said to grant abilities that warp to whoever wears it."

    Immediately, he knew he couldn''t take it once he heard of its origin. As beautiful as the treasured ring looked, it was far too important.

    "Elder Rohan...I can''t ept this. It''s something belonging to someone your people worship; an object like this isn''t mine to have," he said softly.

    Rohan grumbled, "I knew you''d say something like that, which is why I am fullymitted to the idea of you being its owner, Ren!"

    "Huh?!" He let out in confusion.

    He was pressed as the wizened macaque shoved the gilded ring towards him, coaxing him to ept it as he tried to reject it further.

    "I can''t ept something like this!" He said with a huff.

    "Ren, you''re mistaken. It''s true that the Monkey King is one we revere, but he is no idol of worship. In fact, his existence is truly only known to us elders, and a select few others," Rohan assured him with furrowed eyebrows, "do you understand? It has been sitting here in stagnation, all of these years--it deserves a wielder who will use it."

    Pacing around the small room, Rohan grumbled as he tried to convince the adolescent human to ept the item.

    "If you want me to help out the vige so badly, I''ll do it for free, alright? The Stormfallen were after me initially, so it''s not like I''m doing it just for the Velren!" He tried to convince the elder.

    "Nonsense! You earned our protection by the rules of our people; us relying on your strength will be the greatest embarrassment our people could suffer. The Monkey King''s ring seeks a proper warrior to wield it! I am simply acting as an intermediary to supply it to its new, rightful owner!" Rohan contested.

    There was hardly anything he could do to get through to the stubborn elder as the small macaque pressed his words into him fervently. He began to be irritated by the fact his words didn''t seem to get through to the elder''s ears.

    Is this guy off his rockers or something?! What''s so hard to understand about not handing off precious relics to outsiders?! He thought.

    "Even so, what makes you think I''m the "rightful owner", anyway? I''m just some random guy who managed to beat your champion! You can''t just hand off your most treasured relic to me, you reckless elder!" He contested directly back.

    "You understand little, Ren. There is no singr metric for being "rightful", it is simply up to you to make yourself its rightful wielder. Again, I assure you this relic is not of worship, but if it was--I''d dly give it to you a hundred times over if it meant saving my people. Even still, I would never ept you risking your life out of pity for our people! A fair exchange must be made! If you value the Umber Cloud enough that you would protect it out of your own kindness, then you must value it! If you value it, then this is a trade as fair as any! Can you reject that conviction, Ren?"

    Rohan spoke seriously as he held the gilded, glistening ring up to his eyes; even in the dark, shadowy room, thevish metals still shone with a residual divinity.

    He knew well what the desperation that the elder felt was; the longing look in his eyes that watched him anxiously for his answer.

    He''s prepared to give this up if it means saving his people, and he doesn''t want to rely simply on the goodwill of strangers. I understand your resolve, Elder Rohan, he thought.

    Finally giving his decision to the elder, he slowly shook his head.

    "...I ept''|"

    As he ced his hand on the golden,pact jewelry with his resolved words leaving the lips, an expression of absolute joy took ce on the elder''s face.

    "Thank you, Ren! I will never forget this!" Rohan bowed his head.

    "No need for all of that," heughed, "after all, this is a trade, not a favor."

    Rohan breathed out with a smile, "You''repletely right."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Taking the glove off of his right hand, he epted the treasured, golden ring as he slowly slid it down his wedding finger.

    Looking at it on his hand, he understood at that moment why some people were obsessed with the vain beauty of jewelry; it spoke of exuberance, but even more so, it was something with history engraved into its fantastic metal.

    "How do you feel? Do you feel the effects of the ring?" Rohan asked.

    He answered after a moment, shrugging his shoulders, moving his tongue around his mouth, and stretching his limbs, "...I don''t really feel any different."

    "Give it some time. Like I said, you have to earn the right to wear it, Ren. The shifting ring grows and changes with the one who wears it; it is said that in his time, the Monkey King cultivated the ring from a meager essory into a relic of godlike power," Rohan assured him.

    Are all enchantments in this world so secretive? He thought.

    He let out a small sigh, pulling his glove back over his ring-wearing hand as he followed the elder back into the main, scented chamber.

    "So''|"

    "What do you want me to do? Fight those "Abyppo" things?" He asked, already knowing what the warchief was going to ask.

    Rohan grumbled a bit, "It''s a dangerous task, Ren. I''m sure as a Purgatory challenger, you understand well what sort of creatures dwell within its bowels. So, listen...only defeat the abyppoes. Use the element of surprise and swiftness to your advantage, and stealthiness, if possible. Don''t focus on the other Stormfallen--especially not the champion, that is for another time. Do you understand? Only the abyppoes."

    The elder warchief was serious in his words as he looked up at the eyepatch-wearing young man with focused eyes.

    He let out a small breath, "I''ve got it, alright? Don''t worry. I''m starting to think I specialize in hunting monsters, anyway."

    As he tightened theces of his boots to prepare for the uing battle, he looked up at the bread-eating elder as a question popped into his mind.

    "I''ve been wondering about something," he said.

    "Mm?"

    "About the Stormfallen champion...you keep talking like it''s something "fated" to happen, like it''s guaranteed that he''ll show up," he stood up as he spoke, looking down at the small elder.

    Rohan stroked his sable mane for a moment as he finished off the piece of monmon bread he held in his fingers.

    "I told you that we don''t stand much of a chance against the Stormfallen inbat," Rohan said quietly.

    "You did, yeah," he nodded.

    Rohan continued, "I guess there''s no point in omitting any further information you should be privy to, now that you''re going to be directly involved in the conflict. In truth, I decided, with the other four elders agreeing, that a siege would be our best--no, our only path to victory."

    Washing down his words with a gulp of tea, Rohan paused for a moment as the young man raised an eyebrow.

    "I''m not following," he responded.

    Rohan continued, "If we hold them off from the walls long enough, the option of "singlebat" will have to be agreed upon by the Stormfallen. If that''s the case, it will be up to you to represent the Velren, and battle their champion. Right now, they believe they have the advantage with the abyppoes to break down our walls. That is why it is paramount to prevent that from happening, you see."

    He knew it already, but this further confirmed it in his head: Rohan wasn''t one to be underestimated.

    This guy...he really nned this all from the beginning, didn''t he? He thought.

    "Well, there''s just one factor you have to bet on''|" He said.

    "And that is?" Rohan asked.

    "That I''m strong enough to beat their champion," he smiled.

    Only a smallugh was shared between them, though the look that the macaque gave him said "I fully believe you are."

    After his trade with the macaque elder, he found himself ascending the steps that led to the posts atop the magic-build, mud walls just a half of an hourter.

    Beneath his boots, the steps squelched as the muddy material was softened by the continuously falling rain.

    Up ahead, he could see the chimpanzee soldiers firing arrows from their vine-made bows, while the goris tossed rocks down the sides of the walls. None of the mages could assist as it took the entirety of their forces to maintain the gargantuan wall; he could tell from a nce now what Rohan meant by them being on the losing end.

    Only focus on taking down the abyppoes, then immediately return up the walls--that''s all I''m doing, he reminded himself.

 Chapter 448 - Abyppo Hunt

    He tried his best to avoid looking directly up as the rain would pelt against the fabric over his eye, hitting his sensitive, foreign organ repeatedly.

    Upon ascending the lengthy, rail-less stairs, he found himself at the top ledge of the sky-reaching, mud wall, which acted as a battlement; protected by walls with special windows just for the archers to use.

    "Heave-"

    "Heave-"

    "-Ho!"

    "-Ho!"

    In unison, a pair of giant goris d in unrefined, silver ting, tossedrge rocks down from the walls.

    After a few seconds, the rocks could be heard crashing against the jungle floor below with a massive thud. Supplying the rocks were robe-wearing baboons, who arduously rolled the weaponized rocks up steep ramps.

    "More arrows! Faster! Aim for their mages! Rocks--bring the rocks faster! Faster, faster, faster!"

    Barkingmands at seemingly every moment, without any breaths, Goroba stood tall, slick in the passing rain, turning and pointing in every direction.

    "Urr''|"

    He couldn''t get a word in as Goroba shouted as if bolstered by a megaphone; by the volume of his own voice, he likely blended in with the rainfall.

    "Elder Goroba!" He finally shouted.

    The crimson-furred gori finally noticed his presence as he looked down at the white-haired human with bag-ridden eyes.

    "Oh, Ren! Joining the fight atst, I take it?" Goroba asked, "I heard you slept for two whole days--you should be more than ready for battle!"

    It didn''t take very long for Goroba''s greeting tone to shift back into his gravelly,manding voice he carried with the soldiers.

    Just before he could open his mouth to reply, a sharp impact exploded against the wall, shaking it aggressively as the stationed soldiers yelled out in surprise, though some seemed better adjusted than others.

    "Ghh''|!" He caught himself before nearly slipping.

    Goroba grunted, holding onto the wall, "Another fire st! Do they ever run out of mana?! They''ll oust Yon''s group at this rate!"

    There''s no way I can just hop over the wall when there''s spells being flung, and any number of Stormfallen waiting beyond the walls. I have to go around, he thought.

    "I''m going outside the walls," he told Goroba.

    "Huh? Are you insane? Got a death wish or something?! One step beyond those walls and they''ll mince you, clean!" Goroba roared.

    Combating the constant pain that imbued his body, the constant yells of the crimson gori finally got to him as he decided to bark back.

    "Listen up! If somebody doesn''t take down those abyppoes out there, the walls will fall! You know that, don''t you?! I''m a whole lot damn stronger than you think, so let me do me!" He yelled in return.

    His shouts aimed right at the snout of the gori left the eldermander baffled for a moment before he huffed, folding his arms across his chest.

    "You''re right, I know that well. But, you may be strong, but the Stormfallen operate by bypassing strength. Listen! If you really intend to embark on a suicidal mission like this, then at least know what you''re going into!" Goroba ced a hand on his shoulder while talking with a yell that seemed to be his normal volume.

    Goroba brought him to one of the small peepholes made into the wall, letting him look through alongside him.

    Now that he could see it, he realized the nature of the Stormfallen''s unfelled attack on the walls.

    Directly north of the front wall, three cloaked goblins stood with their hands outreached to the stars while two others were conjuring mes between their hands.

    Like the ones he had met in his first encounter, they were cloaked in garments that hid every inch of their skin.

    Around all of them, a yellow, energy-made sphere surrounded the squadron.

    "You see that?" Goroba asked.

    "Yeah," he nodded.

    "Those barriers might as well be unbreakable. And while they''re up, their fire mages are allowed free reign in attacking our walls," Goroba told him.

    It was the same setup surrounding most of the walls; squadrons of mages assaulted the walls from all sides''?that much was clear by the constant explosions resounding through the vige.

    "You can''t break them with arrows?" He asked.

    Goroba grumbled, "You can, but they''ve also got that under lock. Their archers are able to counter our arrows with their own''|it''s immensely frustrating."

    He saw that much with his own eyes himself as one of the chimpanzee soldiersunched an arrow, only for it to be shot from the air by an archer hidden in the trees.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Where is their main group''|? You know, the hobgoblins, raiders, all of that? All I see are mages and archers," he asked worriedly.

    Goroba stayed silent for a moment before answering, "''|Likely hiding in the foliage''|waiting for the walls to fall. They aren''t allowing us to dwindle their numbers at all in this siege."

    Even watching through the small hit poked through the battlement made him uneasy as he knew firsthand the uracy of the invading goblins.

    "How many do you think there are out there?" He asked.

    Goroba stayed silent for a moment while mumbling to himself as if trying to rack his brain for the answer he had.

    "Roughly two hundred, I''d say," Goroba answered.

    "That''s not that much, is it?" He added.

    Goroba shook his head, "Maybe, but that''s how the Stormfallen prefer it. Goblins are infamous for rapidly reproducing and using theirrge numbers to overwhelm their foes. However, the Stormfallen adopted the opposite belief. At birth, they cull the infants they deem as "weak and unfit", leaving only the strongest to join their numbers. "

    He was revolted at this information that spilled from Goroba''s stern lips without any sense of doubt.

    "That''s horrible''|"

    "Well, that''s how they came to be the most feared n of goblins throughout Purgatory," Goroba said as he returned to his feet, "that is the enemy you will face beyond those walls. Do you understand that?"

    For a moment, he stood there before nodding his head as he returned to his feet as he exhaled slowly.

    "I''ve got this," he assured the elder.

    Goroba stared at him for a moment with his stern gaze before begrudgingly letting out a sigh, "I''d rmend leaving from the eastern wall. From what my men have reported, there isn''t much activity there due to the environment. If you go that way, you should be able to work your way around to the northern side and nk their forces."

    His eyes lit up as the gorimander gave him the necessary information he was seeking, fervently nodding his head.

    "Thank you!" He said in gratitude.

    He didn''t waste any time as he immediately began to sprint across the battlement pathway, though Goroba shouted onest time.

    "You bettere back alive, or I''ll kill you!" Goroba called out.

    All he did was wave back to the red-furred gori as he moved with swiftness guiding each step he took.

    In the midst of his path, he had to watch his step as many injured and resting soldiers filled the mud-made walkway. As he passed by the gloomy soldiers of Umber Cloud, their eyes looked up at him; some with hope, and some devoid of such things.

    Nheless, he pushed on without stopping before he reached the eastern wall, stopping for a moment as he stood atop its ledges, letting the rainy air brush against him.

    He clenched his fists tightly with resolve coating his singr gaze. Atop there, he remembered how he felt in that dream; the warmth of the one he loved, and missed.

    Though he didn''t feel the burning rage that persisted in him like a hellfire before.

    What he felt was light; hope--a hope that illuminated within him. It was a belief in himself that he had forgotten, a reignition of the "Ren" he had chosen to abandon to pursue what he believed to be true strength.

    But, he realized--it was wrong. In his heart, he yearned for something beyond just the salvation of his fallenrades.

    "I want to help them," the thought in his mind pertaining to the vige he stood behind.

    I''m starting to remember. I was so cornered in this ce...beat down, stabbed, cut, and burned repeatedly...I forgot who I was. Even if I''m in over my head, I don''t give up. Even if my fingers are so frail I can''t hold onto anything, I try to grab it all.

    I''m not weak, I never was. Weakness is giving in, and strength is moving forward. That''s all there is to it; a fact I''ve only recentlye to realize. If I was weak, I wouldn''t have been able to walk this path. All that''s changed is I can hold what I want in my hands--I can grab it.

    I don''tpromise.

    I won''t ept just saving one person, two, or three. I won''t ept saving them if it means discarding others, either.

    These people...they''ve helped me. No...a lot of people have helped me, so many that have been there for me, many that are to thank for me being here today. It''s that single truth...that glimmer of light in this dark world that has reminded me of who I really am.

    I couldn''t ept it before, I believed I was too frail, too weak...but I want to be a good person. It may be a childish dream, but...if I have the power to save someone, then I want to save them.

    If someone dies, even while I have the strength that I do, and I could''ve done something''?it might as well be me that killed them.

    I''ll do it my way: withplete, and utter greed. I''ll save everyone, and lose nothing else in the process, he thought, you wouldn''t want to be saved any other way, would you, Iris?

    Without any further hesitation, he hopped from atop the colossal walls without any semnce of fear persisting through his hot veins.

    There was nothing but air filling the ten dozen meters between him and the jungle ground that sat beyond the wall.

    Alright, it shouldn''t be much of a tall order to remain sneaky in a dense jungle like this.. All I''ll need to do is find the abyppoes, he thought.

 Chapter 449 - Stealth Is The Game

    Focusing his shadowy reinforcement on the soles of his boots and his knees, he stuck thending without so much as a thud recurring through the dense jungle.

    "Phew...easy, easy," he whispered to himself.

    Now, he waspletely alone.

    Looking back briefly, the looming, colossal wall gave him no respite as there was no chance of any helping to him in the case of him needing it.

    It''s go-time, he told himself.

    As he lifted his boot to take a step, he found a bit of resistance keeping him from doing so, prompting him to look down.

    "Huh?"

    He didn''t realize it during his fall, but thending spot he stuck wasn''t one made up of simple, verdant grass: it was a clingy, amber-tinted substance.

    Attempting to lift his boots, the slimy material seemed to pull him in with more force the more he tried to escape its grasp.

    "What the hell? Come on��!" He muttered through his gritted teeth.

    It wasn''t just a small puddle of it, either; it stretched as far as a pond that covered roughly an acre ofnd, even enveloping the root of the surrounding trees.

    He continued to try and pry his boots from the incredibly adhesive substance, but at this point, it felt immutable.

    Crap...wait, didn''t Goroba say something about this? The Stormfallen weren''t over here because of the environment...is this what he meant?! He thought.

    Even with reinforcement, it wasn''t budging in the slightest, no matter how hard he strained. Sweat began to leave his pores as the enigma of the jungle, paired with his own anxiety in the fact he waspletely ensnared, worked to coax the perspiration from his body.

    Perhaps making it worse, he wasn''t able to properly watch his surroundings as the drooping, abundant leaves that hung from the surrounding trees obscured his vision past his immediate surroundings.

    I can''t use magic...I''d basically be yelling to all of the goblins "Hey, i''m right here! Come and get me!" like a big idiot, he thought.

    Left with no other options, he begrudgingly slipped his feet from his boots before jumping to the umber tree to his left, hanging from one of the branches.

    "Phew��" He let out.

    Hanging there for a moment as he exuded his pent up stress, he swung his legs back before kicking up to swing his body onto the thick branch, sitting on top of it.

    Looking down, he frowned a bit at the sight of his abandoned boots being swallowed up by the seemingly alive liquid.

    "So much for the littlefort I had��" He sighed out.

    With a sad sigh, he rolled his trouser legs up as he prepared for a reluctant walk alongside nature.

    Staying on the safety of the trees, he walked along the branches as he kept his gaze down to watch for both the Stormfallen, and the adhesive liquid.

    It wasn''t afortable pathway, as the rough branches prodded, stabbed, and lightly cut the bottom of his bare feet; the traversing insects didn''t help much either.

    ...Not off to a great start, but at least it helped me realize that moving by trees is probably my best bet, he thought.

    Drawn from his sheath, he used his broadsword to cut down the ustrophobic leaves that bundled up in his path.

    Hiss.

    "Gah--!"

    As he cut down one of the branches in front of him, a lengthy, limbless creature hissed out at him as it fell onto the same branch he stood on.

    He nearly lost his bnce as he stumbled back from the sudden presence of the creature that struck primal fear into the likes of humans.

    "Shit��!" He muttered.

    Hisssssss.

    It wasn''t by any means an ordinary serpentine, that much was clear by the bright, blueplexion of its hexagonal scales. Even more so, it possessed long, curved fangs that protruded from its mouth even when closed, with matching horns that ran from the top of its head.

    The snake swayed back and forth, rearing its head back as it bore its venom-dripping fangs at the young man.

    Attempting to dissuade it from pushing forward, he swung his de to intimidate it, though the aggressive, mystical snake only hissed out as if growing even more violent.

    Falling from its fangs, the green venom fell onto the flesh of the branch with a sizzling reaction, corroding it instantly.

    "Well, if you''re not going to cooperate��!" He muttered sharply.

    Just as it leapt towards him, he acted a split second before the serpentine, swiping his de through the verdant-filled air as he bisected it through the length of its noodle-like body.

    In a disgusting manner, the snake was split into two by the agile, seamless strike he unleashed through the jungle.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The umber branch was painted in the olive blood of the felled snake--a disgusting reality for him, as he had to walk across the branch to reach the next tree limb.

    Eventually, his n became a no-go as the distance between the cedar became too great to urately, and silently cross between each.

    I definitely didn''t think this one through, he thought.

    At least the jungle floor didn''t seem inhabited by the swallowing, amber liquid now as he crossed over the dampened soil that was loosened by the rainfall.

    In the densely-filled jungle, his only sce in keeping some sense of direction was the towering wall that he kept to his left as he moved forward, pushing through colossal foliage as stealthily as he could.

    "---"

    He came to a stop as wordsing from an unknown, jarringnguage suddenly met his ears.

    Without risking being noticed, he sunk himself into the shrouding, verdant foliage he stood in. Aftering to aplete stop, he kept his breathing low as he peeked through the bushy locks of the foliage.

    In the clearing just ahead, he saw the origin of the foreign words: ck-cloaked goblins.

    The Stormfallen, he thought.

    As he saw before atop the battlement, it was a squadron consisting of two mages maintaining a spherical barrier, and two more mages weaving me-conjuring spells.

    "--"

    Theirnguage was more akin to gargles and ear-scratching hisses that waspletely alien to anynguage he recognized.

    Though it was at least easy to gather that the leftmost barrier mage seemed to be angry at the one on the right.

    They''re distracted. It doesn''t seem like they''re attacking the walls right now--probably because they''re busy bickering between one another, he thought.

    As he kept his breathing stable and low, he twiddled his fingers around the blue handle of his sword, gripping it tightly while he watched the squadron.

    Do I go for it? Or do I just try to sneak around? If I attack, I could give away my position, but if I try to move around them, they might discover me anyway and I''ll lose the element of surprise on them, he pondered.

    Sitting there in the obscuring foliage as it abrasively brushed against him with its rough edges, he found another oue sitting in his mind.

    ...This is the Stormfallen we''re talking about. If I move in to attack, or if I move around...there are others hiding around here, anyway. The main forces waiting for the walls to fall that Goroba told me about; I''m likely to run into them no matter what I do, he thought.

    It was a perplexing situation to move from; the presence of the Stormfallen meant there were likely more around him. The longer he sat there within the obscurity of therge bush, he began to hear small, but giving noises.

    The rain didn''t hinder his hearing as he managed to focus past it through steel-like concentration.

    Small murmurs that he picked up through an adaptation to the gnawing silence; it was all but confirmed for him that the visible four weren''t the only Stormfallen around.

    --But, there was another option.

    One more risky, more dangerous, but potentially, one that could save him from the predicament he found himself in.

    ''Shadow Step''...I can use it to move from here to a high point within the trees without being seen. The problem is, I''ve never really been able to urately choose my location once the distance passes a few meters, he thought.

    He set his sights on the far distant branch that loomed over him; it was high enough that any subtle sound he would make in his warp there likely wouldn''t trigger the goblins on the ground. The problem came in precision.

    ''Shadow Step'' required him to haveplete spatial awareness; able to picture the position he wished to step to--how the ground would feel beneath his feet, the scenery that would be around him, and any shift in the air.

    It all had to be perfect, and he needed to recognize the exact distance he would need to step from tond there.

    It''s risky, at best, but unless I want to pick a fight with an entire squadron, this is my best bet, he thought.

    He swallowed arge breath into his lungs before hepletely focused himself on his magical gamble.

    Ten meters...no, eleven and a half. Around me will be branches, leaves, and insects. The rain will feel colder as I''m just a bit closer to its source.

    That''s where I''ll step, he thought.

    As he gathered the necessary information and concentration, sweat fell from his body in unison to the passing rain, mixing together on the strands of verdant nature that protruded from the foliage.

    The only thought he shouted in his mind, "Shadow Step"--he was atop the high-ced branch.

    It took him a moment to process that it had actually seeded in bringing him to his desired location seamlessly.

    "Oh," he muttered, "I did it."

    As he stood there, still with a bit of surprise at his sess still, a peculiar cracking sound, as if something was beginning to break, met his ears.

    "Huh?" He looked down.

 Chapter 450 - Through The Dense Jungle

    "Oh," he muttered, "I did it."

    As he stood there, still with a bit of surprise at his sess still, a peculiar cracking sound, as if something was beginning to break, met his ears.

    "Huh?" He looked down.

    Before he could react in time, the branch in which he stood snapped in half beneath his weight, causing him to begin plummeting back down to the jungle floor--directly above the Stormfallen squadron of mages.

    "Ghhh--!" He let out.

    Catching himself before falling on his back, hended on his feet properly as they dunked into the mud waiting below.

    "Well, I guess greetings aren''t going to do me much here, are they?" He said wryly with a small smile.

    All around him, the goblin mages surrounded him, having fallen still out ofplete surprise from the human thatnded like a fallen star.

    In that moment, absent of action and reaction, he drew in a prolonged breath that briskly filled his lungs as he drew both his sword and dagger into both of his hands. While the constant precipitation trailed down his knuckles, he could hear his heart thumping in his ears as the drum of battle began.

    This time, it was different.

    Rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck side-to-side, he felt the rity in his joints that had been missing the prior days.

    You guys had your fun with me when I was already one foot into a grave. Let''s see how you handle me when I''m operating at one-hundred-and-ten-percent! He thought.

    "--!"

    "----!"

    The Stormfallen mages yelled out their indecipherablenguage as their invaded barrier vanished, all of their attention being brought to the singr, readied human.

    That''s right.

    If I want to be someone good--no, I have to punish the incorrigible. It was missing from me all of this time: the anger towards the unjust, the evil, and the wicked.

    ...I''m here, goblins, I''m your judgment, he thought.

    Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the leftmost goblin, shrouded in ck robes, bringing his hands together as embers sparked.

    Before it could weave the spell properly, he dashed forward, closing the distance before it could react before bringing his sword across its neck.

    --He didn''t let up there.

    Knowing the nature of the organized goblins, he spun around as the slit goblin fell back with blood spewing from its fresh wound, aiming his sights on the other, me-wielding mage amongst the Stormfallen.

    Not a word left any lips as the waltz of death began; with a spinning sh, he cut away the fire mage''s hands, whisking the conjured me from between its palms.

    Just as he reared his right, sword-wielding arm back for a strike to its neck, he was forced to dodge as his reflexes kicked in at full-force.

    Barely missing him, an axe carved through the air before mming into the mud below, being wielded by a towering, blubborous hobgoblin, ted in sable armor.

    It was just as he thought; the mages weren''t alone.

    Shifting his bnce after stepping back, he swung himself into a spinning kick thatunched his shin directly at the brute''s snout. Even if the hobgoblin seemed superior in size alone, the reinforcement used by him was enough to cave its nose in with a violent crack, apanied by a spill of crimson.

    As the kick resounded through the rainfallen air like a snapped whip, the hobgoblin stumbled back with a pained grumble.

    It all transpired across a few seconds; behind him, he felt a buildup of mana from the two barrier mages among the squadron.

    He sprung himself towards the unmoving barrier mages as they stood, weaving their light-born spells as he sprinted through the loose mud, carrying his steel through the heavy rain.

    Before his steel could meet the two Stormfallen mages, he sensed two presencesing from either side of him--rapidly.

    Leaping into the air as he spun his body around, he evaded a duo of arrows that were aimed directly for his vitals.

    In the moment his feetnded back on the moist mud, he was left with a split-second choice to go for the mages or handle the archers; he made his choice.

    "---!"

    All the while, the fire mage behind was left howling in pain with an inhuman screech at its cut-away hands.

    Like a throwing knife, he flung his dagger into the skull of one of the barrier mages, embedding it deep as the small, robed goblinpletely fell limp the moment the ck steel pierced its head.

    He followed up with a swift ''Shadow Step'',nding behind the partner mage beside it as he retrieved his dagger, stabbing it into the throat of the surprised barrier mage with a resounding squelch that was carried by the rain.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Grabbing the body of the Stormfallen mage before it fell lifelessly to the damp mud, he pulled his dagger from its punctured throat.

    He began to run forward with its body lifted in front of him as a shield, blocking the iing arrows as he moved in such a direction that let the trees behind him block the bowman from behind.

    Each time an arrow cast itself into the flesh of the shield-made goblin, it let out pained gargles as it choked out on its own blood, eventually falling lifeless and silent in the hands of the snowy-haired young man as he reached the archer hiding in the foliage.

    Behind him, he could hear the heavy footsteps of the angered hobgoblin now attempting to chase him; opting to deal with the archer swiftly, he tossed the lifeless body he held as a shield directly towards the hidden bowman.

    As it crashed into the leaves, the archer was forced to leap up into the air to avoid it--meeting the ruthless human in the rain-filled air as the longsword separated its neck from its shoulders before it could even let out a surprised breath.

    Finding his footing on a branch while the decapitated archernded on the mud with a bloodied ssh, he turned to find the hobgoblin storming in from below, growling and roaring with a fractured nose, streaming with blood.

    Though it didn''t attempt to jump up on the tree to fight up, but instead opted to bring the tree down with a mighty swing of its axe.

    A single cut didn''t do it, but it vigorously chopped away with an array of cuts sent within seconds--cutting through the thick, verdantden tree in moments as it began to creak.

    As it started to fall, he leapt from the branch he stood on, rearing his de back as the hobgoblin watched him from below with a smile painted by red.

    Therge, armored hobgoblin chortled as he gripped his rain-slick axe with both hands, bringing it overhead as he prepared to sh with the human.

    --But only a cough of blood erupted from the armored creature''s lips as it looked down to find the end of a de protruding from its throat.

    Stepping into the shadows while in mid-air, the young man appeared behind the hobgoblin, burying his longsword through his neck before slowly withdrawing his de.

    Falling face-first into the mud, therge member of the Stormfallen fell like a tower as hisnding created a loud thud, letting his axe sink into the mud beside him.

    Now, his eyes were set on the other archer that was positioned somewhere across from the one he had taken care of.

    He knew the risk that would be posed if the archer ran off and altered the other stationed squadrons around the outskirts of the wall; that threat pushed him forward as he sprinted at full-speed.

    With only a single breath of the cold, damp air of the jungle drawn into his lungs, he heightened his senses as he found the lurking archer in the distant, bushy foliage of scarlet leaves.

    An arrow wasunched his way, but he moved his head to the side with minimal movement to evade it.

    Before another could beunched, he arrived at the hidden archer''s location, delving into the secretive bush with the goblin as their unseen dancemenced.

    Through its chest, his de stuck through the goblin with ruthless force, being pulled away as he gave no second thought to the creatures born of even further ruthlessness.

    All that was left was the handless mage, still writhing on the mud as it shouted in pain with its blood-spewing nubs held in the air.

    He walked over slowly with no joy present in his expression, only doing what needed to be done as he pressed the sharp tip of Belus against the shrouded goblin''s throat, piercing it as he snipped the thread of life.

    "...All done," he muttered.

    As he stood there for a moment in the aftermath of the battle, surrounded by the result of his actions, the blood that slicked the silver of his de was washed away by the rain.

    It still doesn''t feel right. Maybe it''s just not supposed to, he thought.

    Tucking his dagger into its small sheath, he kept his longsword drawn as he trudged onwards to the northern outskirts of the wall.

    Over his head, the rain-slick, vibrant leaves of the jungle drooped as the sound of showering precipitation was all that filled his ears, for the most part, besides the infrequent, distant sts of magic in the midst of the siege.

    Though he wore an insting coat and a cloak over it, he still felt the cold around him embed itself into his body through his exposed walking limbs as stepping over the chilly mud served nothing positive.

    I''m taking another nap when I''m done here. Regibald''s bed was surprisinglyfortable, he thought.

    Another thought came to his mind as he moved forward, cutting through the abrasive foliage in his path and stepping over jutting-out logs and rocks; he remembered thefort of the bed he shared with Iris.

    A small smile came over his lips as those soft memories surfaced, fueling him with just enough motivation to ignore the cold thattched to his bare calves.

    In his march through the muddied jungle, he was reminded of something he already learned previously: the goblins weren''t his only enemy here.

    After cutting through a low-hanging branch that carried intertwined vines, he stopped as a low, chilling growl fell to his ears.

    Though he fellpletely still so as not to antagonize whatever jungle-dweller was prowling around him, he slowly moved his left eye towards the prickly tree to his direct northeast.

    "Rrrrgh��"

    The guttural vocalization emitting from the ck-furred, big cat continued as it slowly walked across the branch of the ivory tree.

    Just my luck, he thought.

 Chapter 451 - A Risky Plan Is Formed

    It was never something he had an easy time doing, that being putting down an animal, but there was a limit to the mercy he could exhibit.

    That limit was the bared fangs of the sable,rge feline that possessed a size that doubled that of a normal lion. The savage, merciless eyes of a predator that watched him told him all that he needed to know about the intentions of the beast.

    It wasn''t holding its ground or simply acting territorial, it was scouting out a meal.

    As it stepped closer with its paws sinking into the mud below, he moved back with minimal movement and sound in an effort to prevent it from suddenlyunching into a spastic assault.

    "Rrrrghh''|"

    Its growls continued, growing louder and more aggressive with hisses pairing with its bare,rge fangs.

    In his hands, he squeezed the handle of his de, epting full well that it would have to taste blood again.

    "Just back off, kitty''|" He whispered to it.

    It stood there for a moment, eyeing him as its tail swayed in the rainfall, keeping its head low but its sharp eyes locked onto him as the percussion of its predatory instincts continued to sound out.

    Both fell to a still as the precipitation moved between the two.

    Come on. Just move along, he thought.

    Unleashing into a sudden sprint as it howled out, the giant, sleek cat of ck furunched towards him with its ws sprung and its teeth aimed at his jugr.

    --But, he was ready.

    Landing behind him with a harsh fall into the mud, the feline let out a low, weak growl as its blood mixed with the dark, brown water beneath it.

    It was a swift, decisive strike, aimed to end his target with minimal pain.

    He only looked back briefly as the sight of the struggling feline as its life poured away was an image he''d rather not let burn into his mind.

    It alwayses to this in Purgatory. I don''t know why I expect it to be different, he thought.

    Letting out a sigh, he continued on his way as his damp tufts hung down, somewhat obscuring his left eye and hanging over the eye-patch covering his right.

    With the increase in magic-formed explosions bing more frequent, he hastened his step as he found himself north of the walls.

    Utilizing "Heighten" to amplify his vision specifically, he saw a glimpse at the forces that upied the outskirts of the northern wall.

    In addition to the original squadron of four mages he saw when atop the battlement, their numbers of mages had increased threefold, and the footsoldiers hiding away in the foliage were even more plentiful.

    Not good...if they''re gathering near the front, that means the abyppo units are growing closer. They know the walls will fall soon, he thought.

    From the distance he stood, he was far enough for his steps not to be heard, granted he took care not to stomp around in the loose mud.

    He could still hear it from his position on the jungle ground; the screams of the Velren soldiers atop the wall as they were battered by the repeated sts of fiery magic by the Stormfallen.

    Around the walls, clouds of smoke and steam formed from the vtile mes that erupted in the aftermath of the flung magic, mixing with the falling rain.

    His step came to a sudden stop as he winced, his legs seizing beneath him from the abrasive jolt of agony shooting through his body.

    "Grhh''|!" He winced, holding the patch over his right eye.

    Not again...He thought.

    Though it originated from his covered, ursed eye, the pain stretched itself through his entire nervous system; etching within body a paralyzing agony that forced him to lean against the nearest tree for support.

    Sweat evacuated from his stressed pores as he huffed and puffed, finding little respite from the pain as it took control of his body.

    It seemed to be more frequent for him; starting off as a once-a-day burst of revolting pain, then bing every twelve hours, but now it felt almost bi-hourly that the grandiose fits woulde from his eye.

    Being on the receiving end of the jolting agony, it seized his muscles, causing them to convulse and cramp as his already sore body ached vigorously with a pain that burrowed into the marrow of his bones.

    Just bear with it. Just three...three more days...bear with it, he told himself.

    As he looked down at his hand, he could see the paleness of hisplexion bolden as his veins disyed a worrisome ck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In his reawakening with newfound vigor, he had momentarily forgotten the pain that naturally gued his mind; a reminder that came harshly.

    Naturally, tears escaped from his left eye from the innate reaction of the gripping pain; all he could do was clench his fists and teeth in an attempt to stifle the pain, waiting it out by the tree, amidst the storm befalling the malicious jungle.

    Even more so, it was a reminder of the events of the near past. Images of the revolting,ughing man returned to his head, forcing him to remember the gruesome events that transpired right before his eyes, and the torture etched into his flesh.

    "No''|" He whimpered quietly, slumping against the damp bark of the tree.

    Each jolt of pain reminded him of the cuffs that clung to his wrists, each wave of it forced into his mind thementation of that day, and each moment rekindled the simultaneous hatred and despair he tried to bury within the pits of his being.

    With the cold rain descending onto his face, trailing down his pale skin as he sat there, agonized and gued by the scars of the past, he eventually rediscovered the strength to slowly lift himself.

    Standing on wobbly legs with feet cut, cold, and caked in the elements of the jungle, he huffed out as he began to walk forward once more.

    This is what "strength" is, right? I''m not giving up...I''m moving forward, so this is the price I have to pay.

    I never knew it could hurt so much to be strong, he thought, but...being a good person is even more difficult.

    The silver-lining he found to his episode of pain was that it brought him back to a forcibly rxed state afterwards, making him more aware of his surroundings and more susceptible to small, minimal sounds or movements around him.

    After his encounter with the ck-furred feline, he realized he didn''t need to just evade the posted members of the Stormfallen, but the inhabitants of the rainy jungle, as well.

    Luckily, foliage that surpassed his height was abundant in the fantastical, vibrant region, allowing him to quietly travel around the goblins.

    Murmurs of the hidden goblins could be heard, forcing him to broaden his destination just a bit as he went around more carefully, keeping himself low as he walked through the rain-slick, towering grass.

    Thud. Thud. Thud.

    He came to a stop as tremors that sounded off like momentary earthquakes travelled through the soil.

    After freezing in ce, he realized quickly that what he heard wasn''t the jungle itself shaking from a natural disaster, but the footsteps of something massive--or more urately, multiple of something massive.

    Is that it? He thought.

    Peeking through the des of thick grass that attempted to cling to one another in the rain, he looked past the assortment of trees as he caught a glimpse of the tremors'' origin.

    Plowing through the jungle slowly, unleashing bellowing roars from their gargantuan mouths, a pair of bulbous behemoths walked through the muddennd. Like hammers to an anvil, their hooves crashed into the mud with each step forward, sshing the mud onto the surrounding cedar.

    Hippos? No...abyppoes! Those things are massive...I guess it makes sense if they''re capable of destroying those walls, he thought.

    Atop the backs of the massive, ck-hided creatures rode pairs of Stormfallen riders, who directed the abyppoes with chain-whips.

    At every step, the Stormfallen riders cracked the metallic whips, reeling deep, bellowing roars from the tainted hippo-rtives as they marched forward like sentient boulders of flesh. The falling rain trailed the round sides of the abyppoes, running along their scarred hide that was etched by the harsh, chain whips.

    He stayed hidden within the foliage, roughly ten meters from their position after sneaking just a bit closer.

    Seeing them up close...I didn''t actually think of how I''d go about taking these things down. They must weigh at least a few tons--no, that''s underselling it, isn''t it? Ten tons? They''re like tiny mountains, he thought.

    Even though the colossal footsteps of the abyppoes muffled most noise he could make, he opted to remain minimal in his movements as the abyppo riders weren''t alone. Escorting the duo of behemoths, lumbering, fully-armored hobgoblins marched with battle-axes in hand.

    ...I don''t think there''s any getting around the cavalry here, if I intend to take out the abyppoes, that is, he thought.

    There were at least two dozen that followed the abyppoes, but standing at the very back of the iing forces was a Stormfallen that stood outpletely.

    It was a goblin, no mistake, even though it wore full-body, sleek armor of ck-steel, but it had a simr physique to the likes of an adult human male. Unlike a hobgoblin that possessed a bulbous body and usually a hunchback, the peculiar goblin was proportioned simr to an athlete. Flowing from his back, an amber cape fluttered behind the marching, unique goblin.

    That one looks like trouble. I wonder...could that be the "champion" that Rohan was talking about? He thought.

    Either way, he kept to his undetected position within the trailside foliage, moving along slowly. He was only a meter away from the marching hobgoblins, but their eyes were set on the northern walls of Umber Cloud, but he didn''t take his eyes off of them.

    Even in the chilly weather that came with the misty rainfall, he became ustomed to walking barefoot in the paramount nature, keeping his sword held tightly in his grip.

    I don''t know why I was expecting the abyppoes to be alone, but I think Rohan could''ve been a bit more informative...this is a tall order. There isn''t much of an option to "just eliminate the abyppoes" with this many Stormfallen around. I could try something--it''ll be risky as hell, but if I can pull it off....He thought.

 Chapter 452 - The Goblin

    Capturing air into his lungs as the moisture in the air lined the roof of his mouth, he organized his breathing into a stable rhythm.

    With the heavy rainfall pouring against his ears, and the thunderous stomps of the abyppoes muffling much else, he spoke with magic lining his words:

    "Hear me, Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night, and Destruction."

    Timed with the grumbles of the behemoths and their jungle-shaking steps, his chant was unheard as he kept his eyes locked on the passing forces.

    Even so, his heart still thumped inside of his chest as he stood amidst the foliage, unrestraining his words as he put his trust in this singr n.

    ? "Inside and out, the aspect of the night holds true to my soul...in honor of you and your overwhelming power. With this, grant me reprieve from the dangers before me."

    Again, he waited for the roars of the storm to reach its peak, as well as the bellows of the sable abyppoes before he continued.

    Slowly, he raised his arm to the air as the shadowy essence began to formte around him, lining the edges of the grass as it ran along his body.

    Apanying the abundant magical pressure, the mud around him began to vibrate and part in the wake of the building of great magic.

    Some of the hobgoblin foot soldiers came to a stop as they sensed the bubbling darkness, snarling and looking around before their attentiontched onto the bush he was tucked away in.

    "---!"

    Yelling out in their garglingnguage, the march came to a stop as the armored hobgoblins began to rush towards his location.

    He held his ground, focusing his breathing and the intent of the magic in his mind before pointing his hand forward, directed at the mud-made trail of the abyppoes march.

    "Be sent into the never-ending night forevermore! Nyx: Ultima Darkness!"

    --Just as he invoked the great magic, the peculiar, caped goblin at the back of the group jumped back into the other side of the trail, sinking into the jungle''s dense nature as the shadows crept over the area.

    The approaching hobgoblins were leftpletelypromised as the wave of shadows wrapped around their bodies, holding them still with an otherworldly pressure. Their armor quickly began to dent in from the strength of the shadows as the nature of the great magic furthered.

    "Grahh---!"

    Roaring in pain from the crushing great magic, the hobgoblins began to bleed from every pore as the shadows were cast over the surrounding area like an umbra.

    Only one of the abyppoes was caught in the field of darkness, being dragged into the air by the winds that were momentarily reced by pressurizing darkness as the behemoth roared out with its form being crushed slowly.

    Crush��! He thought.

    Commanding his thoughts into reality with a squeeze of his fist, he coalesced the darkness into a singrity point that pulled all of the captured hobgoblins together with therge abyppo. As the darkness returned to one point, it gathered even the rain that fell in its path, curving the travel of the rainfall, forming a nebulous sphere of darkness that captured the plentiful hobgoblins and their steed.

    A terrible orchestra of the squelching of flesh and the powderization of bonesmenced as all of the screams of those captured by the great magic were muffled by the dark sphere that encapsted them.

    --Squelch.

    After the sphere shrunk itself to the size of a pebble, all that was left as it released was a spige of crimson onto the stamped mud below.

    He stood there with his fist still held forward, huffing as the sweat coating his body mixed in with the cold rain.

    Before he could let himself rest for a moment to regain his breath, he swerved his gaze to the right as he noticed the surviving abyppo rider fleeing towards the wall.

    "Shit��!" He muttered.

    Grabbing his sword, heunched from the trailside foliage, beginning to sprint down the rainfallen trail towards the surprisingly fast abyppo, possessing surprising agility for something the size of an elephant.

    Extending his free, left hand, he guided his focus to the behemoth a dozen meters beyond his reach.

    "Dunkel--!"

    --Before he could get the spell off, he was intercepted by a figurending in front of him--forcing him to jump back as a de was plunged into the mud where he stood.

    What--?! He thought.

    After flipping backward, hended on his feet as he looked up to see who had intercepted his path: the cape-wearing, humanoid shaped goblin he saw earlier.

    "You��" He muttered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Silently, the mask-wearing Stormfallen shrouded in sable armor withdrew his greatsword from the mud, swiping it as the rain cleaned any residual, natural elements from its snow-white steel.

    This is their champion--no doubt about it. That aura...he''s strong, he thought.

    He opted to keep his dagger tucked away in its sheath as he held his broadsword up, eyeing the wordless Stormfallen who approached slowly.

    Standing in opposition to one another, with the armored, tall goblin blocking his path from the northern wall, he focused himself.

    Around them, the mud-made trail was the only clearing of the dense jungle; the leviathan-like trees loomed over them while the rain continued to fall atop their heads.

    By the stance the Stormfallen champion held, wielding his frosty greatsword with one hand while keeping his posture slightly lowered, he prepared himself for a quick assault.

    He was swift enough to dodge Ultimate Darkness, and he''s capable of swinging that massive hunk of steel with one hand--his speed is going to be an issue if I''m not on my guard, he thought.

    --But, that was assuming he let the wordless goblin take the initiative.

    Kicking forward as the rain seemed to intensify, he reared his left hand back as he conjured a ball of darkness in his palm.

    "Araphel: ckout---!"

    He yelled out before tossing the spiraling sphere towards the Stormfallen champion, continuing to charge towards him swiftly.

    Good, he''ll be blinded, I''ll be able to make the first move and--he thought.

    --His thoughts were halted as he witnessed a movepletely unounted for from the ck-armored champion.

    Before the sensory-deprivation sphere could release, it was caught in the left gauntlet of the goblin, squeezed and dispersed into particles of darkness from a single clench of the champion''s fist.

    Huh? He thought.

    Momentarily dumbfounded by the absolute counter to his spell, he was barely able to guard with his de as the silent champion rushed him with ruthless swiftness that brought them directly before one another in an instant.

    --ng.

    With the resounding sh of steel sparking through the heavy rainfall, he felt the strength wielded by his inhuman foe.

    Unable to properly nt his feet against the mud with the little time he had to react, he was forced back by the sh of des, having to flip back while unleashing a ''Dunkel: Slicer'' to create space between him and his foe.

    As hended back on the mud-formed trail, he recaptured his focus as he kept his eyes locked on the enigmatic champion, squaring off as he kept a distance of half a dozen meters between them.

    He caught my ckout. That''s a lot more than just catching a ball lobbed at him...in order to even touch darkness, he''d need to have a carefulyer of magic over his palm--just enough not to destabilize the darkness and blow it up in his face.

    Even more so, ckout travels at hypersonic speeds...the fact that he reacted to it with a picture-perfect catch...he''s trouble. I knew that, but I''m seeing it first hand now, he thought.

    Breaking him from his thoughts, he readied himself as the Stormfallen champion began to rush towards him, taking a zigzag approach that kicked up the puddles of watery mud around them.

    This time, he nted the soles of his feet firmly against the mud before shing with the greatsword-wielding goblin; meeting edge-to-edge, their des of differing sizes greeted one another in a spectacr sh.

    As sparks flung from their shing steel, mixing with the cold, plentiful rain, their swords met a dozen times without a single attack breaking through either of their defenses.

    He''s not as strong as that king; not in raw power, at least, he thought.

    An opening came as the goblin champion lifted his greatsword over his head for a daunting overhead strike; a perfect opportunity for him to get in a clean attack himself.

    I''ve got you! He thought.

    Swinging his de in a horizontal sh aimed for the ck-steel champion, the edge of Belus stopped just short of the goblin''s hip.

    What? He thought.

    --His sword-wielding wrist was gripped tightly in the free hand of the Stormfallen champion, held tightly with a vice-iron grip.

    Being so adamantly stopped in ce, he now felt the looming shadow of the snowy greatswording down over his head.

    "Death," is the absolute concept he felt embed itself into his skin as it crawled over.

 Chapter 453 - The Strongest Of The Cruel

    As naturally as he breathed, he escaped from the enigmatic goblin''s grasp with a ''Shadow Step'', flinging himself directly behind the silent fiend.

    The greatsword missed its target, being mmed into the mud with a shock wave that caused the mud to ripple and form waves.

    Behind the champion, he was already midway through a spinning counter that aimed itself at the exposed back of his goblin foe.

    --It felt as ifnding an attack was simply impossible.

    Before the rainden steel he wielded with malice could reach the armor that his enemy wore, he already recognized the futility of the attack itself.

    What his de cut was water; an abrupt, sudden abundance of clear aqua that was shaped in the form of the Stormfallen champion. After cutting through the champion-shaped water, it fell into a puddle as he stood there wide-eyed in the split-second that felt like a dreadful eternity.

    Behind--! He realized instinctively.

    --But, he was wrong in his assessment.

    What was behind him as he spun himself around swiftly with a sh of his de was another decoy made of shaped water. As he cut away the humanoid-shaped water into a sshed that mixed with the rain puddles, he was left clueless.

    What?! He thought.

    He waspletely outyed; in that gnawing moment with his heart beating in his ears loud enough to muffle the rain, he panicked.

    Where is he?! He questioned.

    There was no chance for him to discover the position of his foe; as he stood there, turning side-to-side in an attempt to find him, he was suddenly attacked by something unseen.

    It was sharp, and plentiful; but unseen, it was not.

    As he looked down briefly in horror and perplexity, he found tiny, minuscule knives of water stabbing against his arm, leaving a dozen, small cuts in an instant. Running along his left forearm, fresh crimson mixed with the rain that coated his coat sleeve.

    Water��? It''s the rain��! He realized.

    Jumping back, there was nothing he could do to evade the sharp assault as his cheek was sliced open sharply, causing him to wince as the flowing crimson met his lips swiftly.

    Looking up, he began to realize the horrible reality of the situation he found himself in.

    The rainstorm: if it was rain cutting him, he was practically standing in a storm of endless knives, all pointed at him.

    How is this even fair��? He thought.

    Just as he began to usher in dread through his lungs, he caught the sight of familiar, ck-steel in the corner of his eyes.

    Attempting to dodge the iing, overhead strike of the greatswording from his left peripheral, his backstep waspromised as the rain-des stabbed into his calf that had already been cut previously.

    "Ghh��!" He winced.

    Already halfway falling towards the mud with the colossal steel of snow-white falling towards him, he momentarily gave in.

    --Only a split-second sh from his memories, a sh of the girl he loved, and fought for, gave him the strength to continue.

    With ast-moment roll, he threw himself to the mud as the greatsword mmed into the ground he nearly fell to.

    Before he could lift himself from the mud, the champion goblin turned to face him, dragging his de across the messy trail before lifting it into another overhead swing. He was forced to vigorously roll to the side as the champion continuously chained the same overhead strikes, carving up the mud in a relentless rampage.

    "That''s enough��!" He yelled through his sped teeth.

    Pushing his palms against the loose ground below, he kicked with both legs against the midsection of the goblin before another strike could bended.

    Catching the silent champion off-guard, his attack actually managed tond as the soles of his feet clunked against the armor, causing the champion to grunt quietly as he stumbled back.

    He knew it wasn''t a kick that did any meaningful damage, but it awarded him enough time to return to his feet, gathering himself as he was now mostly dirtied by mud.

    He''s clearly a water mage, but he fights nothing like Macheo. You''d think a greatsword-wielder wouldn''t be so elusive, but he is...it looks like he can shift into water, but I didn''t hear any incantation. Well, I didn''t hear one either when I was attacked by the rain--how the hell am I supposed to defend against it if I don''t even know it''sing?

    I have to be careful. One mistake, and I''m gone, he thought.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Taking the initiative into his own hands, he unleashed a de of darkness that swept through the mud, burrowing through the rain and mud alike as it approached the champion.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Come on...He waited.

    He watched carefully, waiting to see what move the Stormfallen champion made before the wordless goblin made a small, slight lower of his posture.

    There it is! He thought.

    As expected, once the de of sharpened darkness shed against his foe, the armored form he saw simply sshed into a decoy of water.

    Watching it firsthand, he found his most likely answer to what was going on:

    He''s traveling within the rain, he thought, not only that...he''s able to manipte it while moving in it, and when out of it. Frankly, it''s beyond unfair. But, if I know anything about magic in this world--there''s always a path to victory.

    Now, he was left with the rain as his enemy; all around him, it came down, constantly falling against his ears, running along his body as he questioned each moment if it''d be stagnant, cold drops, or violent slices.

    I have to figure out how this rain magic functions. There has to be a way to tell where he is within it, he thought.

    Though it was easier said than done to discern any noticeable pattern within the rainfall; all around him, thousands of droplets fell in unison, yet nothing stuck out to him.

    --At the veryst moment, a sharp, ring hiss conjured right next to his left ear.

    It was a warning of the very next moment: slicing the lobe of his ear with a clean cut, a falling droplet of rain shot by like a masterfully swung sword.

    But, the cut sustained wasn''t without some semnce of gain.

    ...I felt it. For a split-second, I felt it: it was faint, but his mana red for just a moment before the rain cut me, he thought, unfortunately for you, Champion, I''m full of surprises myself��!

    Using the time between attacks, he fell still before casting out his own counterattack, "Araphel: Particle Shade!"

    Expanding rapidly from his position, an unseen mist of shadows iid upon the cold, wet air; enveloping the rainfall, his senses wrapped around the surrounding area with uracy that allowed him to feel each and every droplet of rain as it traversed the wind.

    For a moment, he froze as his senses were overwhelmedpletely; each of the thousands of droplets falling in unison, even in their serene fall, theirbined descent filled his ears like a ring horn sounding off.

    More paralyzing than the grating sound, the cold of every raindrop being felt at once enveloped his body in an unseenyer of ice that felt as if frost was forming in the marrow of his bones.

    Bear with it. Control it��! He told himself.

    He could hear every droplet inside of his head as if they were bouncing off the interior of his skull, manifesting a migraine that he was forced to subdue through sheer will and focus.

    A trail of blood ran from one of his nostrils, moving over his lips as it coalesced at the bottom of his chin.

    Just as the droplet of crimson fell alongside the raindrops, he felt it: the next attack.

    From the left, aiming for my eye, directly at my pupil. It''sing straight ahead, curving from above, he thought.

    Deciphering the trajectory of the manipted raindrop with the assistance of his extended senses, he used his broadsword to urately cut away the singr, microscopic de of water with pinpoint precision.

    Just as he bisected the raindrop, he felt an array of water des shift the raindrops into objects of malice, all around him.

    Around him, the raindrops stagnated, fallingpletely still in midair before beginning to spin around him in a swirling vortex that barricaded him within its watery malice.

    ...I guess I pissed him off with thatst stunt. I still don''t fully understand it...is he doing all of this while hiding within the rain? There''s now way it isn''t draining him of mana in the process...maybe this might have to be a war of attrition, he thought.

    Standing his ground with his sword raised while the vortex spiraled around him, carving through the mud in a circr pattern, he wiped the fresh blood from his nose, smearing it across his cheek in the process.

    He looked down at the smear of vibrant crimson that painted his glove, breathing out as his damp fringes veiled his vision just slightly.

    If that''s the case, I''m on the losing side, he thought.

    "...But, I''m not done yet��" He smiled slightly.

    Just as the torrent of visceral rain, acting like an array of spinning des, closed in around him, he leapt directly into the air with enough reinforcement that he found himself a dozen meters high.

    Though he didn''t escapepletely safe from harm as a dozen droplets of rain cut against him nheless, leaving a small cut on his neck and a few on his nose, hand, and abdomen.

    "Ghhh��! If there''s one thing I''m good at, it''s sticking around like a damn cockroach!" He yelled out.

    I haven''t used this one in awhile, and it''s usually not good for much...but if it''s sting this rain to hell, it''s my best bet, he thought, right now....just think freely.

 Chapter 454 - Brink, Threshold, And Edge

    While falling in midair, he continued to utilize his enhanced senses to evade the bolts of razor water, disappearing and reappearing at different spots within the air while traversing through the shadows.

    He allowed his body to fall limp, only moving through repeated steps across the shadows as he only prioritized dodging the cutting rain.

    "...Hear me, those who seek the absence of light��" He began to chant, exhibiting an unbing calmness.

    The moment the incantation began, his mana signature red; coating his body, shadows stretched out and moved with the stormy winds.

    Even while weaving the great magic through his words and focus, he continued to evade through elusive shadows; it was a feat beyond anything he had attempted before, but backed into a corner--it came naturally.

    "Grant me the essence of the truth, the original darkness that cast over the primordial soil."

    "Simultaneous cast", it was something Donatien had given him a lesson on, but he drove it in that it was such a rarity among mages that it couldn''t be ounted for by the average user of magecraft.

    Even so, here he was.

    It was a feat only possible through his mastery of ''Shadow Step'', and his natural, instinctual usage of it.

    With the climax of the great magic being steadily approached upon, the coalescence of darkness around him began to send tremors through the mud; ripples formed and waves cascaded.

    After all of the failed attempts to catch him with independent shots of rain, the hidden champion upped the ante.

    All at once, it seemed the immediate rainfall around him all shifted into the malicious bullets manipted by the rain-hidden champion.

    Just as the thousands of water-based des propelled towards him with inescapable violence, he raised his hand to the air as the colossal aura around him centered in his palm.

    "...Let us return the world to that former era, the endless night: Araphel Pandemonium!"

    As therge, humming sphere of great magic was held in his hand, the champion retreated from his stealthy position amongst the rain, reforming into a solid state as he rebuilt himself from water, back into ck steel.

    Without any hesitation, he tossed the conjured sphere of great magic directly into the space above him, aiming his attack at the storm itself while the Stormfallen champion kept his distance.

    That''s right! Watch as I rip away your advantages! He thought.

    Hurling through the cold air, the spiraling sphere of darkness consumed all of the rain in its path, releasing a torrent of shadowy wind that eradicated any nearby moisture, as well.

    He watched as it ascended while blood seeped from his eviscerated body, waiting for it to reach a certain point before he clenched his fist tightly:

    "Araphel: Detonation!"

    Amidst the barren sky, devoid of stars or beauty, the great magic dissolved into a vtile detonation, losing its form as a massive ignition of darkness cascaded through the storm-filled air above.

    Even the quiet Stormfallen champion was forced to look up as a shock wave of steam propelled through the once cold air above, filling it with a steaming heat that evaporated the rainfall in full.

    He stood with a slight smile, huffing as sweat and blood mixed over his pale skin; trailing from his nose, crimson continued to run in a deepened shade.

    "I took a gamble, and it seemed to pay off," he said through a heavy breath, "that rain was your doing, wasn''t it? Even if it wasn''t...it was definitely made from some sort of spell, there''s no denying that. At the end of the day, all I had to do was eradicate it."

    Allowing his left arm to fall to his side, he turned slightly to hide the fact it fellpletely limp; holding hisposure in front of the champion. He kept the handle of his de tightly held in his mud-and-blood soaked, right hand, huffing quietly as he felt a mixture of residual rain, blood, and sweat trail his forehead.

    It seems using Pandemonium after all of this time isn''t exactly sitting pretty with my body. After all of the cuts and blood loss, it seems the sudden usage of mana through the arm I used to cast the spell has backfired a bit. Still...I''d say I''ve evened the ying field now. Even if he tries to re-cast the rain, I can use that moment tond a decisive blow, he thought, I have to find a way around those crazy reflexes of his--even with that giant sword in his hand, he''s as swift as can be. I won''tnd a blow on him by conventional means.

    As the cloud of residual, vtile darkness hung over them, he drew in a sharp breath through his parted lips, keeping his eyes focused on the greatsword-wielding goblin who held his still stance.

    For a further moment, they both stood their ground, holding their des high without anypse in their guard--until a single step forward was taken by the one d in ck steel.

    "Araphel: March of The Unseen��!"

    --It was just the moment he waited for; the split-second opening in the champion''s defense that gave him the opportunity to strike.

    Vanishing into the shadows the moment the mystical words left his blood-soaked lips, a second passed without him being seen.

    This time, it was the Stormfallen champion left ignorant to the position of his enemy, standing in ce as he wielded his white-steel de like a shield in front of himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --One.

    --Two.

    --Three.

    --...Four.

    All at once, a quadra-set of shes attacked the stoic champion from an unseen source; lifting his greatsword, he moved nimbly with his grand reflexes, managing to counter two of the shes.

    However, two stillnded, cutting past his armor and into his thigh, and the other taking a chunk from his left hip. It was enough of a blow dealt to momentarily make the champion keel over before he lifted himself, spilling blood from the massive gashes left by the instantaneous strikes.

    The snow-haired human reappeared from the shadows, directly behind the goblin champion as he went for one more strike--but he hesitated for a moment as a pulsation journeyed through his cranium.

    He froze for a moment, having to halt his attack and leap back as the champion swung hisrge de backwards in a failed retaliation.

    As hended on his feet, he held his head for a moment as blood flowed in further abundance from his nose, seeping from a vibrant crimson and into a deeper, flowing maroon.

    ...I''m still not adjusted to that spell yet. It doesn''t help that my brain was already overclocked by ''Particle Shade''...I have to be careful, he thought, no...I have to win. There is always a price to victory--this is it.

    None of it matters if I lose here. Everything I''ve done until now, the trials I''ve ovee, the experiences I''ve gained...losing here devalues all of that. That''s why I''ll win.

    It could be tasted as it fell over his lips; the running blood that seeped from his nose. The taste of it was death; a warning of it.

    He realized this just as the Stormfallen champion turned to face him, leaking ck blood through the cuts that swept right through his decorated armor; even now, not a single word left the goblin''s mouth as his resolve to fight didn''t dwindle in the slightest.

    Without moving his arms, the champion swayed side-to-side before kicking off in an unorthodox sprint that suddenly shifted his form into that of water, making it challenging to predict his movements or even follow as his speed amplified.

    Faced with such an opponent, he chose to no longer restrain himself; it was a battle of life, or death.

    Matching his opponent''s decision to shift into his natural element, he did the same as shadows coated his body.

    "Araphel: Dusk Waltz."

    Heightened to the apex of speed, the champion formed of mystical aqua, and the human formed and carried by roaring shadows, met de-to-de once more.

    ? As their des, carried by reinforced elements, shed this time, the mud split in a dozen directions; walls of the umber liquid raised by the force of their butting strength as the winds howled in retaliation.

    For some reason, amidst their dance of steel, a smile came over his face; not one of heroism or refound hope, but of joy.

    Heughed.

    To him, he didn''t quite understand why, at first, questioning why in the face of a gateway that would either lead to the end of his road, or the continuation of it, heughed out of joy.

    "It was fun," he realized.

    It wasn''t a one-sided contest where he swiftly pulled away a victory, or was beaten-and-battered without a shining chance to be seen: it was a proper, equal battle that pushed him to his utmost, and he pushed his foe to their utmost.

    It''s just like that time against the giant shaman; I''m enjoying myself. An equal contest...I forgot how fun it could be, he thought.

    A feeling he had forgotten in the never ending supply of challenges that Purgatory faced him up against.

    Maybe I really wrecked my brain a bit too much, he thought with a smile.

    Even so, the delight in their sh eased any anxiety that anchored his body as he fought, allowing him to guide his de through the air with ease.

    No...it''s the opposite. I feel it. That light, bubbling up and burning in my stomach; swirling with a torrent of seraphic mes.

    Just a bit more....push me a bit more, and I''ll reach it again--"enlightenment", he thought.

 Chapter 455 - The Most Cruel

    Their sh of des only continued to elerate in speed; both unable to pierce through the other''s defense.

    The Stormfallen champion furthered himself into the aquatic element he shifted in, elongating his limbs as they propelled like perpetual beams of water, shing from unorthodox angles.

    It was an inhuman sword style he was put up against; instead facing swordy that more resembled how one would fight with a whip.

    The more he amplified his speed, reinforcing his limbs, all to match the flurry of curving attacks from the frosted greatsword, his body screamed at him to stop.

    --But instead of giving in, he continued to double-down.

    There��! He thought.

    While shrouded in ''Dusk Waltz'', he engaged in a step through the shadows, bringing himself to an advantageous position just as he predicted the trajectory of the wildly-swinging greatsword, allowing himself to counter with a sh.

    A sharp trail of his de''s edge embedded itself in the champion''s flesh, piercing his armor, though his counterattack came at a price.

    Tha-dump.

    His heart echoed in his ears as his brain felt as if it was being clenched by a giant''s abrasive hand; the warm sensation of blood leaving his body oozed out through his ear canals, dripping down the sides of his head.

    It wasn''t a side-effect of draining himself of everyst drop of mana--in that regard, he was still fine. The problemid in the spells he used, and the simultaneous casting he used continuously, despite being inexperienced in that field.

    But, there was no time to keel over in pain as his mutually-injured foe retaliated with more watery-whip strikes of his massive hunk of steel.

    "Particle Shade", "Dusk Waltz", "Shadow Step"--in unison, he used all three spells: a suicidal feat. There was no other choice, he realized; his opponent was just that much faster, stronger, and more skilled than himself.

    With his usage of ''Particle Shade'', he was able to feel every, miniscule movement the champion made; the slightest twitches of the goblin''s muscles allowed him to preemptively make his next move. ''Dusk Waltz'' bestowed him with speed, reflexes, and overall agility far surpassing his normal limits--allowing him to evade the assault with acrobatic maneuvers, and retaliate properly.

    Even with those two spells active, ''Shadow Step'' was necessary every so-often as the Stormfallen champion''s natural skill and overwhelming speed led to breaks in his elusiveness.

    It was a necessary advantage as he danced around the riptide of strikes; with the cover over his foreign, right eye, half of his vision waspromised in battle.

    Each swing of the greatsword, as itshed like a raging tentacle, swept through the mud like a natural disaster, sending waves that traversed the trail. The wind pressure alone that followed each curving strike caused the looming branches of the neighboring trees to flutter and bend.

    A rare urrence came as a strained yell echoed from the metallic helm of the champion. The pained growl that sounded as if being forced from clenched teeth manifested itself in an unknown spell that gathered an abundance of spiraling water in front of his great sword.

    Propelling violently with a clear, azure malice, an aquatic tornado rapidly departed towards the bloodied adolescent.

    He couldn''t evade it by delving into the shadows; the range wouldn''t bypass the width of the howling whirlpool that epassed the wide trail.

    Not good��He thought.

    Quickly, he found the option of running in the opposite direction to be futile as the spiraling force of the colossal tornado of liquid reeled him in, dragging his feet against the mud, unwillingly closer to its center.

    ��It''s now or never��I have to rely on it. If I mess up my timing by a breath, or a heartbeat, I''m a goner. But, if I can do it��I will! He resolved.

    nting his feet against the mud as he relinquished his ''Dusk Waltz'' he focused all of his intent on something nebulous; a magecraft foreign, even to himself.

    As he held the handle of his sword with a trembling, weak grip, he corrected his breathing while the coppery smell of his own blood flooded his nostrils.

    It''s not something I can do with one hand, not yet��the precision needed is nothing less than a surgery; dissecting the attack of my enemy, he thought.

    "��Araphel: Inverse Hand!"

    Yelling out, the blood that cradled his lips fell to his teeth, dying them in crimson.

    As hemanded, a shadowy limb sprouted from hispromised, left hand, apanying his right hand''s grip on Belus'' handle.

    Match its direction, force��mimic the tempo, and feel it brings, he told himself.

    Pivoted with his left foot as he gritted his teeth through the pain of his diced calf muscles, he began to spin himself around, building momentum like the tornado he faced.

    He moved counter-clockwise, as opposed to the clockwise spin of the aquatic storm approaching him; even the simple act of spinning put immense strain on his body as he replicated the tempo of the roaring whirlpool.

    Rhythm: set. Motion: set. Flow: set, he thought.

    Internalizing the inner flow he mimicked from the tornado of razor-sharp water, he closed his eyes to focus on that feeling, and only that feeling.

    As he spun around, he was less than a meter from direct contact with the wall of shredding aqua, stomping his foot against the mud as he swirled with more strength, onest time. In that moment before an impact that would shred him into mincemeat many times over, he could feel the coldness of the whirling water as the torrent could be heard like a whisper of the sea.<novelnext></novelnext>

    --Just as the two forces braced for impact, a flow of rampant shadows flooded from the base of his sword, coating it in ayer of outreaching darkness that hissed sharply.

    "Araphel: Dead Man''s Reversal!"

    --It was the moment of truth, just as the shadow-d edge of his de approached the spiraling form of the aquatic torrent; millimeters away--the meeting of steel and water would spell either his victory, or defeat.

    Fwoosh.

    Just as the dark-clung silver of Belus made contact with the violent torrent, a reservoir of shadows blossomed from his position, twirling and extending as it overwrote the azure existence of the whirlpool--halting it in its tracks during the process.

    "Dead Man''s Reversal", a spell that earned its name from the overwhelming likelihood of death thates with attempting to use it in practice. It requires wless uracy in mimicking the flow of the targeted attack, otherwise the spell will not activate, resulting in the user taking the attack head-on,  "Dead Man''s Reversal".

    However, this is not one of those cases.

    As the shadows engulfed the torrenting aqua, they settled to reveal the whirlpool had been transformed from one of water, to one of spiraling shadows, nowunching towards the Stormfallen champion.

    What was left from the sess of his magecraft was a reversal thatpletely shifted the tide of the battle; it had turned to a natural disaster of his own effort.

    Everything about it was doubled: its size, the torque, and the speed in which it burrowed through the mud-formed trail.

    "Heh...I did it," he celebrated quietly to himself.

    After forcing his body to endure the stress of ''Dead Man''s Reversal'', both mentally and physically, he relinquished the shadowy limb that assisted him as both of his arms hung limp at his sides.

    Standing there, he watched the shadowy tornado formed by his counter as it howled, spinning as it reeled in nearby pebbles and branches into its brutal form.

    Though he could feel his consciousness wanting to flee from him as the blood loss he suffered throughout the battle caught up to him; it continued to pour from his nose and ears, as did the bleeding from the dozens of small cuts left over his body.

    His thoughts stayed silent as he witnessed the shadowy whirlpoole to a halt the moment it caught the Stormfallen champion within its grasp; it spiraled into full-force, generating a howling wind that even tugged at his bnce though he stood a dozen meters away.

    ...I would''ve died for sure if that hit me, he thought.

    The sound of metal being torn apanied the banshee-like yells of the ferocious, dark winds; it was a bone-crunching, brutal spell that he could only be d he wasn''t the one on the receiving end of it.

    After it settled, dissipating into air that continued on its quiet path, the Stormfallen champion didn''t fall limp onto the mud--hended firmly on his boots, much to his surprise.

    "...Why am I not surprised?" He sighed quietly.

    Most of the goblin champion''s armor had been torn away, revealing hiscerated, blood-soaked skin of a verdant, bruisedplexion.

    They both stood opposite of one another, barely clinging to consciousness as their own blood dyed their skin, huffing with their arms limp at their sides.

    Before their final sh couldmence, they both froze at the sudden existence of slow, casual footsteps sounding out in the mud.

    "How vile; to have me march through the sewage of this world."

    --It was a foreign voice to him, but it seemed to strike fear in the eyes of the goblin champion, who began to tremble at the approaching entity behind him.

    A pale hand gripped the top of the goblin''s round, verdant scalp, squeezing it with little effort, though the fracturing of the champion''s skull resounded painfully.

    "The weak shouldn''t stand in the way of the strong," the nebulous man spoke, "Die."

    Huh? He thought.

    A moment before he could process what was transpiring before his eyes, he witnessed the champion''s head be popped like a watermelon in front of his eyes; exploding into an abhorrent mass of red.

    Fragments of the goblin''s skull sank into the mud, alongside the fleshy bits before the headless corpse of the once, tall-standing champion fell lifelessly forward into the mud.

    "Ren Nakamura, right?" The man asked with a tone unfit for one of such gruesome actions.

    The mysterious man casually walked across the fallen champion''s limp body as if not even recognizing the existence of the one he just ughtered, approaching the adolescent who was frozen in perplexion, and inexplicable fear.

    He finally recognized who the man was: wearing an unbuttoned, spotless, white coat without a tunic beneath to cover his bare chest, two des stationed on his back in an "X" formation, and wild, pearlescent hair.

    "Andraste," he muttered through trembling lips.

 Chapter 456 - Insurmountable Wall

    "Andraste," he muttered through trembling lips.

    The ruthless man smiled as he swiped his blood-soaked hand against the air, cleansing it of the goblin''s meaty chunks, "I guess my reputation precedes me, as always!"

    All at once, he remembered in full the information connected to such a dreadful name.

    He was in the tournament...Iris told me about him, and Rengoku...he''s one of the "Victorious Seven"--an elite group even more revered in Mastorn than the Argonauts...but why is he here? Why is he standing in front of me right now?! He thought.

    It wasn''t just the fact that his body was on the brink of shutting down from the overwhelming pain and exhaustion, but he truly felt an aura like none other, emanating from the smiling man with such intensity that he had to coax the air from his lungs.

    "...What do you want?" He spat out his words as his own blood stuck between his lips.

    Andraste continued to hold his smile as he looked to the side, "Ren Nakamura? I remember hearing that name brought up before. The otherworlder that Rouge, the "Imp of Mastorn" himself failed to hunt. It took me a while to remember, but I did."

    He felt his blood run cold as the man spoke of his identity as a foreigner to the world of Gaia, immediately wanting to retreat into a shell, but he had no choice but to hold his ground.

    "W-what about it?...You''re not an Argonaut, so you--!"

    "You''re right, I''m not," Andraste cut him off, "...but, that doesn''t mean I don''t enjoy ughtering each and every one of them, nheless. In such a fragile world, what else is there to do but to break things? Rouge was a weakling, but at least he understood the real pleasures in life; cutting, impaling, burning, and viting the flesh of another--it''s a pleasure exclusive to the strong! That''s why I came to Purgatory...as a "revered" member of the Victorious Seven, I''m chained to the perfect, holier-than-thou image of a knight...disgusting, disgusting, disgusting! What is the point of having strength if one does not use it to bend the flesh of another?!"

    As the youthful knight reveled in his depraved cravings, swiping his hands through the air, his magical pressure naturally magnified to the point that the air became thin enough to feel as if they were standing atop the peak of a mountain.

    He''spletely crazy''|! He realized.

    Once he realized the type of man he was dealing with, any hope of peacefully resolving their meeting was thrown out of the window.

    After seeming to calm down, Andraste was gazing up at the absent stars with his mouth gaping before slowly lowering his gaze back down to the half-dead otherworlder with his expression settling to a dreadful intensity.

    "...What I mean to say is: I''m going to break you, Ren Nakamura. Individually, I''ll fracture, twist, then shatter your bones. I''ll y your body. I''ll gouge your eyes, remove your tongue, and turn you into a shell that was once a man. All because you''re weaker than me; born to be my ything."

    As he gulped his fears down his throat in an attempt to quell the shaking in his knees, he chose to bide for time.

    I need to recover whatever amount of stamina I can, if I''m going to have to fight this freak...he thought.

    "You were looking for me''|? How did you find me?" He asked.

    Andraste scoffed, "Why do you think the Stormfallen were after you? I had them track down a pesky little otherworlder, under mymand."

    "...What? That doesn''t make any sense...why would the Stormfallen be under your order?"

    Turning to his side, Andraste lightly kicked the side of the headless champion''s limp body before cing his boot atop its back with a smallugh.

    "You thought this weakling was the champion of the Stormfallen?"

    "What?..."

    Andraste sighed, allowing his smile to fade in an instant, "He was, until I came along. After I put him in his ce, I made those green little runts my hounds, but it wasn''t just you I had them track down. Oh, I found lots of other ythings on this floor. I was careful not to kill too many; I wanted to savor my time here, after all."

    After a moment of allowing his words to sink into the young man''s mind, Andraste stretched his arms out with a wide smile.

    "That''s right! I am the Stormfallen champion, Ren! Judging by the fact you''rebating with my wretched hounds, and your familiarity with the Stormfallen...I take it you became the Velren champion! Hah! This really is a fateful meeting, isn''t it? Once again, the gods continue to guide me to the ughter," Andraste proimed, "as such, we must sh--right here, right now! Come, trembling champion!"

    --Even if the enemy he faced possessed such abundant, menacing aura, a wicked personality, and a title bestowed upon only the strongest of his kingdom, none of it mattered when he was tested by such words.

    "Trembling?...That''s right, I am trembling. I just can''t help but be thrilled to get my hands on an evil piece of shit Argonaut, former or not! You''re the reason I''ve felt all of this. And to top it all off, you''re a sick bastard--just like him," he forced a smile across his bloodied lips.

    Andraste only smiled at the spilled words, gesturing for him to approach, "Indulge me."

    After gathering enough breath into his lungs, he epted the challenge, though he stood still for a moment to find his avenue of approach.

    There wasn''t much to decipher of his opponent; Andraste stood without any semnce of a guard raised, not even properly facing him as he stood facing slightly away from him.

    I have to go for the kill--right away. If I hesitate, it''s over, he thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He moved just slightly to test the status of his arms; they could move. It was a relieving factor, allowing him to grip the handle of his de tightly with a trembling conviction.

    Good. I can do this, he thought.

    In a split-second, he shifted from his slouched, exhausted stance into a full-sprint, bolting towards the still knight.

    Just as he raised his sword to go for a strike, he opted for aplete fake-out, instead, stepping through the shadows to reappear behind Andraste.

    As he manifested behind the man, already halfway through the motion of a swing, he warped into the shadows once more to further throw the senses of his opponent off. It was only for a fraction of a moment, but that time spent behind Andraste had coaxed the knight to begin shifting his gaze back.

    I''ve got you! He thought.

    After his second consecutive step through the shadows, he reappeared in front of Andraste, who was turning to look back where he was a split-second ago.

    There was nothing stopping the path of his de as the edge aimed itself at the exposed, undefended side of the depraved knight.

    "Predictable."

    --It was a single word that met his ears during the climax of his attack, hesitating for just a moment as all of his senses went haywire at a foreign sensation.

    Buried against his abdomen, a force pressed so fervently against his body that it felt as if it was caressing his organs with a harsh touch.

    Even in that minuscule moment, he could hear the cracking of his ribs, resounding inside of his ears as he felt the prominent bones being fractured from within.

    Before he knew it, he was flying back uncontrobly from the force of the unseen counter, spitting out a mixture of saliva and blood.

    Landing harshly against the mud, rolling through it beforeing to a still as he heaved; attempting to regain the breath that his trembling lungs refused to ept, heid there inplete agony.

    "Well, it wasn''t a half-bad attempt attack. Mm...I''ll give you a six-out-of-ten, for that one," Andraste said casually as he marched over.

    He could hardly discern the words spoken as his ears rang, slowly picking himself up as he found himself on his hands and knees, vomiting up an abundance of blood as he watched his hands tremble in the mud.

    This is bad. Really bad. I''m bleeding internally. Was that just a single punch? He thought.

    Attempting to move any further sent a sharp pain through every inch of his body as he keeled over, falling face first in the mud again.

    Oh, that''s why I can''t breathe. He broke my ribs, one must''ve pierced my lungs, he thought.

    "Look at me while I''m talking to you."

    Before he could even process the words spoken from the man looming over him, he received a harsh kick to the side, sending him rolling across the muddy trail again.

    Laying there, powerless and devoid of strength in his body, he raised only one hand; it trembled, but reached for something.

    "...A...ah''|" He gasped out.

    He tried to speak, but only breathless utterances mustered out as his lungs refused to work with him.

    "What was that? Trying to speak? Maybe I should start with your tongue, after all," Andraste smiled wickedly.

    The depraved knight ced his boot atop the young man''s back, moving one hand to the leftmost sword sheathed on his back.

    Slow and steady. Slowly, gather the breath...and say it, he told himself.

    "A...ah...a''|"

    Andraste looked down with eyes that held nothing but malice, slowly unsheathing his de as he savored the moment.

    "After I finish removing your tongue, I will y your body.. After that, as you bathe in overwhelming, visceral pain, I will allow you to spectate as I ughter each and every inhabitant of that vige."

 Chapter 457 - Arrival

    Drawing through his punctured lungs, he sent not air through his mouth, but a small, minuscule wave of darkness, acting as momentary air. It filled his lungs just enough to give him the strength for a singr word, keeping his hand outstretched as it reached for unseen hope.

    "...Arrive..."

    It had little meaning on the surface to Andraste, but his hand stopped, his eyes widened--all at the sudden explosion of mana that erupted from the young man''s outstretched hand.

    What is this? Andraste thought.

    All at once, the air fell to a chilling cold; a veil concealed the surrounding area with an abyssal darkness. Below the boots of the knight, the mud he stood on was transfigured into a ckened ooze that attempted to swallow him.

    A territorial spell��? No, this is somethingpletely different. The boy possessed something like this up his sleeve? But, that incantation--could it even be called one? Andraste thought.

    The ck sludge naturally separated him from the young man''s position, lengthening the space between them as a new entity began to rise unnaturally from the unknown depths of the nebulous sludge.

    "Interesting...Interesting! You can perform a phantasm summoning?" Andraste called.

    No response came as the young man couldn''t muster any further words, only concentrating on breathing as the mysterious figure rose from the sludge; not by the usage of his limbs, but by an unseen, paranormal force.

    Dressed in an immacte, ck butler outfit, possessing a slender, towering figure, the summoned familiar of the young man didn''t wear a smile on his expression.

    "Rest well, Master. I will handle this," Astraeus looked back at the snow-haired man momentarily.

    Without being able to reply with a single word as he focused on breathing through hispromised youngs, the snow-haired young man sank into the dark mud by Astraeus'' admission.

    "And who are you?" Andraste asked, holding a half-smile as he returned his hands to his sheathed des.

    "There is no point in telling my name to a dead man," Astraeus answered.

    With a snap of his fingers, the tall-standing, nebulous butler manifested metallic flowers that sprouted around the unorthodox battlefield; blossoming and stretching high as their stems intertwined and formed walls around them.

    "Hah! I like that," Andrasteughed briefly as he drew his twin des from their sheaths on his back.

    "Save your words for when you''re groveling for mercy," Astraeus spoke sternly as he snapped his fingers once more.

    The second snap caused the colossal, metallic roses to stretch their petals before vines, in the form of chains, sprouted from each unnatural flower, propelling towards the knight rapidly.

    With a smile stitched across his lips, Andraste leapt into the air to avoid the chains, though they shifted their trajectory to follow him.

    Each chain bore a seemingly endless length, with the width of each link being asrge as the knight as he defended himself by shing steel-against-steel. In his first strike, he repelled the spear-headed chain, though to his surprise, his sh didn''t bisect the chain.

    It was a relentless attack; the towering chains that replicated the majesty of the world serpent itself mmed down, cracking the jungle below as the knight evaded their reach,bating them with his own steel.

    It''s strong--this metal. This spirit...is it a high spirit? Or perhaps...he thought.

    "You''re a divine spirit!" Andraste called out as his des shed against iing whips of the colossal chains.

    Augh of splendor escaped the knight''s lips as he held each de to his side, guiding the chains away as his eyes set on the ck-sclera, slender butler who stood still in the liminal space.

    "I''ve always wanted to test myself against a divine spirit," Andraste spoke with mischievous lining his words, "tell me: do humanoid spirits like yourself spill the same, red guts as humans?"

    "Try me," Astraeus replied coldly.

    Like a conductor, the tail-coated butler moved his hands through the air, guiding the serpentine chains as they whipped violently through the air with cracks that resounded with shock waves.

    If it wasn''t therge, ded ends of the malicious chains he had to avoid, then it was the high-velocity, durable chain links Andraste was forced to dodge.

    Again, the revered knight showcased his finesse with his thin, refined des as he repelled every chain that attempted to strike him.

    "Don''t make meugh, divine spirit! If this is your ceiling, then I''ve been misled my entire life!" Andraste coaxed.

    Astraeus'' ck eyes squinted slightly as he slowly lifted his hand, "Who said this was my ceiling?"

    From the abyssal mud below, dozens of smaller, but plentiful chains sprouted like hellish foliage; all aiming their deadly, spear-ends at the knight who was falling through the air.

    "Good, good! That''s more like it, spirit!" Andraste called out in splendor.

    Spinning himself with such speed that he appeared as a blur, the white-garmnent knight repelled the army of spear-like chains as orange sparks befell the air like a fiery rainstorm.

    It was all in an instant; every chain was sent rearing back afterughter spilled from the bowels of Andraste, who took nothing but joy in the battle.

    "Come! I have yet to cast a single spell of my own, spirit!" Andraste coaxed with a yell that filled the abyssal airs.

    Astraeus remained as cool as he began, snapping his fingers as he withdrew the chains back into the ckened mud, "I will admit it: you''re indeed troublesome."<novelnext></novelnext>

    As Master is right now, defeating this enemy is simply impossible. I must im victory here and now, Astraeus thought, I simply cannot fail my Master the very first time he''s relied on, either!

    Changing his stance, the towering butler raised his glove-covered hand directly to the air before snapping his fingers with such prominence that it resounded like a shock wave, chiming with an unknown awakening.

    "Oh?" Andraste breathed out as hended back down on the liminal trail.

    The knight looked around as the colossal, steel-forged flowers seemed to blossom further, stretching out as darkness seeped from the grooves of their petals.

    Darkness bubbled and stirred all around the metallic, intertwined walls of stems; a hum red from the gathering stygian, percussing with enough intensity that the abyssal mud vibrated and rippled beneath the knight''s step.

    Above Andraste, the knight looked up to see glistening stars above; shing and crossing a spectrum of divine shades--it was the pollen of the nebulous flowers. They fluttered in the abyssal, fogden air above, radiating as the hum amplified further.

    "Fantastic...such grand magic, yet it requires no words! You''re truly a spectacr spirit!" Andrasteplimented as he raised his des in preparation of a sh with the valley of stars above his head.

    "Argo Navis," Astraeus spoke.

    With a snap of his fingers, the sprouted stars formed into the shape of a great ship; though it only bore a resemnce to the vessel of the sea, it soon manifested into reality as an astral, colossal force.

    "...Oh?" Andraste watched with a smile.

    The massive ship was birthed from the ordered stars, gliding through the air as it descended into the abyssal mud below, sailing directly towards the perplexed, yet smiling knight as war horns resounded.

    It made little sense to exist in that space, conjured from nothing but the glistening pollen of steel flowers--but s, that was the nature of magic: Andraste weed it.

    Far toorge, sweeping through the abyssal mud as if the oceans of creation it sailed; the celestial ship approached on the knight with a towering presence.

    "Impressive...but, it''s not enough if you want to step up to me!" Andraste shouted.

    Wielding both of his des above his head as the colossal sea vessel rapidly approached his position, a mixture of light and darkness coalesced on each of his des.

    He talks too much, Astraeus thought.

    The Victorious Seven member stomped his boot against the mud with enough force that the surroundingnd trembled; withplete reverence, he carved his des downwards as the mixture of divinity and unholiness intertwined to carve space itself.

    It haltedpletely; the ship froze in ce as a line bisected its form, rending the space between both of its halves before it was split cleanly into two sections.

    "..."

    Astraeus remained silent as the astral ship was bisected, fading away into a mass of residual, silver mana as the knight twirled the handles of his des around his fingers.

    Pointing his leftmost, ck-handled de towards the divine spirit, Andraste smiled wide, "I think it''s my turn to attack."

    "If it means you''ll stop grating my ears with your voice, then be my guest," Astraeus responded coldly.

    I don''t have much time left to stay materialized. Master''s mana reserves are low, and his physical condition is even worse. I have to end this soon, Astraeus thought.

    With a howl ofughter, Andraste suddenly took the offensive without moving a step forward, instead shing his des against the empty space around him.

    It was the sheer strength inhabiting the knight''s body alone; no magic, or abilities--the strikes of his sword carved a path through the jungle, cutting into thend with colossal shes of white and ck.

    Through sheer strength alone, space had been rent.

    "Ngh��!" Astraeus let out in surprise, jumping back.

    The surrounding trees were cut away in the dozens, befalling the jungle with a graveyard of nature as the divine shes cut into the natural mud below.

    Astraeus evaded the ludicrously fast shes as they zipped by like shes of light, only barely managing to dodge their visceral edge as his immacte zer was left shredded.

    "Heh."

    Andraste let out a small chuckle at the aftermath of his dual-strike, looking at the divine spirit who held his stoic, but contemptful expression as the surrounding trees fell with a rhythmic quake.

    As he kept his distance, Astraeus tucked his left hand behind his back as it emanated shadowy particles, maintaining his visage of strength.

    I''m running out of time. I haven''t been able tond even a single blow on him yet...if I leave Master alone with this man, he will surely...no, I have to trust him. This is a trial he must ovee--that is the destiny he faces; one of hardship, and of growth. I mustn''t coddle him, Astraeus thought.

    Even if he reached that conclusion, the ck-eyed spirit knew well it was a task that sat outside the realm of Ren''s strength.

    "This is getting boring," Andraste suddenly said, "You''re boring me, spirit."

 Chapter 458 - Geass Exchange

    "This is getting boring," Andraste suddenly said, "You''re boring me, spirit."

    All at once, utter, unwashable bloodlust emitted from the knight as the divine spirit''s guard was raised instinctively.

    I must kill this man!-- Astraeus thought.

    --However, like a sh of light burrowing through darkness in an instant, Andraste broke the distance between them without any telegraph to his movements; simply appearing right in front of the divine spirit with his des already reared back.

    Astraeus'' sable eyes widened as he stepped back, but he already realized there was no evading the man from the range they sat at.

    Instead, he lightly flicked his hand, conjuring endless chains from the ground between the two, erupting forth like a wall of interlinked steel.

    Even with the mystical, multiyered chain wall, a single swipe of Andraste''s de eviscerated the defense.

    But, it was enough time for Astraeus to regain himself:

    "Draco!"

    Following themand that parted from themanding spirit''s lips, silver orbs reeled from the steel roses, forming into the shape of the mighty ruler of the skies--an astral dragon. It inhabited the sky, moving its far-stretching wings as it possessed a size rivaling a royal keep.

    Despitecking flesh, it roared out with a sky-rending call that shook the entirety of the jungle, flicking its colossal tail that whipped the air.

    "Mm��?" Andraste looked up in that still moment after having rent the chains.

    Above him, he saw the coalescence of the stars, building within the parted maw of the astral dragon--pointing directly down at the knight.

    It was not dragonfire, born from its bowels, but something beyond--something that sent a chill over the back of the white-haired knight as he watched in inexplicable awe.

    Astraeus shielded himself, forming a cocoon of hundreds of tightly-wrapped chains around himself, further fortified by steel roses.

    "AAAGGGHHH---!" Andraste yelled out, realizing it was a moment toote to evade.

    From the astral dragon''s maw, a beam of the stars'' light crashed down atop the wicked knight, filling thend with a melting steam that withered the surrounding foliage.

    --But, even that could not reach Andraste.

    The end point of the starfire stopped just short of meeting the man''s flesh, being held back by the edges of his tightly-held des as he stood his ground.

    Below his boots, the abyssal mud boiled under the divine heat of the starfire, causing him to wince as he stood at the forefront of the heat inhabited by the star''s purified form; still, he smiled, enjoying himself despite the terrifying attack he held against.

    "Yes! This is it, spirit! If this should meet my flesh, I will turn to cinder! Ha-ha!" Andrasteughed out, "however, unfortunately for you, that oue is impossible!"

    After savoring the battle of strength between his des and the starfire, his smiling expression faded into something remarkably serious.

    He moved one arm away from his struggle against the beam of zing iridescence, holding it back with a singr de as he held the other up to the sky.

    "Die."

    Swiping his de down firmly, he swung only against the air; unleashing not even the usual, visceral air pressure as per the norm of his monstrous strikes.

    However, an agonized screech emitted from the astral dragon as a disembodied sh bisected its body in full.

    Inside the ustrophobic cocoon, the snowy-haired young man found himself squished beside the ck-eyed butler.

    "Master."

    "Astraeus��?" He gasped out, wincing as even speaking came with pain.

    Though as he looked at the form of the mysterious butler, he could see his physical form quickly dwindling.

    The tall-standing spirit nodded slightly, looking at the steel walls of the cocoon with a cautious eye, "My time is up. It will be up to you from here on out. I don''t believe you need me to tell you this, but...defeating that man borders on impossible."

    He nodded, "Yeah...I know."

    Throughout his entire body, it was caked in agony; his ribs shattered, blood leaving from seemingly every orifice--even speaking just a few words reeled a bloodied cough from his lips.

    A pained look came over Astraeus'' expression as his eyebrows contorted, "...I would never advise of this, but there is a path to victory...while not guaranteed, it is your best chance."

    "...?" He looked up at Astraeus.

    "...A "Geass Exchange", a pact between oneself and the gods; choose what to sacrifice, and gain what is needed to win, Master," Astraeus told him.

    Just as the begrudgingly spoken advice left the spirit''s lips, he fully faded away into shadowy particles, leaving the young man without a proper answer.

    Just as the spiritual dragon born of constetions dissipated, the starfire vanished as well, leaving the surrounding area illuminated by the particles of silvery-white while Andraste set his gaze on the metallic cocoon.

    "You forced me to resort to using my innate ability," Andraste said, "that is worthy of praise. However, once those fangs are bore, your defeat is destined."

    The knight watched as the metallic cocoon unraveled; the chains dissipated into shadowy particles before all that was left standing in its ce was the half-dead, bloodied otherworlder. As the cocoon left, so did the veil around their battlefield, returning the semnce of light, and the mud to its original form.

    Andraste furrowed his eyebrows with a look of disgust, "Oh, it''s just you."

    He didn''t respond, as he was busy gasping for the little bits of air he could squeeze into his agonized lungs, standing there with slumped arms as he barely held the handle of his de between his weak fingers, that were sticky andden with his own blood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That was all you had, wasn''t it?" Andraste asked, holding no guard as he expressedplete disappointment.

    Breathe...breathe, slowly...breathe, he told himself.

    He didn''t listen to Andraste''s abrasive words; he couldn''t. His ears simply rang far too loud for words to reach him, and his half-closed, exhausted eyelids continuously attempted to close even as he fought to stay conscious.

    "What a letdown you were, Ren Nakamura. I would''ve thought one of the Ounders would give me a ughter worth remembering," Andraste spoke solemnly.

    The knight kept only one sword drawn as he sheathed the other, slumping his shoulders as he lifted his ck-handled de up, pointing the end directly at the young man that stood a half-dozen meters away.

    Sacrifice what I must to win��? In what world is that fair? He thought.

    He struggled to lift his own longsword in response, feeling as if coaxing the weight of a mountain up. Eventually, through his trembling grip that held the handle of his sword only through the adhesiveness of his own blood that clung to his fingertips, he held his de up.

    "Amusing. I love ones with strong, stubborn wills...it makes breaking them all the more enjoyable," Andraste said.

    I can''t hear him. I can barely...see him. I''m cking out. The air is so thin...he thought.

    A cough escaped his lips, spewing droplets of crimson before heaving into a full expenditure of his bowels as he vomited his scarlet essence; he fell to his knees, only remaining upright as he stabbed his de into the mud below.

    Andrasteughed cruelly, devoid of empathy, "It seems I don''t even need to lift a finger to kill you! Is this the state of the Ounders?!"

    Unable to hear the knight''s taunts, he sat there, attempting to regain enough strength in his legs to stand as scarlet dripped from his chin.

    Drip. Drip. Drip.

    Rain began to fall once again, starting as a light sprinkle before shifting into a full blown shower that washed against the mud continuously.

    It was cold. So cold, in fact, that the brisk rain felt almost warm against his body�Cit wasn''t that his bodily temperature had dropped to such pits, but he felt as if he was detached from his own flesh�Cfading, slowly, but surely.

    Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock.

    In his ears, his heartbeat slowed, resounding like a clock that counted down hisst moments through his faint breaths.

    After looking upon him for a moment in disappointment as the rain fell plentifully, Andraste took his time, slowly marching towards the fallen Ounder.

    It was bleak; he knew that much.

    But, even in this state, he wasn''t without hope.

    Inside of his body, swirling in his gut, he felt the gilded mes spinning, whirling like a torrent of light within him.

    Even if it didn''t manifest itself yet, its near existence fueled him with enough strength to return to his feet, adjusting himself as his knees wobbled.

    "Don''t want to die on your knees?" Andraste scoffed.

    The wicked knight stopped just in front of him, pointing the tip of his de against the young man''s forehead.

    Meeting against the skin of his forehead, the sharp tip created a small cut as blood trickled alongside the rain and mud present on his face.

    With his left hand, he slowly reached up without moving his unblinking eyes, gripping the knight''s de, much to the surprise of the one who wielded it. Grabbing the knight''s immacte de came with a sharpceration being etched across his already bloodied palm.

    "What''re you��?" Andraste raised an eyebrow at the half-dead adolescent in confusion.

    "Geass Exchange: form," hemanded faintly.

    The moment he spoke the words that came naturally to his mind as a mage, a magical seal bearing a seven-pointed star branded itself into his chest.

    You taught me about this one, Meinhard. Exchanging one thing to gain another. You used it in order to gain the ability to heal others, but not yourself.

    I guess��I''m about to do something a bit more reckless, he thought.

    "A ''Geass Exchange"?! You wouldn''t��!" Andraste contested.

    Though the immacte knight attempted to draw his de from the otherworlder''s grip, his de didn''t budge. Despite the half-dead, bloodden appearance of the hardly breathing young man, he possesses strength unfit for his state.

    What''s going on��? What''s this strength? Andraste thought.

    Through his bloodied lips, he breathed slowly in thatst moment between conviction and action.

    It doesn''t matter how painful it is. I''ll continue until I save you, Iris, everyone��he thought.

    "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." - Friedrich Nietzsche.

    For some reason, he remembered that quote he encountered by chance, years ago. It didn''t stick into his mind but for mere moments, but now, it resurfaced.

    Hopefully this is thest time I have to say this, but��it''s do-or-die, he thought.

    Once more, he breathed into hispromised lungs before exhaling outwards with his left eye, clear and open as the rain fell in bleak serenity.

    "I, Ren Nakamura, hereby relinquish five years of my life��in exchange, grant me the full-potential of that ability, just this once."

 Chapter 459 - One-In-A-Million

    "I, Ren Nakamura, hereby relinquish five years of my life��in exchange, grant me the full-potential of that ability, just this once."

    It was as the words between himself and an unseen force were said, his slumped over state straightened, his eye opening fully as his hazel irises shifted into an unnatural, wheel-shape bearing a goldenplexion.

    All of the strength that had left his body returned, and more; it burned within him like a raging wildfire, flourishing through his veins with a newfound vigor.

    Looking into that mystical eye, Andraste''s vision was quickly reced by an object thatpletely overtook his gaze.

    He was unable to react to it properly; the young man hadunched his foot against the knight''s face swiftly before letting go of his de, causing Andraste to slide back against the mud a few meters.

    This is it. My full "enlightenment"...mypleted "enlightenment". It''s beyond what I expected. Power like this��it would''vee from years of gruesome training. But��I need it right now, if I n to defeat one of the Victorious Seven, he thought.

    Andraste''s expression contorted into displeasure as he stopped himself from sliding back further, "You��! You reckless fool! You would be so reckless just to defeat me?!"

    He answered without any doubt inhabiting his gilded gaze, "It''s not even a question. It''s a small price to pay��so meager, if it means I can win and save them."

    Andraste didn''t seem to listen to his words, only yelling back, "Even so, you''re mistaken if you think that''s enough to ovee me! You''ll have to sacrifice it all if you want to stand against me�C! Discarding your limbs, blood, soul, and memories�Cnone of it will be enough!"

    Following his own words with his actions, Andraste unleashed a fury of sword shes, dicing apart the surrounding trees of the jungle and cutting into the ground around them.

    As fast and as plentiful as they came, he evaded them through minimal movement, as natural to his gilded, wise gaze.

    While dodging the barrage of shes that weren''t restrained by the range of the knight''s steel, he mended his broken bones, stopping his own bleeding as heposed himself.

    "Manjushri."

    �CThrough the endless shes that sought to mutte the entire jungle, he found an opening, sending a sh of karmic mes soaring towards the pale knight.

    "You can''t touch me."

    Andraste spoke with a chilling calmness as one moment he stood a dozen meters away, on the other end of the approaching, golden mes, and in the next, he vanished with speed that bordered on untraceable to his enlightened vision.

    He raised his de just in time to stop the dual-wielded des of Andraste from cutting into his flesh, being forced to nt his feet into the mud to press back against the man''s immense strength.

    "You''re nothing. You''re still breathing because I enjoy savoring my meals," Andraste spoke to him while their des clung to one another.

    "You''re talking an awful lot. Are you feeling nervous?" He asked with a stoic tone.

    Andraste paused for a moment as his expression dwindled to something devoid of emotion, looking down at the golden-eyed adolescent, "That settles it. I''m removing your tongue first."

    They both pulled back in perfect unison before returning in a furious sh, unleashing dozens of strikes towards one another in the very first second of their exchange.

    Each time their steel met, the descending rain around them propelled outwards from the resulting shock wave, rippling the loosened mud.

    It was only by virtue of his gilded eye that saw through the many pathways of fate, deciphering time and the threads of destiny itself as he predicted each action his opponent took; even so, the sheer speed the Victorious Seven held over him was enough to make it aplete stalemate.

    For a moment that stood between a hundred fractions of a second, he found an opening, though notrge enough for his de to cut through, he countered the knight''s iing attack with a nimble duck, returning against the man''s side a harsh, spinning kick.

    With physical prowess far beyond his norm, he sent the knight flying to the side, burrowing through the jungle as he followed.

    "Manjushri��!"

    While jumping forward to send himself propelling closer to the knight, he swiped his de with both hands gripping it tightly�Csending a cascade of gilded mes that cut through a chunk of the dense jungle.

    Andraste remained silent, but focused as he caught himself in midair by flipping around, allowing his boots tond against the trunk of a tree beforeunching himself back towards his foe.

    The knight sailed directly towards the horizontal sea of golden, karmic mes that burrowed through the forest; he scraped his des against one another, setting his focused eyes on the gilded inferno.

    "...Zeus: King''s Dawn��"

    As Andraste unleashed a magical incantation for the first time, he spun himself as seraphic, pure-white lightning shrouded his form, emanating from his des as he intended to sh directly against the wave of mes.

    Around the coat-wearing knight, the rain was vaporized by strands of loose lightning, if not evaporating from the sheer heat of the divine storm that emitted from himself.

    Something''sing��! He thought, jumping back as he witnessed Andraste propel forward.

    Just before meeting against the karmic mes, he stomped his boot into the ground, spinning around before razing the jungle in absolute destruction; overpowering the mes as his white lightning reduced the nature life to ash.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "---!"

    It was an inch from catching him; the lightning moved erratically, spreading through the surrounding jungle as wild bolts struck anything that held life. Even as he flipped back to avoid its reach, he could feel the insurmountable heat that radiated from the seraphic bolts.

    He watched in surprise at the preview into the magecraft wielded by the knight revered as one of the Victorious Seven; it was utter destruction�Ca spell that simply eradicated any caught in its grasp.

    Andraste stood in a desecrated clearing, devoid of any trees, foliage, or life�Call having been dested by his singr spell.

    Witnessing first-hand the destructive capabilities of the knight''s magic, he opted to avoid being on the receiving end of it�Cestablishing a counter of his own as he sped his palms together.

    "��k��?agarbha."

    As he uttered the mystical name, a force rippled through the surrounding space, ushering in a faint divinity that caused Andraste to stumble for a moment as the burnt soil beneath his step seemed to extend.

    "Another cheap trick? I''ll cut it away!" Andraste yelled out.

    Just as heunched himself forward at a speed that surpassed that of lightning, he shed his de with even further swiftness�Cthough, to his surprise, his steel didn''t meet with the flesh of the young man.

    "What�C?" Andraste muttered in shock.

    Instead, his sword bisected an amber-bark tree, one he could''ve sworn wasn''t there just a moment prior.

    Before he could decipher the meaning of his miss, a sharp, unpredicted elbownded against the back of his head, causing him to seeth more than to fall in pain as he turned around into an immediate sh at the one behind him.

    �CAgain, he cut only a falling pebble instead of the one whonded the blow on his head.

    What''s going on here?! I could sense him at that moment, so what''s happening?! Andraste thought, wait��stop and think for a moment. I trust my own senses, more than anything else in this world. I know I saw him, and I know where my de intended�Cyet what I hit was something else entirely. I understand now; you''re swapping ces with nearby objects.

    As Andraste deciphered the nature of the mystical ability, he focused himself, decaying his smile as he settled into a mindset proper for battle, breathing out slowly between his lips.

    Warping around the dense jungle, swapping ces with pebbles, clumps of dirt, and even raindrops, he constantly stayed out of reach of Andraste.

    He was unable tond any sword strikes, but managed to allow a few kicks and thrusts of his fists to slip through, yet Andraste hardly seemed to phase�Cbeginning to react quicker each time he warped near.

    If I were to guess, he''s probably already started to catch on to this ability. Even if he is a lunatic, he''s one of the Victorious Seven�Cthat''s why I can''t stagnate, he thought.

    Confirming his suspicions, he watched up close as the thin, immacte steel wielded by Andraste slid by his eye, only missing by a hair before he warped with a raindrop that sat above the reaches of the jungle floor.

    I''ll crush you with everything I have, Andraste! I, alone in this world, will be victorious! He thought.

    Again, he sped his hands in a prayer formation as the rain befell his body, hovering in the stormy air as a gilded light manifested from his form.

    "Senju Kannon: Endless Wrath of Mercy!"

    Sprouting from unseen space behind him, a thousand, golden arms stretched out in colossal glory, overshadowing the jungle in which the knight inhabited. The boundless array of gilded arms filled the abyssal skies with a divine radiance, shining through the clear raindrops.

    Andraste looked up with eyes stricken by brief awe as the golden light reflected from his white sclera, preparing his des as he stood his ground beneath the sky of golden, immacte limbs.

    "It doesn''t matter how fast, or strong you are now��You can''t escape me, Andraste," he spoke unheard words from his position in the skies.

    By amanding downfall of his hand, he ushered the numerous, massive hands to befall the jungle below.

    "Ha-ha-ha! This is it! A true battle worth savoring; everyst drop of it!" Andraste yelled out in joy.

    The golden hands became the ceiling above the jungle before crushing the surrounding trees, repeatedly crashing down and plowing the flooring below their reach.

    Andraste''s attempts to repel the hands with his des spared him only for moments before he, too, was caught in the thousand ms of the golden palms.

    "Ghhh��!" Andraste grunted out.

    He watched from above as his endless limbs desecrated the incorrigible jungle, nting towering trees back into the soil as a ttened clearing was left after the barrage thatsted for an entire minute.

    Afterwards, to his surprise, the knight lived, only exhibiting a few cuts and bruises as his coat was left in tattered, carried off by the rainy winds.

    "Hah��it''s been a long time since I felt pain," Andrasteughed a bit as he stood himself up, pping his chest as a smile persisted across his lips, "...I''ll admit it: even if you had to discard your ability, you''re strong.. Even if somebody exchanged their life, they wouldn''t be able to harm me�Cbut you''re a "one-in-a-million", Ren Nakamura."

 Chapter 460 - Unreachable, Unavoidable

    He didn''t acknowledge the wicked knight''s words as he looked down with his golden-wheeled iris, once again bringing his palms together.

    "Learn to stay in the mud and die�CGuayin: Ghastly Fire."

    Without any hesitation, he began the second phase of his attack as his seraphic prayer ignited the thousand arms with billowing mes, further amplifying a light that emanated over the jungle like a ferocious sun.

    Even the distant, leaf-ridden towers of the jungle were set aze in the presence of the me-enveloped arms.

    "Hate to break it to you, but the same attack won''t work twice on me," Andraste told him with a casual smirk, despite the bruises scattered on his torso, "I''ll show you what it means to face one of the "Victorious Seven"--prepare yourself."

    In return, the knight spit out blood from his mouth before settling his yful expression into one of focus, nting both of his des into the mud below as he held a single hand up, pointing towards the thousand, ming arms.

    "Here me and listen well, Son of Titans, King of Gods, Father of Divine��" Andraste began to chant while keeping his azure eyes focused.

    Great magic��? He listened, expediting the descent of his thousand arms.

    Even as the t, malicious palms began to descend with scarlet mes coating their colossal form, he remained unflinching as he continued his grand chant:

    "Life, death, eternity, fleeting moments��all fall under your authority. That is, the authority of the world itself, fate, destruction, creation��"

    Nearplete descent, the endless hands were but moments from crashing down; their fiery heat emitting to thend below as the soil sizzled beneath the knight''s boots, who still remained unmoving in his chant.

    Like a wave of fog on a dark morning, the mes that bolstered in the golden hand''s descending friction caused the rain to boil, filling the air with clouds of steam.

    "Any who challenge that authority must be punished! Zeus: Titanus Execution!"

    �CNothing came.

    It was fully cast, yet nothing sparked from the outreached hand of the knight, yet he smiled as if victory had been sealed.

    What''s going on?...Did he give up? No��he wouldn''t--then! He thought.

    Only by his heightened senses did he realize the true nature of the magecraft that was woven:

    It came from above.

    As he lifted his widened gaze, he found himself staring at an unnatural coalesce of heavenly, white clouds that roared out with thunder that vibrated the plummeting rainfall.

    But why��? If it''s above, then how does he intend to escape the Thousand-Arms?! He thought.

    Before he could find an answer, every fiber of his being ushered him to raise his guard to the maximum as the thunder sounded once more with malice.

    "Vajra!"

    He shrouded his body in ayer of hexagonal scales just before a sh of blinding light emitted from the divine weather above��it crashed down with impunity against him, unseen and unrestrained.

    As if the fist of God himself mmed against his body, he was paralyzed by the abrupt impact; his bones cracked and shattered, immediately being rebuilt through the usage of "Earth''--the function of his ability to manipte his body.

    It was only by virtue of ''Vajra'' that he wasn''t immediately felled by the divine smiting; instead battling against the monstrous force of the continuous bolt as it intended to return him to the ground floor. Throughout its time active, his skeleton continued to be smashed apart repeatedly by the overwhelming force, bleeding out of his nose, mouth, and eyes as he was forced to constantly mend his skeleton.

    It felt as if he was being torn limb-from-limb, his muscles being shredded apart as his bones vibrated; the divine thunder swallowed him whole.

    You think��this will stop me from crushing you?! He thought.

    After the blinding sh settled, he fought against the lightning that seized his bodily functions,manding the ming hands to plummet against the decimated jungle once more. Even after the barrage of lightning ended, leaving his body heavily bruised as half of hisplexion shifted to a shade between dark-blue and purple, he felt the effects of the residual electricity in his system. His entire body trembled, bleeding through pores that were unnatural for blood to seep through, but he remained steady in his battle.

    Looking down at the sea of golden, enmed hands he sent down towards the revered knight, he watched as dozens of bright lines etched themselves across a set of extended hands.

    In the next moments, the lines materialized into unstoppable shes that cut the hands apart that attempted to crush Andraste, who leapt into the air with a smile fueling his journey towards his opponent.

    He''s a monster�C! Nothing I do keeps him down! He thought.

    As he squeezed his fist, experiencing the strands of electricity still coursing through his muscle fibers as his hand spasmed, hemanded the thousand-arms to coalesce towards the knight who was leaping towards him.

    Attempting to squash him like a fly, they continued to miss as their mighty palms mmed together with vtile mes following; Andraste used them as further footing as he danced around their reach.

    None of the hands were able to reach his swift form as he moved like bolts of erratic lightning, scaling the arms, swirling around them, and propelling directly towards him as they reunited amidst the rain fallen sky.

    However, not even you can surmount your own power, Andraste! He thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As he clenched his fist, a mixture of cosmic mana coalesced at his hand, pushing it forward as spiraling seals opened in the sky�Call pointing towards Andraste, whose expression shifted to confusion in that split-second.

    "Godhead: Vajra -- Asura ying Divine Instrument of Indra! Strike, Burn, and Erase!"

    At point nk range, the culmination of the power absorbed by Vajra was unleashed back at the knight, at double strength.

    �CBut, just before the divine, retaliatory energy fell against Andraste''s flesh, the immacte knight countered with his own spell, at the exact same moment.

    "Zeus: Divine Exile��!"

    Just as it was cast, the knight was mmed down by the powerful, humming beam of gathered energy from Vajra.

    He was left with whatever it was that the knight had cast, looking around as enigmatic, white, translucent spheres manifested all around the space in the air near him.

    What are these��? He thought.

    An answer was received as they began to rapidly expand in a spherical field of buzzing, roaring lightning that forced him to evade while moving in the air through stepping on golden wind.

    Bringing his palms together, he was forced to relinquish his thousand arms as he returned his ''Void Space'', warping from raindrop-to-raindrop to avoid the balls of heavenly lightning that filled the stormy air.

    Though he avoided the balls of lightning, he was caught off-guard as an impact crashed into his stomach, causing him to spit out in surprise�Cburied against his abdomen, both of Andraste''s boots dug further from a lightning-boosted kick.

    "You''recking in experience, Ren Nakamura!" Andraste said as heunched him back with the harsh kick.

    As crashed through dozens of trees, breaking through him, he stopped only once harshly shattering through a boulder.

    There was no time toy around and recover as Andraste immediately fell from above, stabbing into the moist soil below�Conly evaded by ast moment roll to the side.

    After jumping back to his feet, he swiftly backstepped as a swift, horizontal sh attempted to cut his gut.

    "I haven''t shown you my ability, yet have I?" Andraste said as if speaking casually, resting one of his des on his bare, bruised shoulder.

    "..."

    He neglected to respond to the yful knight, though he was perplexed as the wild, white-haired man pointed at him, or more precisely, pointed at his abdomen.

    "I''ll give you a hint: you may think you dodged my attack, but dodging isn''t good enough," Andraste hinted with a mischievous smirk.

    As he looked down, he felt his blood run cold as a lengthy slit ran across his abdomen, stretching from one end to the other as blood left profusely.

    How��? I know I dodged it�CI did. There''s no denying that��so how? He questioned.

    Immediately, he honed his ability to stifle the bleeding, but he was still left damaged from the brutal sh, feeling the lost blood umte as he felt a slight sense of dizziness overtake him.

    His focus began to dwindle as he tried to decipher the nature of the man''s ability.

    Did he extend the range of his sword at thest second? Was it a sh of wind? Or some other unseen force? How did he cut me?! He thought.

    Andrasteughed as he watched his perplexed expression, "It''s always the same: people try to figure out what my ability is or does, but they end up driving themselves into panic. So many options, but so little answers. The only way to know�Cis to experience it firsthand, right? Let me teach it to you."

    Holding his de pointed towards the eviscerated young man, Andraste smiled as he savored the look of panic that began to crawl over his enemy''s expression.

    As a simple stroke of his de through the air came, far from his own flesh, he felt his heightened, divine senses re up.

    �CLooking into all possibilities, he saw none; there was no trail of the past that followed Andraste''s actions, but only the result�Ca sh that stretched itself across his shoulder.

    As he foresaw, his left shoulder was eviscerated, spraying out crimson from the sharp, clean cut.

    He immediately stopped the rush of blood from the cut, witnessing Andraste smile as he began to swipe his de again.

    In an attempt to escape the unseen reach of his de, he warped, swapping ces with a falling raindrop as he reappeared a few meters behind the knight.

    He knew for sure, witnessing Andraste drag his de down, that he was simply out of reach from its edge.

    �CSquelch.

    A massive, vertical sh opened from his chest to his abdominal region, spilling out blood once again as he stood there in shock.

 Chapter 461 - Destiny Bisector

    Andraste turned back to him with a sly smile, looking upon his blood-stained form with a look of malicious joy.

    I can''t evade it. Anything I try, it still reaches me. It''s not some invisible extension of his de, he''s��he thought.

    "Have you figured it out? "Destiny Bisector"...my ability allows me to bypass the "cause" from effect, making any action I do guaranteed to happen," Andraste told him, "Do you get it now? I meant it when I said it would be impossible to stand against me. Once I use my ability, none can escape my reach."

    He could feel his blood run cold for a second as the confirmation of his heart-thumping suspicions, freezing for a moment as he slowly brought his palms together once more. Releasing his ''Void Space'', he kept his gaze locked on the knight, who stood with utter, unavoidable bloodlust oozing from his pores.

    His attacks are guaranteed tond once he makes the motion; it goes beyond unfair, but it''s not unbeatable��nothing is. There is a clear weakness, if it can be called that. He has to make the motion of the action he wants to cement in destiny. He can''t just "will" it into reality; that''s my key, he thought.

    "Vajrapani."

    The moment he invoked the divine name, his perception was alteredpletely, and fundamentally.

    What he entered was a stage of amplification, or rather, the coalescence of his strength, centered and optimized�Celevating all of his abilities past their normal limits.

    It seemed as if every tree had doubled in each sway it took, the rainfalling down three times as strong, and the form of the knight seemed to take the shape of three men.

    But, that wasn''t what it was.

    What he saw was whatid beyond mortal eyes�Che saw the true, untampered future.

    Each droplet of rain could be seen meeting his skin seconds before they actually met with his paleplexion; passing breezes were sensed before they swept through the terrorized jungle, and each, minuscule movement of Andraste was seen moments before he made them.

    I need more. With only half of my vision, I''m basically cut down to half of the future I could see��I''ll do it�Cjust this once, he thought.

    Begrudgingly reaching up, he slid the makeshift eye-patch from his face, shoving it into his pocket as he revealed his right eye to the world, seeing through it for the first time.

    It immediately felt as if it was swirling around in his eye socket, awakening to the light of the world beyond the veiling fabric.

    "That''s a nasty eye you got there," Andraste said with a curious look, "How about I pluck it out?"

    With his full vision returned to him, it felt as if restraints had been lifted from his body after an arduous journey; across hisplete vision, he saw the future in absolute manifestation.

    As he looked at Andraste, he saw it: the man beginning to lift his de in the near, drawing future.

    He immediately bolted forward with his utmost speed, forcing Andraste to never make the motion as he was forced to sh with him, de-against-de.

    "You''re a troublesome one," Andraste said, grunting a bit as hebated his hold.

    "So I''ve been told."

    Peering into the close future once more, he caught the knight by surprise by swiftly kicking behind his knee to momentarily throw off his bnce, causing him to be forced back in their contest of strength.

    "Humpf�C!" Andraste let out as he lost his bnce.

    In that split-second that the knight had to take to regain his footing, he mmed his blood-soaked palms together again.

    Before he could even invoke the name past his lips, he felt every muscle in his body tighten; constricting and expanding as further arterial fluid spewed from his orifices.

    I knew my body wouldn''t be able to handle this well��but this is worse than I thought. Even so�C! He thought.

    "Senju Kannon��!"

    In the midst of the mystical jungle, the thousand arms sprouted out from behind him once more, crushing and tearing apart the nearby, vine-covered trees in their summoning.

    "You�C!" Andraste let out.

    Just as the revered knight of Mastorn caught his bnce, one of the mighty palms struck against him, resounding with a cascading shock wave that caused the rain to spiral around the surrounding nature.

    I don''t care how strong you are, Andraste. You won''t win, because of the stark difference between you and I, he thought.

    After being shot backwards, Andraste caught himself as he used a tree as aunch pad, shattering it in half from the force of hisunching kick.

    Even with the thousand, divine arms aiming for him, the knight remained elusive in his shy movements,unching from tree-to-tree at speeds only traceable by peering into the momentsying beyond the present.

    "You won''t win like this, Ren Nakamura!" Andraste shouted out amidst the rain.

    �CHe swiped his de while staying dozens of meters away, though it still resulted in a brutal cut appearing on the golden-eyed adolescent''s chest.

    However, what Andraste did not perceive, was his opponent''s willingness to follow through with his own attack, even through the cutting edge of his de.

    "Ghh�C!" He let out.

    What�C? Andraste let out.

    With speed that surpassed physical matter, the golden hand swept in front of him like a blur of light before pping him away like a stray insect�Csending him crashing into the side of a stoneden hill.

    "Phew��that smarts��" Andraste muttered as heid against the shattered stone, bleeding from his forehead.

    I wonder��how long has it been since I''ve felt this alive? He thought.

    [Audracia, the "Magic Capital of Mastorn", XXX years prior]

    "You really ought to learn how to enjoy life a little more, Andraste!"

    As he walked along the bustling, stoneid streets of the city, he looked down at the youthful girl that spoke to him, who skipped with her hands behind her back, holding a frivolous smile.

    "Huh? What''s there to enjoy in this shitty world?" He asked with an annoyed tone.

    He continued to stroll alongside the peach-haired girl, who wore a simr, dark-brown coated uniform like himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the renowned city of magic, the streets were packed full of people; Mastornians and foreigners alike, most of which were dressed in the famous, emerald robes of the world-revered academy upying the city: "Briswald School of Magecraft".

    The small-statured girl held a yful frown as she walked in front of him, but faced him as she walked in reverse, "Aw! Don''t be like that, Andraste! There''s plenty to enjoy! Eating exotic food, shopping, finding love! You just have to look for something, that''s all!"

    "Not interested," He abrasively declined, keeping his eyes forward as if trying his best to ignore her.

    "Enjoy life", that''s not something I''ve ever really put much stock into. It''s all too fleeting. If I grow attached to something, what''s stopping the wind from carrying it off the very next day? All I can do is what I''m good at, I guess. Work, and earn money, he thought.

    "Why''re you always like this?! Ever since we were kids, you''ve always been a loner!" The girl asked, stepping in his path.

    A visible, perturbed vein pressed against his forehead as his expression remained stoic, having been stopped by the small girl, "Have you ever considered that I just prefer being left alone, Gis?"

    After letting those words out without much thought, he looked down to see the girl''s amethyst eyes watering as her lip trembled; holding back plentiful tears like a child that had just scraped their knee.

    "Huh? What''s the matter, Gis�C"

    Just as he asked, reaching out towards the curly-haired, entric girl, she ran off without a word as her tears spilled onto the neatlyid cobblestone street.

    Did I say something? He thought.

    The eyes of the passing academicsid on him as he stood there, clearly being the cause of the scene as the girl disappeared into the crowd.

    "What a bother��" He muttered as he rubbed his neck, begrudgingly going after the girl.

    That''s right��she took the same day off as me. She wanted to spend the day with me��but why? Isn''t there a whole lot more interesting things she could be doing than spending the day with a guy like me? He thought.

    Paying no mind to the eyes of the people who filled the streets just as he did, he kept his hands tucked into the pockets of his umber coat as he went after the girl.

    At every turn,rge, architecturally astonishing buildings made of silver stone upied the city of Magic, though for the one-track-minded man, it all blended together.

    "Crap, where the hell did she go��? I''m lost now, too, dammit!" He grunted.

    After aimlessly marching through the city, he found himself in an alleyway�Cby some means.

    One quick nce through the shadow-lung, narrow space, and he didn''t see Gis�Conly a couple, less-than-savory looking individuals.

    They dressed in shoddy, hole-ridden clothes, with expressions twisted by poverty; he knew the type well.

    Even Audracia has thugs, huh? Guess there''s always a disparagement between the wealthy and the bottom ss wherever you go, he thought.

    As he turned around to look somece else, he was stopped as one of the men called out to him:

    "Hey, big guy!"

    He was already facing the opposite way, but he stopped, standing still as he spared a moment for the sly-tongued individual.

    His expression remained stoic, but a certain edge inhabited his crystalline, blue eyes as he stood with his back kept to the thug.

    "That coat of yours looks pretty nice," the shaggy, blonde-haired thug smiled.

    Listening to a set of three footsteps slowly approaching from behind, he removed only his left hand from his coat pocket as trickles of white electricity caressed his digits.

    "Yeah, looks like it''d fetch a shiny coin or two," another one of the thugs bellowed.

    Fools preying on others in a city of mages��people like that don''t deserve to live, he thought.

    He remained still, though his eyes were kept forward, he looked a thousand yards into the distance�Cset only on what approached from behind.

    The twisted chuckles of the malicious thugs resounded, their footsteps growing closer as the mystical electricity coiling around his fingers began to spark up further.

    "That''s quite enough!"

    �CAmanding, but gentle voice called out.

    It came from the entrance of the alleyway, though he was facing that way, he didn''t even notice the man now standing there until the sudden words were yelled.

    By the spotless, white uniform the man wore, entuated by crimson stripes and a twoyered coat that tugged behind him like a cape, apanied by a sword at his hip, he immediately recognized the position the man held.

    "Oh crap!"

    "It''s a knight!"

    �CTaking off and hopping over the wall at the back of the grimy alleyway, the thugs left in a hurry once seeing the man.

    He simply looked at the knight, having not moved a single step as he relinquished the lightning coalescing at his fingertips.

    "Thanks," He said, devoid of emotion as he brushed by the hazel-haired knight.

    "I didn''t save you from them," the knight said, causing Andraste toe to a stop as their backs faced one another, "Andraste, right?"

    He furrowed his eyebrows a bit, tucking his hands back into the pockets of his dark-brown coat, looking displeased to be held in a conversation.

    The knight turned around to face him, prompting him to shift to the side as well, only facing the white-uniformed knight halfway, who extended his hand towards him.

    There wasn''t much that stood out of the ordinary from the youthful, hazel-haired knight besides the warm smile he looked up at him with.

    "Apologies, it''s just difficult not to recognize that hair of yours.. That, and it''s not often one sees white lightning being wielded so casually," the youthful knight smiled, "I''m Markus."

 Chapter 462 - Dreams Of What Was

    "Apologies, it''s just difficult not to recognize that hair of yours. That, and it''s not often one sees white lightning being wielded so casually," the youthful knight smiled, "I''m Markus."

    He stared at the man''s white-gloved hand for a moment before begrudgingly epting his greeting, shaking it firmly.

    "...Thanks," He said genuinely this time, "I probably would''ve done something a bit unsightly."

    "A bit?" Markusughed, "Argonauts really are something else, aren''t they?"

    "You think so?" He replied, still holding sparse care in his tone.

    After a moment, he began to continue on his way before stopping after just a single step as a thought came to his mind.

    "Hey, knight."

    "It''s Markus," The youthful man replied wryly with a chuckle, "but what is it?"

    "You know this city pretty well, right? I need help finding somebody."

    By the reassuring smile that inhabited Markus'' lips, he got his answer without a single word needing to be said as the knight simply nodded his head.

    It didn''t take more than ten minutes of strolling through the bustling city alongside Markus, passing by dragonewt performers, demi-human bards, and all attractions of the magical city, to find Gis.

    After running off, she was found happy as could be, with boxes of clothes she had just bought in hand, stacked up high.

    "Oh, there you are, Andraste!" Gis greeted him with a smile.

    Though as he loaded the many boxes onto him, he understood well that her happy smile was indeed still angry with him.

    Markus wasn''t exempt, either, having a dozen items dropped onto his arms as he looked over wryly at the white-haired man.

    "I''m d everything seems to have ended up alright��" Markus said with a small smile.

    "Sorry, man��" He sighed out, "I should''ve known she''d do this�Cshe always shops to cope with her emotions. It always results in a ludicrous haul like this."

    He chuckled quietly�Csomething caught both by Gis and Markus, who stopped and looked at the white-haired, stoic man, who quickly hid hisughter.

    "Did you just smile?!" Gis asked with a beaming smile on her face.

    "Pardon me, but I didn''t think it was possible!" Markus added.

    "Ah, cut it out, both of you!" Andraste huffed with an embarrassed hue to his cheeks as he walked past the two.

    It was a time of joy; a respite from the violence of his job as an Argonaut��a time before the one who embodied bloodlust itself was born.

    Of course, whether he openly admitted it or not, a friendship was born between the three of them; one unlikely�Cbetween Argonaut and Knight.

    [Voyager Keep, Three Months Later]

    "You''re saying you find your own personality troublesome, Andraste?"

    He stayed silent for a moment as he stayed seated on the wooden chair, looking down at his own hands.

    The question arose from a middle-aged man, wearing a long, white coat as he fiddled with colorful vials.

    "...That''s one way to put it, Doc," he replied gloomily, "I just feel emptytely. My head''s clouded. It''s gradually be worse over time. At first, I thought it was a gift�Ca gift I used to hunt enemies of the throne without hesitation. All because I simply didn''t feel anything when I killed. But, that didn''t stop me from feeling��something. At this point, I don''t have any motivation. I feel like any day now, I''ll simply drift off, somece else."

    The coat-wearing, silver-haired man twiddled with the cork of a bottle for a moment as he remained silent, finally turning to face Andraste as he sat on the chair across from him.

    "I see. That''s troublesome, indeed. You won''t be able to continue your work as an Argonaut like this," the man told him.

    The doctor peered at the man through the circr lenses of his clear sses, fixing them on his nose as his lightly-crimson irises fixated on him for a moment.

    "I believe I have something that will help," the doctor told him.

    "You do? I''d appreciate it, Doc," He said.

    Sinking his face into his palms for a moment as he cleared his sinuses, he listened to the doctor rummage through the assortment of concoctions on disy in the neatly, metallic room.

    Doctor Vira, he''s the head doctor of the Argonauts. He''s a miracle worker, in all honesty. I guess that''s why Bulsteighn brought him in. I heard he used to be a diamond-ranked adventurer, but he stopped, for some reason. We''d be lost without him, he thought.

    "Ah, here it is," Doctor Vira said with a small smile.

    From the top shelf of the stygian, metal cab, he retrieved a tall, slender bottle that contained a clear liquid.

    "What''s that stuff?" He asked.

    Doctor Vira smiled, fixing his sses once more as he rationed the contents of the bottle into a smaller jar, sealing it as he shook it lightly, "A concoction I''ve made myself, recently."

    "Really?"

    The doctor nodded in response, "Your case is not an unseen one, unfortunately. It''s to be expected this line of workes with drastic tolls to the mind��we''ve lost many, valuable men. However, I believe that will all change with this."

    "It''ll help?" He asked, epting the bottle that the doctor handed to him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Without a doubt," Doctor Vira answered with a smile, "it''ll return the joy to your life. More precisely, it''ll allow you to find that joy for yourself."

    After leaving the Doctor''s quarters, he stopped down the hall, unable to be patient with the newfound hope in his life, held right in his hand.

    He only looked at it for a moment, taking a whiff of it after popping the cork of the bottle; it had a burning aroma of spices, but also the coolness of mint mixed in.

    Here''s to a new "me", he thought.

    �CDrinking the contents, he immediately felt something alter inside of him.

    His rationality, the way he perceived things; it all felt as if it was being twisted. The stems of his mind, the bridges that connected his experiences�Call contorted into something sinister.

    I should''ve known something was up.

    "Clear Crimson", they called it. It was a mixture created by the doctor to turn those of the Argonautsbeled as "weak of mind" into ruthless killing machines.

    It wasn''t long after drinking that��I found my joy, in bloodshed.

    Not long after, I found myself alone.

    She looked at me with horrified eyes, looking at me as if I was someone else, somebodypletely unrecognizable.

    [Outskirts of the capital, Mastorn �C One Year Later]

    "You don''t have to do this."

    He knew his words were moot as he watched Markus stuff clothes into a set of bags, clearly not his own by their feminine nature.

    "You asked me to do this," Markus faced him after closing the bags.

    "You don''t have to do it," he told him again.

    "I''m a knight, Andraste. It''s the one thing in this world I know that I am. If this is your final request to me, as your friend, of course I''ll do it," Markus assured him with a wry smile, lifting the bags.

    They stood in thevish room of the small, but exuberant cottage�Cthe home that Andraste and Gis bought together.

    It was the dead of night; so quiet that the chirps of the birds filled the era of stars with an ambience of its own. The only light originated from the orangemps set on the log-formed walls.

    Markus, holding both of thepact bags, stopped for a moment just before reaching the front door of the wood-built cottage.

    "You should say goodbye to her, Andraste."

    "I''m thest person she wants to see," he responded.

    He kept his hands tucked into the pockets of his ck cloak, averting his eyes as the heroic charm embedded in Markus'' eyes struck him painfully.

    "I couldn''t believe it myself when I heard it, you know?" Markus spoke, facing the door.

    Andraste remained silent, leaning against the wall as he kept his gaze down towards the wooden floorboards.

    "..."The Massacre of Yurisel": five-hundred dead, no survivors. All because one otherworlder was found stowed away in an old woman''s cottage. She didn''t even know he was an otherworlder; in her wizened age, she mistook the boy as her grandson. Nheless, you didn''t hold any mercy, did you, Andraste?" Markus'' voice trembled a bit as tears lined his eyes, keeping his eyes on the door, "you didn''t, did you?!"

    "Leave," he replied under his breath.

    Markus'' words came out harsher, "I couldn''t bring myself to ept it: the man I called my friend was a twisted murderer. When I came out here, I was half-ready to take your head back with me, Andraste."

    "Go," he replied again, quietly.

    "The only reason my sword is still in my sheath�Cthe only reason I don''t enact justice myself, is because I believe somewhere inside of you, my friend still exists. The moment I walk out of this door, I don''t want to ever see you again. You will never see Gis again, either."

    "Leave�C!" Andraste finally shouted.

    Markus didn''t speak another word, not even looking back as silence befell the cottage as he left through the door.

    In silence, he stood there against the wall, listening as the carriage wheels spun against the dirt outside of the home, being pulled off by horses.

    After hearing the carriage grow more and more distant, bing fully silent from his ears, he slumped down against the wall.

    They''re gone. That''s good. I don''t know how much longer it would''ve been until I snapped on them�Cit''s already too much. I can''t control myself anymore��these urges, my emotions, they kettle and boil, seething from seemingly random.

    I''m losing it. I can feel it: my mind unraveling itself, my memories and experiences growing distant, bing unimportant, grayed-out aspects of a faded past.

    Soon, I won''t be the man I was yesterday.

    I''m just d��they could leave before they met the man of tomorrow, he thought.

    After Markus took Gis somewhere far away, somewhere my fangs couldn''t reach, his spot among the Seven was relinquished.

    It wasn''t soon after that I found myself filling that void: "Victorious Seventh, Andraste, The Supreme."

    What a load of horseshit.

 Chapter 463 - Reckless Abandon

    Why am I remembering that now��? That was long ago�Cthat''s not who I am anymore, Andraste thought.

    "It doesn''t matter."

    �CHe spoke to himself as his heart thumped inside of his chest with a resonance that forced him to stand. As he wiped the sparse blood from his lips, his fringes hung low, looking up to watch as the adolescent approached.

    Nothing changes the fact that right here, right now��I have to win. I am one of the Victorious Seven; losing is uneptable, Andraste thought.

    "From this moment onward, I''m going to treat you as a proper opponent, Ren Nakamura," Andraste said to himself.

    He watched as the knight held a look of reinforced resolve; one that was absent in his previous frivolity. Seeing such seriousness overtake the member of the Victorious Seven, he immediately held his guard high in preparation for what came next.

    White lightning coiled around Andraste, scaling his body and shrouding it in abundant sparks; through divine light, it mended with his coat, forming a seraphic cloak of pure lightning around his body.

    "Zeus: Divine Overture �C Form One: Formless Storm."

    The pale, evanescent energy engrained itself with his body, causing his hair to stand and stiffen as the godly electricity coursed through his body. Through his locks, their pearlescent shade turned to a vibrant, radiant state as digits of electricity traveled forth.

    "Ascension: Set," Andraste whispered, cementing the amplification spell further.

    He could recognize it by one look: the spell, by some means, altered the man''s physical state�Cbut what he wasn''t prepared for, was the speed it came with.

    His enlightened gaze witnessed a blinding fulmination crashing towards him,ing at such speeds that he was given only a brief moment to dodge, jumping in the air.

    The bolt swept through the jungle, melting the surrounding nature and reducing it to molten magma below him.

    "Eyes on me!"

    �CAndraste called out, already directly above him as ephemeral bolts trailed from his billowing coat. It was agility that swept through his future sightpletely; by all means, it simply surpassed logic.

    Vajra! Hemanded from his thoughts.

    All he could do with the sparse time left to react was shroud himself in the hexagonal armor as a fury of sword strikes came from the lightning-d knight.

    Each curve of his dual-wielded des etched the steel he held into a formless, snow-white matter that hissed through the rain-filled air. shes were apanied by wild, rampant strands of lightning that sent off in every direction, further desecrating the jungle alongside the natural wind pressure of each strike.

    It''s too much�C! At this rate, he''s going to break through ''Vajra''! He thought.

    Tucking his arms close to his body as he defended against the endless strikes, each collision felt like a pressure being etched into his bones, twisting his flesh and contorting his muscles with the boundless nature of his fulminations.

    Every strike roared through the valley, rending the ground below as the biting air pressure alone bisected plentiful trees.

    "Is this all you can do, Ren Nakamura?! Cower away?!" Andraste yelled out.

    �CAs he feared, his hexagonalyer of mystical armor cracked, beingpletely shattered by Andraste''s repeated strikes before the next one sent him plummeting back down to the razed jungle floor.

    "Grghh��!" He held his chest, feeling the warmth of his own blood meet his palm in horrifying surplus.

    Looking down at his chest, all he could see was his own crimson essence, running down his body as arge p of skin hung loose from his body.

    Though he could stifle the bleeding, it was only a temporary bandage; all of the cuts that he halted culminated the stress on his body.

    I have to do something quick�Ceven in full-enlightenment, he''s too much. This is the strength of one of the "Victorious Seven"--it doesn''t even feel human��no, it''s bordering on "divine", he thought.

    As he pped his hands together at thest moment, he swapped ces with a de of grass�Cjust as a sh of light marked the path of the knight''s attack.

    He could hardly call it "reacting" to the iing attack; it felt more like he moved solely on instinct.

    Andraste''s de pierced into the soil below as he crashed like a fleeting star, leaving a resounding impact that shattered thend and cratered it into submission.

    "You''re definitely good at dodging, I''ll give you that," Andraste smiled.

    He didn''t waste any time as he took advantage of the knight''s yful moment, sheathing his de, and mming his palms together with enough force that he likely bruised them, "Senju Kannon!"

    Again, he manifested the thousand-arms as they sprawled out from empty space, materializing in avish, divine form as he stood his ground.

    Crush him�C! He thought.

    With a swipe of his left hand, hemanded hundreds of the thousand arms to ruthlessly aim their might towards the azure-eyed knight.

    They burrowed through the soil, uprooting trees without a second thought as the only motive in his mind was to defeat the man in front of him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Desperation held his expression as even though he manifested the thousand-arms, Andraste simply smiled in return.

    Why does this feel so hopeless��? As if despite any attempt I make, I''m fated to lose to him! He thought.

    "I told you, didn''t I? The same attack won''t work twice."

    �CJust then, countless shes embedded themselves across the multitude of extended, golden arms; etched with the clear, white lightning wielded by the knight.

    "Huh?" He let out in disbelief.

    After an initial silence followed the existence of the shes, a resounding thundersh roared through the singed jungle.

    Before his eyes, the five-hundred of the thousand-arms he unleashed towards Andraste were diced into an endless number of cuts, reduced to nothingness via the knight''s overwhelming power.

    "Whatever I want to cut, will be cut�Cdon''t get it twisted!" Andraste yelled out before leaping into the air instantaneously like a firebolt, "Revel in defeat, at the hands of the Victorious Seven�C!"

    He watched from down below as Andraste spun around, rearing his des back as they were coiled with colossal strands of snow-white lightning. The force gathering alone managed to form a temporary tornado that was coiled with his divine fulminations, humming out with a sizzling heat that churned the precipitation into steam.

    Whatever that is, I''ll die if I take it head on��! He thought.

    "Zeus: Mountain-Shaper��!"

    Andraste shouted out as he finally swung both of his des towards the young man down below, carrying with his steel a heavy assortment of rampant lightning.

    Just before he could sp his palms together to swap ces with the red-barked cedar behind the knight, he realized the error of his thought process:

    He knows I can swap��! He''s not going to just attack wildly while knowing that�Cthat attack is probably guaranteed to hit, one way or another! He realized.

    "Senju Kannon��!"

    He re-manifested the thousand-arms, opting for an unorthodox defense as he shielded himself with the endless, golden arms�Cwrapping himself tightly in their hands as if a gilded fortress surrounded him.

    It came just in time before the godly thunder rained down; though he couldn''t see outside of his hand-made defense, he felt its power through the colossal "boom" that caused his eardrums to ring once the lightning met the ground floor.

    Beneath his soles, he felt the soil vibrate intensely from the divine impact�Cfeeling the stability of the statuesque hands be challenged by the roaring firebolts.

    As if Andraste acted as the coil for the divine lightning, the thunderbolts centered around him whilst ravaging thend below�Ceach collision of the tip of the seraphic bolts and physical matter released a bubbling heat that melted whatever it touched.

    He could feel the statuesque hands being burned, melted, and fractured by the repeated onught, doing his best to reinforce their defense as he struggled, gritting his teeth vigorously.

    Hold��! He told himself, no��if I want to win, I have to take the initiative�CI can''t stay on the backfoot forever!

    "K?itigarbha!"

    �CAs he set his hands together in a divine prayer, he relinquished the thousand-arms, and manifested something in its ce.

    Great walls of rock rose from the ground; a dozen, rising in colossal heights, reinforced by divine guidance as the lightning was stifled by the non-conductive material.

    "What?!" Andraste sharply yelled.

    After raising the twelve, grand walls, he felt his body pulsate with a growing strain as blood spurted from his nose, ears, and mouth.

    ��I''m reaching my limit��! Heh��I reached my limit a long time ago�CI''m well beyond that! He thought.

    Even as his body coaxed him to stop, he mmed his hands together again without hesitation, yelling from the top of his burning lungs, "Nio!"

    With the manifestation of another divine name, the walls crumbled after having absorbed the onught of firebolts. Tucked beneath his arms and hanging around his neck as if kept afloat by an unfelt wind, a golden scarf fluttered.

    This time, he took a gamble higher than any other.

    Calling about the name of Nio, his future sight was dulled, and his enlightenment in itself was stifled�Chowever, he embodied the full-strength of the Buddha.

    "Phew��" He breathed out slowly, and in control as he steadied his heart.

    He took an unorthodox stance, as if letting his muscles rx before suddenly flexing them beyond their normal capacity; his body bulked, his veins pressing against his skin as the knight up above watched in confusion.

    As he settled his feet against the soil, lifting his leg and setting it down like a sumo, he cracked the soil beneath as his calves and thighs bulkened.

    If I can''t evade his attacks, I''ll have to brute force my way through, he surmised.

 Chapter 464 - Eightfold Noble Path

    "Try as you might, you''ll never aplish anything�C!"

    �CAndraste found his words stifled as he lost track of the young man, who disappeared like a sh before his eyes.

    Thwamp.

    "Fwaugh��!"

    The knight spit out, lurching as a massive palm-strike directly to his stomach was unleashed, pushing with such force that his organs surely felt the blow.

    "What the hell do you know about me?!" He shouted, guiding his strike forward as he sent the knight flying back.

    After crashing down into the soil with a towering cloud of dust piring up, Andraste coughed out before kicking back onto his feet, "I know you''re too weak to aplish anything of worth! Your eyes still hold something in them!"

    "So what if they do�C?!"

    Amidst their words, they shed against, steel-to-steel as the force caused the foundation of thend to tremble.

    "You won''t get anything done if you still care about your humanity! I can tell by the desperation in your fists: you''re fighting for somebody else! That''s bad, Ren Nakamura! Fight for yourself, and only yourself!" Andrade howled out.

    "Shut up! You don''t know a damn thing about me�C!" He replied as he pushed the knight back, tightening his mystically-enhanced muscles to do so.

    Andrasteughed out as bleed seeped from the corners of his lips, catching himself before he mmed his des back down against the singr longsword wielded by his enemy, "Of course I do! I''ve encountered many otherworlders, I''ve hunted many, I''ve killed many�C! As I hurt them, they told me everything about themselves, sometimes through words, but most times not! Through their tearful eyes, their trembles, their mannerisms, their screams�CI learned everything about them!"

    "Bullshit!"

    "What?!"

    �CPushing through his offense, the snowy-haired young man mmed his foot down against the ground, causing it to quake as Andraste watched in surprise�Ca fist began to carve upwards towards the underside of his chin.

    "What about your eyes?! I''ve seen Argonauts myself, andpared to them�Cyour eyes are full of life! You''re fighting for something besides yourself�Cso don''t give me that crap!"

    �CJust as his words left his lips, his fist sharplynded upside Andraste''s chin with a resounding uppercut that caused the wind to spiral around the two.

    The blow was sharp enough to cause Andraste''s feet to leave the ground as he fell back.

    "What the hell do you think you know��?" Andraste grunted as he picked himself back up.

    The knight''s gaze was met fiercely by the golden eyes of the snowy-haired otherworlder, who stood directly in front of him with fists clenched so tightly, the veins of his fists protruded.

    "You can''t hide it from these eyes, Andraste. Not the future, or the past. I don''t know what led you to who you are now, but I know that you weren''t always a lowlife��not like this," he answered, "you want to know what I see when I look into your eyes? Struggle. Guilt. Loneliness. More than anything�Cyou seek something you think is impossible to reach out for. I recognize that look. I don''t need enlightenment to recognize that."

    Andraste fell silent for a moment, trying to muster a response by the infinitesimal movements of his mouth, but formed nothing before heunched towards his opponent with his bruised body.

    "If you want me to cut your tongue so badly, then I''ll indulge you�C!" Andraste shouted out.

    "You''ve lost, Andraste."

    �CSwiftly, he sidestepped the iing strike of steel from the knight, much to the clear confusion of the bloodied and bruised, revered knight.

    "Thatst hit to your jaw threw you off. You may possess godly power, but you''re human, at the end of the day. After your brain bounces around your skull enough, you''ll be on the same ying field as the rest of us."

    Like a feral animal, backed into a corner amidst the scourge of rainfall, Andraste''s expression embodiedplete desperation in response to his opponent''s words�Ctaking an unorthodox, low stance before sprinting forward.

    As both of the knight''s des were swung down overhead, he caught both of his wrists before they were fully swung.

    "Huh��?" Andraste looked nkly in confusion at his failed attack.

    "I said�Cit''s over."

    �CFollowing his sternly ced words as he peered at the man with his golden gaze, a lound, churning crack resounded�Cboth of the wrists he held in his grip were shattered.

    "Ngh��!" Andraste let out in agony, dropping both of his des.<novelnext></novelnext>

    As his wrists were released, the knight fell to his knees, reeling in pain�Cthe spectrum of emotions that ran over him were irrational; babbling as tears and blood ran down his cheeks.

    "I can''t lose. I can''t lose. I can''t lose. I can''t! I can''t! I can''t! I won''t!" Andraste shook his head vigorously.

    Suddenly, like an inhuman beast sprawling to his feet, with his shattered wrists dangling at his sides, Andraste roared out wordlessly as lightning shrouded his being.

    "Win! Win! Win!...I have to win!"

    He stood his ground, unflinching as his wheel-shaped, divine eyes looked upon the husk of what was once the colossal, impassable wall of a knight.

    It originated from the golden, divine wheel that embedded itself in his eyes: upon direct eye-contact, Andraste was helpless to what was toe.

    "If you refuse to ept defeat��then I have no other choice," He said, lifting a single hand in a prayer formation as his muscles rxed, "Eightfold Noble Path �C Open."

    In the next moment after the utterances escaped his lips, the space around them was warped and contorted�Cshifting into apletely different reality that encapsted the two of them.

    Like droplets falling to the sea, the ground rippled as it was shifted to a boundless valley of astral skies.

    The abyssal, rain-filled skies were reced by an endless sea of golden clouds, now standing atop a singr, stone bridge that stood alone in the sepia world.

    "Ngh��?" Andraste grunted, huffing.

    As the knight looked up,plete fear embedded itself into his flesh as surrounding the circr, jewel-iid pavement he stood on were eight, astral beings, all looking down on him.

    It was apletely separate world, detached from the one they stood just a moment prior. The only physical object in the inner-world was the stone bridge of atonement they both stood on.

    "What the hell is this��?" Andraste asked, keeping his guard raised, though unable to do so much as lift his arms.

    "You''ve been brought into the "Eightfold Noble Path" to be judged by the enlightened. All of your past actions, your sins, your transgressions�Call will be aptly judged, and subsequently punished."

    In here, the oue lies on the used. The life they''ve led, the good they''ve done, the bad they''vemitted�Cevery choice, and the culmination of those choices, decides their fate amongst the Eight Enlightened. However��there is one more factor: who they wish to be. If there is something inside of him, something that still yearns to lead a fine life��Andraste, let''s hope what I saw in your eyes was the truth, he thought.

    As he released his words strongly, he held himself standing tall, though it was mostly a facade as he could feel his body breaking down as he held the inner-world manifested.

    This is it. Myst move, Andraste. After this, I''m done. I probably won''t be able to do so much as ball my fist.

    This is my gamble�Cmy gamble that the path you''ve led up until now will be your own undoing. Let''s witness it together: your karmic trial, he thought.

    "Andraste, you will now be judged�C!" He yelled out as blood streamed down from his nasal cavity.

    The knight immediately reared back in anger with bloodshot eyes, hardly in better condition than his foe, "You think you can serve justice to me�C!? I''ll tear your head from your shoulders, you nobody!"

    Just as Andraste took a step forward, he waspletely stopped as the colossal, astral figures of enlightenment simultaneously brought their formless weapons down�Cblocking his path as he was forced still.

    "Nrgh��! Damn you, Ren Nakamura��!" Andraste yelled out without any eloquence through blood-painted teeth.

    Falling to his knees, the bloodied-and-bruised knight gritted his teeth in silence as his shattered wrists hung loosely on hisp.

    "Face your past actions with some integrity, Andraste. You''re a knight after all, aren''t you?"

    Andraste remained silent for a moment, keeping his head down before he answered quietly through a hoarse, begrudged tone, "...Do what you must��"

    "With pleasure."

    As he raised his hand, the eight divine spirits stood in judgment around the knelt knight, looking down upon him with their all-seeing gazes as the scenery of sepia skies began to shift.

    The gilded clouds that inhabited the innate realm flooded plentifully around the bridge, swirling around it as the fantastical, seraphic bodies of golden tion surrounded the trial.

    For the knight, it was the first time in memory that he felt this sensation:plete, and utter powerlessness. Broken and beaten, all he could do was rest on his knees and keep his gaze down as he epted his fate.

    "It is not my role to eradicate. It is my burden to guide those sunken in darkness into the light.. That is my own Eightfold Noble Path �C Andraste, what you are about to experience is the termination of all darkness in your heart. Are you prepared?"

 Chapter 465 - The End Of A Journey

    "It is not my role to eradicate. It is my burden to guide those sunken in darkness into the light. That is my own Eightfold Noble Path �C Andraste, what you are about to experience is the termination of all darkness in your heart. Are you prepared?"

    "..."

    Andraste remained silent, uncaring for the young man''s words as he watched his own blood trickle down onto the neat stone below.

    "Don''t shield your eyes from your own past."

    "--!"

    �CIt was as those words came out, that the knight''s mind was captured by something; an awakening force that conjured memories buried deep within�Cforcing him to witness them all at once, simultaneously, yet meticulously and in-depth, as if experiencing them for the very first time.

    "What��is this?!" He stammered out.

    As if a key switched a lock, so tightly sealed, within his heart; the past which felt distant from himself, once more became precious.

    "That is the past you abandoned, Andraste."

    For the first time he remembered, a tear left from his eye�Cit was a foreign feeling, so forgotten that he couldn''t aptly figure out what the sensation was; nor could he decipher the pain in his heart.

    "...Gis��" He muttered out, "No��what is this?! I abandoned these memories! Don''t force them back, Ren Nakamura��!"

    "Sorry, but I know that pain in your eyes a little too well," he smiled warmly, "Maybe it''s naive of me��but, just this once, I want to try resolving things a bit differently. I''m sick of tired of the ways of this world: the bloodshed, hatred�Call of it. Having strength means nothing if I can''t live in the world I want. I won''t be bound by that cycle; not if I can help it. You may be a wicked pain in my ass, but��Andraste, you can be saved, too."

    The knight fell silent as he looked up at the kind eyes that watched him; for some reason, in that moment, he couldn''t find it in him to further reject his helping hand.

    "Do I even have a choice��?!" Andraste huffed.

    "Not a chance in hell," he smiled in response, "you''re going to drop that "cheesy viin" act, whether you like it or not!"

    Again, Andraste discovered another peculiarity as he sat there on his knees, looking forward with his groggy, dibobted vision.

    �CHe smiled.

    It wasn''t a smile born of wicked hedonism, or of joy in something depraved, but for some reason, he couldn''t help butugh, just a bit, at the words of the man he once swore to kill.

    He knew why: the memories he locked within his heart had flourished.

    As he looked up, the astral weapons wielded by the overseers of the golden world were raised�Cpreparing his final judgment.

    Gis, Markus��Today, I lost.

    Once the weapons of the enlightened spirits were cast down upon him�Cit all went ck.

    "Grhh��"

    Andraste slowly parted his eyelids, finding his eyes looking up to the abyssal skies of Purgatory he was used to, with his back pressed against the soft, yet firm soil as rain pattered down against his bare skin.

    The knight turned his head to the side slowly, wincing as his neck was as stiff as steel, seeing the snowy-haired young man, sitting beside him with the blood that dyed his skin being rinsed by the passing rain.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    "Yeah?"

    "Did I lose?"

    "Yeah. I kicked your butt."

    They both shared a wry chuckle as the young adolescent bashfully rubbed his finger against his lip, before suddenly�Che copsed onto the soil beside the knight.

    "..." Andraste slowly sat himself up.

    The pale-haired knight looked at the slumbering young man, who was in far worse condition than himself, snoring as if though his body wasn''t on the brink of death.

    "Falling asleep beside an enemy is a cardinal sin of the battlefield, Ren Nakamura. You''re a fool," Andraste spoke quietly, "but��a fool that defeated one of the Victorious Seven."

    The man lifted one of his fractured hands, popping his wrists back into ce, though they were still swollen and fractured, the pain meant little to him as he stood himself up.

    He looked at the star-shaped insignia on his hand; before his eyes, it faded away as if never existing on the back of his right hand.

    "I suppose I no longer have any connection to Mastorn��" Andraste muttered, looking down at the slumbering adolescent.

    As he stared for a moment longer, he hoisted him up, carrying him in his arms, though he didn''t seem pleased to do as much.

    I suppose this is the least I can do. I intended to kill him, yet he intended to save me�Cthough foolish, his strength ultimately made his decision the correct one.

    It feels��odd: I am the same person, but at the same time��not. All of that bloodlust dissipated. I don''t know how, but somehow his ability seemed to purify that concoction from Doctor Vira.

    ��He did all of that, while sacrificing years off of his life.

    You''re a fool, Ren Nakamura: a fool I owe my life to, Andraste thought.

    [One Day Later��]<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Mm��Ngh��"

    Shuffling about on the mattress, he finally regained consciousness as parting his eyelids felt like a herculean challenge, in itself.

    His groggy, swaying vision was met with oddly familiar, leafden walls, though he couldn''t quite figure out what was going on.

    "Where��?"

    As he sat himself, his body felt like the weight of a mountain, as well as being apanied by a wave of pain throughout every inch of his body.

    "Ow, ow, ow��" He winced.

    Looking down, he found himself wrapped in an array of bandages; the sight immediately reminded him of sorry memories as he frowned a bit.

    "I guess I went a bit crazy, didn''t I��?" He muttered.

    "That you did."

    �CThe sudden, unnoticed voice caused him to jump, wincing again as the quick movement caused his body to reel in pain again.

    Standing in the doorway to the room, the familiar, elder macaque greeted him with a small, warm smile.

    "Elder Rohan," he called his name, "...what happened? Is the siege still��?"

    He received an immediate answer by a soft shake of the elder''s head as the small macaque entered the naturally-built room, seating himself on a plump cushion.

    "You took care of the bulk of the Stormfallen forces, and�Cit seems an outsider lent a helping hand as well," Rohan informed him.

    "An outsider��? Do you mean?"

    Rohan nodded, "It was the same man who brought you here. He was a stubborn individual, I''ll say. He was in almost as bad shape as you, but he refused to ept any help. Youngins, these days."

    He couldn''t help but smile to himself as he realized what had transpired in hisck of consciousness, looking down at his bandage-wrapped hands.

    I was right about you, Andraste. Finally��I was right about something, he thought.

    "So he''s not here?" He asked.

    "I''m afraid not," Rohan answered as he shook his head, "He insisted on going on his way."

    He watched as the ck-furred elder of the primate vige lit a match of fragrant incense, using it to keep the hangingntern illuminated.

    "How long was I out for, anyway?"

    "Three days."

    �CThe answer hit him like a wall of bricks as his eyes widened; it was enough to force him to push past the pain and fatigue ingrained in his body as he crawled out of the bamboo-made bed, attaching his sheath to his belt.

    "Now, hold on! What''s the rush for, Ren? You need to rest!"

    "Elder Rohan!" He smiled, grabbing the macaque''s shoulders, "I made it! My time in Purgatory is up!"

    Rohan fell still as well, processing his words before a smile came over his shocked expression, soon turning into joy.

    "That''s fantastic, Ren!" Rohan congratted him.

    Just as they celebrated, many footsteps were heard within the home; burrowing through the entryway, the other elders, alongside some of the vige children arrived�Cand persisting at the back of the group, Regibald watched silently with a small smile.

    "Did I hear that right? You''vepleted your time in Purgatory?!" Goroba asked. "Exceptional," Yon added.

    After being bombarded by questions, congratted with an assortment of bread and tea�Cthat he happily epted, and being hoarded by the yful children�Che found his respite.

    He found out from the whispers of Rohan that the entric Doctor Kuregura worked a miracle to bring him to his best possible shape.

    Filling his belly with pastries and warm beverages, he soon found his time was up.

    Vrrrrrr.

    �CIt was heard directly beyond the window of the tree-stationed cottage, the arrival of something he innately recognized.

    "I think that''s my ride," he said with a smile, setting down the child gori he held.

    Peering outside of the window, he saw the disembodied, colossal hand waiting for him with its palm ttened.

    He threw his sable coat on, making sure both his longsword and dagger were sheathed to his belt as he crawled through the window, holding on just a bit as he looked back once more.

    "Thanks for everything!" He smiled brightly.

    "No, Ren, thank you!" Rohan waved.

    They all waved in departure as he leapt onto the gray-skinned, giant hand, letting out a sharp breath as his bruised body didn''t like the sensation ofnding.

 Chapter 466 - The Creator

    He sat criss-cross-applesauce on the palm of the cold, stone-like hand, continuing to wave to the velren until they grew distant.

    As the enigmatic hand raised vertically into the air, perfectly without imbnce, he looked down briefly as the jungle quickly became a distant sight''?soon, below him was the abyssal fog that filled the sky.

    Looking up, he saw his destination''?an otherworldly castle, surrounded by stagnant, simr hands that wrapped around its somber setting.

    It was unlike any normal structure he hadid his eyes on; formed of uneven, cube-like blocks that formed a somewhat cohesive building.

    "That''s the finish line, huh''|?" He muttered to himself.

    He slowly brought himself back to his feet as his unorthodox method of transportation neared a hexagonal, stone bridge that was cut off from any connectingnd mass amidst the lonely air.

    As he carefully departed from the palm of the enigmatic hand and onto the bridge, he looked up as he truly felt in the boundary of a different realm; one not of the ce he spent the past half of a year in, and not one of Gaia.

    It crossed between something divine, and something inhabiting a primordial fear: an enigmatic, uneasy mist stretched across the enigmatic, skyborne domain.

    A lonely bridge; one without one to greet him''?only a long, wide path abandoned by all light, except the faint, solemn rays that didn''t originate from any star, not that he could notice.

    There was nothing normal about the skies thatid separate from the rest of the realm; exclusive only to this conclusive area of Purgatory: the somber, gray clouds moved actively''?twisting and churning as soft, yet vague rays of light shone through them sparsely.

    "This is it," he muttered to himself.

    Looking at the keep thatid at the end of the nebulous bridge, he took notice of its unorthodox architecture; many colossal hands wrapped around the entrance, lining the tall, ck-metal door at the very end.

    Apanying his path, headless statues of armor-wearing men lined the bridge, standing stoic and lifelessly with spears in their motionless hands.

    Even the act of walking this final stretch was a trial in itself; the cold, thin air didn''t do any favors for his troubled lungs that had to make due with his mended, but bruised ribs. Most of his body was still bruised,ying purple, blue, and ck beneath the bandages that scaled most of his upper-body; sparsely covering his cheeks and jaw, his fingers, and some even finding themselves on his legs.

    Still''|I made it. I did it, Macheo''|I didn''t betray your faith in me, he thought.

    He clenched his fists tightly with his hazel gaze inhabiting his conviction forward as he pushed onward, briefly caressing the tightly-wrapped bandages around his right eye.

    It was a surreal march forward; his heart throbbed in his chest as his mind flooded with many thoughts.

    There was an uneasiness that inhabited the mist that coiled around the abnormal structure; a light hum emanated from it that he couldn''t tell if it originated from his mind ying tricks on himself, or if it truly existed.

    Each step forward swayed the strength in his legs; the bridge began to slowly turn''?though whether it was his own dizziness, the fog obscuring his vision, or the bridge truly turning''?he didn''t know.

    He looked down, watching as the hexagonal, ckened steps seemed to shift about as he stepped over them.

    None of it felt real, but s, he continued forward until reaching the ominous entrance to the final keep.

    In front of him, he was greeted by the existence of a doorknob in the shape of the gray, stone-like hands that lifelessly caressed the structure.

    "Do I just''|?" He muttered to himself.

    He grabbed hold of the doorknob, feeling the cold, smooth stone meet his fingertips as he begrudgingly knocked it against the metallic gate.

    Though he didn''t exactly knock with much forceful intent, the resulting impact chimed like an rm sounding off''?resounding loud enough that he covered his ears.

    "What the''|?" He grunted.

    After the colossal door chimed, it began to rumble before slowly beginning to part its dual-forged gates before him.

    The mist billowed at the parting entrance of the keep; coalescing and brushing against him as he swatted it away to move forward. As he entered the unknown building, his steps resounded as they echoed against the stygian steel flooring below.

    Pushing through the mist, it began to dissipate as the interior was revealed to him; it stretched in all directions, far and wide, without a doubt possessing a much grander size than the exterior led on.

    m.

    He swiftly turned around as the massive gates mmed shut behind him, taking the residual fog with it as many torches stationed on the interior pirs began to light themselves.

    They burned with a silver, mystical me, scraping the shadows from the ck-steel castle.

    This ce''|he thought.

    Nothing about it was orthodox; it''s architecture wasn''t human, and the atmosphere was brisk and thin, yet he had no trouble breathing in the enigmatic air.

    As he began to step through the gargantuan hall, feeling minuscule in its vast size, he looked at the colossal statues that inhabited the space between each of the vertical-grooved pirs.

    Each was unique: knightly men, women shrouded in robes, godly beings, and beasts alike''?but all were carved from pitch-ck stone, looming over him in their grand scale.

    There was little that upied the liminal corridor of giants as he slowly walked forward, keeping his wits about as he swept his gaze around; though the silver-lit torches didn''t reveal but half the vast hall.

    What he set his sights on was the entryway into another room that inhabited the end of the dimly-lit space, moving towards it like an ant roaming through the domain of titans.

    Each of his strides forward echoed through the acoustic hall, signifying to any that may inhabit the domain that he wasing.

    I don''t know what I was expecting, but this certainly wasn''t it''|He thought to himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Once he reached the unlit, awaiting room, he stopped just before the threshold, gathering his breath as he felt something off about the chamber.

    He could see nothing beyond the threshold; absolutely pitch-ck, absent of the light''s grace''?though he could feel it was vast by the brisk air pouring out from itsrge space.

    It was rare to tangibly feel his instincts speaking to him; tingling across his body, stirring an unnatural itch, warming his blood''?all warnings for whatid in that dark room beyond.

    What the hell is this''|? I''m not scared''?but my body is. I''m trembling. There''s something''|dark in there. Something ancient, something beyond human''|he thought.

    As he looked down at his quivering, bandaged hands, he forcibly clenched them, though he realized even his teeth were chattering.

    "Don''t," on the thought of stepping past that stygian threshold, that''s what his body told him.

    From his exhausted, bruised pores, sweat began to leave as he stood there''?shing between instinct and rationality.

    Pushing past the primal warnings of his own body, he stepped over the threshold''?taking only that single stride as he prepared for silver torches to once again greet him.

    Nothing.

    In the pitch-ck domain, only the echo of his footstep through the entryway echoed with some semnce of anything.

    Just as he was left alone in the lightless chamber, he just as quickly turned himself, ready to leave the way he came as the fear etched itself further.

    ''?Whisk.

    Only as he turned, did the torches hanging, unknowingly to him, lit themselves simultaneously.

    He remained frozen, with his back to the chamber as it was cast on the dim, silver light.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    ''?A voice called, but it couldn''t be registered as such.

    Even though it was a call of his name, it felt more like an all-powerfulmand from a transcendent force.

    It was powerful; it clearly wasn''t a yell, but the power behind the voice was enough to vibrate the floor beneath his feet.

    Part of him didn''t want to turn around to see the source of the ascendant voice, but he''d rather not risk offending them, either.

    He slowly turned around, keeping his gaze to the ground as he faced the direction of the voice.

    "Are you afraid? That''s a normal reaction."

    The powerful voice spoke to him as it reverberated off the metal-reinforced walls.

    He didn''t respond, keeping his eyes to the stygian floor as he tried to ovee the unnatural fear that coated his skin.

    "Raise your gaze."

    ''?He didn''t have any choice.

    He waspelled to look up, slowly lifting his head, though he didn''t want to.

    It wasn''t magic; it was simply the overwhelming aura of the enigmatic entity that made his words carry such power.

    As he finally saw the one who spoke, he found his breath stuck in his throat.

    It was colossal; inhuman, yet it inhabited a vaguely humanoid shape. d in abyssal-ck skin with snow-white fingernails and a lipless smile, it possessed no eyes to be seen on its smooth, bald head.

    He was hardly the size of its toe, as it sat on a throne fitting for its gargantuan size.

    "Wee, Ren Nakamura: you''ve reached the finality of your struggles," the colossal figure spoke to him.

    "I''|" He attempted to respond, but found his words still caught in his throat.

    All the colossal, throne-sitting entity wore was a silver kilt, looking down at him with his non-existent gaze, though it could be felt more than any other.

    "Gather your breath, Ren Nakamura."

    For some reason, it was only when he was told that by the entity that he was able to coax his lungs into retrieving oxygen properly.

    He held his chest as he was finally able to breath properly, still exuding sweat from his pores.

    What is this''|? I''ve never felt anything like this before''|! He thought.

    "I am Togae, the creator of Purgatory," the entity introduced himself, holding his ever-present smile.

 Chapter 467 - The End Is Never The End

    "I am Togae, the creator of Purgatory," the entity introduced himself, holding his ever-present smile.

    "Creator��?" He huffed out, still holding his chest.

    He watched as the colossal being adjusted himself on his skyscraper-sized throne, leaning his chin atop his sable knuckles.

    "That''s right. Purgatory is the world I''ve created: my recreation of Gaia��though I''ve taken a few liberties of my own."

    "A few��? This ce is hell!" He yelled out.

    Facing the one who was indirectly responsible for the suffering he endured, he felt an indistinct anger that quickly dwindled the previous, freezing fear he experienced.

    Togae simply chuckled low, "A hell you''ve surmounted, Ren Nakamaura. There is no victory without trial."

    As he stood there, a question arose in his mind that he had to speak. Even in the face of the all-powerful creator, the question boiled inside of him with an infuriating curiosity.

    "Why was Belmon here?"

    He asked through a shaky voice; just mentioning their existence stirred the unsavory memories.

    Togae remained silent for a moment before responding, "Why? I believe you found that answer for yourself."

    "What��? Are you talking about me? That''s not what I''m asking! If you''re the "all-powerful god" of this hell, then how did they get in?!" He shouted, clenching his chest.

    Even though the enigmatic creator possessed no ocr organs, he could hear that gaze speaking a million words in its enigmatic form, backed by his unfading smile.

    "You are basing this question on a false assumption, Ren Nakamura."

    "What?��"

    "All are allowed to enter Purgatory. I do not discriminate��I wee. If you''re asking if they broke the rules of this realm, then I ask you��whatws do you believe I govern? This is a realm of opportunity, Ren Nakamura. I simply exist as a spectator; nothing more," Togae''s bellowing answer met his ears unsatisfyingly.

    Keeping silent for a minute, he looked down at his bandaged hands as a certain rage bubbled through his eyesight.

    But, heposed himself��reminding himself why he was there.

    "��Whatever. Where''s my��"

    "Reward?" Togae finished his question before he could fully utter it, "Worry not; you''ve earned that much."

    The inhuman colossus continued to smile as he looked down at the minuscule human.

    "I want my wish��"

    He clenched his fists as he said this; it was the moment of ultimate truth for him.

    Everything thus far was simply spection; there was no guarantee of anything.

    "Then name it: your desire," Togae told him.

    Being prompted to state it, he found himself at a loss for words for a freezing moment as he looked up at the inhuman deity.

    It was all but confirmed: it was possible.

    Given such a decision to make, a variety of thoughts naturally flooded his human mind. It was a moment where he heldplete, and absolute, boundless possibilities in his own decision.

    At that time, he realized something�Ca thought that had urred to him a few times throughout his time in Purgatory.

    It''s not just them�CI can bring him back, too, he thought.

    The creator of Purgatory remained silent as he did, allowing for him to gather himself before finally stating his wish.

    "Bring everyone back! Iris, Macheo, Aiko, Hongse, Valerie, Jae-Seong, Mencius, Fedrin, and��" He stopped for a moment as he spilled his wishes out, clenching his fists, "...Meinhard!"

    After he shouted out his desired wish, he gathered his breath, huffing and puffing as he looked up at the silent, smiling god.

    It was that ever-discerning smile that silently loomed over him that filled his veins with ice; even through the wordless moment, he felt as if he was already rejected.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    "...Yes?" He gulped, feeling his droplets of sweat line his skin.

    Togae remained still, sitting inpletefort as though he was speaking to one that posed no threat in the slightest, "Your wish cannot be met."

    "What��?"

    Those were the single most disheartening words he''d ever had meet his ears; so incorrigible, dreadful, and despicable, that he wanted to throw up�Cright then and there.

    "What the hell do you mean?! What the fuck do you mean my wish "cannot be met"?! Bullshit!" He shouted out without restraint, straining his throat as he unleashed his words inplete anger.

    The nebulous creator remained silent, watching the minuscule human, whose tears strolled down his pale, bandaged cheeks.

    "Don''t you dare fucking tell me it was for nothing! Don''t you dare��!" He fell to his knees, mming his fists against the ground as the stone beneath shattered.

    Though his anger quickly faded to despair as tears plentifully traversed his cheeks, leaving him knelt in despair.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    "..."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lift your head. You did not let me finish," Togae informed him.

    �CIt was a faint light of hope, one that he was cautious not to let himself cling to after the evisceration that had just urred to every strand of his heart.

    But, he stood, looking up at the smiling, inhuman entity with his bloodshot, left eye.

    "I cannot meet your wish, however, I can�Cto some capacity."

    "...What the hell are you saying?"

    Togae answered, holding up three fingers, "In the case in which a victor of Purgatory wishes for resurrection, the limit is three people."

    "Three��?"

    His eyes widened: somehow, this information felt almost as visceral as this time, his veins ran hot with boiling blood. It wasn''t anger, but the realization of what he may have to do.

    Three��? I''ll have to choose��? No, that''s not right. I can''t. It''s not my ce to dictate who lives and who dies��he thought.

    The thought alone made his vision blurry and twisted, finding no cohesiveness to his flurry of thoughts.

    "Ren Nakamura."

    �CThe all-powerful voice forced him to focus on its originator, causing him to look up at the stygian-skinned entity.

    "Purgatory is my world. It is a trial for mortalkind, but a home for others. As such, it exists by my whim, not by irondws, and rules. In fact, the existence of the wish for those who surmount the trial is not something given to all. It is required to ovee Purgatory, not clear it."

    "What''re you trying to tell me��?"

    Togae learned just slightly closer, and though his colossal form was still far from being close to the young man, that small distance closed felt as if he was directly face-to-face with the frightening deity.

    "Purgatory awards those who struggled, but made it. Those who are persistent, unyielding, but at the same time��fragile. It is by only their stubborn nature, fractured, but continuous, that they truly pass the trial of Purgatory. That is what you''ve achieved�Cin picture-perfect form, at that. As such, I will make you an offer, Ren Nakamura."

    A small token of hope, but he knew not to trust it immediately.

    "...What is it?" He asked quietly, gulping down his fears after his voice had trembled.

    To him, it was unclear whether it was the bleak nature of reality that shook his voice, or the anticipation of whether or not it''d be within his power to fulfill theplete form of his wish.

    It was that ever-existing smile perched on the lipless face of the eyeless god; it kept him on his toes, though sensitive his pained heart was.

    He knew to himself�Cwhatever "deal" would spill from those inhuman lips would be unpleasant, but he wasn''t prepared for what actually left from the mouth of the creator.

    "If you''re truly intent on returning those who fell back to life, then you will have to relive another trial of Purgatory."

    His blood ran to ice at these words, finding his breath evaporated from his lungs as he stood silent for a moment.

    He only managed to weakly let out his words, "...Relive��? Relive Purgatory��?"

    "That''s correct."

    �CHe wanted to throw up.

    It was a thought that lied beyond sickening. After the respite he had found, only momentarily, but massive, afterpleting his time through hell�Che felt as if he had just been woken into the reality that was far worse than any nightmare.

    He held his stomach, running his fingers across the blood-stained bandages that were wrapped around his abdomen, "...If I do that, I can bring everyone back?"

    �CAgain, his hopes were stamped out like a small, hardly-living me.

    "Only four more."

    "What��? Why��!?"

    Togae seemed to exhibit some form of anger as he was questioned this time, "Sickening greed of mortalkind. Have I not made you a fair offer? In truth, I''ve bestowed you with a kindness that I needn''t have to. But, you want more? Shall I rescind my kindness?"

    "No..! Please, no!" He quickly yelled out, dropping to his knees and prostrating before the grandiose entity.

    With his forehead against the stygian stone below, he felt its coldness against his skin�Cbut soon realized that chilly feeling belonged to the tears that flooded down, dampening the material below.

    "Then what is your answer, Ren Nakamura?"

    Though it felt unfair, he knew to the heartless, inhuman god�Cit was as fair as he would get.

    That''s right��I''m nothing but one man. This is a god, his realm��I don''t have a choice, do I? He thought with a solemn breath.

    He had realized it fully then and there: there was no room for negotiation�Che was before a god, one who sunken into such hubris that the concept of being wrong simply didn''t apply.

    It was a difficult pill to swallow, but he forced his inmed emotions down his throat as he lifted his head.

    "I''ll do it," he answered quietly through his taut, trembling throat.

    "I did not hear your answer, Ren Nakamura. Speak up."

    He repeated, yelling out this time though his voice shook, "...I''ll do it!"

    It had to be forced from his lips, otherwise he would''ve never answered. The pain had umted in his time through the hellish realm was ingrained in his body; he trembled at the mere thought of experiencing it all again.

    All of my cuts, bruises��all of my deaths�Call of it. I''ll have to experience it again. But, I made a promise�Ca promise that I''d save everyone.. If my suffering can save them��I don''t have to think twice, right? He thought.

 Chapter 468 - Ren Nakamura

    As much as he wanted to swallow his doubt, his fears, and his cowardice, it was simply an impossible ask for his body to quell its trembling; it was a thought that persisted in his mind as the "worse case scenario"--but that wasn''t true.

    No��it could be worse. I could leave here without everybody�CI refuse to do that, he thought.

    "Are you certain that is your choice?" Togae asked, resting his abyssal cheek against his hand, as his elbow persisted on the arm of his colossal throne.

    "...Yes."

    It would''ve been even easier for him to outright reject the question with a "No" but he forced his answer out instantly to prevent his fear from overtaking his tongue.

    "I''ll have to do it all again��right?" He asked, raising his head.

    "Yes, and no," Togae promptly answered.

    "What does that mean��?"

    Togae held his unwavering smile, "As you perceive, nothing will change. Only a moment will pass, a fleeting second�Chowever, in that minuscule passage of time, your body will relive a journey through Purgatory; all of the pain, stress, torment�Cit will all be ingrained in your flesh simultaneously.

    It was difficult to grasp what the nebulous entity meant at first, though that was mostly due to the fragile state of his hazy mind at that moment.

    "All at once��? It''ll be over in an instant, you mean?"

    "In a sense, yes. You don''t have to lift but a finger. However, I''d say the aftermath will not be a fleeting, momentary affliction," Togae answered with his calm, but booming voice.

    For him, it was a difference that meant the world, but the mysterious, powerless aspect of it left him still wavering in his resolve.

    "Alright��I''ll do it," he confirmed.

    "A noble decision," Togae raised a single hand, pointing his towering index finger upwards, "ready yourself, Ren Nakamura. I''m sure you needn''t be reminded of the stress that Purgatory puts one''s body through."

    He kept himself on his knees, gathering his breath as he tried his best to stabilize his breathing, as well as his swelling heart.

    Though knowing what wasing, it felt impossible to truly quell the quivering of his body, and the lightness of his head.

    "Are you ready?" Togae asked.

    He gulped, forcing his doubt down his throat before he answered, "Hit me."

    The moment he gave the signal, keeping his bandaged hands against the flooring below to keep himself stable, the colossal deity''s sable finger lengthened like a tendril, swirling before propelling directly towards the young man.

    Togae''s snow-white fingernail,rger than the human''s head, lightly touched the top of his head�Cand as it did�Cit came.

    His mind fellpletely nk, but it wasn''t due to an absence of information being processed�Cit was the opposite.

    "Graaaaargh��!"

    Without a wasted moment, the pain settled in; seizing his bodily functions as his muscles swelled, constricting and contracting. His veins pulsating as they protruded against his skin, running hot enough that hisplexion shifted to a strained red.

    As if an unseen de was being dragged across his skin,cerations were etched across his pale flesh; dragged across his crimson-dyed bandages, the unseen eviscerations opened his past scars. Soon, the plethora of cuts, small andrge, shifted into stabs as his body was skewered by invisible des�Cleaving him keeled over on the ground as he groaned out.

    It''s too much. It''s too much. I can''t take it. I can''t take it. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop, he thought.

    He had no control over his body, only helpless as his muscles twitched, flexed, constricted, and swelled all on their own, burning with a fiery agony. Through his veins, the pain poured through like moltenva�Csizzling and charring his inner systems, but he soon realized it was his own blood.

    Scraping against the rough flooring below, his fingernails peeled and bled, though the pain was far too minuscule inparison to even be felt.

    Heart palpitations began, thumping wildly as the wild beating of his pivotal muscle felt as if a drum was being savagely beat inside of his body�Cclutching his chest as blood spewed from his lips, nose, ears, and every orifice he could make note of.<novelnext></novelnext>

    �CSoon, it was over.

    The momentary experience etched itself for a tortuous eternity.

    After quieting down as the onught of pain came to a stop, still pulsating through his body in a dissipating manner, heid there, groaning as crimson poured from his afflicted temple of flesh.

    "Well done, Ren Nakamura. That is proof your body has been cultivated into one of respectable strength. If you were anything like the you that first entered Purgatory, this experience would''ve left you only as a hollow shell of blood and skewered flesh," Togae congratted him.

    He couldn''t respond at first as he prioritized lifting himself from the ground as adhesive, fresh blood stuck from his skin to the stone below.

    After raising his gaze, he looked up at the primordial creator with an eye dyed in his own blood, parting his messied lips.

    "...So, I can bring back seven, right?" He asked hoarsely.

    "That''s right. After what you''ve done, I assure you there will not be any catch to it�Cyou''ve earned you right for this wish, Ren Nakamura."

    He somehow managed to bring himself to his feet, though his arms hung limp at his sides as a puddle of blood only continued to expand at his step.

    "Bring these seven back��Iris, Macheo, Aiko, Hongse, Jae-Seong, Valerie, and��" He stopped for a moment, pondering as he looked at his red-dyed hands, "...Mencius."

    "Are you certain that is your wish? A desire this grand is not one that can be undone once set in motion," Togae asked to confirm.

    He nodded slowly, "...Yeah. Hurry up, already."

    Sorry, Meinhard. But, I promised to bring everyone who died recently back. You''ve had your time to settle into the afterlife, I''m sure you''refortable by now��but them, I''m sure they''re itching to get out of that ce.

    Sorry��he thought.

    Togae''s smile persisted as he raised a singr hand before snapping his fingers, "Then let it be."

    Just as the ungodly, shining aura emanated from the deity''s snapped fingers�Chis consciousness faded, dropping backward as hended harshly against the stone.

    Ah, I guess I lost a bit too much blood��just wake me up when it''s done��he thought.

    I''m sorry, Meinhard.

    "Why?"

    I couldn''t bring you back. I''m sorry. Even after all the hot-headed promises I made, I couldn''t do it.

    "You did what you could. That''s all that matters, isn''t it? Nobody can fault you for trying your best."

    I could''ve done more. As long as there is blood running in my veins, I don''t have an excuse.

    "Stop that. Keep thinking like that, and you''ll lose everything, Ren. You��should really learn to value yourself more."

    Value myself?

    "That''s right. It''s alright to keep some special people in front of you, but sometimes, you have to step back and remember there is only so much a single person can do. I''m sure you know�Cnobody wants to be saved at the cost of one they love. Learn to just sit back and take in the wind. There is a lot to this world that you haven''t had the chance to enjoy yet, Ren."

    ��Value myself. If that''s what you want, then I''ll try.

    [Purgatory, End]

 Chapter 469 - The Weltwanderers, Until Next Time

    Slowly opening his eyes, his eyelids immediately shut out of instinct as an unnatural light met them.

    But, that wasn''t quite right.

    ''|Light? He thought.

    Forcing his groggy eyelids open, the intrusive light was something he had indeed forgotten over time; it was the warm, orange rays of the sun, seeping through fluffy, nomadic clouds.

    "The sky''|" He muttered, his eyes naturally widening at the surreal sight.

    As he attempted to move, he found a soft feeling beneath his head; though it was clear he was outside, it didn''t didn''t resemble a bed of grass.

    It wasn''t something he could forget easily.

    Thighs''|! He thought.

    "Excuse me, but did I die and go to heaven?" He asked, waiting for an answer.

    A soft, familiar chuckle met him in response, "That''s the first thing you say?"

    Looking down at him, the crystalline, azure jewels of the girl he loved greeted him with a smile, caressing his snow-white tufts.

    "Iris," he smiled.

    As soon as he said her name, he was embraced tightly in the slender, but firm arms of the girl''?who held him tightly as if he had been lost.

    "I''m so d you''re awake, Ren''|I was so worried," she whispered as her voice was muffled by her embrace.

    "Iris, that kinda hu''?" he stopped himself, smiling a bit, "I''m d you''re here, too."

    "I didn''t expect anything else," Another familiar voice chimed in, of a younger girl.

    "Aiko," he muttered out with a smile.

    Stepping into sight and crouching down beside him, the golden-haired prince didn''t hold his normal, fiery expression, "You''re a real tough bastard, you know that?...You''|really saved our asses."

    Macheo rubbed the back of his neck, acting bashful as he clearly wasn''t used to giving a directplement like this.

    For once, he was greeted by a kind smile by the red-eyed prince, who extended his hand down to him. He returned the smile, epting his helping hand as he sat up.

    They were all there: Iris, Aiko, Macheo, Hongse, Valerie, Jae-Seong, and Mencius. It felt like a sweet dream, but it was his earned reality.

    "What a pain," Jae-Seong ruffled his hair, "all because those bastards took us by surprise.

    "It''s vexing, indeed. To be so caught off-guard''|" Mencius kept his arms folded.

    He looked around, noticing the fact they were all sitting on a verdant, springden hill; an unexpected scenery.

    "Where are we? This doesn''t look like Primordia," he asked, scratching his head."

    Iris sat beside him with a smile, twiddling with her azure locks with a hint of sadness, "Ren''|you''ve been out for a month. We''re in the country of Gallvannia''|it''s and west of Primordia, east of Mastorn."

    "A month''|?" He tilted his head, confused by her words.

    Though he came to realize it was the truth as he finally noticed the state of his body: it was even more thoroughly wrapped in bandages than before''?all of which were dyed mostly crimson as scars were etched across his pale skin.

    Valerie added, sitting on the edge of the hill, looking back at him with her draconic eye, "You were about one kick from meeting an early grave when we found you. Girly-guy and Iris had to work fast to heal you."

    Mencius quickly snapped in, "Who''re you calling "girly-guy", huh?!"

    Though he was ignored as Aiko continued for her, "''|It was bad. We were all immediately thrown into Primordia''|and in the state your body was in, the weather of Primordia was as big of a danger as your wounds''|"

    Aiko lowered her gaze as she kept her knees tucked close to her chest.

    "That''s what happened''|? I guess that sounds about right," he said, looking down at his bandage-wrapped torso.

    Jae-Seong ced his hand down atop the young man''s head, "It was a pretty scary sight, you know? You had the girls crying. Not Valerie though''?I don''t know if it''s even possible for her to cry. She kept your body warm with her fire magic, by the way."

    "She did that''|?" He muttered, looking towards the draconic woman who was no longer looking his way, "sorry''|guess I left you all with a mess."

    Though his apology was promptly denied as Iris flicked him on the forehead.

    He winced lightly, caressing the spot of affliction, "Hey''|what was that for?"

    "Don''t you dare apologize, dummy," Iris told him sternly, though her pouting face only served to be adorable to his eyes.

    Hongse finally added, after finishing the handful of grass he swallowed, "She''s right. If you didn''t do what you did, you could kiss our butts goodbye."

    He could tell by the thankful gazes set on him that he didn''t have any right to deny such a notion.

    Feeling the soft rays of the sun shine down on him through the pale clouds, he couldn''t help but just smile as he ced his hand atop Iris''.

    "I''m just d it all worked out''?somehow, I managed to pull through."

    Macheo grunted with his usual abrasiveness, "Cut the shit! You kicked Purgatory''s ass''?own it!"

    As usual, the princecked any tact, a worrisome aspect of one usually positioned for diplomatic responsibilities.

    After the group shared a shortugh and caught the snowy-haired adolescent on what transpired in his month-longa, it was time for a bittersweet oue of this journey.

    Jae-Seong stood at the edge of the hill, overlooking the valley of verdant hills that stretched past the sun''s reach, "Looks like this is where we all go our separate ways."

    As the curly-haired otherworlder spoke, he looked back at the rest of the group, who fell silent for a moment at that bittersweet truth.

    It was something he knew deep down himself, but it still wasn''t pleasant, "That''s right. We all have our own lives to lead. Still''|I have to ask''|"

    "What''s up?" Macheo asked, chomping on an apple.

    He looked between the group, "You all came to Purgatory for your own reasons. Are you''|fine with it ending like this?"

    Aiko''s eyes wavered a bit with a hint ofmentation before she answered herself, "''|It does hurt a bit, but I think I''m fine with it this way. It might sound weird, but I don''t want to rely on a wish to solve my problems. And besides that, I have no right toin after what happened''|"

    "Same here," Valerie added in with a huff, "Just gotta lick our winds and continue marching forward, right, big guy?"

    Hongse nodded his head, "That''s right! The fact we''re alive is a blessing that should be counted! We can still continue looking, that wouldn''t be possible if we were stuck in a grave."

    As he looked at their smiling expressions, he didn''t feel as if their words were just meant to assure him.

    "Good point," he smiled, "so''|"

    He finally brought himself to his feet, stumbling a bit as he was assisted by Iris.

    "This really is it, huh?"

    Though they all held smiles, they were of mncholy.

    Hongse faced towards the east, patting his fluffy stomach, "We aren''t the Weltwanderers because we stay in one ce, right? That''s what it means to be a Weltwanderer: it doesn''t matter if we''re scattered across the world, we''ll always be tied to one another."

    The group fell speechless for a moment as they looked on at the usually clumsy panda before Valerie pped him on the back, taking her stand beside him, "Well said! Listen up, Vesta will always wee you all, so don''t be shy toe visit, alright?! That''s an express pass from one of the knights, okay?! So, don''t you dare waste it!"

    They all nodded, though Macheo stood himself up, brushing the dirt from his cloak as he stood beside Jae-Seong, "Don''t forget about Lucrauv, either. It might be cold and bitter, but we make up for it with our food and ale."

    Jae-Seong wrapped his arm around the prince''s shoulder with a bright smile, "I can attest to that!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mencius smiled, "I might just take you up on that offer. It isn''t often that one from my homnd ventures across the continent to the "Land of Snow"...oh, and of course, you''re all wee to Jinyue''?though, I can''t guarantee we''re as weing as the other kingdoms."

    Jae-Seong whistled yfully, "That''s quite the offer. If I recall, Jinyue is the most secluded kingdom on the continent."

    "Sounds pretty exciting, right, Iris?" He asked whilst the others talked, looking at the girl by his side.

    "It does," she smiled, "we have a lot of ces to visit, don''t we?"

    "Seems like it!" He chuckled.

    Having remained mostly silent, Aiko forced herself to her feet, though she spoke loud and clear, it seemed her words were aimed at the golden-haired prince, "...Please visit Akitein sometime! It might not be as advanced as other countries, but it''s beautiful, I promise!"

    Macheo''s eyes widened just slightly before a smile ced itself across his lips, "You know, after I win the throne for myself and be king, I''ll probably have a lot of free time."

    "...Really?" Aiko looked at him with longing eyes.

    "Yeah," Macheo nodded, "so''|maybe, when that dayes''?you can show me around Akitein."

    "Of course!" Aiko replied with enthusiasm.

    As the two youngest of the group shared in a promised smile, the rest held a simr warmth as they all naturally were ced on opposing sides of the hill.

    He grabbed Iris'' pale, slender hand, holding it tightly as he shouted out, "Mastorn might not exactly be an appetizing ce right now, but after we overthrow that bastard king''?you bettere party with us!"

    "If you kick as much ass as you did in Purgatory, well''|I don''t doubt that day wille soon," Macheo said with a fiery smile, pointing to himself, "but not before I be king of Lucrauv!"

    ''?With that promation, cemented by the victorious smiles of the Weltwanderers, and the promises of their reunitement, they all set off in opposing directions, marching towards their homnds.

    After a few minutes of watching the others'' backs grow distant, it was just him and Iris, left alone on the verdant pasture atop the hill.

    The sun began to settle behind the veil of clouds, leaving aforting hue of orange that cast cool shadows over the rich, fertilend.

    "So''|what now?" Iris looked at him as they overlooked the verdant valley.

    "I guess it''s time to gloat about our victory to the others, right? I imagine Sirius has one hell of a hug in store for me''|" He shuddered a bit, "you still have that returnal crystal, right? The one Beatrice gave you?"

    Iris puffed her cheeks in a slight pout, "Of course I do! I''d never lose something that valuable''|"

    As she rummaged through the pockets of her coat, she retrieved the mystical crystal, holding it on her palm as she held onto the young man''s hand with her other.

    "Ready?" She asked, meeting his hazel eyes with her azure.

    "Never been more ready''?I''m going to make sweet love to that bed when I get back," he let out a longful sigh."

    "I didn''t need to hear that''|" She chuckled a bit with a wry smile before lifting the crystal upwards.

    After pausing for a moment, gulping, she kept her eyes on the opalescent gem beforemanding out, "O''Gaia Return!"

    ''?Nothing.

    "...O''Gaia Return!" She shouted again.

    ''?Nothing.

    "Is that normal''|?" He asked.

    "No''|" She said with a worried look, "this''|I don''t understand. I can feel that the spell still exists''?the crystal is still lighting up in response, but nothing is happening. It''s as if''|the spot it''s been tethered to no longer exists. But, that doesn''t make any sense''|does it?"

    Her words didn''t bode well, as they both looked at each other as if knowing deep down what it could truly mean.

    As she tried once more, shouting the activation chant of the crystal''?it shattered, instead producing a different result in the form of a feathered avian, manifesting in ce of the dissipated crystal.

    "Huh''??! What the hell is that?!" He immediately reached for his sword, but was stopped by the young woman.

    "Wait, Ren''?! This is Hopwoffle!"

    He stopped, furrowing his eyebrows, "...Hopwoffle?"

    "It''s Mother''s familiar''|but why is he showing up now?" She spoke quietly, looking at the white-feathered avian as it pped its wings in ce.

    "Weird''|it''s holding something in its talons," he muttered.

    Iris'' eyes widened a bit, "You''re right."

    She snatched the rolled-up letter from its talons, watching as it disappeared into a small ball of smoke before their eyes, leaving them with the stamped parchment.

    "It''s from Mother''|" She muttered quietly as she focused on the letter, unraveling it.

    He kept shoulder-to-shoulder to her, reading it alongside her.

    The contents of the letter were dreadful at first, but the realization that none died in the attack on Grandeuve settled their hearts.

    "It was destroyed''|?" He uttered sadly, scratching his head.

    Iris, however, seemed to be on the verge of tears at this news, "Lucas''|he''s gone."

    "Wait, what?! I didn''t see that part''|!" His eyes widened in surprise as he took another look at the letter.

    Silence fell between them as he held her close to his chest,forting her as he slowly ran his fingers through her hair.

    I took too long, he thought.

    They sat on the grass together for the next hour, mostly in silence as they watched the sunset, pondering their next move.

    "Old Treyna, huh? Have you ever been there before?"

    She softly shook her head, keeping her gaze down as her eyes were left puffy by the tears, "No''|the only time they bothered to travel out there themselves instead of receiving quests was for phantasm-level missions. Mother didn''t think I was capable of helping on those tasks."

    "I see''|" He continued to pet her head.

    After another minute of wordlessness, he got an idea, one that clung to his mind like an unwavering adhesiveness.

    "Hey, Iris."

    "Yeah?"

    "How about we take some time to ourselves on our journey back?"

    She lifted her head a bit to look up at him as she was resting against his chest, "What do you mean''|?''

    Looking down at her now with a small smile, he replied, "I''d say after what we just went through with Purgatory, we deserve a break. You saw what she said in the letter, right? The Hollow Foundation is as protected as can be. They don''t need us''?not right now. And I doubt they''ll go on any crazy, king-usurping missions without all of us there. So''|let''s take our time to enjoy the small things; there''s a lot I haven''t experienced in this world yet, you know?"

    Iris remained still of words for a moment as she looked at the smiling, young man as his snow-white tufts softly swayed in the gentle breeze.

    "...That sounds nice," she wore a smile again.

    "Yeah," he responded softly, "it does."

    And so, on a whim dictated by the tiresome journey''s conclusion, two years passed.

 Chapter 470 - And So, Two Years

    [Old Treyna, Hollow Foundation : Two Years Later]

    "It''s bothering me, y''know?"

    Sitting at the table as he picked at his nutritional dish with his chopsticks, the brown-haired, tan-skinned man sighed his words out.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. Don''t be so vague," Kazuya muttered with his mouthful as he chewed his seasoned chicken.

    The graphite-haired delinquent had grown in height, just a couple inches, which still made him the shortest among the group. Though what hecked in height, he packed on in muscrity�Cbarely fitting into the same uniform that he refused to swap out of.

    Fai sighed again, "I''m talking about everything, obviously!"

    On the other hand, Fai had grown a stubble over the passed time, wearing a ck, gold-ented vest without sleeves.

    "..." Kazuya squinted his eyes at the clear mimunication, or rather, the hot-headed man not being one to listen to reason.

    "Ren and Iris are probably de�CI mean, still in Purgatory��" Fai looked down with a pained expression, "and to top it all off, we''ve been in the dark this entire time! Not a single ounce of information about the Argonauts or Belmon�Cthey haven''t made a single fucking move!"

    Fai mmed the table with his fist out of anger as he finished his words, but the cold-eyes delinquent remained unflinching�Che grew ustomed to the peculiar attitude of the Ounders.

    "Isn''t that a good thing? Theck of Argonauts or "Belmon", I mean," Kazuya asked, taking another bite of his chicken, "I never faced them myself, but they sound like something better left untouched."

    "No��Hell. No. You don''t know the Argonauts, Kazu," Fai told him, "if they aren''t at your throat, then they''re nning on how to slit it. In all of my time here, the Argonauts have always been inhumanly persistent, and aggressive. The fact they''ve remained stagnant for this long means we''re in deep shit here, my friend."

    By the bags held under Fai''s eyes, and the stubble he umted despite previously being someone who took care of himself to near perfection, it was clear the passage of time wasn''t kind to the man.

    "Take it easy, Fai," A feminine voice told him.

    Seating herself beside him, the silver-haired, mature woman sat, holding herself with her usual promiscuity as he kept her white-uniform buttoned down exactly enough for her cleavage to be on disy.

    "Easy for you to say, Natalia," Fai scoffed, "you''ve never cared about anyone."

    Natalia''s usual, high-strung expression shifted just a bit, revealing a bit of sting that was carried from his words to her ears.

    "...I''ll ignore that, Fai. I know you''re not in a good ce right now, so�C"

    Just hearing the words leave the lips of the women, who in his eyes, was uncaring and did nothing to further their mutual goals, he began to seethe.

    "Shut the he�C!" Fai interrupted her, but was stopped.

    �CJust as the hurtful words were about to be dismissed from his lips, the doors to the Ounders'' cafeteria were pushed open abruptly.

    Standing in the doorway, it was Strife, of all people.

    "What''s the big idea, mming doors open like that, Strife��?" Fai squinted at him.

    It was odd for the stoic elf, who tended to remain to himself,mit such a loud, abrasive action. But the out-of-breath appearance of him as he huffed and puffed, catching his breath as he stood in the doorway with sweat clinging to his pores.

    "Yourrades�Cthey''re back!"

    �CMore than anything, the words hit Fai like a thunderbolt; recharging his stagnant heart as it was pulled from the depths of self-pity, just from that one, single utterance from the former Argonaut.

    Fai didn''t say a single word.

    He immediatelyunched himself from the table, sprinting through the private cafeteria and pushing straight past the doorway as he abrasively passed by Strife.

    Going from the cafeteria, he sprinted down the corridors of the private section of the foundation isted for the Ounders, pushing past doors as he nearly tripped over as he descended the stairs to bring himself to the main lobby of the grand structure.

    He hardly even processed the existence of the Obsidian Hand��the military force of the Hollow Foundation, as they stood like ck-armored statues in the halls.

    From atop the metallic stairs, he could see Sirius, Sora, Charlotte, Tristan, Beatrice, Brahmi, and Donatien gathered around something he couldn''t quite get his sights on yet.

    "Iris��! Ren��!" Fai yelled desperately as tears clung to the corners of his eyes, but his voice was drowned out by the flood of adventurers that filled the lobby.

    As always, the main lobby of the Hollow Foundation was flooded withing-and-going adventurers, as well as merchantsing in with carriages full of tradable products.

    The colossal, metallic walls hung around them, exhibiting a size asrge as a town itself that was bustling, despite supposedly being a criminal organization, ording to Mastorn.

    He could see the tears flowing from Sora as he had someone held in a bearhug, and it was no different for Sirius, who wept with a smile.

    Fai sprinted towards the group, pushing through the sea of adventurers without a care in a run that more so resembled a continuous fall.

    The looks of restrained tears on Donatien''s usual, cold demeanor as the navy-haired man turned to look at him told it all.

    A soft smile, and a nod�Cthat simple gesture from Donatien confirmed it for Fai Meng.

    He finally reached the huddled group, having sound resume to his ringing ears as he stopped. Tears trickled down his cheeks as his mouth hung open.

    "Cut it out, man! This coat cost me a fortune!"

    �CRen''s voice yfully let out as he was held in Sora''s massive arms, being hoisted up by the vermilion-haired man.

    He was finally let down after Soraughed with utter joy, though happy tears fell down his cheeks continuously.

    Meanwhile, Iris, who Fai looked at in perplexion as she seemed more mature than he hadst seen her, was being embraced by the primordial, tinum-haired sage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Mother, I''m fine��" Iris smiled, assuring the sage.

    As Sora stepped out of the way, Fai finally got a look at the long-since missing young man.

    It was a surreal sight: the once rtively short adolescent now matched Sirius in height, now boasting snowy-white hair and a matured appearance, devoid of his former blemishes.

    For a moment, he was unrecognizable to Fai''s eyes, but his smile was unmistakable; the same, geeky smile he always had.

    By all means, he was now a proper man, standing before his eyes as he held himself differently�Cwith confidence, rather than a constant state of trying to hold himself up like a fractured vase held by tape.

    "Ren��? The hell? Is that you, buddy?" Fai questioned with his mouth hung open, "Tell me my eyes aren''t ying tricks on me��"

    Scratching his cheek with a hint of bashfulness, he looked at Fai, "Yeah, we''re back."

    �CWithout hesitation, he was brought into a tight embrace, held by Fai as if the man was afraid he''d be swept away by a passing breeze.

    "Geez��I forgot how much you guys love hugs," he chuckled.

    "When the hell did you get taller than me, you little bastard?!" Fai asked with tears apanying his smile.

    Sirius stood behind the pale-haired adolescent, ruffling his snowy locks, "I know, right? They grow up so fast, don''t they? My little brother isn''t so little anymore!"

    "Cut that out! Why''re you guys still calling me "little", huh?!" He barked back, moving Sirius'' hand from his hair as he was relieved from Fai''s embrace.

    Sora added in, still standing over him, "I''ve been meaning to ask: what''s up with the eye, bro? And the hair��rocking a new style? I kind of dig it. Just me?"

    "Long story��" He muttered, running his hand over his neat, ck eye-patch that covered most of that half of his face.

    The other two men stared at him intently for a moment at Sora''s question, though Sirius answered first, "White does suit him. It''s a bit jarring to see my little brother undergo such changes, but that just means he''s grown into himself!"

    "Eh, I liked the old hair better�Cdig the eye-patch, though!" Fai nodded vigorously.

    As Sora, Sirius, and Fai only shared augh, he held an annoyed smile as a vein pressed against his forehead.

    "You know what, I was nning to save this for a better time, but you guys are as annoying as ever��" He muttered, beginning to remove the glove from his left hand.

    Iris noticed this with widened eyes, attempting to stop him from sliding his ck, leather glove from his hand, "Wait, Ren! Not yet!"

    "No point in holding it back any longer, Iris�Cyou show them too!" He smiled.

    The group was left confused as to what he was referring to, but the focus was on Iris for a moment as she hid her hands behind her back.

    "Now that I think about it��why''ve ya'' been keeping your hands behind your back, Iris?" Brahmi asked, folding her arms across her chest.

    Iris'' face flushed with a flustered red, averting her eyes, "N-n-n-n-o reason��."

    �CThough, he didn''t let her aversion to answer keep him from giving it away as he grabbed her left wrist with his right hand before disying both of their left hands to the curious eyes of the group.

    All of their eyes fell wide, even Beatrice''s, though only slightly.

    "No. Damn. Way. I don''t believe it," Sora spoke as if looking at a ghost.

    Sirius whistled, "Little bro is a yer!"

    "Gah�C! What the�C?!" Fai reacted in total shock, bringing his eyes close to what was shown.

    "...Damn, didn''t know ya'' had the balls, Ren," Brahmimented.

    "Cool," Tristan spoke only since he seemed prompted to, huffing from a cigar.

    "Hah��?" Charlotte blushed at the very concept of what she saw.

    "Simply unbelievable. Why was I not invited to the ceremony?!" Donatien asked, fixating on a different aspect.

    Beatrice spoke with narrowed, seemingly offended eyes, "I share the same question as him: why was I not invited?"

    �CWhat was shown to them were two, golden rings worn on each of their wedding fingers.

    There was no mistaking what it meant, not in the slightest.

    While Iris averted her gaze with a face flustered beyondpare, he smiled proudly at his betrothed status.

    "That''s right! Feast your eyes," He proimed, "you''re looking at a bonafide husband and wife!"

    "Ren-goddamn-Nakamura! I didn''t take you for the ballsy type when it came todies!" Sora said, grabbing the man''s hand to inspect the ring as if believing it was deception.

    The vermilion-haired, burly man looked between the two newlyweds, raising a singr eyebrow as he whispered to them, "Have you two��?"

    Immediately, both of their expressions came over with a cherry fluster, both shoving the intrusive, hulky man away.

    "You haven''t changed, you tactless, nosy bastard��" He huffed, shaking his head lightly.

    As Brahmi, Charlotte, and Beatrice pulled Iris away to discuss things between the girls, he was now the man of the hour between the man side of the Ounders.

 Chapter 471 - Gladiolus

    "You haven''t changed, you tactless, nosy bastard��" He huffed, shaking his head lightly.

    As Brahmi, Charlotte, and Beatrice pulled Iris away to discuss things between the girls, he was now the man of the hour between the man side of the Ounders.

    "On the contrary, you''ve changed all too much, Ren," Donatien said with a smile, "you''re hardly recognizable�Cthat is apliment, by the way."

    "Is it? Sounds like a jab at the old me," heughed.

    Tristan approached him, holding his hand to his chin as he looked him up-and-down, at all angles, even lightly knocking his knuckles against the sable, metal armor the white-haired man wore beneath his mantle.

    "That''s some quality ting you got there," Tristan said, not even interested on the note of marriage, "I don''t believe Purgatory is where you got this, is it?"

    He shook his head, lifting the white mantle to reveal his sleek, dark armor, "I got it from a cksmith in Gallvania. Gramps Alphonse gave me a discount after clearing some goblins from the outskirts of the town, but it still cost me a pretty coin."

    It was apletely different outfit he wore now; forgoing light, leather armor in exchange for more durable, ck-steel that was equipped in tandem beneath a white cloak, and above sable fabric. His arms were protected by multiyered, densely-ted gauntlets, and his boots took the form of dark, metallic boots that reached over his shins.

    Sirius seemed interested as well, peering at his wardrobe with his magenta eyes.

    He noticed the unnatural change to Sirius'' eye color, tilting his head slightly, "Urr, call me crazy, but did your eyes change?"

    "Long story," Sirius answered.

    "I gotcha''," he smiled, knowing the feeling.

    Sirius seemed intent on the object wrapped around his neck, tucking it out from beneath his cor as he revealed a ruby-tinted amulet hanging from the ne.

    He didn''t really get why the magenta-eyed, military uniform-wearing man was so interested in it, simply letting him inspect the ne.

    "I get it now," Fai held his hand to his chin, looking at the insignia as well, "that''s how you could afford lofty equipment like this. You became an adventurer for the Journey Foundation, didn''t you?"

    "Yeah? What do you think I was doing these past two years, anyway?" He asked.

    He received a deadpan stare from each of the five men, though he got his answer from Donatien''s lips, who promptly adjusted his sses:

    "Dead."

    �CThough his gut reaction was tough it off, he realized that it was the most usible exnation for their absence.

    "...Right. Yeah, well, we''re alive, as you can see," he held his arms out as if disying his state of liveliness.

    As he tried tough off the suddenly gloomy atmosphere, he received a yful, swift knuckle to the head from Sora, who looked to be on the verge of tears again.

    "Couldn''t lose you too, bud��" Sora muttered quietly with a voice overrun with restrained emotion.

    Peering into those azure eyes that fluctuated behind tears, he understood the pain that the man felt�Cno, the pain that they all felt.

    That''s right��Lucas is gone. And after that, they thought Iris and I were gone too. I''m still too childish, making everything about myself��he thought.

    Sirius lightly tapped his chest with the back of his hand, standing in front of him with his other hand slipped into his pocket with a reassuring smile, "We''re just d you''re both okay, got that? It''s been��an eventful time since you left. I guess it''s been eventful for both parties, by the looks of things."

    "You can say that again," he returned Sirius'' smile, cing his hands on his sides as he let out a small sigh.

    �COf course, their interaction could never be so normal.

    Sirius brought him into another embrace, bringing both him and Iris into it�Cpulling her away mid-conversation with the others.

    "It''s my top priority to protect you," Sirius told him with a resolved tone, keeping his words between them, "...that''s what I was going to say, but you''ve both grown so much. I can tell�Cyou''re both more than capable of handling yourselves now. Let''s work together to make sure we don''t lose anybody else, alright?"

    Iris and himself were on the verge of tears, though a single tear strolled down from his left eye as they nodded their heads in unison, "Alright."

    After that agreement, Sirius ruffled both of their tufts of hair, though it felt different this time as he was now eye-level with the magenta-eyed man.

    And so, just like that, we were back. I think just about everyone hugged me and Iris, except Tristan�Cthough I think he''s just a tsundere.

    Over the next month, I told them the stories of my time in Purgatory�Cand somehow, they believed me when I told them I managed to defeat one of the Victorious Seven�Cwell, most of them, anyway. Fai doesn''t buy it, and Brahmi thinks I''mpletely full of crap.

    "So your hair became white because your ability awakened?" Brahmi asked with a raised eyebrow, lounging on an umber sofa beside the firece.

    He nodded a few times, "Well��that''s the best exnation, anyway."

    Fai groaned yfully, grabbing his ponytail as he brought it over his shoulder, "Howe I didn''t get some sort of change when my ability came? Wicked unfair."

    "This ability of yours��"Heaven Earth - Disconnect", you call it? You said it grants you enlightenment��what exactly does that entail?" Donatien asked a different question on the same subject, keeping hand to his chin.

    The sses-wearing man was sitting on the fur-made rug that was in front of the crackling firece, wearing a casual, but still professional-seeming attire in the form of a beige dress shirt and khaki pants.

    "I was wondering the same thing, too," Sirius added, who waspletely inhabiting one of the sofas all to himself, making sure to stretch his legs out so that nobody, besides Charlotte, who sat atop his legs, could sit by him.

    He found it hard to form a concrete answer, looking at Iris, who sat beside him on the olive-leather sofa, though she only supplied him with an unknowing shrug.

    "Well��"

    Theypletely didn''t buy my description of the ability�Cand I couldn''t exactly prove it was there was still a seal on my ability, for the next week or so.

    Still, spending nights in front of a firece, surrounded by my missedrades�Cno��my family, as they listened to Iris and I recount our journey��it was nice.

    Oh, right, I also met Noah, one of the Ounders who was away when I arrived. He''s kind of intimidating, but he''s kind of like a cat��he just lounges around all day, napping, or eating.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Kazuya��I don''t really like him, to be honest. He''s a bit full of himself�Che hasn''t said it, but I can tell from the look in his eyes.

    This ce, the "Hollow Foundation", they call it�Cit''s enormous. It''s hard to tell from outside, but supposedly it branches out underground to a size surpassing even small countries. I heard there are over ten thousand rooms, too. Food is nice, beds arefortable, it''s warm�CI can''t say I particrly miss my old bed, inparison.

    Either way, it was nice to be back. It took a week, or so, but they adjusted to me not being little ol'', ipetent Ren�CI mean, I''m a married man now�Cthat''s more than they can say��I digress.

    But, that time of blissful respite has to end at some point�CI''m ready to tell that witch my n.

    "To what do I owe this personal visit to, Ren?"

    The primordial sage asked with her ever-present, calm smile as she sat across from him within her chamber, pouring them both a cup of fresh, steaming tea.

    Somehow, she managed to shift her new room into almost an exact replica of her old room at their home in Grandueve; the same assortment of bookshelves lined with ancient books, scattered parchment, and the same, royal bed that he knew well howfortable it was.

    He didn''t acknowledge the gesture of the hot beverage, keeping his arms folded across his chest as he looked her dead in her cosmic eyes.

    "I''m forming my own guild."

    �CHe didn''t waste any time, not padding his intentions as she seemed taken aback�Ceither by his forwardness, or the nature of his words themself.

    "...Is that so?" Beatrice said in her usual, empty tone, though he could tell she was jumbled, "what has brought on this��abrupt decision?"

    Matching her gaze, he remained quiet for a moment before answering, "To be honest�CI don''t like you. I don''t like the way you do things, and I don''t trust you. At the end of the day, it was your decision to let us go to Purgatory. Iris and I didn''t know what was there, but you knew, didn''t you? You seem to know everything. We could''ve died there�Cno, it was more likely we would''ve."

    "But, you didn''t," Beatrice promptly responded.

    �CHer response hit a nerve beneath his skin as he tapped his foot against the floor continuously, containing himself, though he felt blood rush to his head.

    "...You can only say that in hindsight��" He whispered through a breath.

    "Pardon?"

    "You can only say that in hindsight because we made it!" He said, this time in a loudened voice, "do you understand what I had to go through?! Iris died! I died! So many times, I was at my limit�CI was broken down, cut, crying, begging for mercy�Cit was only by a miracle that I made it! But��even if I made it out, there are things I have to live with for the rest of my life�Cmemories that will never fade, memories that will be just as painful as the day they came! So, how can you sit there and give me that bullshit?!"

    Finishing his fiery words, he mmed his hand against the white-clothed table, causing the tea in his porcin cup to ripple and spill onto the clear fabric.

    "...That''s why I''m making my own guild here," he continued in a forced calmness, sitting back down, "but, that''s not the main reason."

    Beatrice was silent for a moment, looking down at the stain on the fabric, "...And what''s that?"

    "We need more. I know what happened in Grandueve, and what happened in Lemasdale, with Lucas��I encountered Belmon myself, Beatrice. Twice."

    This time, her eyes widened just a bit as if flinching at that name; it was rare to see emotion on her expression, but now she seemed serious.

    "Belmon?...I believe you''ve spoken of only one encounter in those fireside stories of yours."

    By the contortion of his expression, as if suppressing bubbling memories, he had to find it in himself to speak about it.

    "...My entire group was killed: Iris included. It was done by a man calling himself "Decartes"...I believe he told me he was the Marquis of Madness," he told her, looking down to see his fingers trembling.

    Beatrice seemed taken aback by the name that left his lips, putting her lithe, pale fingers to her chin as she pondered for a moment.

    "Decartes?...I see. They''re beginning to set out into full-motion then, I take it, if he''s operating��"

    "You know him?" He asked in almost a hiss, bothered by any seeming connection.

    Beatrice seemed hesitant to answer, but she slowly dipped her chin into a nod, "He''s quite infamous, that one. Though his name has long since been erased from history, he is the foremost Marquis��he''s a danger, to say the least."

    "I don''t need you to tell me that," he muttered, "anyway��I didn''te here to talk about that. As I said, I''m going to form my own guild�CI want to do things my own way, Beatrice. I''ll still be in every regard but officially an Ounder."

    Beatrice lifted her teacup before taking a lengthy sip from it, slowly setting it down as her eyes were closed with her tinum, prominent eyshes standing out.

    "Understood."

    "That''s it? You''re not against it? Iris is forming it with me, you know," He asked out of surprise.

    She shook her head lightly as her otherworldly locks cascaded down her beautiful, ck dress, "I agree with your reasoning, Ren. I believe this is actually a beneficial move, for all of us."

    "...Okay, then. d, uh, we''ve got that clear," he coughed into his hand to cease any stillness in the air.

    I can never read her, he thought.

    As he stood up from the table, making his way out from her chamber, he was stopped just as his hand grasped the door handle.

    "Just one thing, Ren," she called him.

    "Yeah?" He looked back.

    Beatrice smiled, resting her chin against her hands, "What are you nning to name this guild of yours?"

    He smiled, already knowing in his mind what he wanted to call it as he swung the door open.

    "diolus."

 Chapter 472 - Sparring Match: Ren V Donatien!

    The next day, with the help of Beatrice, he gathered the Ounders in the lounge room of the Ounders'' base within the foundation.

    "So��that''s it. I''m forming my own guild," he finished.

    While half of the group couldn''t seem to care less, a few had their own opinions.

    "A guild of your own, huh? Normally, I''d have my own reserves, but you seem able to hold your own now!" Sora assured him with a bright smile, pping him on the back.

    Of course, as he stepped forward from the sharp p, he let out a wry chuckle, "...That''s still a thing, I see."

    Sirius remained silent, but he gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs-up from his position, leaned against the brick-lined wall of theforting room.

    Though, one person had their opposition to the idea.

    "Ren," Donatien called his name, stepping forward as he fixed the position of his sses.

    "Yeah?"

    "Running a guild is a tremendous responsibility. It is your role to make sure those under your guild are taken care of, given proper missions, and protected. Those are lives that will be in your hands, Ren."

    "I''m aware," he nodded, "Iris and I can handle it."

    Iris added, standing beside him, "Donatien, I know you have your doubts��but, we''re not kids anymore."

    The taut man stood over the snowy-haired man, meeting his singr-eyed gaze as he adjusted his sses once more.

    "If that''s the case, I will need to test your strength for myself, Ren," Donatien extended, "first and foremost, a guild master must possess strength."

    "Wait, wha�C" Iris tried to stop them, but it was toote.

    It was that glint in his hazel eye that she knew; unwavering and unfading�Conce challenged, there was no backing down.

    He returned the stern look from Donatien, "Is that it? You''re on, then."

    Even those disinterested in the news of his nned guild formation were now interested at the prospect of a match between the two.

    It wasn''t but an hourter that they found themselves in the vast, metallic arena isted for the Ounders'' use.

    Spectating from the elevated stands, the others watched from above as the two stood on opposite ends.

    "I don''t n to treat you like a child, Ren," Donatien said as he rolled the sleeves of his white dress shirt up, snatching his tie from his cor as it came unfurled.

    "That''d be your mistake," he promptly answered, stretching his limbs as he ced his arms behind his back.

    Up in the stands, decorated with a sky-blue g, the crowded balcony was inhabited by the spectating Ounders.

    "Is this alright��?" Iris asked, keeping her hands close to her chest.

    "Worried for your mate?" Brahmi nudged her with her elbow.

    To her surprise, Iris slowly shook her head, "No��I''m worried about Donatien."

    "Huh? What do you mean?" Fai, overhearing her words, butted in.

    "Ren��is different from what you remember. Especially in fights," Iris answered, nervously spinning her azure locks around her index finger, "...something in him changed over the past two years, he takes things too far, sometimes..."

    They all watched now as he leaned down, stretching each of his legs as he held a confident smile, jumping back to his feet as he bounced in ce, warming his body up.

    As he settled down, he met eye-to-eye with Donatien.

    "Ready? The match will be over when a critical blow isnded," Donatien asked, restating the conditions of the bout.

    "Yeah," he answered, tightening his gloves as his loose mantle fluttered over his sable armor, "I''m ready."

    After a moment of stillness, and of silence�Cthey set off.

    "Eis: Biting Wave!"

    �CDonatien immediately began by sending a wave of spiky, quickly-forming ice towards the pale-haired man.

    But, by the time Donatien hadunched the spell, letting the incantation leave his lips, the man lost sight of him.

    "Are you underestimating me, Donatien?" He whispered from behind the navy-haired Ounder.

    "What�C?" Donatien let out in surprise, turning around to face him.

    Just as swiftly as Donatien spun himself around, he witnessed him vanish into the shadows before his eyes, reappearing beside him, midway through a frontal high-kick.

    Incantationless magic��?! Donatien thought.

    The sses-wearing, calcting man raised a wall of ice to block the kick, which seemed to be expected as the pale-haired man smiled.

    "Woah, that''s cold!" He called out with a smile, moving the sole of his boot away from the shiver-inducing frost.

    As he rxed his guard, he watched as the block of ice shattered in front of him�Crevealing Donatien midway through a counterattack of his own, holding a spear of ice.

    When did he cast a spell? I didn''t hear anything, he questioned.

    Using his own reflexes, he leaned back to dodge the end of the frost-formed spear, retaliating with a kick towards the ice mage''s abdomen, though missed as Donatien carried himself backward with a sheet of propelling ice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    However, it wasn''t the kick Donatien had dodged so abruptly with the usage of ice�Cit was an attack, so swift and sudden that he relied solely on his reflexes to evade it.

    A spear of darknessunched past Donatien, missing him by a hair as it flew over his head.

    It''s not just his ''Shadow Step''...he can usence without incantations too��? Donatien noted.

    "Crafty," he muttered.

    Watching from up above, the Ounders were in general shock at the exchange that urred from the start of the bout.

    "Ren is��holding his own?" Brahmi let out, perplexed by the sight.

    "No," Sirius corrected her, "He has the advantage."

    Sirius held a pleased smile as he witnessed the growth of the pale-haired man, watching him closely with his mystical, magenta eyes.

    Amazing, Ren. You''ve grown into a splendid warrior, Sirius thought.

    Gaining distance from him, Donatien stopped as a trail of ice existed between the twobatants.

    Donatien huffed quietly, puffing out a frosty breath, "...Impressive," he stopped himself, fixing his words, "no��simply amazing, Ren. As your teacher, I couldn''t be happier at the improvements you''ve made. I can''t take all of the credit, though, you''ve cultivated this strength yourself, without a doubt."

    A rare urrence�CDonatien smiled warmly, looking at him with proud eyes behind the frost-coated lenses of his sses.

    "Don''t tell me you''re giving up after seeing that?" He teased yfully.

    Donatien smiled with a smallugh heard only to himself, "It may not seem like it, as I try my best to suppress my own vices, but I am apetitive person, Ren. As such, I truly despise losing�Cespecially to a student."

    "Oh, yeah?" He replied, keeping his guardx as a way to coax the man, "Seems to me you''re going to have to bite that bullet then."

    "Perhaps," Donatien replied, "I may bepetitive, but I am not arrogant. You''re truly a splendid mage now, Ren. I am forced to recognize that fact. As such, I won''t hold out."

    Emitting from Donatien, frosted wind poured out, fluttering his long-sleeved shirt as he removed his sses and tucked them into the pocket of his pants.

    "Eis: cial Hail!"

    The ice mage sent forth an array of sharpened icicles; it was a move made not with the intent to secure triumph, but to force his opponent into revealing their secrets.

    Though he was able to work around the barrage of dagger-sized frost as he stepped into the shadows, continuously and without utterance, evading each of the ice shards without fail as the battle was reset to where it was just a moment ago�Cboth facing off on either side of the arena.

    He''s keeping his deck of cards tucked away. Obviously, at the level he seems to be at, ''Shadow Step'' and ''Piercer'', two novice spells, are not hisplete arsenal. The old Ren likely wouldn''t have hesitated to reveal his hand right out of the gate, Donatien thought, it''s not just mastery of magecraft you''ve acquired, but experience, as well.

    Donatien spreaded his arms out, coalescing the frosten mist to his palms, "Skadi: Saber."

    In his hands, lengthened des made of ice were formed, though they took on a thicker form than usual, resembling greatswords.

    "Aren''t des a bit dangerous for a sparring match?" He asked with a smile.

    Donatien answered, honing his gaze, "You speak as if there aren''t a plethora of mages specializing in healing nearby, Ren."

    �CIt was a challenge, an invitation to broaden their bout into something of higher intensity.

    Of course, he obliged.

    "That''s a good point," he closed his eyes momentarily as he ced his hand by his hip, "but, don''t regret coaxing me, Donatien."

    Sliding from his sheath, he drew his longsword out as its spotless steel was revealed to the orange light of thenterns that lit the private colosseum.

    "Are they for real? Isn''t that a bit much?" Fai let out a sigh from on the balcony.

    Natalia replied while twiddling her silver locks around her finger, "That''s just how men are."

    "Donatien wants to see how he''s grown for himself," Sora spoke as he watched diligently, "none of it matters if they''re both holding themselves back."

    "Still��" Charlotte muttered.

    Siriusforted the red-haired girl, patting her head as he smiled, watching alongside them, "Don''t worry, even if one of them gets cut, we''ve got medics on standby, right?"

    A wink went from Sirius to Natalia, who rolled her eyes, groaning out of displeasure as she folded her arms across her chest.

    "My ability isn''t for yground fights, Sirius," Natalia said as she honed her eyes on him.

    "I know, I know," Sirius replied with a frivolous smile, "but, if anything happens��"

    "I''ve got it," Natalia caved in, epting the responsibility.

    "As reasonable as ever, Nat!" Sirius attempted to sling his arm around her shoulder, but was promptly rejected as she turned away from him.

    Sirius caught himself with a smallugh as he leaned over the balcony railing, returning his focus to the match as the sh of frosted des and steel hadmenced.

    He hardly paid any mind to Donatien''s existence; solely keeping his gaze on Ren as he watched the eye-patch-wearing man seem to effortlessly dance around the advances of his opponent.

    There wasn''t any intensity to his expression, even in a sh of sharpened tools; his eyes simply tracked Donatien with a small, but noticeable smile as he repelled and dodged each iing strike with minimal movement.

    Even with two,rge des of sky-blue ice in his grip, Donatien was unable toe nearnding a blow on his opponent, who read every moment as if it was inscribed on a tome.

    Just as I thought, Sirius pondered, you''re still holding out, aren''t you? It seems you''ve reached a level beyond anyone''s expectations, Ren.

 Chapter 473 - An Unexpected Recruit

    After failing tond a blow after going on the offensive, Donatien was forced to create a swift barrier of ice between him and his opponent, forming space in order to leap back and reset.

    It wasn''t meant to hold him for very long as a swift strike of Belus allowed him to cut through the wall of ice, meeting eye-to-eye with Donatien again, who allowed his swords to dissipate into a cold mist.

    "I admit, Ren��" Donatien caught his breath, "...as a swordsman, you''ve surpassed me, without a shadow of a doubt."

    He remained silent in response, keeping his gaze on the navy-haired, slender teacher of his as he watched frost coalesce at his fingertips.

    "But," Donatien continued, "I''ve never prided myself on swordy."

    Across his pale skin, that which was visible past his lengthy, professional attire, a light coating of frost clung to him as a chilly wind propelled from his position.

    It wasn''t a spell itself, but an unrestrained release of magical energy.

    He raised his arm as the frosted winds pelted against him, spiraling in the colosseum like a howling, biting storm as he could feel the moisture in his mouth begin to freeze just by persisting in the vicinity of Donatien.

    "Good thing I brought a coat��" He muttered with a wry chuckle.

    In an environment forged of one''s own mana, swirling and inhabiting such overwhelming frost, it would be an uphill battle for the one not naturally inclined. In most cases, it wasn''t a move taken to further one''s chance of victory, but more so a challenge�Cone issued topare the richness of one''s mana with another.

    However, he knew of a way to counter such maneuvers.

    Sheathing his de, he clenched both of his fists, slowly releasing them again as he let out a calm, collected breath.

    �CAll at once, he released his own, unrestrained magical energy.

    Like a sh of the eclipse, all light was momentarily swallowed in the blink of an eye before a darkness was then seen emitting from his position.

    Those on the balcony looked down in surprise as the wind pressure of the shing magical energies stormed around them.

    Sora whistled, "Talk about potent. That magical energy sure is something."

    "He can probably rival your output now, Sora," Tristan stated, keeping his deadpan state as he leaned against the stygian wall.

    "Ha-ha! I wouldn''t say that, but��it''s real close," Soraughed out.

    As the unchained darkness manifested, spiraling around him, it repelled the cold frost of Donatien''s mana release.

    "I see," Donatien said, "I shouldn''t be surprised, after how you''ve held up thus far."

    "If you knew what I went through to get here, you really wouldn''t be shocked," he muttered, stopping his mana release just as Donatien did.

    I''ll show you��my new magecraft, he thought.

    �CThe arena fell silent.

    It wasn''t either of them that stopped it, but the one who stood between them now�Cappearing before anyone had realized.

    "Huh?" He let out.

    "What''s the meaning of this?" Donatien asked.

    It was Beatrice that stood between each of them, holding each hand out facing the both of them as some sort of wordless magecraft managed to quell their mana sh.

    "That''s enough," Beatrice told them with a stern tone, "any further and you''d risk the stability of the intricate barriers established within the foundation. That will not do."

    He wasn''t bothered, simply shrugging his shoulders as he ran his fingers through his pale-white locks, waving to Iris up in the balcony with a smile.

    Beatrice looked at Donatien, who retrieved his sses from his pocket, cing them back on with a subtle furrowment to his expression.

    "You''ve acquired what you came here to find, haven''t you? He''s satisfied your doubts, has he not?" Beatrice asked.

    Donatien slid his hands into his pockets, making his leave from the arena as he answered without facing the sage, "I suppose that''s right."

    After the sses-wearing Ounder took his leave, the primordial sage faced him as he looked back at her.

    "I have to say, I''m impressed," sheplimented him with a smile.

    "Yeah, well, you probably already knew this before I stepped foot in this arena, didn''t you?" He asked.

    Beatrice gave him a subtle shrug, "I know what I know, nothing more."

    Left with her enigmatic, almost yful answer, he took his leave as well, meeting with the others outside of the private colosseum as they returned to their guild quarters.

    After an intense, albeit brief skirmish, it was time for lunch�Cone that they all seemed ready to partake in simultaneously.

    "Hello, I''m Moro, the chef of this kitchen! It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ren Nakamura!" The frizzly-haired, apron-wearing man extended his hand.

    He was taken aback for a moment before epting the handshake, "...Yeah, nice to meet you."

    The same greeting came to the azure-haired woman seated beside him, "Hello, I''m Moro, the chef of this kitchen! It''s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Iris Nakamura!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Hearing her recently acquired surname be properly used, a bit of fluster inhabited her cheeks as she shyly epted the greeting.

    After an odd meeting, the two gave their orders to the vibrant, ever-smiling chef; he opted for a hearty serving of steak and potatoes, while she went for a more bnced dish of colorful vegetables and sauceden chicken.

    "Oh right, you''ve been here a month, but you''ve nevere to the cafeteria yourself, have you?" Sora asked him, sitting across as he was already busy devouring meat on a bone.

    "Yeah, I guess that''s right," he answered, surprised that it was really the case, "wait, how did he know who I was? And Iris'' newst name?!"

    "Don''t mind Moro," Sirius assured him, "he''s a golem that serves Beatrice, specifically. He probably knows whatever she tells him, that''s all."

    "A golem? That guy looks human to me," he raised an eyebrow.

    Iris added in from beside him, having sipped from a ss of water, "Golems don''t really fit into one descriptor, Ren. Some are made of steel, sometimes mud, or��sometimes, something human. They''re beings given life by mages, that''s really the only definition. I thought I taught you this before."

    She yfully tapped his nose with the cold silver of his spoon as he chuckled in response, though their "lovey-dovey" attitude didn''t seem to mesh well with one of the other upants of the table, who abrasively cleared their throat.

    "Can you two save it for the bedroom?" Natalia asked.

    Sirius scooted closer to Natalia, moving seamlessly with a smirk, "Why do you have to be such a buzz-kill, Natalia? You should be ecstatic that true love still flows through the winds of Gaia."

    Letting out a huff, the silver-haired, voluptuous woman put space between herself and the entric man, "I don''t care for such things. Just leave me out of it."

    Well, I see she hasn''t in the least. Natalia barely spoke to me at all before I left for Purgatory. She''s always been unsociable, and downright abrasive, at times, he thought.

    Out of seemingly nowhere, an arm wrapped around his shoulder, carrying a familiar, tanplexion as he looked to the side at the smiling expression of one Fai Meng.

    "Look at you, man," Fai smiled, messing with his white locks, "you''ve really grown into one hell of a mage, haven''t you? It''s pretty rare to see Donatien pressed like that, and unable to even really enact his mid-battle schemes!"

    "Hah, is that so?" He replied bashfully, scratching his cheek.

    After their arrival, it seemed Fai had begun taking care of himself�Cgetting rid of that stubble that did him no favors as he returned to his youthful, ever-entric self.

    "Well, anyway, if you ever need to train those fists of yours, I''m game," Fai smiled , "you could probably teach Kazu a thing or two, to be honest."

    "Yeah, thanks, I''ll keep that in mind," he nodded.

    Fai''s smile dulled just a bit as he left a pat on his chest, "Just d you both are back."

    Before he left the table, Fai spoke to Iris, giving her a simr spiel before making his leave back to his table.

    Amidst the noisy state of the Ounder cafeteria, Iris and himself finally got their dishes, served by the humanoid golem, that now gave him weird, uncanny valley vibes.

    He watched closely as Moro walked away, making sure he was fully returned to the kitchen before turning his attention back to his table that was inhabited by his wife, Sirius, Sora, and the anti-social Natalia.

    "...Do you think Moro has a��?" He asked in a whisper.

    The question made the two men sitting across the table break out intoughter, but the same couldn''t be said for his youthful wife who gave him a pinch on the cheek.

    "Ow, ow, ow��" He winced.

    Sirius leaned back in his seated position; he neglected to order anything to eat, seeming to only be there to lounge with hispanions, "Hey, Ren."

    "Yeah?" He responded, caressing his cheek as he nced at Iris, who gave him a yful stick-out of her tongue.

    "I think I''ll join your guild," Sirius stated casually with his hands behind his head, "if you don''t mind, that is."

    "Huh?"

    �CHis exuded reaction to this promation was the verbal release of the others'' thoughts at the table.

    Sirius'' casual approach didn''t shift as he simply leaned his elbows on the table with a yful smile, "I want to join your guild, is that so odd?"

    "Urr, yeah? Yeah, it is! Aren''t you like one of the highest ranks there is for an adventurer?!" He asked.

    "Stygian, first ss," Sirius answered.

    "Exactly! You outrank me by two whole ranks!" He continued.

    Even Sora added in, not seeming to know of Sirius'' intentions before this sudden promation, "I don''t really get it either. You''re not trying to coddle him still, are you?"

    The jet-ck-haired man shook his head, "Of course not. We all saw his disy against Donatien. He''s a bonafide Ounder, one of the most capable, at that."

    Iris gulped, "Then��what is it?"

    After a moment of silence and pondering, Sirius leaned back against, casually cing his hands behind his head as he peered up at the ceiling.

    "A change of pace would be nice," Sirius answered, "and, talking to you again, Ren, Iris, you''ve both grown as people. You''re morex, funny, and willing to take risks�Clike making this guild. Making moves in this world.. I want to support that, and be right there by your side."

 Chapter 474 - Across The Tracks

    "...I don''t have any problems with this, Sirius," he stated, "but, how do you think Beatrice will take this?"

    Sirius shrugged, "I doubt she''ll mind. We''re still operating as Ounders either way, aren''t we? It''s really just a change in style and official titles under your guild."

    "That''s true," Iris added, fiddling with her blue locks.

    Sora looked exasperated, shaking his head a bit but knowing full well that once the man decided something like this, there was no getting around it.

    "Speaking of which," Sirius veered the subject, "when are you going to get that guild established?"

    He stopped for a moment, ying with the food on his te, "...How does right now sound?"

    Sirius and him shared a smile at his answer�Cand without much nning, or informing of others, the three left the cafeteria, following Sirius'' lead.

    "So where is this ce? The "Office of Guild Formation and Subsidiaries", I mean," he asked.

    "Just follow me," Sirius answered with a cheeky smile.

    He only asked because the corridors of the Hollow Foundation were not only seemingly boundless in lengthy and quantity, but repetitive in design. Naturally, he questioned the knowledge of the one he followed after trudging the same, monotonous metal floor for what felt like an eternity.

    "You said that an hour ago��" He sighed.

    "That''s just how the foundation is," Iris assured him, grabbing his hand and holding it with a gentle grasp, "it''s asrge as a country, at least that''s what Mother told me."

    Sirius added as they ascended stairs together, "What she said. Don''t worry, though, we''re almost to our ride."

    "Our ride��?" He and Iris asked in synchronization.

    Arriving at a set of imposing doors embedded into the rightmost section of the current corridor, he watched as Sirius used the adventurer''s insignia from his ne as a sort of key to open the lock.

    "What''s that about?" He whispered to Iris.

    She answered, "It''s probably a door exclusive to certain ranks of adventurers."

    "Certain ranks?"

    Iris nodded, "That''s how the Hollow Foundation works, I''ve heard. It''s a society of adventurers, mercenaries, and merchants��for adventurers, your status gives you ess to certain privileges that lower ranks don''t have.

    "Huh," he muttered, "I don''t know how to feel about that."

    Following Sirius through the set of reinforced, cobalt doors, they curiously stepped into a tunnel-like section of the foundation.

    Waiting on luminescent rails that were apanied by what looks like runes, a sleek, stygian vehicle resembling a train was waiting.

    It didn''t just resemble one�Cupon closer inspection as heid eyes on the behemoth of meticulously crafted steel and engineering genius, he realized it was what he thought.

    "Is that��a train?" He asked in surprise, in awe at the sight of the technology that shouldn''t exist in that world.

    "Surprised?" Sirius asked with a smile, hopping onto one of the cars of the humble-sized train.

    They followed him onto the moderately sized train, seating themselves on the velvet,vish cushioned seats.

    "What''s a ''train''?" Iris asked, looking at him.

    He answered while enamored with the sleek, spotless interior of the vehicle, "It''s something that exists on Earth�Conly, it was invented way after the era this world seems to be in. That''s what I''m curious about, Sirius."

    Sirius lounged on the seat across from them, resting his arms on the vacant windows as the vehicle seemed to awaken just by their presence.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "To the "Office of Guild formation", prompto!" Siriusmanded the train, pping the exterior as he reached his arm outside of the window.

    It was a confusing action, but he was more interested in what was said directly after, as the magenta-eyed, youthful man smiled at him.

    "You answered your own question, Ren," Sirius answered vaguely.

    "Huh? Come on, don''t mess with me," He sighed.

    As steam blew from atop the mystical, unorthodox train, it began to move, taking off at a steady pace as it traversed the lengthy tunnel system.

    Answered my own question? He pondered.

    "I think I get it," he whispered to himself.

    "Ren?" Iris looked at him, keeping her hands atop her skirt.

    He raised his gaze to Sirius, who seemed interested in if he understood what he meant, "This exists because it already existed on Earth. I think that''s what you meant, anyway, right?"

    "Bingo," Sirius pped his hands quietly.

    Iris looked between the two, left behind in the conversation due to herck of memories of their home world, "What do you mean, Ren?"

    "This train only exists here because an otherworlder designed it," he answered with a smile.

    For some reason, this knowledge made her smile as she looked up at the roof of the moving train, gently swaying her legs.

    "So��this is something from Earth, then?" She smiled warmly, running her hands across the cushioned seats.

    "Yeah," he answered with a smile of his own, feeling oddly nostalgic by the rumbles of machinery that came with the train''s movement, "they''re a pretty big deal on Earth. Everyone uses them; they can take you anywhere in the world."

    "Really? Anywhere?" She looked at him, tilting her head with childlike wonder.

    "Anywhere you want," he assured her, "once you set off, nothing can stop you�Cit''s just a journey through the world, just you and your destination."

    It was rxing; the continuous sound of the train''s wheels passing over the tracks, guiding through the stygian tunnel, illuminated by orange lights by virtue of the many runes that upied the transportation tunnel.

    After a few minutes, gettingfortable on the seats, he nced around.

    "Is it really just us on here?" He asked, looking side-to-side as if expecting to find any silent passengers.

    Sirius answered, "Yup, courtesy of yours truly�Cthe ''Bastion of Connection'', they call this train. It''s one of a kind in this world, so it''s exclusive only to stygian-ranks and above. Well, it''s only one part of therger set of trains here."

    "Really? So everybody else is forced to walk around this giant foundation?" He asked with a wry expression.

    The military-uniform-esque man nodded with a smile, flicking his perfectly-hanging fringes, "Yup! Pretty awesome, aren''t I?"

    "You know, usually I''d deny it, but I really am appreciating your awesomeness right about now," He said, letting out a sigh offort as he rxed in his seat.

    "Guess you''re d he decided to join our guild then, right?" Iris looked to him with a smile.

    "You betcha'', I wouldn''t be caught dead marching through those corridors again with this avable to us," he ced his hands behind his head.

    Rumbling over the tracks, the length of the ride truly set into his mind the vast size of the foundation�Cand also made him that much more appreciative of the train ride itself.

    "So, Ren, have you looked into anybody you want to recruit into the guild? "diolus", right?" Sirius asked while lounging his arms outside of the window, allowing his jet-ck locks to be pulled in the passing wind.

 Chapter 475 - Guild Foundations: Pre

    "So, Ren, have you looked into anybody you want to recruit into the guild? "diolus", right?" Sirius asked while lounging his arms outside of the window, allowing his jet-ck locks to be pulled in the passing wind.

    He sat up, blinking at the question with a surprised expression, "...You know, I didn''t really think about that."

    Iris sighed out, "This is why I tried to have you go out to the main halls with me to find people."

    "I''m not some door-to-door salesman, alright? We can''t look desperate," he said in a slight huff as he rested his elbow in the window sill.

    Iris gave a look to Sirius as if saying "do you see what I mean?" to which the man shrugged his shoulders with a smallugh.

    "Ren, you''re going to have to take this seriously, you know?" Sirius told him.

    "I know that," he replied.

    "I''m not talking about the spiel Donatien gave you earlier about the "responsibility of your guild mates", what I mean are the outside forces thate with this path."

    Sirius'' words caught his attention as he met him eye-to-eye, which prompted the man to lean forward as he continued.

    "Guilds aren''t just some base of operations for you to rx in; it''s a ruthless environment."

    "I didn''t see any of that with the Ounders. You all seem as rxed as can be," he replied.

    Siriusughed a bit, "Well, we''ve also been on hiatus since Sora, Kazuya, and I were away in Jinyue for almost as long as you two were gone. And, well, waiting for the Argonauts to make their move�Cbut, enough of that. It''s different�Cthe Ounders are sort of a special exception to the usual rule�CI mean, Beatrice has ties directly to the Hollow Foundation itself."

    Not just the Argonauts�Cwe''re waiting for Belmon. I wonder��why didn''t Beatrice tell these two about the reason we''ve been patiently sitting around? Oh, well, I''ll tell them at some point, Sirius thought.

    "And you''re saying without her direct influence, things aren''t going to be as smooth for us?" He asked.

    The look on Sirius'' face confirmed this without a word having to be said before he added on, "The Ounders are an SS-rank guild. Tippity-top," Sirius made a motion with his finger as he pointed upwards, "courtesy of Miss Beatrice herself�Cso we get quests handed directly to us, no questions asked. And guilds know not to mess with us, or��well, you get the picture."

    "I''ve heard about this before," Iris added in, ncing at him with her azure jewels, "...for beginner guilds, or really any that are lower than "S", it''s as if every guild may as well be enemies. Since quests aren''t specifically tailored for those guilds, they have to fight for the rights to ept the quest, and sometimes even fight with one another to im the reward and prestige for themselves."

    This is a lot more heavy than I realized, he thought.

    Of course, despite this information, he still felt confident�Cin his own abilities, and the fact that someone of Sirius'' status was joining.

    "The Hollow Foundation itself is basically an oversized, glorified guild itself," Sirius added, spinning his finger in the air, "it was built on the foundation of "freedom", or in other words, issez-faire"--do what you must to rise to the top, but don''t let them catch you. Simple, right?"

    "So, what you''re saying is that diolus is going to have a big, red bullseye painted on its back?" He asked, resting his chin on his knuckles, "even so��I don''t see how that''s going to happen if we have someone of your rank?"

    Sirius ran his fingers through his locks, pulling his fringes back for a moment before letting the wind resettle them.

    "Ren, you definitely have a lot to learn about this ce," Sirius told him with a sly smile, "I didn''t join because my presence would be an all-powerful safeguard, but I''m curious about it myself. I want to see it start from the ground up, into something beautiful. Besides, it''s the opposite, really; my presence will only feel like more of a threat to the other, lower rank guilds�Cso, sorry about that."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though the youthful man apologized, Siriusughed at carefree as always, though he could only let out a small sigh in response.

    "You''re a handful, you know that?" He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest.

    "Ha-ha! Sorry, but I just couldn''t pass up on a fun chance like this," Siriusughed.

    Iris leaned against his arm, gently cing her head on his shoulder, "...Still, we should be thankful he''s joining, right?"

    He couldn''t help but blush just a teensy bit as his cheeks took a pink hue, "Yeah, I guess."

    Sirius cleared his throat loudly to regain their attention, "Anyway! You two need to start setting your eyes on potential recruits. We''re not going to go anywhere with just the three of us, no matter how strong we may be. Numbers rule. Quality as well�Cstrike a bnce, and we''ll soar to the top."

    After a duly-noted spiel from Sirius, the wait on the moving train continued as he retrieved a book from beneath his mantle, flipping it open to where the feathered bookmark was kept.

    "Reading? I didn''t take you much for an appreciator of fine literature," Sirius asked.

    He answered, not looking up from the text as he flipped the page, "Not much else is there to do to pass the time."

    Iris kept silent as she kept her head rested on his shoulder, her silken locks cascading down his spotless, white cloak.

    "Well, what is it?" Sirius asked with a curious smile.

    A conversation that he wasn''t exactly happy to have formed while trying to read the text inscribed on the parchment.

    It''s hard enough to read a secondnguage, but with this guy talking��he thought.

    "..."The Tall Knight of Ulym", Donatien rmended it to me," he answered.

    "Ah, that one, about the "dwarf knight", Caligo?" Sirius'' smile took on a mncholic form as he looked up, "Ulym is a city off in the boonies of Gallvania, isn''t it? "The city of dwarves", but also "the city of muffled dreams"...if I remember correctly, it''s the human kingdom with the highest poption of dwarves."

    He looked up from the verdant-designed book, "Yeah, apparently, it says Caligo paved the way for them to migrate to Gallvania. Says something about the conditions of their home kingdom�CGorgoza�Cbeing too "lethal". Apparently it''s neighbored by some grand volcanoes. You''ve read it before?"

    Sirius shook his head softly, "Lucas read that one. A few times, actually. He''d be capable of giving you the coldest shoulder there is, but if you asked him about that book? He''d talk your ear off for hours."

    Though Sirius told this with a smallugh, he felt the mncholy in the air as his own heart was caught in a knot itself; one that Iris seemed affected by as well as she shifted against him subtly.

    "I see��" He replied with a small smile, "I wish I could''ve talked to him about it."

    "Yeah," Sirius lounged back, "he would''ve liked that."

    So much has been lost��he thought, but there''s still so much left.. Instead ofmenting the past that can''t be altered, all we can do is look ahead, in hopes of a brighter day than thest.

 Chapter 476 - Foundation Of Gladiolus

    As he looked down at the head of azure hair that rested against him, he held his somber smile to himself, running his hand over the woman''s silky locks.

    The tranquil train ride soon took a more rousing route as the enclosed tunnels opened up into a vastwork. Sailing across the rails, there were no walls to stand at either side of the moving train as it curved over the tracks.

    "Woah��what the?!" He looked over the side.

    Peering over alongside him, Iris watched with him as there were dozens of tracks, some carrying other trains as well as the vast space was filled with lifting steam.

    Below them, it seemed to be an endless descent, mixed with thework of rails that led into many tunnels.

    By this point, it felt more like a rollercoaster ride, traversing the steampunk-esque environment with a giddiness to his smile.

    "Starting to get it now? The Hollow Foundation is truly something, isn''t it?" Sirius asked.

    "No kidding��" he let out.

    Coming to an eventual slow after passing through a multitude of tunnels, halting against the rune-augmented tracks, the Bastion of Connection came to a stop.

    "Looks like we''re here," Sirius said with a smile, ncing back at the door that sat at the left-side of the stop.

    "Already?" Iris asked groggily, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

    Damn cute, he thought.

    Although he felt the same way; he had grownfortable on the warm, leather seats. It wasn''t quite just that, though�Cthe nostalgia of it, reawakening the memories of his world etched into his mind, resounded a certainfort within him.

    Disembarking from the train, the two begrudgingly left thefort of the leather seats as they followed Sirius, who casually strolled without a worry, towards the peculiar doors.

    Unlike the rest of the mostly metallic architecture of the foundation, the doors before them were of fine, furnished wood, ted with silver.

    "I''m just now realizing��should I have prepared a resume?" He asked, somewhat yfully, but somewhat nervously.

    Siriusughed, "No, just leave the qualifications to me."

    "...Alright," he nodded.

    He looked at Iris for a moment before they watched as the suave man pushed the wooden doors open.

    Beyond the door, avish chamber that stood out from the rest of the structure: the floor was of tiled marble, patterned between sable and umber, with the smell of pine and mint filling the spotless room.

    To his surprise, it was noticeably empty, besides the few people speaking to one of the women at the desk.

    The professional atmosphere stifled his confidence as he immediately felt out of the loop, but by the ever-present smile on Sirius'' face, he followed through.

    Sirius gave the two behind him an O-K sign and a smile as if telling them "leave this part to me" before walking towards the rightmost receptionist desk.

    While the cherry-haired receptionist was busy stamping papers, adding them to a pile before stamping a new one, Sirius approached the desk, leaning his elbow against it.

    "How can I help�Coh, Mr. Federov!" The receptionist looked up in surprise at the man, holding a slight pink to her cheeks.

    "Didn''t I tell you before? Just Sirius, Ayline" he told her with a smile.

    Ayline fiddled with her cherry braid, seeming to have trouble maintaining eye contact with his magenta irises, "W-what can I help you with then, S��Sirius?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sirius pointed back towards Ren, "My brother here is looking to form his own guild."

    The receptionist looked back towards the white-haired man, who gave a small wave. Bringing her attention back to Sirius, she grabbed a paper from one of the drawers, beginning to fill it in.

    "I see," Ayline said, "and you''re going to be a trustee? With your name on the contract, it''ll expedite the process."

    "Oh, no," Sirius swept her notion away, "I''m joining his guild."

    "Huh?" Ayline looked at him with a surprised, nk expression.

    "Yup! I''ll let him take over from here, is that good? He''s got all the deets'', anyway," Sirius told her, reaching behind her desk and grabbing a paper, "I''ll be taking this~. This is my release form from the Ounders, right? Thanks!"

    Before she could get a word off, he already began walking away with his hands tucked in his pockets.

    "...Oh��okay," Ayline muttered, still processing what she just heard.

    Taking the reins, the snowy-haired man greeted the receptionist, cing his hands on the desk as he looked at the contract ced in front of him.

    "You''re already registered with the Hollow Foundation, right?" Ayline asked him.

    He nodded, retrieving the ruby insignia from beneath his cor, "Yeah, transferred from the Journey Foundation to the Hollowst week!"

    "Good," the receptionist smiled, "then you''ll need to list your own personal information on this contract, as well as the name of the guild you wish to create, and the starting members. Fortunately, since you already have three founding members, you''ll be able to begin your guild functions as soon as you''re approved."

    "How long will it take to be approved?" He asked, tapping the pen against the wooden desk.

    "Approximately two-to-five days, but since you have a stygian-ranked adventurer in your guild, your form will take priority," Ayline informed him.

    Convenient, he thought.

    As he began to inscribe his information onto the contract, having to take his time as the symbols of the universalnguage of Gaia were still somewhat slow for him to process, he finalized his decision on the name of the guild.

    Finishing the form, he inscribed onto the nk slot asking for the desired name of the guild�C"diolus".

    Finishing up and giving the contract to the receptionist, he was prompted to pay the fee for forming the guild.

    "One-hundred crowns, please," Ayline asked.

    "Oh, alright, one second," he raised a finger, "Ars: Void Cab."

    A simple incantation; with it, he manifested a small, abyssal portal above the palm of his hand before a bag filled with coins dropped onto his glove. Fetching the coins, he paid the fee to the receptionist before she ventured to the back of the administration office, seemingly to begin the process of approving his form.

    Before he could turn to reunite with his twopanions, he was stopped by the sudden presence of someone standing beside him.

    "Woah, a ruby-rank, huh? You must be pretty strong," the stranger asked, peering at the insignia that hung from his ne.

    Taken aback by the presence of this person, he nced back at Sirius and Iris, who were indulging in the pastries set out by the staff.

    He looked directly at the man talking to him�Cwho stood a head shorter than himself, with fluffy, salt-and-pepper locks. Despite his youthful appearance, seeming younger than himself by a few years, he was dressed maturely in a baggy, dark coat reminiscent of something seen in a noir film.

    "My bad, I have a problem with sneaking up on people like that," the youthful, ck-eyed man smiled, extending his ck-gloved hand, "I''m Akshay, by the way, a silver-ranked adventurer."

 Chapter 477 - A New Base

    "My bad, I have a problem with sneaking up on people like that," the youthful, ck-eyed man smiled, extending his ck-gloved hand, "I''m Akshay, by the way, a silver-ranked adventurer."

    He was slender, almost malnourished by the thin, ck sleeves of his coat that clung to his arms, but he was truthfully anything but "youthful"--at least in his eyes; it was obvious to see the age that hung inside of his pitch-ck irises.

    He hesitated for a moment before epting his hand, shaking it lightly, "Ren�CI''m a ruby-rank, I guess you can see that, though," he chuckled, cing the ne back beneath his cor.

    What does this guy want? He thought, was he here when I came in?

    In fact, everything about the young man he looked at seemed unorthodox: his predominantly ck hair that bled with snow-white through half of it, his all-ck clothing, as if trying to obscure himself�Cand his pure, sable eyes that were devoid of much.

    "Sorry, but��did you need something?" He asked.

    Akshay looked at him for a moment, turning to the side as he looked at the reception desk, "..."diolus", that''s a beautiful name for a guild."

    Was he looking at my contract��? What''s up with this guy? He thought.

    The enigmatic, short-of-stature adolescent continued, "I''m in a bit of a pickle, you see: the guild I was a part of recently disbanded, and as a silver-rank, it''s a fiercepetition around here. So, I''m looking�C"

    "Not interested," he promptly shut him down.

    Akshay blinked a few times, staring nkly at him as he began to walk away, "You�Cwhat? I didn''t even finish!"

    "You want to join diolus, right?" He said, walking as Akshay followed behind him, "a silver-rank isn''t going to cut it, sorry."

    Hearing this, Akshay''s expression shifted to something peeved at the notion he made, stopping in ce.

    "Your guild isn''t going tost with a mindset like that, Ren," Akshay''s almost yful voice turned to something more deep, and serious.

    "Huh? What''re you talking about?" He stopped, looking back at the salt-and-pepper adventurer.

    For the first time, he noticed the dark bags that hung under Akshay''s eyes, holding many, sleepless nights that aided his general, disheveled appearance.

    "Guilds aren''t packed solely with high-ranked powerhouses�Cpeople who can swing a sword and bisect a dragon," Akshay told him, "a guild is a lot moreplex than that. There are many gears that need to be properly sought, and ced orderly."

    The ck-coat-wearing adolescent brought his hands out of his pockets, raising his ck gloves as if disying himself.

    "Take me for example: I can''t even use magic, and I''m about as strong as a prepubescent man. But, then, how did I even attain silver rank?" Akshay asked, answering it himself, "I''ll tell you why: because my job isn''t to fight, but to handle the more��cerebral aspects of guild management."

    Listening to the words of the peculiar man, he took them in, but kept his taut-self as he folded his arms across his chest, thinking for a moment.

    "Well, what is it you can do, exactly?" He asked.

    Akshay seemed pleased to have this question asked, returning his hands to the pockets of his dark coat, "Primarily, I''m a recruiter."

    "Recruiter? Like finding people to join the guild?"

    The adolescent nodded as his shaggy tufts bounced, "Correct. I''ve formed a host of connections through the Hollow Foundation over the years�Cwith me, I can assemble a lineup for your guild that will surely meet any expectations you have, if not surpass them."

    Years? This kid looks sixteen, at most, he thought.

    He stood for a moment, rubbing his chin in thought, though there wasn''t much thinking he had to do�Che was already sold.

    It''s like he read my mind. Sirius and Iris have been getting on me about recruiting, and I haven''t the darndest where to start. This is like divine intervention, almost, he thought.

    "I''ll have to talk to the others first," he told Akshay, "is that fine with you?"

    "Of course," Akshay nodded, "I wouldn''t want a guild leader who makes hasty decisions."

    Isn''t that what you wanted from me before? He thought with a sigh.

    Returning to Sirius and Iris, the former who was stuffing his mouth with colorful pastries, he sat between them at the circr table.

    "What''s up?" Sirius asked with his mouth full before swallowing.

    He answered, "Somebody is looking to join diolus already."

    "Is that who that guy was? Somebody trying to join?" Iris asked.

    Nodding slowly, he continued, "His own guild just disbanded recently, so he''s looking for one to join. I guess he noticed my ruby rank, and probably recognized Sirius, so he decided to shoot his shot."

    "And?" Sirius looked at him, "what''re you thinking?"

    "Well��he''s a silver-rank, but he told me he specializes in handling the other aspects of guilds, primarily functioning as a recruiter," he told the two, "I think that''s exactly what we need right now."

    He expected some more push back, but the two simply looked at him as if it wasn''t really much of a question.

    "So��? What''re you both thinking?" He asked.

    "I''ll trust your judgment," Sirius smiled, lounging back as he kicked his boots up onto the table.

    Not helpful, he thought.

    Iris added in, "...Personally, I think it''s worth giving him a try. Even if it doesn''t work out, you can always remove him from the guild," she paused for a moment, fiddling with her hair, "like he said��I''ll trust whatever choice you make."

    �CBefore his guild was even properly formed, he was faced with his first decision as its founder; tapping his foot against the marble flooring, he pondered it.

    Ah, hell��what choice do I have, really? He thought.

    After a few minutes, he approached the noir-esque adolescent of a light, golden-brownplexion, who was flipping a coin in the air.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Can you bring me ten members a week from now?" He asked, "not just some random sleazebags, I want real, promising members. They don''t have to be strong, like you said. If you see potential in them, I''ll trust your eye."

    "You''ve got it," Akshay nodded with a smile.

    He extended his hand, "Wee to diolus, Akshay."

    Akshay took on a genuine, excited smile as he epted his hand formally, "Thank you, Ren, really. You won''t regret this, and if you do�Cyou can kick my ass out of here, no hard feelings."

    Yeah, I don''t know how I could do that without feeling bad! He thought.

    Still, theplete look of genuine happiness on Akshay''s face was nothing he''d seen before�Cas if his simple eptance into the guild was a favor that meant the world to him.

    During the next few days, waiting for his application to form the guild to be epted, it finally came after wasting away in boredom.

    Another ride through the Bastion of Connection, meeting with Sirius, Iris, and Akshay at the location, led them to a specific section of the foundation given to diolus. Each of them brought their personal belongings from the Ounders'' section, though Sirius didn''t seem to bring much besides a small sack with him. On the other hand, Akshay brought absolutely nothing but himself.

    Ayline was waiting there, in front of the verdant doors with a set of keys in hand, presenting them to him as she left them in his hand.

    "Congrattions, Ren Nakamura, your guild ''diolus'' has been officially epted amongst the Hollow Foundation!" Ayline informed him.

    "Sweet!" He celebrated.

    Slung around his shoulder, Sirius shared in the celebration by messing up his snowy-white locks, while Akshay smiled to himself, remaining to himself in the corner of the room. Iris herself seemed more interested in what the section itself would look like, eyeing the keys he held.

    "We''re really starting off with our own section? I thought that was only for higher guilds," he asked the receptionist.

    Ayline answered, "Since the ranks of your founding members are high enough, your guild is beginning at rank ''B''."

    Whelp, I guess I have Sirius to mainly thank for that, he thought.

    Given the keys to the diolus sector of the foundation, he looked back at his three fellow members with a smile, "Ready?"

    �CIt was somewhat as expected.

    Simr to the Ounder sector, it had a cafeteria, though smaller, a set of rooms�Ca dozen, though minimal, he already was told it could be expanded if his guild reached the appropriate number of members. The main hall itself was the lounge room; already decorated withfortable furniture with a quest board stationed in the middle.

    To his surprise, there were already papers pinned to the board.

    "Hold up��they already left quests for us?" He asked wryly as he approached the quest board.

    Akshay answered as he sat on the arm of the burgundy-fluffy couch, "Of course. diolus is beginning as a ''B'' rank, so it''s not surprising they want to put us to work as soon as possible."

    "Problem is, it''s just us right now�Cno honeymoon period, eh?" He sighed.

    "And if you ignore quests, our rank will drop, and so will the privileges of our guild�Cso chop-chop," Sirius pped his hands in a yful manner.

    �CIt was further information that made him slump down on one of the sofas, huffing out as he watched Iris eye the quest board.

    "This one doesn''t seem so bad��" Iris said, taking one of the papers from the board.

    "What is it?" He asked, sitting up as he lifted himself from thefort of the cushions.

    "It just wants us to handle some fire slimes that''re attacking one of the nearby viges," Iris told him.

    Akshay added in, "That''ll do. For you guys, it''ll be a cinch�Cand getting it done efficiently will let the Hollow Foundation know you''re the real deal."

    He put his hand to his chin, "It''s a whole lot more nd than the quests we were doing in the Journey Foundation�CI mean, I got to fight a few wyverns, even, but I guess so, but hey��" He stopped, looking at Akshay, "You''re speaking as if you''re noting along," he raised an eyebrow.

    A nervousugh left Akshay''s lips as he smiled, patting him on the shoulder as he looked up at him, "I told you before, right? I''m useless in a fight. I''ll pray for your sess, though!"

    This guy, he thought.

    He watched as Akshay went to investigate the room of his own that was already assigned by the ones who opened the sector for their guild.

    Sirius began to make his leave as they discussed their ns for the quest, waving off as he approached the front doors.

    "Where are you going now?" He asked, stopping Sirius as he stayed at the table with Iris.

    "Ah," Sirius put on a faux smile, "I''ve got some errands to run. I just wanted toe check out the ce before heading out. It looks great so far, though! Have fun on that quest!"

    Stopping again, Sirius added one more thing, "Oh, right�CSora told me something."

    "Yeah��?" He looked at Sirius.

    Sirius smirked, "Beatrice is moving the Ounder sector next door to diolus."

    "Huh?!"

    �CBefore another word could be exchanged, Sirius promptly left the guild sector, leaving just him and Iris at the table with the quest between them.

    "Those new members can''t get here any faster, can they?" He sighed out.

    "It''s fine," she assured him, "we can handle a few slimes."

    "My dear wife, please��please��don''t jinx it," he pleaded weakly as heid his face down against the surface of the table.

    And so, as the sun beaded down on the infertile soil of Old Treyna, with swaying clouds amidst the air above them, the humble beginnings of diolus�Cbegan.

 Chapter 478 - Archard, The Lonely

    [Hollow Foundation, Floor Twenty-Six, "Marketce", Four Hours After The Conversation With Ren]

    Despite being in the habit of flowing money, and the trade of goods, he didn''t n to buy anything�Cat least, not what the vendors were selling.

    Strolling through the vast space, inhabited by dozens of pop-up shops run by merchantsing from across the world, he kept his eye on the customers, rather than the sellers.

    Let''s see, the marketce is usually flooded with adventurers in need of new equipment. Usually, higher end guilds tend to have this sort of thing sorted bymission, so the adventurers here are usually solo�Cwithout a guild, Akshay thought.

    He scoped the floor, scanning the array of established vendors as he watched the bustling marketce while adventurers of all sorts shopped around: humans, elves, dwarves, demi-humans--all were plentiful within the Hollow Foundation.

    It''s my best bet while I wait for the letters I sent out to reach "them". If those letters fail, this is my backup, he thought.

    Continuing to stroll for some time, what caught his eye was a youthful, burgundy-haired adventurer who was holding a new sword in his hands, being haggled by the tubby merchant.

    "I don''t know��five crowns is kind of steep," the inexperienced adventurer muttered, looking at the de.

    The merchant quickly dissuaded his words, "No, no�Cyou see, this is a special sword�Cenchanted by mages of Audracia! Don''t you see those ruby gemstones? Those can only be found in a single mine, tucked away on the Otherside!"

    Watching the inexperienced adventurer, wearing nothing but light, leather armor over his beige garments, Akshay moved over, grabbing the sword for himself as he inspected it.

    "Hey�C!" The merchant gasped in protest.

    "Let''s see��" Akshay smiled, running the fingertips of his sable gloves over the inscribed silver steel, "there''s no traces of dormant magic in this."

    As the merchant gasped at Akshay''s words, the young, bright-eyed adventurer seemed confused, "What''s that mean?"

    "This hunk of junk isn''t enchanted, that''s what," Akshay told him, setting the sword back down on the mat filled with other weapons.

    The offended merchant huffed out, moving his jewelry-wearing hands in the air in protest, "Who the hell are you anyway, runt?! What makes you an authority on my merchandise?!"

    Akshay answered, raising his left glove, "This. A real enchanted item."

    After being promptly shut down, the two left from the exposed merchant''s shop, though the youthful adventurer seemed curious about the identity of the man who saved him from getting scammed.

    "Thanks for that," the youthful, messy-haired young man said, rubbing his own head, "I''m Ajax, by the way!"

    Akshay epted the hand extended to him, "Akshay. And no problem; those types of guys are a real gue on the Hollow Foundation. They think just because they''re the only merchants within the region, they can take advantage of us. Serves them, huh?"

    "Right��" Ajax chuckled wryly, "If you don''t mind me asking, what rank are you?"

    They both stopped as Akshay stared at him for a moment�Cthe silence made the youthful man quickly wave his hands in the air as if rejecting his own words.

    "It''s alright if you don''t want to answer! Just curious, is all��you seem pretty knowledgeable," Ajax assured.

    Akshay smiled, "I don''t mind. I''m silver, second ss."

    "Woah, silver? That''s pretty amazing, isn''t it? I just startedst week, so I''m bronze, first ss," Ajax nervously ruffled his hair as he chuckled.

    "It''s not much," Akshay brushed hispliment off, changing the subject, "why''re you looking for a sword around here, anyway? You''d be better off buying a used de from an adventurer."

    Ajax averted his gaze a bit, scratching his cheek nervously as he chuckled, "Well, you see��a slime sorta ate the sword I had. I didn''t realize hitting it with a normal de would have no effect�Cso I was looking for a special sword to handle slimes."

    A small sigh escaped his lips as he listened to the newbie adventurer''s story beforeughing a bit, in which Ajax shared with augh of his own.

    "A slime? Give me a break," Akshay smiled.

    "Hey, don''t underestimate those fiends! They''re a real threat," Ajax defended himself.

    Akshay sighed, "Anyway, I''m off. Don''t let yourself get tricked by those greasy merchants, alright?"

    The youthful adventurer nodded with a bright smile, "Sure thing!"

    Good grief, is this what I''m working with around here today? He sighed to himself, continuing to explore the marketce.

    What his eyes were scanning for were visible insignias; it was the most efficient way of sifting candidates for the guild. Though in the marketce, and due to the nature of the ranking system, it was difficult to find anyone above even gold, at least those who bore their insignia openly.

    ��At those rates, those letters might be my only hope, he thought, I already have the specialists figured out, but I''d like to find morebat experts.

    �CAs quick as that thought came, it vanished as heid eyes on a familiar figure, though not one he knew personally.

    A man dressed in standard, somewhat worn, silver armor, decorated with tattered, dulled scarves of crimson fabric.

    Archard, "The Knight of ck Wool", they call him. It''s not an epithet earned by glory or strength, but rather a besmirched title used by other adventurers as a sort of warning to others�Ca warning to keep him out of your guild, or parties, for that matter, he thought, apparently it started a couple decades ago after his entire guild was wiped out on a phantasm-rank quest. Then, again. And, again. Eventually, those tragic urrences became assumed to be a pattern of his presence.

    Akshay watched as the silver-d adventurer,pletely obscured his appearance beneath the metallic ting, as he seemed to be stocking up on items to clean and sharpen his des, as well as fix his armor.

    I don''t believe in bullshit like that, though. I saw his records before�Che''s a gold first ss, but that''s only because he''s held back by the system in ce. As per his title, he''s a ck sheep.

    Experience like that? Let alone his fighting capabilities and knowledge�Che''ll be an invaluable member, he thought.

    Letting fate decide his decision, he flipped his lucky, gold coin, allowing it tond on the back of his ck glove before revealing the result to his eyes.

    He smiled to himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looks like diolus is going to stir up a storm of its own, he thought.

    "Archard, right?" Akshay said, approaching the man dressed in abundant armor.

    The armor-d man turned to him, not speaking as he only nodded silently as the many joints of his armor clinked.

    "I''m�C"

    "I know who you are," Archard told him, paying for the minuscule gemstones he held as he handed the coins to the merchant.

    "Then you know why I''m here then, right?" Akshay asked.

    Archard peered at him through the shadows of the minimal space of the visor in his helm, "I do. And, I''m not interested."

    He stood there for a moment, taken aback by the abrupt, almost abrasive rejection of his unspoken offer by the man he assumed would be ecstatic at the opportunity.

    Archard had already begun marching off to another vendor, stuffing his pouch of coins onto his belt as he caught up to him.

    "Hold on�Cyou didn''t let me exin," Akshay walked alongside him.

    "Don''t need to. I know what you want," Archard promptly responded, his voice altered by the acoustics of his helm.

    "Then��you don''t want to join a guild?" Akshay asked.

    Being mentioned outwardly now, Archard came to a pause at those words, though he seemed to ponder this, it was impossible for him to gather any inclinations from the armor-dressed man as his expressions were hidden by steel.

    They came to a stop at the backend of the market, away from the bustling array of adventurers�Cthough the constant air of the many voices was impossible to hide from.

    "You''ve heard the tales of me?"

    "The rumors, yeah," Akshay replied.

    "No, they''re true�Cwhat they say about me," Archard told him with a somber, muffled voice, "what other exnation could there be for why I am alone here today? Why should an old fool like me outlive young, aspiring adventurers, with entire lives and dreams ahead of them? Such abnormalities have an exnation: I am cursed."

    The words spilling from Archard''s lips seemed toe out in a tremble towards the end as the man clenched his gauntlets shut, quenching the steel in his palms.

    After a moment, Akshay let out a sigh, "If you''re worried that being in this guild will lead it to ruin, you don''t have to worry about that."

    Archard turned to him, "What makes you so sure of that?"

    "Well, this guild happens to be chock full of crazy strong people. Three Ounders, to be exact. One of them being Sirius Federov, the "Uncrowned Celestial", himself. The leader himself is an interesting guy�CI did some research on him, myself. He�Cand the co-founder, his wife, actually�Covercame Purgatory," Akshay told him with a smile, recounting the information as he waved his finger through the air.

    The veteran adventurer was left speechless, "...Sirius Federov, and two who surmounted Purgatory?"

    "See what I mean? A little curse isn''t going to do in a band of folk like this," Akshay assured him, "the only problem is, they need people with experience, expertise, and wisdom. Archard, I think that can be you. What do you say?"

    The steel-d, experienced adventurer, who towered over him, pondered for a moment in silence as his crimson scarf hung down to his waist.

    "I can''t let any others die because of my own existence," Archard forced out from his lips, "I''m sorry, but��I cannot."

    Just as the weathered adventurer turned around, he was stopped by an utterance from the ck-and-white haired recruiter.

    "...I understand how you feel."

    "How could you?" Archard asked, facing away from him.

    "I might not look it, but I''ve been alive a whole lot longer than you," Akshay told him, "I''m weak. I can''t use magic. I can''t even properly swing a de without falling face-first into the mud. Due to that, I was helpless. All I could do was watch as they ughtered my guildmates. I wasn''t even strong enough to look away�Cthey didn''t allow me even that respite.

    Archard slowly turned to face him, "...Why''re you telling me this?"

    A smile so small, inhabiting such mncholy took form on his lips as all he could do was shrug his shoulders.

    "I guess I just want to help a kindred spirit out is all," Akshay answered, running his fingers through his mix-colored hair, "I know how painful a path of loneliness can be�Cand not just loneliness, but solitude forged by the fear of others. If I can free somebody from that path, well, I''ll be happy with just that."

    "..." Archard remained silent.

    Akshay flipped his coin between his fingers before letting out a small breath, turning around, "It''s fine if you don''t want to join. It was worth a shot, anyway."

    "Hold."

    "Mm?" Akshay stopped, looking back at the veteran knight.

    Archard remained still for a passing moment before speaking out, "...I suppose if you trust this guild that much, I can believe in that trust."

    A smile perched across his lips, "Is that so?"

    "Just tell me," Archard asked, "what is the name of this guild that''s so special to you?"

    "diolus."

 Chapter 479 - Black Mission

    "It''s rare to be summoned by the Hollow Council itself, I''m honored," Sirius yfully bowed, "I thought only celestial-ranks had that honor."

    Though his sarcastic words had little impact on the stern-faced men who sat around the enigmatic, almost mythical table.

    It was difficult to see most of the anomalous council members as the shadows obscured their appearances; not by ident, either. Even though he was a guest, he had to stand at the bottom of the steps that led to their distinguished table.

    "You''re a stygian rank only in an official capacity, Sirius," one of the men answered tautly, "in all but title, you''re a celestial."

    "Enough of this childish y, Federov," another council member spoke more sternly, with a voice as deep as an abyssal chasm.

    "Yes, this is an important matter," a member with lengthy, well-kempt silver locks spoke, "--one that greatly concerns you, and the Ounders."

    Sirius'' quips stopped there, just as his frivolous smile as he knew well what the councilmen meant.

    Stationed around the secretive chamber were the ck Hand�Cthe sentinels of the Hollow Foundation, who stood so statuesque they at times appeared lifeless.

    "Well, if you don''t mind, can we get to the point then?" He told them, "I''ve got a doting brother I''d like to return to�Cpronto."

    He could hardly see their shadow-cast expressions, but he could tell the looks he was given were sharp, andcking patience. But, that''s the reaction he looked for.

    "Asckadaisical as ever I see, Federov��" One of the men stated.

    "This is why your promotion to celestial has been dragged through the mud�Cthat attitude," another added.

    Sirius sighed out abrasively, "Yeah, yeah, I don''t give a crap. Just get on with it. Who do you need me to kill?"

    Of course, I already know why I''m here. The only reason the Hollow Council summons anybody is for "ck quests"--ssified, off-the-record missions. They''re not exclusively tied to murder, but well, it''s easy to understand what most "off-the-record" missions would entail, he thought.

    "Come now, we''re asking a favor of sirius�Cit is our job to disy courtesy, not his," a familiar, entric voice spoke, belonging to Ferstaus, though Sirius couldn''t exactly see him.

    "In any case, you''re perceptive, Federov," the deep-voiced councilman spoke, "this is a task of killing. However, you will not be alone on this job."

    As soon as this was said, a figure stepped from the shadows of the nebulous councilroom, as if detaching from the darkness itself.

    "Of course," he muttered under his breath.

    It was somebody he knew�Cfor better or worse. Dressed in sleek, flexible ck, most of which was obscured by a fur-lined, chainmail-infused cloak of tangerine fabric, the woman didn''t so much as meet her gaze with her cat-like golds.

    "Emilia Von Straussen," the centermost councilman spoke through his hoarse voice, "though I''m sure you''re both well-acquainted by now."

    He scrunched his expression, "Yeah. Yeah, you can say that."

    "I''m not any happier about this than you are, Sirius�Ctrust me," Emilia told him, folding her arms across her chest as her amber ponytail swayed behind her back.

    In response, he yfully stuck his tongue out, to which his colleague didn''t see as he waited to do it as she turned away.

    "We''re aware of your shing personalities, but in the past, you two have made a formidable duo in ck Quests," a booming councilman spoke from atop the elevated roundtable, "as such, we''ve divided your roles in this mission."

    "I think it''s about time you tell us what this mission is, anyway," Sirius said.

    Emilia added, "Hate to say it, but I agree with him."<novelnext></novelnext>

    A moment of silence upied the round table as they whispered inaudible utterances between one another in secrecy before returning their attention to the two adventurers.

    "One of our informants has gathered that Jonathan Briswall, a highly-powerful merchant operating out of Mastorn, will be arriving in the capital of Gallvania five days from now. He ns to enter a partnership with the weapon dealers of Gallvania�Cthat can not happen. This is also the first time in years his movements have been leaked�Can attempt as his life has failed before. Failure again cannot be tolerated."

    "I get it, but is that really it?" Sirius asked.

    "No," another councilman answered for him, "As you''re unaware, Briswall is the leading supplier of resources to the Argonauts�Cweapons, food, and general supplies. I am sure you can deduce what his sudden urge to expand his supply is led by."

    "The Argonauts are making their move," He muttered.

    "Correct," the councilman continued, "to add to that: Briswall will be specially escorted by two Argonauts."

    "Who?" Emilia asked.

    No answer came for a moment as the council spoke between themselves for a minute.

    "That information, we do not have," the hoarse-voiced man answered, "however, that is not your concern, Miss Emilia. That is where your two, separate rolese in: Sirius will handle the Argonauts, and Miss Emilia will execute Briswall�Call while no eyes witness his assassination."

    Finally hearing the true nature of the ck Mission, the two stygian-ranks looked at one another before turning their gazes back up to the council table.

    That''s what they meant by important to me, is it? Well, they''re right�CI''ve been itching to rid this world of some Argonauts, he thought.

    "Do you know exactly where Briswall will be heading to on the day of his arrival?" Emilia asked.

    "All we can presume is he is likely to head to the Merchant''s Guild in the capital, but we chose you to undertake this mission because gathering such information falls under your expertise, Miss Emilia."

    "Figures," she sighed, muttering to herself.

    It was the usual for a "ck Quest": they were given sparse information to start with, but for him�Che somewhat preferred it that way.

    For the Hollow Council, the minimal information is sort of their way of telling us "Get it done, we don''t care how"--essentially, I can go about this however I want��and hopefully, not have to y nice with Emilia all too much, he thought.

    "So, is that it? Just handle some Argonauts and a sleazy merchant five days from now?" Sirius asked without much tact.

    "Handle this with more significance, Federov," one councilman spoke from the shadows, "this mission is paramount to damaging the integrity of the Argonauts, and furthermore, Mastorn. If this partnership between Mastorn and Gallvania should be made, it is likely a foundation of Argonauts will be established in Gallvania. I am sure that is enough to motivate even you."

    "Right by our doorstep, huh? Don''t worry, Gramps, I''ve got it," Sirius began to take his leave, waving off.

    He was quick to find his out from the suffocating atmosphere of the anomalous councilroom as Emilia followed behind him.

    "Are we doing this the usual way?" He asked without looking back at the women who marched behind him down the stygian corridor.

    Emilia answered, "Of course. You handle your end, I handle mine. Nothing less, nothing more."

    "d to hear it," Sirius yawned out, shoving his hands into his pockets.

    As soon as he walked away, his rxed expression turned serious.

    So, they''re trying to expand the Argonauts'' reach into Gallvania? Right beside Old Treyna��and if we kill off their supplier, then they likely won''t be able to sustain an operation like that.. Forget the quest, this is something I''d need to handle anyway, he thought.

 Chapter 480 - Stretch Of Dry

    [Old Treyna, Hollow Foundation Outskirts �C "Stretch of Dry", Later That Day]

    "The Stretch of Dry"��an infamous region of Old Treyna, infertile as the soil is barren of life and moisture.

    In the midst of the summer, it reaches heights of heat that cause death to any unprepared, unsuspecting people within a day.

    Such and, holds little respite��as you can see:

    "Nobody told me this ce had this�C!" He yelled out.

    "I thought I told you�Cor Mother did!" Iris yelled in return, running alongside him, "Old Treyna is infamous for its abnormal environment!"

    Behind them, as they sprinted over the lifeless, cracked soil that made up the outskirts of the foundation, a towering wave of mud loomed over them.

    "I didn''t hear squat!"

    ncing behind him, the ming, bulbous slimes squealed as they were caught in the jaws of the tsunami of sludge as it burrowed through the soil.

    How did a slime-hunting quest turn into this?! He thought.

    "I knew you were going to jinx it�C!" He shouted.

    �CAll he could recall for being the source of the unorthodox natural terror was the pond of mud he and his partner passed by on their way to the nest of the fiery slimes.

    Up ahead, he could see the vige in the distance, inhabiting a small patch of silver grass that seemed to act as a border between the desert-like biome and the ins of Old Treyna.

    "Ren, at this rate��" Iris noticed the same thing as him as she looked back, then forward.

    "I know��" He muttered, "it''s heading right for the ins��that''ll affect the vige over there."

    They both came to a stop in unison, facing the colossal wave of mud as it left a trail of sludge in its path.

    After sprinting for ten minutes away from the wave, he worked up a swear, only due to the doting sun up above.

    "Iris!"

    "I''ve got it!" She shouted in response, "Hyperion: Bound Gate!"

    �CIntercepting the path of the monstrous wave came a wall of reinforced light, taking on a physical form as it solidified, stopping the wave in its path.

    Even so, it continued to press against the barrier with an immense weight. Naturally, the weight of the storm of mud, backed by its aggressive push, had to be innumerable. It was enough so that as it was held there by the wall temporarily, it casted a shadow over the surrounding area, blocking even the clingy rays of the sun up above the clouds.

    "I can''t hold it for long, Ren��!" She grunted.

    "That''s fine�Cjust keep it right there for a bit longer," he told her, holding his hand forward.

    I don''t really like this, but I guess it''s my only option for something like this, he thought.

    "Araphel: Void Cab!"

    Just as the barrier was released, he manifested an abyssal portal that siphoned the horde of mud into its interdimensional depths.

    I''ve never stored this much before�Cand it''s going to be a mess! He thought.

    "Ah�C" He let out in surprise, noticing apse in his judgment.

    �CSucked into his dimensional locker, the fiery slimes were tucked away in the space alongside the vast, hungering wave of sludge before being stowed away.

    "That''s not good��how am I going to sift those out alongside all that mudter?" He questioned, rubbing the back of his head.

    "It''s better than worrying about the vige, isn''t it?" She smiled.

    "Yeah, yeah," he sighed out with a returned smile.

    In the distance, he waved to a few adventurers who were partaking in their own quest, who were also escaping from the mud wave. By the looks of them, they were newbies�Cseeming simultaneously ecstatic to be saved from the mud-fall and frightened by the encounter with the abnormal terrain.

    "Guess that could''ve gone worse," he muttered.

    "Right?" Iris smiled.

    Moving onwards, their job wasn''t finished yet; a herd of red-bodied slimes continued to bounce towards the vige, leaving trails of mes in their wake.

    Trudging through the barren region of Old Treyna, the soil cracked and split beneath each step with little foliage to be seen�Cand even less being alive.

    "I''ve been wondering something," he said curiously.

    "Hm?"

    "What''s with the clean split between the desert section of Old Treyna, and the ins? It''s night and day between the two, yet they''re so close to one another," he asked, kicking a pebble that split apart.

    Iris ced her hands behind her back as she walked alongside him, "I believe what Mother told me was that the "Stretch of Dry" used to have a flourishing city that was quickly expanding into a formidable kingdom."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Really?" He said, looking around, "hard to see that now."

    Iris nodded, "But, ording to legend, a strange man passed through one day�Call he asked for was a cup of mead at a local tavern. His order wasn''t declined, but they were out of mead just then�Cit was a densely popted city, after all."

    "And?" He looked at her, interested in hearing more.

    "That man turned out to be the Demon Lord, Ashten," Iris looked at him, "in a fit of rage, his anger alone swallowed the surroundingnd, eradicating every piece of life��It''s said that after that, nature was too frightened to resurface in thisnd."

    He sighed out, shaking his head, "Talk about anger issues."

    After walking for a minute more, he thought her words over again before finding a sudden, pressing question.

    "Wait," he looked at her, "did you say "Demon Lord"--is that what you said?"

    "That''s right," she nodded, looking curiously at him with her oceanic eyes.

    "...That actually exists in this world, too? I thought Adide was pulling my leg all this time��" He muttered.

    "Who''s Adide?"

    "Oh, uh�Cnobody," he quickly answered, coughing into his fist, "I''ve never heard of this Demon Lord guy�Cshouldn''t he, like, be a big deal or something?"

    Iris put her finger to her chin as her wedding ring glistened beneath the ever-present rays of the beading sun.

    "Not really," she answered with a surprising response.

    "Hold on, but you just said he wiped out an entire city just from a tantrum! This guy sounds like a menace," he put his hands to his sides.

    Irisughed a bit, keeping her hands held behind her back once more, "Ren, that was centuries ago. The demon continent is on the other side of the world, and they don''t really seek contact with this continent anymore."

    "Why''s that? The demons I''m familiar with tend to have it out for humans, big time," he looked at her.

    "There you go again��this world is a lot different than Earth, you know?" Iris smiled at him, twirling the magical staff between her fingers, "the demons are peaceful nowadays; in fact, I''ve heard they''re weing to foreigners�Cbut it''s their continent itself that''s the real danger."

    "You sure do know a lot about this world, don''t you?" He looked at her, cing his hand atop her head.

    Iris held a proud smile, "I''ve been here practically my whole life. Besides, it''s a wonderful world, don''t you think? There''s so much we still don''t know about it."

    He looked up towards the azure sky, letting out a small breath, "Yeah, but maybe there''s too much we don''t know," he returned his gaze to her with a smile, "on that note, there''s still a lot I have to teach you about Earth, you know?"

    "Yeah," she nodded with a warmth to her smile.

    ��I''ll never regret it: marrying her. Even since the day Iid my eyes on it�Cthat smile hasn''t dulled in the slightest to my eyes. Each time I''m met with it, my heart skips a beat as if a shining array of voltage traverses my body, he thought.

    "You know��" He mumbled.

    "Mm?" Iris looked at him as her azure locks cascaded down her slender shoulders.

    "I love you�Clike, a freakin'' lot," he mumbled again, folding his arms across his chest.

    Iris teased him, leaning closer as they walked together, "What was that? I didn''t hear you."

    "You want to y that way, huh?" He muttered to himself before taking in a breath, "I said I love you, you dolt!"

    As he proimed his love out loud, letting his voice be carried through the barren outskirts, they both paused with a blush as they both remembered the passing adventurers from earlier.

    He cleared his throat, averting his gaze, "Got that?''

    "I think I heard you that time," sheughed a bit, "I love you too, Ren."

    It was a longer hike than they realized, though it was nothing they weren''t used to�Cas long as the vige was in sight, a hike was fine.

    "How do you think the others are doing? Macheo, Aiko, and them, I mean��" Iris watched the sparse clouds move.

    "Knowing that bunch�Cperfectly well," he answered with a smile, "they all have their own ambitions, and they''re strong��so I bet they''re doing just fine in reaching whatever goals are in front of them."

    "Yeah, you''re probably right��" Iris smiled before it faded a bit, looking up at him, "...How''s your eye?"

    Asked this, he gently brushed his fingertips across the eye patch, putting on a smile, "Better. It hasn''t been hurting as muchtely."

    "That''s good."

    "Yeah."

    As their conversation drifted to an end, it was brought upon by them reaching the herd of fiery slimes atst, having to watch their step as not to walk over the trails of mes.

    "They''re close to the border," he said, drawing his de, "--if they touch even a single de of grass, we''re not getting paid."

 Chapter 481 - Settling In

    "They''re close to the border," he said, drawing his de, "--if they touch even a single de of grass, we''re not getting paid."

    "They won''t," Iris responded confidently before gathering her breath, holding her staff outwards, "Hyperion: Bound Gate!"

    Once more, her words gave rise to a barrier of light that stood at the border of the ins and barren wastnd, kicking up a cloud of dust in its awakening, preventing the group of fire-formed slimes from pushing further.

    As they bounced off of the wall of light, their attention shifted to the adventurers behind.

    "That''s right," he smiled, "eyes on me."

    They aren''t exactly dangerous, in the conventional sense, that is. However, what most people don''t know�Cand what leads to fire slimes being one of the most lethal of their species�Cis that they explode after being killed, he thought.

    Without stepping a single stride further, he flipped his de between his fingers before swiping it a few times in what looked like a singr motion.

    �COne.

    �CTwo.

    �CThree.

    �CFour.

    �CFive.

    Not a word had to be spoken, not for the spell he had mastered over the passing years.

    Propelling forth, cuts of condensed darkness cut through the ming slimes, resulting in a chain explosion that was quickly contained by another barrier by Iris, keeping the vtile reach within the bounds of light.

    "Nice!"

    Withdrawing the quest paper from his pocket, the magical parchment was inscribed with a mark of confirmation for the quest beingplete. It was an enchantment put on each quest that recognized thepletion of the task�Cthough it was an automatic process, foundation receptionists tended to monitor the process as well.

    "I guess the real issue was this weather��" He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he looked up at the sun.

    "That just means the bath will be that much more relieving," Iris told him, turning back, "let''s head home."

    Is she offering to bathe with me��? No, no��I don''t think we''re quite there yet, Ren, he thought.

    "Hopefully Akshay made some progress on his recruitment," he muttered as they began walking together, "still��I''m d we got this done."

    "I told you we''d be fine!" Iris smiled in return, meeting him halfway for a high-five.

    And again, she jinxed us, he thought.

    �CSurfacing from the lifeless, cracked soil, what rose from the depths of the barrennd wasn''t a squishy, bulbous slime, but something much more troublesome.

    It was a leviathan of an arachnid; armored by a steel-like, ck-and-red exoskeleton as it disyed two, forefront pincers and a curled tail that bore a fearsome stinger at its end.

    "A scorpion��?!" He yelled out, raising his arm to block the pelting sand.

    "That''s a "Death-Stinger Predator"! Watch out for that stinger, Ren�Cit''s poisonous!" She warned.

    After a long day, having ventured into the heat of the Stretch, the two returned to the Hollow Foundation, and subsequently, to their guild sector.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Phew��" He flopped down on the couch.

    Iris frowned a bit, "You shouldn''ty on the couch right after a mission��go take a bath first."

    Though he wanted to contest her words as the embrace of the cushions below was far tooforting, he begrudgingly hopped back to his feet as he made his way to the bathing quarters of the sector.

    Unfortunately, not that it was an issue with just four members at the moment, their own rooms didn''te with private bathrooms�Cwhich meant there were two to be shared.

    Unlike the lobby of the guild''s sector, the bathhouse was inhabited by light tiles of quartz, giving the ce of cleanliness a pure atmosphere.

    ? I guess it''s one of those things that once that bes a problem, I''ll already be doing well, right? He thought.

    Stripping hisyers of garment, he removed his heavy, sweat-d, ck armor as the bath filled itself with water of just the right heat.

    Even in a different world, sinking into the warmth of a bath was one of the greatestforts that existed; just as heid in the heated water, the impurities that clung to his skin were washed away.

    Though as he ran soap over his calloused skin, he was reminded of the scars that were etched into his body; mementos of a time he doesn''t know if he wants to remember or not.

    Running his fingers across his neck lightly, he traced the scar of his once maimed throat, looking down at the bathwater in somber.

    In the silence inhabiting the bathhouse, those fragments of memories were able to y in his mind; the sounds of it all; the sh of steel, the squelching of flesh beneath de and fist, and his own, agonized cries.

    �CBut, it couldn''t reach him.

    It was when looking at the glisten of the golden, inscribed ring on his hand that the momentary anguish was swept from his expression, reced with a small smile.

    Even after all of this time, you won''t let me rest for a second will you, Purgatory? He thought.

    "Sheesh��" He muttered, rxing in the bathtub as he looked up at the quartz ceiling that held an illuminated rune for light.

    After getting out of the bath and drying off, having soothed his body in the purifying water for half an hour, he threw on afortable, gray tunic, and matching, baggy pants as he carried his armor and primary garments to his room.

    Sitting on the already made, king-sized bed that was covered with fluffy, silver nkets, Iris was storing her possessions into the drawer.

    Shifting from the norm of the foundation, the bedrooms wereden with ayer of gray, tender carpet withvish, wood drawers already set up alongside a few paintings being in ce.

    Though there were windows stationed around the sector, there wasn''t much of a jaw-dropping view outside, overlooking the barren, but simultaneously flourishingnd.

    "I already put your things away for you," Iris told him with a smile.

    He looked at her for a moment, plopping his armor down beside the bed as he still had a towel on his moist, white locks, "Oh. Thanks."

    After flopping his body down onto the bed, he sank into itsfort as he immediately closed his eyes.

    "That small-time quest really pooped me out," he said tiredly, "this past month has made me rusty."

    Irisughed, "Well, Mr. Guild leader, you''ll have a lot of work to do from now on, so I wouldn''t worry about staying rusty."

    "....Don''t remind me," he sighed.

 Chapter 482 - Breakfast At Gladiolus

    After finishing putting away all of her belongings into the closet and drawer, she left him in the room by himself as she took her turn using the bath.

    A few minutes passed as heid alone in the bed, trying to get some rest, though her words stuck with him.

    Crap. I can''t let myself get rusty, he thought.

    Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his de and scabbard, unsheathing his steel as he began practicing fundamental sword swings.

    He had no problem with the sword skills ingrained into the fibers of his body, but rather, he wanted to wake his body up to its usual endurance levels.

    After years of being apanied by Belus, holding it between his fingers felt more natural than without; swinging it like this, in thefort of his own home, was soothing in itself. If there was one aspect of himself he could trust, it was his partnership with his sword; one forged by focus andmitment.

    "Swoo."

    Each swing he carved through the air, using the free space of the rather sizable room afforded to the founder of the guild, he let out a swift, sharp breath to bolster his energy, entuating his movements.

    �CKnock.

    The sudden, light tap on the door jamb to his room brought him to a stop as he looked up to see Akshay standing in the doorway, holding up a bundle of papers.

    "Looks like the quest went off without a hitch," Akshay said, stepping into the room.

    He stopped, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he bent over to retrieve the crumbled paper from the pocket of his cloak, handing it to Akshay, "Yeah, about that: I''ll leave it up to you to report to the receptionist for turning in our quests."

    "Urr, okay��no problem, fair enough, I suppose," Akshay epted wryly, pocketing the proof ofpletion as he handed the papers he held to him.

    "What''s this?" He asked, looking down at the batch of papers.

    "Potential recruits," Akshay informed him with a smile, "--and not just people I''ve got my eye on, don''t worry. These are people who''ve already agreed to join, if you ept them, that is."

    He sat down on the side of the bed, returning the de he held to its rightful scabbard as his eyes were sat on the papers.

    "Wow, you found quite a few, didn''t you?" He muttered, impressed, "I asked for ten, and you brought me��well, a lot more than that."

    "I took into ount your own preferences," Akshay replied, "not that I know them, but, I imagine this gives you enough room to be just a bit picky."

    "I see," he smiled, returning his gaze to the multi-colored hair member as he set the papers on the stand by his bed, "I''ll give them a look tonight. Thanks, Akshay."

    Akshay seemed taken aback for a moment, as if not used to such utterances of gratitude, "...Of course," he smiled.

    After the recruiter of the guild took his leave, it wasn''t long after that Iris returned from her bath, returning in a simple, but elegant nightgown.

    By now, he''d seen it dozens of times, but it never lost its beauty in the slightest. Even the usually meek woman found herselffortable with him seeing her in her nighttime garments as she dried her wet, azure locks with the towel.

    "Looks like you''ve discovered the greatness of this ce''s bath," he jokingly said with a smile.

    Irisughed softly, "Yeah, maybe. It was nice, I''ll admit."

    After sitting herself down on thevish bed, her eyes moved towards the batch of papers set on the stand on the other side.

    "What''re those?"

    "Potential new members," he answered with a smile, grabbing the papers as heid in the bed beside her, "Akshay acquired all of these."

    "Really? These are all people willing to join diolus?" She asked, taking a few papers.

    He nodded, "I thought we could look them over tonight, then get a second opinion from Sirius tomorrow."

    "That sounds good," Iris smiled.

    "Alright, then, let''s see��" He said as he read over the current paper he held.

    ��Though they nned to look through each and every adventurer file, it wasn''t long before they both fell to slumber from thebined aspects of their exhaustion and thefortable bed.

    "Achoo��!"

    He woke up with a sudden sneeze, finding himself already sitting up as he sat there, blinking for a moment as he adjusted.

    Through the windows, the orange rays of warm sunlight seeped through as if coaxing him out of slumber.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Looking to the side, Iris seemed to have woken up before him, though that wasn''t surprising to him considering it looked to be noon already.

    "...Damn, I really sleep in, huh?" He muttered groggily as he yawned out, ruffling his own locks.

    After slipping out of bed, he lumbered through the main hall of diolus, being guided by the morning fragrance of fresh-and-hot breakfast, trailing from the cafeteria.

    "Good mornin''," he called out sleepily as he entered the cafeteria.

    Already seated at one of the tables, Iris was sitting with a te of eggs, ham, and bread that wasden with some sort of jelly.

    Akshay was lounged at one of the other four tables, opting to each a sugar-coated pastry, to his surprise.

    "Morning," Iris greeted him with a smile, having some jelly on the corner of her mouth.

    He sat himself down across from her, still in the process of fully waking up as a te was set directly in front of him a moment after.

    "...?" He looked at the te before looking up at who served it.

    To his surprise, it was Sirius who served it to him, wearing an apron over his standard, militaristic uniform with a smile.

    "You made this��?" He asked, looking at the delicious-seeming dish.

    It was a bowl of wheat, carrying a sweet fragrance from the berries mixed in with the warm, fluffy dish.

    "It''s "Buckwheat Porridge", or at least, that''s what it''s supposed to be. I just used whichever wheat was stored back there," Sirius told him, sitting beside him with his back to the edge of the table.

    After looking at it for a moment, his tiredness was swept away by the warm air that lifted from the fresh porridge.

    "He spent the morning making breakfast for everyone," Iris told him, wiping the jelly from her mouth.

    "Really?" He said, turning his gaze to the lounging, magenta-eyed man, "what''s the asion?"

    "Is that a question?" Siriusughed, "diolus�Cthat''s the asion."

    After noticing the look Sirius gave him as if waiting for him to try the dish, he delved his spoon into the soft, cinnamon-scented porridge before bringing a taste to his tongue.

    It met his tongue with a texture resembling cream, yet it had a slight crunch added to its texture, courtesy of the juicy berries.

    "...This is pretty good!" Hemented after swallowing the spoonful.

    Sirius smiled as if expecting such an answer, though he seemed genuinely pleased, "Isn''t it? Porridge was practically the regional food of my vige."

    "Really? I''d expect you to not be very fond of it if you ate it that much," he said, continuing to chow down.

    "Well, I can''t deny that," Siriusughed, "that''s why I''m not the one eating it."

    After a few minutes, Akshay made his way over to the table, cing himself down, "Did you look over the recruits?"

    Just finishing his breakfast, he replied, "...Well, most of them."

    "Recruits?" Sirius asked."

    He nodded, "Akshay found a lot of potential members. I was going to go over them with you, too."

    Sirius raised an eyebrow, leading to all of them meeting in the main hall of the guild with all of the adventurer files ced on the center table.

    "How many people are you looking to have, anyway?" Sirius asked, overlooking one of the forms he held up to his eyes.

    He thought about it for a moment, but the answer was clear, "I''m not all that interested in running some sort of "mega-guild", no thank you. I''d say a tight-knit group of ten or so members would be good."

    Akshay added in, "I didn''t add them into the pile, but a couple of adventurers I reached out to specialize in other fields�Csort of like me. One of them has connections to the Merchant''s Guild; she''ll be invaluable to us, and she isn''t a half-bad mage, either."

    "Right, that''s what you meant before. I''ll trust that to you, then," he answered, "is that alright?"

    For a moment, Akshay seemed surprised at his trust, but smiled in assurance, "Leave it to me."

 Chapter 483 - Challenger Of The Leader

    They sat around the table, exchanging and going through each file as they surveyed the adventurers with the most potential for the guild.

    "I''ve been meaning to ask��how do we go about this anyway? I mean, recruiting these people," he asked, "do we just inform them they''re epted and��wah?"

    "What do you mean?" Akshay looked at him.

    "I just think there should be an intermediate process, you know? Like an interview," he said, keeping his hand to his chin.

    Siriusughed at the clear confusion held by the other two, "I think what he means is that we should have some direct contact with some of the more promising applicants before making any hasty decisions. Right?"

    "Exactly," he nodded, "what about like��a trial quest?"

    "��"Trial quest"��?" Iris tilted her head.

    "Yeah, we can choose a quest and bring the members we think are most promising along with us. From there, we can see firsthand their capabilities, and how well they work together," he suggested with a smile.

    After a few moments of his idea sinking in, it seemed to be unanimously decided amongst the four.

    "Yeah, that''s probably not a bad idea," Akshay agreed.

    "Should we split them into groups?" Iris suggested.

    "Whacha'' mean?" He asked.

    Iris continued, "Well, the three of us��we''re sort of like the executives of the guild, right? I think it''d work best if we each took on our own share of the recruits to get a more clear outlook."

    They contemted this idea for a moment. As he shot a nce to Akshay after the mix-haired, tan-skinned man was left out of the equation he received a small smile as if saying "I get it".

    "Ah, sorry, but I can''t do it," Sirius suddenly spoke up with wryughter.

    "Huh? Why?" He looked at the man.

    Sirius answered as all eyes were on him, stretching his arms behind his head, "Well, you see��I''ve got a pretty important mission to handle of my own. It''s not really something I can ditch, unfortunately."

    "A mission? What is it?" Iris asked.

    As he was asked this, Sirius sat there with a silent smile for a moment before putting a finger to his lips, "Can''t say."

    "I see��that makes sense," Akshay said, seeming to understand what he meant while the others were clueless.

    "What makes sense?" He asked.

    "He''s a Stygian adventurer, and one of the most famous, at that. I''d be lying if I said I didn''t initially approach you to join your guild because I noticed Sirius Federov himself was with you," Akshay exined, "as an adventurer of that rank, he''s open to "ck Quests"��"

    The look Sirius gave to the coat-wearing recruiter was one of slight, quiet surprise at his knowledge.

    "You really know your stuff, don''t you? For a silver-rank, that''s impressive," Siriusplemented, but it almost felt malicious.

    Akshay replied with a sly smile as he brushed his fingers through his fluffy, ck-and-white locks, "You get to know how things work after being here awhile."

    Interjecting, he pointed his question towards the two, "What''s a "ck Quest" supposed to be?"

    Iris seemed interested in this as well as she looked curiously at the two adventurers who seemed to possess such knowledge.

    "He can exin it to you better than I can," Akshay said with a peculiar smile, "I''m just a measly silver-rank, after all."

    Sirius seemed peeved, but his smiling expression didn''t show it, "Like I said: I''m contracted not to talk about it. You get it, right?"

    "��Right," he replied, ncing at Iris, who looked just as perplexed, "Sure you don''t want toe along for this then, Akshay?"

    Akshay shook his head, "...I''m not exactly fit for that sort of thing. I cane along, if you want, but I wouldn''t advise for me to lead a group by myself."

    "I get it," he chuckled, "well, I''m sure you''ve got some more recruiting to handle, anyway. Guess that means it''s just us, Iris."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Mhm," she nodded.

    "Alright, then," he proimed with a smile, "time for diolus to introduce itself with a bang!"

    �CAnd with the dawn of the next day, after much preparation with the adventurer files, he and Iris invited the ones who caught their eye to the guild.

    Sitting there, silently, he was faced with a host of people, not knowing what words to find as he sat there for a minute next to Iris.

    Looking at the waiting adventurers, he tapped his foot repeatedly.

    ��If you would''ve shown me this bunch years ago, I would''ve assumed these were cosyers. I mean, seriously�Csome of these outfits are ridiculous! He thought.

    Most of that thought came from the applicant who barely was able to squeeze through the doors to the guild, wearing a hulking set of spike-d, emerald armor that dazzled in the seeping sunlight.

    Seriously, what is that armor for? Blinding for your opponents?! He thought.

    "Ren��" She tugged on his sleeve with a whisper.

    "Right��" He muttered, coughing into his hand, "first, I''d like to thank you all foring here on such short notice, I assume you all have such busy sche�C"

    "h, h, h, get on with it already, would you?"

    �CThe interruption came from a man with ck hair and frosted tips, leaning against the back wall as all eyes were moved to his abrasive self. By the outfit he wore, he seemed to do well for himself�Cwearingvish, but light leather armor with white robes, ented with gold stripes and buttons.

    "Excuse me?" He looked at the man.

    The man scoffed, "We''ve all been through this a dozen times by now. Don''t think we have to sit here and bend ourselves over because you''ve got a big shot name like Sirius Federov backing your guild."

    "Huh?" He let out in confusion.

    The frosted-haired man seemed to take the attention he garnered as a sign to continue, "That''s right, it''s clear what you''re doing. You paid Sirius Federov to join your guild to look more impressive. I mean, why would someone like him join this small time shit, anyway?"

    While most of the adventurers in the room began to chat between themselves in the midst of these usations, some remained to themselves, seeming uncaring to these words�Cbut the leader of diolus, was not immune to their scathing nature.

    "...Ren, leave it, you''re just giving him what he wants," Iris whispered to him.

    "Yeah, I know. I don''t really care what he says, to be honest, but this is a good opportunity," he told her, standing up, "if everyone sees me beat him without breaking a sweat�Cthere won''t be any doubt."

    "Did I hit a nerve or something, newbie?" The scar-eyed man asked.

    "If you believe all of that, then why did youe here?" He asked, meeting the man eye-to-eye, "who are you, anyway?"

    "Samfrey," the frosted-haired, conniving man answered with his red cors on disy, "and why? I had to see it for myself: the audacity of whichever person decided to run a guild like this."

    He stood there for a moment, listening in to the various chit-chats among the potential members while keeping his eyes on Samfrey, finding only one solution to solving this dispute.

    "You think diolus isn''t the real-deal, huh?"

    "That''s right," Samfrey answered, waving his hand, "it''s horseshit built to lure desperate adventurers in under Sirius Federov''s name."

    "If that''s the case��" He said with a smile, "how about you test me then? See if I''m "horseshit", or not."

    The issued challenge made Samfrey freeze in his words as he stared at the snowy-haired guild leader for a minute, standing in silence as he seemed taken aback by the confident challenge.

    "I��" Samfrey muttered.

    Listening to the doubtful whispers of the other present adventurers, Samfrey began to sweat as he was forced to give his answer:

    "Fine then! I''ll prove to everyone here that you''re a phony!"

    "Good," he answered, "let''s take this to the arena then."

 Chapter 484 - Samfrey

    "Good," he answered, "let''s take this to the arena then."

    Though Iris gave him a worried look, he assured her with a pat on the head as they moved to the public arena of the Hollow Foundation, along with all of the adventurers present, and some others who just wanted to watch the fight.

    As he left diolus'' sector, he was met in the hall with the presence of the Ounders now upying the sector directly across�Conly a few steps away outside of its door.

    I forgot about that��right, Sirius told me, he thought.

    "The Arena", only permitted to be used by gold-ranks and above: it''s the one ce within the foundation that allows fighting between two consenting adventurers. Though most higher-rank guilds possess their own private arena, the main one within the foundation attracts a gambling crowd.

    "Wooo!"

    "Get ''im!"

    "Five coins on the diolus boss!"

    �CRoaring from the stands, the gathering of spectators roared on as they overlooked the colosseum of steel. Iris stood at the forefront of one of the balconies, watching worriedly.

    Ren��you''re still so hot-headed, she thought.

    "Looks like we''ve drawn in quite the crowd," he said with a smile, "after this, I wonder if more people will want to join diolus?"

    "Like I give a shit," Samfrey scoffed, spitting onto the ground, "diolus is going into the mud after everybody sees that its founder is garbage."

    Acting as the referee for the match, one of the guild applicants stood at the ready, wearing a sable facemask as he watched the snowy-haired guild leader closely. It was hard to not see him as he carried a greatswordrger than himself strapped to his back, wearing a sleek, sleeveless set of ck leather armor.

    I''ll see it for myself if you''re worthy of leading me, Ren Nakamura, the cardinal-haired man thought.

    "This match will end when one side is unable to continue, or concedes," the cardinal-haired man asked through the mask that covered his mouth and nose, "are you ready?"

    "Sure," he replied confidently.

    "Let''s get this over with," Samfrey lowered his stance.

    The impromptu-referee waved his hand without any urgency, "Then begin."

    �CJust then, the spectating adventurers howled in excitement, while so-called businessmen didn''t squander the opportunity to start running bets.

    "Put your bets in now! Put them in now! The leader of diolus, the up-anding guild, or Samfrey, the thunderous tiger!"

    With the start of the bout, he remained still without taking any sort of stance, while Samfrey immediately jumped back, holding a tense look in his cat-like eyes.

    "Hey," he asked casually, "I forgot to ask, but��what rank are you, anyway?"

    "What does it matter��? Chickening out?" Samfrey clicked his tongue as he kept his hands on the two, sheathed daggers at either hip.

    He kept his hand stationed near the handle of his sword, "I''d just like to make sure I''m not bullying someone way lower rank than myself. I assume that''smon courtesy around here, right?"

    Samfrey drew the two peculiar daggers sheathed at his sides, revealing their curved form that resembled the ws of a beast as he replied lowly, "I''ll have you know I''m a ruby, first-ss, just like you. I''ll show you what a true, experienced adventurer looks like, faker."

    It was just then that the magical aura belonging to the man of ck and frosty haired revealed itself as his hair stood from sparks of mystical electricity scaling his form.

    Lightning magic, huh? I don''t believe I''ve fought someone who uses it. But, I doubt hepares to Sirius, he thought without a worry.

    Presenting an unorthodox style, the seasoned adventurer flipped himself backward so that hended against the tall, t wall of stygian steel behind. What made it unnatural was the fact he seemed to stick to the wall like an insect, looking onward at his opponent with shining, cobalt eyes that glistened with predatory instincts.

    Samfrey waited there on the wall, not making a move as the snowy-haired man d in ck armor stood perfectly still from the very spot the bout began in, holding his seamless smile without having yet drawn his de.

    "What''s the matter?" He called out to Samfrey, "going to make your move?"

    "If you want to lose your life that badly, then be my guest," Samfrey muttered in response as he held his curved daggers in front of himself.

    �CKicking off of the wall, the frosted-haired man disappeared like a stray bolt of lightning, appearing directly behind the stationary guild leader.

    You''re dead! Samfrey thought, nearing his dagger towards the back of his opponent''s head.

    "That''s pretty predictable, you know," he said casually.<novelnext></novelnext>

    �CWithout moving a single step, he blocked the iing dagger without even turning back to face Samfrey.

    "What�C?" Samfrey muttered sharply.

    Blocking the tip of the cat-like man''s dagger was his sword, somehow drawn so swiftly he didn''t notice before his attack was already blocked.

    Even at that, it was an unorthodox position, with him holding Belus behind his back, at a curved angle supported by none of his own weight�Cyet it stopped Samfrey''s attack dead in its tracks.

    "If this is your best��" He began to say, ncing back at Samfrey''s vertical pupils, "...I''d rmend getting out of here."

    Samfrey was frozen in a moment of inexplicable dread at being on the other end of the singr, hazel-eye of the opponent younger than himself,posing himself as he shrouded his body in static once more, "Like hell this is my best�C! Don''t get cocky because you defended against one attack! I''m just testing the waters��"

    "Really? That''s reassuring then," heughed casually, much to the annoyance of Samfrey, who jumped back.

    He seems to be capable of using incantation-free magic. I''ll give him that at least�Cit''s impressive, he thought.

    "Nzazi: Bolt Fang!" Samfrey unleashed.

    As the man swiped his daggers from afar, they unleashed strands of cobalt lightning that coalesced into enormous, fang-like constructs that sped their abstract jaws towards the snow-haired man.

    "Let''s see��" He muttered with a smile as he watched the howling magecraft draw near.

    As he raised his hand towards the iing fangs of lightning, the spectators watched in anticipation for magecraft to be woven, but nothing came.

    �CWhat came, however, was more shocking than even the disy of lightning itself.

    "...Huh? Are you trying to die or something?" Samfrey hissed.

    Silently, with a smile, he raised his arm in front of him, between himself and the electric bolts before using his limb to swipe the fangs away without any aid of magecraft whatsoever.

    It was with reinforcement, and nothing else; the lightning scathed him none, seeming only as a hindrance as he swept it away like simple static.

    "What��?" Samfrey let out in quiet dread.

    He swiped his arm in the air a bit, scattering the residual electricity as he looked towards Samfrey, "Are we really the same rank? A spell like that wouldn''t have evenid a scratch on Asterius. It seems to me you might''ve been the one who paid to get where you are."

    A move like that stirred up the crowd into excited roars, while many began to boo the naysaying-cat-eyed man, who was visibly sweating from the overwhelming disy.

    "...You think I''ve been giving it my all?" Samfrey asked in an angered tremble.

    "That''s what you''ve shown me," he replied promptly, sheathing his de as if not requiring its assistance.

    Samfrey gritted his teeth, "I really didn''t want to kill you for real, kid, but if that''s the you want to y�CI''ll show you: the way of the "Lightning Beasts of Derjun"..." he reversed his grip of his daggers, taking a lowered, animalistic stance, "...Just a warning, I can''t hold back when I use this style."

    For some reason, unbeknownst to him, it seemed whatever stance the dagger-wielding adventurer was taking, as his bleach-white scarves flowed behind him, spurred on excited roars from the crowd.

    The enigmatic referee thought to himself, I''ve only heard of him, but "Samfrey the Thunderous Tiger" is formidable, without a doubt. In normal circumstances, he''s not all that impressive, but when he decides to kill his opponents, releasing his restraints��I''ve heard his skill-level is that of a sapphire.

    "That''s fine by me," he said with a smile.

    Though he kept his guardx, it was only an exterior appearance; in his mind, he kept diligent�Cwatching Samfrey carefully.

    "Your funeral," Samfey whispered low, though his voice came out in a slight static from the surge of electricity that coated his body.

    �CWith a single, hardly-telegraphed movement, Samfrey disappeared from the spot he stood, losing the eyes of the crowd, though not to his opponent.

    A thunderp resounded, repeating over and over, as it finally became visible to the spectators'' eyes: bouncing from wall-to-wall, from the floor to the ceiling, moving as bolts of lightning, Samfrey scaled the arena many times over, continuously, instantaneously.

    "One��two��three��four��five��six��seven," Samfrey''s voice, appearing from different angles with each word, spoke.

    He kept still, watching only by moving his eyes as the ricocheting lightning that was his very opponent seemed almost omnipresent in its speed; appearing behind him, in front, to his left, directly by his right�Call in fractions of moments, growing closer, sometimes straying further�Ckeeping him on his toes.

    "Eight��nine��ten��eleven��twelve��" Samfrey continued, bringing a whisper behind his ear, "a dozen times; that''s how many times I could''ve killed you by now."

 Chapter 485 - What Two Years Brings

    Just as he nced back in reaction to the whisper to his ear, Samfrey was already gone, continuing his stride in the countless bolts that bounced from each surface of the metallic arena.

    Watching from beside Iris, who watched with a worried gaze, an unknown figuremented, "Sheesh, doesn''t that seem a bit much for a duel?"

    She looked to the side to see a man with shaggy, light-brown hair standing with hands tucked into the pockets of a ck, well-lined coat, watching the duel behind yellow-lensed, circr sses.

    The man seemed to notice her gaze as he spoke to her, "So that''s "Ren Nakamura"--the founder of diolus, huh? Interesting. I can tell�Che''s strong, way above that guy, anyway."

    "Who are you?" She asked.

    He flicked his sses up, briefly disying his prismatic eyes, "Sorry about that. I''m Nikko, the leader of the Sky Dragon Conglomerate."

    epting the hand he extended, she shook it hesitantly, still perplexed as the man seemed to hold knowledge more than he let on.

    Did he purposely stand next to me because he knew I was affiliated with diolus? How would he know that? She thought.

    "Oh, don''t mind me," Nikko assured with a smile that housed unseen intentions, "I don''t think I''m the only one curious about diolus. Though I can''t say all curious ones are as harmless as myself."

    "What does that mean��?" She asked.

    Nikko adjusted his sses as he took a moment to reply before beginning to take his leave from the stadium, "Who knows? There''s a lot of eyes on you�Cso stay on guard."

    The enigmatic man simply waved off, leaving her perplexed as to his intentions before her attention was brought back to the stadium.

    While he stood in ce, taunts continued to pour from Samfrey, not met with swift strikes that came as strands of swift lightning, leaving small nicks against his armor.

    "Frozen in fear? Or perhaps you simply can''t perceive speed like mine?" Samfrey taunted from his disembodied lips, moving through a channel of ricocheting lightning.

    Damn, he''s annoying, he thought.

    "He''s on the ropes!"

    "Tiger''s got him dead to rights�C!"

    "Come on! I''ve got my month''s pay on you, snowy!"

    The roars of the spectators came through, but he paid them no mind as he kept his focus up, taking in a breath through the hot winds that upied the presence of the lightning-filled arena.

    I''ve let him have his fun, he thought.

    �CJust before another swipe of lightning-etched daggers could reach him, he vanished into the shadows, causing Samfrey to momentarily pause on the ground as his physical state was reset in that split-second.

    Did he figure out my timing? No�Che couldn''t have, Samfrey thought.

    However, the natural rms of the veil of electricity that upied the air around him alerted him of an attacking from directly behind.

    What�C? Behind�C? Samfrey thought.

    The cat-like man resumed his lightning traversal, barely evading a strike from him as he reappeared from the shadows.

    Close, but not enough�C! Samfrey thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    �CBut again, the man found himself outpaced. Even whilst moving as lightning itself, furthering his speed through continuous ricocheting, the snowy-haired man appeared in front of him with a step from the shadows�Cblocking his path.

    "What�C?!" Samfrey let out.

    "Didn''t I tell you?" He said, "You''re predictable."

    In a panicked move, Samfrey kicked from the wall to evade his reach, but just as he was about to kick from the steel floor�Cthe man''s path was barriered once more by his emergence from the shadows.

    Seriously�C? Did he actually figure out the timing?! It''s not just that�Che himself is fast��! Samfrey thought.

    "Ready to give up?" The smiling words that came from the nonchnt expression of his seemed to set off Samfreypletely.

    "Shut up�C! I''ll shut that big mouth of yours��!" Samfreyunched into the air as lightning coiled the boundaries of the arena.

    Finally. I was waiting for him to finally give me his best shot, he thought with a sight.

    The frosted-haired man poured out all of his magical energy, creating a tempest of visceral lightning that scathed the steel of the area, prompting the dormant, magical barriers to activate between the arena and the spectators.

    "Manifest a stampede through the clouds, through the world, through my adversaries! Nziza: Tempest ins!" Samfrey yelled out from the top of his lungs.

    The great magic manifested itself into one of many forms; from every angle of the arena, beasts forged of lightning emerged�Cbulls, tigers, lions, behemoths, and even dragons�Cfilling the space with a cobalt blue glow as the many strands of lightning hissed.

    "Ren, be careful��!" Iris called out.

    Cracking his knuckles, he finally began to take some steps as the stampede of lightning beasts began to coalesce around him, stomping with thunderous steps.

    "Alright, finally��it''s time to show off a bit of what I''ve got," he muttered with a smile as his snowy locks were brushed in the static wind.

    Samfrey watched, seething from up above as veins pressed against his skin while lightning protruding from his pores�Cstruggling to maintain the overwhelming spell.

    Simply raising his hands together, pressing his palms against one another, his gaze took on a darker glimpse; inhabiting a dark impulse that flooded through his hazel gaze�Cdirectly to Samfrey.

    "Araphel: Endless Dismantle."

    As the words that came through his lips as a malediction to his opponent left, a shadow emerged from his position, immediately enveloping a curtain of darkness over the entirety of the steel-forged arena, swallowing thentern''s mes, and the light of the electricity itself.

    From the eyes of Samfrey, he struggled to perceive what happened: before his eyes, all of the lightning beasts, in their dozens of forms, stampeding forth�Cwere cleaved endlessly, without mercy, and left without a form.

    It was directly beneath him; the edge of the visceral, enigmatic magecraft�Cbut he could sense a hint of its true nature.

    ��The entire space of the arena��it''s as if the air itself embodies the concept of "being cut"...he thought.

    After the shadow left, returning the light to the arena, none of Samfrey''s great magic remained, leaving the spectators perplexed as from their point-of-view, nothing urred.

    In the aftermath of such magecraft, or rather�Ca glimpse of it, the dagger-wielding man slumped his guard.

    "I give up," Samfrey imed lifelessly as he returned to the ground.

 Chapter 486 - A Special Visit

    "I give up," Samfrey imed lifelessly as he returned to the ground.

    He brushed the palms of his gloves together as if clearing residual dust with a smile, "d we settled that."

    As he began to take his leave as the crowd of adventurers grew wild, he was stopped by words from Samfreying from behind.

    A sigh of relief left Iris'' lips as she held her hands close to her chest.

    "You spared me, didn''t you? You showed mercy?" Samfrey asked.

    Besides himself, the words of Samfrey also reached the ears of the cardinal-haired, temporary referee who listened in.

    He stopped, turning briefly to face Samfrey with a smile, "Is that so weird?"

    "I insulted the integrity of your guild�Cno, I insulted you. ndered. People have killed for far less, and you''d be within your rights to do so," Samfrey told him stoically.

    "...Well, that''s not how I do things," he told with a smile as he lightly tapped his palm against the pommel of his sheathed sword, turning away as his cape fluttered behind him, "to be honest�Ckilling someone over words sounds like an archaic concept to me, anyway."

    It was an answer that the impromptu judge of the duel wanted to hear as well, though his furrowed expression didn''t show whether or not the answer was satisfactory.

    Samfrey clenched his fists, standing in silence before falling calling out once more:

    "Ren Nakamura, I''d like to join your guild��!"

    "Huh�C?"

    Taken aback by this promation, he turned back to see the man who once ndered him now prostrating himself.

    "I am in no position to ask this of you, but��I''d like to join diolus," Samfrey repeated, "...I was wrong. You''re strong. Not just in strength, but in character. That ability to look past your own hubris��I want to be in a guild with a leader like that."

    He stopped for a moment at the abrupt words of the man, looking up as he considered it, rubbing his chin for a moment as his eyes wandered to Iris, who stood on the balcony looking back at him.

    ��I''ll admit, he''s pretty formidable. There weren''t many ruby-ranked applicants besides himself. He does piss me off a bit, but if he''s trying to make amends��he thought.

    Seeing her brought a smile across his lips as he nced back once more at Samfrey.

    "Sure," he told the man, "but you''ll have to go through the same process as everybody else."

    Samfrey looked up in total surprise at the answer, "...Really? Thank you��"

    "Sure thing," he smirked.

    �CWalking out of that arena, he felt like a celebrity, hounded by more adventurers than he could count; most congratted him, but many were pestering him to join the guild now after a disy like that.

    Begrudgingly, he had to decline such offers as he didn''t know a single thing about the random faces he met.

    "Ren!"

    "Oh, there you are!" He called out, finally finding his wife in the flood of people in the hall beyond the arena.

    "There''s a lot of people��" Iris muttered, keeping close to him as they made their way through the crowd.

    "Yeah, you can definitely say that��" He wryly chuckled, ruffling his snowy locks as they walked.

    It took longer than expected to return to diolus'' sector with the crowd following, but eventually they returned with the original applicants.

    After plopping back down on the sofa, he rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke to the adventurer applicants, "Well, sorry about that."

    Though most didn''t seem bothered by the dy, as one of the members spoke up; a man that had caught his eye previously who bore curved horns from his head with luminescent, fiery irises. He was tall and muscr, with dark-brown skin, carrying a regal air about him with the ck and gold, illustrious robes he wore.

    "I am d I got to witness your strength firsthand, Ren Nakamura," the man said, stepping forward, "I came here initially to judge whether you''re worth operating under."

    "And?" He asked.

    "I am not disappointed," the man said with a small, half-smile, "I am Akanni, as you can see, I am a demi-human. Ruby, second-ss."

    It was an impressive resume; the notable high-ranking, imposing stature of the man, and the aura he gave off.

    "d to hear," he said, continuing on, "the reason I brought you all here today in the first ce was for one reason: to do a "test quest", of sorts."

    "Test quest?" One of the applicants repeated; a woman that had remained mostly silent, and unseen as she wore a dark cloak.

    He nodded, "We''re going to split you into two groups: one that follows Iris, the co-founder of diolus, and one that follows me. We''ll set out on a quest, and judge your performance. It''s not just about how well you perform physically, since I don''t doubt that very much, but also your willingness to cooperate. Understand?"

    �CNo opposition.

    "Good��that''s good," he said, slightly taken aback by theck of push back as he nced at Iris.

    "I''ve just got one question."

    The words came from a young-seeming girl, no older than herte teens as she was dressed in gothic lolita attire; a frilled, ck-and-crimson dress as her sable locks danced over her shoulders.

    "Yeah?" He looked at her.

    I remember her form, that''s Calytrix�Cshe was a sapphire second-ss��that highest-ranked applicant. But��she looks like a little girl? He thought.

    "What kind of quest are we going on, exactly?" Calytrix asked with a yful smile as she tapped her ck-painted fingernail against her glossy lips.

    It was a question he expected, one that brought a smile across his lips as he stood with a promation, "We''re going to hunt "Lacryie!"

    After the selected recruits took their leave to prepare for the quest that would begin that night, he had his own business to handle with the all-too-familiar guild that took residence across from his own.

    Knock. Knock.

    He lightly pped his knuckles against the bright, silver door, waiting a moment before it was opened.

    "Oh, what''s up, Ren?"

    �CGreeting him from the opened threshold, Fai smiled.

    "Hey��" He returned the greeting, stepping in as he walked into the lounge sector of the Ounder guild.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What brings you here?" Fai asked, clearly sweating from what was likely the never-ending training he put himself through.

    "Urr, you act like I came from afar or something��I took two steps," he replied wryly.

    "Ha-ha! Right!" Faiughed.

    Heughed before sighing, "Where''s Beatrice at?"

    "The usual," Fai told him, "by that, I mean her chamber."

    Of course, he thought, she''s more of a recluse than I ever was.

    Shifting through the familiar halls of the Ounder sector, now realizing how much more space a guild of their caliber was givenpared to one such as his, he looked around with a new perspective.

    "Hey, Little Bro''!"

    Sora greeted him, in the middle of bench-pressing a bar within his open room that held what looked like a few tons of dense, thick tes of steel. In a world full of magic, it was a sight that he should''ve been desensitized to, but by all means, it was still abnormal.

    "...Yo," he waved, trying to get on his way.

    It was enough weight to shift the air with each lowering and ascent, further weighed down for the muscr man by dozens of chains.

    The vermilion-haired man of peak muscture set the bar down on the rack as it sat with a resounding thud before lifting himself from the bench, d in sweat as he threw a wet towel around his neck.

    "How''s the new guilding along? Is Sirius mooching off of you?" Sora asked with a smile, grabbing arge jug of water and gulping it.

    "It''s going well," he answered with augh, rubbing his own head, "and��I can''t tell. That guy is so secretive."

    Soraughed, plopping back down on the sweat-stained bench in his room, "Yeah, he''s always been like that. He''s loud-mouthed and caring, but he''s also just as full of secrets. He always has your best interests in mind though, remember that."

    "I will," he nodded, making his way down the hall again.

    "Keep at it, Bro!" Sora called out before returning to his superhuman workout regime.

    In actuality, what he realized moments after walking away is that Fai and Sora were working out together.

    "Come on! One more��! One more!" Sora yelled out, motivating his training partner.

    "Ghh��!" Fai grunted.

    It wasn''t just them, he surprisingly found Brahmi and Tristan joining in Sora''s gym-made room for training.

    Keeping to himself, he saw Kazuya training in his lonesome in what appeared to be his own room, which was decorated like a traditional japanese bedroom.

    The graphite-haired delinquent was practicing against a punching bag, though it seemed to be made out of an incredibly durable material as each hit unleashed a thundering p.

    Kazuya didn''t seem to notice him walk by, d in sweat as he continued his diligent training without a word.

    Well, looks like the new guy isn''tzing around, at least, he thought.

    �CThough he wanted to be in-and-out, he was stopped by seemingly every Ounder present, only arriving at Beatrice''s room half an hourter.

    "...A bit lively today, isn''t it?" He sighed out, closing the door to the sage''s room behind him.

    "Isn''t that a sign of peaceful times?" Beatrice smiled, organizing the books of her many shelves.

    "Funny joke," he wryly replied as he sat at the tea table.

    Beatrice smiled to herself, speaking to him while keeping her eyes on the books she ced orderly, "What brings you here today, Ren? It''s awfully rare for you to do me the honor of visiting on your own ord."

    "You know why I''m here," he told her.

    "Do you believe there is some ulterior motive to my wanting of the two guilds to remain close to one another?" Beatrice asked him, looking directly at him now.

    He sighed, but wore a smile, "I appreciate it, I do. It''s not like I wanted to move away from anybody, so this is a good thing, but��"

    "But?" Beatrice responded.

    They looked at one another for a moment; though her primordial eyes held little to work off of, little by little he began to understand the nuance of that cosmic gaze.

    "You don''t care about that sort offort," he nted his words.

    Beatrice paused for a moment, looking at the books ced neatly on the spiraling shelves as she ran her pale fingertip against the spine of one such novel.

    "Ren��"

    "Mm?"

    "How would you feel about diolus and the Ounders bing partnered guilds?"

    He looked at her for a moment, "I made diolus so I could do things myself.

    "You wouldn''t have to listen to me," Beatrice assured him, "but I think it''d be in the best interest of both guilds to continue working closely together."

    The sage''s words brought pause to him as he sat there for a moment to ponder her offer, holding his hand close to his chin.

    "You have only to gain from this, Ren," Beatrice told him, seating herself across from him, "the Ounders are quite famous around the foundation; I''m sure you''ve already had a taste of that with Sirius in your ranks."

    I was honestly considering the same thing. I''m used to them already, and joining them on quests, or vice versa, will be extremely helpful, he thought.

    "...Yeah," he answered.

    "So, how about it? This will allow things to continue just as they were�Conly, you can make your own choices as a leader, while keeping close and working alongside the Ounders still," she leaned closer.

    Pressed by the tempting deal, he truly had no other answer.

    "Fine��!" He begrudgingly agreed, knowing it was to the sage''s pleasure.

    And, with that, the Ounders were once again at my side.. But for now, it was going to be just me and the new recruits of diolus on this��special quest.

 Chapter 487 - Gladiolus New Quest

    [Bum, Old Treyna, Eight Hours Later]

    In the domain overseen by Lord Desmas, a nobleman of Old Treyna, Bum was and tucked between mountains, housing a humble vige. Watching over the vige from atop one of the colossal mountains, Castle Desmas stood.

    An "extermination" type quest, with a "royal" threat attached to it. If I recall, the threat levels, from lowest to highest, for quests goes: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Royal, Phantasm, Disaster, and Dread. This one is somewhere in the middle, and I hear it''s awfully skewed towards the higher end so I''m not too worried. Can''tin about the pay either��one-hundred holy coins, he thought.

    Split into two groups, the entirety of the nine adventurers ventured through the barrennd, through the ins of Old Treyna, and eventually through the mountain ranges.

    With six members following him on the carriage he rented, he sat beside the onemandeering the vehicle as they pushed through the duskden mountains.

    He looked up toward the unique, navy-blue clouds that hung over the region of Bum, with the moonlight bleeding through their fluffy form; another oddity of thend of Old Treyna.

    I sure hope it''s going alright for Iris��they took the route through the forests. The Lacryie were said to be inhabiting the forest, while another group were attacking the castle, he thought, they''re a branch of orcs that inhabit space beneath the ground as subterranean dwellers. Usually they aren''t seen, but I guess rare cases like this exist.

    Looking back at the potential guild members sitting in the back of the carriage, he checked on them�Csome seemed impatient, while some were keeping quietly to themselves.

    Calytrix, sapphire second-ss�Cthe "gothic lolita", he thought, she was originally supposed to go along with Iris'' group��but she insisted on joining this one. She looks like a kid, and kind of acts like one, but I''m curious at what that rank of hers entails. Her reason for wanting to join was weird, but��apparently she thinks her and myself are "kindred spirits", yeah, I got quite the re from Iris when she said that.

    The entire time, much to the displeasure of the cardinal-haired man sitting across from her, Calytrix hummed a melody while swaying her legs with her ck, silverced boots kicking back and forth.

    His eyes moved to the slender, but tall, quiet adventurer with well-kempt, cardinal hair, possessing golden eyes that seemed perpetually bored, or perhaps uncaring.

    Guillermo, ruby third-ss�Che was the one who stepped up to be the referee in my duel. He looks about the same age as me, but I can''t really tell with that mask he wears�Cwhat is he trying to be a ninja with that thing? He''s a ruby rank as well, so I''ve got high hopes for him, and I want to see how he uses that hunk of steel that resembles a sword. It was difficult to get a direct answer on why he wanted to join, but he said he simpl thinks this guild has what it takes to rise up, and he wants to be there when it does. Fair enough, he thought.

    He brought his gaze to the wordless man who sat in a full-set of knight''s armor, supplemented by a red scarf that was brushed by the passing winds of the carriage''s movement.

    Archard, gold first-ss��Akshay personally vouched for him. Apparently he''s a geezer, but that just means he has experience, and experience is priceless on the battlefield. He''s a gold rank, but Akshay told me his rank might be deceiving. I was told he wanted to join this guild mainly because none other would ept him, and that he trusted its strength.

    Finally, his eyes set on the frosted-haired, cat-eyed man who sat quietly with his arms folded across his chest.

    Andst, but perhaps least��Samfrey, ruby second-ss. Well, he''s got my eye on him the most: words are one thing, but I need to see that he''s someone willing to take orders, and work with others. He told me he wanted to join because he valued my mindset as a leader.

    Even if it is a "test quest", it''s still an official quest, and a royal-rank at that. They could die. But, they''re adventurers�Cdeath is something they''re used to. It''s surprising, though. I guess a guild is a big deal for a lot of adventurers like this, if they''re willing to go through the trouble of a quest, even just for a trial run.

    I''m intrigued at what this group has to offer, he thought.

    With the carriage wheels rolling over the rocky trail that clung to the side of the spring-blossomed mountain, he looked up towards the looming castle that inhabited the peak of the mountain.

    "I''m not going any further than the gates," the carriage driver told him; a youthful, clearly shaken man.

    "Yeah, yeah, I know," he assured.

    Apparently there were already a few gold ranks that tried to take this quest on. The fact we''re here means it didn''t go so well for them. There hasn''t been anybody able to return a report either, so we''re going in mostly dark, he thought.

    All he could do along the quiet ride along the dusk mountain trail was look to the forest down far below, having to hide his worries and trust in Iris.

    After a gnawingpse of another few minutes, the carriage arrives in front of a gate formed of reinforced logs of wood,ing to a stop.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "��This is as far as I go," the gray-haired, youthful carriage driver said shakily.

    "I''ve got it," he said, hopping off of the carriage.

    He pped the side of the transportation vehicle to prompt the adventurers in the back it was time to move.

    As they were getting out and joining him, the carriage driver called out to him one more time.

    "I wouldn''t advise going past those gates��" the driver told him.

    "Hey," Samfrey said as he tucked his daggers into their sheathes, looking at the driver, "Don''t underestimate adventurers, kid. We''ve got things handled."

    Even with the words from the seasoned adventurer, the shaken nature of the driver''s expression didn''t change as the subtlest noise echoing from the mountain caused him to flinch.

    "Just stay right here, alright?" He reminded the driver, noticing his flimsy state.

    "Mm��" the driver seemed hesitant.

    "If anythinges your way, just scream out, and we''lle rushing to your side," he assured the driver.

    Though he didn''t receive a confirmation from the driver, he epted his silence as an answer as he led the adventurers with him towards the gate.

    "What''s got him pissing his boots? Lacyrie aren''t much different from orcs," Guillermo said.

    "Even orcs can be devastating to normal people, Guillermo," he told the darkly-dressed adolescent.

    "Memo," Guillermo said promptly, "I go by "Memo", so call me that."

    He was a bit taken aback by the man''s abrasive, stoic nature, but decided to go along with it.

    "Alright, Memo," he said.

    The youthful girl smiled as she walked with her hands behind her back, "Lacyrie are fellow followers of the darkness. Though, they aren''t proper disciples like myself��unfortunately for them."

    "Followers of the darkness��?" He looked at Calytrix.

    Cakytrix smiled, looking at him with her sparkly, crimson eyes as if overjoyed that he finally asked, "Yes! Darkness is all, it''s the beginning and the end. You''re a follower of darkness as well, aren''t you?"

    ��I thought she was talking about Belmon for a minute. She''s just talking about magia affinity, isn''t she? He thought with a sigh.

    "I guess so?" He answered.

    As soon as he confirmed as much, an ted smile took ce on the gothic girl''s glossy lips as she spun around in celebration.

    Oh, boy��it looks like I''ve acquired a chuunibyou, he thought.

 Chapter 488 - Against The Subterraneans

    Arriving before the gate, there wasn''t a single guard stationed waiting to greet them.

    I expected as much, but still��he thought.

    Rather than any guards, the gate inhabited old, dried blood that stained its umber form.

    "Looks like thecryie have had their fun," Memo said.

    "Unfortunate," Archard muttered to himself inmentation.

    "It''s nothing we aren''t used to now, as adventurers," Samfrey said as he followed the snowy-haired man past the gates, followed by the rest.

    It was after passing the gates that separated the mountain road that the atmosphere of death grew more dense.

    The natural, rocky formation of the trail past the gates was changed into one pathed by stone, bolstered by reinforced walls, though none of it seemed to matter.

    Painted in crimson, the stone pathway that curved and led upwards to the castle had tantly fallen to thecyrie.

    "...Aren''tcyrie usually fine hiding in the shadows? What brought them to be confident enough to pige thend of a nobleman," Memo asked, tightening his ck gloves as they were in the enemy''s territory now.

    "I''ve never encountered them myself, but I read up on them before epting this quest," he answered, "Old Treyna isn''t as densely popted as other regions, so monsters tend to be more ballsy. That, andcyrie supposedly evolve as they consume humans��so I''d bet we''re looking at something out of the norm."

    "That''s right," Calytrix said as her smile didn''t fade even in the scenery of death, "they possess an archaic form of dark magic, one that feeds on death and grows with it."

    "So we kill them before they turn into a bigger problem, got it," Samfrey said, removing his daggers from their holds.

    "I think they may already be a problem," he stated, looking forward down the curving trail.

    Being within the territory of a mostly unknown, unseen enemy, the group moved with stealthiness and caution in tact, following behind him as he kept his eyes peeled for any signs of acyrie.

    It seemed the further they went, the closer they got to the castle itself, the more corpses of the nobleman''s guardsmen made themselves known.

    Most of the victims of thecyrie were killed in ways beyond normal, humane ways; their bodles mangles unnaturally with their legs twisted behinds their heads, and their arms bent backwards into an array of directions. Some had their entrails spilled out, or rather, propelled from their backs in a vtile matter. Even more concerning was the miasmic degradation to the flesh of those who fell to thecyrie; ckened and eaten away by a malicious darkness.

    "This��" He muttered, inspecting one of the bodies.

    "This is the result of thecyrie''s dark arts," Calytrix answered, standing beside him.

    "Looks pretty brutal to me," Samfrey said, pulling the outward cor of his jacket up to his nose.

    Calytrix continued, "The dark arts they wield are honed specifically for the killing of men."

    "You seem to hold yourself as some sort of "expert" on dark magecraft, right?" Memo asked with a hint of sarcasm, "so what stage do you think they''re at then? From this."

    Tapping her finger against her lips, Calytrix hummed for a moment before giving her answer as all eyes were on her.

    "At this point? I''d say they pose a phantasm-level threat, or perhaps greater."

    "Then we don''t have any time to waste," he said, returning to his feet.

    ��Just then, the air shifted as an ominous hum filled each of their ears.

    It was by total surprise��leading to the one taking the initiative being Archard as he ced himself in front of the rest of the group.

    "Licht: Sun Shield!"

    A magical barrier resembling the shape of the sun was formed just as an explosion of darkness collided against it.

    "Acyrie?" He said, drawing his sword.

    "Sneaky bastards really got the jump on us," Samfrey scoffed.

    Memo unhinged his gigantic great sword from the sheath on his back, "I''m not going toin if they want toe to us."

    After the momentary shield was released, their assant was revealed: a hunchback orc, d in tattered, ck robes with blood dripping from his form�Cnot of his own, as it watched them with beady, malicious eyes.

    It was muchrger than expected�Cand it wasn''t alone; three more showed themselves, matching the numbers of the adventurers as they each bore a simr size, towering over each of them�Cin height and weight.

    They seemed to have arrived through directly burrowing the side of the cliff that hung closest to the castle as the orcish fiends stepped over loose rubble.

    "Alright, it''s time for each of you to show me what you''ve got," he said, holding his de between his fingers, "but I''m not going to watch from the sidelines!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    �CWith hismand as the guild leader, they each set out, picking their own from the squadron ofcyrie to fight on their own atop the mountain trail.

    Approaching the straight-standingcyrie who wielded an unrefined axe, Momo garnered his attention as hended in front of him from a high leap, mming into the soil that caved beneath hisnding.

    "--"

    Thecyrie spoke in an unintelligible, gargling tongue, though even if it spoke understandable words, the bored-eyed, red-haired man wouldn''t have listened as he wielded hisrge de with both hands.

    "Vulcan: Forge of The Steel Mountain."

    Momo''s incantation came calmly through the ck mask over his mouth as mes spiraled around the steel of his greatsword,pping around it to form a spiraling, ming essence.

    I''ll prove myself now and save myself the trouble of grinding up thedder of diolus. I''ll be the top dog�Cand nobody else, Momo thought.

    Before he could make the first move, the aggressive behemoth of an orc lunged towards him with its axe, now bathed in miasmic darkness.

    He stepped to the side, not allowing even the tangible darkness emanating from the orc''s steel to touch him as he dodged its attempted strike, responding with a swift kick to its side. The resulting kick caused the three-meter tallcyrie to tumble over before jumping back to its feet in a quick recovery.

    I see. These things are particrly aggressive�Cmore so than normal orcs, Momo thought.

    "----!"

    In a distortednguage, thecryie stomped forward while holding his axe upwards, mming it down as a pulsation of darkness cascaded through the soil towards him.

    Never holding a sense of urgency, hisidback, golden eyes kept forward as he simply reared his massive de back before swiping it forward as the mes rode against the soil, overriding the dark pulsations before colliding against thecyrian orc.

    "Burn away and be quiet," Momo said quietly, disinterested as he began to return his de to his back.

    �CHe was stopped as despite being engulfed in mes, thecyrie stomped towards him, wildly swinging its axe.

    Just before it could swing its giant, unrefined axe towards his skull, he ducked down in a seamless, instantaneously movement, before uttering once more, magecraft:

    "Vulcan: Blood Smoke."

    �CWith a strike of his greatsword so fast that it stopped the boorish entity in its tracks, an implosion of mes flew from thecyrie, turning its blood and flesh to a reddened mist before any of its tainted form couldnd on Momo.

    "...What a pain," he muttered as he sheathed his de behind his back.

    Compared to the shy style of the much more youthful adventurer, the quiet Archard shed de-against-de with one of thergecyrie that bore its mandible-like tusks as it slobbered out in hunger.

    "...Eat��you��"

    Common tongue? He thought.

    The intelligible words came oddly from the mouth of the hungeringcyrie Archard pushed it back, following up with a swift spell:

    "Licht: Purifying Rings!"

    Forming around the wrists of thecyrie, bands of light etched into its wrists with a scalding heat, spurring roars of pain from the brutal orc.

    While it was distracted by both the burning essence of the bands around its wrist, and the nature of light that suppressed darkness from forming, the experienced, wizened adventurer pushed forward with his broadsword ready to be swung.

    There wasn''t much elegance in the movements made by Achard, but the simple movements he disyed were activated swiftly, as if decades of experience cultivates them into second nature.

    Without a warcry or grunt leaving through his obscuring helmet, Archard swiped his standard, ordinary de across the throat and belly of thecyrian orc.

    �CEven then, the lethal sh didn''t seem to stop the orc as the bands dissipated, allowing it one final thrash as it lunged towards the armored, veteran adventurer�Cbeing stopped by a sh from behind.

    As it was split into two from its scalp down to its midsection, thecyrie fell, revealing the one responsible for the cut to be Memo, who returned his sword to his back.

    "...Thank you��" Archard showed his gratitude.

    In the fact of his gratitude, the slender, youthful adventurer walked past him with uncaring eyes.

    "The world of adventurers isn''t fit for old men," Memo whispered to him as he moved past him, "I''d get lost if I were you. You''ll only get in the way."

    Archard was left in silence in those abrasive words, standing there wordlessly.

 Chapter 489 - The Other Squad

    For Samfrey, there wasn''t much his orcish opponent could do in the face of the speed he disyed�Cthough it seemed he wanted to taunt his opponent, he decided to go for an execution, leaving an onught of cuts along thecyrie''s body.

    Though the small cuts he left weren''t much in the way of phasing the lumbering giant, who jumped up, attempting to ensnare him with a downfall of its double-axes as they mmed into the rocky ground.

    "Predictable moves like that aren''t going to get you anywhere," Samfrey said, jumping back, "I learned that myself�Cthe hard way."

    As the rubble kicked up from the release of darkness sted towards him, Samfrey''s electric essence allowed him to maneuver even through the hail of pebbles, finishing the dark-wielding orc as both of his daggers ran across its throat.

    Handling her own end, Calytrix seemed to dance around thecyrie as it desperately tried to catch her with the swings of its dual-wielding of a saw-jagged greatsword, and a war-axe, both weapons of which were slick with dried blood.

    "So slow~" she taunted with a yful smile.

    Finding its steel unable to reach the small, lithe girl, thecyrie snarled before unleashing shes of visceral darkness that carved up the ground below, sucking the life from the sediment as it withered to dust.

    Calytrix smiled, running her finger along her bottom lip before pointing it towards the orc, standing in ce as she faced the wave of roaring darkness with a smile, snapping her fingers.

    "Nyx: Thorns of Hades."

    Uttered so eloquently with a taste of death leaving her tongue, shadowy roots formed from around her, protruding towards the orc like never-ending spears as theypletely pierced through its dark arts before lodging into the flesh of thecyrie.

    "Oh, how unfortunate~" Calytrix looked up as the shadow-bound thorns brought the dark orc into the air, "...you''re not truly one with darkness, after all."

    With a final snap of her fingers, the dark roots expanded, birthing an endless row of thorns that maimed the orc endlessly before reducing it into nothing but a bloody mist.

    As the others handled their chosen opponents, he was already long since finished with hiscyrian opponent, swiping the fresh blood from Belus as he stood over its maimed, fallen body.

    "Not bad," he called out, "it seems like you''re all at least as good as your ranks indicate."

    "I knew you''d finish first," Samfreyplemented, though he sounded more disappointed in himself than anything.

    Calytrix gloated in his ce, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the white-haired guild leader, "But of course; he''s an apostle of darkness, just as I, after all."

    Of course, Archard and Memo didn''t seem much for words, but they also didn''t seem like kindred spirits, at least by the way the much younger, but seemingly more talented adventurer in Memo opted to avoid the wizened Archard.

    Trying to brush off Caltrix'' peculiar way of getting close to him, he turned towards the path again, lightly kicking thecyrie he took out.

    "These guys here weren''t so tough; I doubt a bunch of these would give those other gold-ranks that much of a problem," he said.

    Samfrey cleaned his daggers with the in-white handkerchief from his coat pocket, "I was thinking the same. They didn''t exactly seem coordinated to me, and while they packed enough power to seriously harm a gold, or maybe even a ruby if theynded a direct hit��I don''t see it happening. Something is off here."

    "Well, I know the answer to that," Calytrix added with a smile.

    "About that��I''ve been wondering," Memo stopped her as he kept his arms folded across his chest, "howe you seem to know so much about these things?"

    Calytrix spun around once with her hands held behind her back, "I know quite a few things. But, it''s simple to understand the way orcs think�Cit doesn''t change betweencyries, either," she said, "they likely havepletely taken over the castle by now, and have made it their home. What we were just greeted by were likely the scouts; not their strongest regiment."

    As she exined this, the castle became all the more looming as it stood tall in the darkness of the deathly night.

    "Sounds about right," he scratched his head, "I guess that means the castle is a lost cause��there goes the bonus pay for saving the lord of the castle."

    Memo wandered to the side of the trail on his own, inspecting the cave that thecyrie burrowed from before flicking one of the pebbles away.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Why am I not surprised that the rtives of orcs would be underhanded?" Memo muttered as he returned to the group.

    "Are you scared, boy?" Calytrix teased, spinning around.

    "Who are you calling "boy", exactly?" Memo asked, quietly annoyed as he kept his arms folded across his chest.

    "I think behaving like you''re scared is better than acting immune to any fear at all," Samfreymented.

    He''s wiser than I expected, but I guess he is pretty experienced.

    Why would anybody live in Old Treyna anyway? Subterranean, magic orcs aren''t exactly a fun prospect, he thought.

    He began moving down the stone pathway, signaling for them to follow, "Let''s get this done and over with."

    --

    The carriage driver sure was in a hurry for us to stop��She thought.

    Looking back, her eyes were on the three adventurers that she was responsible for looking over. By all means, it wasn''t a responsibility she was used to�Cbeing a leader, that is. Especially with individuals with potent characters, like the draconic demi-human man who held a fiery air about himself.

    "Are you alright?"

    The question came from perhaps the least imposing of the three, a kind-faced man who wore pearly-white priest robes that sat over a long-sleeve, emerald tunic, reinforced with spruce, ivory armor. By many means, he was an ordinary looking man; shaggy, light-brown hair and a scruffy five-o''-clock shadow, yet his armor was quite exuberant. Even so, there didn''t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the armor, with only one arm and shoulder being ted in the engraved silver, but both legs being adequately armored.

    In addition, despite being an acimed priest, he wielded both arge, white-steel hammer, and a sheathed sword at his hip.

    Felix, he''s a gold third-ss, if I remember correctly��he''s a priest from Mastorn��I thought that''d be an issue, as we made it clear to Akshay to make sure everyone knew we were otherworlders, but he doesn''t seem to mind in the slightest. What was his reason for joining again? I believe he said he wanted a "fresh start". It''s odd��but it''s not a bad thing, just weird, she thought.

    He adjusted his sses as he looked at her with his verdant irises, awaiting an answer.

    "Yeah, I''m fine��just staying cautious," she answered.

    "If you''re not feeling well we should withdraw, and maybe meet back with the leader," Felix suggested.

    She promptly shook her head at that suggestion, holding herself high, "No. I''m fine, so we''re moving on."

    Watching, Akanni didn''t seem to be paying attention to the conversation of others as he inspected the standing trees of the dusk forest, running his fingers against the bark before bringing his nose close to it, sniffing the natural hide of the tree.

    ��He was one of the highest ranked among the recruits. He''s a draconic demi-human, but hees from a different tribe than Valerie, if I recall. "The Gilded Scales"...Ren and I couldn''t find much on them, since they are apparently a very isted group within Vesta, but they must be powerful. He said he was interested in diolus because it was "not only strong, but benevolent", she thought.

    "Got a lead on something?" Elena asked as her olive green hair cascaded down the shoulders of her ck cloak.

    Elena was also preupied with investigating the forest, spreading des of grass to look for trails of footsteps, or residual drops from thecyrie themselves.

    She''s the one I know the least about��a gold rank, but any other information isn''t really there. I wonder��She wanted to join simply because it seemed beneficial to her, Iris thought.

    Akanni, with his ck-scaled tail trailing behind him, answered after catching a whiff of something that resided on a low-hanging branch, "The smell of repulsive darkness; it leads this way."

    Inadvertently, the lead was taken by the dark-skinned man who was d in sable scales over most of his torso, as they traversed the horrifyingly quiet forest.

 Chapter 490 - Deciphering Potential

    "The vige should be this way��" She said.

    "...If that''s the case, I regret to think why the scent of thecyrie leads there," Felix said as he adjusted his strapped sses.

    Keeping her staff held in her hands, she watched as the others moved, also keeping an eye on the surrounding trees that were d in darkness�Cwatching for any potential malicious figures.

    "...Elena," she called out to the green-haired, pale woman dressed in light protection.

    "Yeah?"

    "It''d be best if you kept an eye out for our surroundings," she said, "that''s your specialty, right?"

    Elena didn''t answer for a moment, much to the dismay of her, but eventually seemed to go along with the request as she jumped up to one of the tree branches, hopping silently from tree-to-tree as she kept an overhead view.

    After traversing the moon-veiled forest for some time, the tall, draconic man came to a stop, prompting the others to stop as well.

    "What is it?" She asked.

    Akanni answered, "It''s much stronger now; their scent."

    The demi-human man scrunched his nose at the abhorrent stench that seemed exclusive to his powerful sense of smell.

    "Should I cast a light spell? It''s impossible to see beyond the nearest trees," Felix suggested.

    The decision was left to her as both Akanni and the nimble woman upying the tree above watched her for her answer.

    "No," she shook her head, "not yet. We can trust his senses�Cwe need to do our best not to alert the enemy before we find them."

    By the very slight smile given to her by Elena, and by Akanni, it seemed to be the correct choice as they continued moving with stealthiness in mind.

    ��I''m still not where I want to be as a person. I''ve honed my magecraft over the years, but��taking initiative still seems like such a faraway goal of mine. But, I''ll do my best��you trusted me with this, Ren, she thought.

    Continuing on their path, the air seemed to slowly shift, bing more thin, or rather upied by another element�Ca faint stench that grew the further they went into the forest.

    "I see the vige," Elena notified them through her stoppage atop a branch, standing upright.

    "What does it look like? Are there people?" She asked.

    Elena paused for a moment as she looked onward, but shook her head, "It''s hard to tell in this darkness. They don''t have any lights on, though."

    "That''s understandable if they''re dealing with acyrie invasion nearby," Felix added, resting his warhammer over his shoulder, "it''d be in their best interest to stay low.

    "No," Akanni simply said.

    "...No?" Felix replied, slightly confused with a raised eyebrow.

    The demi-human seemed to smell something in the air as he stood there with an intense expression upon his royal face.

    "They wouldn''t be able to hide by staying in the darkness," Akanni told him, cyrie are ones who live in the darkness below the ground."

    "That''s a fair point��" Felix wryly epted.

    Their movement was hastened by the dreadful fact established by Akanni as they approached the dim vige together.

    �CHowever, they were all promptly stopped by Akanni as he raised his arm. Sitting behind the veil of foliage just on the outskirts of the vige, they all sat in confusion.

    "What is it��?" She whispered.

    "They''re here," Akanni answered in a taut whisper.

    It was then that they each peeked through the foliage at the unlit, quiet vige to see what the draconic man meant.

    For a moment, nothing was seen, but only for a moment.

    It wasn''t apparent right away because of the abundant darkness, but she could see it; blood staining both the grass and the wood exterior of the cottages.

    After that, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, it wasn''t long before she saw the bodies strewn across the vige in an abhorrent, gruesome fashion�Cand then, the ones responsible for such brutality.

    Lumbering through the vige, towering, hunch-back orcs dragged with them lifeless bodies, bringing them to a wheelbarrow and dropping them inside with a stomach-churning squelch.

    "What is this��?" Felix let out in disgust and horror.

    "Are they storing the bodies��? I thought they eat whatever they find, right away," Elena asked, holding her disgust well.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No��" She said, putting it together, "...they''re transporting bodies. But��why?"

    They watched as a group of fivecyrie dropped the bodies into the now overstacked, blood-soaked wheelbarrow as a line of entrails overflowed from the sides of the repulsive transportation.

    She wanted to hurl from the sight, and smell, but she held herself�Cseeing in the faces of the others that it wasn''t her reaction alone. More than disgust, she felt anger at the sight; even children weren''t exempt from the savagery of thecyrie.

    However, she forced herself to her feet.

    "What''re you doing��?!" Felix asked in a whisper.

    "This is our mission, did you forget?" She swallowed her fears, though her voice still trembled slightly, "...by the looks of it, I don''t think they''re upying the forest anymore."

    "What do you mean by that?" Akanni asked.

    "It''s just a hunch��" She answered, "but I believe they''re transporting those bodies up the mountain. If that''s the case, why would they go through the trouble if they had a group on the forest floor anyway?"

    "I see��That is reasonable," Akanni nodded.

    "You want to follow them?" Elena asked as she looked at the azure-haired woman.

    She nodded, "...I think it''s better than going in wildly. They might lead us to more of their own."

    "Sounds like a n then," Felix epted with a smile.

    Still upying some semnce of stealthiness, the group set out in the formation that she discovered during their initial travels.

    Elena stays on the trees, giving us a bird''s eye view of the forest ground. Akanni stays in the front, using his heightened sense of smell as a furtheryer of reconnaissance. Felix and I will be the first to confront thecyrie once ites to that, she thought.

    Moving through the desecrated vige, she was forced to cover her mouth and nose as the horrid state of it.

    The verdant grass was more crimson than green, and puddles of blood dampened the soil as if a storm had just passed through; there were no bodies left, but pieces of entrails and flesh were left strewn across the raided vige.

    "...These are definitely rted to orcs, that''s for sure," Felix said out of quiet disgust.

    "It''s horrible��" She muttered.

    "If the vige turned out like this, it''s safe to assume the Desmas'' domain as a whole has fallen," Felix figured, "otherwise, why wouldn''t Lord Desmas send his guards down here to help?...I pray for their salvation."

    As Felix held his hands together in a quiet prayer as they walked, a sudden, inexplicable rumbling urred beneath their feet.

    "What''s��?" Felix muttered.

    �CBursting from the soil of the forest, a figure burrowed from the ground into an attempted attack on the priest as he dodged at thest moment.

    "Hyperion: Divine Chamber�C!"

    Acting quickly, before Felix would retaliate against the assant, or Akanni could so much as turn around, Irisunched a spell towards the revealedcyrie.

    Around it, a box of translucent light formed, trapping the hunch-back orc in its bounds as it attempted to break free as it thrashed against the solidified walls of light.

    "Nice reaction," Felixplemented, catching himself as he nearly tripped over from his impromptu dodge.

    From within the cubr box of light, thecyrie attempted to weave its dark arts, but was stopped as the burning essence of the purified light scalded its skin.

    Though its screams of agony were muffled by the light imprisonment, Felix held a wry expression.

    "Mind if I finish it?" He asked.

    She shook her head, prompting the hammer-wielding, adolescent priest to bring himself in front of the box.

    "One, two��" He counted as he lifted his massive, ivory warhammer above his head.

    Just as "three" left his lips, Iris released the cubr imprisonment for him as his hammer was brought down atop thecyrie''s head�Csmashing it into a fine paste.

    "Phew��" Felix huffed, setting the hammer on his shoulder as he returned to the group, "sorry, but I''d prefer not to leave even despicable creatures like that to an agonizing death."

    "It''s fine," she assured.

    Even if he says that��he killed it brutally himself�Che seemed almost angry when he mmed that hammer, she thought.

 Chapter 491 - Quarrel Amongst New Comrades

    Akanni and Elena didn''t have much to speak about with the encounter, but they remained more cautious now that the prospect of burrowing orcs was on the horizon, continuing to track thecyrie human transportation wheelbarrow.

    "If it wasn''t for you, I think thatcyrie would have alerted the ones up ahead, or potential others we haven''t taken notice of yet," Felix sighed.

    "It''s nothing," she assured, "just stay diligent."

    "Right, right," Felix bolstered himself, marching ahead.

    They soon found themselves at the edge of the forest line and at the foot of the mountain trail, looking ahead to see thecyrie''s corpse transportation still being towed upwards the windy trail.

    The trees that upied the mountain trail took on a contorted shape, augmented by the dark, miasmic presence of thecyrie.

    As the four of them stood there for a moment, the wind howled harrowingly before she was the one that took the first step up the ascending pathway.

    Though the group tried to remain low, using the foliage clinging to the mountain path to stay hidden, the towering, muscr demi-human man, standing head and shoulders above Felix, stood out even then. Even his steps were naturally heavy,ing down like bricks against the road.

    Elena tugged on the draconic man''s arm, though he seemed confused by her action.

    "What is it?" He looked at her with his fiery, beast-like eyes.

    "You''re going to get us seen," Elena told him as her scarlet eyes pierced him, "can''t you act a little more��low?"

    Akanni looked at her as if not even understanding what she meant, "But I am keeping myself low."

    "No, you''re not!" Elena hissed.

    It was clear the mighty, half-dragon, half-man, was not adjusted to staying unseen most of the time as he begrudgingly lowered himself further, seeming ufortable with his crouched position as he followed Elena''s lead.

    To further cement their stealth approach, Elena weaved a quick spell, "Fisaga: As The Wind Moves."

    It was a wind spell cast on each of them; a spell that masked the sounds of their steps, and their breathing all the same with a light envelopment of wind that surrounded each.

    "That is not necessary," Akanni said stoically, though it almost seemed as if he was pouting, "I can be low."

    "Sure you can, big guy," Elena breathed out before continuing to move along.

    "I can," Akanni repeated, following her with the other two.

    "Sure," Elena assured him.

    In contrast to Akanni, Elena seemed vastly experienced in such situations, perfectly timing her movements from moving to bush, to rock, moving upwards while maintaining a somewhat close trail on the wheelbarrow of bodies; of course, they matched her movements with utmost trust.

    As she moved forward, listening to the wheels of the blood-slick wheelbarrow be pulled up the dreadful mountain road, her eyes constantly tried to avert themselves, looking up towards the dark, blue clouds that were pierced by golden moonlight.

    After witnessing the group ofcyrie escort the pile of bodies around the corner of the trail, the group clung close to the rocky cornerside, peeking around the turn to see thecyrie enter an unnaturally made hole in the mountain.

    "Have they dug a base into the mountain��?" Felix asked.

    Though as quickly as he asked that, Elena promptly covered the man''s mouth with her hand, shielding his lips with her fingerless, beige glove.

    "...Keep quiet," Elena shushed him, and subsequently the others.

    As overbearingly prudent as her actions seemed, it was proven to be the right call as one of the pig-nosedcyrie looked towards their direction, sniffing the air as the four pressed themselves against the rocky mountainside.

    Elena kept her hand over the warrior priest''s mouth, only moving her hand once the footsteps of thecyrie disappeared within the unnaturally-made cavern.

    Felix huffed, regaining his breath as he held his throat, "...A bit unnecessary, don''t you think?"

    "You''ve seen what those things are capable of, right? I think I acted well within "necessary", sorry," Elena sternly ced her words.

    "...Fair enough," Felix caressed his throat, fixing his sses.

    She''s strict, but that''s not necessarily a bad thing out here. She knows her way around, Iris thought.

    Gripping her magical staff in her hands, she stood beside Elena, taking a look around the sharp corner of the trail.

    "If they aren''t bringing those bodies to the castle��then I wonder," she uttered.

    "What is it?" Elena nced at her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I don''t know much about thecyrie, but if they''ve really grown to thisrge of a problem, they might have multiple "hives", I''m thinking. That''s going off of the assumption that they''ve taken the castle," she surmised, looking down in thought.

    Akanni added, keeping his scaleden arms folded across his half-bare chest, "More than assumption, I''d say it''s the reality we should move forward with believing in. A lord without his people is powerless; if the vige was reduced to that, then the castle is already in the hands of thecyrie."

    "...Then the situation is much worse than we thought," she said, looking towards the cavern, "This is probably a phantasm-level quest now, if there are this manycyrie��"

    "I agree," Elena added, "which is why we need to be cautious. One wrong step, and we could have a horde ofcyrie on our heels."

    After a moment of pondering the situation between themselves, the four finally took their move towards the cavern, keeping close to the walls.

    For some reason, an unsettling feeling rested in the pits of her stomach as she quietly walked across the ursed mountain road, overlooked by the navy clouds.

    "Should we�C"

    �CAs she nced to the side to propose her question, her eyes met with something beyond understanding in that fraction of a moment.

    Reaching out from the mountainside, two, hulking arms of scarred, pale-gray skin protruding, gripping onto Elena.

    "Huh�C?" She let out.

    Akanni and Felix both noticed as well, both making a swift move in an attempt to attack the arms as the priest brought his hammer up, and the draconic man honed his nails into something resembling dragon ws.

    But, it was toote.

    They missed their mark as the enigmatyrie''s arms pulled the verdant-haired woman through the mountain wall seamlessly as she attempted to reach out, with Iris missing her hand by the length of a fingertip.

    It all happened so swiftly; there wasn''t even a trace that the wall had been crashed through as the rocky hide of the mountain reced itself by some dark arts.

    "No��!" She let out as she was unable to reach Elena''s hand.

    They all stood there for a moment of disbelief; Felix looked down at his ivory warhammer as it sat against the ground, having missed its target.

    "..." Felix remained quiet, sweating as he slowly picked his hammer back up.

    Akanni clenched his fists with a look of anger embedded in his eyes, "We must move fast."

    "Is there any point��?" Felix asked quietly as Akanni turned his back.

    The demi-human man stopped, ncing back at the priest who brought his own gaze to him in return.

    "What?" Akanni asked impatiently.

    "She''s gone," Felix told him.

    His words bathed in some sort of fear stirred up her own fear as she listened to them, but Akanni didn''t seem pleased.

    "What do you know? It''s been moments; she can be saved�Cif we move with haste," Akanni affirmed.

    "What do I know?" Felix wryly repeated as he adjusted his goggle-like sses, "I know that I''ve lost morepanions than I can count on two hands to orcs and goblins. I know what happens in situations like this."

    "Stop it," Akanni nted, "We don''t have time for this."

    "I know that once orcs get their hands on a human girl, and bring her into their hive, theymit acts that usually result in the girl in question not wanting to even live, if she gets saved, anyway," Felix continued.

    "Stop," Akanni said in a low tone as his clenched fists trembled with anger.

    The rage that quietly birthed itself from the draconic man took a tangible form in a lightyer of fiery aura that enveloped his body.

    "Is the truth that hard to swallow��? That''s all I''m giving you: the truth," Felix said.

    She watched as the two men stood, watching eachother in a standoff that would prove horrible if it set off. It was clear by magical pressure alone that the demi-human man would obliterate the priest, prompting her to finally step between them.

    "Knock it off!" She yelled out.

    �CThe two men looked at her, though the animosity between them hardly budged with her presence.

 Chapter 492 - Blessings, Oh Come

    She looked at Felix, "He''s right; we have to move fast. I don''t know what you''ve experienced in the past��but I wouldn''t be an adventurer if my experiences led me to abandon myrades."

    Felix'' eyes widened a bit as her words made him silent. The priest sluggishly rested his hammer on his shoulder as he looked up at Akanni.

    I''ve seen it too many times to count now. It doesn''t matter if its lowly, bottom of the barrel goblins, orcs, orcyrie�Cadventurers somehow always get taken off-guard by them, and everything crumbles. But, even if it happens again��this is a good excuse to kill some orcs, Felix thought.

    "Sorry," Felix apologized, "I just let my fear get the better of me."

    Though his apology came to her, it was more meant for Akanni, who didn''t respond as he simply turned his back once more with his jet-ck locks brushing against the deathly winds of thecyrie-infested mountain.

    "...If you aren''t up for it, then you don''t have toe with us," she told Felix.

    "I''m fine, really," Felix assured her.

    Even as he said that, it seemed the draconic man had his own quiet doubts about the priest''s words as his scaleden tail flicked to the side.

    She took in a deep breath, moving past Akanni towards the entrance to the cavern, "Then let''s save her and wipe them out."

    Though she took the lead at first, Akanni was the first to step into the enigmatic cavern once they reached its entrance, pushing in without a single shred of fear clinging to his form.

    The forefront of the cave was unlit,pletely cast in shadows as nothing could be seen�Conly heard as echoes of footsteps and squelches resounding from within the bowels of the ursed cavern.

    "We should still take things carefully," she whispered, but it was only a suggestion to the tall, well-built man of draconic blood.

    Akanni replied, "Forgive me, but I don''t believe there is a point in that anymore. They know we''re here."

    "He''s got a point, unfortunately," Felix added, "with how they grabbed Elena, there isn''t any doubt about it."

    It was true, but she still wanted to hang onto that faint hope of taking things with caution, but she begrudgingly agreed.

    "What''s with this, though? I mean, it''s totally dark in here," Felix whispered.

    "They''re subterranean creatures, right? They probably don''t rely on sight�Cmore likely their sense of smell and hearing," she told him.

    "Good point," Felix sighed, "I didn''t consider that."

    With the darkness clinging so vigorously to the cavern, she held her staff up as she released an illumination spell, bringing light into the unseen cavern at once.

    As sight returned to them, her heart dropped at the revtions the light brought.

    Somehow, they didn''t hear it.

    All around them,cyrie had gathered, surrounding them and blocking off the entrance to the cavern as they wielded a variety of shoddily-refined weapons in their hands, looking at them with their sightless, clear eyes.

    Even with the illumination of the sphere of light she manifested, the cavern itself couldn''t be seen through the horde ofcyrie that surrounded them; they breathed heavily with drawn breaths as their saliva dripped down onto the rocky, blood-stained flooring below.

    �CIn that moment, they both hesitated, though it wasn''t from biting fear, but from a variety of thoughts flooding through their minds in what the right move was to make.

    For Akanni, however, his thought process was simple: kill allcyrie.

    "RAAAAGH�C!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    For the first time, they witnessed the towering, draconic man set out into battle, all with the fury of a radiant me as he charged forward, eviscerating a pair ofcyrie with his dragon-like ws before they could react to his assault.

    In that moment, they were left stunned at the aggression the demi-human posses in battle, wasting no time as he swept his ws through the nearestcyrie.

    Without armor or a shield, he guarded against one of the dark-infused des of the subterranean orcs with his scale-d forearm, unflinching as his scales proved too durable for thecyrie as it received a visceral p of the man''s ws against its head, tearing its flesh, skull, and brain matter apart.

    Though there seemed to be an almost endless amount of towering, slobbering orcs upying the illuminated cavern, Akanni cut through one after another all the same without a moment''s hesitation.

    He fightspletely differently from Valerie. She relied on magic, but he just seems to use his own draconic physiology to fight��She thought.

    After those few seconds of nothingness, she gathered herself just as acyrie attempted to grab her from behind, pointing her staff towards its belly.

    "Brigid: me Dance!"

    Manifesting from the tip of her magical staff, arms of mes pierced through the abdomen of thecyrie, stopping it in its tracks as the spell continued forth after protruding through the brute''s back, piercing two morecyrie that approached from behind it.

    Witnessing the others'' battle, Felix brought himself steady as he wielded his hammer with a wry smile, "Guess I should join in."

    Stepping in front of him, an abnormally tallcyrie stood in his way, wearing an abhorrent coat of skin around its shoulders. In each of its hands, it wielded massive cleavers that were still dirtied with crimson liquid and entrails.

    "...You''re a big one��" Felix said with a nervous chuckle.

    The white-robed man dodged a wide strike of the giantcyrie''s cleaver as his clunky armor screeched and nked with his movements.

    From the strength of the abhorrent brute''s meat-cleaving weapons, he was unable to do anything but remain on the defense, as the swings of his hammer were deflected by the superior strength of the blind orc.

    "Ngh�C!" He grunted as even guarding against one of the swings with the handle of his hammer was felt through his bones.

    After a kick to the gut from thecyrie, he was plunged against the back wall of the cavern, picking himself up groggily as his head mmed against the rocky wall.

    As he looked behind him at what the squishy feeling was behind him, he realized the horrors that inhabited thecyrie hive; chained up to the walls were humans�Cor rather, the remains of bodies, half-eaten and left stationed like trophies.

    Seeing that sight, he gripped his head as unwanted memories seeped through; hearing jarring screams inside of his mind as his lip trembled.

    Get it together, man. If you don''t do anything��if you don''t do anything, again, more people will die, he thought.

    As he looked up, he could see his twopanions still fighting, giving it their all as the draconic man shredded thecyrie in his path apart, while Iris fought them with abination of mes and light.

    "...What am I doing?" He questioned himself with a lightugh.

    Standing back up, he was immediately met face-to-face with his colossal opponent again, who reared a cleaver back in front of him, forcing him to move without thinking.

    After running back to gain some distance, having to jump forward to evade another swing of the visceral edge of thecyrie''s weapon, he stopped, gathering hisposure as he drew in a long breath.

    "O'' Holy Lord, blessed thee with the strength tobat the dark forces of evil!" Felix prayed, closing his eyes for a moment, mming the pommel of his hammer against the ground.

    His unique incantation was heard as a white light briefly enveloped his body, leaving white bands around his arms, prompting him to raise his hammer with the intent to take the initiative this time.

 Chapter 493 - Helpless Horde

    This time, as he swung his hammer, asrge as himself, towards the oversizedcyrie, it was unable to repel the heavy m of his blunt weapon as both of its cleavers were instead repelled, leaving the slobbering, abhorrent brute wide open.

    After the first sh, sparks were still falling in the dank, mmy air of the cavern as he reared the hammer back once more. With both of his brown, leather gloves gripping the handle of the hammer as hard as he could, he summoned the strength of his miracle.

    It was at this time, in this situation, surrounded by countlesscyrie, that memories of old were resurfaced in his mind.

    "Felix, hurry up!"

    "You alright, Felix?"

    "Felix�C!"

    Their screams, and their smiles�Cboth yed in his mind in unison as behind his goggles, tears ran along the edges of his eyes as he began to bring his hammer down with words caught in his throat.

    This time, I won''t stand around frozen and let them have their way. Rest, Sophie, he thought.

    Mustering all of the strength granted to his body, he brought the t-end of his pure-white hammer down against the nose of thecyrie that stood head-and-shoulders above him, bringing it down as the blunt weapon mmed the brute to the ground with a resounding tremor.

    Leaving the head of the giant, skin-wearingcyrie into a ttened, shattered mess, Felix lifted his hammer with a heavy breath, being greeted with morecyrie that gathered around him with their unsavory grins.

    "For a second, I forgot about you��" He said with a heavy breath.

    For Iris, there was no trouble in acyrie itself, but rather their aggressive approach, and the numbers they came in.

    "Hyperion: Repulse!" She shouted out.

    As the three, chargingcyrie approached her, the spell she manifested emitted from the tip of her staff with a light-formed shockwave that pushed thecyrie back,unching them against more of the horde.

    It only gave small cuts and bruises to those affected, but what she truly aimed for and gained from the spell was a window of opportunity after creating space for herself.

    In a cavern like this, especially with others, my spells are limited��I have to be careful not to challenge the integrity of the cavern, she thought.

    Bringing her staff forward again, she honed her focus, "Helios: Superior Exo-Bind!"

    This time, a pir of light stretched across the floor, reaching across where even thecyrie stood and expanding before manifesting dozens of lengthy, swaying tendrils of light that took hold of whichevercyrie were unable to escape its reach.

    With sways of her staff like conducting an orchestra, shemanded the tentacles formed of coalesced light to wrap, bind, and crush the heldcyrie.

    There were a dozen that had been caught in the grasps of the spell, and all were helpless to the binding as mere contact with the form of the light burned their flesh with an audible sizzle.

    I''ll finish these ones off, then�Cshe thought.

    �CBefore she could crush the boundcyrie, she felt a chill run up her back. ncing back, she witnessed one of the slobbering, gray-skinned brutes holding a spiky, blood-soaked club over its head as it howled with its tusks bore, intending to swing down atop her head.

    Oh no��I wasn''t watching my back�C! She thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In that split-second, she didn''t know whether to follow through with her current spell, or release it and confront thecyrie behind her, but�Ca choice didn''t have to be made.

    A hand pierced through the sr-plexus of thecyrie behind her; a familiar hand that was d in draconic ws.

    "Akanni��!" She let out.

    As the hand slid out from the open cavity of thecyrie, causing it to fall over dead on the floor, the draconic man didn''t waste any time continuing to sweep through the brutes with his superior physicality.

    It was a sight in itself to watch the ck-scaled, draconic adventurer fight so swiftly, aggressively, yet elegantly as he even used his tail as a weapon, mming it againstcyrie like a whip as it shattered the wooden handles of one of their axes.

    Refocusing herself, she ushered the finality of her manifested spell as the tendrils crushed the heldcyrie; squeezing their limbs, necks, and splitting into two the ones held by their midsections.

    She could tell the reason for the swift aggression of Akanni was that he was desperate to find Elena, prompting her to point her staff towards the group ofcyrie that seemed to be blocking a further tunnel into the cavern.

    "Akanni! This way!" She shouted, "I think you''ll be able to find her down there! I''ll clear the path for you!"

    The draconic man stopped just in his tracks, looking towards her as he nodded his head in silence as fresh blood from thecyrieid slick on his arms, beginning to race towards the hoarded tunnel.

    She gathered her breath, focusing as winds of light carried around her.

    "Hyperion: Ascendant Punishment of The Heavenly Stars!"

    �CIt formed from the front of her staff, bringing in spiraling lights that twinkled before coalescing into a massive release of condensed, blinding light that let out as a burning beam towards the wall of brutes.

    As it spiraled and illuminated the cavernpletely with its iridescent form, it effortlessly reduced thecyrie in its path to nothing but cinder carried by the winds, causing the entirety of the cavern to rumble from the magecraft.

    "Woah��!" Felix let out in surprise, stabilizing his bnce after having taken out a fewcyrie with his blood-slick warhammer.

    Having his path cleared, Akanni raced down the narrow section of the cavern without hesitation.

    A fewcyrie attempted to follow the draconic man, but were stopped as the hazel-haired priest showed up behind them with a m of his hammer against both of their heads.

    "Not happening��!" Felix gritted his teeth.

    The blood from the impact stained the exterior of his goggles, causing him to wipe it clean with his sleeve as he gathered a breath, turning back towards the azure-haired woman.

    "...There are a lot more than we thought, huh?" Felix caught his lost breath, ncing side-to-side as morecyrie enclosed around them.

    "Yeah," she breathed in, "but we''ll make it."

    "Sometimes��I envy optimism like yours," Felix adjusted his goggles, "I guess that''s why I never really went far as a priest."

 Chapter 494 - Urgent Rescue

    Rushing down the hollow halls of the cavern, he was greeted bycyrie who left from circr, carved out rooms within the expansive domain within the mountain, only to be eviscerated by his sharp, ck ws.

    He slowed down after noticing that within the rooms, humans were kept imprisoned�Cthough none that he could see yet were still alive and breathing.

    Despicable. These creatures of darkness must be wiped out. The stench of their evil is unbearable, he thought.

    Walking down the halls, he continued to check each and every room for Elena, keeping his draconic senses honed as he traversed the bowels of the enemy''s territory.

    As he traversed the halls, he was stopped as he picked up the sound ofbored, yet quiet, weak breathing from one of the many hole-in-the-wall rooms.

    He quickly moved up, looking into one of the rooms to find a young man chained to the damp wall of rigid rock, cut and bruised with flesh missing from his arms and legs.

    "...Are you alright��?" Akanni asked gently as he stepped into the room.

    He didn''t receive an answer from the weak, frail man of shaggy, blonde locks. Just as he knelt down in front of the injured captive, the frail man jumped, pressing against the wall and trembling out of fear.

    Now that he had a closer look, he could see the marks of decaying flesh on his body; the touch of thecyrie''s darkness.

    "No, no, no, no, no��!" He repeated through a shaky, fear-soaked voice.

    "I won''t hurt you," Akanni assured him.

    Though his words didn''t seem to get through to the main enveloped in trauma, who seemed to have been locked away and kept to rot in his own filth.

    "...No! No! Don''t! No, no, no!" The man covered his head, curling up against the ground.

    He looked at the hand he reached out towards the man with, stopping as he stared at the w-like nails that extended from his hand, reaching up to feel the sable horns that curved from the sides of his head.

    Am I��a monster to him? Akanni thought.

    Any movement he made caused the tortured man to flinch, tremble, and cry in fear. He returned to his feet, cutting the chains with a quick sh of his hand before he made his leave from the room.

    "Venture not to leave this room for another hour," Akanni told him calmly as he made his way out, "by then, the ones who hurt you will be gone."

    After leaving that one rocky cell, he soon found many others�Csome less afflicted, some far more gravely so.

    There were too many; the amount of bodies, alive and dead, surpassed hisprehension of evil that thecyrie couldmit. He went through, cutting each of their chains, though all were afflicted with enough trauma that their quivering bodies would not even stand.

    It was a disgusting concept to him; the torture and subjugation of others.

    The strong are strong to protect the weak. That is why I couldn''t stay in my own homnd; a n that so fervently believed in "only the strongest are meant to survive"--if as an infant, you did not meet their standards, you were banished to the wilnds to die.

    There is nothing more detestable in this world than those who do not consider those weaker than themselves; ones who do not look at the path they walk on, but simply stamp out whatever meaningless life persists below, he thought.

    ncing around, though, he left a trail ofcyrie bodies in his wake, ncing at the cells that held the freed, but still bound by fear humans.

    ��Iris and Felix are better suited for saving. I am a destroyer. It is not my ce in this world tofort those in pain. Still, I must find Elena, he resolved.

    Again, he dashed forward, moving with speeds that made thecyrie further down the maze-like corridors of the mountain-innards unable to react to his draconic self.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Before the hunchback, man-eatingcyrie could raise their weapons, he was already past them, swiping his ws as their heads were separated from their shoulders in a moment''s passing.

    This is their own justice. unting their strength, subjugating others with it and filling them with such scars that willst a lifetime�CI will let them know what it means to be helpless in the face of the overwhelming strong, he thought.

    From the ceiling and floor,cyrie ambushed him, but the draconic reflexes bestowed to him caused him to flick his heavy, armored tail as it beheaded the brutish orc behind him. For the in that chose to attack him whilst descending from the ceiling with a trident, he pped its head, causing its neck to violently spin and snap as thecyrie fell dead, instantly, hanging from the rocky ceiling.

    However, a new problem arose as he grew closer to the end of the halls, setting his eyes on a familiar head of verdant hair, though it was difficult to see, even with his enhanced eyesight: blocking his path, a fewcyrie began to weave spells, readied for his approach.

    "---!"

    Through their gargled, iprehensiblenguage, they manifested their dark arts into the form of an abyssal gale that swept through the narrow halls of rock, leaving no option for him in the sense of evading.

    The dark gale took the shape of multiple skulls, screeching and howling their deathly tune as it rapidly approached his position.

    As calm and collected as the draconic, dark-skinned man remained, he drew in arge breath, letting his muscr chest expand with the hefty intake of air he brought into his lungs.

    With a mighty breath, he unleashed from his pursed lips a golden me that propelled like a mighty wave of a thundering sea through the corridors.

    The majested, gilded mes had no trouble sweeping past the coalesced dark arts as if it was nothing more than a breeze in the path of hungering mes. With nothing left in their way, the breath-released mes crashed against thecyrie, reducing them to charred, lifeless husks within moments, leaving nothing in his path as he continued to the chamber at the end of the maze-like corridors.

    "Elena�C!" He called out as his deep voice echoed off of the mmy walls.

    Though as he reached her, expecting to find a damsel in distress, all he found was the verdant-haired woman, surrounded by a pile of evisceratedcyrie, wiping blood from her cheek as her crimson eyes moved to him.

    "What''re you yelling for?" Elena asked, wiping her shortsword against one of the bodies of the bisectedcyrie, cleaning the fresh blood from its silver-and-ck steel.

    "I thought��" Akanni started, but was at a loss for words.

    There wasn''t a scratch on her pale skin, not on her russet-brown pants, nor a tear of her ck cloak, and not even a nick on the basic, steel-armoring that padded her shins, knees, and boots.

    I underestimated her. Though��I am d my impression was wrong, he smiled to himself small.

    He watched as she finished wiping her shortsword down, sliding it into the sheath stationed against her lower back as only the ivory, bone-like handle was left shown.

    "Anyway, there were a lot more, too much for me actually, but after a lot ofmotion, they ran down the halls," Elena told him, ncing past him at the corridor he came from, "...but, looks like you took care of that."

    "...I did," he confirmed with a nod after ncing back, feeling a tad bit bashful of the destruction heid to the halls.

    "Nice work, big guy," Elena said, lightly tapping his shoulder with the knuckles of her light gauntlets, sounding somewhat sarcastic as she kicked one of the lifelesscyrie, "these bastards tried to put their sooty hands on me�Cthat wasn''t happening. Anyway��where are the other two? Goggles and Iris?"

    He watched as Elena continued to lightly kick the body of thecyrie though it was long since dead,ying in a pool of the coalesced blood of the fallen group.

    "Fighting an entire horde," Akanni told her with a serious tone, "they gave me an opening to pass, and are holding the horde back so I coulde rescue you��but it seemed you didn''t need saving."

    "Damn right," Elena said, though she fiddled with the verdant locks on her shoulder, bringing a tuft of her green hair meekly by her mouth, "...but, thanks. I appreciate it."

    He didn''t know how to ept her gratitude as he stood there nkly for a few moments before a sense of urgency rushed through him.

 Chapter 495 - Dark Horde

    "We must return to them, they need our assistance," he told her.

    Though Elena was staring right past him with widened eyes, tapping his shoulder, "Urr, hey, big guy��I think we have our own problems right now."

    "What��?" He asked, slowly turning around.

    Entering through an alternate corridor from the direction he arrived, a gargantuancyrie entered, having to duck through the tunnel''s edge to enter the cavity of the mountain.

    Though even its appearance was the first aspect of it that met him; the smell it exuded filled the domain with a potent abhorrence.

    Its skin, mmy and covered in scarring, was slick in a sooty substance, dripping from its chin as it carried a shoddily-made, gargantuan axe fit for its size.

    "A champion of their hive?" Akanni muttered, readying himself for a fight.

    "I don''t care what it''s called, it wants to fight!" Elena called as she unsheathed her shortsword, wielding it with a reverse grip.

    As it stomped its mud-slick feet against the stone, blocking their path to the tunnels, the hill-sizedcyrie let out a deep, bellowing roar that shook the entire cavern.

    Chains hung from its form, wrapped around its arms, legs, and upper-body as chain links carried flesh bits in a manner natural to the abhorrent creatures.

    "I will handle its focus," Akanni told her, stepping forward, "you can take care of the rest, right?"

    Elena stood silent for a moment before nodding, holding her short-de, "Not a problem."

    The moment that understanding was made, the draconic manunched forward just as the enormouscyrie brought its pir-sized axe down towards them.

    Using his scale-d forearms, he crossed them over his head as the giant axe crashed down against his arms.

    "Big guy�C!" Elena yelled out worriedly.

    Though to her surprise, the gargantuan weapon fitting for the giant hunchback didn''t prate the sable scales of the demi-human.

    After such a feat, the immacte, ck scales that reinforced his arms seemed practically invulnerable.

    "I am fine! Go!" Akanni called out, grunting as the weight of the giant axe pressed down against him, cracking the rock beneath his feet.

    She wavered for a moment, but her doubts were swept away by the sheer strength and durability of the draconic demi-human, not wasting the opportunity.

    "Luft: Blessing of the Skies," Elena muttered the incantation.

    Surrounding her, a barely-seen wind enchanted her movements, amplifying her step with a graceful speed that allowed her to swiftly rend the ankles of the giantcyrie.

    As its achilles'' heels were rent by her wind-guided de, thecyrie''s strength faltered as it stumbled, allowing Akanni to repel its axe.

    With it falling to its knees as it could no longer support its own body, thecyrie was mounted by the girl who traversed its body like a mountain being surmounted as she left a trail of eviscerations over its form.

    "Hyaah�C!"

    Elena finished with a spinning slice across its back, leaving the overgrowncyrie reeling in pain as she noticed the draconic man inhaling arge breath of air into his lungs, prompting her to leap away from the giant orc''s form.

    "He''s all yours, big guy!" Elena called out.

    Just as she was clear of the path of destruction, Akanni roared out with an onught of golden mes that exhaled from his mouth, quickly enveloping the entirety of thecyrie giant in the iridescent fire.

    It propelled through the air, rapidly expanding through the cold, damp atmosphere of the cavern with a shock wave of heat that turned nearby pebbles to dust.

    As she watched the golden mes consume thecyrie giant, the wind blessing that Elena possessed caused the heat to curve around her, though it was still strong enough to be felt as a sudden warmth.

    It didn''t take but a minute for the gilded inferno to leave the hill-sizecyrie to a crisp as it fell face forward without an echoing thud that trembled through the cavern.

    Elena returned by him, looking at the burnt body of the giant orc with a bit of surprise on her expression, "...Nice work, big guy. You know, I don''t think he''s getting back up from that one."<novelnext></novelnext>

    The draconic man regained his breath, panting as the me release expelled every ounce of air from his lungs as he wiped the residual embers from the corners of his lips.

    "It is not over yet," Akanni told her as his jet-ck fringes hung close to his eyes, "The others��need us."

    "Well," Elena ced her hands at her sides, looking at him, "I think you can save it for after you catch your breath, big guy."

    --

    "How many are there?!"

    Felix moved back, but his back was met against a wall while an aggressive, hammer-wieldingcyrie approached him while salivating.

    Just as he ducked beneath its wild, formless swing of its hammer, he retaliated with his own hammerstrike, bringing the t-side against the back of thecyrie''s skull as he painted its brains against the cavern stone.

    "...I''m starting to wonder about that myself," Iris replied.

    Through wordless incantations, she used her staff to aim arrows of light towards the droves of subterranean orcs, though the light-formed projectiles that didn''t hit their head only momentarily slowed the aggressive brutes.

    ��It feels like they are endless. Not only that, they''re aggressive��even if they aren''t individually much trouble, they''re going to wear us down eventually��Felix is already slowing down a bit. This could be bad, she thought.

    "Felix, get close!" She yelled out.

    "Huh?...Alright!"

    Felix pushed through the horde, using his hammer to make room as he regrouped with her, watching her back as she raised her staff.

    "Brigid: Sundance!"

    Around the perimeter they stood, fiery hieroglyphs etched into the stone in a circr formation, causing anycyrie that passed over the enchanted area to burst into mes immediately.

    "Rreegh�C!"

    The firstcyrie that attempted to step over the enchanted barrier had its leg be swallowed by sudden mes, causing it to fall over and squeal in pain.

    "...Nice, this can keep them off!" Felix said, relieved.

    She shook her head softly, "No��it''s only a temporary stopgap."

    "What do you mean?" He asked, gathering his lost breath as he kept his eyes on the horde that surrounded the barrier.

    After the first of the subterranean orcs was burned by trying to trespass the circle, thecyrie stood at the edge, waiting and watching cautiously as saliva dripped from their tusk-bearing maws.

    "...''Sundance'' relies on tricking the enemy. Each time one tries to cross and is burned, my mana is spent that way�Cnot by keeping the barrier itself summoned," she exined in a whisper.

    "So you''re saying that if enough of them try to cross, the barrier will fall��?" He asked.

    She nodded, "We have to rely on them fearing the idea of crossing the barrier��but, if they get confident, it''ll fall."

    Felix didn''t seem very relieved anymore as he held a nervous smile, tightly wielding his warhammer, "Crap��it''s never good news, is it?"

    Even the brutishcyrie seemed aware of the threat of crossing the burning, hieroglyphic barrier, though that caution onlysted a minute before another attempted to rush through it, only to be repelled by a burst of mes that overtook its body.

    "Any other tricks up your sleeve? I think now would be a good time!" Felix asked worriedly.

    "I do, but��I''m afraid most of my spells would result in myself being the only one left standing," she told him.

    "Oh, great, yeah, please don''t use those!" Felix wryly said.

 Chapter 496 - Horde Clear

    Again, the hesitant nature of thecyrie in their confrontation with the barriersted only moments before another tried, then another. The hungering orcs attempted to ovee the barrier with their own dark arts, but had their attempts revoked by the unseen bursts of provoked fire.

    "...Crap! They''re brute forcing it now!" Felix called out.

    "I know that!" She replied, "Just stay ready!"

    Though he was told that, Felix had troubleposing himself in the face of a seemingly endless number of the abundantcyrie, constantly shifting his grip on his hammer as sweat dripped down his chin.

    With each of the underground orcs that threw themselves against the unseen barrier, being repelled into immediate immtion, the priest felt his heart thump at a greater intensity.

    The moment the barrier falls, I''ll use it��I can''t begin casting it while focusing on Sundance, so I''ll only have a small window. Please, Felix��I need you to focus! She thought.

    More, more, and more came, almost acting like mindless drones of malice, uncaring for the consequences as their hunger blindly drove them forward.

    �CUntil, finally, the barrier shattered into loose embers.

    At that moment, they werepletely surrounded, closed in by dozens of salivatingcyrie in the deathly, abhorrent domain of their creation.

    "Hear me, great son of the king of divinity, the sapling of that who brings the roars of the heavens down upon his foes, brother of the goddess who basks in the moonlight!"

    Without wasting a moment, she began to weave great magic into y; Felix didn''t have to be told what to do in this situation�Che recognized her role as thecyrie seemed to aim their attention towards the woman.

    "Not a chance�C!" Felix let out, swinging his hammer around wildly.

    He wasn''t aiming to kill, but only to fend off those that approached too close, buying her time to craft her great magic.

    The nce and nod they shared cemented this division ofbor before she continued.

    "Most reasonable of all who inhabit the heavens, he who has gifted us our music and culture, grant me the power to strike down my enemy with your blessings�C!"

    With a light beginning to take form, shining with an overwhelming brightness above with the edge of great magic being reached, Felix struggled to hold thecyrie back, receiving blunt hits as he roared out.

    Bolstering himself with such a roar, the goggle-wearing priest pushed the fiendishcyrie back, smashing those he could into unconsciousness, or death.

    I won''tst any longer��! Felix thought.

    The numbers of thecyrie became overwhelming; Felix was wed at, punched, and kicked�Conly able to block against the lethal swings of weapons as he was left with a variety of cuts against his skin.

    It was difficult to maintain focus while watching the man be swarmed by the horde, but she settled her resolve; birthing the radiant light that set into motion like the dawn of a new day within the dreadful cavern.

    The great magic she birthed was superior to previous usages; she needed as much to deal with the hefty numbers upying the cavern.

    "Graaaagh�C!" Felix roared out, supplementing himself with a m of his hammer''s pommel to the ground as he threw thecyrie off of him.

    �CShowing up just in time before a shower ofcyrie des descended on his flesh, a wave of golden mes ate through the subterranean orcs before the priest.

    As he huffed, gathering his breath, he looked to the side to find the draconic man returned, and with him, the swift, rogue woman who speedily cut through the numbers of thecyrie.

    "Man, am I d to see those horns right about now��!" Felix smiled wryly with a chuckle as blood trailed his cheek.

    Akanni only smiled subtly before carving his own path through thecyrie horde, using his ws, both on his hands, and the talons that extended from his feet, in tandem with his tail in a violence swirl.

    Combining their might, the draconic man inhaled as trails of golden mes left the corners of his mouth, and with the release of his breath, Elena amplified the fires that left his mouth, "Luft: Swirl!"

    The resulting mes released into a vtile reaction, blowing back the closestcyrie as they were flung into the air with a burning char to the skin, while a dozen others were consumed by the mes.

    "Holy��!" Felix grunted in reaction, nting his feet down and holding his arm in front of himself to guard against the released winds of thebo attack.

    At least, she finished weaving the great magic as it shined with a blinding radiance:<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Apollo: Malicious Benevolence!"

    Stretching across each corner of the cavern, the light consumed all darkness within the cavern, bestowing a purifying heat to the malicious orcs, while supplying a rejuvenating warmth to herrades.

    Witnessing the spectacle of the great magic, Felix ran the fingertips of his glove against his cheek, feeling the cuts he endured having closed in the presence of the benevolent spell.

    Akanni and Elena watched as the swarms ofcyrie fell to the melting heat, withering into charred husks within a minute.

    With the radiance finally settling, she lowered her staff, releasing a sigh before opening her eyes once more.

    "...It worked," she muttered as droplets of sweat trailed down her cheek.

    "That��was pretty awesome," Felix said as they regrouped with her.

    "As expected of the co-founder of diolus," Akanniplemented, "I sense not a singlecyrie remains in this domain."

    "Yeah, I''d say that was a fitting death for these creeps," Elena said, kicking one of the charred corpses.

    After regaining their lost breath, the group began to take their leave from the deathly cavern that reeked of burnt flesh, but Akanni stopped, looking back.

    "What is it, big guy?" Elena asked as the other stopped as well.

    "There were many prisoners kept in the cells," Akanni said, "I freed them from their shackles��but they remained."

    The others looked between one another for a moment before Iris stepped forward, "I''ll take a look at them."

    "...Thank you," Akanni gratefully nodded his head.

    Being guided through the tunnels by Akanni, the wounds she discovered that were etched into the flesh of the imprisoned, frightened vigers were enough to draw tears from her eyes.

    "It''s horrible," is what she thought, over and over again as she tended to their wounds. Even with the warmth of her restoration magic guiding across their skin, there were wounds ingrained so deeply into them that she could not reach; the fear that inhabited their dted eyes, not so much as ncing at her no matter whatforting words she gave.

    It was a process that took some time, but eventually, they were all tended to, and carried outside of the cavern by Felix and Akanni.

    It was only a single man that hadtched onto his sanity that followed their instructions, and was able to escort the rest of the vigers down the horrific mountain.

    "...They''ll never be the same," Felix said, clenching his fists as they watched the vigers descend the mountain trail.

    "Maybe," Elena replied, "but at least they''re alive."

    "Is living something that always outweighs all other pain?" Felix asked quietly, "...If you told them "at least you''re alive" would they find the strength to smile again? I don''t think so. I''ve seen the effect these attacks have on people; most end up too weak to continue fighting on with the pain."

    Elena bounced a pebble in her hand while leaning against the rocky side of the trail, "That''s their choice to make. They have that choice now."

    "..." Felix remained silent, looking off into the distance.

    "We did something good today, Felix," Iris assured him, "That much is undeniable."

    "Maybe��but it still feels like a half-baked victory," he replied.

    As pragmatic and set as always, Akanni turned towards the rising slope of the trail, looking up towards the high, distant castle.

    "It''s not over yet," Akanni said, "we should rendezvous with the others. Right, Iris?"

    "Right," she nodded.

 Chapter 497 - Efficiency Is Key

    Reaching the castle gates, a trail ofcyrie bodies were left in the path they took, with him leading at the front as he stepped on the stone bridge that led to the tall gates of Castle Desmas.

    "That''s twenty-six," Memo said, retrieving the edge of his greatsword from the back of a fallencyrie.

    "Huh?" Samfrey looked at him, taking his dagger from the skull of one of the brutes, "Are you bloating your kill-count, smart guy?"

    Memo huffed, though his facial expression was half-hidden from his mask, "Don''t me me for yourck of skill, geezer."

    "Geezer?! Don''t you have any respect for your superiors?!" Samfrey popped a vein, stomping towards the mouthy, cardinal-haired adventurer.

    Though Samfrey was promptly held back as Archard took hold of his arms, with Memo looking unphased though a glimmer of satisfaction was left in his light-golden irises.

    "I don''t remember you being my "superior". Having gray hairs doesn''t automatically give you any authority over me," Memo continued to taunt him with his monotone, bored words.

    He finally stepped in after listening to their bickering, putting distance between the two, "Alright, alright, that''s about enough��what''s up with you two? This is your trial for the guild, you know. If you aren''t going to take it seriously, you can kiss your spot in diolus good-bye."

    His words prompted both Memo and Samfrey''s fighting to stop as the two men silently red at each other before facing away from one another.

    If there was one person who enjoyed their bickering, it was Calytrix, whoughed with such a humiliating pitch that it would''ve stopped them itself.

    Sheesh, why has this turned into a babysitting job��? He thought.

    As he returned his attention to the gates, folding his arms across his chest, Arched stood next to him.

    "Thanks for holding them back," he thanked the veteran adventurer.

    "It is nothing," Archard replied through his helmet that obscured his facepletely, "It is normal for hot-headed ones like them to sh."

    "Yeah, but you''d think they''d read the room, ya'' know?" He scratched his head, "Anyway, I''m trying to see a way around that huge gate, but I don''t really see any other option besides sting it."

    "What''s stopping you from doing just that?" Archard asked.

    "I agree," Calytrix suddenly added herself into the conversation, catching him by surprise, "using the grace of darkness, such gates are nothing."

    He expected such an answer from the mysterious, gothic lolita, but he somehow expected the wizened man dressed in armor to have a different solution.

    "...Well, it''s not that I''m against it, really��I mean, the idea of a bonus is long gone, anyway," he said, looking up towards the castle, "but, something else is bothering me."

    "What is it?" Archard asked.

    "There hasn''t been a singlecyrie seen since we got here," he answered, "You''d think maybe that meant they didn''t overrun the castle, but��that''s clearly not the case."

    "I see," Calytrix said with her hands behind her back, looking at Castle Desmas with her sparkling eyes, "that''s indeed the case; the air of darkness resides over the castle."

    "Alright, enough of your ominous talk��give it to me straight," he told the frilled-dressed girl.

    Calytrix seemed almost confused on what he meant, as if her way of speaking waspletely normal and concise. Though as she tilted her head, with her dark pigtails swaying, supplemented by ck-and-crimson ribbons, Calytrix smiled before adjusting her answer.

    "What I mean to say is��there is not a single person alive in there," she told, "not a single human, anyway."

    It was daunting news for the group, but it was something he came to expect after seeing the state of the road that led to the castle.

    The silence that emanated from the gray stone of the castle filled him with an unease, but eventually, he began to cross the bridge with the others following.

    "What''s the n? That gate isn''t exactly weing us warmly in," Samfrey asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know," he answered, watching the castle as they crossed the lengthy, curved bridge, "we should check for another entrance."

    "You won''t find one," Calytrix told him.

    Just as they crossed the bridge, he looked back at the girl in response to her clear, but seemingly unfounded words.

    "Huh? How do you know that?" He asked.

    Calytrix shrugged with a small grin, "It''s the knowledge of darkness, is all."

    "Great��very reliable," he sighed out.

    "Yeah, I''d take my chances with my own eyes," Memo muttered.

    They all came to the conclusion than rather than trusting the enigmatic words for the young-seeming girl, they''d inspect the perimeter of the castle to confirm it for themselves.

    "So? What have your eyes found you?" Calytrix asked, still waiting in front of the castle gates as the four men returned.

    Samfrey huffed, "It was a fifty-fifty guess, doesn''t mean you were right."

    "What definition of "right" are we looking at, exactly?" Calytrix asked with a sly smile.

    "Enough," he broke up the bickering before it scaled any higher, "what matters is that this gate is our only way inside. And��"

    ? "And?" Memo looked at him.

    "And," he continued, "sting it down is probably our only way past it��"

    Without missing a beat, Calytrix stepped forward, or rather, skipped forward frivolously before stopping a few meters before the giant gates with her hand held forward.

    "Urr, what''re you�C?"

    Just as he asked the question they all had in mind, the darkly-dressed young girl spoke, but not to them.

    "Nyx: Lightless Seeds of The Shadows," Calytrix said with a smile.

    Before any further discussion could be had, the sapphire-ranked girl unleashed an array of what looked like ck, sooty pollen that glowed with a magenta vibrance; they floated gently towards the gate before�C

    KABOOM.

    In an impact that naturally brought all of them to cover their ears, the shadowy pollen unleashed into a vtile reaction against the gates, unleashing a destructive explosion of shadowy mass.

    The aftermatch left a temporary cloud of smoke that dissipated within moments, though Samfrey was left coughing.

    "Give us a warning or something, would you?!" Samfrey coughed out.

    Calytrix smiled, "Efficiency is key, no?"

    As if cementing her words, the bursted gates croaked as they slowly descended, falling innards with another, ear-ringing impact against the floor.

    "....I guess I can''t deny that," he muttered.

 Chapter 498 - Into Repugnant Depths

    Archard was as wordless as he had been, with Memo not deviating much differently from that same path.

    After letting the residual smoke and vtile pollen clear, they stepped through the abrasively-opened entrance to the castle, having to walk over the fallen, perforated gates that were running hot from the potent heat released in the spell''s destruction.

    The main lobby of the castle was finally viewable to his eyes as he stepped past the cloud obscuring his vision at the threshold.

    "...That''s about what I expected," he wryly said.

    It was clear to see that it was once avish estate; the smooth, wooden flooring, the quartz railings that apanied the carpeted stairways.

    But, it was no longer such a ce.

    Strewn across the railings, the bodies of those who once resided in Castle Desmas were perched, half-eaten, decayed, and swarmed with flies. A constant dripping sound filled the eerie castle as the blood from the multitude of bodies fell to the flooring below, soaking into the wooden floorboards.

    "Damn, it reeks in here," Samfrey scrunched his nose.

    "Looks like the other adventurers got this far," Memomented.

    "Huh?" He looked at the cardinal-haired man.

    Turning his gaze towards what the greatsword-wielding man was looking at, he saw a pair of decrepit corpsesid on torn furniture, being hovered by flies just the same as their pale, lifeless skin was slick with blood.

    "If only we''d gotten here sooner," Archardmented.

    "It wouldn''t have made a difference whether we got here earlier or not," Memo responded abrasively, "these guys were long dead."

    Some things just don''t need to be said. I understand that adventurers be unphased by death, but��it should still be respected, he thought.

    Samfrey walked around the lobby, inspecting the shattered pottery and the shredded paintings before meeting back in the middle as the others looked around the same.

    "I know I''m not the only one thinking this, but��" Samfrey began saying, "isn''t it weird how we haven''t seen a singlecyrie inside of here?"

    "I, too, had the same thought," Archard added.

    Begrudgingly, he turned to face Calytrix, who looked up at him with that same, troublesome smile she always seemed to wear.

    "Do you have a guess on what''s going on here?" He asked her.

    Her eyes lit up at his question as if finally being validated in her abilities, twirling around him as she held her index finger close to her chin.

    "...I do, but it''s not something I need the leylines of darkness to guide my mind to," she told him.

    "What do you mean?" Samfrey asked with a raised eyebrow, looking disgruntled.

    He looked at her for a moment before finally understanding what she meant, "I think I have an idea; you''re saying that the cause of this is pretty clear, huh?"

    "Indeed," Calytrix told him.

    It was right there in front of his eyes; what he thought was just more blood lining the walls and floors was something different entirely�Ca ck, sooty substance that stretched across the oncevish walls, all coalescing to a single point in the middle of the staircase.

    A further nce was needed, but he realized that the middle of the widthy staircase was desecrated�Csunken in and decayed by the sooty substance.

    He stood on the torn, blood-stained steps of the velvet carpet that lined the steps, looking down at the hole that sunk down to the very bottom of the castle''s depths.

    "Of course subterranean beasts wouldn''t take refuge in a surface home," he said, looking back at the others, "...they''d go back to what''sfortable for them."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "They seized this castle, only to not even properly use it?" Memo said, stepping beside him as he peered down into the abyssal, vertical tunnel.

    It was difficult to see past its shadowy depths as no light persisted in the halls of the castle; ck, slimy goop lined the walls of the downwards, unnatural tunnel, leading to something that reeked of an abhorrent stench.

    "They did note here for the castle," Calytrix corrected him, using her sable,ced boot to kick some pebbles down the tunnel, "they came here for food."

    Samfrey nced around at the slew of bodies hanging around the castle, "Aren''t they, urr��being pretty wasteful then?"

    "It doesn''t matter if it''s fresh or rotten, they''ll consume it all the same. I''d say this is their way of "storing" their food. They seizend such as this and keep the bodiesid out in these structures," Calytrix guessed, cing her hand at her side.

    Memo unbuckled his sword from his back, resting the hunk of steel against his shoulder as he knelt before the tunnel, "Hey, boss-man."

    He looked at the knelt adventurer, "Yeah?"

    "How about we just st this tunnel? Those things wouldn''t even be able to put up a fight," Memo suggested.

    As he thought about it for a moment, Archard was the one who dissuaded the idea as he checked the tunnel, rubbing the sooty substance between the fingers of his metallic gauntlets.

    "That won''t work," Archard said.

    "Huh?" Memo let out, seeming displeased with the wizened man''s words.

    "The proof ofpletion wouldn''t recognize the quest being fulfilled that way," Archard informed, "we have to recognize the elimination of thecyrie personally."

    "Unfortunately, it is true," Calytrix said, supplementing the veteran''s words.

    They all paused in silence for a minute, peering down the stench-ridden, ominous tunnel with hesitant feelings afloat.

    "Guess there''s no other option, is there?" He sighed out loud, tapping the dull side of his de against his shoulder.

    "Damn, I''m not going to wash the smell from my clothes for months��" Samfrey breathed out in disgust.

    "Be cautious," Archard said, "we''re entering enemy territory. This is their natural terrain; we''re venturing into their world."

    "Don''t need to tell me," Memo scoffed.

    After they all braced themselves for a moment more, it was Memo who took the first leap down, followed by Archard, then Samfrey, who looked as if he was going to cry from the stench, then Calytrix, who pulled him along down with her at the same time.

    "Hey�Cwait!" He let out, but it was toote.

    "Are you afraid of the darkness, Ren?" Calytrix asked with a smirk.

    Amidst their descent down the lengthy, abnormally long tunnel downwards, he looked at her with a disgruntled expression before choosing not to indulge her quirky monologues.

    Looking up, he watched the hole atop grow more and more distant as a rancid stench became all that persisted in the stagnant, stale air below the surface.

    �CIt was what felt like an eternity of falling, but after dozens of seconds, hended with a ssh beneath his boots, regrouping with the rest of the group.

    "Ugh��" Samfrey held a repulsed expression as he looked down.

    They were knee-high in an unknown pool of liquids, or rather, a mixture of a lot of unknown liquids, mixing together into a deathly smell.

    Even in the darkness abundant in the unknown depths, he could tell it wasn''t water, not just by the stench, but by the thickness of it; beneath the soles of his boots, the ground was squishy and giving, squelching beneath each step.

 Chapter 499 What Shouldnt Exist

    "...Peculiar," Archard suddenly stated.

    "What is it?" He asked.

    They all turned their gazes towards the armor-d, wizened man, who was looking down at something floating in the pool of liquid.

    It was bloated by the depth-inhabiting liquids, and missing half of its body��though it was revealed to his eyes not to be human by the snout it possessed.

    "Acyrie��? It''s��half-eaten?" Samfrey said, plugging his nose as he looked at the desecrated corpse.

    "Eaten?" Memo repeated, "what would be eating acyrie?"

    "I believe you answered your own question," Calytrix added.

    Her words led to a disgusting, but likely conclusion to the fate of the bloated, half-consumedcyrie.

    "...So, they''re cannibals, too?" Samfrey muttered out in disgust.

    "It is believable," Archard said.

    As he turned to look around, only able to see a sparse few meters around the dreadfulke of the abhorrent depths, he made a gut-wrenching discovery.

    "It''s not just that one," he said.

    His words brought the group''s attention to something that was right before their eyes, but only noticeable now: dozens, if not hundreds ofcyrie corpses floated in the deathly liquid, some stagnant as theyid in a hill of corpses.

    "What''s going on here?...Are thecyrie eating each other?" Samfrey asked, covering his nose.

    "If it was the case of them all eating one another, then where are the ones that did this?" Memo asked, trudging through the blood-filledke.

    "...In my own guess, this isn''t the effort of manycyrie," Archard stated, moving along the body-filled waters.

    "How do you figure?" He asked, keeping Belus drawn as he led the group.

    Archard remained silent for a moment as the sounds of the group sifting through the murky, ominous waters filled the silence.

    "Logically, it doesn''t make any sense to me. They have enough food to survive, so why would they resort to cannibalizing one another?" Archarded reinforced his words.

    Memo huffed, "We''re not dealing with "logical" creatures here, so there''s your answer."

    "No��I think I get what he''s saying," he added, keeping his eyes forward, "this ce��kind of feels like the piled-up trash of one being."

    "May I have a say?" Calytrix asked with a smile, as if unbothered by the abhorrentndscape they were in.

    Deep within the abominable, death and blood-soaked cavern of thecyrie, there wasn''t any time to waste voiding another''s opinion. Not only was it absent of light, but the cavern of blood-water was obscured by the many bodies within.

    "Hit me with it," he told her.

    Calytrix smiled, walking closer to him, "Lacyrie are creatures that evolve and grow more powerful with the more they consume, yes?"

    "Sounds about right," Samfrey added, still covering his nostrils from the rancid air.

    "...What''s that have to do with this?" He asked, looking at the girl who''s height reached only to his chest.

    Atst, before Calytrix could answer yet, they reached the end of the corpse-filled waters. He lifted himself onto the ridged, stone ledge, bringing himself up before assisting the others out of the waters.

    Again, the path forward was enigmatic, and shrouded in shadows as all thatid ahead was a dark, ominous tunnel.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Calytrix adjusted her dress after standing herself, "As I was saying, thecyrie evolve and thrive off of that which they consume; their hunger is endless, boundless, and without satisfaction. It is something rumored as a myth, though��I venture to believe it is reality."

    "What is it?" Archard asked, tightening the straps of his armor in the face of the singr path avable to them.

    "The "Orc God"..." Calytrix answered.

    "An "Orc God"? What''s that have to do with this?" He asked.

    "Sounds like something I read as a child," Memo added, "children''s stories have no bearing here."

    Even with doubt surfacing in the midst of her words, Calytrix continued, "Think about it for a moment. Thecyrie evolve through consumption, and what we''ve found is��a garden ofcyrie corpses, eaten, yet��nocyrie to be seen."

    Just then, it seemed her words finally were sewn between the others as they all looked at her with gazes not inhabiting doubt.

    "If what you''re saying is true��" Samfrey trailed his words.

    Calytrix nodded, raising a single finger, "Onecyrie. There is likely just one inhabiting this domain."

    "And that one is this "Orc God" you''re talking about, is it?" He asked, tightening his hold on his broadsword.

    "It is highly likely��" Calytrix adjusted herself, "no��I''d say it''s the one, true exnation for this situation."

    "What makes you so certain? Maybe they really took each other out in some sort of feeding frenzy," Samfrey asked, keeping his daggers drawn as they all waited before the tunnel.

    Even though some had contention with the girl''s words, within, they all felt the same aura emanating from the bowels of the tunnel; a deep darkness, residing past its depths. It was what prompted them all to hold their weapons tightly as they stood before its entrance.

    Calytrix looked at the frosted-haired adventurer, "While that certainly is a possibility, even thecyrie we faced so far wouldn''t be able to take a castle like this, especially with a couple adventurers assisting," she smiled, "what I''m saying is: thecyrie didn''t continue to evolve as they arrived here�Cthey attacked because amidst their ranks��"

    "The "Orc God" was already among them," he finished her words.

    "Correct," Calytrix confirmed with a nod, encircling the white-haired man, "however, I don''t believe the "Orc God" already achieved that state when arriving here, but they were at least close to aplete evolution. Right now, I''d say they''re in an "infantile" state."

    There no longer came any doubt or bacsh to her words as to them, it all added up to exin the situation.

    "...You''re pretty knowledgeable about orcs, aren''t you?" Memo asked abrasively in a sarcastic manner, though his voice remained monotone.

    "I am knowledgeable about that which upies the darkness, is all," Calytrix shrugged her shoulders as her twintails cascaded down her slender, pale shoulders.

    He looked at the whispering tunnel, unable to see past the veil of shadows as he wrapped his fingers around the blue-wrapped handle of Belus.

    "So, how powerful is an "Orc God" supposed to be anyway?" He asked, keeping his eyes on the tunnel.

    "It is likely�C"

    Before Calytrix could reach the conclusion of her words, the entirety of the nebulous cavern began to rumble; the stone beneath his soles rumbled, vibrating intensely from an unknown source.

    ��What is this? He thought.

    �CHe knew. The moment he asked himself that, he found the answer already in his mind as he cemented his stance, holding his de in front of him.

    "It''sing," he said.

    The serious words that left his lips prompted the experienced adventurers to ready themselves, gathering into an unspoken formation that pointed towards the rumbling tunnel.

    "No," Calytrix corrected him, though for the first time, her words seemed begrudged, "...it''s here."

 Chapter 500 The Orc God

    "No," Calytrix corrected him, though for the first time, her words seemed begrudged, "...it''s here."

    It was then that he realized it himself, being the frontmost of the group: the vibration of thundering stomps resounded, however, it didn''t sound as if they were traveling down the very tunnel he was facing towards.

    CRUMBLE.

    To his left, the rocky wall bursted outwards, catching the entirety of the group off-guard as he was forced to take the initiative in the situation.

    Before he could even see the figure that came towards them as it was still shrouded by the storm of smashed rocks and dust, he dashed towards it with his de reared back.

    If I don''t meet it right here, it''ll kill them��! For some reason, that thought came naturally to him as if he could feel the murderous intent oozing from the creature.

    But, even he couldn''t properly prepare for what came.

    A st of wind pressure took him byplete surprise, emitting from the split-second hole in the cave as it blew towards him, and subsequently, the four others as the force of air blew them back.

    He was shot back, flipping himself as hended back into theke of corpses, quickly ncing side-to-side as he made sure the others were still nearby.

    Okay, good, he thought.

    "Ren, watch out�C!" The yell came from Samfrey.

    "Ren!" Calytrix yelled at the same time.

    What? He thought.

    �CHe had no clue what it was they were yelling about in that fraction of a moment that he turned his gaze away, but then�Che felt it.

    Crashing down onto the blood-made water directly in front of him with a bolderous weight, the existence of the enemy was right before him as he turned his gaze forward.

    It towered over him by an entire meter, possessing muscture surpassing that which he had seen before; unlike the hunchbackcyrie, this was one of imposing stature. It hardly resembled any orc he hadid eyes on before; wearing jewelry on its neck and wrists, with a leather-armor kilt worn on its lower-half.

    Unlike most he had seen, the tall, muscr orc possessed hair in the form of dreadlocks that were essorised with silver bands.

    Overshadowing him, the weapon it held in its right hand; a sharpened b of steel that resembled a club, was already midway down, aimed for his head with crushing force.

    "Move it, dammit�C!" Memo yelled out for the first time.

    Less than an inch away from meeting his scalp, brushing against his hairs, the sharp-edged, yet blunt weapon brought down with monstrous force�Cdid not reach.

    In less than a fraction of a second, if that, he vanished into the shadows, causing the towering orc to miss its strike. The result of the overhead strike crashing down against theke caused an enormous force to echo throughout the cave, sending a tremor through it as the waters rippled intensely.

    Reappearing behind the ascended orc, he was already midway through a spinning kick, aimed directly for its necks that were heavily d in trapezius muscles.

    Thump.

    �CNothing. The swing of his leg that was backed by a moderate amount of reinforcement amounted to no impact against the hulking muscture of the orc.

    Come again��? He thought.

    He pondered at that moment if he somehow, by some chance, forgot how to kick for a moment, but that wasn''t it. The attack itself still sent a wave of pressure cascading through the air, but there was simply no impact made on the enemy before him.

    The others watched just as confused, witnessing the null effect the physical attack left on the brute.

    Before he could fully understand what happened, his ankle was grasped in the vice-grip of the Orc God, being pulled from behind him, and beginning to be flung.

    This is not good��! He thought.

    A moment before he could be mmed back down to the murky flooring, the efforts of the colossal brute were stopped by abined, yet uncoordinated attack from the group.

    Blitzing by with a trail of scattered electricity behind him, Samfrey swept by the Orc God with a lightning-imbued strike of his daggers against the brute''s chest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    At the same time, Archard enveloped his broadsword in an encasing of light, shing it against the Orc God''s chest all the same.

    The close-in-session attacks from the two seemed to catch the orcish brute off of his guard, causing him to halt his m, giving him ample time to use the shadows to step away from its hold.

    Regaining his footing after being freed from the orc''s grip, he looked at it, standing beside the others.

    "Is it just me��or did every single attack so far do nothing to that guy?" Samfrey asked.

    "Unfortunately, unless my eyes deceive me in my old age, that seems to be the case," Archard begrudgingly confirmed.

    Stepping past them, Memo already unbuckled his oversized sword from his back, beginning to increase his pace to confront the Orc God.

    "I''ll change that," Memo proimed before taking off in a sprint towards the orc.

    "Hold on�C!" He called out, but the hot-headed, cardinal-haired man didn''t seem to listen.

    "...He can''t hear you over that swelled head of his. Damn kid is going to get himself killed��!" Samfrey gritted his teeth.

    Memo imbued his greatsword with magic as he chanted, "Vulcan: Swirling ze!"

    As the hot-headed adventurer sprinted towards the seemingly immutable orc with his zing greatsword, Samfrey let out a disheveled grunt.

    "...Dammit! I can''t let him charge in alone!" Samfrey yelled out, moving alongside Memo now.

    There wasn''t much he could do to stop their charge, but he turned his attention to the gothic-dressed girl, yelling out to her, "Give them support!"

    "Your wish is mymand," Calytrix smiled, raising her hand as darkness coalesced at her palm, "Nyx: Bind of The Primordial."

    With the two men rushing towards the Orc God, who stood still in silent confidence as if not so much as fearing the potency of their des, the magecraft of Calytrix''s weaving manifested around the evolved orc.

    Sprouting from the crimson waters, bands of darkness wrapped around the Orc God''s limbs plentifully in dozens, holding him in ce.

    "Nzazi: Divergent Bolt!" Samfrey yelled out just before reaching the orc, shrouding his daggers in a trail of curved lightning.

    "Hyagh�C!" Memo spun around, gathering torque as a ming wheel gathered in the path of his spun greatsword.

    Together, both of their attacks wereunched against the bound Orc God, who attempted to escape the array of shadowy bindings.

    "Nice��!" He clenched his fists, witnessing theirbined effort.

    The mes that clung to the greatsword wielded by Memo spiraled like a crimson tornado, engulfing the Orc God while Samfrey''s lightning evisceration imbued itself in the spiral of mes, carrying itself in a spiral.

    The heat produced from theirbined attacks�Cthe split-second burst of heat from the lightning, and the overwhelming fiery essence of Memo''s magic�Crippled through the bloodke, causing ayer of steam to inhabit the domain as the surrounding blood evaporated.

    �CBut, the Orc God was not reached.

    "You''re kidding me��!" Samfrey let out in surprise.

    That''s not possible. "Swirling ze" hit him directly�Cso how is he still unscathed?! Memo thought.

    Unaffected by their magicpletely, the Orc God was surrounded by an updraft of steam, ripping himself from the dark bindings of Calytrix with ease now after they were weakened by theirbined attack.

    "They''re going to be killed��!" Archard remarked.

    It was only for seconds, but they two were left dumbfounded by the unstoppable wall standing before them, only gathering themselves just as the Orc God finally lifted his weapon of refined rock.

    "Calytrix, back me up!" Hemanded, standing up.

    "Of course," Calytrix obliged.

 Chapter 501 A Challenge Issued

    "Calytrix, back me up!" Hemanded, standing up.

    "Of course," Calytrix obliged.

    Before the Orc God''s horizontal swing could carve through both of the shock-stricken adventurers, he brought himself between them and the orcish giant with a shadow step, blocking the colossal weapon with his de.

    Even guarding against it perfectly, the force backed behind the club could be felt vibrating his bones, and the liquid in his step.

    "Focus��!" He yelled out to the two behind him.

    From the backline, Calytrix snapped her fingers, "Nyx: Thorns of Hades."

    Assisting him, thorn-covered roots sprouted from the bloodke, aiming towards the Orc God as they forced him to leap back.

    With a few, casual swings of his club, the shadowy roots were dispelled with little effort, though it was enough to create space for them once again.

    "...Sorry," Memo apologized quietly.

    "Yeah," Samfrey caught his breath, "I lost focus there. Thanks, boss."

    He looked back as his snowy fringes were hanging close to his eyes, "Just keep it together. This thing is a whole lot tougher than I expected."

    "You can say that again," Samfrey replied.

    "Is that thing truly indestructible��?" Memo asked.

    "I doubt that," he said, watching the Orc Godnd on the other side of the bloodke, "but��he''s making a pretty good case for it right now."

    Archard stationed himself beside the three, while Calytrix remained in the backline, prepared to support them with her magecraft.

    "If what thedy said is true, then that is the "Zenith of Orcs", so to speak," Arcade said, adjusting his steel helmet as his voice rang from beneath it, "In that truth, it may be best for us to retreat."

    Memo seemed offended at the very suggestion, "Retreat? And what? Wait for others toe and clean up our mess�Cour failure?"

    "Calm down, would you?" Samfrey grabbed Memo by the cor, pulling him away as the man attempted to get in the veteran adventurer''s space.

    "What? Are you nning to tuck your tail between your legs and run too?" Memo red at him.

    "I''m nning to listen to what our leader has to say," Samfrey told him, quickly silencing him, "like you should be, too."

    Now, their attention shifted to the white-haired man that stood at the vanguard, who was keeping an eye on the Orc God, who took a slow approach, as if savoring the encounter. In almost a miracle that bought them some time, and at the same time harrowing, the Orc God stopped, consuming the bloated body parts of thecyrie that floated in the waters.

    The way it handled its approach was as if not even recognizing the group as formidable foes, but as harmless prey as it took its time.

    "...It''s clear that this thing is beyond "royal" ss," he said, "in that regard, it''s our best, safest option to pull out."

    "What�C?" Memo scoffed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "But," he interjected the cardinal-haired man''s displeasure, "...if we retreated now, this guy would only grow more powerful, wouldn''t he?"

    He aimed these words with a nce back at Calytrix, who nodded her head with a small, but hesitant smile.

    "I doubt there is an upper-limit to the growth of an Orc God," she told them, "as much as it can consume, it can grow in power. With that, I''d say now is our most optimal time to fight him."

    "We haven''t even put a damn scratch on that big bastard though��!" Samfrey huffed as he clenched his daggers.

    Though somehow, those words prompted the white-haired guild leader to step forward, holding his arm out for the others not to follow.

    "And he hasn''t put a scratch on any of us yet, right? I doubt anybody has given it their all yet, so it''s too early to count our chickens," he said with a confident smile, "if we''re going to fight, it''s going to be all of us�Cby that, we need everyone here, including the other group."

    "Who knows if they''re even on their way here though��?" Memo asked.

    "I agree," Archard added, "we have no way of even knowing reinforcements will arrive."

    Taking in a breath as he watched the Orc God nearly finish its impromptu meal, he looked back at the others as if the answer was obvious.

    "That''s why I need you all to find them, and bring them here," he said.

    Though he spoke of his n naturally, it met their ears as if he wasn''t speaking the samenguage they did.

    "What?" Memo raised an eyebrow.

    "No offense, but that''s simply suicide," Archard said.

    Samfrey let out a few breaths before slowly nodding his head, "No��I don''t take you for an idiot, Boss. I don''t take you for the kind of man willing to die in a shithole like this, either."

    He smiled at Samfrey''s words, twirling his sword between his fingers, "Is that right?"

    Calytrix also added in, "I see��you trust in darkness that much, that you''d stake your life on it? No��you don''t even recognize it as your life being at risk�Cthat is how much you believe in darkness!"

    "I guess you could say that," he told them, but then speaking with urgency as the Orc God began to approach once again, "Get moving! With all four of you looking, I expect you to be back with the whole team in haste!"

    Just as he gave his orders, they epted, some of them begrudgingly so, but they were forcefully elevated up the tunnel that they initially fell from, lifted by magical, dark roots of Calytrix''s creation.

    Kinda feels good to boss people around, huh? He thought to himself.

    And so, it was just him and the seemingly unstoppable orc. Blood dripped from its maw, trailing down its stoneplexioned skin while its jewlyrized dreadlocks swayed over its shoulders, all whilst carrying the massive hunk of weaponized stone in its right hand with inhuman, all-ck eyes.

    "Finally, I can fight without worrying about getting them caught up," he breathed out, tapping the dull side of his de against his shoulder.

    ��With the four of them, they should track down Iris'' group fast. I''d say��I have to hold this guy off for about a few minutes. Doesn''t sound too bad in practice, but��this is the "Orc God" himself, after all, he thought, either way��it''s time to show that my two years away wasn''t for nothing!

 Chapter 502 Solo Raid Boss

    As the Orc God took a slow approach, he began their confrontation with a swift disappearance and reemergence from the shadows, using his sword tounch an array of shes against the gray-hide of the orc.

    Confirming what he experienced earlier, the body of the colossal brute seemed practically invulnerable as the steel of his de simply bounced off of its body with each attempted cut.

    Even d in reinforcement, the edge of Belus simply couldn''t rend the flesh of the orc, who stomped his feet, turning towards the man at his back.

    "What the hell is your diet��?" He joked, though immediately shut his mouth as he was forced to flip backward to avoid a m of the brute''s weapon.

    As if suddenly now recognizing the human before him as a proper opponent, the Orc God unleashed into a frenzy of attacks, swiping and mming his club around as waves of the crimsonke sshed and parted.

    Tremors shook the entirety of the mountain-inhabiting cavern, causing sediment to sprinkle down.

    Even though its attacks came with surprisingly agility, he evaded the orc with seamless, sessive shadow steps.

    ��I have to admit, for being that size, it''s fast, he thought.

    Warping around and reappearing from the shadows multiple times at random spots within the expansive, cavernke of blood, it seemed each and every time the Orc God honed in on his location, appearing in front of him with blinding speed before continuing its rampage.

    "I can do this all day," he let out, dashing behind the orc as he opted not to attack, leading the aggressive foe on.

    In the wake of the Orc God''s repeated bludgeons, the array ofcyrie corpses floating in theke were smashed, cut, and parted, leaving an air of rancid blood hanging in the dank wind.

    "Alright, you''ve been attacking long enough��" He said, flipping back as he held his hand forward, "it''s my turn!"

    Allowing the rise of magical energy to gather in front of his hand, it already began to coalesce into the magecraft he wished for before speaking its name.

    Just as the Orc God charged towards him with speed that cracked the wind like a whip, he manifested the spell:

    "Araphel: Tyrant Lance!"

    Forming in front of him, the gathered darkness took the form of a drill, dwarfing the size of ones he summoned previously as it existed at a size that blocked the entirety of his vision.

    It was thrice asrge as himself, emitting trails of darkness through its abundant mass of magical power.

    As it spun with a force that caused the abhorrent waters to gravitate and orbit around the torque of the darknce, he released it�Csending it directly against the orc as it burrowed through the vast space with a continuous tremor sounding off.

    Let''s see if you''re tough enough for this one, he thought.

    Within moments of propelling forward, the spear of spinning darkness dug through the back wall of the cavern, plowing through the side of the mountain as the orc was flung out on the receiving end.

    It seemed only by stray chance, but he was forced to release the spell as the orc was released from its lethal trajectory.

    "Tch," he clicked his tongue, sprinting forth as he leapt from the newly opened hole in the mountain.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The fresh air of the nightly winds greeted his nose pleasantly in contrast to the rancid stench that existed in the cavern.

    He stayed close to the mountain side, running downwards as he worked alongside gravity without any fear of the ground floor that sat so minuscule below.

    Sprinting downwards with the clouds at his back, and the summits of trees far below, the air grew in intensity as he sprinted against its pull, listening to its cold howls.

    Silently, the Orc God stopped his own fall by mming his fingers into the rocky slope, sliding through the stone hide of the mountain as if it were moist soil before eventuallying to a stop.

    "Araphel��" He began to chant, holding his de behind him as he sprinted down the side of the mountain with a fastened pace.

    Just as he let the word of mysticism leave his lips, as expected, the overwhelming orc propelled himself upwards, beginning to charge up the mountain withplete disregard for the pull of gravity.

    �CHe felt it, just then.

    For the first time, a magical pressure emitted from the Orc God as he rushed up the steep slope towards him.

    That''s right��he''s been holding back this whole time, hasn''t he? He thought, is that it? Calytrix said something about it being an "infantile deity" right now, and that right now is our best chance��is it still growing stronger, even at this moment?

    He witnessed the orc rear back his giant club of reinforced rock before it became engulfed in purple mes, trailing behind each of his upward, gravity-defying stomps with a pathway of magical mes.

    No incantation? He thought.

    Focusing himself, he drew in a smooth breath past his lips, tightening his hold on his de as right before they shed�Che stomped his boot into the mountain rock to give himself an opportunity to stop and spin around.

    As he spun, his de became enchanted by a vtile release of dark mana.

    "...Dead Man''s Reversal!"

    Meeting the me-engulfed club of the Orc God, he met it with his own sword, reversing the force that the colossal opponent of his produced.

    Propelling against the Orc God, the physical force in tandem with the purple mes it created were countered, being sent back directly at it with enough of an impact that the orc was sent plummeting down to the ground from the cloud-neighboring mountain.

    Even as it fell, the orcish colossus remained silent, only watching him with its monstrous, ck eyes as it plummeted.

    "...Phew," he let out a breath, watching the orc fall as he clung to the side of the mountain.

    With consecutive dashes through the shadows and a leap from a slight protrusion on the mountainside, he scaled its colossal height beforending atop the summit.

    After using it for a few years now, ''Shadow Step'' is basically the third option of moving: walking, running, and shadow stepping. It''s like training a muscle, sorta. The more I use it, the more natural it bes, and the less of a strain on my mana it bes, he thought.

 Chapter 503 The Second Affinity

    At the top of the mountain, he was returned to the outskirts of Castle Desmas, looking upon the hollow castle with a different perspective, now knowing whatid within it.

    I doubt thatst move killed it, but it should at least by enough time for us to group up, he thought.

    �CJust as he rxed his guard, what sounded like a bomb sounding off echoed through the entirety of the valley, shifting the air pressure that met his ears as he froze for a moment.

    Whatever the origin of the propulsion of vtile, booming sound was caused a shock wave to scrape against even the summit of the verdant-d mountain.

    As he looked up, turning his gaze back towards the side of the mountain he climbed from, he saw a figure leaping up into the clouds, and past their initial barrier.

    "You''re kidding��" He muttered in disbelief.

    He was sure of it; the mountain of Desmas'' domain stood roughly four-thousand meters in height, neighboring the dark, blue clouds�Cyet, the orc leaped that height as if it were nothing.

    For a moment, he was left agasp at the surreal sight, but leapt back just in time as the orc crashed down atop the mountain,nding with a booming impact that sent a wave of dust and sediment trailing across the summit.

    The vibrations that fluttered through the now cracked mixture of soil and rock atop the mountain lent him the reasonable conclusion that it was the entirety of the mountain itself that shook.

    Silently, the Orc God straightened himself as the dust-carrying winds fluttered his d dreadlocks.

    For the first time, a wound was present on the flesh of the Orc God�Cthough it was only minor scratches with superficial blood loss.

    "...You''re giving me shbacks of a certain green, angry brute," he said wryly, "...only you''re not limited to the pages of aic book, unfortunately."

    Of course, no response came from the hulking mass of savagery, who was now dripping with fresh crimson that was present around its mouth.

    Did it��eat something while it was down there? He thought.

    After recognizing such, he witnessed the scratches set on the torso of the orc close up as the colossal humanoid flexed its bulging muscles, seeming to trigger the process.

    ��Regeneration? It doesn''t seem inherent, at least. Did eating whatever it found allow it to recover? That''s not good, he thought.

    His thoughts were seized as he watched his orcish opponent raise his hand that wielded no weapon, yet seemed to reach for something unseen.

    Once again, a bountiful magical pressure release like a shock wave from the raised, calloused hand of the Orc God. However, a purple me did not coalesce into his palm, but an abyssal, fluid material of solidified darkness, etched and forged into the shape of a dual-ded sword.

    Dark magic�C? That''spletely different from the mes he just used. What''s going on here? He thought.

    He swiftly raised his guard as the ascended orc wielded both of his giant, heavy weapons, finally opting to retrieve his dagger from the sheath on his lower back as both of his des were held up in front of him.

    Just as a single muscle was flexed, signaling the Orc God''s emergence into battle once more, he set off into a continuous burst of shadow steps.

    Even using the shadows to disappear and reappear in an instant, from any and every direction around the Orc God, he was hard-pressed to find an opening as the ck eyes of the orc watched him as if seeing into the shadows themselves.

    He barely managed to evade a strike of the dual-edged, abyssal de as it carved into the mountaintop, attempting to reappear behind the orc for a strike to its back, but was blocked by the colossal being''s club, held like a shield behind himself.

    Once again, he was forced to vanish into the shadows as a sharp counter came from a spin of the Orc God, who bisected the surrounding winds with the sharpness of his strength.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He opted to create some distance for a moment, reappearing atop the barren castle as he watched the orc below.

    ��This is different than I thought. He''s not fighting like a mindless brute at all now. Seems like all I did earlier was piss him off, he thought.

    He sheathed both his longsword and his dagger, cracking his knuckles as he let out a controlled breath.

    "It''s been a couple years now since I''ve fought an opponent like this," he mumbled, "but, I''ll have to take this seriously now, as well."

    The lives of myrades are at stake here. This isn''t the time to y games, he told himself.

    While the Orc God was still unsure of where he had gone, he took the time to collect one more breath, slowly exhaling as he shifted his own magical pressure�Cbing more erratic, more unstable.

    ��I''m not even close to mastering this yet, but now is as good as practice as any, he thought.

    With the finality of that exhale, strands of sable lightning began to coil around his body, sparking and surrounding him with a vtile magical aura.

    Just as the Orc God seemed to sense the shift in magical pressure, bringing its gaze upwards towards the castle, he disappeared from its view, reappearing directly in front of it faster and more seamlessly than before.

    In that moment that persisted between breaths, he reared his fist back as it became coiled in erratic, ck lightning.

    ��My second magical affinity, "Nebulous Lightning"! He thought.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact�C!"

    Briefly distorting the space in its path in such a way as it contorted violently, his fist flung forward, guided by the screech of the lightning while it flickered, and the vtile force it produced as his knucklesnded against the pale, gray chest of the orc without stop.

    The resulting impact resulted in an immediate release of stray, sable lines of curved lightning before it sounded off like a cannon, sending the Orc God flying back as multiple, sessive shock waves spawned.

    In the pathway of the punch, the air pressure, entuated by the ck lightning, carved the rocky ground like a spoon, leaving the Orc God crashing against a boulder atop the mountain.

    "...I did it," he held a small, celebratory smile.

    �CHowever, it was not without cost.

    The recoil from the vtile release shot back at him, causing his right arm thatunched the attack to st back as he winced.

    Just moments after the viscous recoil, he could feel the warmth of blood running from beneath his glove and gauntlet.

    Looking down at the arm, he lifted his sleeve to take a peek at its condition, finding it immediately swollen and bruised to a dark, painful purple; tiny cuts were left scaling his arm as well.

    "...Still not perfect, huh? That''s to be expected, I guess," he wryly stated.

    Even so, I wasn''t wrong: this is a perfect time to sharpen my lightning, he thought.

 Chapter 504 A Persistent Deity

    As he looked forward, he watched steam emit from the aftermath and receiver of the hit�Cthe orc was embedded in the boulder as the steam exuded from his position, slowly pulling himself free from the rock as hended back on his feet.

    Bingo, he thought.

    The cause for celebration came in the apparent bruising present on the gray chest of the Orc God, shifted to a damaged ck-and-blue as smoke continued to emit from the wound, bleeding as its skin was peeled to reveal the flesh beneath.

    Biding his time as the Orc God lumbered over with both of its weapons still in hand, he shook and wiggled his right arm, curling his fingers to make sure it was still functioning.

    Good. My hypothesis was right: "Critical Impact" is capable of inflicting damage on him. It''s the main attribute I''ve discovered of my nebulous lighting�Cit is imbued with a property that multiplies, amplifies, and sharpens my attacks. To put it simply, it''s like a critical hit in an RPG, he thought, I''ll just need to tone down the output a bit to a level I can handle��then I''ll be able to wear him down.

    Settling on this n, he clenched his bruised fist before dashing forward, meeting the Orc God on the battlefield once more as he danced around the ferocious attacks he unleashed with his des.

    Even the wind pressure emitted from each swing was beginning to be felt on his body; small, superficial, but umting cutsid on him as he dodged the orc''s des.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact!"

    Unleashed again as he stepped through both of the orc''s iing swings, hended his fist against the giant''s abdomen, unleashing the ck lightning''s amplified impact against its stomach with enough force to slide the tank of an opponent back a meter.

    �CHe continued.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact!"

    A hit to the back of the orc after a sessful shadow step behind the brutish, infant deity.

    "...Raijin: Critical Impact�C!"

    This time, it came in the form of a kick after ducking below the massive club wielded by the orc, causing the Orc God to stagger briefly.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact��!"

    While it was staggered, he followed up with a forceful uppercut to its jaw, forcing the orcish fiend to have its feet lifted from the ground by the impact alone while stray bolts of ck lightning flung around the summit.

    Even as the blows managed to damage the nearly impervious orc, it was only minor damage, meant to umte.

    But, with each hit, the Orc God seemed toe back stronger, now discarding his weaponry as he bore only his two fists.

    "What��? What good is that going to do?" He mumbled.

    He received his answer as he witnessed magic being woven in each hand of the Orc God, without any semnce of an incantation being uttered.

    Waving its hands, the Orc God manifested from the rocky ground itself protrusions of rock that took the form of expanding, lengthy dragon heads, that used the form of umber stone to roar out towards him.

    Three of the rock-formed dragon heads sprouted from the mountain summit, rearing back before they dashed their stone jaws towards the human.

    First fire, then darkness, now gaia magic? He thought.

    As he witnessed the colossal dragon heads drawn near, leering down at him with roars that echoed like rocks mming together, he jumped up to avoid a m of one of their heads.

    "Hyup�C!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Jumping into the air, he avoided the initial m only to find the two others closing in on him from both sides, with open, rock-formed jaws that could easily fit his entire body inside of their sp a few times over.

    "Dunkel: Slicer!"

    Using his index fingers as the catalysts, he waved his armor-d fingers swiftly in the direction of each stone dragon, unleashing dark shes against their rocky hide.

    What''s taking them so long?! He thought.

    As he began to worry about the timing of hisrades, he only briefly repelled the aggressive dragon heads, having to avoid their retaliation by using one of their heads as aunch pad, flipping onto the other as he sprinted down its boulder-formed, serpentine-like body.

    Though he already had his answer: he was atop a mountain, several thousand meters high. Even so, he was unclear of how much time it was he needed to buy.

    But, those thoughts were secondary�Cwhat he must focus on was right before him.

    Simply repelling and chattering the stone dragon heads with dark slicers wasn''t enough; by a wave of the Orc God''s hands once more, a dozen began to burrow out from the bulk of the mountain.

    "....More?" He muttered.

    Extending forth, the corundum, serpentine dragons swarmed towards him with lengths that seemed only to grow as he took to the air, running along their bodies and hopping between them as they crashed into one another.

    Of course, the colossal orc deity didn''t sit still, sprinting up the towering body of one of the summoned draconic, stone golems as the dozen towers swayed, curled, and swung in the air.

    Within moments, a sh of fists began between the two; though the raw physicality of the Orc God far surpassed his own, he made up for it, augmenting himself with ''critical impacts'' each time they managed to meet amidst the trail of constantly moving dragon heads.

    It became overwhelming; the numerous dragon heads continued to close in on him with their gargantuan, stone maws attempting to sp down on him, or mming against him as he was forced to constantly evade multiple angles whilstbating the Orc God himself.

    Enough��! He thought.

    After leaping back from one of the dragon heads crashing by him, he spread his arms out as wide as possible, maximizing his wingspan as ck lightning coiled around his hands.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact�C!"

    He yelled out as he mmed his palms together in a grandiose p that momentarily condensed and swirled the space between his hands, releasing in a powerful sonic boom, generating a shock wave that propelled in the surrounding area.

    For a moment, all he could hear was ring ringing in his ears after the resulting, abrasive sonic boom, feeling his snowy tufts flutter in the release of wind.

    Around him, the draconic stone golems were shattered into thousands of pebbles, while also seeding in knocking the Orc God to the ground with a brutal plummet.

    "Grngh��!"

    He wasn''t excluded from the force of it, either; feeling the shock wave of his own creation cascade against the marrow of his bones, rippling the muscles beneath his skin.

    After falling back down to the ground on his feet, he watched as the orc didn''t stay embedded in the rocky, gravelid surface of therge summit for very long.

    With a leap, the orc resurfaced as sediment fell from his body, housing only light scratches on his immutable temple of flesh.

    "Of course," he muttered wryly.

 Chapter 505 Regroup: Mission: Defeat The Orc God!

    Sweat lined his cheek, dripping from his chin as he shook both of his arms, feeling a ringing, dull ache emit through them after the potent release of nebulous lightning.

    Just as he witnessed a potent aura gather around the Orc God, manifesting into an unknown magic�Cit was intercepted by a st of golden mes that engulfed the orc in its entirety.

    "What�C?" He let out, perplexed.

    Looking to the right, his eyes lit up as he saw the source of the mes; the draconic, demi-human man, apanied by the rest of the guild recruits, and the familiar head of azure hair he could never mistake.

    As the mes came to an end, the Orc God only seemed disgruntled by the sudden warmth, having held his arm up to try and defend against it before from behind, a certain, hammer-wielding priest reared back his weapon.

    "Down you go�C!" Felix roared out.

    Smacking the blunt-side of his warhammer against the back of the orc''s head, it barely budged, only seeming annoyed at the attack.

    "Uh-uh��" Felix let out worriedly, faced with the angered orc.

    Before it could retaliate, it was bound by both tendrils of light, and roots of darkness, giving the priest ample time to run back.

    [Innate Ability: Grace of Heaven. As one who calls upon miracles, Felix is naturally inclined to unspoken miracles himself, possessing the ability to experience "miracles" in dangerous situations.]

    Standing on either side of it, at a safe distance, Calytrix and Iris stood, manipting each of their binding spells as the Orc God was temporarily restrained.

    While it was held, a blitz of cobalt lightning attacked the orc multiple times, hitting his jaw, chest, and arms as Samfrey bolted past him in the aftermath of his attacks.

    Joining in an inadvertent joint-attack, Archard and Memo both rushed from either side of the restrained Orc God, who fought against his light-and-dark bindings before being on the receiving end of a light-infused sword strike to the back, and a ming greatsword, overhead swing from the front.

    All of the sessive attacks finally began to umte, leaving burn marks on the body of the orc, who ripped through his bindings atst, grunting out as he stomped his feet, caving the stone beneath his step.

    "Looks like he''s angry," Samfrey wiped the sweat from his cheek.

    They regrouped near him as he was still catching his breath, "You''rete," he said with a smile.

    "Mountains are pretty big, you know," Memo exined stoically.

    Archard stood in front, holding his broadsword with both hands, "By the sounds we heard when scaling the mountain, it seems you''ve had quite the battle on your hands."

    "Something like that," he smiled, wiping the sweat from his chin as he clenched his bruised fists, keeping his blood running hot.

    While they rendezvoused, an uncoordinated, yet surprisingly effectivebination of spells from Calytrix and Iris kept the Orc God on his toes.

    "Nyx: Cycle of The Sunless Night."

    Spawning from the barren, gravelly floor of the summit, ominous, colossal nts of held-together darkness sprouted with twinkling, pale-white petals that mimicked the glisten of moonlight.

    "Hyperion: River of Light!"

    Flowing outwards from her pointed staff, strands of waving, fast-paced light shot out towards the orc, forcing him to dodge whilst they reversed their direction, tracking the Orc God aggressively.

    While the towering flowers of darkness and moonlight surrounded the Orc God, who was preupied with evading the strands of light, they exuded a harsh, abyssal pollen.

    The moment the ck, vtile pollen met with its skin, they released into sts of shrieking darkness.

    "They''ve got him on the ropes!" Samfrey celebrated, swinging his fist.

    "Not for long," he breathed out.

    "Huh?" Samfrey paused his celebration, looking at him as the others brought their gaze to him as well.

    The answer came as the Orc God seemed to grow irritated with the continuous, exploding pollen, resulting in him being struck by the quick lines of flowing light that pelted against its back.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Grunting as blood and saliva dripped from its dark lips, the orc stomped down, causing a chilling tremor to emit over the summit.

    "Graaaargh��!"

    All at once, the Orc God dispelled the magic around him with a ming release of purple fire, eradicating the nts and light that swarmed him.

    "...It''s our turn, again," he said, walking past the others.

    It seemed though they didn''t hear him, Akanni and Elena were in agreement with him, as the moment the colorful mes ended, they rushed in from the right of the orc, while he dashed from its front.

    As he held his fist back, coiling it in ck lightning, he watched the pale-skinned orc''s attention warp to him, raising its guard with both of its muscr, iron-like arms held before it.

    That''s right. You know those hurt, don''t you?...Good, believe that then! He thought.

    Swapping his stance after his fakeout seeded, he instead manifested a sphere of darkness above his palm, flinging it directly against the orc''s body as he clenched his fist.

    "Araphel: ckout!"

    Secluding the effect of the spell solely to the orc, the sphere of darkness enveloped its body in a sensory-deprivation veil.

    With its senses blocked out, the draconic demi-human was given free reign to unleash a st of his fiery breath, leaping into the air to unleash it in full-potency from up above.

    "Luft: Greater Swirl�C!"

    Elena bolstered the golden mes that surrounded the orc, who was groaning within the bath of inferno, using her wind to expand and amplify the heat of the draconic fire.

    "Hot, hot, hot��!" He jumped back as the heat of the mes reached further than expected, exuding sweat from his pores as he chuckled quietly.

    Approaching from the side, Archard held his hand out, "I hope you don''t mind my assistance!"

    "Bring whatever you''ve got, Gramps!" Elena assured him.

    Giving the go-ahead, the veteran d in armor yelled out, "Hemera: Weight of Judgment!"

    From above the ce where the orc stood, bathing in mes as it was seeming to begin recovering its senses, an eye of light formed in the sky, parting its golden eyelids to reveal a watchful eye that looked to be made of colorful, stained ss.

    As it looked down on the orc, its gaze casted a zone of amplified gravity, bearing down on the orc as he was kept in the same spot whilst Akanni stopped to gather his breath.

    "Elena��!" Akanni called out, sparse of breath.

    "I know!" Elena pointed her hand towards the draconic man, "Luft!"

    The verdant-haired woman used her wind magic to instantaneously supply the man with a full tank of oxygen in his lungs, allowing him to nt firmly against the ground before unleashing another wave of mes against the orc.

    This time, Elena set out to amplify it further, condensing the mes around the orc at the same time with the gravitational zone of the eye''s gaze keeping the mes and wind held close.

    "Aether: Sky-Bound Whirlwind!"

    Swirling with a rabid intensity, the mes now spun vigorously around the orc, changing to a lighter hue of gold as their heat began to melt the surrounding rock around the Orc God.

    Within the mes as he watched thebination attack flourish, he witnessed the orc''s right arm slowly beginning to move, fighting against the powerful forces of heightened gravity.

    What is it doing? He thought.

    "Watch out�C!" He yelled out.

 Chapter 506 Triple Threat

    "Watch out�C!" He yelled out.

    The moment his warning came, a sh of immense magical pressure emitted from the Orc God in the form of overwhelmingly bitter ice propelled outwards in a shock wave, quenching the mes with an immediate, cold arm.

    As the apex of heat and the zenith of cold met so abruptly, a reaction came from the rapidly expanding particles within the air, knocking everyone back.

    Almost seemingly out of spite, the Orc God leapt up, catching the draconic, fire-spewing man and mming him to the ground, kicking his chest, before attempting to stomp him, only saved by a st of wind from Elena that knocked Akanni out of the way.

    "Ghh��!" Akanni let out.

    He knew by watching the way Akanni drew rugged breaths that the man was likely out of the battle after a blow like that.

    Catching himself bynding on his feet, he checked side-to-side, noticing everyone else finding themselves on their feet after the sudden explosion.

    Now coating the summit, ayer of frost clung to it, with particles of snow hanging in the air as if winter abruptly, and abrasively, swept through.

    "What the hell��" Samfrey grunted.

    "Ice magic? Wasn''t it using fire earlier?" Memo spoke his thoughts out loud.

    "Yeah, about that," he exined, "this guy seems to have a crazy variety of magic at his disposal."

    Without noticing, Calytrix appeared at his side, prompting him to flinch slightly at her sudden existence by him, holding the same, cheeky smile she usually did.

    "I have a theory of my own on this development," Calytrix said.

    "We''re all ears," he said to her.

    At about the same time, Iris came to his side, huffing after the disy of magecraft she just ushered against the orc as she wiped sweat from her cheek.

    "You alright?" He asked her.

    "I''m fine," Iris smiled, nodding, "...this is thestcyrie?"

    He nodded, "That''s our obligatory boss fight, yup. You were saying, Calytrix?"

    For once, the small-of-stature, ck-haired girl seemed annoyed after having been ignored by him for a few moments, but s, she exined while the others listened.

    "It''s not for certain, but I believe the Orc God has gained the abilities of those he consumed," Calytrix exined, watching with the others as the orc straightened itself out after the barrage of attacks it endured, "it would exin its variety of different elements."

    "...That makes a whole lotta'' sense," Samfrey muttered.

    "And we have no clue what or who he''s eaten," Memo huffed.

    After a few more moments, they watched in preparation as the Orc God seemed to recover fully from the flurry of attacks previouslyunched against it, setting its eyes on them once more.

    "...Once more into the fray," Archard said aloud.

    "Let''s hope it''s only once more," he replied.<novelnext></novelnext>

    All at once, they set out, meeting the orc halfway on therge, t summit now flooded with ice whilst Calytrix and Iris stayed in the back to support them with magic, and Felix to focus on casting his miracles.

    Amidst all of their attacks,unched in unison, the Orc God stampeded through them as if gnats pelting against his immutable flesh. It grabbed onto Samfrey''s wrist, catching the man whilst he was traveling as lightning, lifting up and mming him into the ground with a cratering impact�Cletting go as he intercepted an iing strike of Memo''s greatsword by clotheslining the adventurer with hisrge arm.

    Samfrey struggled to pick himself up, having been embedded in the stone ground below, while Memo sat on his knees for a moment, holding his face as blood spurted from his now bruised nose.

    "Look out�C!"

    �CThe yell sounded from both Ren and Akanni, though Memo didn''t recognize what was going on around him as his head was dazed from the blow.

    Only once he looked up, did he see the unstoppable orc, unaffected by the strikes of those behind him, rearing back an axe formed of coalesced darkness.

    His eyes widened, though as he tried to stand, the dazed nature of his body led to imbnce as he struggled to move in time.

    �CCLANG.

    Intercepting the dark axe, a presence stood in front of him after he had flinched, epting his fate in that moment.

    Looking up, he saw one man, d in old, silver armor, blocking therge, powerful axe of darkness with a sword enveloped in light.

    "Old man��?" Memo muttered out.

    "Stand, Guillermo!" Archard yelled out.

    The veteran adventurer was visibly trembling, his knees wobbling and his arms struggling as his entire body seemed to struggle to hold back the overwhelming strength of the Orc God.

    He finally found himself, bringing himself back to his feet, "It''s Memo!"

    The cardinal-haired man yelled out as he assisted the wizened man in armor, swinging his steel greatsword against the colossal axe alongside Archard.

    Together, they yelled out as Memo''s wordless will brought mes across his de, pushing alongside the veteran as they repelled the orc''s axe.

    In that moment, they both fell to their knees, exhausted, but it was a moment of opportunity opened to the others.

    Samfrey managed to pick himself up, bleeding from his nose, mouth, and ears, struggling to do so as he gripped his daggers in his cut and calloused hands.

    "...Nzazi��: Seven-Pointed Tower of The Storm!"

    Just as he spurted the incantation from his cut lips, Samfrey stabbed his daggers into the ground to trigger the magecraft, causing a seven-pointed barrier of lightning-imbued seals around the Orc God.

    "Let him have it��!" Samfrey shouted out from the top of his lungs.

    It was then, all at once, did an unspoken n both wove itself, and manifested into reality: each member capable�CRen, Iris, Calytrix, and Felix worked in unison,bining each of their great magics and miracles to form an ultimate force against the Orc God.

    "In the depths of darkness, this world was forged. Withplete authority, this world''s light only persists because of its darkness. It is your authority that makes so; listen and grant my will, and wither my foe to nothingness! Nyx: Anti-Life Rebirth!"

 Chapter 507 Great Magic United

    "In the depths of darkness, this world was forged. Withplete authority, this world''s light only persists because of its darkness. It is your authority that makes so; listen and grant my will, and wither my foe to nothingness! Nyx: Anti-Life Rebirth!"

    "Hear me, Daughter of Chaos, Mother of Dreams, Death, Fate...Day, Night, and Destruction. Inside and out, the aspect of the night holds true to my soul...in honor of you and your overwhelming power. With this, grant me reprieve from the dangers before me! Be sent into the never-ending night forevermore! Nyx: Ultima Darkness!"

    "Father of the Three Skies, he who walks amongst the highest of heavens, hear me! Ry your divine authority into the form of destruction�Cunto my enemies, unto the enemies of the world your iridescence gleams down upon! Hyperion: In The Hands of Light!"

    "Blessed thee with your greatest of miracles! I ask only of this power in the face of total evil, in the face of benevolence, and in conflict with darkness! Giveth Thee: Amplification!"

    Following Felix''s calling of the divine, he mmed the head of his warhammer down three times in session like a war-drum sounding.

    It was a mixture of magic, so potent, devastating, and awe-inspiring that it was almost impossible to perceive properly.

    "Multiple great magic at once��? Are they trying to destroy this whole mountain?!" Memo called out, holding his arms out in front of him.

    "I don''t expect anything less to be capable of taking that monster down," Archard said as the harsh winds of the coalescing magic pelted against his armor.

    Those too injured or exhausted to contribute, or rather, out of fear their contribution would tip the scale towards total destruction of the mountain top, watched the spectacle, praying for the defeat of the seemingly impervious orc.

    "Aren''t you going to help?" Akanni asked the cloak-wearing woman beside him, knelt against the ground as he held his bruised chest.

    After the full-force hit he took from the orc god, his lungs were left bruised, as much as he wanted to join in the all-out attack�Cit wasn''t an option with his breathing as rugged as it was.

    Elena shook her head with a smallugh, "That isn''t really my style."

    In the midst of such a gathering of magic, it felt as if the air itself was being reced by the abundant flow of mana; thinning and heating it as an array of mana particles flooded through the winds.

    Beyond just thebination of darkness and light, an array of colors flourished, humming as the powerful sh, yet synchronization of that magic shook the foundation of the mountain itself.

    In the presence of the swirling,bining great magic, the azure clouds above spiraled, giving room for the radiant magecraft produced by Iris in the form of colossal gauntlets of light that entrapped the orc.

    In the grasp of the "Hands of Light", you can''t use any magic��! Iris thought.

    Fluttering in the air, particles of darkness swarmed around the light-entrapped Orc God; by way of Calytrix''s will, they blossomed into airborne, ck-petaled flowers that bore a magenta center.

    As they blossomed in full, surrounding the Orc God as plentiful as raindrops, the flowers of darkness emitted a multiyered,plex array of seals that further entrapped the brute, working in tandem with the lightning seal and the light hands.

    While faced with my "Anti-Life Flowers" one''s proximity to death is closened, Calytrix thought.

    Finally, walls of shadows came from all sides, coalescing at the Orc God''s imprisoned position before it was ensnared in a colossal sphere of utter darkness.

    All of their magecraft was amplified by the miracle of Felix, making it impossible for the orc to resist as the sphere of condensed darkness began to shrink, possessing a greater density and crushing force.

    With each shrinking the sphere of crushing darkness took, a shock wave emitted, shattering theyer of frost that coated the mountain.

    "Crush that bastard!" Samfrey yelled out.

    "Get him!" Felix called out, gripping his hammer.

    "Leave nothing left," Akanni said.

    He yelled out, squeezing his bruised and bloodied fist as tightly as he could, "With pleasure��!"

    In a sudden, violent condensing, the sphere crushed even the great magic of the other two that was held within it, unleashing a loud squelch as the one held within it was most certainly crushed.

    With his great magic being amplified, and the hold on the orc being as tight as it was, the aftermath of the spell being released left only a cubified corpse that was clenched with such pressure it melded into coal.

    "...And done," he quietly celebrated, letting out a breath of relief.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Calytrix flicked her hair behind her shoulder, "The grandeur of darkness prevails once again."

    As she said this, the gothic lolita leaned against his right arm.

    "Hey��!" Iris said, clinging to his other arm.

    "Hmm~?" Calytrix grinned at her before moving away with augh.

    After that encounter he chalked up to simply being yful teasing, the members regrouped, allowing Iris and Felix to tend to their wounds.

    "Ngh��" Memo groaned quietly.

    His nose had been shattered, leaving Archard to tend to it.

    "You sure you know what you''re doing, old man?" Memo asked.

    "I''ve done this many times on the battlefield," Archard assured him, "have faith and stay still."

    Without a moment of hesitation, Archard gripped the young man''s bleeding, crooked nose before popping it back in its proper shape.

    "Argh��! Shit��" Memo massaged his bruised nose, sliding his mask back up.

    As Archard returned to his feet, turning away, he was stopped by quiet spoken words that sounded almost begrudged.

    "��Thanks," Memo said, looking at him, "not just for the nose, but for earlier. I could''ve handled it, but��"

    "I know," Archard responded, "don''t think about it. It''s natural forrades to help each other."

    "Right," Memo nodded to himself.

    Witnessing the group work together like an actual unit, he watched with his hands on his hips.

    He let out a sigh, "I guess I should just be happy everybody seems fine, right?"

    Feeling a heated sensation in his pockets, he flipped the crimson strap hanging over his trousers, retrieving the crumpled-up paper from the depths of his pants.

    Unrolling it, he looked at it as a mark ofpletion mystically etched itself onto the paper, marking the quest as�Cdone.

    "Looks like that really was thestcyrie��" He sighed out.

    Taking onest look at the battle-torn summit, with a castle that was half-coated in frost, he looked at the potential recruits of diolus as they tended to one another, and spoke as if alreadyrades-in-arms.

    Clearing his throat with a smile, he gathered the attention of each and every one of them.

    "From this day forward�Cyou''re all members of diolus!" He announced with a bright smile.

    Though most of the smiles they held in return seemed as if they already felt those were the words that were inevitably going to leave his lips.

    Hand-in-hand with Iris, he looked upwards towards the blue cloud-filled, dusk sky.

    This is where my new journey begins in this fantastical world. There are still so many mysteries, so many things I don''t know.

    Still, I won''t stop until the Argonauts are gone, and we can finally smile without a worry, he thought.

 Chapter 508 Sirius Federov: Alternate

    [Forest of Herun, Gallvania, the next morning]

    Birds chirped, echoing their morning calls though the well-traveled forest, signaling the beginning of a new day.

    "Did we really have to ditch the carriage this far out?"

    Heined, rubbing the back of his neck as low branches kept tickling his neck with bristly leaves. Through the ceiling of leaves up above, the ring, morning sun bled through the verdant abundance, casting a sparse sunlight through the dense forest.

    The amber-haired woman marched in front of him with a stern huff, "Are you going toin the entire time, Sirius? You''re an adventurer, right? Act like one."

    "Hey, now, I''m only walking because, unlike me, you can''t fly," he shrugged his shoulders with a sly smile, "anyway, there''s a road not far from here, why don''t we at least take that? I''ve already got a few bugs in my boot��"

    As he said this, Sirius lightly stomped his boot against the soil below with a scrunched expression. Another breath left Emilia''s disheveled lips as she crossed her arms across her ck-dressed chest.

    "I told you already," she looked at him with those cat-like eyes of hers, "you''re practically the most wanted man by Mastorn, and with a prominent merchant like thating through here, they probably have their eyes out for trouble."

    "You mean trouble like us?" He asked.

    "Trouble like you," Emilia smirked, "they don''t have the slightest clue who I am."

    He smirked in response, "I can''t help that I''m so famous, you know?"

    "That''s not anything to gloat about," Emilia raised an eyebrow.

    Continuing onward, they pushed through the avoided parts of the forest, pushing past the natural barriers of foliage before a set of walls in the distance became apparent.

    "Ah, looks like we''ve made it," Emilia said.

    Standing at the edge of the forest, he looked from behind the veil of trees at the far set of walls; they were built of a peculiar, emerald stone, chiseled into diamond-like tiles that stood at a colossal height.

    "..."The Great Barrier of Yulimium", it''s my first time seeing it for myself," he remarked.

    "That''s exactly why we can''t have you being seen before entering," Emilia told him as her amber ponytailid on her shoulder.

    "Yeah, I''ve heard about it. "The Great Barrier of Yulimium; all that are recognized as a threat to Gavania perish when passing those gates", right?" He said with a wry smirk, "scary."

    "Exactly. But, you won''t be recognized as a threat unless you''ve been mentioned to Yulimium before, so, you''re probably safe," Emilia gave him a pat on the back.

    He chuckled, "Probably, huh?"

    As they began to approach the capital, the natural winds picked up in a greater breeze, brushing against the green, luscious grass of the capital''s outskirts. Roads paved with well-maintained stone, without blemish, came from each direction, all leading to the mystical, emerald gates of the capital, Yulimium.

    "Are we really just going to walk right through the gates? I''m pretty sure the guards will have something to say about that," he asked her quietly.

    Along the roads, he watched as merchants and carriages carrying others passed through, stopping as the guard checkpoint to be checked.

    "Of course not," she told him, "I already have a gateway setup."

    "Really? You''re pretty prepared, aren''t you?" He teased with a smirk.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Emilia shot him a re, "I had toe here myself to set it up�Cbecause of you. I wouldn''t have any trouble walking through the gates."

    "Fair," he muttered with a smile.

    Passing by sneakily to avoid prying eyes, such was easy with the magecraft of Emilia''s allowing them to remain unseen, albeit only from faraway gazes. It was the only reason they could freely pursue such a discreet operation in the daytime, though it was necessary to get there as soon as possible.

    It was a daunting wall�Cone of the most famousndmarks on the continent, he remembered. Even beneath the orange, warm light of the sun, the emerald walls glistened, sparkling with a dormant mysticism that he preferred not to meet directly.

    "Here," Emilia whispered, approaching a seemingly random spot on the south side of the great, emerald walls that encapsted the city.

    "Right here?" He asked.

    Looking around, he realized why she had chosen the spot; there were no guards patrolling the south gates, since there was no ce to enter. In addition, the long, angled trees that grew from the forests sprouted far, almost acting as a veil to onlooking eyes from afar.

    Gallvania, the "Country of Spring". It lives up to that name. Apparently the ancestors of gallvanians were druids, and they cultivated thisnd into the prosperous state it is in now. Though��I hear some druids still live in the surrounding forests. Back on Earth, I think those were called "hippies", he thought.

    "All this work just to take out some tubby, old man?" He sighed, watching the woman etch mystical symbols into the iridescent wall.

    It was a magecraft he was mostly unfamiliar with, mainly utilized for low-profile operations such as the very one he found himself in, though he was still somewhat intrigued by the way in which it was used.

    I''ve seen Beatrice use it a few times. I know a thing or two, so does Sora and Donatien, but it doesn''t have much use in battle �C "O''Gaia", not to be mistaken with "Gaia" magic; it''s the very basic, almost archaic form of magecraft that doesn''t utilize the elements, but instead rudimentary, but sometimes powerful spells, he thought.

    "Even you can''t pretend like this is just some "old man" we''re after, Sirius," Emilia spoke with a low, concentrated tone as she kept her focus on the symbols of light she drew on the emerald stone, "if he''s closely aligned with the Argonauts, and an irreceable asset to them, I''m sure you have a lot to gain from making sure he''s taken out."

    "And what about you? Don''t you have any reason for doing this?" He asked, leaning against the wall.

    Emiliaughed quietly, "All I care about is getting paid. I could care less if it''s the Argonauts I''m contracted against, or contracted by; the highest bidder gets this gal."

    "...And that''s exactly why I don''t like you," he said with an exuded, yful breath.

    "The feeling''s mutual, don''t worry," Emilia muttered before stopping for a moment, continuing in a more quiet voice, "...Briswall is also somebody I think this world is better off without."

    "Is that so? Why''s that?" He asked curiously, though his question came with the same smirk.

    Emilia pushed her hair behind her ear, "I did a bit of research on him. Just calling him a "merchant" is a bit of an oversimplification. He has more resources and power than most of the high-born nobles of Mastorn. He didn''t inherit a single coin��he carved his way up thedder by ruthlessly assassinating all of hispetition," she told him.

    "Sounds like par for the course with merchants," he replied.

    She shook her head, "It''s not just that. He��" her words trailed as a hesitant look held itself in her eyes, "he��apparently has a history of buying young women and having his way with them. It''s not just forcing himself on them��he tortures them."

    "So, in essence, he''s the worst of the worst?" He asked, "It''s a good thing he happened to line himself in our sights."

    ��So, it''s personal then for you too? Never very honest, are you, Emilia? I guess that''s just how you are�C"born of the shadows", yeah? I get it. It''s rare we get the opportunity to take out a true scumbag like this.

    It''ll also weaken the Argonauts. It''s a win-win, he thought.

 Chapter 509 Dusty Espionage

    Emilia stayed silent for a moment before nodding, "...And done."

    As she dragged her fingertip, covered by a silk, ck glove, with the purple light guided by her touch meeting into a full circle, the unseen passageway revealed itself atst as if a curtain had been pulled away.

    Taking a peek through the mystical doorway through the wall, he expected to see a bustling city on the other side, but instead found his gaze peeking into a quiet, empty establishment.

    "This is the supply room of some inn on the other side of this wall," Emilia told him, "nobody will see using in."

    "How''d you find this?" He asked.

    "Obviously I scouted out the city beforehand��I take my job seriously, you know. Might want to take a note, or two."

    "You get around fast, don''t you?" He asked with a smirk, "I guess the magecraft of one of the "Weavers of The After" is top-notch, at least when ites to shady business like this."

    The mention of such a name spawned a pause from Emilia, who held a slight, embarrassed hue to her cheeks, attempting to kick the man in the arm, whoughed off her attempt by ducking back to avoid her leg.

    "Ha-ha, sorry, I forgot that name is sensitive for you," Heughed.

    "I left that organization years ago," Emilia huffed, "I don''t want to be associated with those monsters. Besides��you''re part of this "shady business" now, so I don''t want to hear it."

    "Right, right, I guess I can''t deny that," he slid his hands into his pockets with a smallugh.

    Stepping in first, he entered the door that connected one space to another, stepping from the grassy outskirts of the capital directly onto the cobweb-lined, dusty room of the inn.

    "...Oh, man," he coughed, waving his hand to dispel the dust that fell from the ustrophobic shelves at just the weight of his step.

    "This is as secretive as we''re going to get," Emilia assured him, stepping in after him.

    With a circr motion of her finger, the amber-haired woman released the magecraft as it vanished into small, fading sparks of mana.

    "Yeah, maybe��if it''s this dusty, I doubt anyone''s been back here in awhile," he took his left hand out of his pocket.

    He ran his fingertip along the edge of one of the old, wooden shelves, looking at the dense dust that umted on his digit before blowing it away with a quiet breath.

    "When I was scoping out the ce, it looked like the owner was an olddy," Emilia told him, "probably hard of hearing too, considering I didn''t even try to mask my steps around her."

    "That''s harsh," heughed quietly.

    Quietly opening the supply room down as a coating of dust fell, Emilia and himself peeked out of the crack, checking for anybody passing through the halls before leaving the room with a sigh of relief.

    Out in the creaky, wooden halls of the establishment, it was deathly quiet; only the flickering, litnterns on the walls were an indicator that it was an upied building.

    "...Is there anybody even staying here?" He asked.

    "It''s a real old-fashioned ce, from what I gathered," Emilia answered, "I don''t think it''s exactly bursting with business."

    "That''s good," he replied, "well, for us."<novelnext></novelnext>

    After testing one of the doors, they found an empty room of the inn, temporarily using it to gather themselves in the new environment.

    He looked over at the girl, who stood as tall as his shoulder, as she reached beneath her ck cloak, retrieving a neatlypact map before unrolling it.

    "Let''s see��we''re in the south district of Yulimium, and the Merchant''s Guild is��" Emilia let her words trail as she traced her finger along the map, "oh, it''s right in the center of the center district."

    "You didn''t know that already? I thought you did your research," he teased, sliding his fingers through his hair as he plopped down on one of the two beds in the room.

    It wasn''t anything fancy, but it was neatly kept with olive sheets, just as the humble room itself was, alit by a softly fragrant, unintrusive candle that smelled of peaceful, grape fields.

    A violet carpet stretched across the wooden floorboards, with matching coverings upying the tops of the furnished stands. Even sitting within the room, a basket of fruit and bread wasid out�Cfully fresh as well.

    Looks like that granny really runs this ce well, even if it isn''t exactly bustling, he thought.

    Emilia shot him an annoyed nce before seating herself on the bed on the opposite side of the room, "I forgot, is all."

    "So, what''s the n? We''re about two days out, aren''t we?" He asked, doing some quick, nonchnt crunches on the bed.

    Emilia set the map down beside her, looking at him with her cat-like golds, "Are you going to take this seriously?"

    He paused his crunches,ying against the bed as he kept his hands tucked beneath his head, "I am taking this seriously."

    "I find that hard to believe," she replied, unamused.

    "I am," he assured, sitting up with a smile, "I just��handle things with a different approach."

    "Is that right? Every other "ck Quest" we''ve handled together has wound up in me having to babysit you and remind you to do your job," Emilia folded her arms across her chest, sitting against the wall as sheid her legs against the bed.

    "Well, I haven''t been interested in one before this," he told her in a quieter, more serious tone as his magenta eyes met hers, "...the thought of getting my hands on Argonauts is really��appealing."

    "You really hate them don''t you?" Emilia asked, "I mean, I understand why. You''re an otherworlder. Argonauts are practically the bane of your existence."

    "I could care less if they hate me, or hunt me, but they''ve taken people away from me," he told her, looking towards the window that looked out towards therge, walled-in city.

    After a few moments of silence, the sound of footstepsing down the halls beyond the door were audible.

    "Hm?" He looked towards the door.

    "Shh!" Emilia held her finger to her lips.

    By the slow, drawn-out, but gentle steps, it was clearly the elderly woman who owned the inn that the woman had told him about.

    We''re totally just plopping ourselves down in thisdies establishment. I feel kinda bad, to be honest, he thought.

 Chapter 510 Gallvania

    They stayedpletely silent, listening as the infrequent steps came close to the door before going on their way, bing distant down the hall.

    "...Damn, why was that actually kind of scary?" He let out a yful sigh of relief.

    "The oh-so-powerful Sirius Federov fears old grannies?" Emilia teased.

    He shrugged, "The wrath of a woman nearing the end of her time can be quite ferocious. Besides, you can''t lift a finger against a granny. It''s an unwinnable fight."

    "I see. It seems you do have some standards, at least," Emilia sighed out.

    "Hold on�CI don''t want to hear that from an assassin," he raised an eyebrow, "anyway��n. What''s the n here, anyway? Did you figure out their exact route?"

    As he asked this, shifting the subject back in ce, he watched the amber-haired woman sit up and stare at him for a moment before nodding.

    "The council didn''t exactly give me a lot to work with, but I can make it work," she told him.

    "That''s why they hired us, after all."

    Emilia ignored him, continuing, "Briswall isn''ting here just for a quick, in-and-out signing. Obviously a greedy man like him is going to take in the attractions of a city like Yulimium."

    "I get it, but how do you know that for sure? This is a pretty important alliance they''re forming, by the sounds of it, so why would Briswall take any risks?" He asked, but already knew the answer deep down.

    He''s an idiot, he surmised.

    "He has two Argonauts with him," Emilia sighed, "to any Mastornian, that''s practically the same as being untouchable. To him, there isn''t even a speck of danger to be wary of with those two at his side. And, do you have to ask that? I used my ability."

    He held a smile, leaning against the back wall behind the bed, "You know, that ability of yours is pretty amazing when I see it in action like this. "The Whispers Within: the ability to deduce the movements of anybody, given sufficient information", it''s pretty unbeatable in your field of work."

    "I don''t needpliments from you," Emilia looked at him.

    He sighed with a smile, "Anyway, so what''s this deduction of yours led to? Just tell me where to be and when."

    "There will be one instance during Briswall''s three days stay that he will be separated from his two Argonaut bodyguards," Emilia told him, looking directly at him, "fortunately, it''s the night before he will sign anything. A��"celebration" of sorts."

    "Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow.

    A small, hesitant look perched itself across the young woman''s face, "...Briswall will visit a brothel."

    Hearing this, he whistled a bit jokingly, though stopped as she shot him a quick, fierce re.

    For being an assassin, she''s still pretty innocent, he thought.

    "Anyway��the Argonauts will remain outside the building," she told him, "that''ll be our time to move. I''ll make my way into the brothel before they arrive, and��disguise myself. You can handle the two bodyguards outside. But, make sure to do it without catching any eyes."

    He smiled, "Alright, alright. So, that''s two nights from now, is it?"

    "Yeah, it is."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Looks like we''ll have some time to enjoy the city, as well," he said, looking out of the window.

    "No," Emilia told him.

    "No?" He looked back at her.

    "How often do I have to remind you? You''re one of Mastorn''s most wanted," she told him with an annoyed breath.

    He gave her a smile, flipping his cape as he rxed against the bed he imed, "But, we''re in Gallvania. And, we bypassed the barrier already, so��what''s the problem?"

    Emilia mumbled for a moment with a clear, annoyed furrow of her pale, amber eyebrows before releasing her annoyance out in a sigh, "I suppose. But, keep yourself low if you go out. And if anything happens�Cyou''re shouldering all of the responsibility. "

    "Of course. Might as well pay for the room then, right?" Heughed.

    "If you''re that concerned with the olddy," Emilia sighed.

    After venturing out of the room, he stumbled into the inn owner, who luckily didn''t presume him to be a trespasser, and actually offered to let him stay in the room, free of charge, since he was a tourist to Gallvania.

    "No, no, I insist," he told the tiny old woman, retrieving a holy coin from his pocket.

    As he ced it in her wrinkly hand, she wryly epted, "Such a gentleman. Well, please make yourselffortable. You said you already know which room you want, right? What''s so special about having that room, anyway?"

    "Ah, you know��it''s a special angle of the city from the window, you know?" He told her wryly with an excuse he made up on the spot.

    The short, white-haired woman of wizened age seemed delighted at his reason though, managing to send him back to the room with another basket of fresh pastries and fruit.

    "...Sheesh, grannies never change world to world, huh?" He muttered with a smile, setting the basket down on the stand between their beds.

    Emilia was upied with the map, etching symbols of her luminescent magic onto the parchment with a focused look in her eyes.

    Taking off both his cape and his favorite, gray coat, he left them on the bed, leaving himself wearing only his all-ck,pression shirt.

    My cape and coat would probably be a bit too recognizable. Not worth the risk, he thought.

    After a few minutes of sitting around the silent room, being ignored by the woman, he grabbed a fruit and left the inn, deciding to see the capital of the famous kingdom for himself.

    "It''d be a waste toe down here and not check out what it''s got, right?" He muttered to himself, taking a bite out of the verdant-skinned fruit.

    As soon as he left the secluded inn, he found himself in the back alleys of the south sector. He could hear the noises of a bustling city somewhere ahead, but in the sector he casually strolled in, it was mostly quiet, with few people upying the stone-paved streets.

    It seemed to mainly be a residential area, with houses disying potted nts in front of their silver-bricked homes.

    He leaned his head back slightly, taking in the air;pared to the winds of Old Treyna, the ones that blew through Gallvania were vibrant, and full of a serene vigor.

    If I had my way, I wouldn''t mind living in a ce like this, he thought.

 Chapter 511 Capital Exploration

    Unlike what he recalled from his very brief visits to Mastorn, the houses of Gallvania were double-storied, usually housing flower boxes atop their colorful rooftops as the lively airs of the country flourished it all the same.

    As he ventured through the quiet, residential area, waving to the elderly upants of Yulimium who sat on benches, sipping tea in the brisk morning, he found himself moving up a set of steps, ending up at a children''s yground.

    Expectedly, it was upied by children, some ying with stickers to carve symbols into the soil of the y area, and some kicking and passing balls to each other.

    A warm smile perched itself on his expression as he kept his hands tucked in his pockets, watching them y with the fresh sunlight peeking through the clouds that swept through the oceanic-blue sky.

    In his eyes, seeing them y, he saw his younger siblings; giggling and enjoying themselves without a care in the world.

    "Hey, mister!" One of them called out to him; a boy still missing some of his early teeth.

    The boy waved him over, backed by the gleeful, somewhat mischievous smiles of the others as they held a red ball.

    "...You think you can keep up with me?" He smirked yfully, epting the offer as he brought his hands out of his pockets.

    It was him against all half-dozen of the children, setting himself behind the line carved by a twig; a simple game of not allowing the ball to pass his side of the line�Ca concept that he wasn''t surprised etched itself across worlds.

    After the ponytailed, crimson-haired boy began by serving the ball, he promptly deflected it with a smile, then deflecting anotherunched by thevender-haired girl.

    With the chubby one of the bunch pping the ball, he flicked it back, leaving all of their attempts fruitless as he released a smirk, running his thumb across the top of his lip.

    "Is that all you''ve got, you snot-nosed brats?!" He called out with a smile.

    A set of failed attempts came from the children, who were all left in shock at the smirking, youthful man''s seeming indomitable skill at the game.

    "No fair!" The pudgy one with light-brown hair called out.

    "Yeah!" The brte girl added in, "You''re cheating, Mister!"

    "He is!"

    "Totally!"

    All he could do at the usations of the children wasugh like a mustache-twirling viin as they all went silent.

    On the tip of his index finger, he spun the ball with a smile, "Cheating? No, this is the power�Cof an adult!"

    With one throw, he shot the ball past their line of guards without trouble, pushing the red object past the blink of an eye.

    After pulling off aplete, one-sided victory, he took his leave with a smile as the kids continued ying, though they insisted on giving him a shoddily-made charm formed of intertwined grass and flowers.

    "Well��" He muttered to himself before cing it in his pocket.

    Mementos don''t hurt, he thought.

    He found that he was wandering aimlessly around therge, capital city, soon finding himself in the bustling town square that was upied by humans, dwarves, and even demi-humans.

    There weren''t many residential buildings, but mostly shops with smaller vendors upying the front of the space, forming a busy marketce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "This is more like it," he spoke to himself with a smile.

    Passing by a street entertainer who owned an obedient, lightning-striped tiger that was twice the size of the entrically-dressed man himself, he flipped a coin into the entertainer''s hat.

    "Ah-hah!" The performer showed his gratitude, guiding therge tiger to do a flip.

    It''s cool and all��but I do wonder how an apex predator of that size is allowed within city walls, he thought with a chuckle.

    By the density of people flooding the width of the streets, upying the markets, and the array of performers that danced and carried out their talents, he thought for a moment there was a festival uring.

    It was simply the way of Gallvania, he soon realized. Inparison to Mastorn, it was lively beyondparison.

    Even though it was hardly approaching noon, such a city was already in full motion.

    There''s no way I''m letting Mastorn ally with this ce. They can keep their grimy hands away, he thought.

    "How do you do, sir?"

    "If you''re interested in fashion, you''vee to the right ce!"

    "Mastorn, Derjun, Akitein, and even Jinyue! We have jewels from every corner of the world!"

    �CSuch loudly-spoken words came from the vendors he passed by, all trying to entice the coin from his pocket.

    Though the town was full of peculiar-seeming upants, some caught his eye; dressed normally like most citizens, some wore unblinking, wide eyes as if just seeing the most horrific events, yet they walked casually like all the rest.

    Weird, he thought.

    He spent a while sifting through the markets, though he wasn''t much interested in the goods they disyed. Shiny jewels, proimed ancient weapons, and even relics, all disyed by the world-visiting merchants.

    Thoughvish goods weren''t what he had in mind.

    Groooowl.

    His stomach roared in opposition. Before he knew it, he had explored the city for hours already, leaving the sun to begin to settle in the sky.

    The fruit he had brought with him had only held him off for so long, but after the hike it took to reach the capital, his thoughts were flooded by the idea of trying out the cuisine of Gallvania for himself.

    His eyes were raised, looking at each sign that jutted out from the array of well-kept, refined buildings, mostly crafted of tanned wood.

    Though he found his eyes in this instance to pale inparison to his nose, that caught a scent of something delectable in the midst.

    Continuing on his path, guided by his nose, he passed through a section upied by the smell of burnt steel; the sound of hammers being mmed against metal filled the alleyway.

    It was a cksmith shop, arge one at that; operated by dwarves, though they were drinking and bickering as they did their work.

    Is it really this way? He thought.

 Chapter 512 Drinking Contest

    Moving past the cksmith alley, he found himself in what felt like an entirely different section of Yulimium: the houses were different, and formed of rock and steel, and there were much fewer humans, and much more dwarves walking the streets.

    He rarely had the chance to encounter dwarves, but they were as expected; short and stocky, built with muscle and beer bellies, most of which disyed lengthy, bristly beards.

    "How''s it goin'' der''?" One such dwarf asked him, a man who stood at half his height with a red, split beard, "lost?"

    He shook his head with a wryugh, "I''m alright."

    "Alright den''," the ginger-bearded dwarf went on his way.

    At least they seem pretty nice, actually, he thought.

    After stopping for a moment, still attached to that one, enticing smell of good grub, he found that the entirety of the separate sector, seeming to belong to the dwarves, smelled of the unmistakable sweet, overpowering scent of beer. In fact, it was a mixture of the aroma of beer, and ming metal, as the sounds of craftsmanship could still be heard from various points of the sector.

    With how potent the smell of alcohol was, he realized it couldn''t simply be by them, but it was likely that they also produced it in that sector as well.

    I think I heard somewhere that dwarves are the biggest suppliers of beer in this world. No wonder they all stink of it, heughed to himself, still��isn''t it still barely noon, and they''re drinking already? Sheesh.

    Still, he continued with trust in his nose as he found himself soon standing before a small, tavern-like establishment that was inhabiting a small strip, tucked away between other establishments.

    "Guess this is it," he muttered.

    Entering the tavern doors, he found it upied by ny-percent dwarves, all of whom didn''t even recognize his presence as they were yelling and partying, filling their guts with booze.

    It was almost overpowering; the potent, sweet smell of beer and wine, but it was somewhat of a rxing atmosphere it resulted in as he brought himself to one of the tables near the back that was empty.

    A firece sat on either side of the tavern, filling the ce with a warmth that apanied the heat one would gain from filling their bellies with mead. Though it wasn''tvish, the simple, wooden structure of the tavern was lightened by the cheerful, partying patrons of the establishment.

    "A menu?" He looked at the paper alreadyid on the table.

    Reading over it, the choices were incredibly difficult toe to a decision over with his indecisive, empty stomach.

    After being offered a beer from a waitress while eyeing the menu, he hesitantly epted.

    Well, what she doesn''t know won''t hurt, he thought.

    "Here ya'' go, sir!" The small, but strongly-built dwarves waitress returned with arge mug of golden, foamy liquid, setting it down on the table.

    "Thanks!" He told her.

    "Want somethin'' to eat with that booze?" The freckled, red-haired waitress asked.

    "Yeah, I''ll have urr��" He hesitated, scoping the menu quickly, finding the first thing that caught his eye, "The honey-smoked boar sounds good."

    The dwarven waitress looked delighted at his choice, "That right ther'' is our speciality!"

    "I''ll have that then," he smiled, setting the menu back down as he was left with his booze to hold him off.

    As the energetic waitress left, he watched as a seemingly endless amount of beer was served between the partying dwarves.

    I always heard that dwarves knew how to have a good time, but this is something else, he smiled.

    Raising his mug, he shook it lightly, watching the rich, gold liquid swish side to side in the tall mug.

    Lifting it to his lips, he let the ice-cold alcohol slide down his throat, chugging it down one go before mming the mug down.

    "Phew��!" He gasped out after swallowing the entire cup.

    It''s been awhile since I''ve drank, but I''m something of a specialist in this field, if I do say so myself, he thought.

    "Hoh! Ya'' can handle yer'' swig for a skinny one!" A stout dwarf with bristly, blonde hair approached his table, with flushed cheeks.

    He''s drunk, he thought.

    "Yeah? I''m just getting started," he replied, wiping the foam from his upper lip, "what about you? At your limit?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Hah! Are ye'' looking fer''a challenge,d?!" The dwarven adventurer asked, sitting across from him at the table before burping.

    It seemed he had to sit, as the red-cheeked dwarf was stepping over his own feet just standing still.

    "Sure," he epted, "you''ve got it!".

    As the contest of alcohol was established, a crowd had gathered around the table.

    "C''mon! C''mon!"

    "One holy coin on the ballsyd!"

    "I''ve got two on Hanorlig!"

    Before long, there wasn''t any space around the table as seemingly the entirety of the bar had gathered around, with the scent of alcohol bing absolute with the roaring, partying dwarves already making bets.

    A few human adventurers were mixed into the crowd, but they were just as drunk, howling and carrying their mugs with them with cheers.

    He knew it well: dwarves were famous for being able to put down gallons of beer, but he didn''t shy away.

    I''ve got my own pride��as a russian! There''s no other country in the world that drinks more than us�Ceven in this world, I''ve got to uphold that status! He thought.

    "First set!" A brte, muscr waitress set down a dozen mugs between the two, beginning the challenge.

    It seemed to be something already integrated into the tavern itself, which wasn''t surprising to him considering the frequency of such contests.

    I''m starting with an advantage. This guy��"Hanorlig" I think, already is swaying and slurring his words, he''s had a lot himself. I''ve got this, he told himself.

    It wasn''t just a harmless, fun game for him; even a simple contest like this, he took seriously.

    "How much ye'' betting,d?" Hanorlig asked, already gripping one mug.

    "Hm��" He pondered the question with a smirk before holding all five fingers up, "how does five holy coins sound?"

    Hanorlig''s expression lit up withughter, spitting out as his unrestrainedughter came forth as he smacked the poor, defenseless table a few times, "Yer'' on,d! Best of luck to ye''!"

    "Same to you," he said with apetitive smile.

    As they tapped the sses of their mugs together to mark the start of the contest, the crowd immediately set into roars as they began their consumption.

    With the first mug raised, the golden, potent liquid slid down his throat seamlessly before he mmed it down.

    "Roooh!"

    "Go! Go! Go!"

    The crowd cheered on as they both finished the first serving of sweet-scented beer at the same time, prompting them both to immediately pick up the second ss.

    It wasn''t a few seconds after gulping it down that he mmed the next mug down, letting out a gasp before wiping his lips.

    "Are ya'' starting to feel it,d?!" Hanorligughed with red cheeks.

    He shook his head, feeling his cheeks be slightly red as he felt the warmth of the alcohol begin to settle in, "I''m just getting started!"

    �CThree.

    �CFour.

    �C...Ten.

    With the m of the tenth, empty mug against the table, being replenished every few minutes by the waitresses, he really began to feel it.

 Chapter 513 Drunken Deductions

    Swirling in his gut, the warmth of the intoxicating liquid built a warmth within his body. His cheeks became flushed and cherry red as his vision swayed, but he wasn''t ready to stop.

    It was because the dwarf across from him was swaying even more, side-to-side as if the chair he sat in would soon be empty.

    I''ve got this��! He thought.

    Bolstering himself with that confidence, he chucked down another two mugs with the cheers of the crowd supplementing him with the will to swallow the liquid that now began toe down arduously.

    ��Wait a second, he thought.

    Trying to focus his gaze as it spiraled and spun, he realized a fatal w in his intoxicated logic: Hanorlig wasn''t swaying, it was his vision.

    Just as he came to that realization, he also came to realize his own body couldn''t be felt, as if a nket of warmthpletely bound his movements while he swayed, side-to-side, forwards and backward.

    "---?"

    The words, unintelligible to his ears, came from the red-cheeked dwarf, though he could hear nothing as all he could see was the dwarf''s lips pping.

    "Gimme��me��another," he slurred his words.

    He raised his empty mug as he said this, leaning heavily against the table as just the bncing act of raising the ss was a herculean trial for him.

    But, the next refill of alcohol would note.

    As he sat there, halfid against the table, awaiting the next wave of beer, his eyelids became so very heavy, inevitably closing as he couldn''t fight against the weight of their exhaustion.

    ��Ah, crap. I''m tired, he thought.

    He blinked a few times.

    "Are you feeling alright, Sir? Do you need help being brought back to your room?"

    �CThough he could hardly make out the words, the question came out from a man he could hardly make out through his swirling vision; he had a face as pale as snow, and locks both blue and green with peculiar makeup on his expression. The man spoke to him with blue-painted lips, curled into a smile.

    With a simple pat on the shoulder, the pale-faced man nudged him.

    He was a very odd-looking man, but he chalked it up to his drunken state to exin the man''s appearance.

    "...No��I''m fine��" He answered.

    Soon, it all fell to ck.

    It felt like just moments after, he was conscious again, faced withplete darkness.

    Though it was just the result of his eyelids not responding to him reawakening.

    "Huh��?"

    He blinked a few times, opening his eyes once more after an unknown amount of time. Against his cheek, he felt the smooth, yet ufortable surface of the table pressing against it as he slowly raised his head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Drool had trailed from his mouth to the table, sticking to his cheek as he wiped it with a brief hint of disgust.

    "...Well, I definitely drank a bit too much," he muttered.

    The word left his mouth because of the unordinary loneliness of the tavern that was just a moment ago for him, roaring in celebration and filled to the brim with loud-mouthed, partying men.

    Looking around, the tables were empty, and not only that, they were spotlessly clean as if not a single patron had entered the tavern.

    Beyond that, not even a single waitress could be seen�Cthere was nobody upying the tavern.

    "Did it close��?" He muttered to himself.

    ? It was deathly quiet, enough to perplex himpletely as he sat there for a moment in absolute confusion.

    What''s going on here? Did I sleep through the entire day or something? He thought.

    Leaving his seat, he slowly walked across the creaking, wooden floorboards while scoping out the establishment, finding no trace of a party just urring.

    That''s not it. They wouldn''t just leave me inside if they closed, either, he thought.

    Past the windows, he could see it was still daytime, but the light from the sky seemed peculiar from the portion he could see from the radiance pouring through the ss panes.

    It wasn''t just silence that upied the liminal tavern, but instead, something could be heard; it was faint, and hardly something that could be registered as noise, but it met his ears nheless, as if it were the very manifestation of the solitude he found himself in.

    "...Weird,'' he rubbed his head.

    I don''t have a hangover at all, he thought.

    After pausing for a moment to adjust to the empty tavern, he finally decided to leave its bounds, pushing the handle-less door open before stepping outside without hesitation.

    Immediately, he found his suspicions about his unorthodox awakening to be proven correct.

    "That''s definitely not normal," he mumbled to himself, looking up.

    The sky itself could no longer be called as such; inhabiting what should be the vast, empty space of blue up above was a sea.

    It hung above, vast and ever-reaching, yet no water fell from its mystical form. In ce of clouds,rge, white bodies of coral swam through the sky ocean as he watched, caught in its fantastical nature for a minute.

    For him, it exined the weird shade that hung over the city, despite being seemingly daytime, from what he could gather as beams of sparse sunlight struck through the body of the overhead ocean.

    "...Interesting," he smiled small, putting his hand to his chin.

    This is definitely magecraft, no doubt about that. Is it territorial magic? I doubt somebody managed to conjure a sea above the entire city�Cdoesn''t seem very efficient. And it wouldn''t make sense why the city is empty all of a sudden��I definitely got myself caught in something. I doubt it was anybody in the tavern, either. There was no magical pressure even close to belonging to a mage capable of this, he deduced.

    Besides that, the air itself waspletely different. It was cold, but fresh, like the wind given off of the beachside on a foggy morning, yet it hung dense with something akin to mana, slightly deviating from the norm.

    "...Or maybe, I''m just dreaming," he said out loud, shrugging his shoulders.

 Chapter 514 Stupor Of Unknowing

    "...Or maybe, I''m just dreaming," he said out loud, shrugging his shoulders.

    Though he said that, he didn''t believe it for a second as he began to stroll through the capital, recounting his steps as he tried to figure out his way back to the inn.

    In any case, I need to go back to the inn��the city seems empty, but it''s worth a shot if Emilia is there, he thought.

    Strolling through the town had a certain, surreal sense to it; parts of thendscape either seemed more vibrant, or dulled out, more detailed, or foggy to his eyes.

    Floating in the air, sometimes right past him as he watched,rge bubbles floated about, sometimes carrying colorful, aquatic life in their hold.

    Passing through the marketce, it was absent of the plethora of merchants, and even more abundant shoppers. The same was found when he crossed through the za, finding not even the street performers left as he looked up once more at the sky of water up above.

    Even though it''s most likely territorial magic, it''s kind of��rxing. This really is odd, he thought.

    He kept his guard up, despite hisx posture; it was an attempt to lure whatever may be the cause of this out to attack him, but no such attack came yet.

    "Guess there really is nobody here, huh?" He muttered, keeping his hands in his pockets.

    After ascending the steps to the children''s yground, the giggles and carefree sounds of children ying were long gone, reced by the still winds.

    Though he knew he walked through Yulimium, it felt as if it was a different world he traversed; one without answers or logic.

    It wasn''t long until he found the inn once again after retracing his steps, standing before its entrance for a moment before entering.

    Silence.

    Though it wasn''t abnormal for the establishment to be without sound, or much presence for that matter, it still left him unsettled as he slowly took his steps through the halls.

    Hmm��if she''s gone, what''s the next move? If that''s the case��I''ll probably have to go all-out, he thought.

    As the thought urred, he stopped in front of the room he had booked, leaving his hand just in front of the handle before clenching it.

    Retaining a breath past his lips, he turned the handle as it squeaked out with one of the few sounds inhabiting the liminal environment before pulling the door open.

    "It''s just me," he said.

    �CIn the moment the door had opened, a de was to his throat, held by the shorter, but cat-eyed, vibrantly-haired woman who looked at him for a moment.

    He smiled despite having a dagger to his throat, simply because he realized he wasn''t alone in the peculiar space.

    "You should learn to knock first," she told him.

    "I think we''re past that," he said, using his finger to push the dagger held to his skin away, "who else woulde through this door, anyway?"

    "Whatever," she huffed, flipping the dagger before tucking it in a sheathe beneath her cloak, sitting back down on the bedside.

    He stood there for a moment, still left perplexed by what he experienced before walking through that door as he approached the window.

    Looking beyond the clear pane, he saw that the sky was no longer reced by a sea, but back to its normal, orthodox state with fluffy clouds slowly making their journey. Weirder than that, it was a bright, shade-cast noon before he entered the inn, but now what he saw was a ck, star-filled sky of the night.

    "Weird question, but did you notice anything weird about the sky while I was gone?" He asked, keeping his gaze set on whatid beyond the window.

    Emilia raised an eyebrow, "No? Why''re you asking that?"

    "...Huh," he mumbled, "Maybe I did drink too much."

    Catching those words that left his lips in a quiet mutter, the amber-haired woman shot him a sharp nce.

    "You were drinking?"

    "...Urr, perhaps?" He answered, averting his gaze.

    Of course, he knew that would be a problem for the one who took this mission with paramount sternness.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I already don''t trust your judgment, but I did, just to be fair," Emilia told him with her hands at her hips, "...getting drunk is way beyond that!"

    "Right, right, my bad," he brushed her words off, flopping down on his bed.

    As heid against the cushioned mattress, he looked up at the ceiling, zoning out of the reprimanding that Emilia was giving him while he pondered.

    "...This is what I hate about you most, Sirius Federov," Emilia spoke with a trembling bottom lip, "Even when you say you''re trying, when you tell someone you''re giving it you''re all�Cit''s a lie. You can never be honest. You think so highly of your own strength that you think your actions or words hold no weight to the end result. You''re the very definition of hubris."

    Heid there as if not hearing a single word she said, facing the wall, though he heard everyst bit of it.

    They were words spoken from the depths of her being, but he still paid them little mind in the end.

    He didn''t respond. He sat there for a few minutes in the quiet room with just his thoughts.

    There''s no way that was just a drunken stupor. I know magic when I see it, he thought.

    Sitting up, he spoke without frivolity, "Did you finish whatever it was you were working on?"

    "Huh? Of course I did," she huffed, "unlike you, I''ve been productive. I managed to establish an anti-magic leyline around the east district brothel."

    I''ll keep this to myself, for now, he thought with a smile.

    After a moment, he responded after thinking to himself, "An anti-magic leyline? Won''t that affect you too?"

    Emilia fiddled with her hair, nodding, "It doesn''t change anything. I just need to make sure the target doesn''t escape with a magic rune, or some sort of ability he has up his grimy sleeve. If it''s just one-on-one��" She trailed her words, flipping her daggers around her fingers, "It''ll be over without a hitch."

    I really don''t think she likes the very n she came up with. She hasn''t outright said it yet, but I''m assuming she''s going to disguise herself as a brothel worker to lure Briswall in. Still, I think she hates sleazy merchants like him even more, he thought.

    "I see," he smiled,ying back on his bed as thentern on the middle desk stayed illuminated, "Well, I''ll leave it to you!"

    After giving her a quick smile and a thumbs-up, he didn''t waste any time throwing a nket over himself.

    Closing his eyes, he realized the alcohol was still very much in his system; though he wasn''t exactly intoxicated, it did lead him to shut his eyes with the prospect of sleep awaiting.

    "Goodnight~" he yawned out with his eyes closed.

    "Just keep quiet, will you?" Emilia replied quietly, through a much meeker voice.

    "Ah, that side of you is actually kind of cute, you know?" He teased, opening one eye to look at her.

    Emilia''s cheeks quickly shifted to an embarrassed, flustered red, "Go to sleep already!"

    He yawned out again, "Workin'' on it."

    With a smile, satisfied to garner such a reaction from the cold-exteriored assassin, he brought his night to a close.

    Or, so he had hoped.

    As swiftly as he brought his eyes to a close, drifting along the nothingness of hopeful unconsciousness, his eyes opened just momentster.

    �CIt was a familiar, lonely feeling that was present in the room now.

    He quickly brought himself up, looking to the side, "Emilia��?"

    There was no such person present in the room who that name belonged to. He brought himself out of bed, throwing his coat and cape back on as he peered outside of the window.

    "...What''s this?" He asked himself.

    Recing the star-filled night sky was a horizon of twisted darkness; crimson skies melded themselves into an endless parade of contorted faces that traversed the skyughing in a low, distorted echo.

    If what he experienced before was a serene dream, what he found himself in now was a nightmare.

 Chapter 515 Nightmarish Ensnarement

    "Emilia!"

    He yelled out, opening the window, but he could hardly focus on his own voice as the distorted faces that made up the horizon continued to heckle him from the depraved heavens.

    What''s going on? I closed my eyes for a second��so why? He thought.

    After rushing through the inn, looking for hispanion and finding no trace of her, he left through the entrance, finding himself on the gloomy streets of the hell-turned capital.

    It waspletely different from the oceanic, serene space he walked through before: the stone-paved streets were etched in blood and soot, houses were set aze, and screams, belonging to women and children alike, rang out through the city.

    Am I dreaming? He asked himself.

    He wanted to believe as much, but as the smoke filled his lungs, smelling the abhorrent stench of flesh burning, it all felt too real.

    Even more, the heat of the mes that ate away at Yulimium could be felt against his skin; the warmth of its destruction.

    None of it made sense: he knew how exhausted he was just moments ago, but now he felt wide awake, panicked with a hazy mind. He turned side-to-side, unknowing of which direction to go, or what to even do.

    Looking up again, the sight of theughing, yet grieving sky made him uneasy as magenta lightning began to coil his form.

    ��I''m starting to get annoyed now, he thought.

    Launching into the sky, he brought himself up like a reversed lightning bolt, overlooking the city as he found a new realization: the city was floating.

    It was nowhere near the ground, and from what he could see, the ground was desecrated and lifeless, upied by groaning, dead trees.

    "Hye-hye-hye-hye-hye!"

    The ursed horizon heckled him, prompting him to chuck a serving of magenta lightning towards their crimson form, but they only dispersed momentarily before restoring, continuing their ear-fillingughter at a higher volume.

    "This sure doesn''t feel like a dream, but it looks like one��" He mumbled, tightening his fists into a ball.

    As he shot back down to the city, crashing down like a strike of lightning, he began to explore its streets from a closer view.

    Still��it''s the only thing that makes sense. I''ve never heard of territorial magic that takes aplete one-eighty like this. What was it called again��"lucid dreaming"? When you''re dreaming, but aware of it. Are my dreams really this messed up? And��so vivid? He questioned.

    While trying to follow the source of the gut-wrenching screams, he found it impossible as they seemed toe from every direction, leading to him checking the burning streets aimlessly before�Che found something.

    "Gyek-gyek-gyek."

    An inhuman, monstrous creature walked on all fours, though each leg was a humanoid arm, walking on flesh-showing hands as its torso possessed no eyes, but arge, vertical mouth stretching down its torso.

    It stood in the burning promenade, already consuming something of flesh.

    A monster? I''ve never seen one like this, he thought.

    As it noticed him, itsrge set of teeth began rapidly chattering, mming so aggressively that it produced an ear-piercing noise as it began to walk towards him with its unnatural, grotesque form.

    With a snap of his fingers, heunched a quick, seamless bolt of lightning at the four-armed, quadrupedal creature, using the force of his swift magic to reduce it to an exploding mass of chunky bits.

    "Disgusting," he muttered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Though as he began to try and move past it, he watched the creature reform from the almost endless bits of flesh it was scattered into, reforming within moments before returning to its weird, vigorous chattering.

    "Huh? What''s going on here��?" He questioned.

    This time, as he snapped his fingers to summon a destructive bolt of lightning�Cnothing.

    Not so much as a spark emitted from the fingertips of his gloves, causing him to pause for a moment as the grotesque fiend began to move towards him, unveiling its lengthy, abhorrent tongue from its torso-maw.

    Snap, snap, snap.

    Nothing, nothing, nothing.

    I''m not out of mana��so what''s the deal? He thought.

    "Blitz."

    He tried again, this time using the name of the magic he wished to usher, but�Cnothing.

    It was then that he realized something somehow even more daunting: he felt his reinforcementpletely whisked away, a feeling he hadn''t felt in years.

    "Ah��not good," he said with a wry smile.

    There was no time to ponder the reason for this abnormality as he was forced to retreat as the tall, flesh-eating abomination chased towards him, sprinting on its palms as he sprinted without direction around the south sector.

    It was real: the fear he felt rushing through his veins.

    That settled it for him�Cit couldn''t just be a dream. As the soles of his boots ran across the stone, slick with blood and grime, with the scent of putrid death traversing his nostrils, it was real.

    It was more real than what he felt in what he was certain was "reality", there was no mistaking it, he told himself.

    After turning a few corners to try and lose it, listening to its heavy stomps and ttering behind him, he checked the first home, turning its knob as it miraculously wasn''t unlocked.

    Lucky! He thought.

    Without hesitation, he swung the door open, mming it shut behind him as he stowed away in the random home.

    Huffing and catching his breath, he backed away from the door, wiping the sweat from his chin as he peered out the window, keeping low as to not give himself away.

    It''s some sort of magic. It has to be. If it''s not territorial magic exactly, could it be��"dream magic"...does that exist? I''ve never heard of it, but practically any kind of imaginable magic exists, so I wouldn''t rule it out�Cespecially now.

    But the question is: who the hell is targeting me? Briswall and the two Argonauts with him aren''t supposed to be here for two more days, so what the hell? He thought.

    "Not bad��I''ll give you that," he said wryly, keeping himself tucked against the wall as he listened to the monster''s footsteps beyond the door, "You''ve really got me on the ropes here��"

    Take away magic, and I''m no different from a normal guy. That''s the cruel fact of this world, isn''t it? Still��to make an unkible creature, and to take away my magic�CI must be facing quite the powerful mage.

    I like to consider myself apetitive guy, so��I''d prefer not to lose. I''ve got an up-anding guild to represent, you know? He thought.

 Chapter 516 Sirius, Troublemaker

    He looked at his hands, for the first time, the power he cultivated couldn''t be felt flooding through his veins, instead�Che felt the stale air''s gripping dread encircling him, listening to those daunting footsteps beyond the wall he sat, stalking him.

    Catching his eye, he saw an heirloom de hung on the back wall as a decoration of sorts, prompting him to smile just slightly.

    "...If I was nothing without magic, then who the hell would I be?" He muttered to himself, "If I talked all of that talk, putting myself with the best of them, only to cower away when my weapons were snatched from my fingers�CI wouldn''t be able to show my face to them anymore."

    Bringing himself to his feet, he didn''t take care to mask his footsteps as he walked over across the creaking floorboards, reaching out and grabbing onto the light-brown handle of the longsword.

    "I''m Sirius Federov," he announced, "I''ve got a reputation to uphold, even if it''s just within the world of dreams."

    Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

    It was just those steps that were enough to give away his location to the grotesque abomination, but he held his smile, plucking the de from its mantle against the wall.

    "That''s right," he said, wielding the rose-engraved sword as its weight was heavy in his magic-less grip, "I''m right here."

    Wielding the longsword he found only by stray chance, he adjusted to its weight, giving it a few testing swings as he prepared himself.

    "It can''t be much different than chopping wood with an axe, right?" He asked himself.

    This isn''t some stupid act of bravado. It''s just a case of a bit of "Ockham''s Razor" here: if magic didn''t work to put it down, and magic isn''t even an option now��maybe good ol'' physical attacks are what''ll work, he thought.

    As the footsteps approached the house, he decided to take the initiative, running with the uneven weight of the heirloom de held in his hands as he kicked the door open in front of him, preparing for his attack before�Cnothing.

    "Huh?"

    The contorted sky was gone, and returned to its normal state of bearing serene, glistening stars. The streets were sparkly clean, free of the blood he had seen before, and no grotesque monster was after him.

    It was returned to its usual, quiet self�Cthe residential, south sector of Yulimium. The homes were no longer on fire, and some citizens were even lounging on benches under the stars.

    In his hands, he held nothing, yet his hands were held together as if wielding a de.

    What''s going on here��? He questioned.

    "What''s the big idea?!"

    A rough yell came from behind him, causing him to slowly turn around as he was utterly perplexed by the sudden shift.

    The door he had just kicked in was still swung wide open, and a visibly angry man was standing in the doorway, with veins pressed against his forehead.

    "You were in my home, weren''t you?! Are you a thief or something?! Guards�C!" The man yelled out.

    "Huh? No, I wasn''t��" He tried to defend himself, but he was far too confused.

    "Guards�C!" The green-haired, middle-aged man yelled out again.

    As he stood there, frozen by the inexplicable situation, he could hear the cries of children from within the house, now realizing the trouble he must''ve stirred.

    "Sorry��" He apologized, beginning to walk away.

    "Hey! Stay right here! Wait for the guards!" The angered citizen told him, following after him.

    He was stopped as the tall, muscr father grabbed his arm, prompting him to act out of pure reflex as he turned around, sending his fist directly against the man''s nose.

    "...Ah, my bad," he apologized, realizing what he had just done.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was no reinforcement involved, but the hit still floored the man, who was on his back with a bloodied nose.

    "Grgh��! You''ll pay for this!" The father winced.

    As he looked around, he realized a small crowd had gathered in the street, watching him with worried eyes, some watching him in horror as guilt settled in his stomach.

    It wasn''t a moment after that the nky footsteps of men dressed in armor approached�Cthe guards he had yelled out for.

    They were dressed in emerald-painted, steel armor, with umber and gold capes flowing from their shoulders.

    "Stop right there, in the name of King Terzian!"

    He didn''t try to run away or resist, still absolutely perplexed by the set of events as the guards took hold of him.

    What the hell is going on here? He questioned.

    Being escorted by the guards towards the royal keep that was present in the west sector, visible all the way from the south as it stood elevated, bolstered by avish, colossal building, he finally returned to his senses.

    "Right, it''d be bad if I was caught now��" He muttered.

    "What was that?" The guard holding his left arm asked.

    "Keep your mouth shut,w-breaker!" The stern guard holding his right arm asked.

    He raised his head, "Sorry, but I don''t have time for this."

    Right before their eyes, he vanished, warping space as he escaped from their grasp, bringing himself behind the inn as he used the hidden space to duck away.

    "Where did he go?!"

    "Did any of you see him?!"

    Though the guards could be heard yelling for information, likely to the onlookers, nobody understood what happened.

    He could hear the guards continue yelling out, causing a furthermotion as they called for more guards.

    Well, Emilia isn''t going to be too happy about this, he thought.

    With another warp, he instantaneously brought himself into the room of the inn he booked, nearly causing Emilia to bring a de to his throat once again before she stopped herself.

    "Yo," he greeted her wryly.

    "...Please tell me I''m wrong to assume all themotion out there has something to do with you, Sirius?" She asked.

    "It really depends," he answered, crossing his arms as he paced around the room, "is it directly, literally, and most-likely my doing? Yes. Did I want to? No."

    "Sirius��" Emilia groaned, letting out a disheveled sigh, "Why was I stuck with you on this quest?"

    Sitting down on the bedside, he looked straight at her�Cthe serious look in his eyes seemed to garner the same energy from herself.

    I guess I should probably tell her, he thought.

 Chapter 517 Questionable Scenario

    "Before I say anything, I have to ask you something myself," he said.

    "What is it?"

    "Did you see me get out of bed? I was fast asleep in here before," he asked her.

    Emilia paused for a moment and nodded, "You kind of just got up and left the room through the window without a word. It waspletely unlike you�Cbeing quiet, and all. I just assumed you had to use the bathroom, or something."

    Given that answer, he looked down for a bit, rubbing his chin in thought as it was a troubling revtion.

    I don''t understand this at all. What''s going on? It wasn''t a dream then, or was it? I was out of it, but all the movements I made still happened? What the hell is going on here��? He asked himself.

    "Emilia, I think the enemy is here already," he told her.

    "What?...How do you figure?" The amber-haired asked, crossing her arms over her dark cloak.

    "It''s happened twice now�Cthese "dreams"...at first, I thought maybe I was really just drunk, or rather�Cthat''s what I wanted to believe," he told her, "but after what just happened, I think it might be magic, likely belonging to an Argonaut."

    "Dreams? Are you sure you''re not just sleepwalking?" Emilia asked with a raised eyebrow, peering at him with her cute, but mature face.

    He shook his head, "I know magic when I feel it. It''s something powerful, that''s for sure. It''s made me question if it was a dream, magic, or just my own delusions. It feels real, yet fake. It came to me either as a beautiful paradise, or Hell itself."

    Emilia was quiet for a moment, bringing her silken, ck glove to her chin in thought.

    She might be mouthy most of the time, but Emilia isn''t one to take things like this lightly. Even if it sounds insane��I trust that she''ll believe me, he thought, after all��money is at stake for her, and to her�Cmoney is the world.

    "...I see," Emilia finally said.

    "You see?"

    "If what you say is true, then it really may be "dream magic" that you''re experiencing," she said, crossing one of her ck-boot wearing legs across the other.

    "Have you heard of it? "Dream magic" really doesn''t ring a bell for me," he asked, ruffling his jet-ck locks.

    She breathed out quietly before nodding, "Heard of it, sure. I''ve never seen a single mage utilize it, though. In all honesty, I always thought it was more of a hypothetical existence�Ca magic that doesn''t exist, but technically could. That being said��I don''t have much knowledge on it myself."

    "Didn''t teach you about it at the organization?"

    Emilia''s cheeks became slightly red at the mention of her past again, brushing his question off, "It''s a non-factor. We were only taught how to deal with the magic that people actually use," Emilia continued, looking at him with her cat-like pupils, "Are you really, truly sure it''s not just territorial magic?"

    He shook his head, "I''m not�Cthat''s the problem," he paused, staring at the wall for a moment, "now that I think about it��there is something odd about it."

    "What is it?" She asked him.

    Sirius stood up, walking towards the door as he inspected its light-brown form as his steps caused the floorboards to creak.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I only have two instances to go off of, but��each time I left that "dream world", it was because I stepped through a doorway. The first time, it happened when I walked through this door, then the second, it was when I kicked open that guy''s door," he exined, looking back at the assassin-adventurer.

    "You believe doorways, or perhaps thresholds may serve as the catalyst for this magic?" Emilia asked, standing up as well as she knelt by the door, inspecting it.

    "That''s my best guess, anyway," he shrugged with a sigh, furrowing his messy locks, "well��that''s just how I leave the "dream world", though. I entered it by falling asleep, I''m pretty sure."

    "I''d imagine that''s the foundation for dream magic in the first ce," Emilia told him, fiddling with the doorway before standing back to her feet.

    "Can''t really argue with that," he told her, grabbing a piece of bread from the basket before taking a bite from it, "the question is�Cwho is attacking, how, and why?"

    "...That''s a few questions," Emilia brushed her hair back.

    As heid out the questions, it seemed to prompt his own memory to give its own answer as he remembered the peculiar man he met in the tavern just before passing out.

    "Did you figure something out? You''ve got that uncharacteristically serious expression going on," Emilia asked.

    He put his hand to his chin, "I recall a strange-looking guy asking if I needed help��I think I brushed it off as just my beer-filled mind at the time, but he definitely didn''t blend in with the rest of the crowd."

    "What did he look like?" She asked, pressing him for an answer.

    He kept his ground, rubbing his chin as he found the vague, hazy image in his mind, "...I remember he had a snow-white face, like he was wearing clown makeup or something��but it seemed to be his naturalplexion, I think. His hair was blue and green, and his lips were blue as well. I don''t remember exactly, but he also had symbols painted on his face."

    "...That does seem peculiar," Emilia affirmed.

    They both stayed silent for a moment, processing this information in their own ways as they sat on their designated, separate beds.

    "Do you think this mystery man is an Argonaut?" She finally asked.

    "We don''t even know if he''s the one responsible for these dreams," he replied, "but��it''s the most probable exnation. Still, I was passed out in that tavern though��wouldn''t he have used the opportunity right there to finish me?"

    "That''s a good question," Emilia looked at him.

    She''s giving me that look, he thought.

    The look she gave him was of quiet doubt, as if this new information deteriorated the likelihood of the dreams being an outside force.

    "How about we do a test?" He told her with a nervous smile.

    "A test?"

    He nodded, "I''ll go to sleep, and you can confirm for yourself if it happens again."

 Chapter 518 Full-Force

    "How about we do a test?" He told her with a nervous smile.

    "A test?"

    He nodded, "I''ll go to sleep, and you can confirm for yourself if it happens again."

    "Sounds risky. If it is some sort of dream magic, I imagine there is a way to cause harm from within��" She told him.

    "Well, it''s riskier going through this without information, wouldn''t you agree?" He smiled, "besides, we need to get this sorted before Briswall arrives. Outside force or not, if I''m slipping between dreams and reality while trying to undergo this mission��"

    He knew that he was ying directly at how she operated, garnering a huff from the woman as she folded her arms across her chest.

    "Fine then," Emilia looked straight at him, "But, I''m going to make sure you don''t leave this room. It''s bad enough that we have guards out there looking for you. If you get caught, it''d be bad news. Gallvania''s young king isn''t exactly known for being rational. You''d likely end up with your head off your shoulders."

    "I was going to ask you to anyway!" He said, standing up to stretch before sliding himself onto the bed.

    Still, Emilia held a worried expression as she watched him carefully even as heid still, allowing his eyes to shut.

    ��If I''m being honest, this is pretty scary. In that world of dreams, I was stripped of my power�CI felt it for the first time in a long time: primordial fear. Even so��we have to get through this before Briswall arrives. If we don''t, the opportunity to deal a massive blow to the Argonauts will slip right by, he thought.

    "Hey, Emilia," he said, keeping his eyes closed.

    "What is it? Focus on sleeping. You can do that much, right?" She huffed, still keeping her golden eyes on him.

    She watched as the dark-haired man,id across the bed in front of her, reached his hand out towards her without opening his eyes.

    "Huh? What''re you doing?" She asked, confused with a slight fluster to her cheeks.

    "I heard somewhere that when holding somebody''s hand, the bad dreams are washed away," he said with a hint of yfulness.

    Emilia quickly brushed his seemingly yful request aside with a blush, averting her gaze, "Whatever, this isn''t time for your jokes."

    "Alright, alright," he smiled, bringing his hand back as he kept quiet.

    Though even with bringing his eyes to a close, sitting in the darkness of his own threshold between the world of reality of dreams, he found it quite difficult to fall into slumber.

    What dream will await me this time, I wonder? He asked.

    With that question, it was instead his curiosity that sailed him into the sea of dreams.

    Again, it was only a sparse few moments between the feeling of his consciousness sinking away into slumber before he reopened his eyes to find himself awake.

    As he sat up, he briefly looked at his hands, turning them before grabbing one of his hanging, ck tufts.

    "...It all feels real. I can''t tell the difference," he muttered to himself.

    "What feels real?"

    �CIt nearly made him jump, not expecting another voice to exist in the room with him as he quickly turned his gaze to the side.

    "Emilia?" He asked, finding his eyesid on the familiar, amber-haired woman.

    She was sitting exactly as she was just moments before on the bed across from his own, looking at him with a confused nce.

    "What''re you doing? Is it really that much of a tall task to sleep?" She asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "But, I did," he told her.

    "...If we''re talking right now, I''m pretty sure you didn''t fall asleep, Sirius," Emilia sighed out, lightly shaking her head.

    He didn''t have anything tobat her words with as he was just as confused himself as heid back down against the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

    I know for sure I fell asleep. I felt it. Whatever��I guess I didn''t, he thought.

    Allowing his eyes to shut once more, he gave it another try.

    Again, momentster, they opened as he sat up to once again, see Emilia by in the same spot, watching him all the same.

    "What is it now?" She asked, resting her chin against her hand.

    "I guess I can''t fall asleep," he rubbed his head, "I have slept a lot already, so it makes sense."

    Bringing himself to his feet, he stretched as he blinked a few times, leaning against the window will.

    "I wonder why I''m the only one being targeted here," he sighed out.

    "You know why," Emilia answered, peeling a fruit, "you''re about as famous�Cno, infamous as it gets. I wouldn''t be surprised if this attack isn''t even connected to Briswall."

    "What''s that supposed to mean?" He raised an eyebrow to her.

    Emilia shrugged with a small smirk, "You have a natural talent for making enemies. I''m just saying that we should consider the possibility that this isn''t even an Argonaut."

    "Well, it doesn''t really change anything whether or not they are. We have to find them and end this," he spoke quietly.

    Clenching his glove tightly, he gazed beyond the window at the city that stayed bright even beneath the veil of the starry skies.

    The streets were lit with abundantnterns, and people still strolled through the width of the neatly-paved streets in equal abundance.

    "...Looks like Yulimium has trouble sleeping itself, huh?" He mumbled.

    Letting out a sigh, he rested his head on his arms that were crossed andid on the soft, wooden window sill, looking over at the woman of simr age.

    "What?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, as if confused by his attention.

    "For the first time in a while, I''m feeling pretty lost here," he told her calmly.

    "Is that so?"

    He breathed out a bit, "Magic like this is honestly frightening when you think about it. I still don''t know if it''s truly magic, or just my own mind failing me," he told her, gazing at the stars through the ss pane, "If I can''t sleep, and he just stays tucked away, safe and sound, I''ll lose eventually. No matter how strong I am, it''s inevitable."

    "I didn''t think you were just a downer," Emilia suddenly said, tucking her knees close to her chest atop the bed.

    He turned his gaze back to her, "Mm? What''re you talking about?"

    "I''ve always seen you as the hot-headed type who doesn''t really think much if his opponent is weaker or stronger than him, and just always gives it his best shot anyway," she told him, "I guess I was wrong. You might be a bit of a coward after all."

    "Is that what you think?" He said in a strained voice as he stretched his arms, ruffling his own locks as he faced her with a smile, "Seriously, when did I say a single thing about losing? I''m going after this guy�Cfull force."

 Chapter 519 Sweet Dreams

    "I''ve always seen you as the hot-headed type who doesn''t really think much if his opponent is weaker or stronger than him, and just always gives it his best shot anyway," she told him, "I guess I was wrong. You might be a bit of a coward after all."

    "Is that what you think?" He said in a strained voice as he stretched his arms, ruffling his own locks as he faced her with a smile, "Seriously, when did I say a single thing about losing? I''m going after this guy�Cfull force."

    "That''s not what it sounded like a few seconds ago to me," she replied.

    "Yeah, well, I was just trying to be a little bit of a pessimist for once. I learned that it''s not really my style," he smirked, pacing back and forth around the room.

    "What''re you nning to do?" Emilia asked with a slight hint of worry in her words, knowing full well what Sirius was capable of�Cgood and bad.

    Sirius continued to pace around the room for a bit, bouncing a green-skinned fruit in his hand before taking a bite out of it and seeming to ponder for just a few moments.

    "I think I have a theory, at least," he told her.

    "Yeah?"

    "It''s about the identity of this magic user, or rather, his affiliation," he told her, "I noticed it earlier�Che was in the same tavern as me, but he didn''t do anything to me while I slept there."

    "It is weird, but what''s it you found��?" Emilia asked.

    "He''s not trying to kill me. That, or he can''t," he said, looking straight at her, "I don''t think he''s affiliated with the Argonauts, at least. They wouldn''t waste a breath without trying to send me to a grave."

    "That I can agree with," she replied with a small exhale.

    He sat himself down on the bed across from her, rolling the sleeves of his dark coat up as the woman watched him curiously.

    "What''s the n then?"

    "Well, with something like this, he likely attached some sort of spell to me, right? That means there has to be something connected to me, somewhere," he said.

    Emilia watched him check his own body fruitlessly for a minute before letting out a disheveled sigh, moving over to him as he watched her in surprise.

    "What''re you�C"

    "Just shut up and sit still. This happens to be my specialization, you know," Emilia told him.

    Of course, he kept quiet and watched as the amber-haired, pale woman began to trace around him with radiant, magical seals that were drawn around his body.

    He took in her features, realizing now as she was close to him, in the moment absent of words, that she was indeed a beautiful woman, blessed with nice features despite her career.

    While he kept quiet, he listened to the constant sounds of the people still exploring the capital even in the night, filling the nightly ambience with something beyond the twinkles of the stars.

    Waiting for her to finish, he blinked.

    It was that single blink.

    As his eyelids closed, and opened once more, she was gone.

    "Emilia��?" He uttered out.

    It was jarring; so jarring as her very existence was plucked from the room in the space between a blink of an eye�Cthe subtle sounds of her breath that filled his ears, the sounds of the chattering denizens of the city were also swept away in that brief moment. were gone, leaving them ringing in the sudden silence.

    All he could do was sit there for a few minutes, absent of answers as his mind tried to cope with the swift,plete change in atmosphere.

    Peering beyond the window, there wasn''t a single person he could see, yet it didn''t seem like a dream.

    The stars still hung beautifully in the night sky, and the chill breeze brushed against his skin in such a way he was sure it wasn''t a dream.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In those few seconds of utter perplexity, unknowing of what he looked at�Chis mind was once again shifted in a different direction as he saw it: people were still walking the city.

    He then noticed it; the town was still very much upied, it was just a freak moment of chance that it appeared empty, he had realized.

    But still, Emilia wasn''t there in the room.

    The only exnation he found now was that the woman must''ve left the room at some point, for some reason.

    "Wait��" His eyes widened at a realization that came to him.

    Was everything before��just a dream? He thought.

    After being caught in a trance at the sheer absurdity of the shift of perception, he brought his head out from the window and into the room, taking a moment to catch his breath.

    In any case, where is Emilia? He questioned.

    Quietly, he opened the door to the room, entering the creaky, old hall of the inn as he did his best to stay silent in the night.

    He couldn''t exactly go around opening each door to the inn, as there were likely some upants there, but he quietly looked around, checking the supply closets.

    Where is she��? He thought.

    "Are you looking for something?"

    The sweet, old voice nearly caused his heart to jump as it came so suddenly, forcing him to turn around.

    Standing in the dimly lit hallway, the hunched over, elderly, but kind owner of the inn looked at him with a smile, stood a few meters down.

    I didn''t hear her approach at all��He thought.

    "Yeah, mypanion might''ve gotten lost though," he told her with a smallugh.

    "The golden-eyed girly?" The elderly woman asked.

    He nodded, "Yeah, that''s her. Do you know where she is?"

    For a moment, his question received no answer as the wizened owner of the inn simply stared at him with dark, sunken in eyes; the shadows that hung in the dim hall obscured most of her appearance to him.

    There was something off, he could tell that much, though he couldn''t ce his finger at that.

    "Do you know where she is, Grans?" He repeated the question.

    "Oh, forgive me," the woman answered cheerfully, though her obscured expression left him uneasy, "I believe I saw her in the back. Come,e. I''ll show you there."

    He hesitated to follow the small, olddy who was dressed in olive and brown robes, walking with a cane in front of her.

    The elderly owner came to a stop, standing still without facing him before slowly turning back to look at him, "What''s the matter, dear?"

    "...Nothing, sorry. Just tired," he said with a wryugh, beginning to follow behind the owner.

    He kept his eyes on her back as they traversed the quiet inn, only hearing their footsteps journey down the creaking floorboards.

    For the first time, he was realizing the size of the inn; it was already known to him from an outside look that it wasn''t a single-floored, small establishment, but it surprised him. The halls curved, showing dozens of rooms�Cupied or not, he wasn''t aware.

 Chapter 520 Who Is The Enemy

    What struck him as odd was the stairs he traversed while following behind the elderly woman who acted as both the inn owner and keeper.

    As each of the carpeted steps unleashed a drawn-out groan beneath the weight of each, slow step, he felt sweat roll down his skin.

    What''s up with me? I''mpletely on edge. It''s definitely a weird night, but why am I suspicious of this sweet olddy, too? He thought.

    "I never asked you, dear," the old woman said.

    All he could see was her hunched over back as he walked behind her, "Yeah?"

    "What''s your name?" The question left her lips in a particr way; one he couldn''t quite put his finger on at first.

    "My name?" He repeated her question with a smile.

    As they reached the summit of the surprisingly windy, lengthy stairs, he watched as the old woman came to a stop at the very top.

    It was dark.

    "Yes. Your name," she affirmed his question.

    There were nonterns hung on the umber walls of the corridor, nor any runes to give light. Light was not an aspect of that hall, and that very darkness seemed to cast itself over the small olddy�Cyet somehow, she seemedrger.

    "It''s Maximoff�C"

    "You''re a terrible liar, Sirius Federov."

    The confident, steel utterance of his name brought him to a still as he slowly clenched one fist, allowing small sparks of magenta lightning to coil around his glove.

    "That''s not�C"

    "Don''t y dumb, boy," the old woman spoke with voice that contorted itself, leaving the warm, kind voice of the granny and shifting into something deeper and dark.

    "Who are you?" He asked quietly, keeping his guard raised.

    Slowly, the old hag turned to face him, though it could hardly be called a face that the once kind, olddy met him with.

    Her eye sockets were absent of ocr organs, and her mouth grinning unnaturally, stretched with teeth that were coated in a sooty substance.

    "You''re toote," the old hag told him with a chilling voice.

    "...What? Toote?"

    "This city is ours now. Gallvania is ours. Mastorn is ours," the wretched hag told.

    He was perplexed. It didn''t make any sense whatsoever what the words that left her abhorrent mouth meant.

    ��Is this a dream? It has to be. It''s a dream�Cthere''s no other exnation. It felt so real earlier, but��this can''t be happening, he thought.

    "Must I spell it out for you, Sirius Federov?"

    "...?"

    "Belmon has taken Yulimium."

    Those words finally allowed it to click for him as he froze for a moment, processing the information as a couple, small sparks of electricity traversed his hand.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Belmon��? You''re a part of Belmon?" He muttered quietly, uttering the thought his mind centered around.

    It''s Lemasdale all over again. No, this is worse. This is bad. They have Yulimium? That means they have Gallvania. But��this is a dream, isn''t it? He thought.

    "It''s blending together, isn''t it?" The old hag spoke, reeling him from his thoughts, "Reality and the world of dreams, of illusions. I can see it in your expression; you''re so very unsure if the ground you step on is real, or if the air you''re breathing into your lungs is fabricated."

    He did his best to ignore such words, though it wasn''t an arduous task as his mind was flooded with pressing thoughts.

    If this isn''t a dream��Why would Belmon take Yulimium? Think, Sirius. The Sage told us that Belmon''s goal is to plunge the world into depravity�Cso how does this bring them closer to that? They''re just aimless, psychotic lunatics, right? What is there to gain from this? He thought.

    Finally, a few seconds after they left her wrinkly, grinning lips, the words told to him finally sunk in.

    "...You know about these dreams?" He asked, keeping his guard.

    "I wonder," the old hag grinned even wider, tearing her cheeks in a gruesome fashion.

    He breathed out slowly, allowing his lightning to spread from the tips of his fingers and up his forearm, "Sorry, Grans, but I''m going to need you to spill the beans�Cand I''m not asking."

    Just as he concentrated the magical fulmination around his fingertips to unleash a viscous snap of his fingers, the old hag leaped back with inhuman physicality, avoiding the lightning as it traversed the corridor to briefly light the dark space.

    "Tch," he breathed out in annoyance.

    I was going to give her a weak shock just to capture her, but it seems she''s not just some old hag�Cobviously, he thought.

    "How heartless of you," the old hag taunted, clinging to the ceiling like a nightmarish arachnid, "I expected the Great Sirius Federov to be more heroic."

    In the midst of the encounter, he unleashed an unsaid, unseen spell to search for hispanion, scattering a thin veil of electricity throughout the inn--nothing.

    Emilia''s presence couldn''t be felt within the inn at all.

    "Tell me where Emilia is," he ordered, flicking another bolt of lightning towards the old hag.

    The inhuman old woman swiftly crawled across the ceiling to avoid it, countering by spitting ck bile from her outstretched maw.

    Even if she is evil, I really can''t bring myself to hurt an olddy, dammit! He thought.

    Avoiding the bile by warping from its range, he looked back, watching the ck substance corrode and eat away at the flooring itnded on.

    "You must die, die, die, Sirius Federov, yer of Sloth! You will be the new vessel!" The old hag spewed, crawling along the sides of the walls towards him.

    "Vessel"? He thought.

    "Make up your mind: do you want me dead or alive?" He said calmly, flicking bolts towards the grotesque senior to keep her back.

    After witnessing the old hag''s skin begin to peel, revealing dark sludge oozing from her outstretched, torn pores, he manifested his magenta lightning around his hands.

    "Alright, I''m going to get a bit rough now, so�Cnow''s yourst opportunity to y nice, Grans," he called out.

    With the sludge-oozing, old woman sprinted towards him on all-fours, he received his answer quickly.

    "I really didn''t want to have to zap a grandma today, but��" he muttered out wryly.

    If Belmon is in this city, that changes everything. I hate to say it, but they''re worse than Mastorn, he thought.

 Chapter 521 Senile Reprimand

    Before he could move in hands forth tomand lightning ferociously against the abhorrent hag, he was stopped as one of the walls suddenly caved in by way of a spear.

    "Hyoorah�C!"

    Busting through the leftmost wall, arge man wielding a spear charged towards the hag, piercing her and sticking her to the next wall.

    "Gotcha''!" The man said in celebration.

    He was left perplexed by the sudden existence of the blue-haired, muscr man, who had two braidsid on his pauldrons.

    "Wreeegh�C! Wreeegh�C!"

    Unleashing an inhuman, banshee like wail, the monstrous old hag wreathed and contorted before shifting into a puddle of ck ooze, letting the man pluck the end of his spear from the wall.

    "Sorry, I was toote, Granny Martha," the blue-haired man with a scarred lip knelt for a moment.

    It was an unexpectedly somber moment from the man who just carried himself with boisterousness.

    "Who are you?" He finally asked the mysterious, braided-haired man.

    After a moment, the man stood up, facing him as his makeshift armor was revealed, that covered shoddy, ck-and-brown leather armor as he rested his spear against his shoulder.

    "The name''s Ansgar," The man introduced himself with a smile, "I''m one of the "Defenders of Gallvania", your wee, by the way."

    "Defenders of Gallvania"? He thought.

    "I didn''t need any saving, but thanks�CI didn''t feel like hurting an olddy."

    "That wasn''t an olddy, at least��not anymore," Ansgar told him, ncing back at the pile of sludge.

    He looked back at it too, watching the grimy substance that sat in ce of the growly old woman who was alive just moments ago.

    "About that��do you know what''s going on here?" He asked, continuing his questions before an answer coulde as he looked into the man''s amber eyes, "and��this isn''t a dream, is it?"

    For some reason the question sparked augh from Ansgar who tapped his light-brown boot against the flooring.

    "What''s so funny?"

    "Nothing. It''s just�Cthat''s always the first thing asked when we find somebody. "Is this a dream?"--I hate to break it to you, but an answer can''t help you," Ansgar told him.

    "Huh?"

    Ansgar approached him, stopping in front of him, "We''re all caught in the "Dream Cycle" here. I''m sure you''ve noticed it by now: the mixing of reality and dream. What I''m saying is, even if I told you it wasn''t a dream, what''s stopping my words or my existence from just being a dream to you? You have to figure that out for yourself," he said, "or, you can trust me."

    It was clear to him that the odd, braided-haired man certainly knew about the oddities urring in the city.

    Even more so, he now noticed the heavy, dark bags under the man''s eyes, though he smiled energetically, he was clearly exhausted.

    "Did youe here to find me?" He asked.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Something like that. We heard about someone acting "strange" on the run from guards, then from there I just followed the sudden burst of mana from within. You were identified by the guards already, "Sirius Federov"--anybody would know a big shot like that," Ansgar answered, resting his spear behind his shoulders, "...I didn''t expect to find Granny Martha taken though."

    There he goes again with this stuff about the olddy being "taken", he thought.

    "It''s time you tell me what''s really going on�Cwhat happened with the olddy?" He asked, narrowing his eyes, "She told me Belmon had this city��does that ring any bells to you?"

    Ansgar scratched his head, letting out a sigh, "Listen, I''m really not the guy to exin this�Cso juste back with me to the base, would ya''? Then you can ask all the questions you want."

    As Ansgar ushered for him to follow through the newly-opened hole in the wall while beginning to move, he stood still.

    "Sorry, but I''ll pass," he waved away the offer.

    Ansgar turned around with a slightly surprised expression, "What? Why? You''ve experienced the "dreams", right? You know what it means to stay alone, right?"

    He honed his eyes, "I also know that I don''t have the slightest idea who you are, or if this is even real. Or, if you''re affiliated with Belmon or not," he said, "besides, I''m not alone. I came here with somebody."

    Ansgar looked back, "Is that right?"

    "I''m looking for her."

    "Even more reason toe back to the hideout, we''re on the same side here," Ansgar told him, waving his hand for him to follow, "You might have noticed it with Granny just now, but the enemy is starting to make their move on you. Being alone is the worst possible decision you could make against the "Dream", Sirius. Trust me. I''ll stake my life on it�Cif you doubt it for a moment after visiting the base, you can kill me."

    He looked the man he thought as a boisterous oaf in the eyes, reading his intentions before letting out a quiet sigh, "You need me that badly, do you?"

    Ansgar nodded, "Any adventurer worth their weight knows the name "Sirius Federov". We need that strength right now�CGallvania needs it. You''re not obligated to help, but we can help you find yourpanion if you do."

    Theck of answers was beginning to annoy him, but with how confused and aimless he felt in this situation, he felt he had no other choice but to tag along.

    Well, this has all gone sideways, hasn''t it? If it''s my quickest way to get answers, and find Emilia, I guess I''ll check out these "Defenders of Gallvania", he thought.

    "I''ll check this out, but make it quick. I''m not exactly made out of time," he called out.

    "Alright, tell that to the "Boss Lady", not me," Ansgar waved.

    Though he found himself perplexed by the method of travel the stranger was using: a circr, purple gateway of swirling magic.

    He expected the man to havee from the outside in, but it was apletely different method.

    This doesn''t look like normal teleportation magic. Is it his innate ability? Either way, he definitely arrived here withplete intentions�Cnot on a whim, he thought.

    "What''s the hold up? Are you scared?" Ansgar asked, standing in front of the humming gateway that sat in the dustden, empty room.

    "Not at all," he answered, brushing him aside, "just cautious."

    "Cautious is the least you need to be now," Ansgar told him, "the moment you stepped into Gallvania, you entered the belly of the beast, my friend."

 Chapter 522 Devastation

    With those words and a smile, the braided-haired man stepped through the swirling gateway, disappearing from his vision as his presencepletely left the room in the moment of crossing.

    ��Well, it''s never really a good idea to enter a portal without knowing where the other end is exactly, but��this night has been crazy enough, he thought.

    From what he could gather, the portal wasn''t made of malicious energy�Cthat is, it wasn''t a spell woven with the intent to harm, but to aid.

    Gathering that much, he was able to step through the portal, but still kept his guard up on what could possibly be waiting on the other side.

    A sh of deep, spiraling purple filled his vision as for a split-second, space was absent around him, traversing the realm between realm before�Che stood on new ground.

    It was some sort of cer, paved with brick flooring and red-brick walls, reinforced by timber.

    Standing in front of him, the spear-wielding man he already met had just lowered himself onto a seat, indulging in a bottle of wine as he used his weapon to flick the cork off.

    One man stood across from the purple gateway, holding his hand out in such a way that made it clear that it was something manifested by him, and not Ansgar.

    "Fermer," the blonde-haired, pale caster of the gateway rotating his hand, causing the gateway to close behind Sirius.

    It was filled with rows of barreled wine, and bottled wine, which seemed much to the pleasure of Ansgar who was gleefully drinking down a serving.

    "Huh," he said, stepping into the unknown cer, "a bit musty."

    "You''re Sirius Federov, are you?"

    The words came from a woman who matched him in height, with calm, yet confident eyes of an emerald tinge that gazed at him withplete analysis.

    She was dressed in full, cobalt armor of oceanic-blue steel, ornate with designs resembling a great tree on its front, and a ck cape flowing behind her, matching her illustrious, jet-ck hair.

    Besides the full-set ofvish armor, it was clear the woman was built well herself with prominent muscture, holding herself with her arms folded across her chest.

    Hoh, she''s��imposing, he thought.

    He smiled, not batting an eye as he matched her gaze, "It seems my fame precedes me yet again. I didn''t catch your name, Miss?"

    "You''re only standing in front of me because your name was circling Yulimium as an enemy mage who invaded the capital," the armored, confident woman told him.

    "Like I said: my fame precedes me yet again," he said with a smile.

    The cobalt-armored woman looked at him for a moment before extending her hand, "Adelheid. Captain of the Knights of Gallvania, Third Division. At least, I was�Cbefore the invasion. Currently, I''m the leader of the Defenders of Gallvania�Cso just Adelheid will suffice."

    The blonde-haired, portal-weaver introduced himself as well, wearing a blue-velvet tunic with prominent, puffed sleeves, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sirius Federov. I humbly introduce myself as Jonas Bargarias."<novelnext></novelnext>

    He''s polite, he thought.

    Moving his attention back to Adelheid, he found thest of her words peculiar after epting her hand, shaking it as his grip was challenged.

    "...About that, I''m lost here. What''s this invasion? And above that��the "Dream Cycle"..." He asked, briefly ncing at Ansgar who was still partaking in wine, but attending the conversation.

    The ck-haired woman released his hand, gesturing for him to sit as it would likely be a long-winded exnation.

    Finding himself a stool, he looked at the knightly-dressed leader who sat herself across from him, drinking from a mug of unknown liquid.

    "To be honest, there is a lot we still don''t know. I suppose that''s the nature of this attack against the kingdom though�Cone that is difficult to even be recognized as such," Adelheid told.

    "Are you talking about the "Dream Cycle"? If what I''ve experienced so far is part of it, then��I get why it''d put a damper on information," he responded.

    Adelheid nodded, "It started three weeks ago. It might not sound like too long, but with the "Dream Cycle"...it''s felt like an eternity," it was with those words leaving her lips did he finally notice how dark the bags beneath her eyes were, "Everybody in Yulimium is ensnared in it. They might not realize it, but their perception of reality is being forcefully contorted by dark hands."

    "Who''s doing this? Belmon?" He asked.

    The leader looked at him for a moment, straight in the eyes, before nodding,"I believed Belmon to be a fairy tale�Cwe all did. But they certainly have a way of announcing themselves to you. I don''t know exactly when the "Dream Cycle" truly began, but it all stems from the same origin, from each ount�Cthey all met the same pale-faced, smiling man."

    As she told him that, the memory shed into his mind of the enigmatic man he met in the tavern earlier that day.

    "Yeah, I remember him."

    "It seems he needs only to touch you for you to be ensnared in his magecraft. After that, reality and dreams blended�Cgiving way for Belmon to silently assimte this kingdom."

    "Assimte?" He asked.

    Though he asked, he had an idea of what she meant after the encounter he just experienced.

    That oaf was acting like the old hag used to be somebody else, or more like he was mourning her death before he put her down, he thought.

    "I don''t know the specifics of how they''ve done it, but they''ve managed to take over the bodies of Gallvanian civilians," Adelheid''s expression furrowed inmentation, "There''s no way of knowing just how deeply they''ve dug their ws into this country��"

    "How bad do you think it is? If it''s been three weeks, I don''t imagine they''ve spread out that much, right? Gallvania is a fairlyrge country, after all," Sirius asked, though his question only brought a further dampening to the expressions of those in the room.

    It was Jonas who answered his question, standing with his hands politely behind his back, "Roughly��one-tenth of Yulimium has been infiltrated by Belmon. For the rest of Gallvania, it''s difficult to say if they''ve made their move yet or not."

 Chapter 523 Dread-Level Threat

    His eyes widened at that number, "One-tenth? You''re kidding,."

    "Unfortunately, Jonas tells no lies," Adelheid begrudgingly confirmed.

    None of it was good news. Though they held a simple, yet powerful title of being the "Defenders of Gallvania", the small group looked defeated and exhausted.

    This is terrible. What kind of luck is this to happen while I''m out here on a quest?...Is this luck? No, there''s probably an exnation for why Belmon is doing this now, he thought.

    "''Scuse me, but��" He interrupted Adelheid before she could continue, "is there a bathroom around here? It''s been a bit."

    Adelheid looked perplexed by his question, but Ansgar pointed him in the proper direction with his thumb, pointing towards the back of the vast cer.

    "Thanks," he nodded.

    It was partly an excuse to give himself some space to process the information, but he truly did need to relieve his dder as he traversed the dark, expansive cer.

    As he stood at the back of the dank cer, away from thenterns as he was left in the dark with the swaying cobwebs and the stench of fermenting wine�Che blinked.

    It was an action that was normally without any thought, not even recognized ny-nine percent of the time, but for some reason, when he blinked that one time, it felt as if the air around him shifted.

    ��Damn, it''s like all the exhaustion is hitting me at once, For Pete''s Sake, he thought.

    After zipping his pants back up from his brief duty, he turned back around to return to the small gathering, but stopped as the light of thenterns had been whisked away.

    It was now pitch-ck, and suddenly�Csilent.

    "Hey! You guys there?" He called out.

    There was no audible response, yet he began to hear lightly-treading footsteps within therge, unlit cer.

    In the situation of the country, he was aware of what such abrupt silence could mean as he held his hand by his side, sparking sparse, awakening bolts of electricity between his fingers.

    "Hey!...Say something!" He yelled out again.

    As the footsteps became more frequent, growing closer though he couldn''t see their sources through the darkness as some came from the other sides of the towering racks of wine, he became more impatient.

    "Say something right now, or I''ll attack!" He yelled out once more, hoping for any sort of response, "I mean it�C! I''m not ying around! I''m not in the mood for games right now!"

    He knew he wasn''t going to receive an answer�Cbut he needed to make absolutely sure, until the veryst opportunity.

    It''s just like Ren described: Belmon strikes swiftly and silently; the atmosphere, the scenery, the air, it all shifts like a casually passing breeze. One moment everything is fine, then the next�Cthey''re here, he thought.

    Just as he felt a presence rapidly approaching him from the front now in rapid steps, he unleashed his magical pressure, which manifested itself in an array of magenta electricity that gave light to the dank cer.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was a figure d in ck robes, etched with the design of a faceless maiden.

    That''s the symbol, all right, he thought.

    "I''m in a bad mood tonight," he said, pressing a single foot forward, "Disappear."

    Without lifting a finger, or so much as batting an eye, he unleashed a shock wave that torrent from his viscous magical energy, causing countless, small strands of his lightning to strike against the ck-robed figure as they leapt towards him.

    The moment the nonchnt counter propelled from his position, the Belmon cultist was sent back violently at a speed that shattered the sound barrier, mming the figure against the farthest wall. They were embedded into it with their limbs contorted and shattered.

    It wasn''t any sort of spell, or anything close to a refined, purposeful usage of magic, but just simply an exertion of his true, unbound magical pressure. That alone was enough to be a murderous force.

    I don''t have any room for mercy against these guys. They killed Lucas, and they did so much to the ones I care about�CI don''t care if I have to be merciless, he thought.

    After violently handling the first, another approached from his left, attempting to apprehend him as he simply snapped his fingers towards them, dodging a spear that the robed figure thrust towards him.

    By the way they moved, and by the magical pressure they held, it was clear that the cultists were experienced mages, possessing strong reinforcement�Cthough it didn''t make a difference.

    A spear�C? He thought, perplexed for a moment.

    It was toote for any thoughts though, as the snap of his fingers unleashed an unrestrained burst of lightning that moved so swiftly, and with such violence, that it sent the spear-wielding cultist into the leftmost wall, burning them in the process with the heat of the fulmination.

    After effortlessly ughtering the first two, he found himself lingering on the fact that the one he snapped away into death was wielding a spear.

    He was momentarily distracted, causing a presence dashing from his front to sidestep him for a moment, reappearing behind him with a strong burst of mana emitting from the robed foe.

    This one is fast, he thought.

    Before the attack could beunched against his back however, he warped space, appearing behind them and swiftly swiping his hands, snapping the hooded cultist''s neck in a seamless movement.

    Even though it was a simple movement he made, the merciless nature caused by the twisting motion he made to their neck unleashed a brief shock wave that scattered the dormant dust of the cer.

    After seamlessly taking out the cultists, leaving the foundation of the home groaning from the endured stress of his brief, but powerful attacks, he looked down at the robed body that fell at his feet.

    "...I wonder if they got caught by these guys," he muttered to himself.

    If it''s this infested with Belmon, and the poption is already arge check of Belmon doppelgangers as well��this mission is over. I have to find Emilia and get back to the foundation�CA.S.A.P. This isn''t something that can be solved by sting some guys��it''s a web of knots so entangled that I honestly don''t even know where to begin.

    This might be a "Dread-level threat"...I''m not equipped for this sort of thing, he thought.

 Chapter 524 Sirius Is Serious

    After standing there for a moment, he took a step forward, and as he did�Che blinked.

    Once again, that minimal, mostly unnoticed action was once again noticed drastically as he paused for a moment.

    He slowly looked down, seeing that the lifeless body at his feet wasn''t one d in obscuring, dark robes.

    They were dressed in cobalt armor.

    It was unmistakable; paired with the illustrious, ck locks, he saw the pale, deathly expression of Adelheid, contorted by her rigged, contorted neck.

    He immediately looked at his hands that had done the deed, then looked to the side, seeing the braided-haired man embedded in the brick wall to the left, blood spilling from seemingly every pore of his body.

    Not a word went through his mind during this moment of realization, bringing his gaze forward as he confirmed the third, andst of the bodies, seeing Jonas, or the mangled body that could hardly be recognized as the man, lodged into the farthest wall of the cer.

    "...Shit," he brought his left hand to his face, plopping himself down on a crate as he sat for a moment.

    It was a deception. I didn''t fall asleep. I didn''t cross through a doorway, yet��reality shifted again. Why? He thought about it for a moment, remembering the odd sensation of those two blinks, It couldn''t be��blinking? That''s just too much, though.

    He didn''t feel much shock or grief in his actions, only anger at himself. Seeing those corpsesid out, the visceral words of his amber-hairedpanion rung in his mind like a dull, repetitive rm.

    "Hubris."

    There was no mistaking it; it was his own fault. He knew that much, yet his heart was not pulled. He felt pity, but not much else but superficial, fleeting sadness.

    I let myself be taken that easily by the enemy''s illusions, and I didn''t even stop to think it could be such a thing. I was just confident that I could handle a few Belmon goons�Cnot just that, I wanted to kill them.

    Belmon, Belmon, Belmon; after what happened with Lucas, just the thought of it makes me seethe.

    I did it again, he thought.

    "I''m terrible," he told himself.

    I became too strong. So strong that I can''t even doubt myself, even when I''m wrong. "Power corrupts all", that''s the saying, isn''t it? he thought.

    Sitting in that bloodied cer of his own actions, he ran his fingers through his jet-ck tufts with a long, drawn-out breath leaving his lips.

    It''s bad. I''ve always considered myself a "good person" or even a "selfless person", but being in this world for so long�Cit changes you. I''ve seen so much death, so much brutality, depravity, and horrors��I can hardly feel anything with this sight.

    If it was one of my friends, I''dsh out and destroy everything around me, probably. But for these people I barely even met?

    Nothing.

    I should be crying. I should be beating myself up, crossing my heart that it''d never happen again, I should mourn them.

    But, I can''t. It''s just the way this world works. It''s unforgiving. It''s horrid.

    It''s disgusting. My heart has been tainted by this world. Not only that��with the power I have, I feel distant from death. Like it''s not even possible that I could die. It''s so far away, so foreign, that I feel nothing towards it. That''s why��I have to help that Sage with her goal quickly so I can return home. I have to return before their big brother returns as somebody not even recognizable, he told himself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m terrible��" He said once more as tears finally left his eyes, burying his face in his hands.

    Tears weren''t wept for the victims of his ownpse in judgment, but inmentation of what his heart abandoned�Cthe realization that he might have crossed a threshold long ago that can''t be returned from.

    After those sparse tears were shed, there wasn''t any hesitance in his eyes. He looked forward with resolve.

    I''ll find her and get the hell out of here. That''s all I can do now, he thought.

    Picking himself up from his impromptu seat, he walked up the cer stairs, finding himself in an unknown house.

    It was old-fashioned, decorated with antiques and weathered paintings with dark, wooden floorboards that creaked with each step he took.

    "They never told me where we even were," he sighed.

    He ruffled his own locks as he aimlessly explored the unknown estate, finding that he was upying a rathervish mansion of sorts.

    After ascending a set of velvet stairs, he found himself at a corridor that housed decorative sets of armor on disy, as well as what looked to be treasured heirloom des within ss disys.

    "I''m guessing this is Adelheid''s ce then, or��was," he mumbled.

    It didn''t exactly feel right to him to snoop around the house of those who had fallen, but by walking around and exploring, he kept his mind off of what had just urred by his own hands.

    "Don''t blink."

    He repeated that to himself, either in a whisper or in his mind, over and over again as he learned gruesomely the effects of the most miniscule action.

    Sitting down for a moment on a chair in one of the few lounge rooms, he pondered the approaches he could take to this situation.

    Belmon has this city, at least in the shadows. They''re pulling all the strings, that''s for sure.

    This "Dream Cycle" is controlled by Belmon, or more specifically, somebody who''s a part of Belmon. So far, it seems to activate on three conditions: falling asleep, passing through a doorway, and blinking.

    The first two conditions are manageable, but blinking��honestly, that''s pretty much impossible to get around, he thought.

    Rubbing his chin, he raised his magenta eyes that had been sharpened by a certain coldness, finding one idea in his mind.

    If I do this, the mission will be over. There''s no hiding it from anybody, and I''ll be discovered pretty much right away.

    ? I didn''t want to make this decision until finding Emilia, but right now�Cit isn''t the time to worry about that. Lives are at stake�Chers and mine, he thought.

    Standing up from his seat, his magical pressure began to build up in a veil that stretched across the interior of the mansion, scaling the walls with sporadic, infrequent strands of purple lightning.

    When I''m forced to stay low on missions like this, I have to limit my magical pressure vastly. Otherwise, it''s so suffocating that anybody with a lick of experience in magecraft would be able to sense me.

    It''s time to go all-out, he thought.

 Chapter 525 A God In Human Flesh

    Releasing the cap on his magic, the dozens of windows of the mansion instantly shattered into countless pieces following the swift shock wave that carried his magenta aura.

    It wasn''t just the mansion he upied that suffered shattering, but the windows of the neighboring homes and establishments gave in as well.

    Chaotic; that was the one best word to describe his magical pressure, manifesting in a viscous tempest, coiled with magenta lightning that caused the surrounding streets to tremble.

    Taking the form of lightning itself, he moved instantaneously from within the estate, into the clouds far above, overlooking the capital as he hovered amongst the clouds.

    "I see��I was in the North Sector," he whispered, standing on the air as if it were solid.

    Using just a sparse amount of his electricity, he made it so that any time his eyelids attempted to blink, a small spark would force them to remain parted.

    Who should I find first? The one responsible for weaving these illusions, or Emilia? Taking care of the enemy should take priority.

    I''ll have to check every person with a strong enough mana signature; it''ll be a hassle, but it won''t take very long, he thought.

    Raising a single hand upwards, the clouds began to shift around him as lightning gathered around his arm, reaching its peak at his fingertip.

    "Ba''al: Sleuthing Storm."

    Uttering out the name of the desired magecraft to himself quietly, he slowly brought his finger town, pointing it towards the city far below his feet.

    The result was a shower of magenta light filling the sky, descending upon the city like a disy of bright, colorful constetions before blending with Yulimium itself.

    Lines of harmless, far-stretching lightning reached across the streets of Yulimium, hunting down the various sources of adequate mana within the city.

    Across the streets, running along the wood and brick formation of houses, investigating the innards of homes, the sleuthing lightning reached across every particle of the city�Chigh and low.

    "...!"

    Though he nned to set for the dream weaver first, his discerning lightning had found something already that caught his mind.

    That''s Emilia''s mana signature, there''s no mistaking it, he thought.

    He paused for a moment, clenching his fist as he ventured between two decisions: continuing his search for the dream weaver, or pursuing the trace of Emilia he found.

    There wasn''t much of a choice as he was moving before he realized.

    Like a bolt of lightning, he ventured down from his ce among the clouds, seamlessly zipping through the streets of Yulimium, curving through an alleyway as he re-manifested into his normal, physical form.

    A shoddy, suspicious looking door was attached to the side of the grimy, brick building inhabiting the back of the dim alley.

    The sleuthing storm came to an end as he stood before the door, returning the hum of static to null.

    ��Whoever is behind this has to know I''ming. But, that doesn''t change a thing. Even if you''re prepared for it, lightning strikes nheless, he thought.

    cing his ck glove against the shoddy, wooden door, he pushed it open without further hesitation, using a small shock wave to open it with an abrasive greeting. He expected to be greeted with an attack immediately, but s, the door swung open with a creak, revealing a room filled with crates and dust.

    He stepped into it, keeping lightning coiled around his forearms as he found a door sitting across the quiet, lightless room.

    Nobody, huh? Like I believe that for a second, he thought.

    Slow steps were taken against the creaking, dust-covered floorboards of the unknown, dark building as he kept his guard raised.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He could still sense it; Emilia''s mana signature, bringing his steps slowly but surely to the metallic door at the back of the room.

    It''s faint, but it''s there. She must be unconscious if her signature is this low, he thought.

    cing his hand against the unknown door, he sent a subtle vibration through it, formed by an expulsion of his mana from his palm.

    The vibrations that only he was privy to were meant to check if anybody was waiting just beyond the door.

    Nothing.

    Somehow, that result left him feeling more uneasy, though he wasn''t afraid, rather�Che was furious at those responsible for this entire situation.

    As he kicked open the door, ready to purge any Belmon cultists with his lightning, he found a staircase on the other side, leading downwards into an unlit, unseen room below.

    ��This smells like a trap. But still, I have to get Emilia. I''m not letting somebody die because of my hubris��not anymore, he thought.

    Though he could smell the thick air of depravity lifting from the grimy steps, he began to walk down their length with caution apanying him.

    Reaching near the bottom of the stairs, it was a basement of sorts, and sitting, tied-up in the back�CEmilia.

    He was moving with little ration left in him. His mind was worn thin by the dreams and illusions, and his judgment was left whittled, causing him to move without thinking.

    "...Emilia!" He let out, dropping down from the stairs.

    The amber-haired woman came to, slowly opening her eyes as her unconsciousness was assumedly onset by the blow to her head, seen by the blood trickling from her forehead.

    "Sirius��?" Emilia asked weakly.

    He didn''t waste any time rushing towards her, but it seemed she wanted to say something to him, but didn''t manage to utter the words in time.

    "...No��" Emilia let out faintly.

    As he moved towards her with the intent of helping her, he was suddenly stopped by an unseen wall.

    Attempting to break free from it, he called on his lightning but�Cnothing came.

    "Shit."

    It was the only reaction that left his lips as he already recognized what it was that prevented him from moving further.

    Below his feet, an all-ck magical seal made itself visible, humming as the barrier now around him was as clear as day.

    A "Nullification Barrier". It''s a type of imprisonment that prevents any magic from being used by anyone within. I didn''t expect them to have magic of this level, he thought.

    "Sirius��why did youe?" Emilia asked faintly.

    Despite the dreadful situation, he put on a small smile as he looked at her with his confident, never-faltering magentas.

    "Why? You''re my partner. I''m not leaving you behind," he told her, "but��tell me�Cwhat happened, Emilia?"

 Chapter 526 Partners

    "Sirius��why did youe?" Emilia asked faintly.

    Despite the dreadful situation, he put on a small smile as he looked at her with his confident, never-faltering magentas.

    "Why? You''re my partner. I''m not leaving you behind," he told her, "but��tell me�Cwhat happened, Emilia?"

    Emilia seemed hesitant to answer as her hair seemed ruffled up and one of her cheeks was bruised, but eventually she spoke.

    "...I didn''t believe you at first. This "dream" stuff��but, I fell into it as well. I was led here��and��he��captured me."

    "Who''s "he", Emilia?" Sirius asked.

    Though before he could receive an answer, footsteps became audible�Cit was two pairs,ing from the door that was located at the back of the basement.

    There was little he could do to defend himself in any way to prepare to face the mysterious capturers of his as the nullification field made him utterly defenseless.

    A momentter, the door opened, with one man walking through first that he instantly recognized.

    That''s him! He thought.

    A pale face, so white as if wearing makeup, and colorful, rainbow-like hair that paired itself with a mischievous, dark smile.

    "Greetings, Sirius Federov," the man greeted him, walking in with avish cane, though he didn''t seem to need it.

    He remained silent, looking behind the clown-looking man as another walked through the same door.

    The other man was tall with dead, tired eyes and silver, messy hair, wearing a long, baggy, ck coat. He didn''t look much older than his mid-twenties, but his most noticeable attribute were his knuckles that seemed to have had their skin pulled back, revealing a metallic bone.

    These guys are with Belmon, no doubt, he thought.

    "No response? I am very sad to hear that, or rather�Chear nothing!" The pale-faced manughed with little sense of sanity.

    Removing the over-the-top top hat from his head, the clown-faced, fancily-dressed man bowed himself, tucking one leg behind the other, "I am Caeruleus, a humble servant of the immacte kingdom of Belmon!"

    He didn''t expect to have it confirmed so easily, being taken aback by the introduction from the entric man.

    ��I guess it''s no use trying to apply logic or reason to Belmon cultists�Cthey operate on apletely different realm from the rest of us, he thought.

    The silver-haired man standing behind Caeruleus didn''t introduce himself, seeming bored of the conversation itself.

    While he was still trying to figure a way out of this mess, he opted to buy time by talking, though he wanted some questions answered nheless, "Hey, Clown-Face."

    "Would you happen to be referring to me?" Caeruleus asked with a mischievous smile as he flipped his top hat back onto the summit of his head.

    The entric, pale-faced man wore a dark-blue, tailcoat jacket with ck, stitched trousers, carrying his gilded, swirled cane with each movement he made.

    "Are you the one responsible for these dreams?" He asked, ignoring the man''s question.

    Caeruleus stared at him for a moment as his wild, heterochromic eyes shifted to a more serious look�Cthe left eye being gold, and the other red.

    "That would indeed be my creation, yes," Caeruleus answered, stepping closer to the barrier that contained the man, "Do tell me, did you find the world of dreams to be an alluring one?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    The question dug beneath his skin as he knew that the man intentionally made him kill the Defenders, but he suppressed his anger.

    "...It was you," he said.

    "It is me," Caeruleus corrected him with a smirk before recing his expression with a frivolous one, "anywho, this n truly worked out well, didn''t it, Vainglory?"

    The clown-faced man asked his question to the silver-haired man standing behind him, who held a small, reserved smile.

    "I can''t deny that," Vainglory answered, "The original n would''ve been to subdue him with force. We were ready to sacrifice a few, powerful pieces to do so, but you managed to ensnare him without a hitch. Good job, Caeruleus."

    A blush took over the pale-faced man''s face as he was praised, almost letting out a moan as he kept his knees tucked together, "Oh! I''m so very d I did well!"

    Sirius could only stand there with a confused, disgusted expression as he watched the entric capturors speak.

    "You''re making it sound like this was the entire n," Sirius said in a serious tone, "I know I''m a big-shot and everything, but what''s the point of capturing me?"

    Caeruleus grinned at the question, seeming overjoyed at the prospect of answering it, but it was Vainglory who stepped forward, putting his hand on Caeruleus'' shoulder to move him back.

    "I''m sure you''d like to know," Vainglory told him, "We have a long ride back home, so I''ll be d to talk to you then."

    "Home?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

    Vainglory snapped his fingers, suddenly manifested ck-steel chains that protruded from the ground, wrapping around Sirius as he was defenseless without his magic.

    "What the hell is this��?!" Sirius let out, attempting to resist the chains, but they only seemed to tighten as he pushed against them.

    Caeruleus spoke up, noticing the amber-haired woman once again as he skipped towards her, caressing her bloodied cheek, "And what about the girly here? She''s awfully��intriguing."

    The silver-haired man seemed topletely ignore Sirius as he nced back at the entric, clown-faced man, "Do what you want with the girl. I just came here for the Ounder."

    As Vainglory told this to Caeruleus, he ced a pouch of rustling coins into the fancily-dressed man''s hand.

    "Hey! What do you think you''re doing?!" Sirius yelled out, still attempting to wrestle against the chains as he saw Caeruleus'' lecherous grin as the man stood near Emilia.

    They seemed to ignore him again as Vainglory turned to the clown, "Disable the field, would you?"

    "Oh, my apologies!" Caeruleus said with a smile before pping his hands together, "Dispel!"

    At the call of the one who summoned the nullification field, it disappeared, powering down as Sirius was left puzzled for a moment, now being free of the magic-sealing barrier.

    However, as he attempted to manifest his magical energy, it still didn''t respond to his will.

    What? He thought.

    Vainglory smiled, "You don''t really think we''re that stupid, do you? My chains nullify magic as well, friend."

    After bestowing onto that information, Vainglory walked past him, grabbing hold of a loose chain and forcing him to follow him through the backdoor.

    "Hold on! Stop it!...Emilia!" He yelled out.

 Chapter 527 A Man With A Mission: Vainglory

    "Hold on! Stop it!...Emilia!" He yelled out.

    He only had one more nce at the amber-haired woman as he was ushered out of the backdoor of the basement, seeing the clown-faced man give him a small, ominous wave.

    Even as he tried his best to resist, it seemed the chains were not only able to nullify magic, but suppressed even his normal strength with a subduing, weakening effect.

    I messed up, he thought.

    Vainglory walked casually while pulling him along with him, nonchntly strolling out of the back as an all-ck carriage was waiting outside, behind the building.

    It had begun raining in the time before he entered, and the time he left. The man sitting at the coach box with the horse-attached ropes in hand was an old man with eerie, ck eyes and a smile.

    With one look, he knew it was another Belmon cultist that had likely stolen the identity of a normal person.

    "Come on," Vainglory said, tugging on the chains, looking back at him as he opened the door to the carriage with an indifferent look in his gray eyes.

    Though he put up a resistance, it was only for show.

    There was a realization he had made, a small detail that he noticed, and that he hoped Vainglory would not.

    This is my one ticket�Cfor Emilia and myself. I just have to y along for now, Sirius thought, I''ll try to get some answers while I''m at it.

    He boarded the carriage after Vainglory, entering the ckwood vehicle as he sat on its gray-leather seat, across from the silver-haired man. It was stiff and ufortable, but he felt nothing would befortable with the tight, ck chains wrapped around his upper-body.

    It was surprisinglyvish, on the inside of the carriage. Though the interior still possessed a gloomy, all-ck design, there were silver decorations�Cmostly resembling the design of a cloaked woman.

    Vainglory pped the side of the carriage, prompting the driver to begin setting off before he returned his peculiar gaze to his captive.

    "Sirius Federov," Vainglory said his name with a hint of sarcasm, "..."The Strongest Ounder"...the one who managed to eradicate Sloth."

    "So, it was you then? Belmon sent Sloth to Lemasdale?" He asked with a quiet, suppressed annoyance.

    Vainglory looked at him for a moment with a small, reserved smile, "I''d imagine the Sage would''ve helped youe to that conclusion. She''s a troublesome one�C"Beatrice". While your threat is ultimate strength, Beatrice''s is ultimate knowledge. Together, that makes the Ounders as deadly to Belmon as a kingdom�Cperhaps even more so."

    It was simultaneously surprising to hear the type of information that the man seemed to possess, but also not.

    The wheels of the carriage began to roll as the wooden vehicle began to traverse the streets of Yulimium, rocking over the cobblestone pathways.

    Beatrice told us about this. Belmon has their hand in everything�CI''ve seen that firsthand with this city. I don''t know what they know�Cor rather, what they don''t know, he thought.

    He was hesitant to respond to the words that left Vainglory''s lips�Che could see by the look in the man''s eyes that he was trying to coax a response.

    "Who are you, exactly? If I had to guess, you''re some sort of big shot within Belmon, right?" he asked, trying to pry some information from the man.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Vaingloryughed quietly, "That''s certainly a question, isn''t it? I wonder."

    As expected, the silver-haired man didn''t seem easy to slip answers from, seeing right through him.

    "There''s a lot of answers to that question," Vainglory told him as his messy, silver locks hung low, "but for now, let''s just say I''m your captor."

    "..."

    "Not a satisfying answer, is it?" Vainglory chuckled quietly, "Expect a lot of that. Belmon hasn''t remained in the shadows because we''re particrly loose with our thoughts."

    "...You can at least answer this," He said, looking Vainglory straight in the eye, "Why do you want me? If you wanted to kill me, I''m sure you would''ve done it by now."

    Vainglory stayed silent for a moment with a smile that contained the answers he wanted, looking at him for a moment as the sounds of the carriage wheels rolling filled the silence.

    "It''s not exactly a secret, Sirius," Vainglory told him.

    "Huh?" He asked in surprise.

    "I mean that it should be obvious what we want with you," the silver-haired man held his rxed smile, "You''re powerful. One of the most powerful mages in this world, easily. Could you think of a more perfect vessel?"

    His eyes widened in disgust at his words, clenching his fists, "...Vessel? What do you mean? A vessel for what?"

    After asking the question, he nced beyond the window of the carriage, seeing the buildings within the city pass by like a fleeting, rainden scenery.

    I''ve got to wait until I''m out of the city�Cno, a bit further than that, he thought.

    "A vessel," Vainglory cemented his earlier words, "That''s all you need to know, Sirius Federov."

    The vague answer, orck thereof, only served to annoy him as he once more looked past the window of the carriage.

    It seemed to just pass the front gates of Yulimium, venturing out into the great, verdant valleys of the region as the mountains in the distance became clear.

    Good, just a bit longer, he thought.

    If there was one thing he found peculiar, it was Vainglory. Compared to what he had run into before, and what he had heard, Vainglory seemed surprisingly sane for a member of the Belmon empire. He was calm, collected, and tactful, it seemed.

    I can''t get a read on how strong this guy is, though. I don''t know if it''s because my mana is suppressed, or he''s just really good at suppressing himself, but I''m left in the dark here�Cit doesn''t matter. Just a bit longer, and I''ll show him the mistake he made, he thought.

    "...Ren Nakamura," Sirius said suddenly with a dead-serious look in his eyes, "Does that name ring any bells to you?"

 Chapter 528 Scales Of The Hollow Tyrant

    "...Ren Nakamura," Sirius said suddenly with a dead-serious look in his eyes, "Does that name ring any bells to you?"

    "Mm?" Vainglory turned an eye to him, having been looking at his pocket watch.

    "He doesn''t like to talk about it much, but I know you guys have been targeting him. Ever since he returned from Purgatory, I can tell that kid is hurting on the inside�Cor, he''s holding a lot of pain that''s burned itself into him," He continued, "what the hell do you want with him?"

    Vainglory closed the lid of his silver pocket watch, shoving it back into his coat as he looked at the man.

    "...That''s a question I can''t answer, Sirius Federov," Vainglory told him with a calm smile.

    It was that smile that sent him over the edge, knowing the pain that Belmon inflicted onto the ones he considered family.

    As soon as he looked out of the window, seeing how distant the city had be�Cit was time.

    "Vainglory, was it?" He said, looking out of the window.

    "...?" The silver-haired man looked at him.

    "You made a mistake," he told him with a smile as a deathly aura emanated from his form, "A pretty big one, I might add."

    What''s this magical pressure? His magic should be sealed? Vainglory thought before realizing, �Chis innate ability��?

    It was then that a massive exertion of dark, magical energy exploded from his position, destroying the carriage and sending Vainglory flying back as the rubble flew out in each direction.

    It''s been a long time since I''ve used this in full, he thought.

    Forming across his body, a dark-gray, living armor stretched across his limbs, scaling his torso, before finishing by armoring his head with the sentient, dark armor.

    With a seamless movement, he shattered the chains that bound him as his suppressed, magenta lightning coiled around his body with an unstable mass, burning the grass around him as all he did was stand.

    These chains only shackle magecraft, but innate abilities operate on a different realm than that��he thought.

    It pulsated, releasing stratifications of darkness as it intertwined andbined into its armored form, giving him the appearance of a knight bound in living, scale-like armor that breathed out an overwhelming aura.

    "..."Scales of The Hollow Tyrant"..." He told out like an augury of the destruction toe.

    Vainglorynded on the ground, keeping his hands in his pocket, "I see. This wasn''t part of our information."

    �CJust as Vainglory sat that, the silver-haired man barely dodged his body with widened eyes as a condensed stream of lightning shot past him at ludicrous speed, burning through the grass in a far distance.

    As the swift beam of coalesced lightning missed Vainglory, it burned through the grass and soil in a far path, eliminating even the hills in its path.

    What kind of power is this? With one bolt, he desecrated thatrge of an area, Vainglory thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Instead of fear, a wide, excited smile took ce on the man''s lips as he looked at the Ounder who was d in lightning-coiled, scaled armor.

    "I get it now," Vainglory said with a smile, removing his hands from his pockets as he cracked his knuckles without touching them, "If we use you as a vessel�Cthere''s no stopping Belmon."

    "I''d like to see you try," His voice came out distorted from behind the malicious, living armor.

    Vainglory sighed out, stretching his neck side-to-side as he removed his baggy coat, revealing a simple, ck tank top beneath with a surprisingly muscr body.

    "I hate unnecessary casualties. The driver was whatever, but those horses were diligent, you know? Good workers, did their job, didn''tin�Ca real shame," Vainglory cracked his neck.

    He wasn''t much for conversation with the Belmon cultist, instead warping behind him to go for a swift strike to the back of his head.

    �CHowever, his scale-armored fist was caught without Vainglory having turned around, only reaching his arm behind him and catching his fist.

    "What?!" He let out in surprise.

    "Don''t get the wrong idea, kid," Vainglory told him, "I didn''t bring you chained because I was scared of taking you on. I just didn''t want to deal with the hassle of it."

    It was just then that his instincts screamed at him to move as he warped into the sky, leaving a trail of electricity as he witnessed Vainglory thrust his fist at where he previously stood, unleashing a tremendous amount of air pressure that carved up the soil in its path.

    What''s up with this guy? He''s insanely strong�CI''d say he leaves Fai in the dust in terms of physicality, he thought.

    Even in the midst of battle, Vainglory still seemed bored, simply bringing his gaze up to look at him with a small, indifferent smile.

    "You''ve got good instincts, kid," Vaingloryplemented.

    "You''re not half bad yourself," he responded, appearing at the man''s side.

    This time, it seemed he managed to catch the man off-guard, rearing his fist back and coiling it with lightning as he propelled it towards Vainglory''s jaw.

    It was blocked, but the impact still sent the silver-haired man sliding sideways across the field as steam exuded from the point of impact against his arm.

    Vainglory whistled, wiggling his arm a bit as a bruise was left on his forearm while steam continued to trail off of it, "Not bad. I really felt that one."

    "Scales of The Hollow Tyrant" amplifies my physical prowess and my magical abilities, and gives me an adaptive defense. I''ve never lost when using it�Cthat''s why I try to avoid it, as it''s pretty boring. But, I''m done with that childish crap, he thought.

    As he continued a flurry of attacks, Vainglory kept his eyes on each fist that came his way, blocking against them as each impact resulted in a deafening shock wave.

    Vainglory attempted to counter with his own, colossal blows that carved through the field, but his own speed far surpassed the man''s attacks.

    This speed�Cnot just that, his strength is also amplified greatly, Vainglory thought.

 Chapter 529 Vanishing Foes

    "Scales of The Hollow Tyrant" amplifies my physical prowess and my magical abilities, and gives me an adaptive defense. I''ve never lost when using it�Cthat''s why I try to avoid it, as it''s pretty boring. But, I''m done with that childish crap, he thought.

    As he continued a flurry of attacks, Vainglory kept his eyes on each fist that came his way, blocking against them as each impact resulted in a deafening shock wave.

    Vainglory attempted to counter with his own, colossal blows that carved through the field, but his own speed far surpassed the man''s attacks.

    This speed�Cnot just that, his strength is also amplified greatly, Vainglory thought.

    "It''s no surprise Sloth lost to you," Vainglory said, guarding the attacks with his fists.

    Each time he connected a hit that was guarded against Vainglory''s arms, it felt as if he was hitting impervious steel that made his own attacks chip at him, superficially, but still hurt him to some degree.

    "Cool story," Sirius said, using his ludicrous speed to warp continuously around Vainglory.

    An onught of attacks pelted against the man who carried himself with an immutable stride, striking him with punches and kicks that were bolstered by lightning strikes that sizzled the air and burned the nearby grass.

    After choosing to directly take a hit, Vainglory smiled as Sirius'' face mmed against the man''s forehead, causing it to bleed and bruise, but not cause any further damage.

    Huh�C? He purposefully took the attack? He thought.

    He figured out why as Vainglory''s fist mmed into his gut with an impact that vibrated throughout his entire body, causing the wind to roar out from the sheer force backed behind his fist.

    All of the air left his lungs as they felt on fire with any attempt to draw in any breath into them, feeling as if an explosion had directly sent off against his abdomen.

    It left him momentarily stunned as he held his gut, catching his breath for a moment as his dark, living armor intertwined further and crawled, reconfiguring itself.

    "Doesn''t feel too good does it? Most people aren''t standing after a punch from me, or breathing," Vainglory told him casually.

    Another fist came in from Vainglory, smashing against his gut, but this time it held no effect as Sirius remained unmoving while the man''s knuckles were pressed against his scale-armored abdomen.

    "Huh?" Vainglory raised an eyebrow.

    "Doesn''t feel too good does it?" He turned the man''s words back on him, sending a fist directly against Vainglory''s nose.

    The fearsome counter cracked the wind as lightning filled the surrounding air, causing Vainglory to stumble back as the man wiped fresh blood from his nose.

    My "Scales" adapt to any attack received once and make it meaningless any further time, he thought.

    "Annoying," Vainglory said, "This is exactly why I didn''t want to fight you. Lightning mages at your level are a pain in the ass."

    Using the time in which Vainglory spent talking, he blitzed to him with abination of spatial magic and lightning, gathering an abundance of gyrating, ominous lightning in his hand as its sheer, magenta radiance blinded Vainglory.

    Even the silver-haired,ckadaisical man fell silent in the face of that magecraft, attempting to raise his guard, but Sirius was too fast.

    pping his scale-d hand against the man''s chest, a shock wave propelled against the valley before a resounding, ear-numbing explosion unleashed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the center of the coalesced lightning, forcibly squeezed and expanded repeatedly, a heat exuded that turned the air itself into mes, melting the soil below into a charred, forever infertile patch.

    This is��? Vainglory looked down with surprise in his eyes.

    It vastly surpassed the energy of a nuclear explosion, then was amplified andpact, being condensed into an unstable force that then blew Vainglory back at a ferocious speed that shattered the sound barrier in session, turning the surrounding field into a desecrated, electrified barrennd.

    Obviously I wasn''t showing you myplete speed at first. That''d be a rookie move, he thought.

    It was utterly deafening; the unorthodox spell was created by him using inspiration from a weapon on Earth��a "railgun".

    Only, this was taking that to a divine level.

    After crashing through a series of trees and ending his travel by mming into a boulder, Vainglory picked himself up as his shirt was left in tatters, with the lightning impact embedded in his chest, leaving a trail of smoke as he coughed out.

    "...Well, shit," Vainglory let out with a grunt, "It looks like I won''t be able to win without using my ability. Oh, well."

    Ability? He thought, wait�Che survived that? I intended to kill him with that attack�Che barely seems phased at all. This guy isn''t normal�Che''s way more dangerous than Sloth.

    It was only for a moment, for the first time from the nonchnt man who seemed indifferent�Che felt a rage burning from him. A dense magical pressure that intertwined with his bloodlust exuded into a suffocating air.

    What''s this��? He thought.

    Vainglory slowly walked towards him, cracking his neck again with a lofty sigh leaving his lips, "I''m withdrawing."

    "What��?" He let out in confusion.

    "I won''t be able to beat you without killing you, and that''s a bit problematic. So, I''m leaving," Vainglory said, nonchntly walking past him as he retrieved his coat from the ground, "They only sent me because there was a chance you''d show up here, so it''s not like I was expected to retrieve you. Oh, well, I got something else�Cthanks for showing me that ability of yours, Sirius Federov."

    Before he could say anything else, Vainglory already crushed what seemed to be a teleportation rune in his hand, vanishing from his sight in an instant.

    "...What the hell was that about?" He questioned.

    Though before he could choose to stand around and question it further, he remembered his original goal.

    Emilia��! He thought.

    Moving as a bolt of magenta lightning that surpassed the speed of its natural element, he returned to the capital with such swiftness that none of the guards could perceive him entering as he relocated to the dingy base he wasst at.

    Without wasting a moment, he opened the door without even touching it, propelling it off of its hinges as it flew inward through the room behind it, crashing against the far wall.

    While he was certainly impatient, it was the "scales" that bolstered such feelings, bringing his patience low and his roughness high.

    "Huh�C? What''s this?!"

 Chapter 530 Gallvanias Sanction

    "Huh�C? What''s this?!"

    From inside, the surprised, but still naturally yful voice of the clown-faced man could be heard as he witnessed him walk through the door, d in his obscuring, full-body armor of living scales.

    "...Sirius��?"

    As he walked in, his name was called, looking over to see Emilia left on the ground with torn clothes and a bloodied cheek.

    Immediately, seeing her in that condition, his gaze moved to Caeruleus, who looked ill-prepared for such an encounter.

    "Vainglory had you�C! What''s the meaning of this?!" Caeruleus spit out his words in a pure, confused rage, "Nevermind that, I''ll handle you now�C!"

    As Caeruleus prepared to snap his fingers towards him to invoke what he could only imagine was his dream magic�Cnothing urred.

    "Huh��?" Caeruleus let out low and quietly.

    Before his eyes, his entire left hand was cut from his wrist with only residual sparks of magenta lightning being proof that any action was taken.

    "My hand, my hand, my hand, my hand, my hand�C!" Caeruleus repeated in a maddened haze, sweating and screaming as he held his wrist.

    Just as the clown-faced man brought his gaze up, the man who attacked him disappeared from his sight with speed beyond his perception.

    Crack.

    With an unseen, swift, but brutal strike, he reappeared behind Caeruleus, who had his neck contorted all the way around, snapped in half before his body fell limp to the ground.

    "Sirius��?!" Emilia called out again.

    He stood there, breathing heavily as he attempted to control his emotions that were amplified by the scales, slowly regaining control as he relinquished the ability.

    As the scales vanished, his skin wasden in sweat as he wiped his cheek, extending his hand down to the amber-haired woman after undying her ropes.

    "That settles that, right?" He said with a small, wry smile.

    "Sirius��how did you�C?"

    "A bit of apse in judgment from the enemy. The other guy fled, though," he told her.

    Looking down at the limp, broken body of the dream weaver, he remembered the state of the capital.

    That''s right, she doesn''t know the city of Yulimium yet, does she? He thought.

    Out of nowhere, the body of Caeruleus contorted, shaking and convulsing before an ominous, abstractughter cackled from seemingly every direction.

    "...That was indeed fun. It seems I''ve been bested��for now. Caeruleus, the magician, shall make his grand reentrance�Csomeday!"

    A sudden onught of butterflies came from each direction, blocking his vision before he swiped his arm, casting the insects away with lightning.

    "Sirius!" Emilia called out.

    As she did, he brought his gaze down, realizing he waspletely absent from the room now, leaving only a trail of hecklingughter.

    "Tch," he clicked his tongue.

    Before he could attempt to rush out of the door to try and pursue him, Emilia grabbed onto his arm stopping him.

    "Emilia��?" He looked at her.

    The woman only softly shook her head, holding a look of worry on her face.

    ��Can I even call this a win? He thought.

    Waiting until Emilia had her cheek bandaged and had time to calm down, he sat down across from her in the furnitureless living room of the floor above the basement.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know now isn''t really the time for bad news, but��" He said, trailing his words.

    "Tell me," Emilia assured adamantly.

    He looked at her for a moment, noting the strength in her eyes before continuing, "While we were separated, I ran into a group of people that knew about the infiltration from Belmon. They got wiped out, but I found something out: roughly ten-percent of the poption of the city has been infiltrated."

    Emilia''s eyes widened at that number, "Ten percent��? That many? That''s thousands, at least."

    He nodded, "Frankly, something like this is out of my expertise�Cour expertise�Cso I think it''ll be our best bet to head back to Old Treyna, as soon as possible."

    That was the hard part.

    He knew Emilia was somebody that stuck to a mission like glue once epting it, due to her code of integrity as an assassin. He couldn''t me her; more than anything, he wanted to take out the Argonauts, but Belmon''s infiltration took far more priority.

    "...I see," Emilia said quietly.

    "You��see?" He repeated, surprised that she seemed toe to the same conclusion as him.

    Emilia caressed her bandaged cheek, "You can return to Old Treyna and deliver news of Belmon''s actions here, and I''ll stay and finish the mission."

    He immediately let out an exasperated breath, knocking his knuckles against the woman''s head lightly.

    "What was that for?!" Emilia said, holding her head.

    "Idiot! We either both go, or we both stay!" He told her.

    Emilia looked conflicted, wincing at the two potential paths to go down as he knelt in front of her, this time carrying a serious tone to himself.

    "Look, you know how badly I''d like to eliminate the Argonautsing here. I know how badly they need to be taken out, and how much Briswall needs to be stopped," he told her, looking directly at her now, "But, we can stop Briswall another day. If we don''t move now and get the Foundation on this case, more lives will be lost. We can''t save those lives another day. There''s no second chances with that, there''s no "trying again"--but with Briswall, we know exactly where he''s at."

    As he told her this, Emilia stayed silent for a minute before finally nodding her head.

    "...Why is it now of all times you''re acting responsible?"

    "I guess it takes a lot for me to be serious, huh?" Heughed to try and lighten the mood.

    Emilia looked at him, "Alright, let''s return to Old Treyna. You''re right��Briswall can be stopped another time, but the people of Yulimium don''t have that kind of time."

    "Alright! Let''s head out then�CI hope you don''t mind the "Sirius Express", though!" He extended his hand.

    Emilia hesitantly took his hand, "...Thank you, Sirius."

    "Huh? For what?"

    She stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head with a smile, "Nothing. Let''s go."

    He returned her smile before gripping her hand, bringing her with him as he used his spatial abilities to warp them above the city, traveling the skies with her in his grasp.

    "...This is not what I expected!" Emilia yelled out as her voice was contested by the strong winds, her cheeks pping in its pull.

    "Ha-ha! Speed is of the essence, partner!" He told her with augh, carefree as he held her through the air.

    Not only did they travel above the clouds, but the speed in which he traveled was no different from lightning itself�Che didn''t lie, speed was what he prioritized. Beyond theughter he gave, he knew the severity of the situation.

    Lives are at stake here. Every moment counts, he thought.

    After returning to the Hollow Foundation and giving the information he gathered to Lord Ferstaus, a special team was formed by the council to aid Yulimium in repelling Belmon, consisting of ten ruby ranks, six stygians, and three celestials.

    It would be an operation both issued in secret and famous to those privy to it�C"The Gallvania Blood War."

    But, that''s a story for another time.

 Chapter 531 Gladiolus Expansion

    "...You fought an "Orc God"? Frankly, I thought that was just a myth."

    Akshay scratched his head, sitting on the side of the sofa present in the diolus main lobby.

    He sat beside Akshay, plopping onto the couch as he sighed out, handing the proof ofpletion to the man, "Yup. You should probably tell the receptionist about that when you turn it in."

    "The Desmas domain was hit that hard��they''ll probably pay a pretty sizable bonus to diolus for this," Akshay told him.

    "Really?" He looked at the ck-and-white haired man.

    As they were discussing this, the new recruits were settling into their rooms as the night hung over the valley.

    Akshay nodded, "This would''ve been a much bigger problem if diolus didn''t handle it when they did. They''ll recognize that."

    "Nice, nice," he smiled, resting against the sofa.

    Before he could properly settle into thefort of the couch, his cheek was pinched by slender fingers, prompting his eyes to open as he saw Iris standing over him.

    "What did I say aboutying on the couch before bathing?" Iris sighed out.

    "Right, right��" He sat up, stretching with a yawn.

    As he got up, ruffling his locks as he moved towards the bath, he was stopped by Akanni emerging from his room.

    "Mr. Nakamura," Akanni said.

    "Just call me Ren," he smiled wryly, looking up at the tall, draconic man, "What''s up?"

    Akanni looked down as if saddened by something, "Are there anyrger beds?"

    After being asked such a question, he peeked past the dark-skinned, demi-human man into his room, looking at the bed then looking back at therge man.

    "Ah��" He let out, "I''ll look into getting one more your size. You''ll have to bear with it for now."

    "Thank you, Ren," Akanni bowed down.

    He dissuaded the notion, waving his hands, "No need to bow, man. I should''ve considered we''d get somerger members."

    After that encounter, he watched as the draconic demi-human attempted toy on his bed, though half of the length of his legs stuck off of the end of the ck-sheeted bed.

    Well, add that to the checklist, he sighed.

    He ventured to his room, finding Iris brushing her hair as he retrieved his casual, nighttime clothes before setting back out of his personal quarters.

    Moving towards the bath, he felt a bit of warmth exude from beyond the door, but when testing the handle, it was unlocked.

    I guess somebody just used it, eh? He thought.

    He opened it, entering and closing the door behind him as he set his clothes on the bathhouse, marble counter as he ruffled his own white locks a bit, feeling his exhausted body yearn for the warmth of the bath.

    As he turned to face therge tub itself, he was caught off-guard as it was already filled with hot water,den with bubbles.

    What was more shocking to him was the slender figure residing within the bath; a pale body, without blemishes asvish, jet-ck strands of hair cascaded down her shoulders.

    Only a sparse few bubbles obscured the naughtiest bits, but he had a clear image nheless.

    ��Calytrix? He thought.

    "I see the forces of darkness work to bring us together," the youthful woman said, now looking at him with a blush-apanied smirk.

    "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" He averted his eyes, quickly escaping the bathhouse as he mmed the door shut behind him.

    I saw nothing. I saw nothing. I saw nothing, he repeated in his mind, though the image was baked into his mind, I saw everything�C!<novelnext></novelnext>

    As he stood there, free from the unexpected encounter, Akshay looked at him from the center of the main lobby with a raised eyebrow.

    All he did was shake his head in response from the look of the man, who seemed to understand the situation as he gave him a wry smile in assurance.

    "...We must never speak of this," he whispered to Akshay, patting the man on the shoulder who was reading over some papers, "Iris is a kind girl, but��"

    He shivered at the thought of her finding out about the freak ident that had just urred.

    "Got it," Akshay nodded quietly.

    After a moment, he spoke the man''s name in a serious tone, "Akshay."

    "Yeah?" Akshay replied.

    "We have to rank up fast," he said, looking off into the distance, "We need more bathing rooms."

    "Understood��" Akshay chuckled wryly.

    He waited patiently, and from afar, until Calytrix left the bath in her usual clothes�Cthough he noticed that he didn''t see her unmistakable, ornate dress in the bath house when he was in there briefly.

    While the young-in-appearance women ventured to her room, that neighbored Akanni and Elena, he waited behind Akshay before seizing the bath for himself, mming the door behind him as he huffed.

    "Clear��" He sighed out.

    After removing his armor and dirtied clothes, he looked at his bare, bruised arms with a slight wince as he raised his ck-and-blue limbs.

    "Damn��" He furrowed his eyebrows.

    "Nebulous Lightning" is still pretty difficult to get a hold of, he thought.

    "I probably should''ve had Iris heal this too, huh?" He lightly chuckled to himself before getting into the tub.

    As the hot water met against his sensitive, bruised skin, he winced slightly before quickly epting the pain, being able to rx alongside it as heid in the bath.

    Ever since what happened within Purgatory, pain has changed for me. After so much of it, I guess my body has sort of adapted to it, he thought.

    Sitting in the tub, hearing the passing conversations outside the bathroom between the new guild members, he smiled to himself.

    Rather than waiting for a home to make way for me, I made my own, he thought.

    Getting out of the bath after feeling exhaustion catch up to him, he dried off and switched into his leisurely, nighttime attire that he had brought in with him.

    After exiting the bathroom, he continued to dry his white locks with the towel, keeping it on his shoulders as he saw Akshay getting ready to head out.

    "You can wait until tomorrow to turn that in, you know," heughed, approaching the mixed-haired man.

    Akshay looked at him, "It''s fine, really. I don''t mind. Besides, you all work much harder than me�Cit''s the least I can do."

    "If you say so," he left a pat on the man''s shoulder before beginning to make his way towards his bedroom.

    He was stopped as Akshay called out to him before leaving through the guild doors, "About those personally rmended recruits�C"

    "Oh, right, I almost forgot about that," he scratched his snowy locks.

    "I''ll bring them in tomorrow," Akshay told him.

    "Sounds good," he waved to him, "Night''."

    Akshay simply waved back with a smile before closing the door behind him.

 Chapter 532 Plans Towards The Future

    As he moved towards his bedroom, letting out a yawn, he caught a glimpse of Akanniying across his bed that didn''t support his height, causing his feet to hang off the edge.

    Sorry about that, he thought to himself with a wry chuckle.

    Taking a peek into the room that Felix chose, which was neighbored by nobody as of yet, he saw the shaggy-haired ex-priest making the room his home already as he stored his belongings in a closet.

    Elena''s door was closed, and he didn''t feel like intruding, leaving only Calytrix''s room, which he also didn''t feel like checking�Cfor a different reason.

    ��I feel like something dangerous will happen if I go in there�CI''d rather not make thingsplicated, he sighed out.

    Finally entering his room, he slumped down on the bed directly beside Iris, who was already in a light-purple nightgown, reading a book.

    "It''s pretty lively here now, isn''t it?" He asked, looking up at the ceiling.

    "You say that like we''ve been here all alone for a long time," sheughed quietly.

    He let out a yful sigh as heid his head on the plump pillow behind his head, keeping his hands behind his head as heid, continuing to look at the ceiling.

    "How much longer do you think it''ll be?" He asked.

    Iris looked at him, "How long until what?"

    "Mastorn," he answered.

    Sheid beside him in silence for a moment as he rified his question, slowly closing her book as she stared towards the ceiling as well.

    "It''s almost been four years since I came to this world," he told her, reminiscing a bit, "I''ve��experienced a lot. Yet, somehow, it feels like I''ve hardly moved forward in the grand scheme of things. It feels like we''ve made no progress on Beatrice''s mission."

    "Mother is cautious, that''s all. There''s no point in rushing things when we''ve really only got one chance, right?" Iris told him as her azure locks were resting on her shoulders.

    "I get it�CI do, but we haven''t even been told of anything, have we? Is she doing anything? What is she doing? I don''t know. She doesn''t tell us anything," he said, "it all feels��disjointed? I don''t know."

    Iris sat up, hugging her knees close to her chest as she looked at him with her blue, bright jewels, "You need to learn how to rx, Ren."

    "Huh?" He looked at her, "I spent two years rxing, I think I''ve done my part on rxing."

    "That''s not what I mean��I''m just saying that you can leave those ns to Mother," Iris looked at her hands, "...I know she can be difficult to trust sometimes, but she is taking care to make sure when we make our move, it''s done the best way it can be done."

    He returned her gaze for a moment, "If you say so."

    After that, they both decided to call it a day and rest, which came easily after a day of partaking in a rather taxing quest.

    With the rise of the next morning, he was surprisingly greeted at the doorstep of diolus by a man he wasn''t all too acquainted with.

    "Yo."

    Greeting him, and simultaneously towering over him, the Ounder with long, golden locks looked down at him.

    Noah��I''m not too familiar with him. I think he returned while I was in Purgatory, he thought.

    "...Morning," he returned the man''s greeting, confused by his presence at his guild.

    "Beatrice sent me," Noah told him boredly, pointing his thumb behind him at the Ounder guild entrance that neighbored diolus, "Bring Iris and Sirius with you, too. It''s important, apparently."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Important? Hey, have you seen Sirius? I haven''t seen him in a bit," He asked before the towering, bored-eyed man could leave.

    Noah turned around, cracking his neck side-to-side casually, "Beats me."

    How helpful, he sighed out to himself.

    Waiting until Iris finished her morning bath and got dressed in her usual attire, same as him, wearing his armor around even within the premises of the foundation, he left, seeing that the other guild members were either still asleep or attending breakfast, served by Felix.

    "Let''s make this quick," he sighed out, walking alongside his partner, "Akshay is bringing in the members he personally recruited today."

    "Oh, that''s right, I''m kind of excited about that," Iris smiled, holding her hands behind her back.

    "I''m d you''re excited. I''m just hoping they aren''t a band of lunatics," he ruffled his snowy locks.

    Iris frowned yfully, "You need to have more trust in your guild. You''re their leader now."

    "Right, right, I''m just kidding," he smiled.

    As expected, once they entered the Ounder guild premises, all of its members, save for Sirius, were gathered at the meeting hall, with the tinum-haired Sage standing in the center�Comitting her usual smile.

    "Wee, Ren, Iris, I''m d you two could make it," Beatrice greeted them.

    "You say that like we aren''t next door neighbors��" He chuckled quietly.

    "Sirius isn''t with you?" Sora asked, leaning against the leftmost wall with his husky arms folded across his chest.

    He shook his head, "Last I heard, he was undertaking a "ck Quest", whatever that is."

    Fai added in, "A ck Quest? Well, that''s shitty timing."

    "He can be informed when he returns; it''s no matter," Beatrice assured.

    With that, the attention of the dozen otherworlders present in the room all focused on the Sage, who seemed to hold some significant words for all of them.

    "Three months from now, the "Festival of Heroes" will take ce," Beatrice announced.

    Though they seemed like words that held weight, he didn''t understand what they meant, and apparently, half of those in the room didn''t.

    "The what now?" Fai asked, leaning forward from the sofa he sat on.

    "I''m not familiar, either," Brahmi added.

    "Same here," Tristan raised his hand half-assedly.

    On the other hand, Noah didn''t even seem to be listening, lounging on the floor behind the couch with closed eyes.

    Beatrice exined, "It''s a once in a decade festival that urs all across Mastorn, celebrating the heroes that founded it. Each city throws sleepless parades for the weeklong festival, and people from all around the worlde to participate."

    "...What''s that got to do with anything, then? I don''t think any of us are exactly looking to party with Mastorn," Sora interjected.

 Chapter 533 Contortion Of Goals

    Beatrice exined, "It''s a once in a decade festival that urs all across Mastorn, celebrating the heroes that founded it. Each city throws sleepless parades for the weeklong festival, and people from all around the worlde to participate."

    "...What''s that got to do with anything, then? I don''t think any of us are exactly looking to party with Mastorn," Sora interjected.

    Donatien, adjusting his sses, added in, "Can''t you use what little brain matter is in your head to discern that for yourself?"

    "Say what?" Sora raised one of his vermilion eyebrows at the sses-wearing man.

    "I don''t believe I stuttered," Donatien held his words firmly.

    Before they could continue into what would result in a perpetually growing back-and-forth of insults, Beatrice answered the vermilion-haired man''s question, "...It''s by far our greatest opportunity at reaching King Held."

    The��king? He thought, surprised by these words.

    Those words alone silenced any doubt from those in the room, all watching the sage intently now for her to continue.

    "I see, that has grasped your attention, hasn''t it?" She smiled a bit before continuing, "It''s indeed true; the Festival of Heroes is the most vulnerable time a ruler of Mastorn can be in."

    "Why''s that, exactly?" Tristan questioned, sitting beside Brahmi and Natalia.

    "During the time of the festival, the king visits each city, though it goes without saying he will be escorted by the King''s des," Beatrice informed them, "However, during the "Gauntlet of Triumph", the diatorial event of the festival, our most opportune time to strike wille."

    There weren''t any questions now, only intent gazes with closely-listening ears that waited for the sage to continue.

    "He will be sitting there, in the same ce, for that entire day��" Beatrice exined, "A better chance will note."

    "Doesn''t sound too bad," Fai said, moving his hand a bit as he shrugged, "You''re making it sound dire."

    "If it were this simple to deal with King Held, we would not be in this situation, I assure you," Beatice turned her cosmic gaze to the man momentarily, "None of this matters while "Gaol" is still operating within the capital."

    "Gaol?" He spoke out, not recognizing the name used.

    It seemed a few of them knew the name, but more didn''t, however, Beatrice promptly gave an answer:

    "..."Gaol" is in a way, the greatest asset belonging to Mastorn. He is a man born with an innate ability that sits on the threshold of godhood�C"absolute sight". With his unique eyes, he can see each and every ongoing within the entirety of Mastorn as if omnipresent. Beyond that, he can extend this sight by lending his eyes to scouts, and even peek briefly into the threads of destinies yet to pass. If you''re curious as to how the Argonauts tend to find us, it''s Gaol to give credit to."

    Sora scratched his head, "It''s all because of him. He''s a real pass in the ass, that guy."

    ? Pushing his sses up as he looked intently at the tinum-haired woman, Donatien spoke, "Are you saying that this will also be our chance to erase Gaol from the equation?"

    "So he''s like a super "security system" for all of Mastorn? Sounds troublesome��" He said.

    Kazuya, having stayed silent the entire time, chuckled just a bit at thatparison.

    "If Gaol is really this wless trump card of Mastorn, then what''re we supposed to do in the first ce?" Fai asked.

    "Yeah��won''t he see our attacking?" Iris added in, standing beside Ren.

    Beatrice closed one eye with a slight smile, "That''s why we''ll deal with him ahead of time. This is the reason I''ve called you all here��it is time to prepare for our first assault on Mastorn, before the Festival of Heroes."

    "Wait, the festival isn''t what we''re getting ready for?" Brahmi asked.

    Beatrice shook her head lightly, looking directly at the snowy-haired young man.

    "Ren."

    "��Yeah?"

    "Your ability: "Heaven-Earth Disconnect", you call it? That foresight it gives you makes you the only one among us capable ofbating Gaol''s absolute sight," the sage told him.

    He rubbed his head a bit as now all eyes were on him, matching Beatrice''s gaze, "So you''re pretty much telling me it''s my job to handle this guy?"

    I''m not opposed to something like this. I''m actually kind of excited, honestly. I''ve wanted this�Cprogress towards overturning Mastorn, he thought.

    "Wait, Mother��!" Iris called out to contest this idea, but was stopped as he raised his hand, "Ren��?"

    Beatrice confirmed this idea with a nod, "Of course, you won''t be going into Mastorn alone, however��only a select few will be allowed to go with you. Specifically, those whose appearances aren''t known to Mastorn."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Donatien interjected, "That crosses out practically all of us," the man looked begrudged to admit.

    "It''s no issue," Beatrice assured, "Even if it were not the case, the number of those undergoing this mission would be the same. It must be a small number, less you wish to draw the gaze of Gaol."

    "And this mission��it''s important to overturning the current rule of Mastorn?" He asked.

    "Without removing Gaol, there will be no chance of striking down King Held," Batrice told him.

    "I''m not against doing this, but, I have to know�Cwhat''s the risk of dying on this mission?"

    His question was the most paramount of all.

    If there was one lesson he learned through the two years he took away from the forefront of it all, it was that his life wasn''t just an asset to be used.

    Beatrice looked at him before answering, "It goes without saying that a trip into the capital of Mastorn, targeting one of their most valued persons��is one thates with a possibility of lethality," she continued, "However, with the allies at your side, and the strength you possess, with the knowledge I have�Cthis can be done without any casualties, quite easily, if you execute this well."

    As vague as ever, he thought.

    "So��who''sing?" He asked, looking at Beatrice.

    The room fell silent as the Sage took a moment to respond, leaving her pale hands on thep of her all-ck dress.

    "Apanying you will be: Iris, Kazuya, Noah, Brahmi, and Tristan."

    Those who had their names called raised their nces, though it seemed they could already tell by the fact they weren''t actively wanted by Mastorn.

    "Kazuya? Are you sure he''s ready for something like this?" Tristan asked, sitting forward as his colorless locks shifted.

    The graphite-haired delinquent, with his coat still hanging on his shoulders like a cape, spoke up for himself, "I am."

    Tristan looked at him for a moment as if trying to find the answer, but Kazuya''s words were aided.

    "I can attest to him," Fai added with a smirk, "Little bastard''s gotten strong."

    He frankly didn''t know how to feel about the group he was assigned with, but he was at least d to have Iris with him��or, somewhat.

    "I''d like the rest of you to stay diligent and aim for peak positione the festival in three months," Beatrice said, "Those undertaking the Gaol mission, let us meet again tomorrow once I receive word from our inside helper."

    With those words, the Sage dispelled the room, allowing everybody to return to their normal business, but it wasn''t quite that easy with the stress and excitement of the mission toe looming over.

    They stayed at the Ounder guild sector for a bit, sitting at the lounge as Sora and Fai didn''t waste any time resuming their workout routine.

    "Iris��You don''t have toe, you know?" He muttered to her.

    "I''m going," Iris adamantly told him, holding his hand as their rings met.

    He let out a small sigh, "Well, I can''t say I didn''t expect ack of stubbornness from you. Honestly, I wonder where you''re getting it from?"

    Iris pouted yfully a bit beforeughing with him, "Alright, enough of that! You said Akshay was bringing the rest of the guild members today, right? We should probably head back then�Cit''d be bad if we showed up after them."

    "Yeah, that''d definitely be a pretty crappy first impression, wouldn''t it? I can''t tell whether I''m excited or sad about the ce not being so quiet anymore," he said, walking along with her as they strolled towards the exit of the Ounder sector.

    "Again, you make it sound like we''ve been there for a long time," Irisughed.

    Caught again in that same thought, he sighed outically before smiling, leaving the guild sector after waving off to Sora and Fai.

    "Still, a mission like this��" Iris muttered as soon as they passed through the doors.

    "I know," he nodded with a slight smile, "It''s pretty scary, isn''t it? I haven''t been back to Mastorn since��well, yeah," his smile faded, "All this time, meeting other Argonauts, the Victorious Seven, and hearing stories��it''s a pretty intimidating ce."

    "Yeah��"

    "That doesn''t change anything, though," he told her, keeping hold of her hand with a smile returning across his lips, "This is what has to happen. If we want to live out our lives in this world, Mastorn has to be stopped�CKing Held has to be stopped. It just so happens that the burden falls on our shoulders."

 Chapter 534 Oval Enigma

    "That doesn''t change anything, though," he told her, keeping hold of her hand with a smile returning across his lips, "This is what has to happen. If we want to live out our lives in this world, Mastorn has to be stopped�CKing Held has to be stopped. It just so happens that the burden falls on our shoulders."

    Iris shook her head with a shared smile as her azure locks cascaded down her slender shoulders, "It''s not just us. All of the Ounders, and a lot of other people, are working towards this. We''ll make it."

    "I know," he smiled as well.

    Entering through the diolus guild doors they settled down on the couches in the center area of the guild hall, waiting for Akshay and his specially chosen members to arrive.

    "...I just realized, he didn''t really give us a time, did he?" He asked boredly.

    "Most people don''t really have specifics on the time, Ren," she told him.

    "I know, I know��" He let out a small sigh, "Oh, right��what''re we going to do with this?"

    Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a bag of coins that was bulging with fine, valuable currency, juggling it in his palm a bit.

    "What do you mean?" She looked at him.

    "Well, Akshay already divided up the pay to everybody else, so this is our share; is there anything you want to buy?" He asked, still juggling the pouch of coins in his hand.

    Iris swayed her legs a bit as she sat beside him on the safe, looking at him, "There isn''t anything you want?"

    "I asked first."

    "I''m asking now, though," she pressed, sticking her tongue out slightly to tease him.

    He furrowed his eyebrows yfully before setting the pouch down and crossing his arms, returning her gaze a bit as he leaned back against the cushioned furniture, "No clue. Honestly, I''m kind of realizing I don''t have many real��hobbies in this world, you know?"

    "Well, what about reading?" She asked.

    He shook his head, "I do enough of that with studying grimoires. I probably should, though��it''s about as good as I''m going to get in terms of entertainment," he shrugged.

    After hanging around the lobby for another hour, watching as Akanni was busy exercising in his room, doing pull-ups with his tail, Felix, who took it upon himself to clean the guild without being asked, Elena who kept to herself, polishing her sword, time passed.

    Archard, still not seen outside of his armor, tended to the nts he brought with him to his room, which neighbored Memo''s and Samfrey''s rooms. Memo, as unsociable as ever, hardly spoke to anybody as he came and went, not discussing where he was going.

    Samfrey hung out at the lounge with the two for a bit, but headed out to meet up with some of his old adventurer friends. Meanwhile, Calytrix continued to practice what could only be generalized as "dark arts" in her room.

    "It really is lively here already, isn''t it?" He said.

    "Yeah, I don''t mind it, though," she smiled.

    "Same here," he replied quietly.

    It wasn''t longer after that Akshay finally arrived, bringing along with him two new members, one of which was smiling, and the other holding an expression as if it was a bother for her to even be here.

    "It''s a pleasure to meet you! I''m honored to be a part of your guild, Mr. Nakamura, Mrs. Nakamura!" The man with fluffy, bright-orange locks introduced himself, dressed in a khaki suit, tall and slender as he ced his uncalloused hand over his chest, "I am Charles Cas, Gold-first ss. I hope I can be of value to you."

    He was slightly taken aback by how well-mannered the man was, nodding his head after sharing a nce with his wife, who seemed to share the same thought.

    "Y-yeah, d to have you!" He said, cing his hands on the sides of his sable, refined armor.

    "Same here. I''m sure you''ll be great," Iris smiled.

    Akshay added in for the man, standing much shorter than the orange-haired, slender new recruit, "Charles is an expert at obtaining quests. He''ll make sure to find the best jobs, and the right jobs, for everybody," the ck-and-white haired man informed them.

    Charles added in with a smile, "An expert is just too ttering, ha-ha. I do pride myself on my connections, though. I''m also able to scout any information needed, so just ask away!"

    "I see��that does sound pretty valuable," he nodded, putting his hand to his chin.

    After having to stare at the youthful woman with short, dark-blue hair and a prominent, green wizard cap, she finally decided to introduce herself, adjusting her circr-rimmed sses, "Rena. Silver-first ss. I am assuming Akshay brought me here not for mybat experience, but for my connections with the merchants of Old Tryna. Old Treyna is not fertilend; anything but so, as such, the merchants know that they can charge ludicrous prices for their goods. I, however, can prevent that."

    "Oh, that''s wonderful!" Iris held her hands together, "That''ll be invaluable during long quests!"

    "Yeah, you really brought two powerhouses, didn''t you, Akshay?" He asked with a smile.

    Akshay simplyughed briefly, keeping his hands tucked into the pockets of his overcoat, "You put your trust in somebody like me, so I had to show up."

    After that, Akshay showed them to the twost rooms avable in the diolus sector, which neighbored Memo and Archard.

    "Full house, huh?" He muttered.

    "Just like you wanted, right?" Iris smiled up at him.

    He nodded a bit with a smile of his own, "Honestly, this has exceeded my expectations by a whole mile. I''ve got Akshay to thank for that�Che''s been invaluable as a member here."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Stretching his arms out, he looked around as his ears were filled with the ambience of his now full guild, taking it in.

    I did it. I built something. This isn''tplete though�Cnot by a long shot. It''s time to step up as a good guild leader, and cultivate "diolus" into something amazing, he thought.

    A few hours passed of mostly boredom for him.

    With no quests to partake in that day, he chose next to help Akanni pick up the new, supersized bed ordered specifically to amodate hisrge size. Obviously, there wasn''t much need of his assistance as the draconic demi-human was strong enough many times over, but he felt like lending a hand to get to know the man better.

    "You think this one will fit you?" He asked with a smallugh, holding the front of it, walking backward while Akanni held the end.

    Akanni smirked a bit, "I''d hope so."

    As they bothughed a bit, they arrived at the man''s room, which had a natural, forestry smell, sourced by the lit candle in his quarters that were decorated with antiques and tranquil paintings�Ca surprising decor for therge, intimidating man.

    Setting therge bed frame made of darkened wood down in ce of the smaller frame, which was discarded before they started, the mattress was hauled in by Samfrey, who let out a "Hah!" before setting therge, cushiony material down.

    "Looks like a good fit," he said with a smile.

    Samfrey wiped his forehead, "Well, if that doesn''t fit you, big guy, I don''t know what will," the experienced, frosted-haired man chuckled.

    The draconic man didn''t waste any timeying himself down on his new bed to test it, holding a giddy, almost child-like smile as it was more than a proper fit.

    "There you go," he gave a thumbs-up.

    Akanni sat up, "Thanks, Boss!"

    "Yeah, no problem!"

    Heading out, now he set his eyes on what to do on his free day, knowing tomorrow would likely be a stressful one as it pertained to the paramount mission bestowed by Beatrice.

    "So much free time��" He mumbled.

    "Is that so? Then why not study thenguage of the shadows with me?"

    �CHe nearly jumped out of his skin as the smooth, softly spoken words met his ears, followed by the warmth of somebody leaning close to him.

    Of course, it was Calytrix.

    "Huh-?!" He moved to the side a bit.

    "What''s it? Is something the matter? You talked about having "so much free time", so what''s the issue here?" Calytrix smiled up at him.

    "First off, I don''t even know what you''re talking about with this nguage of the shadows" stuff, alright?" He told her, attempting to walk away.

    Before he could make his leave, he was stopped as words both chilling and perplexing left the youthful, gothic girl''s lips:

    "It''s that eye of yours, Ren."

    "What?" He asked quietly, slowly turning back to face her.

    Calytrix held her smile, keeping her hands held behind her back, "I have quite the affinity for darkness, you see. I can sense it, smell it, taste it, and hear its whispers�Cbehind that eye patch, you''re hiding something so potently shrouded in darkness, aren''t you?"

    He raised his hand as a droplet of sweat ran down his cheek, covering the ck, leather eye patch that covered his right eye.

    ��Does she actually know something about this eye? He wondered.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," he answered, trying to brush it away but that only seemed to make the darkly-dressed, pale girl smile more.

    "I see," she grinned, "if you wish to quell the darkness, you''re going about itpletely wrong."

    "What''re you talking about?"

    Calytrix walked closer to him, trailing her hand over his chest as he could only stand still out of perplexion, looking down as the enigmatic, violet-eyed girl who pulled away, tapping her cheek with her ck-painted fingernail.

    "Hmm��it really is so strong��intoxicating, almost," Calytrix mumbled with a pleased smile before matching his confused gaze, "You''re attempting to muffle the darkness in that eye of yours, aren''t you? What do you believe you''re doing by covering it up? You''re shrouding it in further, absolute darkness."

    "What''re you trying to tell me?"

    "I wonder," Calytrix left him with that vague wonder, returning to her room with a smallugh.

    He was left perplexed by her odd, enigmatic behavior, but he felt she wasn''t trying to be malicious, but actually intending to help.

 Chapter 535 A Mission Above All Else

    He was left perplexed by her odd, enigmatic behavior, but he felt she wasn''t trying to be malicious, but actually intending to help.

    "Is something the matter?"

    The question came from one of the newest members of the guild, Charles, who greeted him with a smile from his fair, handsome expression.

    "No, I''m alright," he put on a smile, though still left perplexed, "Are you settling in well?"

    Charles chuckled a bit, rummaging his bright, orange tufts, "Well, about as much as I can. That man, Memo, is it? He isn''t exactly a weing neighbor, is he? I tried to introduce myself to him, but hepletely ignored me while wiping down that giant sword of his. It kinda felt like he was trying to scare me off, honestly��"

    "He isn''t. That''s just how he is though, don''t take it too hard," heughed wryly.

    ? It was an issue he knew was present; Memo wasn''t particrly the most sociable or amiable person, hardly exchanging a few words a day as he kept to his own room most of the time.

    Maybe I should talk to him? Is that too overbearing of me? I don''t know, he thought to himself, rubbing the back of his head.

    "Don''t stress about it, really! I wasn''t trying to say anything," Charles assured him with a worriedugh.

    "No, it''s alright. I understand," he gave Charles a pat on the shoulder, "...I was probably going to have to talk to him anyway. Oh, right, speaking of that�Cwhen will you be able to fetch quests for everybody?"

    Charles looked at him for a moment before rubbing his chin in thought, nodding, "Do you have the documents of each member? I''ve really only had the chance to do basic introductions with them, but I''d hate to pry information from them. If I at least know their general strengths, I can find work for them."

    "The documents should be��Ah, I think they''re in Akshay''s room," he snapped his fingers.

    Venturing into the private quarters of the youthful-seeming, mixed-haired man, he didn''t seem as if he had even slept the night before, greeting them immediately after a single knock.

    "What''s up?" Akshay asked.

    He was still wearing his baggy, weathered trench coat, which seemed odd for indoors in the nice temperature sector, and for being in his room.

    "Charles needs the documents for the members. You have them, right?" He asked.

    Akshay thought for a moment before nodding, "Yeah, one second.

    The short, frail-looking man went to the red-wood dresser ced in his room that was littered with papers scattered everywhere, though miraculously, the documents were neatly maintained in one of the shelves.

    He must be hard at work with something. He does seem like a guy with a lot of connections, he thought.

    "Here," Akshay handed the papers off to him.

    "Thanks," he epted the documents, still standing there for a moment, "Is everything alright?"

    Akshay looked up at him, trying to at least try to spruce up his room, collecting the scattered papers, "...Yeah, just personal stuff."

    "I see. Well, if you need anything, just yell."

    "Got it," Akshayughed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Leaving the man''s room, he returned to Charles, who waited just beyond the bedroom doors, cing the documents in the pale, smooth hands of the slender man.

    "Thanks," Charles smiled, "I''ll look through these. I can probably find some quests for everybody over the next few days."

    "Appreciate it."

    Charles stopped him, "What about you, and Mrs. Iris? Should I find something for the two of you?"

    He thought about it for a moment, but shook his head, "No, I''m probably going to be busy for the foreseeable future."

    "I see. Good luck with that," Charles smiled and waved him off with the papers in hand.

    It felt as if everything had slid into ce, at least in terms of managing the guild. He returned to his room, where Iris was, reading a grimoire and practicing magecraft, manifesting sparse, brief lights.

    "Are the neers adjusting?" Iris asked, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a smile after closing the grimoire.

    He shrugged, "It''s only been a few hours, I think it takes more than that," heughed a little.

    A moment of pause followed as he looked around, ncing past the prominent window in the room that looked out into the barrennd beyond the foundation.

    "Are you thinking about something?" She asked, noticing the distant look in his eyes.

    After a moment of pacing around the room, he plopped down on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

    "We''re probably going to be away for a couple months. At least, not very active around here. Between Gaol and the festival, I mean," he said, "I''m just wondering if things will be fine here when we''re not here."

    Iris sat beside him, wearing avender dress with all-white knee high socks, "It''ll be fine. All of the adventurers in diolus are experienced, and Akshay will be able to handle all of the background work. Charles, too."

    "Yeah, you''re probably right."

    "It''s normal to worry," she assured him with a smile,ying beside him, nting a gentle kiss on his forehead, "but, try not to worry everybody else by worrying a little too much, alright?"

    He was caught with slightly pink cheeks, nodding, "Fine, fine."

    After using the rest of the day to exercise lightly, training with his sword, and also partaking in some grimoire studying beside his wife, the day of freedom before the daunting task assigned by Beatrice woulde.

    By the early morning of the next day, he already informed Akshay of what might be happening, though he''d prefer if Sirius returned in time to take charge in his absence, showing up alongside Iris at the Ounder sector, dressed fully in armor as the mission could be beginning on that very day.

    "Thank you for taking the time to show up, Iris, Ren," Beatrice told them.

    "Yeah, yeah, you knew we''d be here," he sighed quietly.

    In Beatrice''s chambers, now feeling ustrophobic with the amount of people in it, were all of those partaking in the Gaol mission: Iris, Kazuya, Noah, Brahmi, Tristan, and himself.

    "...So, let us begin: "The Mission To Save The World", on this day," Beatrice announced.

 Chapter 536 Months Pass

    [One Month Later. Artheria Road, Tilburr region, Mastorn.]

    Riding inside of a basic, almost shoddy carriage, he fixed his boots, adjusting theces before sitting up. Seated across from him were the white-haired, stoic man�CTristan�Cand the tan-skinned, muscr woman�CBrahmi.

    Directly beside him, he looked over at Iris, who was fiddling with her magic staff on her leap as the wheels of the carriage pulled forward during the hours of the early morning.

    Kazuya and Noah were riding in a separate carriage, on a different road, so as to not attract too many eyes to them.

    They had been riding, going from carriage to carriage, stopping at small towns on the way, for well over a week by this point, though they had an initial boost in travel with the use of a titan ray.

    "Halfway there, right?" He asked, looking outside of the window.

    Beyond the window veiled by the violet curtain he parted with his glove, he could see three, colossal mountains huddled together in the near distance, crowned by magnificent, sky-surpassing trees that resembled Grandfather trees.

    Brahmi answered, "Yeah. The sage said something about those triplet mountains marking the halfway point to the capital, or something, right?"

    "Don''t ask me," Tristan replied.

    Sirius returned the day before we left. He tried to act like his normal,ckadaisical self, but I could tell something was off. I caught him up with everything since he wasn''t included in the mission due to him being "Public Enemy #1" for Mastorn.

    As the vice-founder alongside Iris, he was given the responsibility to look over diolus while we''re gone, but I think Akshay is going to really be the one pulling his weight there, he thought.

    "Are you alright, Ren?"

    The question came from Iris, who sat shoulder-to-shoulder with him, cing her pale, lithe hand on top of his own.

    He gave the blue-haired significant other of his a reassuring smile as he nodded, "Yeah. Just wondering if Sirius and Akshay will be able to hold everything together while we''re gone."

    "You''re really bugging that much about your guild?" Brahmi asked him, budding into their conversation.

    "Yeah, that''s normal, isn''t it?" He raised an inquisitive eyebrow to the woman, folding his arms across his chest.

    Brahmiughed a bit, "I guess, maybe, if you''re a punk."

    "A punk?" He said with a wry smile.

    Iris waved her hand a bit with a smallugh, "Brahmi��"

    It was normal for the brash woman to be just that�Cbrash. She told it to him like it was while the wheels of the carriage being pulled over the dirt road contested her volume.

    "You''ve been with the Ounders for a while now, right?"

    "Right," he nodded.

    "Then you should know firsthand that people don''t need a leader to stay together�Cthey need a bond! Or��something like that! You get what I''m saying right?" Brahmi nudged him with her elbow, leaning forward.

    "You''d be hard-pressed to find anybody who gets what you''re saying," Tristanmented under his breath, keeping his eyes closed as he tried to nap for the umpteenth time.

    Hearing his smallment, Brahmi casually elbowed the pale, darkly-dressed Ounder in the side as he jumped a bit, but continued attempting his nap.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Er, I think so��?" He rubbed his head, ncing to the side at Iris.

    "Damn, kid, it''s not that difficult!" Brahmi told him, tapping her foot against the floor of the carriage, causing it to shake unnecessarily, "If your guildmates have any respect for you, or each other, and maybe somemon goals, then they''ll be fine!"

    "Is that so?" Heughed a bit.

    Looking between Iris and Tristan, he didn''t know just how reputable the words from the outgoing, hot-headed woman were.

    She''s right, though. I should just trust in diolus, he thought.

    "Let''s go over this again��We''re a group of four adventurers from the Journey Foundation, right?" He asked.

    "Yeah," Iris nodded, reaching beneath the mantle of her outfit to retrieve a ruby-shaded insignia that was distinctly different from the one she usually wore, instead housing a design of spiraling scales, "They went through a lot of work to get us these Journey Foundation insignias."

    He pulled out an insignia of the same color, "Yeah. I guess the Journey Foundation and the Hollow Foundation really do have simr adventurer establishments."

    Brahmi lounged on the seat, taking up most of the space, much to the quiet annoyance of the man attempting to rest beside her, "What was our fake group supposed to be called again? "Great Smashers", or somethin'' like that?"

    "..."Grand Busters"--that''s our group name," he corrected her with a slight pink to his cheeks.

    The cheesy, over-the-top name waspletely of his own creation.

    "Is all of this "pretend" crap really necessary? Mastorn doesn''t have our faces. The only one they maybe have is Ren, but he lookspletely different now�Clike,pletely different," Brahmi rubbed her head, "What''s the point?"

    Iris answered her question, adjusting the way her skirt sat on her legs, "It''s impossible to infiltrate Mastorn�Cthere''s no changing that. There are no openings to get into the capital, not unless you go through the front gates directly. We wouldn''t be allowed in as just random travelers, but as distinguished adventurers of the Journey Foundation, that will be easy."

    "I see, I see," Brahmi nodded, "Makes sense."

    "Beatrice exined all of this already during the meeting, dumbass," Tristan muttered.

    Another elbow came from Brahmi to Tristan for his snarkyment made under his breath, continuing the conversation as if nothing happened.

    "It''s that, and we wouldn''t even be permitted to be in the same section of the city where Gaol is located without being adventurers of at least ruby-rank," he added.

    "..."The Heavenly Keep", right?" Brahmi spoke seriously now.

    Such words caused even Tristan''s sleepless eyes to open once more.

    "That''s the information Beatrice was waiting to get from the Princess, huh?" Brahmi asked.

    "I only heard about it recently�Cthe alliance between the Ounders and Princess Getrude''s knight squadron��" Irismented.

    "It''s a hard pill to swallow, ain''t it? Working together with a Mastornian�Croyalty, at that," Brahmi said with a slight cheekiness to her tone.

    "I trust Mother''s judgment��From what I''ve heard, Princess Getrude is nothing like her father�Cdespite her royal upbringing, she puts her duty as a knight first. I think��she knows her father is bad for Mastorn, and she wants to help," Iris responded.

 Chapter 537 The Ride

    The carriage interior fell silent for a moment as only the sounds of the wheels rolling across the length road filled the passing winds.

    "...Anyway, back on track!" He pped his hands together, moving the topic back where it was supposed to be, "this "Heavenly Keep"--it''s practically the most secure ce in Mastorn, maybe more so than the royal castle itself, from what Beatrice told us, anyway. We''re not getting anywhere near it if they think we''re random travelers, let alone full-fledged wanted criminals."

    "Seriously, just what kind of guy is this "Gaol", anyway? To be more protected than the king, sheesh��" Brahmi leaned her cheek against her palm.

    "Were you paying attention at all to what Beatrice told us?" Tristan asked, "He''s not more guarded than the king, though. It''s a bit of old intel, but it''s said the king is always protected by the "King''s de"--the most elite knights within Mastorn, besides the Victorian Seven themselves. If that isn''t enough, apparently there''s always at least one of the Seven at the royal castle, and a few handpicked Argonauts as well. On top of that, Gaol is watching over the royal castle the entire time."

    After noticing the sharp re transmitted from the toned-woman to the indifferent, stoic man, he let out a smallugh, "Anyway��it''s important that we stick to the guidelines given to us. I may not like her very much, but the Sage does know her stuff."

    "Yeah, yeah, I can''t argue that," Brahmi scratched her head, "We''re still a week out from the capital, so we don''t have to stress out about all of this crap yet!"

    "Weren''t you the one who asked?" Iris wryly replied.

    "Not the point."

    After another hour of slogging through the wilnds of Mastorn, surrounded by the natural, flourishing spring verdancy and the tall valleys the country was known for, the sun began to set just as they passed into the next town amidst their journey.

    "Bisdra," the carriage driver told them, opening the slidable window from his section upfront, "this is as far as I''m going. My poor gals have been going for days straight now."

    Of course, the humble, unassuming carriage driver was somebody specifically trusted by the Hollow Foundation itself. It wasn''t an umon urrence, though they weren''t explicitly a part of the foundation, many in Mastorn sympathized with their goals, unhappy with the current state of the kingdom.

    "That''s fine," Tristan told the driver as they all hopped out of the carriage, hanging him a few, shining coins.

    The carriage driver nodded his small, ck hat to the man, "Don''t worry, Bisdra is as quiet of a major town as it gets in thisnd. Look for a man named "Darius" at the Staple, he''ll take you on forward down the rest of the way. I advise waiting until morning, though."

    "Thanks, old man," he thanked the driver.

    The gratuitous, yet backhanded remark made the man simply smile before nodding, pulling away as the group ventured into the city.

    Though it was recognized as a "major town" within Mastorn, it wasn''t asvish, advanced, or as secure as any of the other of its category, though it flourished with tourists all the same. There were no guards to stop them at the entrance of the tall, log-built gates, they were simply allowed entry by virtue ofing in through the carriage.

    "It stinks of booze��" He scrunched his nose,menting on the very first thing that came to mind upon entering Bisdra.

    "Well, let''s see," Brahmi began to count, pointing to the light, loud establishment neighboring the streets that were still lively for the four, "...one��two��five. I count five taverns already."

    "Five?!" He let out in surprise.

    "...Let''s just find an inn," Iris suggested.

    "Good idea," he nodded a few times.

    Though they both could already tell the amusement park of booze was already attempting to entice Brahmi, who already began to walk towards one of the open-doored, boisterous taverns.

    Luckily, Tristan got a handle on the back of the short-cut, ck tank top she wore, tugging her back as the group continued to search for a proper inn.

    "I don''t need to remind you that our mission is top priority, Brahmi," he told her.

    "I know, but what''s the harm in a little bit of fun? We''ve got to ease up just as much as we tense up," she contested.

    Tristan looked her dead in the eyes with his lifeless, amethyst gems, "We absolutely can''t risk being discovered. Even if we seed in eliminating our target, it means nothing if they know it was us who did it. It would put the Festival mission in jeopardy. Do you understand?"

    The serious words make Brahmi avert her gaze as she pulled herself away from his grip, "I got it."

    In the center of the town of such constant celebration, yet inhabiting a rxing atmosphere, a towering pole with rune-based lighting switched on as the sun ducked beneath the horizon.

    It didn''t take long for them to find an inn as they came hand-in-hand with the existence of taverns, walking up short steps and into the log-built establishment.

    The interior smelled of pine and toasted firewood, made clear by the prominent, stone firece that upied the lobby of therge inn.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wee! Are all four of you looking to stay in a group room?" The freckled receptionist asked, holding her hands in a respectful manner.

    Tristan held two fingers up while sliding a few coins over the counter, "Two rooms."

    The nce Tristan gave back to him was as if saying "I know you two love birds need a room for yourselves"��though he appreciated it.

    "I see," the pale, ginger receptionist nodded with a weing smile, "right this way then!"

    Led to their rooms that had to be scaled up to the second story via carpeted stairs, the four split off into their rooms.

    The sounds of likely drunk patrons of the inn snoring was audible from the corridor, though it was its own ambience of Bidra, apparently.

    "Meet us in the lounge, first thing in the morning," Tristan told them.

    "Got it," he nodded.

    "Yeah," Iris nodded as well with a smile.

    "Good," Tristan said boredly, rubbing his head, "Just make sure to get a good night''s rest, and try not to get into any funny business."

    What does he mean by that?! He thought.

    Settling into their room for the night, the two not-so-newlyweds plopped down on the green-sheeted, plump bed.

    "...What a long day," he sighed.

    "Yeah," Iris let out a sigh of her own as well, exuding her exhaustion, "Who knew just sitting inside of a carriage for days straight could be so exhausting?"

    "Well, we weren''t exactly given beauty sleep with the bumpy roads, and Brahmi''s snoring��not to speak of the cheese and stale bread they packed for us," he groaned, sprawling out on the bed.

    Irisughed at hisical displeasure with the conditions of the journey,ying beside him, but soon her smile faded, "Hey, Ren?"

    "Yeah?" He said, looking up at the wooden ceiling.

    "Are you��scared?" She asked.

    The question made him pause for a moment before he answered, not batting an eye as he continued to stare up, nodding, "A bit."

    His answer seemed to surprise her slightly, but he continued, cing his hand over the eye patch he wore, "Honestly, Mastorn scares the hell out of me. Between the Argonauts, knights, Victorious Seven, and whatever else��there''s just so much to worry about. We''re diving right into the heart of all of that."

    Iris seemed to frown at his words, feeling them sink into her worried self as sheid there beside him.

    "But, when I remembered how strong I am�Cwe are�Cand the fact we aren''t alone, I don''t see any reason to doubt that we can do this," he held a smile now, looking at her.

    "I know��I have faith in everybody, but when thinking about Mastorn, it''s difficult to not think of what could happen, you know? I guess��I''ve just heard so much about it, so many bad things, so many warnings, countless stories�Cit almost feels mythical," she said with a slight, nervousugh.

    "You''re telling me about things that seem mythical?" He raised a yful eyebrow to her, "I just think,pared to Purgatory, we don''t have much to worry about. It''ll be fine."

    "Mr.Worrywart himself is trying to reassure me?" Iris poked his side, "I don''t buy it one bit."

    He scratched his head, ruffling his snow-white locks in the process as he sighed out, "You know me too well."

    "Obviously," she looked at him with a small smile, "Be honest with me, Ren. It''s fine to be open about what we''re worried about. It just matters in the end how we handle ourselves when the timees."

    For a solid few seconds, he looked at her before sitting up, still wearing most of his traveler garments, save for his armor itself.

    "...I was trying to sound tough, but really, stepping into Mastorn feels like stepping right back into hell."

 Chapter 538 Ominous Butterflies Fluttering

    "I know it''s a bitte to say this, but we didn''t have to go along with this mission, Ren��I''m sure Mother would''vee up with something else if you�C"

    He interrupted her with a shake of his head, "I have to do this. At least��I feel like I do. The entire reason I threw myself into Purgatory was so that I''d be strong enough�Cthat exact reason changed; "Strong enough to handle myself" "Strong enough not to let anybody else die for me" "Strong enough to protect everybody" "Strong enough"...It''s all for the same reason. Mastorn is always sitting at the back of my mind, reminding me that I''m still not strong enough."

    "Ren, is this about what happened��?" Iris lingered her question quietly, knowing it was a sensitive topic.

    "At the Althaus estate?"

    "--"

    "Don''t worry," he put on a small smile, "I''d be pretty bad if I was still too big of a baby to even talk about it, right?"

    It was easy to tell how fragile that smile he held was, that much was clear to the pale-skinned woman who''d been at his side for years now.

    The moment she ced her lithe hand atop of his callused one, that smiling, reassuring mask he wore trembled as a distinct sadness ced itself in his solely visible eye.

    "You don''t have to act tough around me, Ren," she told him with a smile.

    As she told him that, a single tear strolled down his cheek, "Truth?"

    "Truth," she nodded.

    "Honestly, it didn''t even process what I was getting into before we left Old Treyna. I was mostly��excited," he told her, "...I had been waiting for this chance�C"to get revenge" or��something like that. I honestly can''t ce how I feel�Cit''s weird. Part of me is excited at the opportunity to strike back at Mastorn for that they''ve done to me, you, and everybody else. But, another part of me is scared."

    "What''re you scared of, Ren?" She asked, holding his hand with a warm tightness.

    He stared at her for a moment, then looked towards the ceiling again with a small breath, "Loss. There''s a lot I''ve lost already. It feels like what little I''m just trying to hold with thin fingers as it tries to slip away," he held one hand up, clenching it, "It always happens. No matter what I do�Csomething is lost. Every time, Iris. I''d like to think after these past two years, something did change."

    "It did, Ren. It''s changed," she assured him, "You''ve changed."

    His eye widened just slightly before rxing again as he sat there, "I think I''ve told you about it a little, but when I was first summoned into this world, I was tricked, kidnapped, and sold off to Lord Althaus."

    Iris nodded a bit, keeping hold of his hand as they sat on the bed of the inn, with the noises of the drunk upants of the other rooms bing dull.

    He smiled just a bit, though it was of mncholic feelings of reminiscence, "I was pretty mad, honestly. But, I wasn''t going to let that stop my second opportunity at life in another world. And, that opportunity came in the form of the first friend I made in this world�CMeinhard. He taught me how to cook, read, write, and even a bit about magic."

    "He sounds like he was a great person," she said with a slight smile.

    "I wanted to make it up to him. If by some means, I could live up to being some awesome mage, I wanted to show him I could be somebody," he told her, "but, I never got that chance. That day, everybody there was killed. ughtered. I saw everything�Cthat aftermath. It was all covered in blood."

    Remembering that day, he held his own face as sweat exuded from his pores, breathing heavily as just talking about it reignited those dreadful memories like a wildfire ofmentation.

    "Ren��" She gripped his hand tightly, leaning closer tofort him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Iris, I don''t want that to ever happen again. I don''t want to be left alone because I was weak. Shaking. Quivering. Crying�Cjust thinking about "what if I did that", or "what if I was this"--it feels like every move I make is watched, as if every action I take is judged by them, deeming if I am worthy of being the sole survivor. If my life was worth more than all of theirbined."

    "You feel like��by doing this mission, you''re repaying that sacrifice?" Iris asked.

    He sat there for a moment before slowly shaking his head, to her surprise, "Sorry, I meant to say that''s how I used to feel. Honestly, it dragged me down throughout my time leading through Purgatory. But, eventually I learned��I just have to do what I think is best. I don''t have to be a hero, and I don''t have to be perfect, either. I can just be the best me that I think is possible."

    Iris continued to hold onto his hand as they both looked down at their intertwined fingers with him holding a bit of a smile.

    "I think you''re the best "you" already," Iris assured him with a smile as her azure eyes glistened.

    He scratched his cheek a bit and chuckled, "I''d say you''re a bit biased, Iris."

    "Hey," she pouted yfully.

    Heughed again, "I''m kidding. Anyway, I don''t think it''s about striving to be what I think is the best "me" anymore��I think whatever path I take, or whichever action I take�Cthat''s the "best" me, isn''t it? Just like you''re the best "you", Iris," he raised their hands up with a smile, "I mean, you managed to entangle me, after all."

    He stopped for a moment.

    "At the end of the day, the best "me" is the one who is still moving forward, despite my shorings. That''s what I believe. And��I''m still moving forward, aren''t I?"

    She ended up lightly punching him in his arm as her cheeks overcame with a velvet fluster, averting her gaze.

    "...Don''t scare me like that, Ren," she mumbled.

    "Did I do something?" He scratched his cheek.

    "Nothing��" She looked at him with a new smile, "You want to do this because you think it''s best, right? For us, and for the Ounders?"

    "If I''m being honest��if we''re going to spend the rest of our days in this world, I''d rather not always be on the run from Mastorn, ya'' know? I want us to be able to rx someday, able to let the morning greet us without a single stressful thought in our minds��That''d be nice," he told her, looking up as heid back, resting his head against the pillow.

    She looked at him for a solid moment before suddenly giggling, covering her mouth as she earned an odd, confused look from him.

    "Sorry��I just didn''t expect such an adorable motivation from you," Iris wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes.

    "Adorable?!" His cheeks went red as he repeated her.

    After hearing her finish herugh, he sighed out,ying against the bed as she did the same directly beside him.

    "I''m going to sleep," he announced to her with his eyes closed.

    There''s also one other thing bothering me, something that old Sage told us before we left�Csomething that this "Princess Getrude" informed her of: Belmon is lurking within Mastorn already. Just another thing to worry about��He thought.

 Chapter 539 Prelude To Dread

    [Capital of Mastorn, "Voguesdeil", "The Heavenly Keep"]

    The chamber hummed. There were no windows that allowed natural light to seep into the exclusive domain, yet a natural radiance still existed due to the nature of the material used in its formation.

    Inscribed on the magnificent walls of a natural, pale-white shade, cast over by the orange light were many writings of past, present, and future happenings.

    "The Gospel of Gaol"��his very abode held such tellings.

    The ceiling was morphed into an aspect of the cosmos; as if no true ceiling did exist except the void of space and it''s shining stars, and soaring astral energies.

    Around the man seated in his abnormal, circr chair, violet lights trickled and danced in the air as he seemed to watch something unseen in the winds; his head twitched as he caught onto something seen only by his eyes.

    Then, he stopped.

    "It ising."

    The slender, enigmatic man wrapped in silver bandages all across his body stated, standing from his circr chair amidst the quartz, mystical chamber.

    It was a mystical room, even in the world fond of magic, overlooked by the hanging cosmos.

    In the same, vast room as the man were two guards of high renown, turning to face him as he uttered those words.

    "What ising, Sir Gaol?" The tall, burly man with hair of a mixed tinum and ck asked.

    Gaol stood tall with anky body hardly seen as the only, hardly-visible parts of his skin were obscure beneath his pale head, but his skin was even paler than snow itself.

    "I can see it in the air," Gaol spoke with words made of mysterious air, "Bloodlust is aimed towards me. I am being hunted. Sought. Targeted."

    The other of the two guards stationed, who had been leaning against one of the tall, rectangr pirs of radiant, seraphic stone, held a wide smile as his stringy, crimson hair cascaded down the ck-feathered pauldrons of his light armor.

    "You''re telling me there will be people to kill?" The man with long crimson hair asked, standing up as his build was recognizably short and slim, yet he held an aurarger than himself.

    "Rather soon, I feel," Gaol answered.

    The other, calm man who towered over his crimson-haired colleague stood tall, "Is it assassins from another kingdom? Perhaps an elite squadron ofbatants?"

    "It doesn''t matter who or what they are! Let ''eme!" The short, crimson-haired man of youth called out, waving his arms around frantically.

    The tinum-haired man dressed in a ck cloak and light,vish leather beneath looked disgusted at his colleague''s thirst for battle.

    "I cannot see such things yet. Perhaps they''ve just entered the boundaries of Mastorn, but they''re not in the capital, as I can''t see them or hone in on their presence�Call I can see is the bloodlust set in my future," Gaol exined, slowly stepping towards the two.

    Stopping, the man dressed in abundant, enigmatic wrappings of silver material looked to the tinum-haired, reserved man who held his steel-formed gauntlets crossed over his chest.

    "Evo," Gaol said to the man.

    "Yes, Sir Gaol?" Evo knelt down immediately before the one with all-seeing eyes as soon as his name was said.

    The pale, hooded man slowly ced hisnky hand atop the knelt warrior''s head, "Tell Captain Ajax we will need more men at the Heavenly Keep."

    Evo nodded, standing himself back up as his ck cape fluttered in his movements, allowing the natural luminescence of the fantastical quartz to reflect off of his pearlescent sword hilt.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "What should I tell him, exactly?" Evo asked.

    Gaol was silent for seconds before answering, after seeming to sniff the air, "The bloodlust is quite thick. Perhaps it is one, perhaps a dozen, however�Cthey are quite capable, nheless. Inform Captain Ajax that we will need a member of the Seven stationed here."

    "One of the Victorious Seven?" Evo''s eyes widened just a bit.

    "Just for theing week," Gaol assured him with his hoarse, lingering voice.

    Without any intent to question the one with all-seeing eyes, Evo sat out, pushing open the towering, thick doors of mystically-enchanted quartz as he descended a plethora of stairs.

    It was clear that the energetic, red-haired man seemed almost impatient that this entire conversation transpired without a single thing being said to him.

    Gaol stood for a moment, holding his hands up as the magenta eye tattoos on the back of his hands shined briefly, "Extermus."

    The name called brought the attention of the smiling, crimson-haired man of short stature.

    "Yeah?" The crimson-haired, youthful man with skin scaled in scars looked at the slender, hooded man.

    "You understand why I asked for more protection, don''t you?" Gaol asked him.

    Extermus looked up at him with his toned, sleeveless arms at his sides, though his stance was hardly x" as he always seemed on edge, "Izzit that yer'' scared?"

    Gaol only looked at him from behind his shadow-inhabited hood for a moment, causing the disheveled curve to the man''s lips to begin to shift.

    Now a wide, ear-to-ear grin of sheer ecstasy sat on Extermus'' lips, "Izzit that ya'' want me to ughter them?"

    "That''s exactly correct," Gaol nodded in confirmation, "That''s yournguage, is it not? The "Melody of Bloodshed", Extermus? They''ve underestimated not only my unparalleled eyes, but they''ve underestimated you, haven''t they? If you''re here guarding me, and they intend to attack, isn''t that a direct undermining of your strength, Extermus? It''s an insult to you. Or perhaps, it''s a direct challenge, Extermus. Maybe they wish to see what you''re truly capable of. A proper challenge."

    Gaol knew exactly how to manipte the one-track-mind of the violent, violence-lusting man who was almost bubbling up with a mixture of rage, joy, and ecstasy, fuming from his pores.

    With an excited jump into the air, the short, young-in-appearance man with lengthy, crimson locks that reached down to his lower back soared several meters into the air beforending back down on his tightlyced, ck boots.

    "I''ve been waitin'' for this! Point me in tha'' direction, Boss!" Extermus said, already ready for action as he stood at the doorway of the chamber.

    Gaol held his hands together, looking into something unseen once more as he mumbled to himself indistinctly.

    "...Audracia should be the most likely point of singrity; the crossroads in which your ws will reach these unknown hunters," Gaol informed him.

    The man was almost as red as his hair with excitement as his tannedplexion became vibrant as he smiled wide, matching his bright-orange eyes as he almost seemed like a dog ready to be freed from its leash.

    "Hunt them, Extermus."

    �CThose were all the words needed to be said as if a magical incantation freeing the restraints from the man as the moment those words audibly spilled from Gaol''s lips, Extermus propelled down the colossal steps of the Heavenly Keep with blinding, aggressive speed.

    "If these strangers of Mastorn should make it past the "Melody of Bloodshood, Argonaut Extermus", then they will have one of the Seven waiting for them at my doorstep. It is a fatal mistake to think my life is one capable of being taken," Gaol spoke to himself, seating himself in his personal, lonely throne.

    In my hundreds of years of serving this kingdom, not one assassination attempt has even surpassed the doorstep of the Heavenly Keep, he thought.

 Chapter 540 Fever Of A Dream

    In the midst of his dreams, he found himself in a familiar, shadow-filled ne.

    "Hey, Astraeus," he yawned out, rubbing his eyes without first even seeing the appearance of the man.

    Following the call of his name, the tall man dressed in all-ck butler attire manifested, cing his hand over his chest and bowing.

    "Greetings, Master," Astraeus said.

    It wasn''t an umon urrence to find himself in the unknown darkness of the dreamy abyss, always meeting with his contracted familiar each time.

    Over thest couple years, my connection with Astraeus has grown strong. I''ve only told a few people about him��it''s something I''d prefer to keep under wraps until I fully understand it myself. This doesn''t feel very "traditional" or "normal", I guess. Just something I have to figure out for myself, he thought.

    "You''re under quite some amount of stress."

    "You can tell?" He replied with a smallugh, not denying the statement from the ck-eyed, enigmatic man.

    Astraeus nodded, "This mission�CI understand it is towards the greater goal of the Ounders, but please do act with caution."

    "I am�Cand trust me, I''m not just saying that," he reassured the man, "I was pretty reckless when I went through Purgatory, but I was desperate then. I was backed into a corner. Now, I have options avable�Cand I have people I want to protect, and that I want to stay with, so I can''t just go out and die, can I?"

    In the ne of dreams, shrouded by darkness and sparse sceneries that shifted and swayed in their formless nature, the two sat on solidified, static shadows.

    "That''s exactly right," Astraeus smiled, though his expression dimmed as he stared at the young man for a moment, "How is that right eye of yours?"

    Being asked such a question drew his hand to the eyepatch over his eye before he unbuckled the eyepatchpletely, beginning to take it off.

    "...It''s safe to remove it here, right?" He asked, looking up at Astraeus.

    "Yes, this is a ne bordering on reality, but mostly teetering on dream�Cyou''re not physically manifested here, though I am," Astraeus informed him, "rest assured, it will not dull the seal on the eyepatch in the real world."

    Assured of that, he took off the eyepatch, revealing the right eye he kept hidden away.

    Instead of a white sclera, it was a dark, lightless de with a hexagonal, silver pupil that seemed to shift and spin in an unnatural way.

    "How''s it look?" He asked.

    "I''m afraid to say it''s managed to continue maturing despite the seal being in ce," Astraeus told him, taking a close look, "though, it won''t do anything so long as the eyepatch remains on."

    "...That''s as good as I could hope to hear, I guess," he buckled the patch back over his eye, "This spell you put on it really is helpful, though. I don''t get the bursts of pain anymore. Thanks, Astraeus."

    "Of course, Master," the man bowed.

    He stood up, having sat on the shadows enough as he stretched his tired, dream-world limbs with a slight yawn.

    "You''re right about this mission though�CI do need to be careful. It''s only going to be possible because of a secret weapon we have from Beatrice," he said to the man, though mostly just going over what he knew, revealing a magical seal etched onto the back of his left hand.

    It was all-ck, but outlined with a tinum glow, disying what resembled an "M".

    "Ehwaz," Astraeus noted.

    "You know what it is?" He looked up at the man.

    Astraeus nodded slightly, "Only from hearsay, and books. It''s certainly something I could only see one as wizened as one of the Sages using. I see now. She bestowed each of you "Ehwaz"--that can indeed be the ultimate counter against the all-seeing eyes of Gaol."

    After a short meeting, his consciousness decided it was time forplete rest as the already dark world began to fade.

    "I suppose our time is up for tonight, Master," Astraeus bowed, "Do remember, I will always be at your call should you need me."

    With those words, he fell intoplete slumber.

    However, it was past that slumber, did he reach something enigmatic�Ca dreamscape unfamiliar to himself.

    For some reason, he was oddly conscious, oddly alert, yet still lost in the haze of dreams.

    It was a tundra, stretching far beyond the reach of his sight in each direction. Pale white and flooded with cold, leaving him stranded in the midst of its abrasive bowels.

    "What''s this��?"

    Though he clearly spoke, utilizing his throat, he couldn''t even hear his own voice.

    The powerful winds of the cold tundra silenced him, overpowering his words as they were immediately sucked into the air.

    After standing there in the unspeakable cold, he realized he wasn''t alone.

    Somebody stood in the distance, though the thickness of the snow storm made it impossible to decipher their appearance.

    "...Who��?"<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Of course, he couldn''t speak, but he still tried.

    The figure in the snow remained still, facing towards him as an unpleasant eeriness settled into his skin.

    From what he could tell with the sparse detail given to him through the thick veil of snow, it was a feminine figure.

    "Ren."

    "Beloved."

    "My love."

    "I love you."

    �CAll such words filled his mind instantaneously, without pause or break, repeating swiftly. It wasing from the figure, though her voice didn''t leave lips, instead traveling directly to his mind.

    "Stop it! I don''t know who you are�C!"

    Saying that didn''t halt the repetitive promations however as he grabbed his ears, shaking his head to attempt to dissuade the words from his mind until�C

    He woke up.

    "--!"

    Immediately sat up, he was clutching his head, sweating profusely as he gasped for air.

    The vtile way of awakening brought Iris from her rest as she looked at him worriedly, "Ren��? What''s wrong? Are you alright?"

    He continued to regain his breath for a moment, now clutching his chest before he slowly nodded his head.

    "Yeah��I''m fine," he assured her.

    Not taking his word for it, she ced her hand against her forehead with an inquisitive, but still worried look.

    "Iris, I told you, I''m�C"

    "You''re burning up," she said, to his surprise.

    "Huh��?"

    She was right�Che noticed it now, but his body was incredibly warm. He felt it now; his body was heavier than usual and congested.

    "You''ve got a fever, Ren," she told him.

    "I guess I do��"

    They sat there for a moment in the room lit only by a small, flickering candle on the stand.

    "Ren, should we��?"

    "No."

    "But, if you''re not well, then��it''s too dangerous," she looked at him with worried eyes.

    He looked at her for a moment before averting his gaze, twiddling with a strand of his snow-white hair.

    "I''m fine, Iris," he told her, wearing a smile, "How about trying to use some healing magic? That might do the trick."

    Though she gave him a worried look, she indulged his request, bringing her hands close to his body as she invoked restorative magecraft.

    "Gah��!"

    He suddenly cried out in pain, prompting the azure-haired woman to withdraw her hands in surprise. The moment the light, verdant magic of healing traveled into his body, a harsh feedback surged through his body as if igniting the sickness further.

    "Ren?!"

    "...What the hell is going on with my body��?" He questioned, sweating even more than before as he breathed heavily.

    The warmth of the fever spiked, causing him to stumble and rush over to the window, quickly lifting it before spewing bile from his bowels and onto the streets below.

    "Are you okay��?"

    He didn''t reply as he left his head outside of the window for a moment, taking in the fresh air as he caught his breath after expelling vomit from his body.

    "...I don''t know how to answer that."

 Chapter 541 Unwelcome Arrival

    Being assisted back to the bed, heid down as his head was caressed by his lifelongpanion. She brought him a ss of water and a wet towel, cing the rag on his forehead as he sipped the cool water.

    "...Seriously, why not of all times?" He muttered.

    "Maybe it''s a sign."

    "Is that a joke or are you being serious?" He looked at her.

    "--"

    "We''re keeping to the mission," he told her, "nothing''s changed."

    Though she gave him a questionable look, she let out a sight,ying beside him once again as she kept close.

    "If your condition gets worse, we''re pulling out, alright?"

    "Fair enough."

    By the next morning, after filling up with some breakfast, which he sparsely ate due to his sickness, the group ventured out towards the capital itself, boarding their next carriage.

    "You don''t look too hot, kid," Brahmi said, looking right at him.

    Though it was a cold and refreshing morning on the trails of Mastorn''s wilderness, being trudged by the carriage''s sturdy, ever-moving wheels, he was in a swear, sitting there and nodding just a bit.

    "...Yeah," he replied.

    Iris looked at him worriedly, holding his hand and fiddling with his thumb with her own. Even though she was right beside him, he could hardly focus on anybody''s presence or input as a ringing filled his ears, periodically shifting to a subtle hum.

    "Ren," Tristan said.

    "--"

    "If you''re not well enough to do this, speak up now," Tristan told him.

    "...I''m fine��" He answered quietly.

    Tangible sweat dripped from his chin though all he did was sit there, with a half-opened eye that swayed in its vision.

    "This isn''t about toughing through anything. If you can''t operate at one-hundred-percent, then you''re putting everybody''s life at risk here," Tristan said, "Don''t grit your teeth and move forward if you''re blind to your own condition, Ren."

    "--"

    Not even Iris tried to defend his decision at this time; it was clear by the way the three looked at him whilst the carriage rolled that it was a unanimous choice felt by the group.

    "...It looks that bad, doesn''t it?" He chuckled wryly, breaking into a cough immediately after.

    "You''re not exactly looking in top condition, no," Tristan replied.

    "I''m not doing this just to seem tough," he assured them, "...I know I can still handle myself right now�Ctrust me. Let''s just continue to the capital��if I start feeling that it''s too much for me to handle, I''ll tell you, alright?"

    He looked particrly at Tristan, who through his experience and wisdom, took on an unspoken leadership role among the group of four.

    "I see," Tristan said, "If that''s what you want, then I don''t have a problem with that. But��if I think you''re pushing yourself, I''ll drag you back to Old Treyna myself if I have too."

    "Be my guest," heughed a bit, still sweating.

    His body was hot, as if sitting inside of a sauna this entire time, yet it was a brisk morning.

    He knew it himself: his condition wasn''t exactly something that would subside simply through waiting a few hours.

    I don''t want to back out just yet. But��I wasn''tpletely honest. I hardly feel as if I can muster maybe thirty-percent of my strength��let''s just give it some time, he thought.

    Iris held onto his hand, giving him a smile though he could see the worry hidden behind that reassuring expression.

    Let''s just hope��this isn''t a sign of things toe, he thought.

    While the wheels of the carriage moved along, he could feel his temperature rising as he watched the verdant pastures swing by in the carriage''s swift travel.

    "Ren��" Iris said his name quietly.

    "Yeah?" He ced a smile across his lips, though he knew it was hardly doing anything to alter the state he was in.

    Iris looked at him worriedly, "Are you sure you''re okay?"

    "I already told you��I''m fine," he assured her with a smile.

    "Well, if you say so��" Iris gave in with a small sigh.

    With the prospect of going towards the capital, he felt an unease swirl in his stomach at the thought of whatid there.

    It was one of the first ces I came to when I was brought into this world��It was when Althaus "purchased" me��I totally thought he was some sleazy freak, but I was wrong. They were good to me��Althaus, Norbert��Meinhard, he thought.

    Such memories were bittersweet to him as he watched the beautifulndscapes of Mastorn pass by, listening to Brahmi and Tristan discussing some old missions they ventured through together.

    Whenever remembering Meinhard, fond memories were intertwined with nightmarish ones. He could remember that twisted grin belonging to the Argonaut responsible for it all�C

    Rouge, he thought.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Such thoughts made his feverish body sh between being cold and hot as he gripped the side of the carriage with a swirl of emotions.

    "Kid, just remember��" Tristan aimed his words at him.

    He nodded without looking away from the window for a moment, "I know."

    It was likely because of the reckless way he had always done things in this world that the people around him began to doubt his own carefulness with his life.

    I''ve got nobody to me but myself, he thought.

    He did his best to hide it, but the pain in his covered eye was something that seemed to only grow and grow as time went on; it was as if a fiery brand was pressed against it. Such pain would make the average man holler like a little girl, but he''d grown used to such pain, only quietly gripping his head as his teeth chattered.

    "Ren," Iris gripped his hand.

    "I''m fine," he assured her with a small smile.

    It was bing increasingly more difficult to simply chalk whatever he was feeling up to some passing fever; he could feel it swirling inside of him�Can uneasy force, shrouded in enigma.

    ��I don''t like this. This eye��It''s the source of this. After all this time��is it finallying? He questioned.

    The sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the road became monotonous; it grated against his ears as his entire body ran hot.

    Minutes felt like hours; it was impossible to have any sense of time as he had to focuspletely on staying conscious through the mystical fever that enveloped his body.

    "Ren��" Iris called his name with more concern than usual.

    He tried brushing her off again, "...I''m fine�C"

    But, even he failed toe up with any more excuses as he felt a warmth streaming down his lip; blood fell from his left nostril, dripping down onto his pants.

    Huh��? He thought.

    For a moment, the interior of the carriage was silent as he wiped his nose, looking at the fresh blood that stained his glove. Exchanging nces with his wife, Tristan, and Brahmi, he found their looks to be perplexing.

    Then, he heard it: the wind was whistling.

    "Move!" Tristan yelled out suddenly.

    Just then, that scream prompted each of the Ounders to evacuate the carriage with utmost speed; Ren took Iris into his arms as he dashed through the shadows.

    It came down not a moment after�Ca force from the sky, raining down like the judgment of God. There was no telling what it was in that moment, but space caved downwards from above the still-moving carriage, crushing it below the unseen force in an instant.

    The impact from the unseen attack released a massive propulsion of wind, causing him to draw his sword from its scabbard as Iris and himself watched in utter disbelief.

    "...What was that?" Iris asked.

    "No clue," he replied, looking forward towards the massive cloud of dust, "Whatever it is, it wants us dead."

    As the dust cleared, he could see Tristan and Brahmi on the opposing side of the verdant clearing, a good thirty meters away.

    A clear view of the aftermath from the sudden attack was now visible to the four Ounders.

    No way, he thought.

    It was a colossal handprint; imprinted into the field, having squashed the carriage into a t floor of wood and the horses that pulled it into nothing but red paste that smeared the caved-in soil.

    "My, you all managed to evade that one. I guess I really am past my prime."

    An unknown voice spoke, drawing the eyes of the group, who were now all on guard and ready for a fight. It was a yful tone, belonging to a wizened tone.

    As he looked over, he found his eyesying on the sight of a man well into his years, looking to be in his eighties, at least. The mysterious stranger had a lengthy, snow-white beard that dropped down to his belly.

    He was dressed in an all-ck uniform, which was just baggy enough to hide his physique; it resembled the outfit of a karetka, though with semnces of armor.

    "Not a single step forward, or I blow your brains out, old man."

    The threat came from Tristan, who had already manifested his abyssal magnum, aiming it towards the enigmatic elder.

    "Hoh," the old manughed, stroking his beard as he stood between the two pairs, "You must be Tristan; the wielder of the ''Purgatory Arms''--ah, yes. You''ve made a name for yourself."

    "--" Tristan narrowed his amethyst gaze.

    Keeping his distance, though not letting his guard down, Ren held his sword up with Iris keeping a spell ready as well, standing directly at his side.

    "Is he the one who did that?" Iris asked quietly.

    "Probably. It''s hard to imagine an old fart like him pulling off an attack like that, but��this world is full of odd balls like him," he replied.

    The yful look present on the old man''s face, who looked as harmless as somebody''s grandpa, shifted naturally into an intense look of disdain and bloodlust as he spread his arms before bringing his palms together.

    "To think vermin like you would have the gall to approach the heart of Mastorn��" The old man said with a burning anger, "...I, Godfrey, the first Argonaut, will see to it that you''re all wiped from the face of Gaia."

    It wasn''t so much the promation of malice that shook the four that squared off against the mysterious assant, but the title that fell from his lips.

    "''The First Argonaut''?!"

 Chapter 542 End Of Heroism

    ?

    "To think vermin like you would have the gall to approach the heart of Mastorn��" The old man said with a burning anger, "...I, Godfrey, the first Argonaut, will see to it that you''re all wiped from the face of Gaia."

    It wasn''t so much the promation of malice that shook the four that squared off against the mysterious assant, but the title that fell from his lips.

    "''The First Argonaut''?!"

    �CThe same thought simultaneously ran through each of their minds.

    Before any further thoughts could ur, the white-bearded elder, Godfrey, moved his hand simply with his palm facing the grass below.

    FWOOM.

    "--!"

    A massive pressure shot down, causing the air to hiss and whistle under a rapid, immense force. It didn''t seem to be targeting him or Iris, yet, at least; he could see it as the space above Tristan and Brahmi curved around, being disced before it crashed down.

    Tristan managed to evade it, but Brahmi failed to react fast enough, having to raise her arms to guard against the unseen force.

    "Ghh��!" Brahmi winced.

    It stopped against her hands: the invisible force. The soil beneath the muscr woman''s feet immediately caved in under the exuded power, causing Brahmi to grit her teeth as veins pressed against her skin.

    The shape of it was hard to make out, but by the edges of the contorted space, it seemed to bear the shape of a massive palm that stretched an acre in size.

    "Brahmi!" Iris called out worriedly.

    Though the azure-haired woman tried to run over to help, he caught his wife by her arm, stopping her.

    "Ren��!"

    "You''ll just get yourself killed!" He told her, "...Let''s change our focus."

    Iris looked at him for a moment before finding that he was looking at the old man who manifested the unseen palm, "...Oh. I see what you mean�Ctake him out and we''ll free her!"

    "Bingo," he smirked.

    Though he wore a smile for confidence, it was nothing more than a brittle facade as he felt his body quivering with the scorching pain still thriving inside of his eye.

    There didn''t need to be any words exchanged; the married two knew what to do. Iris supported him with long-range projectiles of light while he closed in with his speed.

    "Grah��!" Brahmi continued to groan out.

    The ground was rumbling beneath the force emitted from the massive palm; it vibrated, bruising and crushing the skin on the woman''s palms as she used all of her strength to keep it from ttening her.

    "Brahmi!...Dammit!" Tristan grunted.

    Supporting fire came from the gun-wielding mage, who shot a burst fire towards Godfrey, who was now on the receiving end of massive arrows of light and explosive rounds.

    "Oh?" Godfrey only smiled as if entertained.

    While keeping his right hand held down to control the crushing palm, the First Argonaut moved with the agility of a youthful man; spinning around and ducking beneath the iing projectiles. He moved with utmost finesse, not wasting any movement in his swift maneuvers.

    Still, this allowed Ren to close in as he shrouded the length of his de in darkness, finding himself within range of Godfrey now.

    "Come on then,d! Cut me down!" Godfrey challenged him with a grin as his lengthy beard flowed in the wind.

    As he prepared to swing his de, seeing the impervious confidence spread across Godfrey''s smile, he changed his approach as he used a shadow step multiple times in session.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact��!"

    The moment he used the burst of teleportation spells followed by Raijin, he felt the sickness churn in his body as his limbs grew as dense as lead and his head a slight as a feather.

    Damn it, even just this is taking a toll��?! He realized.

    He opted to follow through, using utmost speed and precision in his swing as the ck lightning manifested itself across Belus. Swung towards the old Argonaut''s neck, it neared it before�CFWOOM.

    Despite moving with speed that mimicked lightning, Godfrey was simply faster: the old man had jutted his left palm forward, pressing it towards Ren''s abdomen but not directly touching it.

    "Divine Repel!" Godfrey invoked.

    It was as if a shock wave emitted from a nuclear st had been born right in front of his stomach; he was sted back with such force that the cloth on his torso was torn to shreds.

    "Ren��!!!" Iris screamed out.

    Before he knew it, he was dozens of meters in the air and climbing�Crapidly, he found himself knocked back by the almighty force.

    "Brgh��!" He vomited up blood.

    With his weakened reinforcement due to his unknown fever, the attack had a drastic impact on his body as his internal organs were bludgeoned from the shock wave.

    As his ascent felt as if it was nearing the clouds by now, he could see it through his enhanced vision: Godfrey moved his hand again, invoking that unequaled palm into existence.

    It seemed Brahmi had managed to escape the pressure of the right palm, which had been relinquished by Ren''s assault, resulting in the three Ounders on the ground to rush Godfrey, but to no avail.

    The next one came: "Divine Plummet."

    It was only felt for a moment before it came; such an intense wind pressed against his back before a massive force mmed against him, sending him plummeting down to the ground like a fallen meteor.

    "--Ren!" Iris cried out before an angered expression came over, "Helios: Band!"

    A ring of fire was summoned around Godfrey while an array of magically-born bullets shot towards him, with Brahmi''s fist soon nearing him.

    Yet, all it took was a single p of the First Argonaut''s hands: "Divine Separation."

    A shock wave propelled outward that caused the air to vibrate with such intensity that the soil began to tear apart; everybody was harshly knocked back.

    It was nothing like he''d ever faced; the scope of the elder Argonaut''s power was on a different level.

    As he hit the ground, more blood was coughed from his body as it spat out onto the cracked soil, finding his body shaking as he picked himself up. The sickness flowing through his body did nothing to help as just keeping a steady flow of reinforcement was a challenge.

    ��What kind of magic is this? He thought, It''s like he''s manipting giant, invisible hands. But, the force they produce�Cit''s monstrous. Is it his innate ability?

    Either way�Cit was do-or-die. As he witnessed not just hisrades being blown back,nding harshly against the ground, but his wife being damaged by the attack, all bets were off.

    "Tristan! Brahmi!--Iris is hurt! Look after her!" He yelled out, stripping the tattered cloth from his chest.

    Nearly failing to stand, now covered in bruises, Brahmi contested his words, "Huh!? And what about you?!"

    "I''m going in," he said, "Sorry to say this, but you''re just going to get in my way with what I''m about to do."

    "Urgh, you�C!"

    Before Brahmi could step forward, she was stopped as Tristan grabbed her arm. The look the stoic man gave her was clear.

    "...Listen to him. Knowing Ren, he''s got something reckless up his sleeve," Tristan told her.

    "Gah��" Brahmi sighed out, going to Iris'' side, "...When did that brat get so bossy?"

    The First Argonaut didn''t seem to take them seriously as a sort of threat in the slightest; he let them talk and scheme as he massaged his beard between his fingers with an immovable grin.

    Readying himself, Ren focused through a calming breath, though his blood ran as hot as manga in his veins; it took a true exertion of energy to push out one-hundred percent of his reinforcement, but he brought it out. The ground quaked beneath his boots as a shadowy aura enveloped him. This time, he opted to sheath his de, instead clutching his fists shut.

    "Ready,d?" Godfrey asked.

    He didn''t reply, instead answering as he took a single step forward which closed the distance between him and the elder within a moment.

    "Araphel: God Crusher."

    It was a spell differing from his usual. Manifesting itself in a dense force of darkness around his gauntlets, the reinforced mana solidified and took the shape of massive, bludgeoning gauntlets wrapped in astral chains.

    "Oh?" Godfrey watched.

    As he reared his fist back, swinging it forward, the wind howled before he mmed the massive, abyssal gauntlet towards Godfrey''s head.

    Disying that agility unfit for an old man, the Argonaut bounced away from the path of the fist, which mmed against the air with such force that the wind vibrated, cracking the soil in its path.

    It was monstrous power; such tant force was the opposite of the scheming darkness known for his affinity�Cthe aftermath of the missed blow peeled the grass from the dirt.

    "Far too slow�C"

    Though as Godfrey confidently said such, beginning to move one of his hands, the white-haired, eyepatch-wearing man was in front of him again; it was a shadow step executed with utmost precision and speed.

    Bzzt.

    That ck lightning; it wrapped around the gauntlet which was being pulled back and aimed for Godfrey.

    "Raijin: Critical Impact."

    It wasn''t just amplified in power; his gauntlets were shrouded in the aspect of the nebulous sparks, granting them potent speed that punched through the air like electricity cannonballs.

    Godfrey backpedaled with that smile still kept across his lips, though he didn''t let up.

    The chains that originated from the gauntlets wrapped around his biceps, squeezing tightly as more mana was forced from his body, feeding directly into the brutal gloves as more power oozed from them.

    As he mmed one of the gauntlets into the ground, cracks stretched in multiple directions through the soil before it split, unleashing a vtile explosion as dirt flew in all directions. It had missed Godfrey, but the wizened Argonautughed out.

    "It''s quite rare to see a dark-user fight with their fists!" Godfrey said jovially, "You remind me of Young Avdima�Cah, what a shame it was to lose such a talented soul."

    It was a one-sided conversation as Ren considered his relentless pursuit while the astral chains continued siphoning the mana from his body; the ck steel pressed against his bare biceps as his veins were visibly ckened.

    ��I knew it�C''God Crusher'' is still too dangerous��! It''s difficult to control! He thought.

    Massive shock waves followed each of his blows, though Godfrey evaded them with his hands behind his back.

    Supporting him, a burst of bullets sailed in, perfectly avoiding Ren and traveling straight towards the confident elder.

    "Enough of that."

    Godfrey casually caught one of the bullets between his fingers before staring at it. In front of the man''s onyx eyes, the bullet relinquished its form into a sh of blinding light.

    "Ghh��" Godfrey flinched.

    In that moment, Ren mmed one of the dreadful gauntlets against the First Argonaut''s chest with a colossal impact birthing itself; the wind spiraled and exploded, knocking Godfrey back.

    Just then, the chains demanded further mana, drawing from his already feverish body as he dropped to a knee, gritting his teeth in pain.

    "Ren!"

    The others rushed over, with Iris cing her hands above the gauntlets and manifesting a quick release of holy light.

    "Dispel: Darkness!"

    It seemed to be a spell tailored for handling this issue as it dissolved the gauntlets and the mana-siphoning chains, freeing Ren from their hold as he huffed.

    "Are you alright��?" Iris asked, caressing his cheek.

    Brahmi stood in front of the two with her fists raised, cracking his knuckles, "That geezer got you pretty good earlier. Now, stop hoggin'' the spotlight and leave this to your seniors, kid!"

    All he could do was look up as he coughed out, tasting blood in his mouth, "...Right."

    A smirk came from Brahmi before she headed into battle, following Tristan who already confronted Godfrey.

    To nobody''s surprise, the old man was hardly phased by the previous blow, though it had torn through his abdominal cloth to reveal a light bruise on his toned six-pack.

    "...Why did he show up now?" He muttered, picking himself up as Iris aided him.

    Iris looked at him, "I was wondering that, too��Do you think they figured out our mission? But, that begs the question��how?"

    "I don''t know, but it doesn''t matter right now. We have to worry about living�C" he said, straightening himself out.

    It was just as he said that; it happened.

    FWOOM.

    The overpowering vibration of the air manifested in an instant, mming down in the clearing just in front of the two.

    "...Huh��" Iris let out in shock.

    It took him a moment to process what had just happened as his ears rang; the invisible palm had once again imprinted its mighty presence into the world, ttening an acre ofnd and those caught in its reach.

    As the dust cleared, it was painfully clear; both the hot-headed woman and the gun-toting man were ttened in the caved-in section. Their limbs were contorted and their bodies squashed as blood dyed the smoothed soil.

    "Tristan��! Brahmi��!!!" He screamed out.

    Godfrey was standing in front of the ttened chunk ofnd with an unmoved look in his dreadful gaze.

    "Disappointing. The Ounders have been touted as a threat to Mastorn, yet this is what they have to offer?" Godfrey berated the fallen, "Pathetic. Weaklings deserved to be trampled under the feet of the mighty."

    "Th-they��!" Iris stammered out in disbelief.

    Spreading his hands out, Godfrey looked forward with a steel-like intensity in his eyes; burning with a primordial resolve, etched into his abyssal pupils. Then, it was seen; the two hands thatmanded the cataclysmic force in their wake. They mimicked the position of Godfrey''s hands like projections of his body.

    "This is my ''God Decree'': make no mistake, this is not the work of an innate ability, but a system of magic crafted by my own, two hands," Godfrey exined, "It''s abination of true wind and space, only possible by my hands."

    It seemed unbeatable; such a power was simply unavoidable in its otherworldly speed and strength; each hand emitting vibrations that caused the grass in the valley to sway intensely.

    "Ren, can you still��?"

    "Yeah��I''m good to�C"

    As he assured Iris, beginning to nce over at her, his heart dropped at the sensation of pressure shifting near him.

    Godfrey squeezed his fist with a look of utter malice in his eyes, "--Silence."

    The word came as a finalmand as without warning, Iris'' entireplexion shifted to a red before the unseen force squeezed in around her, crushing the woman with such instantaneous force that her body was bundled up into a minuscule sphere.

    Blood didn''t even escape the crushing containment of the God Decree.

    "...Iris��?"

    It had happened so fast that it almost felt like a hallucination to him. Though he questioned if it was an illusion or reality, the rage bubbling up from his gut swirled so swiftly that it didn''t matter.

    A dense aura of mana gave off from him as he stood, frozen and in shock; the aura took the form of a shade around him, enveloping the field in a darkness simr to an isted dusk.

    It was something he''d tried to keep restrained these passing years.

    "...Iris��"

    Godfrey stood in the same spot, watching the man, "I take it she was your lover? A shame. A man should be strong enough to protect his woman."

    "Iris��! Iris! Iris! Iris!"

    A switch was flipped in his mind; the sickness began to shift into something else entirely. A voice resonated in his mind, echoing from that ursed eye ced in his socket.

    [Ren.] [My beloved.] [ept it.]

    "Iris. Iris. Iris."

    [ept my warmth.] [ept my protection.] [ept my love.]

    "Iris��!"

    [Take it.] [Take it.] [Take it.] [My love.]

    Just then, he relinquished it; every fiber of his being that was spent suppressing the darkness within the eye gifted to him by the maddened Marquis had weed it now.

    Godfrey''s eye twitched as the wizened veteran watched as a massive gathering of shadows spiraled around the Ounder.

    This density��I''ve only ever felt this much mana from Young Avdima. What is this, exactly? Godfrey questioned, stroking his beard.

    As the shadows revealed the man enveloped in them once again, the snow-white hair he possessed had been turned to a vantack; ck tattoos ran across his body, seeming to shift with every breathing moment. Beyond that, it seemed his physique had bulkened to some degree.

    The eyepatch was gone, the seal vanquished.

    It was on full-disy; the abhorrent, ck eye, etched with malevolence unbound.

    What was summoned in his anguish was his innate ability though "Heaven-Earth Disconnect" was not what sprouted.

    The enlightenment that should''ve manifested was instead tainted, altered and corrupted into the adverse: "Asura Connect."

    That''s right. I''m an avenger; everything slips through my fingers. Everything I ever care for is taken from me. All I can do is destroy everything, he thought.

    Godfrey finally made his move as he attempted the same move he pulled to y the enraged man''s wife, squeezing his fist with the proper invocation: "Divine Compression."

    As the clenched hand forged of contorted space and wind wrapped around Ren, squeezing with an otherworldly pressure�Che failed to break.

    "...What?" Godfrey looked on in surprise.

    To the First Argonaut, it was a sight he wasn''t used to: in the grip of the colossal, unseen hand, Ren was fighting against it as he began to overpower it with darkness exuding from him like a hellbent maelstrom.

    The abyssal-haired man, silent and steady in his demeanor, flexed his body and pushed his arms outward, summoning a tsunami of darkness that freed him from the hand.

    I see, Godfrey thought, it''s not just mana quantity. This one has surpassed Young Avdima. A dark-user capable of that? Count this old man blessed to see such talent twice in a lifetime.

    There was an unnerving, unnatural silence about Ren; his eyes had lost all life and care as his dark hair swayed in the wind caused by his own aura.

    He raised his hand as a dark sphere conjured above his palm; its manifestation gathered a bountiful serving of abyssal energy as the ground began to rumble.

    It was condensed greatly with sorrow. In the depths of the sphere sat a void pulled from the deepest, darkest sections of his being. After a moment of reeling it in, he pointed the sphere towards the First Argonaut.

    "Oh," Godfrey said, "I see how it is! Divine Shield!"

    Preparing for the counterattackunched by the grief-sunken man, the First Argonaut held his hand out in front of him, cing the unseen palm between him and the iing release of malevolent energy.

    The ensuing wave of darkness filled the valley, carving through the soil and wilting the surrounding grass. It was boundless in its destruction; the scope of it swallowed the green fields in a tide of shadows.

    "I see! I see!" Godfrey yelled, holding his unseen shield in front of him against the tsunami of darkness, "--You''re an interesting one, indeed!"

    Around the First Argonaut was nothing but a sea of the abyss; darkness that swirled and destroyed everything in its path.

    By the time the hand-waved nature disaster came to an end, a mist of darkness upied the area. It was all gone: the luscious, green fields in the valley. All of the grass has been turned lifeless and erased, scorching the soil and leaving it ck.

    Standing in the dested valley, surrounded by dead fields, he was surrounded by the abyssal torrent while looking upward with those lifeless, ck eyes. The pale blue sky in its soft existence reminded him of her; it was quiet, kind, and benevolent in its gentle form.

    "...Iris��"

    Everything was lost.

    The entire reason he fought, suffered, and continued to walk the world was taken from him.

    For the fractured man, only held together by tape as fragile as the lives of those around him, he had reached the breaking point.

    Godfrey squinted at him, "I''ve been awfully careless. I see now that you must be dealt with swiftly."

    Following those words, the First Argonaut manifested a tremendous force around himself that caused the air to curve around himself in a viscous aura.

    That whichid beneath the soil was uprooted; the massive force dug up roots, soil, and rock as a rotation of unseen energy surrounded the First Argonaut, who levitated in the air.

    This one''s fangs might just yet reach Mastorn, Godfrey thought, that is�Cunless I deal with him right here!

    With a swipe of his hand, Godfrey invoked a tremendous force that mmed downward from the heavens; its weight smothered the withered grass before it reached the surface, only to crush arge portion of the valley.

    It was a devastating impact, one of such scale that a small town would''ve been cleanly wiped off the map.

    "--Rest in the soil of Gaia," Godfrey muttered.

    As the particles of soil scattered, a propulsion of air cleared the obscurants, revealing the ck-haired young man picking himself up, with not a scratch iid on his skin.

    Ren''s eyes carried the same hollowness to them; unmoved even by the cataclysmic force that rained down on him before as he shrugged it off.

    Godfrey was perplexed, "...This child��"

    "Everything! You took everything!" Ren yelled out as the overwhelming aura around him carried his voice, causing it to boom throughout the valley as the grass swayed, "--Godfrey!"

    Nothing was held back; it was all let loose�Cthere was nothing restraining the anguished man as tears trailed down his cheeks and he raced across the torn fields for the Argonaut responsible for his aching heart.

    As he got within striking distance of Godfrey, he squeezed the handle of his de enough that it felt as though he''d shatter it, shing it aggressively as the wrinkled Argonaut avoided it with a sidestep.

    "--Impressive," Godfrey noted, watching the trail of destruction that followed the sword''s edge.

    A line of burning darkness had cut through the field in a perfect, straight path, charring the soil and carving through it a good meter.

    Even if the world should crumble away, Ren Nakamura would not mind. To him, his world had already been destroyed.

    ''This is my vow. I will bring the world down�CI''ll end this never ending cycle of misery atst,'' he decided.

    Burning through his sorrowful soul, this vow manifested itself through a vast sea of darkness that extended from the man''s feet like an ocean born from the depths of an unreachable abyss. Everything was consumed; the entirety of the once flourishing, verdant region was swallowed up in this wave of abyssal wrath.

    Staying within what seemed like the safety of the wind, the old, but not withered Argonaut watched from above as thend was consumed by spiteful darkness.

    Dire words poured from the lips of the malignant Argonaut as his long beard swayed in the abyssal winds, "Ren Nakamura, I see it now. You''re a monster that needs to be dealt with, should this world not crumble away. An unchained beast like you�Cit''s my job as an Argonaut to protect the world from heinous viins such as yourself."

    With a single raise of the eldest Argonaut''s hand, the clouds parted, moving away in the shape of a colossal hand that imprinted itself in the heavens.

    The abyssal-hearted man looked up as his ears popped with the arrival of a pressure unlike any other; it was as if the sky itself was falling down on top of him.

    Godfrey wore a twisted, but excited smile as he shouted out, letting his booming voice be carried through the sky, "Be crushed, otherworldly insect!"

    ["The Right Hand of The Almighty"]

    In the face of what felt like a boundless weight crushing down on the entire region, Ren stood firmly before shooting his fist up as a burst of genuine darkness erupted from his palm.

    ''Twist it and give it shape. This is the manifestation of my pain; the suffering I''ve endured�Cit won''t stay shackled anymore,'' Ren thought.

    It was nothing he''d ever called upon before, but as the invocation rolled off of his tongue, it felt as natural as breathing; it was the extension of destruction he yearned for, feeling as though it manifested from deep within himself.

    "Rise And Burn Into This World: Depravus Titan."

    The abyssal invocation poured from the man''s lips as the godly force descended upon him, causing the boundless darkness that spawned from the depths of his being to be reshaped into something greater.

    Before the unseen hand of mountainous might could crush him, the strands of shadows were interwoven, given mass, imbued with meaning�C"Destroy, Annihte, and Burn it all"--allowing a colossal construct of an abyssal skeleton to form around Ren.

    From the sky, the wizened Argonaut gathered a sense of what he faced, witnessing the enormous skeleton, born of sable bones and wrapped in abundant, wicked darkness.

    ''This goes beyond anything possible. I sense an endless well within that boy�Ca chasm of darkness that''s never ending, infinite in the hatred he can spew out with a single wave of his hand. It''s different than an awakening spurred by anguish; something else is connected to this boy�Csomething wicked beyond any other level. Why, just why��'' Godfrey began to think.

    The abyssal skeleton guarded the ck-haired young man, stretching far-and-wide as it ced its own hands up, stopping the downfall of the unseen, mountainous hand that had descended upon the valley.

    Godfrey witnessed it as his fingers shook with an emotion the old man had not experienced in countless years. His expression was one of shock before suddenly�Cit twisted into a childlike smile, seeped inplete deprivation of one''s rationale.

    ''...Why am I so excited? After all of these dull, meaningless years without a challenge, have I finally found a worthy foe? Somebody I can dance with until my bones ache and my flesh peels?'' Godfrey realized.

    The snow-haired, first Argonaut expelled his words with force from the sky, "How wonderful, Ren Nakamura! Let us destroy to our heart''s content�Cuntil one of us falls into Hell!"

    For the world of Gaia, its inherent inequality was in full disy. In that valley, swallowed in the sorrow of the lonesome man, the two figures stood against one another with enough power in their hands to alter the very fate of the ground they walked upon.

    One man clenched his teeth in soul-etched rage, and one man smiled with excitement lost in countless decades.

    Both were equally insane; a unison and sh of two beings that despised each other so passionately, that the worse was brought out of both.

    As a result, the world found the absolute worst case scenario in two opponents that should''ve never collided.

    "This is it! You will help me reach it, Ren Nakamura! Help this old soul find salvation from his boredom!" Godfrey howled into the clouds.

    From above, the snow-haired, wizened Argonaut rapidly swung his fists,manding countless, colossal fists to conjure through the sky, raining down upon the region. It was a storm of knuckles, decimating entire mountain ranges, crushing them into powder as if they were mere pebbles being pulverized.

    ''For a long time, I''ve wondered if my life was a positive or a negative for this world. If I helped more than I hurt. If I saved more than I destroyed. But, why does any of that matter? Why should I care? This world that has done nothing but torment me, take away everything I care about, never letting me just be content�Cit can turn to ash for all I care. I''m done with it. You win,'' the anguished man thought.

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